Magyar Egyház, 1971 (50. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1971-08-01 / 8-9. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 11 MAGYAR WHY GO TO CHURCH? In our topic, we are going to discuss the meaning of the “Lord’s Day” and church attendance. The origin of the Lord’s Day goes back as far as the creation. God made the seventh day the day of rest and worship. Christ sanctified the Lord’s Day by his rising from the dead on this day and by sending his Holy Spirit on this day of the week. Both Easter and Pentecost made Sunday “the Lord’s Day.” The apostolic church chose it as its day of public worship. The members of the early church gathered together on every Lord’s Day for “fellowship,” for “prayer”, for “breaking of bread,” for public confession of their faith, for reading the Bible, and for bringing their offerings to the church. Although the church was founded many years ago, yet these practices of the early church are still alive. Among the many churches, the Hungarian Reformed Churches bear faithful testimony to this fact. Therefore, let us hold fast to the profession of our faith... not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together... but exhorting one another” Heb. 10. God commanded his chosen people and also us through the fourth commandment to honor and keep the Lord’s Day holy. God says: “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; ... therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it.” What does our God demand in this commandment? Here, we will answer from the Heidelberg Catechism which says: “...that I diligently attend church, especially on the Lord’s day, to hear the Word of God, to participate in the holy Sacraments, to call publicly upon the Lord, and to give Christian service to those in need.” Thus the commandment means that God gave us Sunday to rest from our daily work, diligently attend church, to hear the everlasting Word of God, to receive the grace of God in faith, and to confess that by grace we are saved through faith, and especially profess that the Lord Jesus Christ is our only Saviour, our only life in whom we can put our trust and hope. Our Lord also commanded us to honor and keep CHURCH the Lord’s Day holy. When in the wilderness he was tempted by Satan, our Saviour said: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” It is the church that offers the Word of God to all those who are hungry and thirsty for it. Our Lord also sanctified Sunday or the worship of God in Matthew as we read: “Where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst” 18:20. Now you may say that you can worship God alone. There is nothing against private worship. But how could you avoid hearing that call of the Psalmist, which expresses public worship: “Come worship the Lord with men, and let us exalt his name together.” Or how could you miss the cry of David: “My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh long for joy to the living God. Blessed are those who dwell in thy house, ever singing thy praise! For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” Ps. 84. At this point we may say that all our deepest experiences are kept vital by fellowship and public worship of God. In a truly meaningful service of public worship we feel the companionship of our brethren. We share common needs and a common faith and priceless heritage. In the Scriptures, the hymns, the prayers, the sermon, we feel ourselves part of a world-wide fellowship. Multitudes would bear witness that in the established habit of public worship they have found clarification and confirmation of their faith, the deepening of their spiritual resources, the reorienting of their lives, comfort in trouble, and rekindled zest for living. So, let us not forsaking the essembling of ourselves together, but let us be faithful in our public worship of God every Lord’s Day. Moreover, our Lord sanctified the Lord’s Day when he established his church. A man builds his house with a purpose and goal in his mind. He builds it to live in it with his loved ones. Our Lord built his church to live in it with his followers. Through the church Christ is out to save his disciples. In Ephesians we read that Christ loved the church and he gave his life for it. Paul rejoiced over this fact. We should also rejoice and pray to our Saviour because for all this our Lord asks us only a little favour: faithful and
