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Adult Class: September-November 2006

The Church

Lesson 7

Worship In The Church: Theology and Assembly

            One of the most obvious activities of the church is its worship. However, there are several wrong ideas about worship and our worship can be made to be ineffective. It must be established that worship is not:

1. A religious ceremony that has value only from performing the activity. Worship is much more than a duty to be performed—Isaiah 1:10-17.
2. Private, individual religious devotions. One important aspect of worship is gathering together—Hebrews 10:24-25.
3. An emotional uplift. Part of the purpose of worship is for the strengthening of the church, not just the excitement of the people—1 Corinthians 14:26.
4. A performance to be enjoyed or critiqued. Worship is participatory and purposeful—Colossians 1:28.

            Worship is consists of activities that are undertaken to express praise, honor and submission to God. These activities are specified by God. Each of them is an outgrowth of the nature of God. What He calls for in worship is a direct reflection of His nature.

The Nature of God

            There are several statements in the New Testament that identify aspects of the nature of God. These statements help us to understand God and to understand how He is to be served. What we believe about the nature of God will determine how we worship and serve Him. We must have accurate knowledge about Him.

• God is spirit—John 4:24. When we understand that God is not a physical being, we understand that He needs nothing physical from us. He cannot be represented as a physical being, so no idols, statues, paintings or other artistic depictions will give a realistic understanding of Him. His worship must be a spiritual worship—from within His people. That means that worship is greater than rituals performed as a religious duty.
• God is light—1 John 1:5, 7. Particularly in this context, light and darkness represent righteousness and sin. God dwells in perfect righteousness—“unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16). Our worship must be offered from a people characterized by righteousness. God seeks worship from people who reflect His very nature.
• God is love—1 John 4:8-11. The nature of God includes the supremely self-sacrificing love that impelled Him to offer His own Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Our worship praises and honors that sacrifice and that nature. Our worship must be characterized by that same kind of self-sacrificing love.
• God is holy—1 Peter 1:15-16. Peter’s quote from Leviticus repeats the idea that God is different from us. He is holy, and His worshippers must likewise be holy. Our worship is a time uniquely set aside to focus entirely upon the holiness of God.
• God inspires awe in His people—Hebrews 12:28-29. Our worship can never be flippant or careless. If it is, we are not worshipping the God of the Bible. The encounters with God that we see in the Scriptures invariably produce the same kind of humility and fear.
              When Abraham spoke with God, he called himself “dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27-28). When Moses saw the glory of God receding from him, he immediately bowed down to the ground (Exodus 34:8). When Solomon consecrated the new temple, God came down in a cloud to occupy it and the priests were forced to abandon their sacrifices and flee (1 Kings 8:10-11). When Isaiah saw God in the temple, his immediate response was fear and self-loathing (Isaiah 6:1-5). When John was confronted by the radiant Lord, he fell at His feet (Revelation 1:17). In each case, whoever sees any representation of God is instantly humbled and perceives himself as mortal.

            In every case, the natural response to the presence of God is worship. He inspires awe and fear in human beings because He is spirit, light, love, holiness, and fearful.

The Assembly for Worship

            Some activities of worship (prayer, for instance) can be undertaken privately or in a corporate worship setting. Some of the activities of worship (such as singing) can only gain their full function when in a corporate setting. It is absolutely critical that the members of the church gather together for the purpose of the worship of God.

            In the New Testament, it is understood that the church will gather together for corporate worship. Repeatedly we see the church assembling for their worship times: Acts 11:26; 14:27; 16:13; 20:7-8. Participation in the Lord’s Supper presupposes that the family has gathered at the table (1 Corinthians 11:17-18). It is expected that a song or word of instruction will be delivered when the church has come together (1 Corinthians 14:26).

            The gathering of the church takes place so that people can be edified and encouraged in their obedience. When we gather, we are reminded of the Lord who saved us and we are reminded that this salvation is for all. We are commanded not to give up the practice of meeting together since that happens so that all may be encouraged (Hebrews 10:25). “Forsaking the assembly” is not a sin against a faceless institution, but a sin against the brothers and sisters who needed encouragement and did not receive it because some brethren considered their presence and their worship of no importance.

            The New Testament church is the family of God, as we have seen, but any family that doesn’t meet together cannot be considered a true family. And family members who refuse to meet with the family, eat with the family and be involved in the life of the family are divorcing themselves from the family. When they reappear in an attempt to claim their inheritance or some other family benefit, they will almost always be disappointed. When speaking of God’s family, such disappointment is certain.

            “If one can sustain one’s faith without the support of common worship, then it is not the Christian faith that is held.”—Everett Ferguson.