[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] FW: [CWWC] THE PRIVILEGE OF CORPORATE WORSHIP

[mmoore11 at kent.edu]

From: committed-walk-with-Christ at groups.io
<committed-walk-with-Christ at groups.io> On Behalf Of Mr. Ed via groups.io
Sent: Friday, September 3, 2021 10:32 AM
To: Mr. Ed <pinky14 at abe.midco.net>
Subject: EXT: [CWWC] THE PRIVILEGE OF CORPORATE WORSHIP

 


THE PRIVILEGE OF CORPORATE WORSHIP


Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
<https://link.biblegateway.com/click/24940431.3651/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmlibGVnY
XRld2F5LmNvbS9wYXNzYWdlLz9zZWFyY2g9UHMuMTQ5LjE/5ef562bd10222374f46b6174B2ee5
eee7> Psalm 149:1b

Our Open Doors colleague, Ron Boyd-MacMillan, shares the following insight
from his teaching, "Why I Need to Encounter the persecuted church."

It's so easy to get fed up with church. For years I got very little out of
church. The sermons were boring. The music was embarrassing. The fellowship
was non-existent. The whole experience of worshipping with other people felt
stale and pointless.Going to church in my country was an endurance test.
Until I visited a persecuted church!

There were fifty of us squeezed into an upstairs room. The singing was
hushed. The neighbors were hostile to the fellowship. Then a preacher stood
up. An old man, with a wiry frame and wisps of hair springing from a mole on
his chin. No sooner had he spoken a sentence than he broke down in tears. He
kept saying, "I never thought I would have the privilege of preaching
again." Then he would laugh, and then cry again, great wails and sobs. Soon
everyone was weeping with him. Except me. This went on for about half an
hour, and I began to get very fed up with it all. He kept speaking a line,
and my translator kept saying, "It's the same verse, it's the same verse."
All this man did was repeat the same scripture phrase, burst into tears,
laugh, and then speak the very same phrase again. I thought, "What kind of
hopeless service is this."

But afterwards I met the old man, and when I heard his story I repented of
my attitude. He was a preacher, ordained in the late 1950's in China. He
pastored a church for only six months before it was closed down. He was
jailed, spending twenty years in prison. After he got out, he was very ill
for a long time, but finally, at age 77, had the strength to speak again. I
had witnessed his first sermon in 31 years! No wonder he broke down. I tried
to imagine what it must have been like, holding the Word of God inside for
31 years, not knowing whether you would ever again preach. Then suddenly
being allowed to do so. How do you preach a sermon after a silence of 31
years? No wonder he was overcome.

He said, "I never thought I would get the privilege of speaking the Word to
a gathered group of Christians with their Bibles open ever again. Through
the long years of prison I thought that experience would never return. And
when it came, as you saw, all I could do was choke out the verse that kept
me going: Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful (
<https://link.biblegateway.com/click/24940431.3651/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmlibGVnY
XRld2F5LmNvbS9wYXNzYWdlLz9zZWFyY2g9UHMuMTQ5LjE/5ef562bd10222374f46b6174C2ee5
eee7> Ps149:1b).

I returned home with a transformed attitude. I began to walk to church with
my Bible, praising Him for the opportunity. I went to the church early,
walking the aisles and praying, thanking God for the building and the
freedom to hold our service. When the preacher spoke, I thanked God that he
had no fear. When the Bible was read, I thanked God for the men who took
grave risks in the past to print and distribute this word in my language.
When we sang a hymn, I sang out loudly, thanking God that I did not have to
whisper in hushed tones.

Truly, what a privilege is corporate worship. The persecuted church rescued
me from bitterness, and taught me to count my blessings I had taken for
granted.

RESPONSE: Today I will thank God for the privilege and freedom of corporate
worship in my church.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for the freedom and blessing of praising You in my
faith community.

Provided byBible Gateway:

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