Fundamentals: Worship of Church

     God has a plan for us as individuals.  That's why He has set down certain conditions for salvation.  Those who meet these conditions are saved.
     God also has a plan for us as groups of individuals.  That's why He has given instructions about the church.  Those who are saved are in the church.  How can we distinguish between the various religious bodies in the world today?  As we have already seen, we can distinguish by the way they are organized.  Are they organized according to the plan set down in the New Testament?
     In addition, we can distinguish by the way they conduct their worship services.  Does it really matter how a worship service is conducted?
     "Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary," Hebrews 9:1 explains.  What do the words "now even" tells us?  Don't they tell us that even the new covenant has regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary?
     We know from verses such as 2 Corinthians 6:16 that we are the temple of God.  So this explains the part about the earthly sanctuary.  But what about the regulations of divine worship?
     "God is not a God of confusion," Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:33, "but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."  A look at the context shows that Paul is talking about the worship service.  So this verse tells us two things.  It tells us that God does not like confusion, and it also tells us that there are some things that should be common in all the churches.
     "But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner," Paul states in the last verse of that chapter.
     In 1 Corinthians chapter 11 Paul deals with a problem the Christians were having with the Lord's Supper.  In verse 22 Paul says that they despise the church by the way they abuse this memorial of Christ's death.
     It's becoming clear that it does matter how we conduct our worship services.  At least it matters to God.
     Looking through the New Testament, we find five elements of worship specified.  One of these elements is prayer.  What form should this prayer have?
     Jesus indicates in Matthew 6:9 that prayer should be addressed to God.  In verses 5-6 of the same chapter, we find that prayer should never be offered as a show.  Verse seven says that prayer should not contain meaningless repetition.  This clearly excludes prayers that are memorized and repreated time after time.
     "And whatever you do in word or deed," Colossians 3:17 instructs, "do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."  Here we find again that prayer is to be directed to God.  And we also learn that it is directed through Jesus.
     "For there is one God," Paul states in 1 Timothy 2:5, "and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."  There is one mediator.  There are no others to whom or through whom we can pray.
     Another element of worship is teaching or preaching.  Acts 20:7 gives this as something done by the early Christians.  1 Corinthians 14 and 2 Timothy 4:1-5 stress the importance of preaching.
     A third element of worship is found in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
     "Now concerning the collection for the saints," this passage explains, "as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also.
     "On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come."
     From this scripture we learn that the collection is to be taken up every Sunday.  We also learn that we are to give as we have been prospered.
     "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly;" Paul instructs in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, "and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.
     "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver."
     Matthew 6:1-4 informs us that we must be careful to not give in a way that others will see us and praise us for what we are doing.
     Still another element of worship is singing.  

     You have probably noticed something about the music you hear on this program.  It is always acappella.  That is, it is singing without a musical instrument.  Why do wo do this?
     What do Ambrose, Augustine, Calvin, Clarke, Wesley, Luther and several other Catholic and protestant scholars have in common?  Not much, you might say.  But there was one thing that they agreed upon: the musical instrument does not belong in the worship service.
     Of course, this is not the reason we don't use an instrument.  But it does point out that we are not alone in coming to this conclusion about what God wants us to do.  Why, then, do we not use an instrument?
     Ephesians 5:19 commands us to speak to one another "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in (our) hearts to the Lord."
     "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you;" Colossians 3:16 instructs, "with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
     What do these verses authorize?  They authorize singing.  What instrument do they authorize?  They authorize the heart.
     But does it matter how closely we follow God's instructions?
     Leviticus chapter 10 tells the story of Nadab and Abihu, sons of the high priest Aaron.  God has specified a certain kind of fire to be used in worshiping Him.  But these two have decided that it doesn't matter.  Check Leviticus chapter 10 and find out how God accepted this strange fire.
     "But they used intruments in the Old Testament," some are quick to argue.  Yes, and they also offered animal sacrifices.  All this proves is that God is aware of the existance of musical instruments and knows how to ask for them when He wants them.
     The real question is, "Did they use instruments in the New Testament church?"  We have already seen that the New Testament authorizes singing.  We might add that nowhere does it authorize a mechanical instrument.
     How can we check and see whether the early Christians understood it this way?  It is easy to read in books that discuss the history of the church and find that the early church used only vocal music.  The instrument did not appear until the sixth century, and was not generally used until after the eighth century.  Most protestant groups did not start using it until the past few centuries.
     One more thing before going on to the final element of worship.  What does "acapella" mean?  Of course, it means singing without an instrument.  But what does it really mean?  "A" means "in" and "cappella" means "church."  "Acappella" literally means "as in the church."  Think about that one for a while.
     The last element of worship that we want to consider is the Lord's Supper.  This memorial of the death of Jesus contains two simple elements: fruit of the vine and bread.  There is nothing in the Bible that gives magical powers to these elements.  They are simply symbols to remind us of the blood and body of Jesus.  Again, human traditions have created ideas such as transsubstantiation.
     "On the first day of the week," Luke writes in the first part of Acts 20:7, "when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them..."
     An examination of the book of Acts shows us that the early Christians took of the Lord's Supper on Sunday, and that they did it every Sunday.  To observe the Lord's Supper more or less frequently is, again, a human invention.
     Here's the ever-present question: does it matter how we partake of the Lord's Supper?  Take the time to read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 and answer this one for yourself.
     These are just superficial treatments of these five elements, and we would be glad to visit with anyone who would like to discuss them further.  It has been our purpose to simply explain how the New Testament church worshiped.
     We might add that the attitude behind the worship is as important as the form.  The two cannot be separated.  God requires both.
     "God is spirit," Jesus points out in John 4:24, "and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
     Worship God in spirit and in truth, and He will set us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."