The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-02-09
IMPORTANCE OF
PUBLIC WORSHIP
Rev. D. D. Stalker Points Out Ne.
cessity of Going to Church

The Importance of Public Worship
or why Go TO Church" was the
theme of sermon by Rev. u. u. Stalk
or at the First PRESBYTERIAN church
sunday morning.
The text of the discourse was Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together,"-icb. 1925.
In part, Rev. Stalker said:
THE writer 90 our text having eX-
horted the Hebrew Christians To stead
| Fairness in their profession, To he con
siderate, aud To incite To love and good
works. admonishes them 10 avoid IN
evil into which some of them had
fallen, viz, ncglecting To meet together
| for divine Worship. This evil was not
confined to apostolic days but existed
| in all ages Ia the dctrimcnt of the
| church of God. There are those VIII
seem To think that church ATTENDANCE
is falling of in these latter days and
| that there is a decadcnce of interest
! i'm the public worship of God In tho
, light of history this is not SO. Gun
churches today are larger, our audi
| cnccs larger and the churches nor,
generously supported and doing vastly
more for the common good than at
| any previous time since christianity
became a force in the world. The spr-
cial effort put forth to induce people e.
attend church service are not To b,
construed as meaning that we believe
for moment that the habit of church
going is passing away
Notice the admonition, 'Forsake not
the assembling of yourselves together
in other words go to church Why.
Because il is a Christian duty en-
joined by God. What He commands II
is surely our province To obey. We are
His and it is a privilege to take par,
i'm His service. We meet i'm His hous"
we read His word sing His praise and
proclaim His gospel I'm refusing 81
assemble together we pour contempt
on all these, and God will not permit
His appointments To he disobeycd o.
go unheeded. The public worship OF
God has been engaged i'm by His people
since the beginning of our race. When
His people were few in number they
erected affairs i'm the open, upon which
they offered sacrifice. Later the taber-
nacle. the temple and synagogue
were built and in them the people as
sembled for worship.
so long as they discharge this duty
they enjoyed Gods favor and pros
pered but whenever they neglected H.
retrogression and disaster came. Chris
by His example emphasizes this duty.
He was invariably found in the place
of worship on the Sabbath Luke tells
us that when He revisited NaZareth,
where He was reared, when the Sab
bath came He went as was His GUS
tom to the synagogue to take part in
the service. II the Master was faith
ful in the performance of this duty
surely His followers should follow HIS
example The disciples and early
church did. for they invariably met
for worship the first day of the week.
Wherever the Apostle Pail went ON
his missionary journies he organized
churches that the people might meet
together for Worship and training IN
the Christian religion.
For our own good we should go -
church and not fOrSakc the assembling
of ourselves together. We have spir-
itual nature, a part of our being that
relates ms To God. I'm many it is dor
mant In multitudes il is dead And
wherever either of those condition ~
true of men, it is because they have
neglected public worship. More than
that, wherever the spiritual has been
neglected ana allowed to become UNI
responsive To the voice of God, men are
open To the lower forces, selfishnesS
ana crime. ! am not saying that un-
spiritual men, men who do not attend
church. always slip into gross immor-
alities. but | do say that the bad and
dangerous element of society comes
mostly from that class. The spiritual
nature of man must he cared for, nur-
tured and strained, and the church Is
the school God has founded for that
purpose.
I'VE are yet very imperfect our
knowledge is limited, our faith weak,
our love cold and our hope clouded.
We must go To school that our knowl-
edge. faith. love and hope may be de-
veloped. We might forsake the as
sembiing of ourselves together If We
had no mercies to acknowledge no sins
to confess no blessings To crave, no en-
emies To overcome or soul To sanctify.
But we have such momcntous interests
at stake that We require all the assist
ance that comes from public worship
and association with Gods people. In
His house we have Fellowship with the
ncblest and best, whose companT
stimulate to endeavor against sin and