The church at Antioch was a worshiping community. They were sincere and devout, making worship the priority of their gatherings. Acts 13:2 reports, “One day as these men were worshiping the Lord, the Holy Spirit said…” (NLT). Here’s an important point for today’s church: God revealed himself to the church in the context of their worship. And when God revealed himself in worship, he also revealed his heart and his plan for the church. The closer you become to God to more clearly you can discern what is on his heart. So here’s a couple of thoughts about my observation.
Where do we most fully connect with the heart of God? Where do we go when we want to determine next steps for our ministries and churches? Regardless of what we say, our practice usually winds up betraying us. We seek to determine next steps in committee meetings or board meetings where little if any prayer is even offered. When the community of faith in Acts wanted or needed divine guidance, they didn’t call meetings. They got busy with their worship.
Do you expect God to speak to you in worship? Whether your worship is private and daily or weekly and corporate matters little. God has something to say if he can just find someone who is willing to listen. My prayer for each of us is that we will approach worship with an expectancy to encounter the living God who reveals himself and his plans to his church.