Psalm 138:2 “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above thy name.”
Our purpose for gathering together as a church body is to give an opportunity to reflect on the character and goodness of God and to offer grateful praise to Him for His ongoing faithful work in our lives. The very nature of worship involves our emotions because it is a reflection of our intense gratitude to God, but we are careful not to stimulate those emotions through fleshly methods. The means through which true worship is accomplished are music, prayer, giving, exhortation, and the exaltation of God and His Word, with the main items being music and preaching.
We believe that both the music and the words should glorify the Savior and our singing should be a reflection of our praise of God and passion for Him. Since our conviction is that music itself in its melody, harmony, and rhythm has moral value and has ability to affect our spirit, soul, and body (I Samuel 16:23), we desire to emphasize music that appeals to these three areas in proper balance.
We embrace the great Gospel songs and hymns of the church because of their doctrinal content and timeless ability to draw one’s worship to the Lord. Our concern is that much of the modern and contemporary music that is popular today appeals more to man’s fleshly nature than to his spirit.
We are receptive to fresh, new songs that are consistent with the holiness of God’s character in their musical style and text and in addition, believe that enthusiastic singing of the great Gospel songs and hymns can not only lift one’s heart to the Lord, but is also a reflection of the heart he or she has for God.
Admittedly, preaching appears to be an exercise in foolishness to the average person (I Corinthians 1:18). However, its power and importance cannot be understated. The primary focus of preaching in worship is God and His Word (Psalm 138:2). Thoughtful care is taken to proclaim the Truth of God and our relationship to Him with practical application.
Among the many truths of Scripture, our emphasis is to “preach Christ crucified” (I Corinthians 1:23). His transforming power is the only means whereby we can be delivered from the penalty and power of sin and ultimately from the presence of sin when we are taken to heaven.
When Christ is lifted up and exalted, He will draw men unto Himself (John 12:32). Everyone who attends is encouraged to bring their bible and examine the truth presented.
Meridian Baptist Church © 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Designed by Kingdom Church Websites, Mansfield, PA 1-800-827-5167.