We are all very familiar with the idea of corporate worship, the kind that happens on Sunday.  And we are even familiar with individual worship, a focused time of prayer and reading Scripture.  But, while the practice was common prior to mid-twentieth century.  It has fallen out of favor in the last few decades.

But should it be that way?  In other words, is it a preference that we can accept or deny and does Scripture have anything to say about this topic?

Malcolm Yarnel, and associate professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, gives us his analysis of family worship and it's Scriptural support.

"My Son, Be Strong in the Grace That is in Christ Jesus": The Baptist Family at Worship

Let's face it--coveting is great fuel for the economy. When having more stuff is our highest goal, we get a society where everyone is working and advertising and buying and selling at a frantic pace. As a result, most people end up having more stuff. If stuff is our greatest love and our motto is "It's the economy, stupid!", then coveting seems fine.

But if we love God and love other people, coveting is out. Coveting may grow the economy, but it wrecks relationships. When we covet, we want what our neighbor has, instead of loving him for who he is. We resent God for not giving us what we want, instead of rejoicing in the gift of his Son and the other gifts he gives us. In coveting we love things and use people; in contentment we love people and use things. In coveting we're grumpy at God; in contentment we're grateful to God.

Perjury--lying under oath at a trial--sends innocent people to prison and gives guilty people freedom to do more harm. False testimony in court harms others and offends God. So does every other kind of lying and gossip.

A child acts friendly toward another kid but behind his back speaks of him as a loser. A businessman bamboozles someone into signing a contract even though the fine print is sure to cause problems. A doctor tells a dying cancer patient that she'll probably be okay, prompting her to endure painful, useless treatments and robbing her of the chance to face death honestly. A politician makes promises he can't keep. A preacher use traditional language but twists it into a different meaning. God hates all such lying.

But wouldn't it be a minor matter for a man and his wife to exaggerate a bit and make a generous gift sound even more generous? Where was the harm if people thought this couple's big donation was the whole price of the property they sold instead of only part? But for this "little" lie, God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead. God doesn't strike every liar dead on the spot, but as the church of Jesus was getting started, God wanted everyone to get a clear message: lying has no place among people who are adopted by the God of truth, saved by the One who said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6)," and directed by "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17).

Robert Robinson, his wife Robin, and their son Robby were driving along, hoping to enjoy a weekend away. "Guess what!" Robin said. "Mimi Klepto next door just loaned me a bunch of computer disks and told me to copy anything I want onto our hard drive. Oh, and Mimi also loaned me some videos to copy. That stuff would cost us a fortune if we had to buy it at the store."

"Sounds great!" smiled Robert. Then he patted his wallet and said, "The Johnsons paid me cash for the work I did on their kitchen. That's another 400 dollars the government won't have to know about when we do our tax forms."

Mention the New Age movement and you're likely to get amused condescension:  "Oh yes, crystals."  "Oh yes, astrology."  To many people, the New Age movement means trendy gimmicks and silly superstitions.  That should concern us.  For the New Age movement is more than a matter of this technique or that gimmick. What underlies all these surface phenomena is a way of looking at life, a philosophy, a world view, a faith.  And it is a faith hostile to Christian faith.

I can think of no better way to explain the New Age world view than by quoting extensively from a children's book I just read.  A classic, I might add. (And you thought you could trust the classics to be harmless?) It's entitled The Secret Garden, by Francis Hodgson Burnett.

Most of you who have children will probably recognize the title.  But how many of you noticed that about two-thirds of the way through the book, the author launches into a straightforward explication of Hindu pantheism? (Do you know what your children are reading?)

Sex is for marriage, and marriage is for life. In adultery you are married but betray your spouse by having an affair, by fantasizing about someone or panting after pornography, or by divorcing a faithful spouse and marrying someone else. In fornication you are single but selfishly seek sex without a lifelong marriage commitment, through impure dating, prostitution, or "living together." In homosexualism you want someone of the same gender to satisfy your romantic and sexual longings. God forbids all such sins. He commands his people to have sexual union only in a faithful marriage to a fellow Christian of the opposite sex, or else to remain single and abstain from sexual relations.

If you are a Christian, Jesus didn't just buy your soul; he bought your body. You body is the Holy Spirit's temple. Indeed, your body is a member of Christ himself. So before doing something with your body, be sure it pleases the Lord within you and not just your sinful nature. Once you unite yourself to the Lord in spirit, you must not unite your body to anyone unless that person is a spouse of the opposite sex who is also united to Jesus in spirit.

Murder horrifies us. We shudder at tyrants who butcher helpless people and at ethnic groups who slaughter each other. We shake our heads at news reports of murder on the streets and in some homes. We ask, "How could anyone do such things?" Meanwhile, the seed of murder may be lying right in our own hearts.

Hatred--the killer instinct--can involve rage or revenge or racism. On the other hand, it can also be a cool disregard for the well-being of others. An armed robber who kills someone doesn't necessarily have strong feelings against his victim; he just couldn't care less. A company that exposes workers to danger instead of paying for a safer work environment isn't angry at workers; it just doesn't care about them. Money matters more. A couple which aborts a baby doesn't have a grudge against the baby; they just care less about that baby than about themselves.