Have you ever found yourself in a place where you really didn’t want to be and didn’t really belong? When a child of God gives in to peer pressure and agrees to tag along with friends to a place where worldly activities and ungodly conditions prevail, he may end up asking himself, “what am I doing here?”

If that question is asked under those circumstances, it is a good sign that at least this brother’s conscience has not been completely seared and he realizes that some changes need to be made in his life. Sadly, there are some who are in the right place who ask themselves that same question. Some find themselves in an assembly of saints asking themselves, “what am I doing here?”

Our attitude at every service that we attend should be one of joy and thanksgiving.

Psalms 122:1
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

Psalms 42:1-2
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Let me say that every time we assemble as a local church to worship God, we should know exactly why we have come together and what we are doing. So, what is the right answer to the question, “what am I doing here?”

We come together to worship and praise God. This can only be done when we possess a heart that is prepared to do so. Jesus once said that we must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Speaking of worship, Paul wrote that it must be spiritual (Romans 12:1). The word spiritual comes from the Greek word logikos and means rational or reasonable. Acceptable worship is reasoned worship. It cannot be done robotically, simply going through the motions. It starts with our minds and that demands focus and concentration. You cannot worship God while doing other things like daydreaming, playing with babies, or carrying on casual conversation with brethren sitting nearby. From start to finish, our minds must be on God. He is the One we are worshiping. Worshiping God is a sacred act that should never be profaned by being mixed with behavior that demonstrates indifference.

We also come together to teach and motivate others. In a context that emphasizes not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, the Hebrews writer tells us to provoke one another unto love and good works (Heb. 10:24). How do we provoke one another when we come together to worship God? First, we do it by our very presence. It is edifying and encouraging to worship God with others of like precious faith. Second, we can motivate others by showing up on time for the Bible study and being prepared to participate. A lot of good teaching goes on, not just by the teacher, but by the well thought out comments of members who have done their homework and are really to share with others what they have learned. Finally, we behave in a way that is beneficial to others in Christ, as well as any visitors that might be present, when we come to service ready to sing cheerfully (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), and study diligently by paying attention to the preacher and following along in our Bibles during the sermon.

Believe it or not, body language is important when it comes to provoking others to love and good works. What do you think is more encouraging when you are noticed by others in the assembly: a look of interest and involvement in whatever part of the worship is going on or a slumped over posture with your head in your hands and your eyes staring aimlessly at the floor? When others take note of you during worship services, what message do you think they get if they see you talking, whispering, or laughing about something that is obviously unrelated to anything having to do with God or worshiping Him? The message is that you really don’t want to be here. You’d rather be somewhere else, doing something else rather than serving and worshipping God. The message you are giving others in that case is far from provoking and would never motivate anyone unto love and good works.

All of this really points to how much we love the Lord. If God is important to us, we will take worshiping Him seriously. We will know exactly why we are at any given worship service, and we will act like it because we know that God and others are watching. But it is not just that. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter if anyone takes notice of us when we are gathered to worship God. We are glad for the opportunity to show God how much we appreciate all that He has done for us and to acknowledge by our heart-felt service His greatness and majesty.

What are we doing here? We are here first to worship God and give Him honor and glory and then to try to help others in their quest to grow in Christ. We are here with a purpose, not to just waste a few hours and wish that we were somewhere else. That’s the right reason to be here. What are you doing here?