On Sunday mornings, we are not seeking to earn God’s favor or attract his attention. We believe that God calls us together to worship on the Lord’s Day. As we gather, God reminds us of the covenant he made with us through Christ’s shed blood and we worship him as we remember that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, we believe that God alone is the author and sustainer of our faith. This is a supernatural work of God’s grace, upon which we are utterly dependent for spiritual life. As needy pilgrims in a dark world, where should we look to find God’s grace and rest for our souls?
Corporate worship is the main channel of this grace, where we find God’s grace not merely as individuals but as God’s gathered, covenant people. Paul commends the leaders of the church in Ephesus, “to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32, ESV). While God shows us grace in innumerable ways, he directs us to look to find grace through the “ordinary” means of his word (Rom. 1:16-17; 10:17; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; 4:1-2), the sacraments (Rom. 6:1-4; 1 Peter 3:21; 1 Cor. 10:16; 11:23-26; John 6:56-58), and prayer (Heb. 4:14-16; John 16:23-24; 1 Tim. 2:1; Acts 2:42). Through these seemingly “ordinary” things, God supernaturally sustains our faith, comforts our hearts, and pushes back the forces of evil in our lives and the world. Thus, corporate worship at Sovereign Grace is focused on Christ through what Christians have referred to for centuries as the “ordinary means of grace.”
Considering these realities, we gather because we sense our great need and we recognize God’s gracious provision.