There is certain etiquette required while in the presence of the Queen of England. Even when other world leaders visited Queen Elizabeth, they abided by the rules of royalty and kept their manners. Our God is greater and mightier than any king or queen on earth (Rev 4:8, 5:13-14). He also deserves to be treated reverently. When our church gathers we come to worship Him. Sunday church service should not just be the tired old pattern but it is worship to the Almighty God who loves us. Hebrews 10:24 encourages everyone to not just come to church with little expectation but to build up and stimulate one another to love and good deeds. How can we gather in a way that fulfills this purpose? The answer is with joy, humility, and faith.
The first thing we bring to stimulate one another is joy. We are joyful because Christ is risen from the dead. Our Lord is alive and He is with us! He saves us from sin and death! Praise the Lord for the wonderful gift of salvation and eternal life. We are also joyful because Jesus speaks to us through His word. Also, it is the time we meet our brothers and sisters to have blessed fellowship (Psalm 100:2).
In Luke 8:40, the people were waiting for Jesus and welcomed Him. They were joyful to wait and hoped to meet Him. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is listed between love and peace. Christian joy is not some emotional passion but a mixture of love and peace that is not influenced by outside circumstances. It is different from a worldly joy which is based on circumstances and can never satisfy. The joy of Christ is true and lasting joy. In fact, every Christian is chosen by God to be joyful. He saves us for the purpose of joy, not sorrow. Without Jesus, it is impossible to have joy but as a Christian, it is guaranteed. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit and his fruit is joy.
Even in suffering, we can still be joyful because we know the outcome of our circumstances is holiness. When our joy is little, we can restore our joy through faith. Through faith we can see God is real and what He is like (Phil 4:8). Joy can be restored by looking at all of God’s past blessings. We have received countless blessings every day. The one supreme blessing that God has given us is Jesus Himself (Romans 8:32). The grace and fullness of Jesus are with us. His promises, His presence, and His life is ours. If we have Jesus, we must be joyful for there is no greater blessing in heaven or on earth. He is the source of joy.
Next, we meet Jairus (Luke 8:41). Jairus is a rich man who was an official of the synagogue. Therefore he has wealth, status, and influence. Yet Jairus falls at Jesus’ feet. Jairus is completely humble before Jesus. Without humility our worship is false (Isaiah 66:2-3, Romans 12:1). To worship God rightly, we must be like Jairus who fell at his feet. It is complete and absolute surrender. Worship is not a negotiation but a surrender. Take heed from what Jesus told the rich young ruler, “One thing you lack” (Mark 10:21). Do not hold onto your pride or things no matter how large or small. From the beginning, you must completely surrender to follow Jesus (Matthew 16:21). Jesus was the first to surrender to God, and He did so for our salvation (Phi 2:7-8). His perfect surrender and righteousness is also ours when we surrender to Him. Remember God is good therefore it is good to surrender to Him.
Lastly we bring faith to worship. Jairus came to Jesus for help by faith. His daughter is dying but Jairus came to Jesus, the only one who could save his daughter. He was waiting for Jesus and welcomed Him by faith. Faith loves Christ. Faith obeys Christ. You cannot worship God without faith. Sacrifices do not mean anything if they lack faith (Isaiah 1:11-13, Romans 14:23). Only by faith can we worship God in a pleasing manner (Hebrews 11:4,6). Faith knows God and believes in all of God’s attributes. Faith will strive and seek God until it receives God’s blessing because it knows who God is (Genesis 32:36).
But we cannot place our faith in the wrong thing. Faith must be in the true gospel. Only by the gospel of Jesus Christ is true faith born. You can understand all the other truths of the Bible or know all the facts about the Bible but without the true gospel, there is no true faith. Even though the eunuch didn’t know much, the eunuch had true faith and went on his way rejoicing because he had received the true gospel (Acts 8:39).
We don’t need other skills, we don’t need things, we don’t need works, we don’t need the help of others. With joy, humility, and faith, we can worship the Lord (1 John 2:27).
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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