The Means of Grace Explained in 3 Minutes

Christian Worship and the Regulative Principle

Christian worship is the highest calling of every believer. It's also the most consequential. It's one thing that Reformed Presbyterians have always taken very seriously, the regulative principle of worship, that we should worship only in the way that God commands us to worship.

And so we see that defining text in Acts 2 .42. Just on the heels of Pentecost, we learn that these early Christians were devoted to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.

The Means of Grace in Acts 2:42

And there we have encapsulated there in that verse, and we see exemplified all throughout the New Testament, the means of grace. The very means by which God feeds, nourishes, encourages, rebukes, corrects, and trains up his people.

And so these means by which he schools us and trains us and ultimately gives us Christ are to be central in our worship services. And that's why it's so important to remember that when we gather for worship, it's not primarily first about us declaring our love to God, but about God declaring his love and grace to us through the word and sacraments.

Why Worship Must Be God-Centered

So if we make worship into a meeting between God and unbelievers, or we make worship into a time to focus on our church programs, or we make worship into a testimony time, or we make worship into an evangelistic time, then we are missing the whole point of worship.

That it is indeed God's main theater of Christian discipleship for his people. Why is it that Christians are increasingly ignorant of the truth of God's word? Why is it that Christians are becoming less familiar with doctrine and theology?

It's because our worship services have been so dumbed down and we need to recover the reformed worship of our heritage and that which promotes clearly the gospel of Jesus Christ through word and sacrament, a place where the ministers are leading the services, that gathering where we are receiving from God all the unsearchable riches of Christ through the means that he himself has ordained.

Reformed Worship and Vibrant Fellowship

And so in our Gospel Reformation Network distinctives, we have reformed worship being coupled with vibrant fellowship. And there's a reason for that, because true gospel fellowship, true vibrant fellowship flows out of worship that is gospel-centered and where we're hearing the truth and promises of God being declared to us every week.

We need to recover this kind of a passion and a joy for the worship of the church on the day that God himself ordained for this very purpose.