Rewind, Reset & Resume

Really showing my age—we don’t have to rewind anymore!

Our removal from our building, break in our physical assembly, caused me to break the continuity of preaching this series

Hard to speak of the assembly, when we’re in bathrobes and bunny-slippers on the couch

Can’t start this without some major setting of context

That’s the rewind portion

Reset will be discussion of the how things were, and why

Resume is how we deal with the instructions today

Main Idea: Getting corporate worship in order

Apparently, this was yet another of the things that the Corinthian church had a bit whacked out

We’re taking this time to make some changes

This is full of principles—much like the OT; descriptive

Only a couple prescriptive items; but they are important, critically so

Rewind

Since it starts with “What then...” we have to look back

>Rewinding

> Doing a fast-forward

An Occasional Letter

Part of a series of at least 4 letters, plus possible personal visits to Paul, from members of the church @ Corinth

Chapter 1 appears to indicate a personal visit to him

He had be the founder of the church; assisted by Peter and Apollos at varying times

Some of the issues addressed here are not matters addressed elsewhere; seem to be unique

>Thus, solutions may be unique to Corinth; reminder to look at principles

An overriding principle is that love—agape love—should rule

We even love those in error—in sin—though we do not excuse the sin; we correct it

The Church of Corinth is a Mess

Divisions and factions

Paying more attention to man’s wisdom the God’s

Idolatry issues (idolatry of self, self-aggrandizing)

Immorality

Misuse/misunderstanding of spiritual gifts

They lacked love—agape, self-sacrificing, God-like love, all of chap. 13...

Summed up a lot of the problems

Misapplication of the Lord’s Supper

Chaos Reigned in Worship

With what we know about their behavior we can almost imagine how that could go!

>How would an outsider perceive it?

>>Five different passages being read; Diane and Boone playing different songs; Emma leading a third; each deacon trying to make a point on something; somebody speaking out in Portuguese; someone else, Croatian…and me trying to preach

He had touched on it with

1 Corinthians 14:23 ESV

If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

Reset

He has addressed each in turn, sometimes back-tracking and overlapping

He has been very specific on some matters, a bit more general on others

He loves them dearly—wants the church to be a shining example among churches

NOW...

…he’s putting their corporate worship in order

Components of Proper Corporate Worship

Four items

A hymn—psalmos

>May have been Psalms of the OT

>May have been personally made up hymns

>Likely all solos

A lesson—didachae

>An application of a Biblical (OT) principle

A revelation—apocolysis

>An unfolding, revealing; something God had taught the individual

A tongue—glossa (xenoglossia) with interpretation

>Like the song Love and Marriage—or the soup and sandwich commercial

>>You can’t have one without the other

>>>Largely a cultural/situational thing due to location of Corinth—multilingual; crossroad of culture

Room for everyone to participate—just not all at once!

Conditions of Proper Corporate Worship

Mindset: building up—involves completeness, bringing together

One component did not dominate any other

No one person would dominate

May be room for some growth is skill sets

It would not be chaotic

Wanted an environment that would not chase a visitor away

>Enough ways we can do that

>>Doctrine might

>>Attitudes might (Baptists are NOT the only Christians around)

>>Misunderstandings might (could be simple or more complex)

>>Perceptions (theirs) might

Resume

We assume…or hope…that Corinth got it right—at least for a while

The order of worship has evolved since then

The pattern set down here does not appear to be something set in stone

>Part of that occasional nature of the epistle

>>Nature of problem called for a specific set of remedies

>There is nothing wrong with a church doing things that way

>Many evolutions along the way

>Nothing wrong with how we do it either

How We Do It…and Why

We sing

Some Biblical warrant for that…and conventional wisdom as well

Ephesians 5:19 ESV

addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast. To soften rocks, or bend the knotted oak...

Wm. Congreve, the Mourning Bride, 18th cent. play

Music evokes emotion, penetrates/softens the heart

>Filling the home with Christian music may well yield a more peaceful home

It aids in memory—drives things into the brain better

>Some of us—like me—should sing our way through life :)

It’s a component of our worship—assigning value to God

>Blessing God, as in last week’s lesson; offering Him praises

It allows participation of/by/for all

We Use Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

(Yes, I know, I used that verse last week)

I use it again because it’s true—and it’s a valid part of our worship

This is the prophecy portion of the service: forth-telling the Word of God

Often read in our opening; before our praise music

We Preach from the Scripture

Both the lesson and the revelation

Our Biblical warrant here:

2 Corinthians 2:17 ESV

For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

It is the source of our sermons—MUST BE the source

If not used, church is just a place to hear an encouraging, motivating speech

>Exegetical preaching—not Eisegetical (from the Word; not into the Word)

>>Eisegetical preachers are peddlers of the Word

>>That’s why I get nerdy on original language issues

>>Sermons should always reflect the text

It’s the job of the church leaders

Original instructions to the Apostles

Matthew 10:7 ESV

And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

Then their understanding after Pentecost, the formation of the church

Acts 6:4 ESV

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

All this...

…for the building up...

A primary component is:

To bring unbelievers to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ

>To bring an understanding of His grace; His gift of salvation through His death on the Cross

>>That is saving people from Hell; having to answer to their sins

>>Jesus has already paid that penalty

To strengthen, encourage and build up our members

There’s a commercial for membership

Membership puts you into a more committed position in the church…indicates a more committed relationship to Christ

Requires Baptism—a mark of obedience

>…for another message, another day

Where Are You?

Do you know the God you claim to be worshipping?

Are you actively part of the building up of the body

Do you participate in the worship?

Do you contribute to the worship?

Do you neglect church because you’re not “getting anything out of it?”

When we give worship to God; we receive the benefits