With all the discussion of clapping, lifting up of hands, and even the mention of entertainment, what really is the purpose of the Church Service, Vespers, etc.???

To become closer to God (prayer)

To gain understanding of the Bible and God (Study)

To create unity and belonging amung like believers (fellowship)

Dave is right. What it isn't is to bring in worldly ideas and concepts as truth or trying to pattern ourselves after other Protestant churches.

Cain tried to worship God in his own way and his sacrifice was not accepted. God desires an obedient and faithful people to take home to Heaven.

Does the standard church programs achive these purposes? My guess would be that in some places yes, in other places no. The dividing factor being the people who make up the church.

/Thomas

I agee that the church service is designed to praise God and give Him glory for all that He has done.
Some people like abit more excitement, some want this, some feel like that etc etc. There should be reverance where the people come to worship the Almighty Creator, Our Father which art in Heaven.
God Bless,
Will

I believe our church programs serve three distinct purposes.

First the music and praise portion of the service is to give honor to and worshp the Lord. It is to sing his praises and give him glory. This is usually, in the Adventist churches I have attended, at the start and end of the service and sometimes in the middle with, opening special music and closing hymn. Open and Close the service praising the Lord.

Second is the prayer portion of the service where we commune with the Lord we bring Him our praises and our concerns, we give thanks for the blessings He has provided us and ask for His intervention or intercession in our concerns. The call to worship, invocation, prayer over tithes and offerings, intercessory prayer and benidiction.

Third is the sermon which may be a study on a partucular topic He has lead the speaker to bring to us. It hopefully will encourage or admonish the members of the church. Help build a closer bond to each other as well as aid us in becoming more Christlike in our own character. The sermon is made for us I don't believe God needs to hear the sermon. However more often than not, we do need to hear it.

Just my observations and understanding of the Sabbath worship service.

Have a wonderful Sabbath!

The post that triggered this thread...

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Have you any experiences from SDA churches which could be called "house of prayer" to share? Most SDA churches have a simmilar if not identical program and order of things happening during sabbath morning, and based on this, the average SDA church could be called "house of preaching" or possibly "house of biblestudy". Prayer is not a main featrure in any ordinary sabbath morning worship service ive been to. I have attended some conferences where a big part of the devotion time was prayer though. SDA churchplanting conferences.

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