THE LORD PARTICIPATES IN THE WORK AND WORSHIP OF HIS CHURCH

By Gary McDade

The participation of Jesus Christ in the work and worship of His church is born out by the figures that are used to describe and define His church. For example, since the church of Christ is the bride of Christ according to Ephesians 5:23-34, then intimate association and continual interaction between Christ and His church are axiomatic.

Jesus guaranteed His involvement in the work of His church from the time He commissioned the church to “go into all the world” preaching and teaching the gospel. In fact, the very last words of the gospel of Matthew record Him saying, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20). Mark explained the relationship when he said, “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen” (Mark 16:19-20). On a rare occasion when door knocking, someone will not like our visit to their home to invite them to the services of the church, it makes you think of the words of God to Samuel, “And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). Rejecting Christians is rejecting Christ.

And regarding the worship of God, bear in mind that Jesus when instituting the Lord’s supper promised, “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new *with you* in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29, emphasis added). What the Lord said in regard to the disciplining of faltering members is also true of the worship assembly, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). He is not aloof from His church, for the last writing of the New Testament assures using symbolic language that Christ is in the midst of the 7 churches of Asia (Revelation 1:13). Hebrews 2:12 affirms, “Saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee.” Did you not know that Christ joins in the singing of the church? See also, Psalm 22:1-21 and 22-31.

“The Lord participates in the work and worship of His church.” “We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain”(2 Corinthians 6:1).