At Emmaus Road Reformed Church, we believe Scripture alone should structure our worship. On the Lord’s Day we read the Word, preach the Word, pray the Word, sing the Word, and see the Word (in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper).
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
Reformed // Reading • Preaching • Praying • Singing • Seeing
We Read the Word in Worship
Scripture is regularly read in the public gathering of God’s people (1 Timothy 4:13). Reading Scripture aloud in worship shows the value we place on God’s Word. It says we are eager to hear the Word of the Lord—we desire it (Psalm 19:10). Our life is dependent on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).
We Preach the Word in Worship
The preaching of God’s Word is God’s ordained method for communicating the gospel to sinners (Romans 10:14-17). On the Emmaus Road, Jesus said that all the Scriptures are ultimately about him (Luke 24:27, 45-47). We desire to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) as we proclaim Christ from all the Scriptures.
We Pray the Word in Worship
God calls us to be a people of prayer (1 Timothy 2:1). Scripture teaches us how to pray God’s Word back to him in prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. We pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), which means we are to be a praying people on Sunday morning and throughout the week.
We Sing the Word in Worship
As we worship, we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the glory of God (Ephesians 5:19). God’s Word builds the church through the Holy Spirit, and we want to sing songs that bring glory to God and that edify His people with lyrics that are filled with Scripture. Our desire is to sing God-centered, Gospel-saturated songs as we worship.
We See the Word in Baptism
The Sacraments (Baptism and Communion) are the visible gospel. They picture the spiritual realities of the gospel. The picture in Baptism is that as water washes away dirt, so the blood of Christ washes away our sins. Baptism shows us our need for cleansing, which comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
We See the Word in Communion
When we participate in the Lord’s Supper, the bread and wine portray Christ’s broken body and shed blood for the remission of all our sins (Luke 22:19-20). In the Sacraments, the word of God’s promise is given in the tangible forms of bread, wine, and water. They are a means of grace that build our assurance by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We Love the Flock in the Church
Jesus told the first disciples in the Church that the world would know they were His disciples by their love for one another (John 13:34-35). Selfless, humble, Christ-like love for our brothers and sisters is the DNA of a Christian. Relationships in the Church are to be rooted in the gospel for mutual upbuilding and encouragment.
We Love the Lost in the World
Jesus gave the Church the Great Commission: going and making disciples by baptizing and teaching all nations (Matthew 28:18-20), bringing the gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation (Revelation 5:9). Our primary goal is to build on distinctly Christian love and display God’s glory to our neighborhoods, cities, and the world.
Many of the thoughts above have been quoted from The Deliberate Church by Mark Dever.