Why do Christians gather every Sunday morning? Most disciples would say that the purpose of “going to church” is something like this:
- “Church means getting together with other believers to worship Jesus Christ.”
- “The primary purpose of the church is worship.”
- “Glorifying God is the main purpose of worship assemblies.”
- “The purpose of the local church is for worship.”
These statements echo across church websites, bulletins, and sermons with such consistency that few question their validity. They represent what many consider an unassailable truth: Christians gather primarily to worship God. This widely held belief has shaped church gatherings for centuries. Tradition is a powerful force, but not all traditions that purport to come from the New Testament actually do. Is the tradition of meeting for the purpose of worship biblical?
The purpose of the assembly
A careful examination of the New Testament reveals a surprising truth: no passage explicitly states that Christians should assemble for the purpose of worship. This assertion might sound bizarre, even heretical. But consider this challenge: find one New Testament verse that specifically commands Christians to gather for the purpose of worship. You’ll discover this challenge is an impossible task because such a verse doesn’t exist.
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Mutual encouragement
The Bible certainly teaches that Christians should meet together and that Christians should worship God. However, we have merged these two concepts in a way that is foreign to the New Testament. We have assumed that Sunday morning gatherings in a church building represent the primary – or even exclusive – time for worship. This conflation, however, misses the actual biblical purpose for Christian assembly.
So why does God want Christians to gather? The answer emerges clearly in Hebrews:
24 And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. 25 Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb. 10:24-25 BEREAN)
The text specifies the purpose: mutual exhortation and encouragement toward love and good works. In other words, edification – the spiritual building up of one another. The Hebrew writer doesn’t mention worship as the goal but emphasizes the assembly’s role in helping Christians strengthen each other’s faith.
Mutual edification
This theme of edification dominates Paul’s instructions about church gatherings in 1 Corinthians 14. The apostle mentions some form of the word “edify” seven times in this chapter about church assemblies. He culminates this emphasis with the clear directive in verse 26: “Let all things be done for edification.” He does not say, “Let all things be done for worship.”
No worship in the assembly?
Does this mean worship has no place in Christian assembly? Not at all. While edification is primarily a horizontal activity (from disciple to disciple), prayer and singing are vertical (from disciples to God). The New Testament implies that even these vertical acts contribute to mutual strengthening and spiritual growth. When done sincerely, they express awe and reverence for God, which most people call worship. So, while God’s primary design for Christian gatherings focuses on mutual edification, this focus doesn’t exclude elements that glorify God. Gathering with the main aim of building one another up is an act of obedience—and in obeying, we inherently honor Him.
Objections
Some might object that prioritizing edification places human needs above God. This objection misses a crucial point: when we gather for mutual edification, we follow God’s explicit instructions for our assemblies. What better way exists to honor God than to fulfill His intended purpose for our gatherings?
Others worry that focusing on edification might lead us away from traditional “acts of worship.” But the New Testament never prescribes a rigid order of service or mandates specific activities for every assembly. While early Christians certainly engaged in singing, giving, praying, teaching, and sharing the Lord’s Supper, no passage requires all these activities at every meeting or limits assemblies to only these activities.
What would be different if we gathered for the biblical purpose?
How might our church gatherings change if we embraced their biblical purpose of mutual edification? Consider these potential outcomes:
- Church would become something we eagerly anticipate rather than an obligation – we’d attend not out of duty, but because we wouldn’t want to miss the experience.
- We wouldn’t have to admonish those who attend sporadically to be more “faithful” in their attendance.
- We’d likely meet more often because satisfying our spiritual hunger would draw us together.
- We would be stronger spiritually and fewer would be led astray by false teachings.
- Fewer of our young people would stray from the Lord when they leave home and go away to college.
- More people would want to become Christians because they want what we have.
Ironically, many have sat through countless “church services” feeling spiritually empty, believing their lack of a “worship experience” indicated personal spiritual failure. Perhaps these feelings instead reflect how far our assemblies have strayed from their God-given purpose of mutual edification.
Do our meetings achieve what God intended?
The question remains: Do our current church gatherings accomplish what God intended? The answer requires honest evaluation of our practices against the biblical pattern. When we align our assemblies with their divine purpose of mutual edification, we’ll discover an environment that cultivates spiritual growth.
What do we even mean by the word “worship?” In upcoming articles, we’ll examine this topic in greater detail, analyzing specific New Testament passages and words about church gatherings. This deeper investigation will further demonstrate how the biblical evidence consistently points to mutual edification, not worship, as the primary purpose for Christian assembly.