Even though the Bible had not been written and no
churches existed at the time this commandment was given, God instituted
it knowing the role that it would play in spreading the gospel.
Therefore, while He, undoubtedly, knew that His people needed a day of
rest, as well as time to teach their children spiritual truths, He gave
this commandment with the work of the ministry and the spread of the
gospel in mind (John 5:39).
Since true worship cannot be forced, the law did not
require worship. Instead, it called for a day of rest, thereby
protecting the right to worship by making it illegal for employers to
force their employees to work on the Sabbath. As a day of rest, the
Sabbath is a constant reminder of the fact that God created the world
in six days, and that we are ultimately accountable to Him for
everything that we do. At the same time, the Sabbath commandment is not
repeated in the New Testament because the job of the church is not to
require, but to give. God gives us His grace through the preaching of
the gospel and ministry of the Word, and we worship regularly because
we love God and are nourished by His Word, not because we are trying to
earn His favor.
Prior to the Babylonian captivity, congregational
worship was virtually nonexistent. While the priests may have led those
who were at the temple in some sort of devotions, most of the people
lived several days journey from the temple. During certain periods the
“sons of the prophets” may have joined together for worship, but they
were a minority. However, that all changed when the Jews were uprooted
from their homeland and carried captive to the land of Babylon. In
Babylon they experienced a rather severe culture shock. They not only
struggled to maintain their own identity, but felt a desperate need for
moral support and for some way to preserve and pass on their own
religion and culture. That desperation led to the practice of gathering
in synagogues for fellowship, joint worship, and study.
At first they simply gathered together, after a
day’s work, to discuss the law while enjoying the fellowship of their
countrymen. However, because any group of Jews could gather at any time
for joint prayer and worship, it soon became customary for them to join
together for worship on the Sabbath day. As joint worship developed
they naturally looked to the older men of the congregation (elders) for
leadership and instruction in the Word of God. Then, as the generation
that remembered life in Israel began to die off, congregations hired
younger men that had been trained in the laws of Israel [i.e.
teachers], to both lead the Sabbath worship and instruct their children
in the law. However, because each congregation was autonomous, it was
the men of the congregation, not the Rabbi they employed, who made the
decisions.
After seventy years in Babylon, as the children of
Israel returned to Judea, Ezra caused the Law of God to be read and
explained to the people (Nehemiah 8:1-8). That practice of reading and
explaining God’s Word soon became a regular part of congregational
worship, and Luke even records one instance in which Christ was called
upon to give the reading (Luke 4:16-22). To those readings was added
the practice of preaching, thus what was begun by Ezra has continued to
our present day.
In a loose sort of way the Jewish synagogue followed
the pattern of the temple. Just as the original Ten Commandments were
kept in the Ark of the Covenant, the Scriptures (scrolls) were kept in
a box in the front of the Synagogue. However, among early Christians,
this box somehow came to be referred to as an “altar” rather than an
“Ark.” The cross, like the mercy seat, is at the center of this
“altar,” and the candles on either end correspond to the cherubim on
each end of the Ark (Exodus 25:18-22). Although synagogues placed the
pulpit in front of the Ark, early Christians moved it to one side, to
emphasize the fact that the way to the Mercy Seat is now open (Matthew
24:51).
While there are many good reasons for attending
church, such as worshipping God, setting a good example for your
children, promoting God’s kingdom, encouraging other Christians, and
being encouraged by them; God works through the preaching of His Word,
not only to bring us to faith but to nourish our faith, strengthen our
faith, and keep us in faith.
We could never make ourselves believe! In fact, if we tried (without
God’s help) Satan would soon have us convinced that we were deceiving
ourselves. However, because our faith is a gift of God, He not only
brings us to faith but also keeps us in faith, when we trust the
preservation of our faith to His grace (Jude 1:24).
I sometimes hear people talk as if they do not need
the Bible – Just trust in Christ, they say. However, even though our
faith is a gift of God’s grace, without the Bible we would have nothing
to believe in. Without the Bible we would not even know that Christ
existed, much less that He died for our sins. Our faith is not faith in
a feeling, but faith in the objective promises of God’s Word (Galatians
3:6, 22). God works through His Word to bring us to repentance
exposing, reproving, and convicting us of our sin. He then brings us to
faith, using His promises of forgiveness in Christ to assure us that
our sins have been washed away (Romans 3:10-28). Moreover, once we have
faith, He continues to strengthen and nourish that faith, by holding
His promises before us through the regular preaching of His Word (John
21:16-17). Therefore, far from being a one-time thing, faith is an
ongoing trust and reliance upon Christ and His finished work.
[Ephesians 2:8,9, 1 Corinthians 12:3, Acts 18:27, Romans 10:14-17, 1
Peter 1:5, Romans 5:20, Romans 4:1-8, Mark 16:16, Galatians 5:4.]
For that reason, church attendance is far more than just something that
we do. As God has brought to faith through His Word, He keeps us in
faith through His Word (1 Peter 1:23, 1 Peter 2:2) Therefore, we are
not doing something for God by going to church, instead He is doing
something for us. Through worship, preaching, and staying close to His
Word our faith is continually renewed as we are regularly reminded of
our sins and assured of God’s mercy in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:6).
Although our love of Christ should move us to want to be in church, our
desire should be to exalt Him, not simply to please ourselves. We
should go to church so that we can give of ourselves to the furthering
of His kingdom, not because we think that we get something out if it.
Moreover, because our aim is to exalt Him, the worship service should
be designed to honor Him, not to entertain those who attend.