Balancing the Church (Part 2) Worship: The Goal and Fuel of the Church
Of the three purposes of the church that need held in balance, it could make sense that worship would be listed third. The other two, mission and discipleship, are what lead us to worship. However, I am listing it first because it must be primary in our thinking about the church’s activities. Giving Christ the glory He deserves is not just a portion of our Sunday service, rather, it is to be the whole aim and end of both every individual believer and the church both gathered and scattered.
Consider Paul’s words about Christ and the church
Col 1:15-18
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
I’d like to submit a non-exhaustive list of what activities of worship should be in the local church when we gather:
Congregational worship in song
The exodus from Egypt by the mighty hand of God led to a congregational song of worship by the Hebrew children in the wilderness on the other side of the Red Sea (Exodus 15). The birth of the Savior led to the famous magnificat, the worship song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55). And the redeeming work of the Lamb of God leads to the eternal song of the redeemed from every nation (Rev. 14:3). When we gather it is natural, fitting, and even required that we sing to the Lord our Redeemer (Eph 5:19).
Singing is what most people mean when they say the word worship. I don’t think I need, then, to convince anyone that singing in the church is worship. What is needful is to clearly see that God-ward, Christ exalting, and participatory singing in the congregation is an end and goal for which we exist as a church. When we do that together we are not looking past it toward anything (church growth, experience, or entertainment). Rather, everything else of the church is leading to passionate, heart-felt worship in song.
2. Congregational prayers of all types
Did you know that prayer is an important part of worship? When we confess our sins in prayer we are acknowledging the holiness of God and his goodness and power to forgive (James 5:16). When we thank Him in prayer we are acknowledging that He is the source of all good things (Col. 4:2). When we intercede in prayer we are again acknowledging his sovereignty over his creation and pleading his loving kindness to intervene in some specific area (1 Tim 2:1-4). We should pray earnestly and often in our church gatherings. Those unbelievers who might attend will understand so much about our personal and powerful God by the way we worship Him in prayer.
3. Giving
The first church, like Israel in the wilderness and even Abraham before, gathered an offering for the Lord when they met together (1 Cor. 16:2). Yet God has never needed our money. He owns a cattle on a thousand hills (another way of saying: everything). He moves His resources according to His will. When we gather what is placed under our stewardship, under our power, in order to give it to the Lord we are opening up our hands and hearts to the Giver. The Lord loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:6-7) because all other giving (begrudging giving or greedy giving that hopes to gain more in return) is not worship of God but selfishness hidden behind a gift. Giving some of our wealth says: “Lord, take of what is mine. I give it to you freely. My life and all I have is all yours.” Giving is a symbolic act of worship showing ultimate value.
The sending of missionaries is an important part of the church’s worship that falls under the category of giving. When we send a person or a family somewhere to minister the good news of Jesus in word and deed we, as a congregation, are figuratively placing that person or family in our hands, lifting them up to God, and offering them to Him. In a sense we lose them and all of the funds it takes to send them. We are saying, “Jesus, you are worthy.”
4. Fellowship
The unity of the brothers created by the common Spirit dwelling in us is not only a powerful witness but it is primarily an act of worship. Psalm 133 speaks about the fellowship of God’s people in terms of the beauty of creation when it works just as it should and returns the glory to God. Fighting and division in the church does the opposite. The goodness, kindness, and wisdom of God is totally veiled when carnal fighting consumes the church. Taking time to enjoy one another when we gather is not selfish or wasteful. It is a life-giving part of our worship.
5. Obedience to Christ’s Ordinances
The church was left two ordinances by Christ: baptism and the Lord’s supper. We call them ordinances because they were things “ordered” for us to do. We do not call them “sacraments” because the act of doing them is not a means of imparting divine grace. So, when we receive baptism upon a confession of faith we are obeying Christ we are foundational saying, “Jesus is Lord. He ordered this and am following Him in obedience under the water of baptism.” When we baptize someone we are also obeying because Christ commanded us: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel baptizing them.” (Matt. 28:19). Baptism was not ordinance left to the family or the state. It was left to the church.
The ordinance of the Lord’s supper is a beautiful picture of worship that points to the cross and soon return of Christ. We obey Jesus to “do this in remembrance” of Him (Luke 22:18-20). Each individual should examine their own hearts because worship should be offered up by sincere and repentant not those harboring un-repented sin (1 Cor. 11:28). While baptism is something to be done once as a symbol of the death and the new birth of that believer, the Lord’s supper is something we are commanded to do as often as we do it when we gather. Baptism has always been understood as the door to the fellowship of the church while the Lord’s supper has symbolized the ongoing fellowship of the believers, thus called communion. It all is meant to be done in worship of the Lord of the church who ordered it.
These five acts of worship, if they are present and passionate in a church, will fuel the life of a church and be a sweet aroma to heaven. All evangelism, preaching, and teaching should result in the exultation of Christ in these ways when we gather.
Questions:
Do you think I am missing anything that belongs as worship in the church?
Which one of these do you think we need to grow in the most?