ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP 2

WORSHIP SERIES 5

During my lifetime I have heard thousands of sermons and have attended an equal number of Bible classes. Thinking back I only remember the preachers and teachers using 1 Corinthians 14 for two things. 1) To show that there are restrictions on the role of women in the assembly (vs. 34-35) and 2) To prove that only those assigned, scheduled or called on could participate in the worship service (vs. 40). The limited study of this chapter is based on the end of spiritual gifts as discussed in 1 Cor. 13:9-10 so the teachers must have felt that it was a waste of time to study something that did not apply to us. But it does apply to us. Every verse contains instructions for the church today. They tell us how they worshipped in the first century and how we should worship today if we are to please God.Today's perversion of the worship of the saints could have been avoided if this chapter had been studied and applied as the Holy Spirit intended.

We have already seen from chapter 11 that the Lord's Supper was the reason for their "coming together" and was the center of their worship. Most believe they are partaking of this memorial feast correctly because they have the right day, elements and order (the bread first). But today it has devolved into a "five-minute pray and pass". We have the form but not the substance. Please take the time to think about ways that this part of your worship could be changed not only to make it the focal point of your worship but also to make it your strength for the week to come. The fact that it now is a distant third to singing and preaching and only slightly ahead of giving is the reason that "many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep." We have learned from chapter 14 that the assembly was the time when children of God met to worship their father and edify one another. Changing God's pattern for acceptable worship has turned it into an evangelistic service with sinners being invited to "come to church with us", sermons being preached to lead them to Christ, prayers that prove to them how much we care about their souls, songs to "teach and admonish" those outside of Christ and, of course, an invitation song at every service to encourage them to obey the gospel. I am compelled again to say that if you cannot find a scripture that authorizes using the assembly on the first day of the week for evangelism then it is just as wrong as instrumental music.The reason we assemble dictates what we leave with so never forget that the first century church came together to break bread. Let us continue our look at some of the other elements of worship in the early church.

(3) "Decently and in order" did not limit participation to those "on the schedule". The fact that this verse is misapplied and not taken in context is the main reason for our services being so cold and formal. I will cover these verses in more detail later but it is important that we understand the context for this often quoted passage from 1 Cor. 14:40. Remember: "A text without a context is a pretext!" As you read these verses notice that "decently and in order" did not prohibit spontaneous participation nor did it limit the service to those assigned to be the leaders, i.e. the preacher to lead our study, the song leader to lead our praise, one chosen to lead our prayer, etc.

"How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying."

v. 26

"If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two or at the most three, and that by course (one at a time); and let one interpret."

v. 27

"Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge (the others should weigh carefully what is said)."

v. 29

"And if any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace (the first speaker should stop). For ye may all prophesy one by one (in turn), that all may learn and all may be comforted."

v. 30-31

"Let all things be done decently and in order."

v. 40

Brethren, it is time we stopped telling people that if they aren't getting anything out of the worship it is their fault or that they "get out of the service what they put into it". The time is far past that stopped telling them that scriptural worship is praying, singing and studying along with what the leader feels. It is not their fault that they are not allowed to "speak unless spoken to." Worship in the 1st century was one of participation not of observation.Using "decently and in order" to limit or prohibit the majority from being part of the service is enough by itself to make our worship unscriptural.

(4) Last week one Christian told me that I had turned their world upside down! Their "comfort zone" had been destroyed! Well, I am not done yet. Why? Because we have only begun to see the beautiful possibilities that worship that is acceptable to God has to offer. For example, when did prayer become an assigned task? When did we start limiting prayer to someone who was scheduled a month ago to lead it? Just think about this. What if every child of God was allowed to talk to their God about the burdens of their hearts, in the assembly. What if they felt free to pray about their own spiritual needs in front of their brothers and sisters. What if they could ask God's forgiveness for their sin like the publican who bowed his head and said "be merciful to me a sinner" without waiting for the invitation song and have the preacher pray for them? What if they could thank their Father for the blessings He gave them the past week that all might rejoice and "say Amen at thy giving of thanks?" (v. 16) The possibilities are endless. I have no doubt that your worship services, not to mention the spiritual lives of your members, would change immediately if you did nothing more than to encourage them to pray in the assembly. This is what the Bible means by "God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24) and "I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also". (1 Cor. 14:15)

Does this include women praying audibly in the assembly? We know that 1 Corinthians 14 says: "let your women keep silence in the churches" (v. 34) and the next verse "for it is a shame for women to speak in the church?" Does this teach that women cannot sing? Of course not! If these verses do not prohibit a woman from "teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" (Col. 3: 16) it certainly does not forbid her the right to pray in the assembly. The man who believes that a woman opening her heart in prayer to God is to "teach and usurp authority over the man" (1 Tim. 2:12) must be one of those whose prayers start with "Our Father which art in heaven" and ends with "In Jesus name, Amen" but fills the middle preaching to both saints and sinners. Praying is not an act of authority nor is it a mode of teaching. It is simply a child of God talking to their Father. We have perverted prayer by making it a formal act in which the assigned person prays a prayer that we have heard a thousand times before on behalf of the entire assembly. If it is a question of authority it must be because we assign one person to stand in the pulpit and use the microphone! It is a man made law that says that a female saint is not allowed to pray in public, not God's law! Sisters in Christ don't feel alone. Church of Christ tradition prohibits 99% of the men from praying their own prayers too! Please do not misunderstand. Acceptable worship does not mean that every Christian has to pray their own prayer in every service but perverted worship is prohibiting anyone from talking to their God when they have the need or the desire by using the lame and unscriptural excuse that it would not be decently and in order!

To be continued.

The Parson