Our Worship

Three Elements of Corporate Worship

at Grace Bible Church

The corporate gathering of the local church is the privilege, honor and duty of those Jesus Christ has called and purchased by His blood. It is the place where the sinner finds hope and the believer is equipped. It is the place where the glory of God is displayed as His gospel is proclaimed.

At Grace Bible Church, we emphasize three primary means of worship on a Sunday morning: Music, Preaching and Communion. This page articulates our convictions in these areas.

 Why is there music in church?

We affirm music to be a medium of human expression, well-suited for adorning the word in worship (Psalm 9:1-2, 11; 95:1-2), commanded for use in the local church (Eph. 5:18-21; Col. 3:16), and subject to moral implications (Matt. 15:11; Ps 19:14).

Should music in worship have words?

Both voices and instruments have a place in the worship of the Lord (Psalm 150; 2 Chron. 5:13), but the Bible places special emphasis on song (Psalm 100:1-5; James 5:13; Rev. 5:8-9). We therefore place far more weight on music that accompanies words than on purely instrumental music.

What about style?

While our consciences are not bound by any standard of human invention (Col. 2:20-23), we remain wary of the world's sensibilities (Rom. 12:2, 1 John 2:16) and are especially skeptical of the expressions of commercial culture (Phil. 3:19; Matt. 6:19-24). We therefore decline to thoughtlessly adopt current musical trends on the basis of their contemporaneity. Instead, we search for music that is tuneful, compelling, aptly fitted to the poetic text, and achievable by our congregation.

What does that mean, practically?

We emphasize live music over recordings, acoustic instruments over electric, pitched instruments over non-pitched, congregational singing over amplified soloists, and printed music over projection. We avoid music that is sentimental, effeminate, trite, dull, distorted, overcomplicated, or otherwise unfit for our corporate worship.

Do we sing old songs or new songs?

We neither despise nor idolize the past but take from it that which has been proven to be true, beautiful, and edifying to the Church. We also celebrate newly composed songs and hymns (Ps. 40:3; 144:9) that augment the Church's musical heritage. Consequently, many of the songs we sing were written recently; many others come from earlier generations.

To whom do we sing? 

Although many of the songs we sing encourage our growth, love and devotion, the primary audience in our worship is the Triune God of the Bible. The aim of the Christian life is to glorify God (1 Cor 10:31), the goal of the church is to glorify God (Eph 3:21); therefore we direct our praise and worship primarily to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to the praise of his glorious grace (Eph 1:3-14). 

 What is our style of preaching? 

Live, Consecutive Exposition. 

Live

The conviction that preaching ought to be live, rather than a video feed from another location, comes primarily from 1 Peter 5, where Peter instructs the elders to shepherd the flock of God that is among them. In order for a pastor to know his congregation, pray faithfully for their needs, and shape his sermons to be an encouragement to them specifically, he needs to be among them. Teaching, encouraging, rejoicing, weeping and living with his people is the best way to shepherd the flock that God has placed under his care. 

Consecutive Exposition

The instruction and example of the Scriptures is for elders to preach the word (2 Tim 4:1-2) and to preach the whole council of God (Acts 20:27). We believe that the word of God is best handled by faithful, consecutive exposition. That is, making the main point of the text the main point of our sermons. 

To exposit means to expose, uncover, or reveal the meaning of the text. When we preach, our aim is to uncover the meaning, application, and relevance of God’s word as it was originally intended. By consecutive exposition, we mean that our desire is to preach verse-by-verse through entire books of the Bible as the main diet of the church. There will, of course, be times when we address topics or themes in our preaching, but the majority of sermons will be working our way consecutively through a book of the Bible.  

Who can preach? 

The Bible is clear that qualified men are to lead and teach in the church (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Tim 2:12-15; 1 Peter 5:1-5). This does not mean that a man needs to be an elder to preach at GBC, but he must be qualified and competent in the handling and delivery of the Scriptures. In keeping with the word of God, we would not allow a woman to fill the pulpit either as a member or a guest speaker. 

 We come to the Lord’s table every week at GBC. There are four main reasons why we do this: 

• To keep at the very center of our worship the sacrifice of Jesus and the redemption He purchased for us.

• To provide a regular opportunity for self-examination, confession of sin, and the assurance that in Christ we have been washed clean by His blood. 

• To celebrate together as a church and demonstrate the unity that we have in Christ. Eating and drinking together is an act of oneness — a demonstration that, although many members, we all belong to one body. 

• To give us a sense of anticipation and hope for the coming of Jesus. When we partake of communion, we declare Jesus’ death until He comes.