Worship throughExpositional Preaching.Scripture Reading.Congregational Singing.Prayer.
What should you expect to experience with us on Sunday?
At Pepperell Baptist Church, we gather for corporate worship with the family at 11:00 AM every Sunday. When you enter the doors, you will immediately encounter the warm fellowship of excited disciples to worship with you. The service is structured to follow an order of worship that we believe best points the gaze of worshipping hearts to the glory of the Lord. Thus, you should expect to engage in a worship service that strongly emphasizes the truth of God's Word. You should expect to sing hymns and spiritual songs that herald those truths revealed in the Word of God in a community of voices. You should expect to listen to preaching that clearly explains the Scripture's meaning with suggestions for personal application. You should expect to hear the prayers and petitions of disciples interceding for one another for the Lord to open the eyes of our hearts to behold His glory clearly and that we will respond with a joyful noise.
What we expect from you is your participation. We expect you to sing with us, plead and intercede with us, and feast with us like sheep upon the green pastures of His Word. We don't expect you to be comfortable. We don't expect you to like the rhythm of the music or even the preacher's voice. We only expect you to arrive with an open heart beholding the glory of the Lord with us as we are transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. We expect you to come hungry and to leave happy.
What we expect from you is your participation. We expect you to sing with us, plead and intercede with us, and feast with us like sheep upon the green pastures of His Word. We don't expect you to be comfortable. We don't expect you to like the rhythm of the music or even the preacher's voice. We only expect you to arrive with an open heart beholding the glory of the Lord with us as we are transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. We expect you to come hungry and to leave happy.
What is expositional preaching?
Whole books have been dedicated to this answering this question, so we acknowledge that it is impossible to develop an answer in brevity that plums the depths of this term. However, a certain few comments will be sufficient to paint a picture of the manner of preaching you will encounter in a corporate worship service at Pepperell. First, you will hear a clear verse-by-verse explanation of the Scriptural text derived from grammatical-historical exegesis that aims to help you grasp the authorial intent as much as possible. Second, you will hear application-driven sermons consistent with the fruit gleaned from the rigorous exegesis and relevant to our contemporary world. Thirdly, if the first two steps are executed faithfully, you should expect to hear from the Living God who has inspired His Holy Word with eternal truth that is authoritative over and transformative in our lives. So, when you join us for worship at Pepperell, come hungry and expect to be fed a clear explanation, a challenging application, and a conviction that only comes through the Holy Spirit as He speaks through His Word.
Why congregational singing?
We practice congregational singing because it offers three primary benefits to the worshipping congregation. First, congregational singing provides the opportunity for you, as an individual, to engage in worship rather than simply observing worship. This is a benefit because when we encounter the glory of God through the revelation of His Word, that is, the revelation of who He is and what He has done, our hearts gasp to ascribe praise to Him. Thus, we believe congregational singing provides you with the opportunity to voice what can not and should not be repressed. Secondly, it provides the benefit of mutual spiritual encouragement. Here's an illustration: when you go to a sporting event, you are encouraged to cheer for your struggling team when you hear fellow fans cheering alongside you. Such is the effect of the congregational singing of hymns and spiritual songs in the corporate worship of the local church! Lastly, congregational singing is good practice for heaven, where the voices of every tribe, tongue, and nation will celebrate the Lamb who was slain, who was resurrected, and who reigns forever. We're just preparing you for this reality!
Why read Scripture & pray?
The public reading of Scripture without the interruption of explanation enables us to hear directly from the Lord without interference. This isn't to undermine the explanation of Scripture, for that, too, is of inestimable value. However, it is beneficial to listen to passages of Scripture read publicly before the congregation because you can hear the broader context of the passage that you may not appreciate fully or observe in other contexts. The various prayers of intercession, pastoral, and praise throughout the service are meant to guide you to become one mind with the congregation momentarily as we plead with the Lord to hear our amplified voice.
What else should I know?
We understand that arriving at a new church for the first time can be overwhelming. So, we have provided a list of 5 FYI points that we think may be helpful to you on your first visit with us.
- During the welcome, our Pastor will give an opportunity for your children to leave to participate in the children's church experience. Of course, your children are welcome to stay with you during the service if that is preferred.
- Bibles are located in the back of the pew for you to use. If you do not own a Bible, please take one and consider it our gift.
- Restrooms are located in the foyer to the sides before you enter the sanctuary.
- There is no dress code to attend the services. We only request that you practice modesty that is honoring of the Lord.
- There are no assigned seats. Please feel welcome to sit anywhere.