In the recent past we had an article about a church sign with a noticeable
advertisement about a magician. On the same church sign that advertised
a “Christian Magician” was displayed the ad: SONG AND PRAISE, A NEW KIND
OF WORSHIP. We took note that the Youth Sunday with a “Christian Magician”
was the modernistic approach to worship using entertainment. It is reasonable
to suggest the same motive is behind “a new kind of worship with song and
praise.” We know that the child of God is to worship God with singing and
with praise. We sing songs like “Praise Him, Praise Him.” Many spiritual
songs are written to direct praise toward or God. The scriptures state:
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
and making melody
in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19); and “Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in
your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). Certainly nothing could be
wrong with “song and praise” to God. However, the entirety or majority
of the worship is not to be taken up in singing praises to God. There are
some who love singing so much that they would have worship
to be ten or fifteen songs, a prayer and maybe ten minutes of Bible.
This is not a joke. Such a worship service does not represent a balanced
worship as directed by the scripture. No one loves singing any more than
I do, but singing for the sake of singing lends itself more to the entertainment
of me more than for the purpose of praising God. On the other hand, take
notice of the rest of the ad—a new kind of worship. Herein lies the problem.
Is man authorized to design “a new kind of worship?” Like our last article,
we notice the efforts to change the worship to entertain—to bring in an
audience. Some will do almost anything to get numbers. From the New Testament
scripture we find five articles or elements of worship: (1) Preaching,
teaching, study; (2) Lord’s Supper; (3) Singing, praising God; (4) Prayer;
and (5) Giving or contribution. Lord’s Supper and Preaching: God has authorized
the preaching (teaching, study) of His word and the Lord’s Supper while
assembled
for worship: “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples
came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart
on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7). Also:
“Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding,
that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words
in an unknown tongue”
(1 Corinthians 14:19). Prayer: Along with out singing, God desires
prayers which is our closest form of communication with God: “What is it
then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the
understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing
with the understanding also”
(1 Corinthians 14:15). Notice that the context of this verse is
“in the church” (vs. 19 when the “whole church comes together” (vs.23).
Singing: The verses listed above (Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16) along
with 1 Corinthians 14:15 just used justify singing and praise of God as
just one part of the worship service. Giving/Collection: God expects His
people to contribute financially to the upkeep of the church and for the
furtherance of His kingdom: “Now concerning the collection for the
saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so
do ye. {2} Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him
in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I
come” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Each one of these five elements was a part
of the worship of God’s people from the very beginning of the church on
the day of Pentecost: “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine
and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers....{47}
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord
added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:42 and 47).
“The apostles’ doctrine” was the teaching, preaching, and study of God’s
word. “Fellowship” is from the Greek word koinonia which means “sharing,
contribution” and Paul used it thus in 2 Corinthians 8:4. “Breaking of
bread” obviously refers to the
taking of the Lord’s Supper, “The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break,
is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”
(1 Corinthians 10:16). “Prayers” cannot be misunderstood. “Praising
God” indicates praising God through song. The church began with these elements.
Nowhere else are there any other elements of the worship service authorized.
After Paul’s instruction to the Colossians on singing he also instructed:
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17). To do all
things “in the name of the Lord Jesus” is to do it by His authority and
only by His authority. The last thing to notice is Paul’s instruction in
(1 Corinthians 14:40) “Let all things be done decently and in order.” The
worship
services of most religious bodies today could hardly fit this command
with their raucous, noisy, clattering, services. The Lord’s church strives
to worship God as commanded, “decently and in order” using nothing but
the five elements of worship authorized by God.
—John D. Cotham
Shady Valley, TN
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