Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

If you love golf enough, sooner or later you will find yourself playing by yourself from time to time. These “alone times” can be a great escape from the world and everything in it, but it’s still not the same as playing with your friends. It may seem minor at the time, but it means a lot to hear “good shot” or “nice putt” from our playing partners. The same is true with our worship of God. There are times when we need to get alone with God to pray and refreshen our relationship with Him. However, we still have a desire to make time for worship with others. Group worship has its own benefits. We share our concerns, praises and personal testimonies which strengthen us. We are empowered both individually and collectively. Our worship of God isn’t a pick and choose endeavor. Alone time doesn’t take the place of group worship and group worship isn’t a substitute for our meditation of prayer and study. Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter to the church at Colosse. The pastor of the church visited Paul in jail and voiced his concerns about the heresy within the church. Paul wrote to the church at Colosse about the importance of learning God’s word, the preaching of the word, singing the songs of David, the edification of Christ, and the thankfulness of God’s people. Our modern day church services are patterned in this same fashion – Sunday school for teaching, songs of praise and worship, and the preaching of the Word. Let us never take for granted the importance of the study and worship of Christ within a church body.