05/31/2026 Weekly Bible Lesson: Fellowship Through Worship

Nehemiah 8:1-8. These verses give a great example of unity in worship. All the people gathered to hear Ezra read from the book of the law. He read from morning until midday, and all the people were attentive. As Ezra opened the book of the law, the people stood up together. The people were worshiping with unified respect toward God. Attentive refers to being watchful, observant, and thoughtfully considerate of others, often characterized by active listening or careful, detailed work. Unified worship enhances fellowship with each other.

Discussion Question: When we come together for corporate worship, do we feel a strong sense of unity?

Micah 4:1-2. These verses are a prophecy of the church. Micah says that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills. In ancient days, only the Jews traveled to Jerusalem to the temple to worship God, but now, in the latter days, the church is exalted, and people from all over the world come to it. The church is open to all peoples, nations, races, and nationalities. Jesus died for all people. The gift is open for everyone because God desires that all men be saved.

Psalm 122:1-9 and Hebrews 10:19-25. Psalms 120, 121, and 122 (Psalms of Ascent) were sung as the tribes of Israel made their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the major worship feasts. In Psalm 120, the pilgrims leave the place where they are troubled. In Psalm 121, they are on the road. In Psalm 122, they arrive in Jerusalem. They are filled with joy because their feet are standing in the gates of Jerusalem. Jerusalem and the Temple offered a place of refuge for God’s people in times of trouble and insecurity; it offered a place of worship and unified praise that would remind God’s people that they were one people, not just disparate tribes; it offered a place of justice, and the place where Israel meets their God.

The pilgrimage setting of the psalm connects the reader with Hebrews 10:22-25. The Old Testament journey to the Temple that confirmed access to God has been fulfilled by Christ, whose earthly journey affirmed that God does not hold our failure and sin against us. In Hebrews 10:22-23, there are echoes of baptism and of making a faith confession. In 10:24-25, the community is encouraged to meet regularly for mutual support and encouragement because the life of faith is often met with hardships. Hebrews calls for a unity: worship with other people, love other people, and do good for other people.

Matthew 28:18-20. God the Father has given authority to Jesus the Son. Because Jesus has authority over all things, everyone needs to hear His gospel. It is up to us, Christians, to ensure that others hear the good news. The commission is to make disciples. Those future disciples are from all nations upon earth.

How does one make disciples? There are three steps instructed by Jesus: go, baptize, and teach. As stated in the introduction of this lesson, they’ll know we are Christians by our love. Every person we encounter should recognize that there is something different about us. The Christian must be an example to the world. Our attitude, our behavior, our speech, and our love must be on display so others will know we are disciples of Jesus Christ. The Christian must go! We may have to go from our comfort zones, go from our routines, go from our fears, and go from the pews of the church building. The future disciple who needs to hear the gospel is out there in the world; therefore, go to them.

After we go and preach the gospel to them, we are to baptize them. Once a person believes they must call on the Lord to be saved. How does one call on the Lord? Luke recounts Paul’s words in Acts 22:16, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Once a disciple is baptized, our work does not stop. We are to teach the new Christian disciple the commands of Jesus.

Discussion Question: How committed are we to spreading the gospel of Christ and growing the fellowship of believers?