Which part of our corporate, Lord’s Day liturgy makes the devil most apoplectic? Is there some element of worship that makes him more furious than the rest?
I assume he doesn’t appreciate any of our service, starting at the start. It does him no good for us to answer God’s call to worship. The devil would much rather that, if we must worship, we worship how and when we want. Or if we do submit to the call, maybe he can get us to be satisfied with the externals.
Presumably he also has no interest in our confession of sin, though if he can’t distract us from our sin, or get us to rationalize it, he can stir up worldly grief through accusation. True confession and repentance cuts at his strength, but maybe he can get us just to be proud of how authentic we say we are.
As for consecration, that’s a part where he likes to make us lazy. It’s a lot of listening. Someone reading Scripture to us isn’t our preferred mode of input, the corporate prayer is long, and the sermon even longer. It’s not that the Word is the devil’s friend, but he knows it, and likes to twist it, or get us to ask, “Did God actually say?”
The benediction, blessing, and charge to obey is unappreciated by him, though he knows that when we leave it’s like a coal separated from the pile, easier to cool off than hot when we’re all together.
And that’s the thing. I mean, I’m asking the question during the communion meditation, so it shouldn’t surprise you that I’m suggesting that communion, at least when combined with the other elements, must be something that disgusts the devil.
He hates unity among brothers (Psalm 133:1). He hates harmony (Romans 15:5). He hates the patience. He hates one anothers. He hates love. And most of all, He hates that we remember Christ who died and rose again so that we might have this communion with God and each other.