The Simplicity and Beauty of New Testament Worship
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I’m sure there will be a lot of lessons learned from the current situation in which we find ourselves. I have asked many people older than me if they remember anything like this in their lifetime. The answer has been universally, no! This is a unique situation that we are all going through together.
I’m sure there will be a lot of lessons learned from the current situation in which we find ourselves. I have asked many people older than me if they remember anything like this in their lifetime. The answer has been universally, no! This is a unique situation that we are all going through together.
One of the things that our current conditions has made very clear is the simplicity and beauty of true New Testament worship. Many states are under mandatory shelter-in-place orders. The big, elaborate cathedrals are closed. The “mega-churches” are closed. The fog machines and the dramatic lighting are all turned off. The packed auditoriums for entertaining “praise services” are all empty now. They have always been spiritually empty, now they’re literally empty.
For those who have come equate such things with “worship,” they are learning different now. They are learning something that we have always known. True worship to God isn’t connected to any of these things. Actually, such things hinder worship and make it vain ().
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
That isn’t to say that these shelter-at-home orders haven’t affected us. They absolutely have! We very much miss being together for the corporate worship of the church. We have done things to accommodate, as much as possible, our being together for worship. But it isn’t the same as actually being together.
But, when it comes to our worship - what we actually do in worship to God - we can do that just as well in a small home-group as we can in a large assembly. We know that when the church is able to be together that we’re supposed to be together (; ). We certainly should want to be together (; ; ). But, when we are unavoidably hindered from being together we can still worship God the way He has said He wants to be worshiped (, ). We are all priests of God, offering up spiritual sacrifices to Him ().
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
Let brotherly love continue.
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
As you are gathering with your family to worship at home during this time, remember the importance of what we’re doing.
We sing praise to God (; ; ; ).
saying:
“I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
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.
We pray to our heavenly Father (; ; ).
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
We study from God’s word (; ; ).
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
We give for the work of the church (, ; ; ).
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:
On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
We remember the sacrifice of Christ in the Lord’s Supper (; ).
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Of these five things, three are things that we can (and should) do as part of our daily devotions to God (singing, praying, studying). Two of them, however, are only observed on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) in the assembly of the church. At this time, when we are unavoidably hindered from being together for the corporate worship of the church, we can all observe these things at home with our families.
We are thankful for the ability we have to accommodate one another with livestreams, texts, calls, etc. But nothing “replaces” our being together for God’s worship. Let us all pray that we can be together again very soon!