Grow & Go - October 2026

 Prioritized Worship

There was a time in my life before Christ when worshiping the one true and living God (Isa. 45:18; 1 Thess. 1:9; John 17:3) was not my foremost thought. I believed I could worship God apart from the Church, while hunting in the woods or fishing on the water. However, this view effectively rejected participation in the worship of the Church, which God loved so much that he gave his Son (John 3:16), and for which Christ gave himself up (Eph. 5:25). While Scripture does not directly use the word intentionality, the Word of God continually points believers toward intentional participation in corporate worship, discipleship through the Word, and the priority of sitting under the preaching of the Word. 

In view of what Christ has done in paying the penalty for our sin on the cross and defeating death, hell, and the grave so that we might live – the priority of our worship in the local church should never be in question. Because Christ is in us, attending worship should be the norm, not an afterthought. In Exodus 20:3, the first of the Ten Commandments, God tells us, “You shall have no other gods before me.” God calls us to
follow Him exclusively. Therefore, each of us must ask: Have we neglected corporate worship with other believers (Heb. 10:25) because we have made something else more important? We all have, which is why we need to run to the cross of Christ and renew our commitment to worship each week. Our hearts and minds need to be reminded every minute, every hour, and every day how much we need a Savior, and one of the best places to receive this reminder is with others in the local church on Sunday morning. We are all busy, but we must continually examine whether the busyness keeping us from the weekly gathering of believers is preventable.

Another important way we can intentionally worship our great God is by spending time together in the Word and discipling one another. As one of your pastors, I am deeply encouraged that, during this season, well over one hundred people who regularly attend Oakhill Baptist Church have prioritized studying God’s Word together. Through intentional Bible studies, real discipleship is taking place. Proverbs 27:17, a familiar verse, tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Because this verse is so familiar, we can easily overlook the importance of its charge. We must prioritize discipleship as an act of worship, or we will replace it with something else. John Piper has said that “discipleship is a form of worship because making and maturing disciples magnifies the supreme worth, grace, and glory of God.” As people called to make disciples, our lives should proclaim a lifestyle of worship, and one powerful place to proclaim it to the world is together with our Bibles open.

The greatest thought, organization, planning, and preparation should be placed upon ensuring that we and our families are sitting under the preached Word of God every week. Hearing the Word preached should take the front-row seat in the life of every believer and every Christian family. Why? Because God has ordained the preaching of His Word as a primary means by which He speaks to, teaches, corrects, encourages, and transforms His people. Gustaf Wingren tells us that “it is through preaching that God speaks to his people and works through his Word to carry out his purposes” (Isaiah 55:8–11). Each Sunday morning, we gather for worship and hear from the pulpit how we are to live our lives according to God’s Word. The preached Word is therefore a primary means of discipleship in the local church. Considering this, we should prioritize our lives and schedules in such a way that we do not miss it. Our calendars should reflect what we value, and gathering with God’s people under the faithful preaching of God’s Word should be one of our highest priorities.