As we strive to effectively worship God and edify one another in our assemblies, there is one tool that is indispensable to these goals—the word of God. An assembly where the scriptures are relegated to the sidelines and left unopened on the pews cannot honor God and cannot bring us closer to Him. God’s word must be kept as the focal point of our service and thoroughly embraced in every aspect of our assemblies. In this article we will discuss how the scriptures are vital to the purposes of our assembly and how we can give them the proper emphasis each time we come together.
First of all, if we are going to effectively express our reverence to God in worship, we must start by honoring His word. God has exalted His word to a position of great honor (Ps 138:2). David praised God’s word (Ps 56:4, 10). The longest chapter in our Bibles is a hymn glorifying God’s word (Ps 119). It is indeed proper for us to direct our worship toward God’s revelation in the scriptures. The scriptures perfectly demonstrate the wisdom and power of God. They alone give us access to His thoughts and reveal to us His will. We cannot express reverence to God, while disregarding the message He has spent the greater part of human history preparing for us.
The scriptures are no less vital to effective edification. We are powerless to stir up and build up one another spiritually without God’s word working in our assemblies. It alone has the God-breathed power to teach, reprove, correct, train, and equip us in our service to God (2 Tim 3:16-17). There is not a piece of God’s armor which we have access to without the scriptures (Eph 6:14-17). We may be able to set aside God’s word in the assembly and still stir up our emotions through inspirational speaking, beautiful music, or entertaining productions. But genuine spiritual edification cannot occur without God’s word working in our hearts.
So, how do we give the scriptures their proper emphasis in our assemblies? The most obvious way is simply to open them up and read. Paul urged Timothy, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Tim 4:13). Scripture reading should not just be seen as a sermon preview. It should be honored as a vitally important part of our assembly.
The Jewish synagogue service, a precursor to the Christian assembly, was dominated by Scripture reading. The Jews set up a schedule to read through the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy) every three years. In our Bibles that would break down to over a chapter in every assembly. In addition, some synagogues adopted a three-year reading cycle through the prophets.
The early church followed similar procedures in their service. Regarding Christian assemblies, Justin Martyr wrote in the second century, “On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place. And the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits…” (c. 160 AD). While exhortation and teaching included expounding upon the scripture, a straight reading of the text was often the first order of business. Epistles were circulated among different congregations, first to be read aloud in their entirety, and then to be studied and applied (Col 4:16).
Certainly, the innovation of the printing press and higher literacy rates have changed things. In a society where everyone has their own leather-bound copy of the scriptures and is able to read them in the comfort of their own home, public reading is not needed in the same way it once was. Yet, the reading of scripture is no less essential to the goal of our assemblies today. There is certainly something to be said for the value of reading a passage aloud within its full context. We would do well to give God’s word this same honor in our assemblies as was done in the early church.
Yet, beyond straight reading of scripture, we must make sure God’s word is embraced in every aspect of our assemblies. Our worship should be both scriptural and scripture-full. Our singing must be an overflowing of the word of Christ richly dwelling within our hearts (Col 3:16). Our prayers should reference the character, promises, and gifts of God found in His word (Acts 4:24-30). Our observance of the Lord’s Supper should draw our minds to what the scriptures reveal regarding Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins (1 Cor 11:23-26). In our sermons we must “preach the Word” (2 Tim 4:2). In our classes we must speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent (1 Pet 4:11).
In conclusion, God’s word is an indispensable part of the worship and edification of our assemblies. Every time we come together, the Scriptures should be lifted up as the foundation and focus of all that we are seeking to accomplish.