WORSHIP NOTES
Volume 21, No. 7 (July 2026)
Here is the church; here is the steeple; open the door, and see all the people.
We need to be reminded how precious it is to be part of the Body of Christ the Church (for all of its imperfections).
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” (Acts 21:28)
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Do you not know that you [plural] are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:19-22)
“In the midst of the congregation I [Jesus] will sing your praise.” (Hebrews 2:12)
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The holiest thing in the world is the Church. (German pastor)
The church is the Lord’s house; the materials of it are all his own. Every lively stone in it is purchased with the price of the redeemer’s blood, “Ye are bought with a price.” The Lord is the architect of this spiritual edifice. He prepares the materials for it with his own gracious hands. Believers are the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus onto good works. He has laid the foundation of it, which therefore must be suitable, safe, and sure. The wonderful structure is not erected on the sliding sand, but on the solid rock. (John Fawcett,1808)
The church is not simply a club of like-minded people who meet until they are strong enough to go it alone. Nor is it about being part of a social club of like-minded individuals. Being a Christian is all about being part of God’s community. The church is the family of God sharing one Father, the body and bride of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit. (Robin Parry, Worshiping Trinity, 53)
The Church of Jesus Christ is to be a place where barriers come down—barriers separating Jew and Gentile, man and woman, laborer and executive, young and old. When this occurs it is a powerful testimony to the supernatural nature of the Body of Christ—because people just don’t act that way towards one another, and get along so well together, under normal circumstances! (Ron Man)
When Jesus Christ comes into the life of believers, his life becomes incarnate in their life. The church, as the “body of Christ” at worship, is not merely a reminder that he once lived but also a witness to the living presence of the risen Lord. It is a continuation of the life of Christ as he lives in and through the life of his people. The church as a community of the resurrection is the vital, vibrant, and victorious body of the reigning Christ. (Franklin M. Segler, Christian Worship: Its Theology and Practice, 72)
“A Trinitarian approach to ecclesiology” amounts to counter-balancing three themes: people of God, body of Christ, and the fellowship of the Spirit. (John Witvliet, citing Edmund Clowney)
The notion of the Body of Christ, of such fundamental importance for Paul, appears only in direct association with the assembling of the congregation for worship (including of course the Lord’s Supper). (Eduard Schweizer, “Worship in the NT,” Reformed and Presbyterian World 24:5 [March 1957:199)
However scrupulously we may practice disciplines of private devotion, they are no substitutes for the church’s assembly for worship in common. We are organically connected to the body. A Christian spiritual life both sustains the body of Christ and is sustained by it. (Ronald P. Byars, Christian Worship, 14)
To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:21)