Every first day of the week, members of the Lord’s church assemble to worship their heavenly Father according to the Scriptures (Acts 20:6-7; 1 Cor 11:18-32; 1 Cor 16:1-2).
Many people, however, feel that going to church is not for them. They say that they don’t need to go anywhere to worship God. They can worship God anywhere in their daily living. This feeling is not supported by the Scriptures. In Psalm 150, the Lord says there is a proper place to worship, a proper reason to worship, and that everyone is required to worship.
In the first verse, the psalmist tells us that worship is to be done in the sanctuary of God. “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!” When the psalm was written, the sanctuary of the Lord was the temple. Today, however, the temple of the Lord is the church (Eph 2:19-22). The church is the collective body of Christ. Each individual members adds up to equal Christ’s church. So, if you have not assembled with the church when it is time to worship, you are not in the right place. You are forsaking the assembly (Heb. 10:23-25).
In verse 2 of Psalm 150, we see why God should be worshipped. “Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” Who is the God that we worship? He is the God who spoke the universe into existence, who parted the Red Sea, who gave His only begotten Son to die for the sins of the world. Who can compare to the power, wonder and love of the Lord? The Lord must be praised because He is worthy. If your worship is not aiming at praising the Lord, your heart is not in the right place for worship.
Finally, the psalmist explains that everyone is required to worship God. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” Every created being owes its existence to the Lord. Furthermore, He did not create us and leave us to fend for ourselves. He upholds His creation and provides daily blessings, caring for us like a devoted Father (Psa. 103:13). Since our God has done so much for us, why would we not take the small amount of time He requires of our week to give thanks to Him for all He has done for us?
God is worthy of all praise. He has demonstrated His love for us in His creation and in His continuing care, protection and grace. Are we so self-important that we think we don’t need to demonstrate our love in return? If we truly love Him, we will make it a priority to assemble with the saints every chance we get to raise our voices in prayers, songs and devotion to the Lord and creator of all.