What Did You Bring To Church?
Kevin D. Beard

When people come to the worship services, they often bring a number of different things with them. Parents of small children make sure that they have a diaper bag with plenty of clean diapers and supplies. Most people make sure that they have brought their Bibles and their lesson books for class. But of all the things that you bring with you to the worship on Sundays, did you make sure to bring the most important things?

1. Did You Bring A Reverent Attitude?

Worship is the expression of reverence, devotion, and praise to God. He is the most holy One (Isaiah 6:3). Therefore, because of the nature of worship and the nature of the one to be worshiped, the attitude demonstrated therein will be different from the attitude expressed at a football game. Yet many times one could not notice much difference in the two. Some cause a commotion by continually getting up and leaving the auditorium, by talking, by passing notes, and by other common actions that take place during the worship. God cannot be pleased with those who have so little respect and reverence for His divinity and power that they behave in such a way as this.

2. Did You Bring An Active Mind?

Worship is also something that must be done from the heart and that involves an active mind. God has always detested worship done simply from ritual (Isaiah 1: 10-17; Micah 6:6-8). Worship is an active process, not a passive one. Singing is to "teach and admonish ... with grace in your hearts" (Colossians 3: 16). Giving is to be cheerful according to how one has purposed in his heart (2 Corinthians 9:7). The Lord's Supper is to be observed in memory of Jesus' death, anticipating His return (1 Corinthians 11 :23-26). Prayer is also an active process that each must do (James 5: 16b). And of course the teaching and learning of God's word takes an active mind (Acts 2:42; 17:11).

3. Did You Bring A Pure Life?

One of the biggest reasons that God rejected Judah's worship was that their acts of worship were not done out of pure lives (Micah 6:6-8). Such hypocrisy has always been and will always be wrong. Jesus even went so far as to say that if one comes to worship and realizes that his brother has something against him, he first should go and reconcile things with his brother, then go and worship (Matthew 5:23-24).

Of all the things that we may bring with us to worship, let us always make sure that we bring those things that are most important. Otherwise our worship is vain.

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Psalm 29:2