Question Answered - Is the Church Service For Evangelism or Edification?

QUESTION RECEIVED:

Did anyone in the Bible get saved in a church service? Should one preach the Gospel in the church service or only edify the saints?

MY ANSWER:

Friend, I think you have been led into a false argument.

This one has been raging between the contemporary Willow Creek group (The worship service is for the unsaved) versus Calvinist and Anglicans and other “high church” folks. (Liturgically bring the fullness of the Bible –it’s not all evangelism.)

This is a false or wrong argument.

The worship service is led by the Holy Spirit with
Christians administering it.

Christians worship because of the perfect life of Christ who was the man/God who was the perfect sacrifice for our sins on the cross.

We Christians are edified every time we hear the gospel.  We cannot hear it enough.  We must know our story to share our story.

He, Christ, received the wrath of God intended for us lawbreakers.  When we repent and trust Christ we receive pardon for sin, eternal life with the Father and Peace with Him and we become brothers or sisters with Christ.

THAT IS WHY WE WORSHIP!!!

The unsaved will also be amazed at the prophetic Word given in worship and might respond in the service or later.

Does the timing or place where one receives salvation matter?  No.

What matters is that the gospel is the center of worship.

YES-people got saved in church services in the Old Testament.

Acts 2:41 New King James Version (NKJV)

“41Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”

In fact this was the first New Testament church service.

Quite a start on Pentecost a holy  day in Jewish worship.

How can I say that?

There was preaching.

The Bible says this.

1 Corinthians 1:21 New King James Version (NKJV)

“21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

Jesus said there will be believers and unbelievers in the church.

Preach to them.

He, Jesus Christ, will deal with them at the end of the church age.

Matthew 13:30 New King James Version (NKJV)

“30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The old hymn “I Love To Tell The Story”

tells that the gospel is appreciated by the believer and unbeliever.

“I love to tell the story,

For those who know it best

Seem hungering and thirsting

To hear it like the rest.”

Here is one passage about conduct in the New Testament Corinthian church.  Believers and unbelievers were at this described service.

There is not a lot of mention about actual worship services in the Bible.

1 Corinthians 14:24-25 New King James Version (NKJV)

24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

Non-believers and believers were there and amazed by the glorious gospel.

Why?

The same reason in heaven Christ is worshipped continually.

Our King is the Savior of the World.

Revelation 5:7-9 New King James Version (NKJV)

“7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,

And to open its seals;

For You were slain,

And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,”

Do not get tripped up on semantics.

We must preach the gospel in church and in every place outside of church we can.