For this Sunday here’s what you can do: Pray for the Scripture Reading During Church Service.
I imagine many church service have music and preaching of the Word as the main thing; I imagine Scripture reading is often in between songs, or songs and the preaching. I imagine some people attending church service can think the reading of the Word of God is being not as important in the service than say the songs of worship or the hearing of God’s Word being expounded. Part of that is because Scripture reading can be quite short in comparison to the time spent on preaching and songs of worship. But God’s Word is important, even as it is read!
So something you can do this Sunday is to pray for God to use the passage being read this morning. Pray that in God’s providence it is timely to minister to your own soul. Pray for other believers to also hear and pay attention to the Word and also to think of application from God’s truth. Also pray for those who are unbelievers will actually hear it and the Word will have an evangelistic function of stirring up unbelievers to come to know Jesus!
[…] This Sunday at Church: Pray for the Scripture Reading During Church Service — The Domain for Truth […]
Too often the scripture reading is treated as an intermission between worship and the sermon, when we should be either reading along or listen prayerfully. Often I just shut my eyes for the scripture to focus better.
Wow that is the word I was looking for: intermission. Often Scripture reading can be seen as an intermission but it is itself an important part of the worship.
Thank you brother👍
Amen !
Have a blessed Lord’s Day pastor Jim.
Thanks! I hope you had a blessed Lord’s Day? I’m behind on my blog reading by two days just for you to know, just in case you have posted things and Wonder if I’m not reading you 🙂
I am so behind as well . 🐌 getting there slowly.
Wow, I thought I was the only one. There’s comfort in numbers. 🤗
Haha Yes !
Excellent reminder. Blessings!
The public reading of Scripture is the public transmission of God’s voice—the same voice that brought the world into being, that strips forests bare, that calls forth life from the dead.
It’s also the way God sustains the life of his people. That’s why Paul instructed Timothy, “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13). We need to hear God’s Word, and we need to hear it together.
The above comes from an article on 9 marks website. What we might diminish in value, scripture reading, is truly of infinite value to the church as a whole.
Wow this is such a precious comment! I think your comment captured more better what I was trying to say about the importance of Scripture reading; I think writing at post at 1 AM didn’t put me in the best shape to try to convey what I wanted to say. I’m glad you commented brother. How is your Lord’s Day and what passage(s) was the Scripture reading?
Enjoying it brother. Our scripture reading today was from Isaiah 52:13- 53:12.
Yes, I agree with what you said and how you put it, as God sustaining the life of His people, and applying the scripture 1 Tim. 4:13, we do need to hear the Word of God read outloud that we may hear, because Faith comes by hearing, and hearing of the Word of God. Romans 10:17.
Amen. Thanks
Reblogged this on a simple man of God and commented:
“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1, ESV)
Part of our prayer revamping was establishing a “boiler room”, a team of people who pray during every part of the service. It is good to add a specific prayer for the reading of God’s Word.
Daniel
Praying that GOD will open the ears and heart of both believers and unbelievers that they will ponder or be convicted with the reading/hearing of GOD’s Word.
Amen to your prayers! That is similar to my morning prayers
This is really wise counsel! I didn’t have time to respond before going to the church building; however, I did heed this! Praying for your sermon!
Thank you for your prayers! Yesterday I had jaw pain and I was praying it won’t affect my preaching. What was the Scripture reading for you guys today?
Scripture reading was Romans 5:6-11 and the preaching itself was on Matthew 5:43-48. What are you preaching through these days?! Have you uploaded sermons to SoundCloud? I haven’t checked lately!
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging and commented:
Praying!!
This is so important. Above all else the people of God need to hear the Word of God.
Thanks for this post. In the scheme of things, the singing of hymns and songs prior to the sermon was to help believers get focused on
You are welcome! How was you shift today? Hope it was not as bad and was the slower Sunday work day you expected!
Thanks! Yesterday was even slower than expected. I have some auditing jobs I do when my orders are caught up, kind of boring but it gets me through the day.
How was your jaw pain during your sermon yesterday?
Sorry, was interrupted. The pre-sermon singing was supposed to help people prepare for God’s Word but it took on a life of its own. When I returned to the Lord in 2014 I was surprised to see they were calling the pre-sermon singing the “worship” portion of the service. Argh! That’s so wrong.
Hope you were feeling okay for the service this AM and hope the problem is fixed soon for you!
Amen.
Amen
Amen!