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Corporate worship

By Chidi Okoroafor
21 July 2019   |   2:15 am
The Gospel creates a community of believers, who worship and fellowship together. The church is a place of edification, exhortation, and comfort. Corporate worship plays an indispensable role...

Chidi Okoroafor

The Gospel creates a community of believers, who worship and fellowship together. The church is a place of edification, exhortation, and comfort. Corporate worship plays an indispensable role in rekindling our spiritual fire. We are rejuvenated and our faith recharged, as we join in corporate worship. Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

It is a bad idea to always be absent in corporate fellowship, as many people habitually do. You lose spiritual benefits when you habitually stay away from corporate worship. Thomas was missing among the disciples when Jesus appeared to them, so he doubted the reality of Jesus’ resurrection (John 20:24-25).

Our restoration in the days of battle is tied to our days of fellowship with one another (James 5:19-20). Fellowship helps to restore brethren who wander off God’s truth and save them from the danger of destruction. It ignites the fire of God again in the hearts of backslidden believers and restores them back to God.

The benefits of corporate worship cannot be over emphasized, especially as we see the Day of the Lord approaching. You renew your spiritual strength to continue serving the Lord faithfully in fellowship. This helps to prepare you for holy living, so that at Christ’s appearance, you will be found without blemish.

In corporate worship, we are spurred to prefer one another; love one another and provoked unto good works. In fellowship, our faith is strengthened through the Word of God. You receive grace to help in time of need during corporate worship and grace received is sufficient for the battles ahead (Hebrews 4:16).

In corporate worship, we submit ourselves to spiritual authorities and bring ourselves under spiritual cover/protection (Hebrews 13:17). It is dangerous to live in this time without someone watching over you. Corporate worship brings you under a spiritual covering. You enter the realm of unprofitability when you are absent from fellowship. God made Ezekiel a watchman unto the house of Israel; he hears from God and gives the people warning from God (Ezekiel 3:17).

There are watchmen appointed by God to watch over your soul. You are to obey and submit yourself to them, so that it may be profitable unto your soul. Bible says obey them that have rule over you for they watch over your soul. If you are not a good follower, you cannot be a great leader. The art of leading is in following, great leaders are great followers. The Bible says follow them who have become imitators of Christ through patience and faith (Hebrews 6:12).

Benefits of Corporate Worship
• Corporate worship is the secret of conformity into the image of Christ. The purpose of God is that we conform to His image. As we behold God in corporate worship, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• Exhortation: In fellowship, we exhort, edify, encourage, reprove, urge and rebuke one another. We need to be exhorted by church leadership, but also to exhort one another, so that we can grow in the grace and knowledge of God and to live a life worthy of our calling (Eph 4:1).
• Awakening: We are awakened from spiritual coma and receive the light of God, when we partake in fellowship (Ephesians 5:14). When there is heaviness in your heart, walk into the Church. David said when my heart is faint and without strength: lead me to the rock that is higher than I (Psalm 61:2).

Today’s Nugget: Corporate worship is the secret of conforming into the image of Christ.
Prayer: I receive grace not to be absent from the assembly of brethren.
Prayer lines: 09078154261.
E-mail: aggospelbell@gmail.com
Dr. Chidi Okoroafor, General Superintendent
Assemblies of God Nigeria

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