Rediscover Church (4)

An Order of Worship

Every week I email what I have labeled ‘An Order for Worship’ to our worship team. the document includes what songs we will sing, what Bible verses will be read, and if there are any special themes we need to emphasize like we did last week with Mother’s Day.

But what is worship? D.A. Carson, a noted theologian notes,

“…there is no one-to-one relationship between any Hebrew [Old Testament] or Greed [New Testament] word and our word ‘worship.’”

D. A. Carson, Worship By the Book, Worship Under the Word, D.A. Carson, ed. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan 2002),19.

So what is ‘worship?’ What do we ‘do’ when we come to ‘worship?’

Acts 2:42 is the clearest text in the NT describing what Christians do consistently and regularly as they meet together:

Acts 2:42 HCSB

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.

Those activities may be included in a worship service. However, looking over those activities doesn’t really help us discover what ‘worship’ is.

The English word ‘worship’ is defined by the Concise Oxford English Dictionary:

Concise Oxford English Dictionary Worship

worship

■ noun

1 the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.

▶ religious rites and ceremonies.

2 great admiration or devotion.

3 (His/Your Worship) chiefly Brit. a title of respect used chiefly to or of a magistrate or mayor.

4 archaic honour given in recognition of merit.

■ verb (worships, worshipping, worshipped; US also worships, worshiping, worshiped)

1 show reverence and adoration for (a deity).

2 feel great admiration or devotion for.

So, are we any closer to understanding what we are doing Sunday after Sunday in this time period between 11:00am and 12:30pm?

Let’s go back to Antioch and look at how this early group of believers - with very little to guide them except their relationship with God through Jesus Christ- experienced what we call ‘worship.’

Acts 13:1–3 HCSB

In the church that was at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.” Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.

A year or so has passed since Barnabas came, and left to bring Saul/Paul to Antioch. They have been teaching for an entire year (see Acts 11:26).

During a worship experience (Acts 13:2) something unusual occured.

Before looking at the result, let’s examine more carefully what is happening.

God is the Priority

They were ‘ministering to the Lord and fasting’ or some translations have ‘worshiping the Lord and fasting....’

The OT book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ teaching those who had been born and grown up in the wilderness - all those who were 20 years and older died prior to entry (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb).

There is a consistent them in all the messages compiled in Deuteronomy. Listen to Deuteronomy 10:12

Deuteronomy 10:12 HCSB

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul?

This theme carries on through the entire OT era. Prophets called Israel back to this foundational truth, David and other song writers and prayer writers composed songs and prayers emphasizing this priority.

God and God alone - as He makes Himself known to us in His Son and through His Holy Spirit - is the object of our worship.

Whatever activities we might include in an ‘order of worship’ are to be focused on God alone.

Speaking to and listening to God are the primary activities of worship

Don’t miss how significant this is. Every activity in ‘an order of worship’ is God directed, not person centered. In other words the question is never, what will people feel comfortable doing, singing, praying, etc.... the question is first and foundational- what needs to be said to God?

There is a second part to that question: What activities do we include so that we might hear from God?

We know from Paul’s writings that ‘worship services’ included singing, teaching, praying, prophesying, and even speaking in tongues (see Acts 12-14).

In those descriptions of worship, though, one theme is prominent: singing, speaking, praying, and so on is directed NOT TOWARD ONE ANOTHER. These activities are expressions to God - as He has revealed Himself in His Word, through His Son, and by the Holy Spirit.

What about this ‘fasting?’ In both Old and New Testament ‘fasting’ means choosing to go without food or drink for a period of time so that a person might devote themselves to time for prayer - which is always a two-way conversation with God.

Here in Acts, these leaders - perhaps leading the entire gathered group- were not just singing and talking about God. They were taking time to speak to God and to hear from God.

A biblical worship experience may included singing. A biblical worship experience may include a sermon or some teaching. It may included public reading of Scripture.

There is one activity that a worship service needs to include in order to align with biblical principles:

talking TO God and hearing FROM God.

Obeying God is the only appropriate response in a worship experience

Acts 13:3 HCSB

Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.

We could try and answer all sorts of unnecessary questions: How did God speak? Was it an audible voice? Were His words written in the clouds? Did a scrap of paper float down from heaven in their midst? Did one or more of them have a visionary/mystical experience?

Honestly, we don’t know.

What we do know: the believers in Antioch obeyed God’s directive.

Evaluating ‘An Order of Worship’

We don’t have a single ‘order of worship’ that exists from the era listing the songs they sang, who led in prayer, what Scriptures were read and so on.

There are some foundational principles we can use to evaluate what we do during our ‘order of worship.’

Are we God-centered or self-centered?

“I really like that song!”

“That message really touched me.”

“Why can’t he/she sing every week? I really like their voice.”

“Do we have to spend so much time in ‘prayer?’ I fall asleep if it’s quiet too long.”

“Reading out-loud makes me uncomfortable. Can’t we just listen to someone else read from the Bible?”

There is a common thread to each of those questions. Did you hear it?

Which of those questions focused on what do we need to say to God when we come together?

Worship is primarily about ascribing worth and value to God - not ourself.

From the beginning of human history, God has asked His creation - and specifically His people to acknowledge Him.

Psalm 19:1 HCSB

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.

Psalm 100:2 HCSB

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

There are hundreds of other places in God’s Word where He commands us to acknowledge Him, to ‘worship’ Him.

There are no instructions in God’s Word to make much of humans, to make a big deal of what a person wants.

So the first and most important question when considering ‘an order of worship’ is: What needs to be said to God? What songs, passages of Scripture can be read that help all of us acknowledge His value, His worth?

What activities can we include so that we can hear what God says

People often say things like, If I only could hear from God…?

My question is always…when was the last time you picked up the Bible and read it?

When we plan ‘An Order of Worship’ we try to include multiple opportunities for God to speak to us through His Word.

Are we helping people talk to God in prayer?

Most believers learn to pray by three primary ways:

a). listening to others pray

b). reading the prayers of others (think of the Psalms, or Jesus’ Model prayer, or Paul’s prayers in his letters

c). practice, practice, practice.... We learn to pray by praying.

Are we going to obey what we hear from God?

Years ago I shared a message in a January worship service about the value of life. It was around the time believers rally for Right to Life events.

Some weeks after that message a person came to me after the service and shared their experience with me.

This person had been estranged from their daughter for some years. The person had just learned their daughter was pregnant! This person was going to be a grandparent!

As a result of the worship service on that Right To Life Sunday, this person went home, wrote a letter to the unborn grandchild and mailed it to the daughter from whom they were estranged.

The daughter opened the letter, called her parent, and through tears and repentance on both ends of the phone the relationship was restored.

I was floored. I use a manuscript when I preach. On Monday I took out the manuscript for that message. No where in the message did I suggest writing a letter to an unborn grandchild (though it is a pretty wonderful idea!).

This person heard from God. They acted on God’s instruction. The relationship was restored.

Not every worship service may have that impact.

If we come together and have no intention of obeying whatever God might say to us, then we are wasting your time and mine.

Next Steps:

Annie Dillard has been an important influence in my life. Her writings are often hard to read but have often helped me to think more carefully about issues.

On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews.

Dillard, Annie. Teaching a Stone to Talk (p. 49). HarperCollins e-books. Kindle Edition.

When those leaders in Antioch gathered to minister to/worship the Lord they had no clue what it would cost them.

Five men were identified as leaders.

At the end of that worship service two of the five would be sent away from Antioch. They would return - but only to rest.

We have five deacons. If God were clearly to speak and say, release two of them to leave and plant another church, start a new ministry, go overseas, or any one of thousands of other commands…what would we do?

Appoint a committee to study the feasibility of the assignment?

Pretend we didn’t hear? Wait another week and hope and pray God says something different?

Or would we simply do what God has asks us to do?

What are you hearing from God week after week?

If you aren’t hearing from God it’s not because He isn’t speaking...

Let’s close our service today differently