Learn how to successfully use the seven essentials of worship to organize and set up your at-home Church service with a large family.
Since the Covid19 pandemic began, millions of people are choosing to attend Church from home.
Tuning into a live or prerecorded sermon might be a safe option, but that alone is only one component.
There are 7 basic essentials of Christian worship.
Are you missing out on worship that is pleasing to God?
"Christians don’t simply go to Church; we are the Church."
Having Church from home is not new, it's actually recorded in the Bible multiple times, see verse (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Acts 28:30-31)
The Seven Basic Worship Essentials
Before service begins:
It's vital to create an atmosphere that welcomes God into our homes, which means removing distractions, foul language, and secular music.
Praise
Praise is an expression of love, appreciation, honor, and respect given in words or song.
"Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name." - Psalm 100:4 (AMP)
When: Music can set the tone of any event; therefore, it's great to open up worship with praises to God. Feel free to use this time to engage with each other as well.
Why: God repeatedly commands us to praise Him in scripture (Psalm 149:1). When we sing to God, our voices, hearts, and souls are united together, which is a beautiful experience.
Tips: Be ready with gospel music on-demand by creating your own playlist. If you don't have one or you need new music, please like & use my custom playlist!
Check out my Spotify playlist below!
Recommendations: Use a loud and long-lasting speaker for at-home service. (Bluetooth speakers work best)
Gently call your family to the table by playing Praise music 10 mins before service.
Print the lyrics to your favorite songs so others can sing along.
End service on 'a good note' with music, that will keep everyone in good vibes.
Prayer
Prayer is the perfect opportunity to serve God; it allows us to communicate with Him for spiritual intervention in our life.
"Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 (ESV)
When: You can pray before service and at the end. You can pray collectively during worship for any prayer request or privately in your mind.
Why: To understand the Bible clearly, we must be in good standing (fellowship) with God.
This type of fellowship is only accomplished when we first acknowledge and apologize for our sins in private prayer.
Tips: Are you struggling in your prayer life?
Learn the correct way to pray by downloading this FREE "Ultimate Guide To Prayer" by I.I.M.
Recommendations: At times, we can get so busy that we forget to listen to our loved ones' prayer needs and praise reports.
Write down prayer requests throughout the week.
Take prayer requests before beginning worship.
Appoint a time in worship to discuss & agree on what will be prayed for. (Matt. 18:19-20)
Reading The Word Of God
Faith comes by physically hearing the Word of God, so we must read it in the ears of others.
"So they read from the Book of the Law of God, translating and explaining it so that the people understood the reading." - Nehemiah 8:8 (AMP)
When: A great time to read directly from the Bible is right before the sermon lesson of the day.
Why: God's Word is the spiritual food that our soul needs to grow (Matthew 4:4). It will guide, correct, train, and equipt us to accomplish good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Tips: It is an excellent habit to stand up (when possible) during the reading of the Word as a sign of respect.
Recommendations: Assign someone to read a verse or chapter of scripture that relates to the sermon lesson aloud. Here are a few resources I use in service to read the Word of God.
Physical Bible: The Companion Bible
Online Bible: Biblegateway.com
Mobile Bible: YouVersion Bible App
Sermon from a Pastor-teacher
A sermon is a lecture given by a Preacher that addresses a scriptural, theological, or moral topic.
"And I will give you pastors according to Mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." - Jeremiah 3:15 (KJV)
When: Typically, sermons will last between 20-50 minutes, and are reserved for the latter part of service. This way, participants are settled and mentally ready for an in-depth lesson.
Why: The Holy Spirit sets apart believers for the unique role of preaching; this is his spiritual gift. The gift of 'Pastor' exists because all Christians need guidance and spiritual insight outside of themselves.
Without it, we apply our own way of interpreting scripture that might not be biblically sound.
Tips: We learn through repetition; however, we rarely listen to the same lesson more than once.
That can amount to tons of great material being easily forgotten.
For this reason, every serious student of the Lord should be taking notes.
Use my FREE printable Sermon Notes template to help you study & stay organized.
Recommendations: Many Churches have now developed an online presence, offering their teachings via a website, social media, podcast, or downloadable audio files.
Here are my Top 3 Pastors I personally study under every week at home.
Tony Evans | Dallas, TX
Church: Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
Online Ministry: The Urban Alternative
Online Seminary: Tony Evans Training Center
Charles Stanley | Atlanta, GA
Church: First Baptist Church Atlanta
Online Ministry: In Touch Ministries
Online Seminary: The In Touch Messenger Lab & Life Principles Conference
David Jeremiah | El Cajon, CA
Church: Shadow Mountain Community Church
Online Ministry: Turning Point Ministries
Online Seminary: Prophecy Academy & The Heaven Academy
I encourage you to visit these great online ministries!
Tithes and Offerings
Tithing is when you give the first 10% of all your income to God.
Offerings are anything that is given in addition to the monetary 10%.
"The Levite, because he has no share [of land]... and the stranger, and the orphan and the widow who are within your [city] gates, shall come and eat and be satisfied, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." - Deut. 26:12 (AMP)
When: Collections are normally taken after the sermon, and towards the very end of worship service. However, at home, you can set aside a jar for donations at any time.
Why: God, of course, doesn't need our money because He is God! However, we show honor by giving back what He has given us (Proverbs 3:9).
Financial sacrifice is not only a physical display of respect, but it is self-revealing of who we believe is our real source.
Tips: You can raise donations for the Church, the poor, the widows, and the fatherless children in your city. Be sure to donate it as soon as possible since they are all in great need.
Recommendations: Donate to the Pastor you're currently studying with for the week. When paying tithes online, look for the 'Donate' button found that the top/bottom of their official website.
Please note: There is a difference between donating to the Church campus and to their online ministry. Most funds are separated for the individual and specific needs of each branch.
Communion
Communion is when bread (made without yeast) and wine (or grape juice) are blessed and shared with other believers.
"And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way He also... said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." - Luke 22:19-20 (CSB)
When: Depending on the number of attendees, you might choose to take communion at the end of worship. Passing out food and drinks during service can get a little messy.
Why: Jesus Christ instructs all of His followers to frequently partake in communion in memory of His broken body and shed blood. This is a celebration of the grace we now have because of Jesus' sacrifice.
Tips: The Bible warns of the consequences of participating in Communion 'unworthy' (1 Cor. 11:27-30).
Be careful not to let children, who are unable to understand what it means, and those who have not accepted Christ to eat and drink of the communion.
Recommendations: It is best to prepare the communion items at least 24hr before service.
Communion Preparation Steps:
#1 - Buy unleavened bread (or make your own) and wine.
You can also buy premade communion cups online.
#2 - Set up an area to place the prepared communion items
#3 - The Spiritual head should pray over the communion meal and thank God for the opportunity.
#4 - Give time for each participant to self-examine prior to their partaking.
Ask them to consider privately:
Do I whole-heartedly believe Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior?
Do I believe Jesus Christ died, was buried, and has risen from the grave?
Have I repented and asked God for the forgiveness of my daily sins?
#5 - Distribute the bread and wine to all the willing participants.
#6 - Read aloud the history of the Lord's Supper found in 1 Cor. 11:23-26.
#7 - The Spiritual head of each household will then lead their family in communion by first eating the bread then drinking the wine.
Fellowship
Fellowship is the friendly association and union with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
"Don't stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near."
- Hebrews 10:25 (CEB)
When: Enough time should be allotted for fellowship with one another; it fits in best at the beginning and the end of each worship service.
Why: Our friendly association with fellow Christians helps us grow spiritually in our knowledge of God and can also encourage us to stay accountable during hardships in life.
Tips: Remember to keep safe distancing and follow health guidelines. God did give us common sense, and we have to use it here.
Recommendations: You can always fellowship over the phone or video chat with loved ones. The point is to connect with and encourage each other in Jesus Christ.
I especially enjoy discussing what I learned from the sermon with family after the service.
Bonus: Children's Church
Children's ministry is designed to teach/guide children toward greater faith and understanding of our Lord and God.
"Jesus said, "Leave the little children alone, and don't try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matt 19:14 (CSB)
When: Children's Church is very flexible because each family and service is different. It's best to teach the children when they are the most active so that their mind is alert.
Why: Children need to build a stable foundation in Christ so that they will be ready to face life's challenges as they grow. (Proverbs 22:6)
Tips: Prepare a lesson and activity ahead of time that will keep your kids' attention for an extended period. Use online resources like Minno Kids or filter through Christian Youtube videos to aid in teaching.
Recommendations:
I choose to have Sunday School before Adult Church because:
I can personally teach the children biblical principles on their level of understanding.
Their activities are as short as their attention span, leaving me with time to spare.
Children become less of a distraction to the adults once they are mentally spent.
Try to utilize all 7 worship essentials the next time you honor God from home.
Learn more about faith and devotion on the blog!
This article is right on time! The "new way of Church" is definitely something we all have to adapt to due to Covid-19. Thank you for supplying answers to our common questions regarding how to have a private service in the comfort of our homes. I'm going to pass this around to my family & friends.