Sunday’s significance & preparation | sermon by Father. Mungamuri Devadasu | Bible Mission

 1) A preacher should not come unprepared for the sermon. 2) It is a good practice to pray in advance for every member of the congregation. 3) Some preachers look at the passage only after arriving at the church and then deliver the sermon, which is not a good practice. 4) It is beneficial for the preacher to remember and pray for each family beforehand. 5) Long worship services and lengthy sermons should be avoided. 6) Preparing the program in advance, including selecting hymns and scripture readings, is recommended. 7) Some congregation members arrive late, which is not a good habit. 8) Some leave without receiving the final blessing, which is also not good. 9) If children cry, they should be taken outside. 10) In some churches, doors are closed at the beginning of worship and opened only after it ends. 11) No unrelated discussions should take place inside the church. 13) No one should walk near the altar or in front of or behind the preacher during worship, as it disrupts reverence. 14) Worship should be conducted with utmost respect and humility. 15) Seeking excuses to skip church is not good. 16) Hymns should be sung with joy, reflecting their meaning, and English hymns should also be included as they contain valuable messages. 17) Since there are fewer praise hymns in any language, believers should compose more of them (Colossians 3:16-17). Hymns play a significant role in spreading the gospel. Translating all of David's psalms into Telugu hymns would be beneficial, but Old Testament legalistic references, such as asking for the destruction of enemies, should be omitted, as the New Testament teaches believers to love their enemies. Therefore, composing and singing hymns that call for the destruction of enemies is not in line with New Testament faith.

The earthly church should serve as a prelude to the heavenly church. Just as the Jewish faith was a precursor to the coming Christian church on earth, the Christian church must also reflect and prepare for the heavenly church. Therefore, this preparation must be maintained in all aspects.

1. The inhabitants of heaven are clothed in white garments; we too must strive for purity.
2. They are the redeemed; we too must live as the redeemed.
3. They have received divine gifts; we too must receive and use these blessings wisely.
4. Their bodies, spirits, dwellings, and temples are holy; likewise, we must maintain holiness in our lives, homes, and possessions.
5. The Scripture says, "O Israelites! Since the Lord walks among your camp, keep it clean." Similarly, the Book of Revelation declares that the Lord walks among His churches. Therefore, we must keep everything pure and holy.

2 Corinthians 7:1 reminds us: "Beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

Furthermore, in the earthly home of the bride—whether in our families or churches—there should be no chaos, shouting, conflicts, arguments, misunderstandings, or divisions. Instead, there must be joy, harmony, patience, and peace.

The name Jerusalem means City of Peace. Those who long to reach the New Jerusalem must ensure that their homes are places of peace. This is a foretaste of heavenly peace. Only a peaceful home can foster meaningful worship. If there is no peace at home, how can one sit calmly in worship? It is not possible. Therefore, we must actively seek and cultivate peace.

Sunday's Significance - 4

Worship during the Thousand-Year Reign

During the thousand-year reign, worship will not take place in the worldly Jerusalem but in the newly established Jerusalem. Therefore, worship will be filled with great glory. No matter how much the present church is reformed, it still retains some worldly connections. Because of this, worship with divine glory is not easy. Even though churches are being renewed, they are not completely transformed, making glorious worship difficult.

No matter how devoutly we try to worship now, our residence remains in a sinful world, and its influence (dense atmosphere) inevitably affects us in some way. Every church member and believer still has a sinful body, making it rare to experience truly glorious worship. Additionally, since Satan and his forces still exist, leading a glorious worship is challenging. The consequences of sin are also visible around us, further making glorious worship difficult.

However, during the thousand-year reign:

a) There will be no worldly influence,

b) No connection to the sinful body,

c) No consequences of sin, and

d) No influence of the adversary (Satan).

Because of this, it will be possible to offer worship filled with glory. Even so, to some extent, glorious worship must take place now. That means it should happen on Sundays itself, or rather, as soon as possible.

In the newly established Jerusalem, those who worship are devotees who have come from heaven, making their worship exceedingly glorious. Within the hearts of these worshippers, there will be two records (lists): (1) The Record of Redemption and (2) The Record of Gifts. From these two records, praise will arise—shining like fireworks, and this praise itself is worship. The Record of Redemption signifies deliverance from the four obstacles: (a) Deliverance from worldly influence, (b) Deliverance from the sinful body, (c) Deliverance from the effects of sin, and (d) Deliverance from the adversary (Satan). This record contains the testimony of how they were freed from these burdens. The Record of Gifts contains the story of the blessings and gifts granted by the Lord. How many gifts will there be? Countless! These include: (1) The gift of holiness, (2) The gift of speaking all languages, (3) The gift of unrestricted travel across the world, (4) The gift of performing miracles, (5) The gift of proclaiming the gospel with glory, (6) The gift of seeing the Lord, (7) The gift of hearing His words, (8) The gift of uniting with angels, and (9) The gift of instant movement to any place. Among all these gifts, the gift of holiness is the greatest. For worship, white garments (symbolizing purity) must always be present.

In the past, Christians observed White Sunday, where everyone would wear white garments and go to church. Would it not be good for us to also set aside a day like this, gathering together in white attire? On this day, the entire congregation should spend an hour in worship before God, kneeling in His presence. The worship should include (1) singing a hymn, (2) reading from the Bible, (3) sharing a short message, and (4) remaining in complete silence until the end. After this, the worship concludes. Observing this is at the discretion of the congregation. Certain rules must be followed during this worship: (1) shoes should not be worn, (2) sitting on benches or chairs is not allowed, (3) one should not enter without washing their feet, and (4) children should not participate in this worship. Regarding daily fellowship, those who are sick, have urgent responsibilities, face unavoidable obstacles, or lack proper clothing may be excused from attending. However, those who are willing should come, and even those who are reluctant would do well to participate. Regardless of extreme weather conditions—whether scorching heat, heavy rain, or intense cold—the meeting should continue with whoever is available, even if it's only two or three people. If no one is available to lead the gathering, the time may be spent in quiet meditation before concluding.