Have you seen any interesting discussions on worship lately? I’ve randomly stumbled upon a few, with some turning heated because others have a more general idea of worship than others. One such debate has pertained to the building church vs. internet church, where a number of believers argue that building churches are the ordained place of worship — that, if anyone attends an internet church, or decides to have worship in the outdoors among creation, that individual is sinful, pagan, postmodern, relative, and a heathen.

The view that church today is about meeting in a building, that building churches are the model of biblical church, is called church exclusivism. This view has its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the alternate church view that says church is within, that church is not a place but people, that church is a gathering of the faithful, that God dwells within each individual, and that even the sick and shut-in can praise God at home in front of a television. Which of these views is right? You’ll have to listen to tomorrow’s sermon to find out or become more informed about the matter. We’ve been talking about worship and how worship stretches beyond church walls. Perhaps this is a hint as to what tomorrow’s sermon will be.

John 4, the text of tomorrow’s sermon, is all about the counter-cultural, going against societal standards. Will Jesus change someone’s view of church gathering tomorrow? It is my prayer that He does. Until then, pray that I preach God’s Word with all the strength He alone can give. Until then, we’d like to introduce you to our new Audio Sermons and Bible Studies page where you can find all our audio sermons and Bible studies to date. The page will continually be updated weekly, so look for it when you stop by the site.

Can’t wait until you hear the Word tomorrow!

In Him,

Pastor D.M. Richardson

The Essential Church

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