Westside Chapel
We believe ...
As you go from church to church, you 'll find a wide variety of styles of worship services. We frequently get asked about our service: why we do what we do, etc. Here's kind of a short answer to those who have asked.
God has called His redeemed children to, first of all, bring Him glory. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV).
Therefore, we spend a very substantial part of our service just worshipping God with singing, desiring that people simply tell God from their heart that they love and adore Him. He is worthy of our praise.
We encourage freedom in our worship, as long as it does not infringe upon the ability of others to worship or as long it doesn't violate the Scriptural directives for sane and orderly corporate praise. This is why you will not find an emphasis on certain spiritual gifts such as tongues. The New Testament implies that the gift of tongues accomplishes best what it was designed to do when blessing a believer in his prayer time alone (See 1 Cor. 12-14).
Also, take note that we are an evangelical group. That is, God's grace is supplied to us solely through faith in the blood atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Therefore, we do not feel the need for excessive liturgy or ritual in our worship of God. Rather, we enjoy the the simple meeting together in corporate praise, and as a response of love and thankfulness for what He's done for us, observing those ordinances that Jesus commanded us.
The Bible is God's inspired word to us, designed to help make us mature Christians who are "thoroughly equipped for every good work." (See 2 Tim. 3: 16, 17). Therefore we place a great emphasis upon the teaching of God's Word in our Sunday morning service, desiring to follow the example of the early believers who "continued steadfastly in the Apostles' teaching." (Acts 2: 42).
One other vital purpose of the church in coming together, according to the New Testament, is for the members to encourage one another. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24,25, NIV).
Therefore, we value highly the place that fellowship plays in our church. We view the visiting that takes place before and after the morning service, not as idle chatter, but as an important chance for the body of Christ to communicate that encouragement and affirmation that people need.
It's our belief that "healthy sheep reproduce." In other words, the balanced nurturing of the believers' spiritual life will go a long way toward the bringing in of the lost to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Hence, it's our desire that our Sunday morning worship service be a part of that process.
So, in summary, the priorities and values that determine the structure of our Sunday morning service are these:
~~ God calls us to praise Him;
~~ God calls us to learn from Him through His Word;
~~ God calls us to encourage each other through fellowship and accountability.
May the Lord bless you as you seek to walk with Him.