September 1 – LD 35, Day 6: Private Worship of God
by Rev Rodney Kleyn
Read Deuteronomy 6
Even though the Second Commandment is
especially about the public worship of God, in and by the church, this does not
exclude the private worship of God by individual believers. We know that the
second commandment also addresses private worship because image worship begins
in the heart and imaginations of man. It is firstly a private sin. For our
worship of God to be in Spirit, and in truth, it must also be a private matter.
Yes, the Second Commandment is
fulfilled by God's covenant people when they come together for public worship.
Too many people today think that this is not necessary, and think that they can
worship God on their own or with their family, and they never join with other
believers. But Heb 10:25 admonishes us not to forsake the gathering of
ourselves together.
All the same, there is a private aspect
to our worship of God. This begins with the individual Christian living and
walking with God in prayer, in the private reading of God's Word, in personal
study of Christian and theological materials, and in a deep and constant
consciousness of living before the Lord, and serving Him with thankfulness for
His salvation.
This extends to the believer's home
and family life too. In the home, believing husbands and wives, believing
parents and children, believing brothers and sisters open the Word of God together
and spend time in prayer together. Deut 6:7 describes this as a constant,
almost habitual part of the life of the Christian home - “Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest
in thine house, and when thou walkest
by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
It's important that we do not become
“church-dependent”. Then we leave all study of the Word to the minister and
church. Our religious activity, because we are so busy, becomes limited to
church activities. In the end, we depend on an institution, rather than on God
Himself.
If one has a truly robust personal
walk with God, then he will not be “church-dependent,” but rather, he will be a
true contributor to the worship and life of the church.