WORSHIP DURING THE PANDEMIC (II)
Testimonies of Students from the Course on
“Theology of Worship”

My Responsibility to Worship

As I began the course, I did not think that I would be learning much from
this course. However, I was surprised of how much there was for me to
learn, and how careless I was in worshiping the Lord. Growing up in a
Christian family, they would normally tell me what to do, but no one
really explained to me why things have to be conducted as they are. Being
in a Christian environment for such a long time, I simply accepted the
way things are in the church without questioning. This class taught me the
biblical reasons for these things, and made me reflect on how I need to
obey God’s commandments, even in the tiniest details in worship.

I was in Egypt for four years before coming to Singapore. While in Egypt,
I attended a Korean church. However, after a year, we decided to go our
separate ways because of different views of the gospel. The four of us had
to worship alone as a family in the house. This was not too unfamiliar, as
serving as missionaries in other countries demanded that we have to
worship on our own at times as there were no other churches to go to.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, things did not really change for
me while I was in Egypt. However, it was different for me when I came to
Singapore. I was all alone for the first time in my life, and it was all my
responsibility to make sure that I attended the Sunday Worship Service. I
was then not allowed to go to church because of the restrictions from the
government. Sometimes, we were not allowed to meet up after service for
the small Bible meetings, and we had to sit apart from the others. I saw
how much COVID-19 had affected the church and the way we worship.

The COVID-19 pandemic made me attend the worship services online,
rather than physically going to church. However, after measures were
lifted, I was still attending many of the worship services online. Having
attended this class, it made me think of the times where I worshipped
God, whether I was just worshipping the Lord because I was following
my Dad’s instructions or because God was worthy of worship. I also
begun to consider whether I was worshipping God the right way
according to the Scriptures. Living alone and apart from my family
made me take responsibility for my own faith to make the right decisions
based on the Holy Scriptures.

HSC

My Responsibility to Worship God Rightly

Worship during the COVID-19 pandemic has taught me many lessons.
There is much to thank God for during this pandemic. It was a period of
growth and re-learning of what true worship means to me.
The first and biggest thing I learnt is never to take worship with other
saints for granted. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that
the possibility of gathering of the saints every Sunday would be taken
away. It has become a normality to be found in God’s House every
Sunday morning. When the restrictions started growing tighter, there was
a fear that the congregation cannot worship in church anymore. Even
then, I still hoped that services could be divided into two sessions, and life
could still go on as usual.

However, things began to change rapidly. Worship became confined to a
family setting. We were not used to the silence and became more
conscious of our bad singing. It felt really weird. When we were able to
return to physical worship, I thought it would be all over. However,
without much notice, further restrictions returned and worship became
limited once more. All these reminded me that the physical gathering of
the saints is precious and we must take care not to forsake the assembling
of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25).

For the first time in my life, I experienced what it means to worship
online. I disliked it and struggled with this arrangement because I felt very
disconnected from everything… I kept thinking if only we could return to
face to face worship, all these struggles I had would be over.

However, deep down inside, I knew that the problem lied with me. There
was a growing sense of discontentment with the state of worship I was in.
I began to realise that I needed to make worshipping God rightly a
priority. I began to reflect and seek God for forgiveness. I learnt to pray
fervently and sincerely before worship services. I also had to learn how to
focus on the worship of God in environments where it could be
distracting. I had to understand what it means to worship God in spirit and
in truth.

I have learnt not to be so overly concerned that I am not in the sanctuary
as long as I am able to worship God in a proper and orderly manner. I must not complain
about the environment. It is not the outward circumstances that will result in the proper
worship of God, but rather my heart and mind must be focused in worshipping the Lord.
All the adverse circumstances actually caused me to be more focused in worshipping God
properly. I became more aware of my failures in my attitude towards worship, and was a
lot more mindful of the need to focus on the Word of God and not to allow my mind to
drift away.

WPY

The Importance of Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth

I also learned the importance of worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth. During those
days when there was a total lockdown, all had no choice but to worship in their homes. It
was hard to focus and to listen to the message throughout. With my siblings beside me,
whenever Pastor says something that we find interesting or agree with, we started chatting
as though doing a reaction video, commenting on statements that were preached. It was
hard to keep a solemn mood in the all too familiar environment. I thank God that my
parents kept us quiet and reminded us that we were still worshipping the Lord. Though
we found difficulty waking up early, I still thank God that we are able to worship again in
the sanctuary in the morning, with the release of government measures.

TBL

What is My Motive?

During the pandemic, it was very easy to be distracted by the home surroundings of the
ringing of doorbells for lunch deliveries, the phone calls from the house phone or even the
mistakes from the media ministry or the mistakes that had been said by the chairman of
the worship service. I am thankful that during the pandemic that my family made it a
thing to listen to the worship service live and not wait to listen to it at our convenience.
We also made it a thing to dress properly as we were worshipping God during this time of
worship and to have our breakfast before service especially before the Lord’s Supper.

Another thing that I had learnt concerning worship during the pandemic is to make time
for the Lord and honor Him and He will honor us. I thanked God for the pandemic to give
us a slowdown in this fast-paced society and economy we live in. He gave us this time of
pandemic to give us a pause and to slow down and reflect if we really are living our lives
as a living sacrifice unto Him. Many times, we do not slow down and reflect on his
goodness and mercies in our life that he has given us salvation through his son Jesus
Christ. It was important that during this time of pandemic to make time for Him as it is
said that if we idle with our time, the devil’s workshop will idle with us and we mustn’t
give place for the devil to be in our lives. I had so much time to spare during the
pandemic as I was waiting for the acceptance of the university and waiting for university
to start. I thank God for many avenues to learn more of His Word through the online
means and it gave the right perspective and seeing His hand in my life through the whole
pandemic.

Another thing that I had learnt during the pandemic concerning worship was our motive
in being a Christian. It is said in Galatians 6:8 “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of
the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting.” It made me question of what motivates me to be a Christian as we serve in
church or even fellowship with other brethren, was there any hidden agenda as I serve
Him or was it purely for his glory? It also made me learn and reflect that what we say on
text or spoken could either sow seeds of discord or sow seeds that reap everlasting.

VA