Distinct Characteristics of Hope Bible Church (pt. 9)
God-Focused Corporate Worship
Another distinctive of Hope Bible Church is God-focused corporate worship.
It almost sounds ridiculous to point out that the corporate worship of the church should be focused on God not on other things, but given the trends of worship services in the modern American church, knowing and exalting God does not seem to be at the top of the list.
Church worship services these days, if I may generalize, are focused more on the experience of the worshipper than on knowing God. The songs focus more on how we feel about God than on who God is. The messages during the worship service focus more on how we can benefit from God not explaining the way of the cross of Christ and the sacrifice we should all make in our service towards God. The prayers petition God to grant health and wealth rather than strengthen the faith and obedience of God’s people.
At HBC we have endeavored to drench our worship services with high and holy thoughts about God. We explain and proclaim who God is, what Christ has accomplished, and how the Spirit of God works among us. We choose our songs with the criteria of sound doctrine and lofty thoughts of our Savior. It is not that we play down the importance of experiencing God but that we want to experience Him based on a true and accurate understanding of Him. We realize that in religion there is much temptation to mold a god in the image that we want Him to be like rather than who He truly is. The biblical truths about our God are grand enough to cause our hearts to soar with emotion.
Emotion follows truth. Emotion and energy in worship arise out of sound doctrine.
This atmosphere of a high and reverent view of God confronts the worshipper with how little and weak he actually is. We are put in our proper place when we come into the presence of omnipotence.
In comparison to God we always are in great need, and He is always the one who meets our needs. He is faithful to us. We bow before God together because we recognize that only He is able to meet our needs and bring us safely to His heavenly kingdom. Only He is even worthy of our adoration and exaltation. We as humble creatures below, are fulfilling our created purpose when we praise and lift up His majestic name.
Worship is not so much what we get out of it, but what God gets out of it. Our focus should be to please God, not ourselves. If we have joy and feel great when we worship, it should only be because we have the joy of hearing God praised. Our mouths should enjoy glorying in God.
Rather than following the trends of the day and age, we offer the worshipper a time of worship where God, not man, is exalted. We collectively bring our skills in music and preaching to offer God what is worthy of His excellence. Our songs, hymns, prayers, testimonies, Scripture readings, and messages do not speak of the greatness of man but of the greatness of our God and Savior. We urge people to prepare their hearts for the most important meeting they have all week — our meeting with God on Sundays, the Lord’s Day, to exalt His loving and gracious name.
As Psalm 100 urges us,
“Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting. And His faithfulness to all generations.”