33: Built Up, Not Pumped Up: The Biblical Blueprint for Church Gatherings

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34: They Said “Baptism Does Not Save”—Then We Read the Verses

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Welcome to the Ready for Eternity podcast, a podcast and blog dedicated to inquisitive

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Bible students exploring Biblical truths that might not be fully explored in typical sermons or Bible studies.

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My name is Eddie Lawrence. This is the final episode in our series about worship.

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Today I'll address a couple of common objections to the idea that church gatherings are primarily about building each other up rather than focused on worship.

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And let us consider how to stir up one another to reverence and devotion, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but worshipping together, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

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How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation.

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Let all things be done for worship. The passages you just heard align closely with how most modern churches operate, so they must be accurate quotes from the

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New Testament, right? Given their familiar tone and resemblance to contemporary practices, it's easy to overlook that these verses have been intentionally misquoted.

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In examining the New Testament descriptions of church gatherings, one of the most striking observations is the absence of worship terminology.

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The New Testament does not say that the primary purpose of the assembly is to worship.

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In fact, the longest passage in the New Testament that discusses church assemblies emphasizes edification, or being built up.

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First Corinthians 14 repeats this emphasis on edification seven times, and according to the

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Apostle Paul, everything done in the assembly is meant to promote edification.

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Edification is the primary purpose of the Christian gathering.

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Of course, this isn't to say that the Bible forbids prayers and praise and expressions of devotion to God in these gatherings.

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These are activities that should emerge naturally when believers assemble. However, the

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New Testament does not point to these as the main aim when believers gather.

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Churches place a heavy emphasis on worship through music, prayer, and other activities.

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Regardless, this is not the New Testament's emphasis. As you hear me use the word worship in this episode, please understand that I'm using it in an accommodative sense.

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As we've learned from our word studies, worship does not adequately express the biblical author's intended ideas.

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So when I use the word worship, I'm using it loosely to indicate vertical activities.

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That is, praise, prayers, and similar expressions of devotion to God. Personally, I have only encountered two objections to the idea that worship is not the main purpose of Christian gatherings.

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There are no doubt others, but these are the only two that I've been challenged with. Therefore, I want to address them while acknowledging that other arguments no doubt exist.

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The first one is when someone might ask, doesn't this focus on edification put people first and God second?

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The answer to that is no. We are indeed putting

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God first when we gather according to His commands. When the

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New Testament speaks of the purpose of the church gatherings, it prioritizes mutual edification as God's will for His people.

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By coming together in ways that promote spiritual growth, we honor God, not by focusing solely on individual acts of worship, but by adhering to His instructions for what the gathering should accomplish.

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This focus on edification does not diminish God's glory. Instead, it magnifies it through the transformed lives of His people.

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When believers equip, encourage, and strengthen each other in their faith, they better reflect

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Christ in their daily lives and fulfill His mission to the world.

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Far from being self -centered, being built up within the assembly aligns with God's purpose for His church, to grow into maturity, unity, and love, all of which brings glory to God.

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A second objection is based on Acts chapter 13. Verses 1 and 2 are sometimes cited to support the idea of worship during gatherings.

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In this text, it appears that the prophets and the teachers at the church in Antioch were worshipping as they fasted and prayed while they were preparing to send

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Barnabas and Saul on their mission. However, there's a couple of issues with this interpretation.

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First, some Bible versions translate the Greek word liturgio as worshipping, but is this translation accurate?

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If you compare it with other translations, most use the words serving or ministering instead of worship.

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Liturgio specifically refers to priestly service, not worship in the way we commonly think of it.

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What service were the five prophets and teachers who were mentioned in verse 1 performing?

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The text indicates they were fasting and praying as part of the commissioning of Barnabas and Saul to share the good news with the

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Gentiles. While we might assume they had gathered for worship based on certain Bible translations, the text doesn't explicitly say that.

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Second, there's an assumption that this was an assembly of the church at Antioch.

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However, verse 1 simply states that the church had prophets and teachers and it named five of them.

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It does not suggest that the church assembled for worship, but rather emphasizes that these individuals engaged in a specific act of service.

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Thus, while Acts 13 verses 1 and 2 highlights an important moment of prayer and fasting, it does not provide evidence that this was a church assembly focused on worship.

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Instead, the passage underscores a specific act of service carried out by a group of leaders, not a model for gatherings of an entire congregation.

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Church services tend to fall into one of two categories. Some are dull and unengaging.

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They fail to edify the congregation, while others have become performance -driven stage shows aimed at entertaining.

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Ministers in the former group often claim that the assembly is solely about God, stating that if attendees don't feel enriched, then they have a spiritual problem.

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Meanwhile, churches in the latter group recognize the boredom and irrelevance that often accompany worship -focused gatherings, and they try to compensate with flashy, production -style assemblies.

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While people might leave feeling pumped up, they are rarely built up.

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Neither approach serves the true purpose of the church assembly. The former does little to inspire spiritual growth, and the latter risks turning the church into a spectacle rather than a place of genuine edification.

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Both extremes ultimately miss the mark as neither fosters the type of growth that the

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New Testament envisions for church gatherings. A true understanding of church gatherings, according to the

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New Testament, leads us back to the core purpose of edification.

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When believers gather for the right reasons, focused on mutual encouragement and spiritual growth, they are fulfilling

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God's intent for His people. Vertical activities are certainly not forbidden, but it is not the central purpose either.

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Instead, the New Testament teaches that the goal of believers in the church assembly is building up each other's faith, which in turn brings glory to God.

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When we spiritually nourish each other, we fulfill God's commands and purposes.

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In light of all this, it's clear that the New Testament presents a different vision for church gatherings than what we often see today.

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By emphasizing mutual edification as the central purpose, Scripture calls us to rethink how we approach our assemblies.

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When we prioritize building one another up, we align with God's will for His church.

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We create an environment where spiritual growth flourishes. This approach not only results in the body of Christ being built up, but also brings glory to God as His people mature in faith and love.

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For additional information on this topic, I highly recommend Dr. Tom Wadsworth's videos.

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I'll put a link to his worship playlist in this episode description. Thanks for listening to the podcast.

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We hope this episode has deepened your understanding of Scripture. If you found this content valuable, please share it with your friends.

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For more Biblical studies, visit our website at ReadyForEternity .com. That's the word

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READY, the number 4, and the word ETERNITY. ReadyForEternity .com.

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Be sure and leave a comment on the Ready for Eternity Facebook page or reach out on Twitter. That's all for now.

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Keep studying your Bible, growing closer to God, and getting ready for eternity.