Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
20 April 2011
Ready, Set, Plant? A Request for Dialogue
I have had the opportunity over the past year to attend a couple of church planting conferences. You always hear how hard it is on church planters, how they have to work so hard, wear so many hats, how so many guys burn out and leave ministry altogether, how marriages are strained, how plants fail. While thinking about this, the question that arose in my mind was, hasn't scripture already addressed these issues? Don't we see the need for a plurality of elders to spread the responsibility of leading the church? Don't we see deacons selected to help care for the practical day-to-day needs of church members to help support the elders as they pastor and teach? Isn't a church plant, after all and above all, a church? So the idea I need help working through is this: if you don't have the necessary elements of a church in place (plurality of elders, deacons, denominational affiliation or equivalent, etc), perhaps you aren't ready to plant a church.
16 April 2011
Ephesians in short form
Our small group is studying Ephesians and did a basic overview when we met last night. Here, in one(ish) sentence form, is a chapter by chapter summary of the book:
Chapter 1: The trinitarian God has planned eternally to glorify Himself by electing and saving His church.
Chapter 2: By grace the trinitarian God takes people far from Him who are under His wrath and builds through the cross one people with which to peacefully dwell.
Chapter 3: God's mystery that the Gentiles are partakers in Christ has been revealed to Paul; he prays that they glorify God in knowing and rejoicing in the boundless love God has for His elect.
Chapter 4: Live according to your call as God's children; grow in grace by using your gifts and following your leaders, putting off the old ways and walking in newness of life, seeking unity.
Chapter 5: Imitate God by not loving hidden evil deeds; instead, think of others, living submissively, and glorifying God in marriage.
Chapter 6: Glorify God in parenting and work relationships; use the gifts of God to stand firm and fight spiritual battles.
Summary of Ephesians: The trinitarian God is sovereignly building his church in grace through the cross from all kinds of people; therefore live in peaceful unity together, growing into maturity, rejoicing in God's riches and living godly lives according to your calling as God's children and the gifts He gives. This is how God gets glory for Himself.
What do you think? What did we miss?
Chapter 1: The trinitarian God has planned eternally to glorify Himself by electing and saving His church.
Chapter 2: By grace the trinitarian God takes people far from Him who are under His wrath and builds through the cross one people with which to peacefully dwell.
Chapter 3: God's mystery that the Gentiles are partakers in Christ has been revealed to Paul; he prays that they glorify God in knowing and rejoicing in the boundless love God has for His elect.
Chapter 4: Live according to your call as God's children; grow in grace by using your gifts and following your leaders, putting off the old ways and walking in newness of life, seeking unity.
Chapter 5: Imitate God by not loving hidden evil deeds; instead, think of others, living submissively, and glorifying God in marriage.
Chapter 6: Glorify God in parenting and work relationships; use the gifts of God to stand firm and fight spiritual battles.
Summary of Ephesians: The trinitarian God is sovereignly building his church in grace through the cross from all kinds of people; therefore live in peaceful unity together, growing into maturity, rejoicing in God's riches and living godly lives according to your calling as God's children and the gifts He gives. This is how God gets glory for Himself.
What do you think? What did we miss?
26 January 2010
Put up or shut up (actually, shut up either way)
Last night I watched Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle present videos and images of a trip to Haiti he and another pastor made to survey the damage and formulate a plan of action to set up an organization that will help the churches of Haiti. Until I had seen this presentation, I had felt sorry for Haiti, but actually seeing the devastation tore me up, as my wife can attest to (you can watch the video here WARNING: there is some graphic content and it will mess up your heart). The reason I write is because the past few days I have seen and read and heard many who name the name of Christ speak rather glibly about the efforts being made to give relief and hope to the distraught people there. In particular, I have heard some of my friends complain that there are those suffering here in the US so why should we be spending so much energy in Haiti? To be honest, this thinking makes me sick to my stomach, and so I have a few unpopular points I would like to make.
First, I agree that there are those here who suffer, and that the church has failed at meeting their needs. In fact, I have seen this suffering firsthand. I moved from a relatively affluent sector of the country in Northwest Arkansas where it was easy to sweep those who suffered under the rug and keep them out of sight and out of conscience. Since moving to Jacksonville, I have been confronted almost daily with true suffering, and there is no ignoring the homelessness and poverty that exist even in our prosperous land. I have seen women and children who have had to leave everything behind to escape abusive endangerment of their lives. I have seen people who have had addictions ravage their life and leave them with nothing. I have heard of a man with a master's degree who could not get a job and is homeless for the third time. And yet, I submit to you that these people are more fortunate than almost every single person in Haiti, and even more fortunate than the majority of people in the entire world. It is true that in the US, the church for the most part has done a terrible job of meeting the needs of our most desperate people. We have ignored those forced into sexual slavery, and the elderly who spend their time alone abandoned by their family, and we should repent and serve those people wholeheartedly in the name of Jesus. But the resources exist here to meet their needs. There are shelters to protect those who have no shelter, and provide meals for those who have no food. Although these churches don't go out and find these people as they should, if these people came to the church, almost any church in America would be willing to put these people in touch with someone or someplace to meet their needs. Even our public recreational parks have fresh, clean water to drink. When natural disasters happen, the government provides money and resources for relief and rebuilding. The problem is that in Haiti, NONE of those things exist. There is no drinkable water in Port-au-Prince. There are almost no church buildings left intact. There basically is no government. There is no viable police force. There isn't even farmable country because the environment has been so devastated in the past. All that is left are shell-shocked people living and sleeping on the streets alongside corpses, fighting for survival. There is no comparison with the need there and the need here, and we have the affluence in the United States to help meet the needs of the Haitian people.
Secondly - and this is what worries me more - these Christians are not really speaking out of motivation to help the people here. I'm sure that if you asked them if they would like to see suffering ended in their hometown and country, they could honestly say yes. But if you look at their lives and their bank account, they are not the ones spending time handing out blankets and scarves to homeless people on the street. They are not the ones finding prostitutes and helping them to put their lives back together. They are not the ones who sacrifice at home to give more money away. These people are evidence of the problem of mistaking right-wing politics with following Jesus. It is remarkable that Christians have begun taking their cues from politicians rather than biblical Christianity. Throwing darts at those who are doing a good thing is not a new practice, especially to the church. Those who rise up and lead are always going to catch the most flak. But this is a foreign practice that we see in politics to attack those who may disagree with us no matter what they do. Even Jesus said that those who were serving others and weren't against Him were on His side (Mark 9:38-41). And honestly, this grumbling by Christians is done only to disguise their own conviction of their failure to do what is right (they would do well to read James 4:17). It is so much easier to say "I can't believe they are trying to send so much money when we have suffering here" than it is to move to a smaller apartment or not get coffee every morning or fast for a week in order to give that money away. And it is definitely easier to complain than it is to spend a night meeting the homeless on the street or even to jump a plane and go serve people in desperate, dire need. A quarter of a million people, each bearing the image of God, are dead, and hundreds of thousands more are in danger if something is not done. And people who spend their time sitting on their hands wave the red flag, whining that we should do more here first. Christians are notorious for talking loud and complaining hard and doing nothing, and frankly, it is this kind of crap that has made the church in the US ineffective and borderline irrelevant, and it pisses me off that those who claim to love Christ can stomach this behavior. We should all repent of the sin of apathy that we have allowed to fester in our churches and have our hearts broken for the Haitian people, especially our brothers and sisters. So what if "Hollywood" is leading the charge? They can reach more people than you because you hole up in your church and your home and have no contact with the outside world! Pray that God can make us more in tune with those around us so that we can be effective in sharing God's love with them.
Lastly, instead of throwing darts at those who actually have the audacity to see a desperate need and try to meet it, we should repent and join in giving and in service, following the example of Christ (Matthew 20: 26-28). So, give to your church, give to the red cross, or to the "Hollywood charity", or give to help rebuild churches. And also, give of your money and your time locally to help spread the gospel of God's love in your Jerusalem.
I know I don't have thousands of people reading this (and maybe no one actually), and it will probably never reach the people I wish I could say this to face to face, but I felt compelled to write anyway. I will close with an admonition from Paul.
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Galatians 6:7-10
First, I agree that there are those here who suffer, and that the church has failed at meeting their needs. In fact, I have seen this suffering firsthand. I moved from a relatively affluent sector of the country in Northwest Arkansas where it was easy to sweep those who suffered under the rug and keep them out of sight and out of conscience. Since moving to Jacksonville, I have been confronted almost daily with true suffering, and there is no ignoring the homelessness and poverty that exist even in our prosperous land. I have seen women and children who have had to leave everything behind to escape abusive endangerment of their lives. I have seen people who have had addictions ravage their life and leave them with nothing. I have heard of a man with a master's degree who could not get a job and is homeless for the third time. And yet, I submit to you that these people are more fortunate than almost every single person in Haiti, and even more fortunate than the majority of people in the entire world. It is true that in the US, the church for the most part has done a terrible job of meeting the needs of our most desperate people. We have ignored those forced into sexual slavery, and the elderly who spend their time alone abandoned by their family, and we should repent and serve those people wholeheartedly in the name of Jesus. But the resources exist here to meet their needs. There are shelters to protect those who have no shelter, and provide meals for those who have no food. Although these churches don't go out and find these people as they should, if these people came to the church, almost any church in America would be willing to put these people in touch with someone or someplace to meet their needs. Even our public recreational parks have fresh, clean water to drink. When natural disasters happen, the government provides money and resources for relief and rebuilding. The problem is that in Haiti, NONE of those things exist. There is no drinkable water in Port-au-Prince. There are almost no church buildings left intact. There basically is no government. There is no viable police force. There isn't even farmable country because the environment has been so devastated in the past. All that is left are shell-shocked people living and sleeping on the streets alongside corpses, fighting for survival. There is no comparison with the need there and the need here, and we have the affluence in the United States to help meet the needs of the Haitian people.
Secondly - and this is what worries me more - these Christians are not really speaking out of motivation to help the people here. I'm sure that if you asked them if they would like to see suffering ended in their hometown and country, they could honestly say yes. But if you look at their lives and their bank account, they are not the ones spending time handing out blankets and scarves to homeless people on the street. They are not the ones finding prostitutes and helping them to put their lives back together. They are not the ones who sacrifice at home to give more money away. These people are evidence of the problem of mistaking right-wing politics with following Jesus. It is remarkable that Christians have begun taking their cues from politicians rather than biblical Christianity. Throwing darts at those who are doing a good thing is not a new practice, especially to the church. Those who rise up and lead are always going to catch the most flak. But this is a foreign practice that we see in politics to attack those who may disagree with us no matter what they do. Even Jesus said that those who were serving others and weren't against Him were on His side (Mark 9:38-41). And honestly, this grumbling by Christians is done only to disguise their own conviction of their failure to do what is right (they would do well to read James 4:17). It is so much easier to say "I can't believe they are trying to send so much money when we have suffering here" than it is to move to a smaller apartment or not get coffee every morning or fast for a week in order to give that money away. And it is definitely easier to complain than it is to spend a night meeting the homeless on the street or even to jump a plane and go serve people in desperate, dire need. A quarter of a million people, each bearing the image of God, are dead, and hundreds of thousands more are in danger if something is not done. And people who spend their time sitting on their hands wave the red flag, whining that we should do more here first. Christians are notorious for talking loud and complaining hard and doing nothing, and frankly, it is this kind of crap that has made the church in the US ineffective and borderline irrelevant, and it pisses me off that those who claim to love Christ can stomach this behavior. We should all repent of the sin of apathy that we have allowed to fester in our churches and have our hearts broken for the Haitian people, especially our brothers and sisters. So what if "Hollywood" is leading the charge? They can reach more people than you because you hole up in your church and your home and have no contact with the outside world! Pray that God can make us more in tune with those around us so that we can be effective in sharing God's love with them.
Lastly, instead of throwing darts at those who actually have the audacity to see a desperate need and try to meet it, we should repent and join in giving and in service, following the example of Christ (Matthew 20: 26-28). So, give to your church, give to the red cross, or to the "Hollywood charity", or give to help rebuild churches. And also, give of your money and your time locally to help spread the gospel of God's love in your Jerusalem.
I know I don't have thousands of people reading this (and maybe no one actually), and it will probably never reach the people I wish I could say this to face to face, but I felt compelled to write anyway. I will close with an admonition from Paul.
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Galatians 6:7-10
13 September 2009
Worship
The following is my senior thesis from high school. It is a really long post, and is actually more a work in progress, so all the thoughts may not be complete, or I may have changed my opinions on some of the ideas within. However, in order to open discussion, I decided to post it. This is how it read when I turned it in at the end of my senior year in high school. Here goes...
For several decades, the war on worship has waged on in the American churches. The debate ranges from physical expressions of worship to styles of music to be used in the church; from the argument about whether or not to use instruments in the church to the debate regarding the structure of a "worship" service. While the Bible does not say, "Thou shalt sing hymns every Sunday" or "Thou shalt not play the drums in the House of God", it does have much to say about worship. Moreover, while some "restrictions" on worship may not be totally scriptural, some "freedoms" in worship may not be completely biblical, either. Only through an investigation into the Bible in its entire context can this conflict be resolved.
The truest forms and doctrines of worship come not from new, charismatic church doctrine; nor do they stem from conservative, traditional doctrine. True, pure worship can be found in the churches that encourage worship in the light of God’s Word, not in the light of church doctrine. Traditions have suppressed the movement of God in overly conservative churches; lack of foundation has destroyed order and created confusion in extremely charismatic churches. The truest forms of worship found in God’s infallible word lie somewhere along the less conservative lines than today’s extreme traditionalists (namely older denominations as Baptists, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.).
The key to remember is that worship is not a doctrinal or denominational issue; it is rather a biblical issue. The Bible tells Christians what God’s desires are, not denominational creeds; the scriptures are the infallible word of God, not the official Baptist doctrine. Only if these doctrines agree with the Bible as a whole and within context of itself as a whole are they even worth recognizing. Another key is that not all churches under the “traditional” banner deny freedom in worship; similarly, not all “charismatic” churches abandon traditions rooted in God’s commands for worship. Finally, unity between all believers is a desirable trait. These points being understood, an investigation into worship can begin.
The first question to be resolved is what is worship? In his book What the Bible Teaches, R.A. Torrey proposes that worship is "the soul bowing itself in adoring contemplation before the object worshipped" (472). His evidence for this can be found in verses such as 2 Chronicles 7:3 - "…they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped…" - and Exodus 4:31 - "…And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped." Torrey writes, "Reading the Bible…is not worship…Praying is not worship…Singing is not necessarily worship…The root of the Hebrew word translated 'worship' in the Old Testament means 'to bow down'"(472). So the first aspect of worship is reverence and bowing down. This is evident throughout the entire Old Testament.
According to several authors and theologians, many people have confused worship with praise. Lewis Chafer writes, "Praise…has the same root as price, meaning to ascribe value and worth to another" (252). In Psalm 22:22, David says to God, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you." In Philippians 1:11, Paul speaks of his desire for the Philippians to be "filled with the fruits of righteousness that comes from through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." In these two verses, praise is used as giving glory and credit to God for what He has done.
The main difference between praise and worship is the personality of the action. Bob Sorge writes, "praise can sometimes be distant, but worship is usually intimate." (68) Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror write, "To worship someone or something is to attribute supreme worth or to declare supreme value to that one or that thing." (17) While praise is proclaiming God's worth to everyone, worship is proclaiming God's worth to Him. Worship is always communication with God; praise is the outward celebration of one's communion with God. Sorge goes on to say, "praise is always seen or heard; worship is not always evident to an observer." (68) While praise is always going to be an outward outpouring of joy and reverence for God, the intense intimacy of worship allows for personal worship that is not evident to others. "Worship is not a musical activity, but a function of the heart"; it is "often characterized by a quiet and unassumed basking in God's presence" (Sorge 68). While praise is an act of the flesh, worship is an act of the spirit, an intimate unity between a person's spirit and God's.
Oftentimes, the phrase "Worship is a lifestyle" is used by pastors and Christian leaders to emphasize a habit of worship. However, Davin Seay writes, what does the term lifestyle mean? He quotes Reverend Maggi Dawn as saying, "The word 'lifestyle' connotes a choice…But worship is not an option. It is a command of God." This is true. It is not for people to choose whether to worship God or not. Worship involves sacrifice; rather than choosing to stay in one's comfort zone, worship breaks that zone and makes God the absolute center of everything that is done. However, by "lifestyle", would someone mean that everything they do reflects the aspect of that routine? While one's entire life should revolve around bringing pleasure to God, is worship the entire life, or can it be boiled down to times of worship on a consistent basis? Seay quotes Samuel Balentine as saying: "[The Sabbath] is a time set apart from ordinary days." God says to keep the Sabbath holy and separate. This shows that some time should be especially set apart for time with God. Therefore, worship has to be an instance, and exact point in time, or an action, rather than a period of time, or a "lifestyle" in this sense. However, a true worshiper's life will make obvious the time spent with God. In essence, worship is an action that should be habitual, while obedience is a choice of a lifestyle, or how to live.
How does God expect His followers to worship? In John 4:23, Jesus says "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." There has been much speculation and study into what "in spirit and in truth" exactly means. If these are the worshipers God desires, all who aspire to worship Him should follow these guidelines. So what is worship in spirit and in truth?
First, Jesus was showing that worship would not put emphasis on the place (Jerusalem for the Jews, or Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans), but instead it was a function of the spirit of man reaching out to the Spirit of God (Sorge 79). Until the Day of Pentecost, after Jesus left, God's people did not have the Holy Spirit. While before Pentecost, one could commune with God's Spirit in true worship, now it is even deeper because all Christians have the Spirit of God with them. Under the rituals of the past, the Jews had lost sight of true worship. In Isaiah 29:13, God says of His people, "These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." God's people had lost sight of true worship and had chosen simply to go through the motions. Jesus knew this and was emphasizing to this woman that soon the Mosaic sacrifice rituals would pass away, and worship would take place between God's spirit and man's spirit. "Worship in spirit", therefore, is emphasizing communion with God rather than empty rituals.
Worship in truth has three facets to it. As Sorge clarifies, "When Jesus spoke of worshiping in truth, he meant that worship involves the mind." This, he says, is the difference between "intelligent" and "ignorant" worship (80). Many people carry around the misconception that when they attend the "worship service" at their local church on Sunday morning, that God will come and move and when he does, it will be based upon the great feeling that comes in worship. Worship, they fail to recognize, requires great mental application. Jesus commands Christians to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind". This command does not become limited to only one's heart and soul in worship, but worshipers worship God in their minds. This means that whatever worship takes place must be done with intellectual intelligence. Worshipers must understand all that is going on and only worship in the truth.
A second component of worship in truth is worship with honesty. According to Allen and Borror, "The real factor in worship is a heart desire for God…" (24) One should not come before God and offer hypocritical or false worship. God is not pleased with forms of worship that are actually hypocritical in nature; He wants worshipers to come before Him with hearts that are pure and true (Sorge 82). Sometimes Christians need "to realize we have a form of godliness but have long since lost the power thereof" (Allen and Borror 25). It is one thing to appear that everything is under control; it is quite another to be truly seeking God. The reason true worship does not take place in churches is that is does not take place in the everyday lives of churchgoers (Allen and Borror 24). Mouth worship is false, but heart worship will reveal itself in every portion of the worshiper's life. To worship in truth, one must be following God's commands.
Finally, worship in truth deals with worship in accordance to God's word and His nature. While many today would quickly lump Jesus, Hare Krishna, Allah, and even themselves into the same "deity", there is no doubt that there are great differences. The God of the Bible, Yahweh, in three persons, is inherently different than other gods. Sincerity in worship does not make up for worshiping without truth. Consider the Muslims, arguably the most sincere religious group in the world; however, they do not worship Jesus, but Allah, who is an entirely different entity. Therefore, there are irreconcilable differences, and their worship, no matter how sincere, cannot be accepted by God because it is not in accordance to His Word or His nature. Likewise, all worship must be in accordance to Scripture; if it is not, it is not true worship and is unacceptable.
The effects of worship in spirit and in truth will be myriad and noticeable. Time truly spent with God will show. Davin Seay quotes Dr. Randy Rowland as saying, "…worship demands an investment of the whole person and the whole life." This means that a true worshiper will have obvious effects of being with God. One cannot spend significant amounts of intimate time with anyone - much less the omnipotent God - and not be changed. The time set apart for God will make a great difference. It is a cyclical process. When one worships, he becomes closer to and more like God, therefore making him a better and more complete worshiper. True worship affects the worshiper's life.
Therefore, worship is the communication and intimacy between the spirit of a person and the Spirit of Almighty God. This worship is always going to be out of reverence and love, out of humility and bowing down. Worship involves man's adoration and contemplation of God. Worship and praise, while similar in origin and meaning, are two separate acts. True worship occurs in spirit and in truth. Worship in spirit is communion between Christians and the Holy Spirit, who guides and directs them. Worship in truth is worship of the mind along with the heart and soul. It is sincere and honest worship of one who understands and obeys God's laws and desires genuinely to know Him more. Finally, it is in accordance to God's word and will.
The next question to be resolved is what kind of people worship. Now that true worship can be understood, true worshipers can be defined. The scriptures give very specific attitudes and attributes that true worshipers act out in their worship. If worship is completely focused on God instead of self, then a true worshiper will be consumed with what God wants from His worshipers.
The first thing to understand is that God’s desire is the worship of every man and woman. The creation of humankind was for relationship with God. Before the creation of man, God said, “‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…’” (Genesis 1:26). This is proof of special creation of man. This special creation was for communion with Almighty God. Genesis 3:8 speaks of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. The assumption that can be made is that God's walking in the garden with Adam and Eve was an everyday occurrence. This personal relationship with God is the reason for the creation of man.
Something else to understand is that worship is a command rather than a request. God says to His people in Exodus 20:3-5, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol…You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” God did not request the worship of His people – He commanded it. God demanded that His people give Him their unadulterated love and attention. To be a child of God necessitates worship of Him alone. Therefore, since God desires all people to be His children, God desires and expects the worship of every person.
So then, what kind of people are true worshipers? Rick Warren writes, “The heart of worship is surrender” (77). The very first attribute of a true worshiper is that of being unselfishly surrendered to God’s will. No one can worship when focused on himself. A true worshiper will be focused on God and doing what He wants. In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Paul uses the word sacrifice to describe a worshiper. This is evidence of God’s desire for unselfish worshipers.
A true worshiper will be, as Matt Redman writes, “unquenchable” (18). Redman cites as an example Habakkuk, who “decided he would respond to God’s worth, no matter how bleak a season he found himself in” (19). Habakkuk 3:17-18 says
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in God my Savior.
Habakkuk was not limiting his worship of God to times of great comfort and rejoicing. He was not an easily quenched worshiper, but instead worshiped God at all times. This embodies the idea of being an unquenchable worshiper.
Another characteristic of a true worshiper is that of being ruined. No sinful man can worship the Father in spirit and in truth until he realizes his sin and the separation from God, which exists as a result of that sin. When Isaiah saw God in all His glory, he responded by confessing his sin. He says to God in Isaiah 6:5, “‘Woe to me…I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah realized that his sin permeated every facet of his life. He knew that since he was spiritually dead, his physical eyes could not view the Lord. Isaiah was broken before the Lord; only then did God proceed to cleanse Isaiah and allow him to worship. Likewise, a true worshiper does not enter the throne room of God with an air of arrogance, but rather “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). A true worshiper understands that he is doing God no big favor by worshiping Him, but that it is an honor and privilege to worship the Almighty.
The true worshiper will not worship only in song or in church once a week, because he understands that worship is so much more than singing a few songs or listening to a sermon. A true worshiper will be obedient to God’s commands because he understands the importance of obedience. One John 2:6 says, “Whoever claims to live in [God] must walk as Jesus did.” In order to worship personally, obedience to God’s commands is vital. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” In order to worship, one must love God and desire to spend time with Him. Those who love God will obey His commands; therefore, a true worshiper will be obedient to what God’s word says.
Matt Redman writes that a true worshiper will be willing to go unnoticed (84). By unnoticed, he means unnoticed by people, not unnoticed by God. God sees everything that happens to everyone. However, in Matthew 6, Jesus warns, “‘Be careful not to do your “acts of righteousness” before men…’” (verse 1). Again, in verse 6, He says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Jesus teaches that acts of worship should be done before God, not before men. Jesus expects worshipers to have the faith to believe that their worship is seen and that God will reward them for their worship in secret. The temptation is always present to put on big acts of “worship” for everyone to see. A true worshiper worships the same in secret as he does in front of thousands of other people. There is also an expectation implied by Jesus when He says, “When you pray”, or “When you fast” (Matthew 6:16). Therefore, a true worshiper will do these acts, but is content in worship that goes unnoticed by man.
A true worshiper will also be able to relate to God. A.W. Tozer writes, “…for millions of Christians, God is no more real than He is to the non-Christian. They go through life trying to love and be loyal to a mere principle” (48). Instead of worshiping someone that they know and love, someone they can talk to and have communion with, these Christians worship a standard or an idea. A true worshiper will by definition know God intimately and personally. A true worshiper will not have to hold to an opaque opinion or ideal because he will worship Whom he knows.
One last aspect of a true worshiper is that of purity. A true worshiper will not try to enter the presence of God with the guilt of sin in his heart. The true worshiper understands what God commands in 1 Peter 1:16: “Be holy, as I [God] am holy.” The true worshiper will set himself apart from the world and will lead a pure life. He will also understand that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The guilt of sin has been taken away, and the true worshiper can worship freely and purely. The true worshiper also understands that he must deal with his sin before entering God’s presence to worship. He understands the principle that Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore, if you are offering a gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” A true worshiper will not try to offer God the sacrifice of praise until he is completely blameless before God. He makes sure his purity and then will offer God acceptable worship.
These are all attitudes of a true worshiper; however, there are several attitudes that hinder true worship. These attitudes are brought about by man’s sinful nature, attack on Christians’ minds, and Christians’ complacency. The first of these attitudes is pride. Sorge writes, “Pride has ruined far more worship services than all the forces of hell combined” (101). Pride keeps Christians from responding to God the way He wants them to. Because the very nature of worship is God-centered and God-focused, pride can destroy intimate worship from the foundation up. Rather than be prideful or selfish, a true worshiper should follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in worship and follow what God wants. Sometimes that may entail leaving one’s “comfort zone” or doing something that is not socially acceptable, such as a physical act of worship that one does not often practice in his church. Rather than letting pride take over, a true worshiper will let God take over and respond to Him as He moves.
A second attitude that hinders worship is what Sorge calls “reverse hedonism”, or the philosophy of “if it feels good, do it” (102). This attitude goes hand-in-hand with pride. Christians are not free to worship when they feel, how they feel. They are not supposed to worship simply when they feel like it, but rather when God feels like it. A true worshiper will be in humble submission to His will, and respond to Him accordingly.
The last wrong attitude in worship is mere lip service. It is very easy for Christians to become too familiar and comfortable with songs or orders of worship and rather than put their whole hearts, souls, and minds into worshiping God, they simply go through the motions. God addressed this same problem in Amos 5. The Israelites had become too complacent in their worship of God. They followed all the commands of worship set forth to Moses. They followed all the feasts and fasts; however, they did so feebly and unwillingly. He responded by saying: “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them” (Amos 5:21-22). God’s response to His people’s self-satisfaction was a warning that He would disregard their half-hearted worship altogether. This lip service is not enough for the Almighty; He demands wholehearted worship from His people. The people of God had forgotten what Samuel speaks of God in 1 Samuel 15:22: “To obey is better than sacrifice.” Worship is not a matter of strict obedience to a set of laws; the essence of the matter is how the worshiper worships, halfheartedly (which is unacceptable) or wholeheartedly (which is what the Lord desires).
Therefore, true worship can be defined as intimate communion and interaction between the heart, soul and mind of man and the Spirit of God. This interaction must be in accordance with God's will set forth in the scriptures. A true worshiper will have the right attitudes and actions in worship. However, a true worshiper will worship not only individually, but also corporately. Therefore, is there any basis in scripture for corporate worship? If so, what kinds and types of worship are scriptural and acceptable? What physical actions, if any, should take place in corporate worship? Should hymns be sung, or are newer praise and worship songs acceptable? All these questions remain to be resolved.
First, there is scriptural basis for corporate worship. There is no doctrine standing against this fact, which is deeply rooted in God’s word. The Israelites gathered every Sabbath to worship God together. Many Christians throughout history have argued that one can worship God just as well in His creation, or by oneself, as in church on Sunday mornings. While this is true on a personal, one-on-one level with God, there is a different facet to worship that must be understood. Worship does not only take place on a one-to-one level, but also on a community level. For example, seven times Moses requested that Pharaoh let the Israelites go into the desert to worship corporately. Psalm 102:22 speaks of a time “when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.” In Acts 13, the disciples gather together to worship and the Holy Spirit sets aside Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. These are all examples of corporate worship. God’s people have always worshiped corporately, as well as personally. Jesus says in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.” God obviously places great emphasis on corporate worship. God moves greatly through corporate worship, and commands it of his people.
A first reason for this community worship is that it creates unity among the body to gather together for the purpose of worshiping together. Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” Although there may be doctrinal differences between believers, they can all still come together for worship. In fact, the worship of God is one thing all Christians do have in common. God greatly desires unity in His body. Jesus prays in John 17:23, “May they be brought to complete unity…”; similarly, Paul writes in Romans 15:5, “May God…give you a spirit of unity among yourselves…” Throughout scripture it is obvious that unity is a necessary ingredient for the body of Christ to function properly.
A second reason for corporate worship is, as Sorge writes, the “opportunity to minister to one another” (115). Along with the community of corporate worship, there is a ministry of corporate worship. A corporately worshiping body of believers is much more effective than several solitary believers worshiping alone. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The Holy Spirit did not come to earth until all the disciples were gathered together (Acts 2:1). Likewise, the Holy Spirit is more likely to move in a powerful way if He can move among a group of worshipers. God commands corporate worship for legitimate reasons.
Therefore, what should take place when a body of God’s people joins together in order to worship? This is the point on which many divisions of Christ’s body part ways. While the liturgical churches (Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Catholic, among others) have a set order of worship each time they meet, the less traditional churches may differ in their order of worship from week to week. Which position is right? What does the Bible say regarding this issue? Paul tells the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 5:19, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…” Paul clearly states that
music is part of a corporate gathering of believers.
This music serves a twofold purpose. First, of course is to worship God, which is making music to the Lord. However, another reason is to speak to the other believers worshiping there. Paul says to do this through psalms – which are the psalms from the Old Testament - hymns, which are traditional songs written by and for use in the church – and spiritual songs. It is most difficult to give a definition or parameter to the term spiritual songs; however, these are most likely times of spontaneous praise and worship, along with times of personal reflection and communication with God outside an established set of words, such as in a song. In today’s terms, these three items would be the use of scriptures, hymns and praise and worship songs, and times of “free praise”.
The debate has arisen in the church over the past few hundred years over whether or not to include instruments in worship. While there remains no doubt as to the place of music in worship, the negative side of the argument (namely the Church of Christ faction) cites the fact that the New Testament does not mention the use of instruments in worship. Kevin Cauley’s argument, representative of nearly all proponents of anti-instrumentalism, is that the New Testament does not specify instruments for worship. However, Paul reminds us “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, to rebuke this teaching, Psalm 150 says, “Praise the Lord…in His sanctuary…with the sound of trumpet, with the harp and lyre, with the strings and flute, with the clash of cymbals…” This is just one among many verses (many of them in the Psalms) that are clearly evidence for the use of instruments in the temple of God for worship. No scripture specifically gives the message of not using instruments to praise and worship God; however, there are several instances where this kind of worship is commanded. Therefore, one must conclude that corporate worship of God with the use of instruments is both scriptural and acceptable.
As a rule, traditional churches hold to their own traditional hymnodies – while denying any newer worship songs. For example, the Baptist sub-denominations have several different hymnals they each use, and while there is some dispute over which hymnals are “right”, the general doctrine is that all music for corporate worship must come from these hymnals. In contrast, many of the less traditional churches, particularly those not affiliated with any specific denomination, do not even address hymns in their doctrines, and often do not incorporate the traditional hymns of the Christian faith into their worship services. This has sparked great controversy between churches today.
So then, the problem arises of styles: tradition versus what is “hot”, hymns versus choruses, or, basically, old versus new. The foundational principle to understand in this case is that nothing in worship should ever be done simply because it is the way that it has always been done. However, those traditions with great history and purposeful foundation for their objectives should without a doubt be respected and used under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, nothing in worship should ever be done simply because it is different or new; there must always be a basis, or a reason for something to be a part of a worship service. Nothing should occur for the sake of occurring. None of the great traditions or laws given to the Israelites was given just for them to have traditions and laws to follow; God always had a reason for His commands. Whether it was the symbolism commanded of the Israelites in sacrifices (which pointed to the Messiah), or whether it was the command of God to ceremonially wash before eating, there was always a purpose. Similarly, there should always be a reason for what is done in worship services honoring the Father today. Dr. Barry Liesch - a longtime worship pastor in California - writes, “We are dependent on God, not forms” (21). The style of music does not define worship; following God’s lead in expressing one’s love to Him does. That being understood, the problem of musical styles can be addressed.
First, hymns should be used in the church for several reasons, the foremost being that they carry an enormous amount of rich history, truth, and doctrine from the days of the Reformation. The original purpose of many hymns was to teach scriptural truths to the body of Christ. During the times of the Reformation period, people were generally uneducated, and therefore, illiterate. Because of this fact, it became hard for church leaders to teach their congregations from the Bible. As a result, church leaders such as Martin Luther began writing hymns to use as teaching tools. In fact, some hymns, such as Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, were taken directly from scripture. The reasoning behind this was that songs were easy to remember, and could be learned verbally rather than being read. Consequently, great hymns of the past hold and speak deep truths from scripture. However, as Liesch writes, “Our young people are committed Christians, but when it comes to their knowledge of hymnody – they are ignorant!” (21) Hymns are the foundation of all of today’s worship music; without this foundation, the songs of today would fall. Hymns are time-tested reminders of the church’s learning and development, and are still effective for teaching and worshiping today. The words of some of these songs are just as true and relevant today as they were hundreds of years ago. For this reason, hymns should be used in the church.
Some hymns, however, are no longer relevant, or perhaps never were. Some hymns seem to ramble on about several different points with no real theme, thought, or conclusion. Most are written in older language, making them harder to understand and sing from the heart. Most hymns are more intellectual, leaving little room for the communication of emotion. Several hymns are impersonal, not allowing for personalized praise and worship. Most are musically old, and as the church has had access to more technology in the past few years and has opened the doors for more musical creativity, it becomes harder to use these hymns in their original forms. For all these reasons, hymns do not seem to be enough for most churches today. Exclusively used, hymns are acceptable and usable for worship, but seem to fall short in some areas.
On the other hand, praise and worship songs, or choruses, are worded more contemporarily, and thus are easier to identify with for most people. Several times the psalmist encourages his readers to “sing a new song”; if God’s mercies are made new every morning, then should there not be room for new expressions of gratitude? Worship choruses can communicate to people just as hymns did in their original time: clearly and contemporarily. Praise and worship songs have their place in the church for worship as well.
Nevertheless, there are some objections to these songs. They tend to be repetitive and short. Several of these songs are shallow, not holding deep, theological truths like so many of the hymns. These songs have not been tested by time, and therefore, their worth has not been challenged and proven. However, tradition is a never-ending process (Liesch 30). Soon several of today’s contemporary songs will be considered outdated. The focus should move beyond the style of the music to the point of worship. If a song is scripturally accurate, communicates praise and adoration for God, communicates scriptural truths, and is useful for ministering to one another within the body, then it can be acceptable for worship. Until the body of Christ stops worshiping worship forms and styles and starts worshiping God as He desires, these arguments will continue and will never be resolved. In this case, true worship lies somewhere in between the practices of traditional churches and freer churches.
Furthermore, the worshiper’s body is a medium for worshiping God. The very definition of the word that is translated as “worship” in the New Testament is “to bow down”. Several so-called conservative churches hold to unwritten "standards of worship" that deny most freedom to be demonstrative in worship (McMinn 93). Conversely, several churches allow pure emotion or pure foolishness to drive expressiveness into the realm of ridiculous. Not every time someone worships the Lord will God lead him to express himself in the same way; not every time will God lead him not to be physically expressive.
Don McMinn gives two main reasons for lack of expression in churches that are more conservative. The first is that the church’s heritage teaches that being demonstrative in church is improper (93). Many Christians have been taught not to do anything in church that might make a scene. Their view of the presence of God is one of reverence, meaning quietness, stiffness, and being reserved. Secondly, these people determine appropriateness based upon this heritage rather than scripture. Any Christian who took it upon himself to study God’s word in this area would find that the Bible supports physical expressiveness in worship. However, tradition kicks in and will not allow that person to let go of his inherited inhibitions and freely worship the Lord. He can give no basis for his beliefs, except that he was just taught not to do that. A brief overview of scriptural expression in worship will show the truth.
The first physical expression is the lifting of hands. There are several reasons for lifting of hands, and several scriptures giving the foundation for this practice. Psalm 28:2 says, “Hear my cry…as I lift up my hands”. McMinn writes, “The raising of hands is the international sign of surrender” (98). Christians should lift hands to symbolize surrender to God. Psalm 88:9 says, “I spread my hands out to You every day”. Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror write, “one holds out his hands to receive God’s grace” (123). However, it is more than just His grace; it is also his blessings, and His perfect plan, that raising of hands can signify. The extension of an open hand also suggests honesty and innocence (Gordon and Borror 123). Paul expresses his desire for “all men to lift up holy hands in prayer” (1 Timothy 2:8). McMinn proposes that hands can symbolize the condition of one’s heart, whether innocent or guilty (98). Lastly, the lifting of hands can be symbolic of victory and celebration; just as a national championship basketball team lifts their hands in triumphant celebration, so can the Christian living in God’s grace.
A second form of expression is applause. Clapping is always an action of appreciation or affirmation of someone or something. Sometimes the best that a Christian can do is to appreciate God and reaffirm His goodness. Among several other verses, Psalm 47:1 speaks of this: “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Applauding God and His work as a congregation achieves the goal of extolling Him and recognizing His place over all. Applauding the Lord can be an acceptable form of worship. However, Richard Walters, a columnist for a Baptist newsletter writes, “I believe there are severe dangers in this alien practice.” This same “alien practice” is the type of worship commanded of God’s people! Perhaps Mr. Walters is not a Christian, if God’s word is “alien” to Him. His reasons for not applauding in a worship service are that it brings attention to the instrumentalists and preachers rather than God, and that individuals similar to himself receive a “meatless bone” which “cannot strengthen [his] life.” If worship is focused on God, then what relevance does the “meatless bone” argument have in this case? Mr. Walters’s two reasons are mutually exclusive; they cannot both be true. In addition, if God commands clapping, as He does, then how can it be focused on performance? This is not a problem of the action, but rather of the actor. True forms of corporate worship do indeed include applause.
Another physical articulation of worship is kneeling or bowing; even lying prostrate, face down on the ground. This posture is one of submission to the Lordship of Christ. Philippians 2:10 tells Christians that merely at the statement of the name of Jesus, every single knee will bow to his authority. Because of the humility involved in this act, it becomes difficult for stubborn, sinful man to carry this out. However, submission to Christ is a key element of worship, which is why a true worshiper must follow Psalm 95:6, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
Lastly, and perhaps the most taboo, is dancing before the Lord. Dancing before God is actually in the Bible, but it would never happen in many churches today. However, 2 Samuel 6 tells the story of David dancing before the Lord so joyfully and vigorously that he embarrassed his wife. When she confronted him about it, he simply said, “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes” (2 Samuel 6:22). Expression in worship is often a dignity issue. Christians refuse to follow God’s call to be expressive simply out of fear of others’ opinions. This is not the attitude of a true worshiper, but of a self-centered worshiper.
Physical expression in worship can be a beautiful way to honor God. However, as Jack Hayford writes, “it only takes one or two people in a group who flail their arms mindlessly during every song” to cause a disturbance (133). True worship is not a show before other people, but before God. Physical worshipful expression should only be led by Him, and in the context of scripture. Only then can physical expression be a beautiful piece of true worship.
Finally, the order of worship becomes an issue. If a worship service is all about God, should man be able to plan a service and try to fit God into it? Or should there be no order at all, just openness for God to do what He wants? While God should be free to do whatever he wants in His service, he is still “a God of order” (1 Corinthians 14:33). However, should this order be to the extreme of Presbyterian liturgy, which is planned even to the point of what times people are supposed to stand or respond to God in confession? Or should that be the Spirit’s prerogative to lead the worshiper into that form of worship? Since worship is the worshiper responding to God, a service must leave room for God to move in His chosen way. This does not mean that there should be no semblance of order whatsoever; this would lead to chaos. Rather, there should be flexibility in the planning of the service to let God move how He sees fit.
Therefore, true worship is defined as communion between God and man. It requires all of man – his heart, mind, soul, and strength – to take place. A true worshiper will follow God’s commands, because God desires obedience as the highest form of worship. Worship is always God-centered and God-led; nothing in worship can be done out of selfish desires or ambition. The scriptures specifically command corporate worship, and one medium for this worship is music. Instruments are acceptable and desirable in musical worship, as are different styles of music. Physical expression will take place as a mirror of the inward heart and desires of a worshiper. Above all, worship is the chief purpose of man, and he must strive for excellence to honor God through his worship. While this is not an exhaustive dissertation of all forms of worship, it does present a skeleton for biblical worship, desired by the Creator for the benefit of His people. This structure has been suppressed in traditionalist conservative churches. It is time that Christians embrace and rejoice in the worship to which God has called them. “A time has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23) May all of God’s children seek to be these kinds of worshipers.
Works Cited
Allen, Ronald and Gordon Borror. Worship: Rediscovering the
Missing Jewel. Portland: Multnomah Press. 1982.
Caulley, Kevin. “Should We Use Instrumental Music in Worship?”.
www.preachersfiles.com/cauley/bible_lessons/instrumental.htm.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Systematic Theology. Dallas: Dallas
Seminary Press. 1969.
Hayford, Jack. Worship His Majesty. Dallas: Word
Publishing. 1987.
Holy Bible, The, New International Version. Colorado
Springs: International Bible Society. 1984.
Liesch, Barry. The New Worship. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
1996.
McMinn, Don. The Practice of Praise. Oklahoma
City: Word Music. 1992.
Redman, Matt. The Unquenchable Worshipper. Ventura: Regal
Books. 2001.
Seay, Davin. "Is Worship a Lifestyle?" Worship Leader
Magazine. Sept/Oct 2003. pp 20-21.
Sorge, Bob. Exploring Worship. Canandaigua: Bob Sorge.
1987.
Torrey, R.A. What the Bible Teaches. Grand Rapids: Baker
Book House. 1933.
Tozer, A.W. The Pursuit of God. Camp Hill: Christian
Publications. 1993.
Walters, Richard. “Hand Clapping in Worship Service”.
www.baptistpillar.com/bd0363.htm
Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan. 2002.
For several decades, the war on worship has waged on in the American churches. The debate ranges from physical expressions of worship to styles of music to be used in the church; from the argument about whether or not to use instruments in the church to the debate regarding the structure of a "worship" service. While the Bible does not say, "Thou shalt sing hymns every Sunday" or "Thou shalt not play the drums in the House of God", it does have much to say about worship. Moreover, while some "restrictions" on worship may not be totally scriptural, some "freedoms" in worship may not be completely biblical, either. Only through an investigation into the Bible in its entire context can this conflict be resolved.
The truest forms and doctrines of worship come not from new, charismatic church doctrine; nor do they stem from conservative, traditional doctrine. True, pure worship can be found in the churches that encourage worship in the light of God’s Word, not in the light of church doctrine. Traditions have suppressed the movement of God in overly conservative churches; lack of foundation has destroyed order and created confusion in extremely charismatic churches. The truest forms of worship found in God’s infallible word lie somewhere along the less conservative lines than today’s extreme traditionalists (namely older denominations as Baptists, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.).
The key to remember is that worship is not a doctrinal or denominational issue; it is rather a biblical issue. The Bible tells Christians what God’s desires are, not denominational creeds; the scriptures are the infallible word of God, not the official Baptist doctrine. Only if these doctrines agree with the Bible as a whole and within context of itself as a whole are they even worth recognizing. Another key is that not all churches under the “traditional” banner deny freedom in worship; similarly, not all “charismatic” churches abandon traditions rooted in God’s commands for worship. Finally, unity between all believers is a desirable trait. These points being understood, an investigation into worship can begin.
The first question to be resolved is what is worship? In his book What the Bible Teaches, R.A. Torrey proposes that worship is "the soul bowing itself in adoring contemplation before the object worshipped" (472). His evidence for this can be found in verses such as 2 Chronicles 7:3 - "…they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped…" - and Exodus 4:31 - "…And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped." Torrey writes, "Reading the Bible…is not worship…Praying is not worship…Singing is not necessarily worship…The root of the Hebrew word translated 'worship' in the Old Testament means 'to bow down'"(472). So the first aspect of worship is reverence and bowing down. This is evident throughout the entire Old Testament.
According to several authors and theologians, many people have confused worship with praise. Lewis Chafer writes, "Praise…has the same root as price, meaning to ascribe value and worth to another" (252). In Psalm 22:22, David says to God, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you." In Philippians 1:11, Paul speaks of his desire for the Philippians to be "filled with the fruits of righteousness that comes from through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." In these two verses, praise is used as giving glory and credit to God for what He has done.
The main difference between praise and worship is the personality of the action. Bob Sorge writes, "praise can sometimes be distant, but worship is usually intimate." (68) Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror write, "To worship someone or something is to attribute supreme worth or to declare supreme value to that one or that thing." (17) While praise is proclaiming God's worth to everyone, worship is proclaiming God's worth to Him. Worship is always communication with God; praise is the outward celebration of one's communion with God. Sorge goes on to say, "praise is always seen or heard; worship is not always evident to an observer." (68) While praise is always going to be an outward outpouring of joy and reverence for God, the intense intimacy of worship allows for personal worship that is not evident to others. "Worship is not a musical activity, but a function of the heart"; it is "often characterized by a quiet and unassumed basking in God's presence" (Sorge 68). While praise is an act of the flesh, worship is an act of the spirit, an intimate unity between a person's spirit and God's.
Oftentimes, the phrase "Worship is a lifestyle" is used by pastors and Christian leaders to emphasize a habit of worship. However, Davin Seay writes, what does the term lifestyle mean? He quotes Reverend Maggi Dawn as saying, "The word 'lifestyle' connotes a choice…But worship is not an option. It is a command of God." This is true. It is not for people to choose whether to worship God or not. Worship involves sacrifice; rather than choosing to stay in one's comfort zone, worship breaks that zone and makes God the absolute center of everything that is done. However, by "lifestyle", would someone mean that everything they do reflects the aspect of that routine? While one's entire life should revolve around bringing pleasure to God, is worship the entire life, or can it be boiled down to times of worship on a consistent basis? Seay quotes Samuel Balentine as saying: "[The Sabbath] is a time set apart from ordinary days." God says to keep the Sabbath holy and separate. This shows that some time should be especially set apart for time with God. Therefore, worship has to be an instance, and exact point in time, or an action, rather than a period of time, or a "lifestyle" in this sense. However, a true worshiper's life will make obvious the time spent with God. In essence, worship is an action that should be habitual, while obedience is a choice of a lifestyle, or how to live.
How does God expect His followers to worship? In John 4:23, Jesus says "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." There has been much speculation and study into what "in spirit and in truth" exactly means. If these are the worshipers God desires, all who aspire to worship Him should follow these guidelines. So what is worship in spirit and in truth?
First, Jesus was showing that worship would not put emphasis on the place (Jerusalem for the Jews, or Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans), but instead it was a function of the spirit of man reaching out to the Spirit of God (Sorge 79). Until the Day of Pentecost, after Jesus left, God's people did not have the Holy Spirit. While before Pentecost, one could commune with God's Spirit in true worship, now it is even deeper because all Christians have the Spirit of God with them. Under the rituals of the past, the Jews had lost sight of true worship. In Isaiah 29:13, God says of His people, "These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." God's people had lost sight of true worship and had chosen simply to go through the motions. Jesus knew this and was emphasizing to this woman that soon the Mosaic sacrifice rituals would pass away, and worship would take place between God's spirit and man's spirit. "Worship in spirit", therefore, is emphasizing communion with God rather than empty rituals.
Worship in truth has three facets to it. As Sorge clarifies, "When Jesus spoke of worshiping in truth, he meant that worship involves the mind." This, he says, is the difference between "intelligent" and "ignorant" worship (80). Many people carry around the misconception that when they attend the "worship service" at their local church on Sunday morning, that God will come and move and when he does, it will be based upon the great feeling that comes in worship. Worship, they fail to recognize, requires great mental application. Jesus commands Christians to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind". This command does not become limited to only one's heart and soul in worship, but worshipers worship God in their minds. This means that whatever worship takes place must be done with intellectual intelligence. Worshipers must understand all that is going on and only worship in the truth.
A second component of worship in truth is worship with honesty. According to Allen and Borror, "The real factor in worship is a heart desire for God…" (24) One should not come before God and offer hypocritical or false worship. God is not pleased with forms of worship that are actually hypocritical in nature; He wants worshipers to come before Him with hearts that are pure and true (Sorge 82). Sometimes Christians need "to realize we have a form of godliness but have long since lost the power thereof" (Allen and Borror 25). It is one thing to appear that everything is under control; it is quite another to be truly seeking God. The reason true worship does not take place in churches is that is does not take place in the everyday lives of churchgoers (Allen and Borror 24). Mouth worship is false, but heart worship will reveal itself in every portion of the worshiper's life. To worship in truth, one must be following God's commands.
Finally, worship in truth deals with worship in accordance to God's word and His nature. While many today would quickly lump Jesus, Hare Krishna, Allah, and even themselves into the same "deity", there is no doubt that there are great differences. The God of the Bible, Yahweh, in three persons, is inherently different than other gods. Sincerity in worship does not make up for worshiping without truth. Consider the Muslims, arguably the most sincere religious group in the world; however, they do not worship Jesus, but Allah, who is an entirely different entity. Therefore, there are irreconcilable differences, and their worship, no matter how sincere, cannot be accepted by God because it is not in accordance to His Word or His nature. Likewise, all worship must be in accordance to Scripture; if it is not, it is not true worship and is unacceptable.
The effects of worship in spirit and in truth will be myriad and noticeable. Time truly spent with God will show. Davin Seay quotes Dr. Randy Rowland as saying, "…worship demands an investment of the whole person and the whole life." This means that a true worshiper will have obvious effects of being with God. One cannot spend significant amounts of intimate time with anyone - much less the omnipotent God - and not be changed. The time set apart for God will make a great difference. It is a cyclical process. When one worships, he becomes closer to and more like God, therefore making him a better and more complete worshiper. True worship affects the worshiper's life.
Therefore, worship is the communication and intimacy between the spirit of a person and the Spirit of Almighty God. This worship is always going to be out of reverence and love, out of humility and bowing down. Worship involves man's adoration and contemplation of God. Worship and praise, while similar in origin and meaning, are two separate acts. True worship occurs in spirit and in truth. Worship in spirit is communion between Christians and the Holy Spirit, who guides and directs them. Worship in truth is worship of the mind along with the heart and soul. It is sincere and honest worship of one who understands and obeys God's laws and desires genuinely to know Him more. Finally, it is in accordance to God's word and will.
The next question to be resolved is what kind of people worship. Now that true worship can be understood, true worshipers can be defined. The scriptures give very specific attitudes and attributes that true worshipers act out in their worship. If worship is completely focused on God instead of self, then a true worshiper will be consumed with what God wants from His worshipers.
The first thing to understand is that God’s desire is the worship of every man and woman. The creation of humankind was for relationship with God. Before the creation of man, God said, “‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…’” (Genesis 1:26). This is proof of special creation of man. This special creation was for communion with Almighty God. Genesis 3:8 speaks of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. The assumption that can be made is that God's walking in the garden with Adam and Eve was an everyday occurrence. This personal relationship with God is the reason for the creation of man.
Something else to understand is that worship is a command rather than a request. God says to His people in Exodus 20:3-5, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol…You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” God did not request the worship of His people – He commanded it. God demanded that His people give Him their unadulterated love and attention. To be a child of God necessitates worship of Him alone. Therefore, since God desires all people to be His children, God desires and expects the worship of every person.
So then, what kind of people are true worshipers? Rick Warren writes, “The heart of worship is surrender” (77). The very first attribute of a true worshiper is that of being unselfishly surrendered to God’s will. No one can worship when focused on himself. A true worshiper will be focused on God and doing what He wants. In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Paul uses the word sacrifice to describe a worshiper. This is evidence of God’s desire for unselfish worshipers.
A true worshiper will be, as Matt Redman writes, “unquenchable” (18). Redman cites as an example Habakkuk, who “decided he would respond to God’s worth, no matter how bleak a season he found himself in” (19). Habakkuk 3:17-18 says
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in God my Savior.
Habakkuk was not limiting his worship of God to times of great comfort and rejoicing. He was not an easily quenched worshiper, but instead worshiped God at all times. This embodies the idea of being an unquenchable worshiper.
Another characteristic of a true worshiper is that of being ruined. No sinful man can worship the Father in spirit and in truth until he realizes his sin and the separation from God, which exists as a result of that sin. When Isaiah saw God in all His glory, he responded by confessing his sin. He says to God in Isaiah 6:5, “‘Woe to me…I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah realized that his sin permeated every facet of his life. He knew that since he was spiritually dead, his physical eyes could not view the Lord. Isaiah was broken before the Lord; only then did God proceed to cleanse Isaiah and allow him to worship. Likewise, a true worshiper does not enter the throne room of God with an air of arrogance, but rather “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). A true worshiper understands that he is doing God no big favor by worshiping Him, but that it is an honor and privilege to worship the Almighty.
The true worshiper will not worship only in song or in church once a week, because he understands that worship is so much more than singing a few songs or listening to a sermon. A true worshiper will be obedient to God’s commands because he understands the importance of obedience. One John 2:6 says, “Whoever claims to live in [God] must walk as Jesus did.” In order to worship personally, obedience to God’s commands is vital. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” In order to worship, one must love God and desire to spend time with Him. Those who love God will obey His commands; therefore, a true worshiper will be obedient to what God’s word says.
Matt Redman writes that a true worshiper will be willing to go unnoticed (84). By unnoticed, he means unnoticed by people, not unnoticed by God. God sees everything that happens to everyone. However, in Matthew 6, Jesus warns, “‘Be careful not to do your “acts of righteousness” before men…’” (verse 1). Again, in verse 6, He says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Jesus teaches that acts of worship should be done before God, not before men. Jesus expects worshipers to have the faith to believe that their worship is seen and that God will reward them for their worship in secret. The temptation is always present to put on big acts of “worship” for everyone to see. A true worshiper worships the same in secret as he does in front of thousands of other people. There is also an expectation implied by Jesus when He says, “When you pray”, or “When you fast” (Matthew 6:16). Therefore, a true worshiper will do these acts, but is content in worship that goes unnoticed by man.
A true worshiper will also be able to relate to God. A.W. Tozer writes, “…for millions of Christians, God is no more real than He is to the non-Christian. They go through life trying to love and be loyal to a mere principle” (48). Instead of worshiping someone that they know and love, someone they can talk to and have communion with, these Christians worship a standard or an idea. A true worshiper will by definition know God intimately and personally. A true worshiper will not have to hold to an opaque opinion or ideal because he will worship Whom he knows.
One last aspect of a true worshiper is that of purity. A true worshiper will not try to enter the presence of God with the guilt of sin in his heart. The true worshiper understands what God commands in 1 Peter 1:16: “Be holy, as I [God] am holy.” The true worshiper will set himself apart from the world and will lead a pure life. He will also understand that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The guilt of sin has been taken away, and the true worshiper can worship freely and purely. The true worshiper also understands that he must deal with his sin before entering God’s presence to worship. He understands the principle that Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore, if you are offering a gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” A true worshiper will not try to offer God the sacrifice of praise until he is completely blameless before God. He makes sure his purity and then will offer God acceptable worship.
These are all attitudes of a true worshiper; however, there are several attitudes that hinder true worship. These attitudes are brought about by man’s sinful nature, attack on Christians’ minds, and Christians’ complacency. The first of these attitudes is pride. Sorge writes, “Pride has ruined far more worship services than all the forces of hell combined” (101). Pride keeps Christians from responding to God the way He wants them to. Because the very nature of worship is God-centered and God-focused, pride can destroy intimate worship from the foundation up. Rather than be prideful or selfish, a true worshiper should follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in worship and follow what God wants. Sometimes that may entail leaving one’s “comfort zone” or doing something that is not socially acceptable, such as a physical act of worship that one does not often practice in his church. Rather than letting pride take over, a true worshiper will let God take over and respond to Him as He moves.
A second attitude that hinders worship is what Sorge calls “reverse hedonism”, or the philosophy of “if it feels good, do it” (102). This attitude goes hand-in-hand with pride. Christians are not free to worship when they feel, how they feel. They are not supposed to worship simply when they feel like it, but rather when God feels like it. A true worshiper will be in humble submission to His will, and respond to Him accordingly.
The last wrong attitude in worship is mere lip service. It is very easy for Christians to become too familiar and comfortable with songs or orders of worship and rather than put their whole hearts, souls, and minds into worshiping God, they simply go through the motions. God addressed this same problem in Amos 5. The Israelites had become too complacent in their worship of God. They followed all the commands of worship set forth to Moses. They followed all the feasts and fasts; however, they did so feebly and unwillingly. He responded by saying: “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them” (Amos 5:21-22). God’s response to His people’s self-satisfaction was a warning that He would disregard their half-hearted worship altogether. This lip service is not enough for the Almighty; He demands wholehearted worship from His people. The people of God had forgotten what Samuel speaks of God in 1 Samuel 15:22: “To obey is better than sacrifice.” Worship is not a matter of strict obedience to a set of laws; the essence of the matter is how the worshiper worships, halfheartedly (which is unacceptable) or wholeheartedly (which is what the Lord desires).
Therefore, true worship can be defined as intimate communion and interaction between the heart, soul and mind of man and the Spirit of God. This interaction must be in accordance with God's will set forth in the scriptures. A true worshiper will have the right attitudes and actions in worship. However, a true worshiper will worship not only individually, but also corporately. Therefore, is there any basis in scripture for corporate worship? If so, what kinds and types of worship are scriptural and acceptable? What physical actions, if any, should take place in corporate worship? Should hymns be sung, or are newer praise and worship songs acceptable? All these questions remain to be resolved.
First, there is scriptural basis for corporate worship. There is no doctrine standing against this fact, which is deeply rooted in God’s word. The Israelites gathered every Sabbath to worship God together. Many Christians throughout history have argued that one can worship God just as well in His creation, or by oneself, as in church on Sunday mornings. While this is true on a personal, one-on-one level with God, there is a different facet to worship that must be understood. Worship does not only take place on a one-to-one level, but also on a community level. For example, seven times Moses requested that Pharaoh let the Israelites go into the desert to worship corporately. Psalm 102:22 speaks of a time “when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.” In Acts 13, the disciples gather together to worship and the Holy Spirit sets aside Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. These are all examples of corporate worship. God’s people have always worshiped corporately, as well as personally. Jesus says in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.” God obviously places great emphasis on corporate worship. God moves greatly through corporate worship, and commands it of his people.
A first reason for this community worship is that it creates unity among the body to gather together for the purpose of worshiping together. Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” Although there may be doctrinal differences between believers, they can all still come together for worship. In fact, the worship of God is one thing all Christians do have in common. God greatly desires unity in His body. Jesus prays in John 17:23, “May they be brought to complete unity…”; similarly, Paul writes in Romans 15:5, “May God…give you a spirit of unity among yourselves…” Throughout scripture it is obvious that unity is a necessary ingredient for the body of Christ to function properly.
A second reason for corporate worship is, as Sorge writes, the “opportunity to minister to one another” (115). Along with the community of corporate worship, there is a ministry of corporate worship. A corporately worshiping body of believers is much more effective than several solitary believers worshiping alone. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The Holy Spirit did not come to earth until all the disciples were gathered together (Acts 2:1). Likewise, the Holy Spirit is more likely to move in a powerful way if He can move among a group of worshipers. God commands corporate worship for legitimate reasons.
Therefore, what should take place when a body of God’s people joins together in order to worship? This is the point on which many divisions of Christ’s body part ways. While the liturgical churches (Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Catholic, among others) have a set order of worship each time they meet, the less traditional churches may differ in their order of worship from week to week. Which position is right? What does the Bible say regarding this issue? Paul tells the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 5:19, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…” Paul clearly states that
music is part of a corporate gathering of believers.
This music serves a twofold purpose. First, of course is to worship God, which is making music to the Lord. However, another reason is to speak to the other believers worshiping there. Paul says to do this through psalms – which are the psalms from the Old Testament - hymns, which are traditional songs written by and for use in the church – and spiritual songs. It is most difficult to give a definition or parameter to the term spiritual songs; however, these are most likely times of spontaneous praise and worship, along with times of personal reflection and communication with God outside an established set of words, such as in a song. In today’s terms, these three items would be the use of scriptures, hymns and praise and worship songs, and times of “free praise”.
The debate has arisen in the church over the past few hundred years over whether or not to include instruments in worship. While there remains no doubt as to the place of music in worship, the negative side of the argument (namely the Church of Christ faction) cites the fact that the New Testament does not mention the use of instruments in worship. Kevin Cauley’s argument, representative of nearly all proponents of anti-instrumentalism, is that the New Testament does not specify instruments for worship. However, Paul reminds us “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, to rebuke this teaching, Psalm 150 says, “Praise the Lord…in His sanctuary…with the sound of trumpet, with the harp and lyre, with the strings and flute, with the clash of cymbals…” This is just one among many verses (many of them in the Psalms) that are clearly evidence for the use of instruments in the temple of God for worship. No scripture specifically gives the message of not using instruments to praise and worship God; however, there are several instances where this kind of worship is commanded. Therefore, one must conclude that corporate worship of God with the use of instruments is both scriptural and acceptable.
As a rule, traditional churches hold to their own traditional hymnodies – while denying any newer worship songs. For example, the Baptist sub-denominations have several different hymnals they each use, and while there is some dispute over which hymnals are “right”, the general doctrine is that all music for corporate worship must come from these hymnals. In contrast, many of the less traditional churches, particularly those not affiliated with any specific denomination, do not even address hymns in their doctrines, and often do not incorporate the traditional hymns of the Christian faith into their worship services. This has sparked great controversy between churches today.
So then, the problem arises of styles: tradition versus what is “hot”, hymns versus choruses, or, basically, old versus new. The foundational principle to understand in this case is that nothing in worship should ever be done simply because it is the way that it has always been done. However, those traditions with great history and purposeful foundation for their objectives should without a doubt be respected and used under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, nothing in worship should ever be done simply because it is different or new; there must always be a basis, or a reason for something to be a part of a worship service. Nothing should occur for the sake of occurring. None of the great traditions or laws given to the Israelites was given just for them to have traditions and laws to follow; God always had a reason for His commands. Whether it was the symbolism commanded of the Israelites in sacrifices (which pointed to the Messiah), or whether it was the command of God to ceremonially wash before eating, there was always a purpose. Similarly, there should always be a reason for what is done in worship services honoring the Father today. Dr. Barry Liesch - a longtime worship pastor in California - writes, “We are dependent on God, not forms” (21). The style of music does not define worship; following God’s lead in expressing one’s love to Him does. That being understood, the problem of musical styles can be addressed.
First, hymns should be used in the church for several reasons, the foremost being that they carry an enormous amount of rich history, truth, and doctrine from the days of the Reformation. The original purpose of many hymns was to teach scriptural truths to the body of Christ. During the times of the Reformation period, people were generally uneducated, and therefore, illiterate. Because of this fact, it became hard for church leaders to teach their congregations from the Bible. As a result, church leaders such as Martin Luther began writing hymns to use as teaching tools. In fact, some hymns, such as Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, were taken directly from scripture. The reasoning behind this was that songs were easy to remember, and could be learned verbally rather than being read. Consequently, great hymns of the past hold and speak deep truths from scripture. However, as Liesch writes, “Our young people are committed Christians, but when it comes to their knowledge of hymnody – they are ignorant!” (21) Hymns are the foundation of all of today’s worship music; without this foundation, the songs of today would fall. Hymns are time-tested reminders of the church’s learning and development, and are still effective for teaching and worshiping today. The words of some of these songs are just as true and relevant today as they were hundreds of years ago. For this reason, hymns should be used in the church.
Some hymns, however, are no longer relevant, or perhaps never were. Some hymns seem to ramble on about several different points with no real theme, thought, or conclusion. Most are written in older language, making them harder to understand and sing from the heart. Most hymns are more intellectual, leaving little room for the communication of emotion. Several hymns are impersonal, not allowing for personalized praise and worship. Most are musically old, and as the church has had access to more technology in the past few years and has opened the doors for more musical creativity, it becomes harder to use these hymns in their original forms. For all these reasons, hymns do not seem to be enough for most churches today. Exclusively used, hymns are acceptable and usable for worship, but seem to fall short in some areas.
On the other hand, praise and worship songs, or choruses, are worded more contemporarily, and thus are easier to identify with for most people. Several times the psalmist encourages his readers to “sing a new song”; if God’s mercies are made new every morning, then should there not be room for new expressions of gratitude? Worship choruses can communicate to people just as hymns did in their original time: clearly and contemporarily. Praise and worship songs have their place in the church for worship as well.
Nevertheless, there are some objections to these songs. They tend to be repetitive and short. Several of these songs are shallow, not holding deep, theological truths like so many of the hymns. These songs have not been tested by time, and therefore, their worth has not been challenged and proven. However, tradition is a never-ending process (Liesch 30). Soon several of today’s contemporary songs will be considered outdated. The focus should move beyond the style of the music to the point of worship. If a song is scripturally accurate, communicates praise and adoration for God, communicates scriptural truths, and is useful for ministering to one another within the body, then it can be acceptable for worship. Until the body of Christ stops worshiping worship forms and styles and starts worshiping God as He desires, these arguments will continue and will never be resolved. In this case, true worship lies somewhere in between the practices of traditional churches and freer churches.
Furthermore, the worshiper’s body is a medium for worshiping God. The very definition of the word that is translated as “worship” in the New Testament is “to bow down”. Several so-called conservative churches hold to unwritten "standards of worship" that deny most freedom to be demonstrative in worship (McMinn 93). Conversely, several churches allow pure emotion or pure foolishness to drive expressiveness into the realm of ridiculous. Not every time someone worships the Lord will God lead him to express himself in the same way; not every time will God lead him not to be physically expressive.
Don McMinn gives two main reasons for lack of expression in churches that are more conservative. The first is that the church’s heritage teaches that being demonstrative in church is improper (93). Many Christians have been taught not to do anything in church that might make a scene. Their view of the presence of God is one of reverence, meaning quietness, stiffness, and being reserved. Secondly, these people determine appropriateness based upon this heritage rather than scripture. Any Christian who took it upon himself to study God’s word in this area would find that the Bible supports physical expressiveness in worship. However, tradition kicks in and will not allow that person to let go of his inherited inhibitions and freely worship the Lord. He can give no basis for his beliefs, except that he was just taught not to do that. A brief overview of scriptural expression in worship will show the truth.
The first physical expression is the lifting of hands. There are several reasons for lifting of hands, and several scriptures giving the foundation for this practice. Psalm 28:2 says, “Hear my cry…as I lift up my hands”. McMinn writes, “The raising of hands is the international sign of surrender” (98). Christians should lift hands to symbolize surrender to God. Psalm 88:9 says, “I spread my hands out to You every day”. Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror write, “one holds out his hands to receive God’s grace” (123). However, it is more than just His grace; it is also his blessings, and His perfect plan, that raising of hands can signify. The extension of an open hand also suggests honesty and innocence (Gordon and Borror 123). Paul expresses his desire for “all men to lift up holy hands in prayer” (1 Timothy 2:8). McMinn proposes that hands can symbolize the condition of one’s heart, whether innocent or guilty (98). Lastly, the lifting of hands can be symbolic of victory and celebration; just as a national championship basketball team lifts their hands in triumphant celebration, so can the Christian living in God’s grace.
A second form of expression is applause. Clapping is always an action of appreciation or affirmation of someone or something. Sometimes the best that a Christian can do is to appreciate God and reaffirm His goodness. Among several other verses, Psalm 47:1 speaks of this: “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Applauding God and His work as a congregation achieves the goal of extolling Him and recognizing His place over all. Applauding the Lord can be an acceptable form of worship. However, Richard Walters, a columnist for a Baptist newsletter writes, “I believe there are severe dangers in this alien practice.” This same “alien practice” is the type of worship commanded of God’s people! Perhaps Mr. Walters is not a Christian, if God’s word is “alien” to Him. His reasons for not applauding in a worship service are that it brings attention to the instrumentalists and preachers rather than God, and that individuals similar to himself receive a “meatless bone” which “cannot strengthen [his] life.” If worship is focused on God, then what relevance does the “meatless bone” argument have in this case? Mr. Walters’s two reasons are mutually exclusive; they cannot both be true. In addition, if God commands clapping, as He does, then how can it be focused on performance? This is not a problem of the action, but rather of the actor. True forms of corporate worship do indeed include applause.
Another physical articulation of worship is kneeling or bowing; even lying prostrate, face down on the ground. This posture is one of submission to the Lordship of Christ. Philippians 2:10 tells Christians that merely at the statement of the name of Jesus, every single knee will bow to his authority. Because of the humility involved in this act, it becomes difficult for stubborn, sinful man to carry this out. However, submission to Christ is a key element of worship, which is why a true worshiper must follow Psalm 95:6, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
Lastly, and perhaps the most taboo, is dancing before the Lord. Dancing before God is actually in the Bible, but it would never happen in many churches today. However, 2 Samuel 6 tells the story of David dancing before the Lord so joyfully and vigorously that he embarrassed his wife. When she confronted him about it, he simply said, “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes” (2 Samuel 6:22). Expression in worship is often a dignity issue. Christians refuse to follow God’s call to be expressive simply out of fear of others’ opinions. This is not the attitude of a true worshiper, but of a self-centered worshiper.
Physical expression in worship can be a beautiful way to honor God. However, as Jack Hayford writes, “it only takes one or two people in a group who flail their arms mindlessly during every song” to cause a disturbance (133). True worship is not a show before other people, but before God. Physical worshipful expression should only be led by Him, and in the context of scripture. Only then can physical expression be a beautiful piece of true worship.
Finally, the order of worship becomes an issue. If a worship service is all about God, should man be able to plan a service and try to fit God into it? Or should there be no order at all, just openness for God to do what He wants? While God should be free to do whatever he wants in His service, he is still “a God of order” (1 Corinthians 14:33). However, should this order be to the extreme of Presbyterian liturgy, which is planned even to the point of what times people are supposed to stand or respond to God in confession? Or should that be the Spirit’s prerogative to lead the worshiper into that form of worship? Since worship is the worshiper responding to God, a service must leave room for God to move in His chosen way. This does not mean that there should be no semblance of order whatsoever; this would lead to chaos. Rather, there should be flexibility in the planning of the service to let God move how He sees fit.
Therefore, true worship is defined as communion between God and man. It requires all of man – his heart, mind, soul, and strength – to take place. A true worshiper will follow God’s commands, because God desires obedience as the highest form of worship. Worship is always God-centered and God-led; nothing in worship can be done out of selfish desires or ambition. The scriptures specifically command corporate worship, and one medium for this worship is music. Instruments are acceptable and desirable in musical worship, as are different styles of music. Physical expression will take place as a mirror of the inward heart and desires of a worshiper. Above all, worship is the chief purpose of man, and he must strive for excellence to honor God through his worship. While this is not an exhaustive dissertation of all forms of worship, it does present a skeleton for biblical worship, desired by the Creator for the benefit of His people. This structure has been suppressed in traditionalist conservative churches. It is time that Christians embrace and rejoice in the worship to which God has called them. “A time has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23) May all of God’s children seek to be these kinds of worshipers.
Works Cited
Allen, Ronald and Gordon Borror. Worship: Rediscovering the
Missing Jewel. Portland: Multnomah Press. 1982.
Caulley, Kevin. “Should We Use Instrumental Music in Worship?”.
www.preachersfiles.com/cauley/bible_lessons/instrumental.htm.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Systematic Theology. Dallas: Dallas
Seminary Press. 1969.
Hayford, Jack. Worship His Majesty. Dallas: Word
Publishing. 1987.
Holy Bible, The, New International Version. Colorado
Springs: International Bible Society. 1984.
Liesch, Barry. The New Worship. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
1996.
McMinn, Don. The Practice of Praise. Oklahoma
City: Word Music. 1992.
Redman, Matt. The Unquenchable Worshipper. Ventura: Regal
Books. 2001.
Seay, Davin. "Is Worship a Lifestyle?" Worship Leader
Magazine. Sept/Oct 2003. pp 20-21.
Sorge, Bob. Exploring Worship. Canandaigua: Bob Sorge.
1987.
Torrey, R.A. What the Bible Teaches. Grand Rapids: Baker
Book House. 1933.
Tozer, A.W. The Pursuit of God. Camp Hill: Christian
Publications. 1993.
Walters, Richard. “Hand Clapping in Worship Service”.
www.baptistpillar.com/bd0363.htm
Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan. 2002.
30 August 2009
Thoughts on What Church Do
It is no secret that membership in evangelical American churches in on the severe decline. Depending on which survey you read, no more than 40% of American adults indentify themselves as affiliated with any church at all. This mass exodus from the pew has been going on for two and a half decades and there is no promise for the reversal for that trend. The obvious question is why? Why in a country with so proud a religious heritage and a history of strong national faith are more than half of the adults outside of the church? Why is the body of Christ failing so badly to reach this nation? While inquiry into this subject would lead to no simple answer, a simplification of the issues at hand is that the church in America no longer looks anything like the church founded by Jesus and His apostles.
The book of Acts tells the history of the founding of the early church. Picking up at the ascension of Jesus into heaven, the author of the book (Luke) describes the mission of the disciples as they preached the gospel in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. As the word of God reached those who had not believed in Jesus, powerful transformations occurred in the lives of converts. Perhaps the most clear description of the practice of the early church is found in Acts 2:42-47:
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)
A similar description is found in Acts 4:32-35:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. (NIV)
These descriptions seem to mirror the exhortation of Peter to the dispersed church in 1 Peter 4:
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (vv 7-11 ESV)
The passage in Acts 2 mentions that the believers met in the temple daily; this presumably would have been similar to our corporate worship services (in theory, definitely not in culture or practice). However, the modern American church stops there as the end-all be-all of church function. Occasionally a potluck will bring a shared meal, or a revival or evangelism night will be an opportunity for inviting those outside the church to run a "trial membership" in the club. But rarely do we see true dedication to study of the apostles' teachings (scripture). How many sermons are "4 steps to financial freedom" or "5 rules for being a good parent" rather than explicit study and proclamation of the truth of the Bible? How many Sunday school classes are good for business networking and figuring out what our purpose is or that our heart is wild or captivated or broken or free rather than being edifying expositions of God's truth in His holy word? The early church had no mere peripheral interest in what truth was being presented to them. They devoted themselves to studying the teachings. They pursued truth and knowledge. It is true that practical applications exist for the Christian life, but when you don't know what the word says - and more importantly, what it means - application is useless, and powerless.
One of the fundamental problems in the American church is the abandonment of true fellowship and community for superficial relationships and a country club atmosphere with weekly meetings. The believers of the early church had a passion for community that is almost non-existent in the 21st century Western world. While technology has increasingly made the world smaller, it has also increasingly isolated the members of our society. We can hide behind social networking sites and websites (and blogs!) and communicate through text messages rather than by voice or face-to-face in order to avoid any real human contact. We put up facades and smiles and assure everyone that we are "good" when they ask "how are you" (even though they don't care). One can walk into a church service, give the hand of fellowship, the sign of peace, or the fist bump of brotherhood and leave having made no real connection with a fellow human being. When Peter says to show hospitality, does he mean to provide donuts and coffee, or a greeter at the door, or smile at each other during the greeting time? Peter's idea of the church obviously has nothing to do with a Sunday morning song and lecture service. Sometimes I wonder whether we should not follow Paul's command to greet each other with a holy kiss if for no other reason than that it forces us out of our comfort zone into real (if forced) interaction. Fellowship consists of so much more than what we have accomplished in the American church. It is hard to do. It is difficult to let people see you as you are; to appear broken and weak is against our nature, especially in Western culture. We ignore the command to bear each others' burdens. But until we are genuine and open and care about others more than ourselves, we as the church cannot be the image of Christ's bride that God desires.
The major complaint against modern Christianity is that Christians fight and bicker and hate each other. This is not a new issue. Nearly every epistle affirms the need to show kindness and patience and love for one another. Jesus Himself knew that our actions towards each other as His followers would be the loudest witness when He said in John 13:34-35: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NIV) Why does the world disregard Christians? Because we do not love one another. Jesus said to love each other as He loved us. He died for us. Peter demands that we love earnestly. We have to try. Hard. We have to cover over each others' sins with love. Don't forget that this writing comes from the man who once thought he was doing good to forgive his brother seven times. What kind of dedication did these people have that they shared all of their possessions with one another to take care of any who had need. How foreign this must seem to us, especially in a time of economic hardship in our country, to sell property because someone else is in need. To sacrifice because someone else was hurting. And yet, perhaps, it is precisely because we do not understand what it is truly to suffer and to need that we cannot bring ourselves to be generous. Becoming a Christian for many of the Jews in the early church meant becoming anathema to their families. Or losing their jobs and livelihoods. Or being outcast by their friends and peers. To many of these people, their new brothers and sisters in Christ were their only real family. And maybe since we don't have the same necessity, we can't bring ourselves to the same devotion to fellowship. The early church lived life together and depended on each other for survival. Not that this family wasn't dysfunctional. Like any family, friction existed between sinners. This is why Peter must insist on love that covers sin. But such a dedicated love would present itself in many forms, and is evidenced by sacrificing for one another and putting someone else's needs ahead of one's own. Whether because of the "get-ahead" mindset, or because of sheer disregard for the commands of Christ, or for some other reason, we have failed to love each other more than ourselves. And this fact cannot and never will be hidden from those on the outside looking in to see if we live up to our own standards.
The breaking of bread seems significant for its symbolism of the fellowship among the believers. Family and esteemed guests eat together. Discussion over (and after) dinner reaches levels of familiarity (dare I say intimacy) that occur very few other places and instances (except for over cigars and beer, of course). To invite someone into one's home is a deep sign of kindness and courtesy, and sharing food seems to reach the most primal nerves within us. It may mean giving up a night after work, but how much quicker can fellowship be built than when sharing meals at the end of the day? To live life together in unity and to bear each other's burdens demands love and sacrifice, and sharing meals is one way to build those connections necessary to live in true fellowship.
Can you imagine what our witness would be if we took care of our brothers and sisters in need to the point that not one wanted? If we could put aside our own selfish desires for useless crap, fueled by consumerist mentality? I have referenced before James 1:27: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (NIV) I pray that we have not become so polluted by the world and its temporal desires that we ignore the orphans and widows (and single moms and homeless and starving and those without clean water, etc.) in their distress. If we do not take care of our family - i.e. our brothers and sisters in Christ - we will never be willing to do what it takes to reach those that do not yet belong to God's family.
There are some Christians in America that are earnestly seeking community and generosity. They seek to show love and forgiveness above all else to each other. However, there are many among these groups that would water down the truth of God's word so as not to be offensive and to appeal to those who need God's love. While they are to be commended for their attempts at living life the way God intended in fellowship, there is no need to sugarcoat or change the gospel to reach others. It is fascinating to me to back up and read the first part of Acts 2 where Peter preaches to many people in Jerusalem. Peter boldly and clearly proclaims Jesus as Christ, the Son of God. Peter maintains Jesus's innocence, and claims that the same men to whom he was speaking were responsible for the death of the Messiah (v 23). Then the men ask what they should do and Peter tells them to repent. There was no dilution of the gospel; Peter only proclaimed the truth. And three thousand believed that day (v 41). It was these who were transformed by God's grace and learned to love each other and are our examples in verses 42-47. There is no reason to dismiss any part of God's word in order to live in harmony. In fact without it, there is no true banner to fly over ourselves as Christians. We should be wary of those who would delete part of the gospel in order to be peaceful.
I suck at praying. Personally, I find my own communications with God tend to be so whiny and self-centered that I can only dream of the effective prayer of a righteous man that avails much. I think I am not alone. But how much of the American mindset of prayer is framed by those who teach us to ignore the example of Jesus and to pray "my will be done". We hear all the time that if we tell God what we want, then he will make it happen without any regard for our discerning what He wants, and what He might want us to pray for. We have reduced Him to the genie beyond the sky, old grandfather waiting on our requests so he can spoil us with the desires of our heart. What would our brothers in the Sudan say if they knew we were praying for a new car as they die for their faith? Or the girl forced into prostitution in India? Or the orphan whose parents both died of AIDS? Prayer is about finding the heart of God in order that our hearts may be broken and formed into mirror images of Christ's. It is about lifting up others and pleading with God for justice or mercy for ourselves and our brothers and sisters. God tells us to offer requests for our needs, and He desires to take care of us according to His will. But we abuse this privilege when we use prayer in the name of the only risen Son of God to make known our wish lists and nothing else. I wonder whether it is not blaspheming the Holy Spirit to focus our prayers on ourselves rather than on God and communing with Him. The early church devoted themselves to prayer. So much so that when they petitioned God, He sent an angel on a jailbreak mission to rescue Peter and return him to the church (Acts 12). They knew that prayer was not a public spectacle for human attention or a display of pseudo-righteousness, but rather a supplication to God in times of need, a way to grow nearer to Him and commune with Him. These people, who are clear-minded as Peter desires, will benefit from growing close to God, so that when they speak it is as though God were speaking. And they would not seek any credit but desire above all that God be glorified. There is so much more to be said on the subject of prayer, but as I am admittedly a novice, I will leave such discussions to those who know what they're talking about. Suffice it to say that if the American church were devoted to true prayer, we would see mighty movements of God that we cannot fathom and would be more effective in spreading the news of His Kingdom.
In the passage from Acts 2, we see that when the church devoted itself to the apostles' teachings, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer that God moved among them, they had the favor of the people, and many joined their number. If the American church returns to its roots; if it is filled with people who seek after God's truth, who are genuine and not pretentious, are kind and tender-hearted, forgive each other, who serve each other, who eat meals together, who live life together, and who pray not for their own storehouses to be filled, but for God to reign in all of earth; if the church is filled with those seeking that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, perhaps we may regain the favor of the people. They, seeing Christ alive in us, will join with us in proclaiming Him as Lord, and God will move powerfully among us.
The book of Acts tells the history of the founding of the early church. Picking up at the ascension of Jesus into heaven, the author of the book (Luke) describes the mission of the disciples as they preached the gospel in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. As the word of God reached those who had not believed in Jesus, powerful transformations occurred in the lives of converts. Perhaps the most clear description of the practice of the early church is found in Acts 2:42-47:
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)
A similar description is found in Acts 4:32-35:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. (NIV)
These descriptions seem to mirror the exhortation of Peter to the dispersed church in 1 Peter 4:
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (vv 7-11 ESV)
The passage in Acts 2 mentions that the believers met in the temple daily; this presumably would have been similar to our corporate worship services (in theory, definitely not in culture or practice). However, the modern American church stops there as the end-all be-all of church function. Occasionally a potluck will bring a shared meal, or a revival or evangelism night will be an opportunity for inviting those outside the church to run a "trial membership" in the club. But rarely do we see true dedication to study of the apostles' teachings (scripture). How many sermons are "4 steps to financial freedom" or "5 rules for being a good parent" rather than explicit study and proclamation of the truth of the Bible? How many Sunday school classes are good for business networking and figuring out what our purpose is or that our heart is wild or captivated or broken or free rather than being edifying expositions of God's truth in His holy word? The early church had no mere peripheral interest in what truth was being presented to them. They devoted themselves to studying the teachings. They pursued truth and knowledge. It is true that practical applications exist for the Christian life, but when you don't know what the word says - and more importantly, what it means - application is useless, and powerless.
One of the fundamental problems in the American church is the abandonment of true fellowship and community for superficial relationships and a country club atmosphere with weekly meetings. The believers of the early church had a passion for community that is almost non-existent in the 21st century Western world. While technology has increasingly made the world smaller, it has also increasingly isolated the members of our society. We can hide behind social networking sites and websites (and blogs!) and communicate through text messages rather than by voice or face-to-face in order to avoid any real human contact. We put up facades and smiles and assure everyone that we are "good" when they ask "how are you" (even though they don't care). One can walk into a church service, give the hand of fellowship, the sign of peace, or the fist bump of brotherhood and leave having made no real connection with a fellow human being. When Peter says to show hospitality, does he mean to provide donuts and coffee, or a greeter at the door, or smile at each other during the greeting time? Peter's idea of the church obviously has nothing to do with a Sunday morning song and lecture service. Sometimes I wonder whether we should not follow Paul's command to greet each other with a holy kiss if for no other reason than that it forces us out of our comfort zone into real (if forced) interaction. Fellowship consists of so much more than what we have accomplished in the American church. It is hard to do. It is difficult to let people see you as you are; to appear broken and weak is against our nature, especially in Western culture. We ignore the command to bear each others' burdens. But until we are genuine and open and care about others more than ourselves, we as the church cannot be the image of Christ's bride that God desires.
The major complaint against modern Christianity is that Christians fight and bicker and hate each other. This is not a new issue. Nearly every epistle affirms the need to show kindness and patience and love for one another. Jesus Himself knew that our actions towards each other as His followers would be the loudest witness when He said in John 13:34-35: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NIV) Why does the world disregard Christians? Because we do not love one another. Jesus said to love each other as He loved us. He died for us. Peter demands that we love earnestly. We have to try. Hard. We have to cover over each others' sins with love. Don't forget that this writing comes from the man who once thought he was doing good to forgive his brother seven times. What kind of dedication did these people have that they shared all of their possessions with one another to take care of any who had need. How foreign this must seem to us, especially in a time of economic hardship in our country, to sell property because someone else is in need. To sacrifice because someone else was hurting. And yet, perhaps, it is precisely because we do not understand what it is truly to suffer and to need that we cannot bring ourselves to be generous. Becoming a Christian for many of the Jews in the early church meant becoming anathema to their families. Or losing their jobs and livelihoods. Or being outcast by their friends and peers. To many of these people, their new brothers and sisters in Christ were their only real family. And maybe since we don't have the same necessity, we can't bring ourselves to the same devotion to fellowship. The early church lived life together and depended on each other for survival. Not that this family wasn't dysfunctional. Like any family, friction existed between sinners. This is why Peter must insist on love that covers sin. But such a dedicated love would present itself in many forms, and is evidenced by sacrificing for one another and putting someone else's needs ahead of one's own. Whether because of the "get-ahead" mindset, or because of sheer disregard for the commands of Christ, or for some other reason, we have failed to love each other more than ourselves. And this fact cannot and never will be hidden from those on the outside looking in to see if we live up to our own standards.
The breaking of bread seems significant for its symbolism of the fellowship among the believers. Family and esteemed guests eat together. Discussion over (and after) dinner reaches levels of familiarity (dare I say intimacy) that occur very few other places and instances (except for over cigars and beer, of course). To invite someone into one's home is a deep sign of kindness and courtesy, and sharing food seems to reach the most primal nerves within us. It may mean giving up a night after work, but how much quicker can fellowship be built than when sharing meals at the end of the day? To live life together in unity and to bear each other's burdens demands love and sacrifice, and sharing meals is one way to build those connections necessary to live in true fellowship.
Can you imagine what our witness would be if we took care of our brothers and sisters in need to the point that not one wanted? If we could put aside our own selfish desires for useless crap, fueled by consumerist mentality? I have referenced before James 1:27: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (NIV) I pray that we have not become so polluted by the world and its temporal desires that we ignore the orphans and widows (and single moms and homeless and starving and those without clean water, etc.) in their distress. If we do not take care of our family - i.e. our brothers and sisters in Christ - we will never be willing to do what it takes to reach those that do not yet belong to God's family.
There are some Christians in America that are earnestly seeking community and generosity. They seek to show love and forgiveness above all else to each other. However, there are many among these groups that would water down the truth of God's word so as not to be offensive and to appeal to those who need God's love. While they are to be commended for their attempts at living life the way God intended in fellowship, there is no need to sugarcoat or change the gospel to reach others. It is fascinating to me to back up and read the first part of Acts 2 where Peter preaches to many people in Jerusalem. Peter boldly and clearly proclaims Jesus as Christ, the Son of God. Peter maintains Jesus's innocence, and claims that the same men to whom he was speaking were responsible for the death of the Messiah (v 23). Then the men ask what they should do and Peter tells them to repent. There was no dilution of the gospel; Peter only proclaimed the truth. And three thousand believed that day (v 41). It was these who were transformed by God's grace and learned to love each other and are our examples in verses 42-47. There is no reason to dismiss any part of God's word in order to live in harmony. In fact without it, there is no true banner to fly over ourselves as Christians. We should be wary of those who would delete part of the gospel in order to be peaceful.
I suck at praying. Personally, I find my own communications with God tend to be so whiny and self-centered that I can only dream of the effective prayer of a righteous man that avails much. I think I am not alone. But how much of the American mindset of prayer is framed by those who teach us to ignore the example of Jesus and to pray "my will be done". We hear all the time that if we tell God what we want, then he will make it happen without any regard for our discerning what He wants, and what He might want us to pray for. We have reduced Him to the genie beyond the sky, old grandfather waiting on our requests so he can spoil us with the desires of our heart. What would our brothers in the Sudan say if they knew we were praying for a new car as they die for their faith? Or the girl forced into prostitution in India? Or the orphan whose parents both died of AIDS? Prayer is about finding the heart of God in order that our hearts may be broken and formed into mirror images of Christ's. It is about lifting up others and pleading with God for justice or mercy for ourselves and our brothers and sisters. God tells us to offer requests for our needs, and He desires to take care of us according to His will. But we abuse this privilege when we use prayer in the name of the only risen Son of God to make known our wish lists and nothing else. I wonder whether it is not blaspheming the Holy Spirit to focus our prayers on ourselves rather than on God and communing with Him. The early church devoted themselves to prayer. So much so that when they petitioned God, He sent an angel on a jailbreak mission to rescue Peter and return him to the church (Acts 12). They knew that prayer was not a public spectacle for human attention or a display of pseudo-righteousness, but rather a supplication to God in times of need, a way to grow nearer to Him and commune with Him. These people, who are clear-minded as Peter desires, will benefit from growing close to God, so that when they speak it is as though God were speaking. And they would not seek any credit but desire above all that God be glorified. There is so much more to be said on the subject of prayer, but as I am admittedly a novice, I will leave such discussions to those who know what they're talking about. Suffice it to say that if the American church were devoted to true prayer, we would see mighty movements of God that we cannot fathom and would be more effective in spreading the news of His Kingdom.
In the passage from Acts 2, we see that when the church devoted itself to the apostles' teachings, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer that God moved among them, they had the favor of the people, and many joined their number. If the American church returns to its roots; if it is filled with people who seek after God's truth, who are genuine and not pretentious, are kind and tender-hearted, forgive each other, who serve each other, who eat meals together, who live life together, and who pray not for their own storehouses to be filled, but for God to reign in all of earth; if the church is filled with those seeking that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, perhaps we may regain the favor of the people. They, seeing Christ alive in us, will join with us in proclaiming Him as Lord, and God will move powerfully among us.
16 August 2009
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