Worship Produces Unity

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 3:1)
     Passage: Psalm 133:1-3 

        I have grown up, served in, and been around Baptist churches all my life. Baptists are known for many things, but some of them are not so good. Among those are being known for disagreement and division. Many Baptist churches were not started through intentional mission, but by internal combustion, when one group got mad and decided to leave and form a new church. While there are many factors that generally contribute to a division in a church, one element will be that some lost their focus on the main purpose of a church, which is to express their love for God in worship.
      When the Jewish exiles returned to Israel, they first thing they did together was gather in Jerusalem for worship. Ezra specifically pointed out that they assembled, not as thought they were thousands of individuals, but rather that they were “as one man”. God-centered worship produces unity. It doesn’t focus on individual performance or preferences. It focuses on praising God and lifting up Jesus Christ. Psalm 150 begins and ends with “Praise the Lord!” Everything in between the first and last verse calls on God’s people to praise Him. God calls us to worship. When you gather each week with your church family, make it your aim to praise the Lord and express your love for Him. That kind of worship will be blessed.

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)