![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Coffee-and-Bagel.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cDuring our years of church planting, we tried to change people\u2019s perceptions about what the Sunday worship would look like,\u201d wrote Michelle Lazurek, in a recent Crosswalk.com article. \u201cWe took out pews and replaced them with pub tables and chairs, added lights and a stage and most importantly,\u201d the award-winning author and preacher\u2019s wife said, \u201c(we) added a breakfast bar where people could grab bagels and other breakfast foods and coffee during the service.\u201d Lazurek admitted, \u201cNot everyone loved these changes.\u201d<\/p>\nSome of the reasons she shared why they added breakfast to worship included \u201cit brings us closer to each other. And, of course, \u201cit brings us closer to God.\u201d Also, she said, \u201cit increases the church\u2019s level of hospitality.\u201d And, \u201cit creates opportunities for people to use their gifts for God.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s amazing the ideas and innovations that church growth experts employ to prod people to attend church. Of course, the 1,000-word article failed to contain any scripture to justify the addition of a breakfast bar.<\/p>\n
Disrespect and desecration of the worship service is nothing new. It was a problem that Paul addressed in his letter to the Corinthians. He said there were divisions among them. The factious spirit among Believers had spilled over into their worship. He said their assembly, was \u201cnot for the better but for the worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the specific issues he mentioned was turning the Lord\u2019s Supper into a common meal. \u201cWhen you come together, it is not the Lord\u2019s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. <\/em>What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Following this, Paul restated the purpose of the Lord\u2019s supper. It is a time to remember Christ. To remember his broken body hanging on the cross as we eat the bread. To remember his shed blood as we drink the fruit of the vine. To remember the new covenant He established. To remember who we are. Why we serve Him. And what the service means to us personally and as a witness to the world. It \u201cproclaims the Lord\u2019s death until He comes again.<\/em>\u201d (1 Cor. 11:17-26).<\/p>\n Here are a few thoughts that might help us improve our worship without adding a breakfast bar.<\/p>\n Sure, we can praise God and pray to Him anytime. Anywhere. But the Bible teaches that we are \u201cto come together as a church<\/em>\u201d (I Corinthians 11:18). Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the Father is seeking true worshipers to worship Him. (John 4:21-24).<\/p>\n Several years ago a preaching colleague of mine, the late Bill Feist offered this warning and reminder regarding worship:<\/p>\n \u201cIt is time for us to remember in the midst of a self-indulgent period of our nation that our primary purpose in gathering together is not to please ourselves; or because it is psychologically sound for us to do so; or that it supports the family structure; or that it partakes of traditional family values (though all of these things may be by-products of our gathering together).\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Then Bill emphatically stated, \u201cOur purpose in gathering together is to prostrate ourselves before the Almighty God of heaven and pay Him homage.”<\/p>\n Jesus said, \u201cGod is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth<\/em>\u201d (John 4:24).<\/p>\n Worship must be accurate, according to God\u2019s Word, which is truth (John 17:17). In reading the New Testament I find the disciples assembled to take communion, hear the Word of God, contribute into the common treasury, pray. and sing praises to God (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Hebrews 2:12; I Corinthians 14:15). Regardless of the term you use to describe these expressions of worship, it is apparent they are according to Truth.<\/p>\n Worship must be authentic, genuine, and that emanates from within. It is should be heart-felt, spirited, and enthusiastic. It is not a time of mere ritual, but fervent and sincere praise to our Creator.<\/p>\n Regarding the Sunday assembly, Paul wrote, \u201cAll things are to be done for the edifying of the Body<\/em>\u201d (I Corinthians 14:26). In worship, we exhort one another. Motivate one another. Inspire one another. We \u201cstimulate one another to love and good works”<\/em> (Hebrews 10:24).<\/p>\n Most Christian living is done outside the assembly. Not everything is collective. Hospitality, for instance, is an individual command (I Peter 4:9-10). The church can\u2019t do it for me by offering a breakfast bar.<\/p>\n My individual gifts are demonstrated most often in my daily interactions with fellow Christians as well as non-Christians: being merciful, doing good, sharing my resources, offering encouragement, and ministering \u201cto the least of these.\u201d<\/p>\n Improved lighting, comfortable seats, and a hot cup of coffee may make us feel cozy but will do little to stir our hearts, awaken our conscience, and challenge our thinking. The power to convince and convict sinners is in the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16), not bagels and coffee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Ken Weliever \u201cDuring our years of church planting, we tried to change people\u2019s perceptions about what the Sunday worship would look like,\u201d wrote Michelle Lazurek, in a recent Crosswalk.com article. \u201cWe took out pews and replaced them with pub tables and chairs, added lights and a stage and most importantly,\u201d the award-winning author and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[151,146,84],"class_list":["post-5922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-eating-in-the-building","tag-lords-supper","tag-worship"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48149,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-you-deal-with-a-woman-who-brings-her-dog-to-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":5922,"position":0},"title":"How do you deal with a woman who brings her dog to worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have a lady who has been attending worship with us for over a month. She has since placed her membership with our congregation. This morning when she entered the building she had a little Chihuahua dog in her arms. She stated that it was her service dog and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4332,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-we-worship-with-an-autistic-child\/","url_meta":{"origin":5922,"position":1},"title":"How do we worship with an autistic child?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello. I wrote to you about 5 or 6 years ago for some advice on how to help my severely autistic son during worship. Today, he is 8 years old, and going to worship never got easier. However, it got extremely hard, to the point where going was nothing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18203,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-christians-sing-during-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":5922,"position":2},"title":"Should Christians sing during the Lord’s supper?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Should Christians sing during the Lord's supper? Answer: I wonder what is next -- singing during prayer or singing during the sermon!? I really don't understand why people think that the Lord's Supper needs some kind of \"crutch\" or \"support\" to make it meaningful and relevant to Christians. When\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14252,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/isnt-the-word-day-added-to-acts-207\/","url_meta":{"origin":5922,"position":3},"title":"Isn’t the word “day” added to Acts 20:7?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 26, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In Acts 20:7, in the original Greek, the word \"day\" is not there. It was later added by men.\u00a0 Adding to!\u00a0 I worship (adore, give praise. honor) each and every day, 24\/7. I can't believe you limit worship to a day.\u00a0 One of Satan's greatest accomplishments has been to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54505,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/some-things-i-want-to-teach-my-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":5922,"position":4},"title":"Some Things I Want to Teach My Children","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bill Hall \"And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord\" (Ephesians 6:4). In keeping with the instruction of this passage, there are certain things that I want to teach my children. Reverence I want to teach\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95818,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/nympha\/","url_meta":{"origin":5922,"position":5},"title":"Nympha","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier Once Paul starts listing names, we tend to read on autopilot, no longer paying attention. We might even quit reading altogether. After all, he's done with the gospel-y stuff, right? There's nothing to learn from a list of names. However, these people are examples for us. Often\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5922\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Remember we come together in a special way to worship God.<\/h3>\n
Worship to God contains two important elements.<\/h3>\n
Worship should edify other believers.<\/h3>\n