I am certain that we all are very familiar with the old hymn “Brethren We Have Met to Worship.” I can recall singing it many times throughout my life. Whether sung in a great big conference center or in a small-framed church building, the words have been memorable. But do we truly believe what we sing? Aiden W. Tozer once said, “Christians don’t tell lies–they just go to church and sing them!” It is indeed a sad quote, but I believe many people sing it without truly believing in the message. Tozer was talking about how many of the songs we join in on don’t align with how we live our Christian lives. Here is a summary of the first verse of “Brethren, We Have Met to Worship,” by George Askins, written in 1810:

Brethren, we have met to worship
And adore the Lord our God;
Will you pray with all your power,
While we try to preach the Word?
All is vain unless the Spirit
Of the Holy One comes down;
Brethren, pray, and holy manna
Will be showered all around.

Now, on a positive note, recently this song came to mind, and I thought we truly lived out that old hymn in a small town in Pennsylvania. Over 300 gathered at the Pasquerilla Conference Center in Johnstown in July for the CBC Annual Meeting and Worship Conference. The theme was “Go…Make…Baptize,” based on Matthew 28:19. The theme verse pointed to the work Jesus and all He has called us to do: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

During the hymn, those gathered worshipped the Lord their God, engaging in genuine and true Biblical worship. You sensed it. We experienced the presence of the living God. There was great adoration for the One who called you (me) out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

There was prayer continuously. Prayer for the presenters, prayer for the business, and prayer for those who would preach the Word. There was prayer in corners of the grand hall. There was prayer in the boardroom, prayer at tables, and prayer at the altar. One prayer was said as four of us gathered at a table in a restaurant. One brother made a request, and within 8 hours, the request was granted; God is faithful. We even witnessed the beginnings of a new church plant there in the town.

The Word was proclaimed, and God was glorified. The Holy One came down at the foot of those Alleghany Mountains. A small town that was covered by water from a horrendous flood in 1889 was covered by a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit.

Just as the holy manna fell to make provision for the Israelites, Jesus the Bread of Life fed us all in a mighty way.

I’m reminded of the Emmaus story in Luke 24 (NKJV). Jesus shared the Scriptures, blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened, and He vanished (v.30-31). The question they asked was, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”(v.32) . May our hearts burn as we proclaim and sing what Christ has done, is doing, and will do.

Jeremy Dykes – CBC Ex. Board