Deep Dive into Habits of Grace by David Mathis - Kindle the Fire in Corporate Worship
Corporate worship is presented as the pinnacle of Christian life, surpassing private devotions in its significance. Humanity was created to worship Jesus collectively, as happy members of a vast family, offering a direct foretaste of heaven's communal joy. This shared experience, immersing believers in a multitude of fellow worshippers, is considered the single most important means of grace and our greatest weapon in the fight for joy. It uniquely combines God's word, prayer, and fellowship, acutely bringing together His voice, ear, and body through preaching, sacraments, praises, and confessions. There are specific graces and blessings that God imparts only when believers gather together.
While true worship itself is an end—happiness in God being the ultimate goal—corporate worship functions as a powerful means of grace through the "secret of joy": self-forgetfulness. When believers become collectively preoccupied with Jesus and His manifold perfections, rather than focusing on personal gain, authentic emotion is kindled, and grace is profoundly received. In these moments, self-conscious calculation vanishes, and feelings are experienced without ulterior motive.
This communal worship yields five unique benefits. It provides Awakening, clearing spiritual fog and rekindling lethargic hearts, as illustrated by Martin Luther's experience. It offers Assurance, fostering belonging and confirming the credibility of faith through community. It enables Advance (sanctification), progressively transforming believers into Christ's image "on the spot" as they behold Jesus together. It cultivates Accepting Another’s Leading, fostering a receptive faith by responding to the guidance of others. Lastly, it brings Accentuated Joy, where individual awe and adoration are heightened and doubled in the shared magnification of Jesus, reinforcing the happy awareness of not being alone in spiritual satisfaction.
Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian
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