Introduction
Part of being led by the Holy Spirit is active participation in weekly worship services. We gather together to sing, play music, pray, give, preach and read Scripture. It is also a time to exercise our Spiritual gifts so that the church can be built up.
As a missionary I found it fascinating to see how varying people expressed their worship to God. Their cultural background heavily influenced how they prayed, sang, and ministered to each other.
The Bible never gives us a specific prescription for the structure of a church service. God is too wise to have included this type of specific plan. (Maybe He knew we would make an idol out of the order). Why? Because His creation is too vast and unique to be pidgin holed into this type of specifics. A certain form of expression in one worship service in one part of the globe may not make sense, or possibly be offensive, in another.
(TRANSITION) This does not mean, however, God has given us some common elements to be expressed (in unique and various ways) as we gather as a body to serve the Lord. Let’s look at what these elements are…(note: I am not putting these in any specific order)
PREACHING & PUBLIC READING OF SCRIPTURE
One key element of a worship service is preaching. Paul told the young pastor Timothy
1 Timothy 4: 1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
One man described preaching as something that “afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted.” In reality, to preach is to proclaim. It is to herald the message of Christ and His Kingdom.
But it is not to simply tell people about the death, burial and resurrection. To preach is to proclaim but it is also to call someone to something. The Christian preaches Christ and calls hearers to repent of sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ.
In the case of Timothy, Paul “charges” him to preach the word (the Scriptures). Through his preaching he was to “challenge, warn and urge” those he lead as pastor (cf. MSG). He was to do this “in” and “out” of season. Basically Paul is telling Timothy to NEVER quit “challenging, warning, and urging” the flock. Why was he never to cease preaching “the word?”
Because not all preachers hold themselves to the standard of God’s word. Instead they preach what makes people comfortable – they do not challenge, warn or urge – for fear of offending others or being persecuted. But what happens when preaching the word ceases?
People replace God’s word with fables and myths and religious superstitions. That is why preachers are to constantly call people to repentance and faith. We are to call them away from sin to salvation. We are to call them to flee a kingdom of darkness to enter the Kingdom of Light.
If we cease to preach the word then those we are called to lead will perish. They will be carried away with every wind of deceitful doctrine.
Every time we gather together someone should be proclaiming the word – challenging, urging, and warning us to live our lives in obedient surrender to our Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise we will fall away.
PRAYER
Another element that must be in our services is prayer. Jesus told us that His house should be known as a “house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46).
Again, the Apostle Paul tells the young pastor Timothy…
1 Timothy 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
But why is Paul urging Timothy to call those he leads to pray and intercede for all people and those in authority? We find that answer by looking at the end of 1 Timothy 1 (vv. 18-20).
At the end of chapter 1 Paul names those who have made shipwreck the faith and have been handed over to Satan (v. 20). But before he tells this sad tale, Paul reminds Timothy that he is in a battle to hold onto his faith and a good conscience (v. 18b-19).
Because he is in a battle and because some have abandoned the faith, Paul THEN urges them to pray!
As a church we are in a battle for our own soul and those of humankind. This battle is fought in our personal prayer but also as we gather together to pray. When we gather at the altar to pray in response to the preaching (the calling to something) we are taking a huge step in winning the battle!
FINANCIAL GIVING
Not only are we called to preach and pray when we gather together, we are also called to give financially to the work of the church
Look at what Paul told the church at Corinth…
1 Corinthians 16:1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
I want to provide a bit of context surrounding this passage. Paul is coming to visit the Corinthian church and he is going to ask them to give an offering to help another church. He asks the church members to set aside a “sum of money” on the “first day of the week” (Sunday). He asks them to do this so that when he comes they won’t have to take up valuable time in order to get that collection together.
I think we can learn a couple of things from Pauls’ writing about financial giving.
1. It is good to make your giving systematic. In our context most people get paid on Friday. It is good to immediately set aside your tithe and offerings. Go ahead and write the check BEFORE Sunday. Then set it aside and bring it to the house of God on the first day of the week.
2. Remember when you are giving you are giving to vision. Paul’s vision for the Corinthian offering was to bless another church. Your regular giving allows our church to fulfill its mission in Odessa and in other parts of the world.
For this reason, we pass around these little velvet bags every service. We believe the mission God has given us is so important and necessary that we want to give you every opportunity to help fund that vision.
SINGING & MUSIC
The last element of a church service I will mention today is singing and music.
Last week in the Adult Sunday school class something came up in discussion. This same topic is also mentioned in Dr. Wood’s book. It is the idea that in today’s church worship has become more about OBSERVATION than PARTICIPATION.
In other words, people come into the church service with the mindset of a spectator. “I am going to sit here and listen to the singers. I want them to entertain me and make me feel better. I want them to do the JOB OF WORSHIP while I watch.” Listen to what the book of Colossians tells us…
Colossians 3:16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
The early church used psalms, hymns and songs of the Spirit as tools for teaching. Remember there was no Bible (at least not the New Testament) at this time. So people would hear the stories of Christ and His teachings then put them to music. They would then sing these songs with one another.
The reason we play music and sing songs is not so people can just watch or hear. The idea is to present you with ways to know the teachings of Christ and His church. A few years ago I wrote a paper about why, if, as some say, women cannot preach why are we allowing them to sing!
Singing and playing music in the church is about PROCLAIMING and CALLING SOMEONE TO SOMETHING. So, I say preach on sister! Singing and songwriting is a THEOLOGICAL discipline that provides a way for believers to grasp deep concepts in real ways.
As you sing the words set to music you are participating in learning more about God. When you accompany this singing with other physical actions (lifting hands, crying, etc.) you add another dimension of understanding. Engaging the whole person: BODY, SOUL, SPIRIT in the worship of Christ is of great benefit to the believers walk and helps them to be empowered to win the battles brought to us by Satan.
CONCLUSION
Now we can get together and have all these elements (preaching/scripture/prayer/giving/music) and still not have a spiritual gathering. We can make sure every note is right and every word is chosen with care (and we should). But if we are not empowered and led of the Holy Spirit then all we are doing is wasting our time.
We cannot assume the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
• As preachers we ask God to fill us and fire us up so the lost are saved and God’s people are built up.
• As singers we ask God to supernaturally empower our voices by the Holy Spirit.
• When we pray we call upon the Holy Spirit to pray through us so that lives will be impacted.
• When we stand or sit in the chairs we seek the Holy Spirit’s fire to help us enter into worship that benefits us but, more importantly, lets those who do not know Christ be drawn to Him.
No matter whether we stand in the pew or in the pulpit we need an UNCTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. We cannot allow ourselves to simply set back and let other people do the work of entering God’s gates with thanksgiving and coming into His courts with praise. You and I are called to participate in the will of God.
As we do this within the church service we are then given the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit to GO OUT and make a difference in lives of others.
RESPONSE
Let’s gather at the altar this morning and ask God to give us a fresh vision of church. That we would see our corporate times together as moments to be challenged and urged to press deeper into the things of the Spirit. That we would see these moments as opportunities to be strengthened to go out and make a difference. That we would see our giving not just as a duty or religious obligation but as fuel for the accomplishing of God’s vision for our church and this community.
