02.27. THE CHURCH - 03 - Its Worship

THE CHURCH – 03 – Its Worship Reading. 1 Corinthians 11:17-29.

WORSHIP.

"WORSHIP" was formerly used equally of honor shown to men and of adoration and reverence of God. The word is a contraction of worthship (from Anglo-Saxon weorth "worth," with the suffix schipe, English ship, akin to shape). In the earlier translations of the Bible, we have instances of this wider use of the word, e.g., Wyclif had: "Worschipe thi fadir and thi moder: and thou shalt love thi neighbore as thi self" (Matthew 19:19). "Worship" in the Common Version appears as the translation of several Greek words. It is used of the deference or respect which man may fitly give to man; so in Luke 14:10, A.V., "Then shalt thou have worship doxa, (R.V. ’glory’) in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee." Two verbs, proskuneo and latreuo, are often found, both being translated "worship." The former may several times be used in the New Testament in the sense of adoration or of prostration before a person, with out any implication of paying divine honor (cf. Matthew 9:18; Acts 10:25, etc.). It has to be noted though that in Acts 10:26; Peter replied to Cornelius, "Rise up, I am also a man"; and we frequently have the word used of honor and adoration of the Divine Being (Matthew 4:10; John 4:23-24; Revelation 22:9, etc.). "Latreuo" (from latris, a workman for hire or hired servant) has the various meanings of to work for hire or pay, to he subject or devoted to, to serve with religious observances; this word is used in the New Testament in the following places among others: Matthew 4:10; Romans 1:9; Php 3:3; Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 10:2; Hebrews 13:10. We now generally use "worship" with reference to God. It is of course in this sense that it is used in this article. Worship of God is both a privilege and a duty. God grants to his children a token of highest favor when he encourages them to come before him with praise and adoration. It is a privilege reserved for his children. They should ever be grateful for the opportunity of worship, private or public. So much should they have the sense of privilege that there should be no need to emphasize the thought of duty; but unfortunately we are at times slow to respond to the loftier call of privilege, and so need to be reminded of the fact that God expects and requires us to give him worship. This worship is at once for his glory and for his children’s good. The Lord Jesus Christ laid down in clear terms the conditions of acceptable worship. He said to the woman of Samaria: "God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). The Father seeks alone "true worshippers, and these worship "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).

(a) Worship must be "in spirit," i. e., not merely formal, not with outward observance alone, but inwardly, "with true inward reverence." We can conceive of people being scrupulously exact with regard to times, and places, and acts, and yet having their heart far from right.

(b) Worship must, says Jesus, be "in truth." This means more than sincerity, which is rather included in "in spirit." It may mean "in accordance with the nature of God and our true relations with him as at once Spirit and Father." But we should say that it expresses also the idea that worship "must be in harmony with the truth of God. Just as the first phrase, "in spirit," implies that even the doing of the acts required of God is of no profit if the heart be not in the service so this second requirement, "in truth," tells us that it is not enough to be sincere. Men are often sincerely wrong; it were well that they were sincerely right. God never left it to men to decide how they should approach him, what acts of worship they should perform. He gave in the Old Covenant detailed legislation. In the New Testament we can see his will for us. Men should seek the Lord, now as of old, after the due order (1 Chronicles 15:13). From Paul we gather that it is our duty to "hold fast the traditions," as the apostles delivered them (1 Corinthians 11:2).

(c) Another Scripture shows the need of regarding the teaching of God if we would worship him acceptably. The Lord Jesus declared of the Pharisees that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in them: "In vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men" (Matthew 15:9). On this verse J. W. McGarvey says:

"So far as a man’s worship of God is the result of human authority, it springs from an improper source, and is vain. Every human addition to the commandments of God, so far as it induces any worship at all, induces vain worship; and there is probably not one such addition which does not, to a greater or less degree, make some commandment void."

(d) There is a word of the Apostle Paul which is noteworthy here; he speaks of "will-worship" (Colossians 2:23). As Jeremy Taylor puts it, "He that says, God is rightly worshipped by any act or ceremony concerning which himself hath no way expressed his pleasure, is superstitious, or a will-worshipper."

(e) We are warned against performing our religious exercises, or acts of ostensible worship, with a desire to get glory of men. Jesus tells us the passing glory thus obtained is all the profit, for assuredly we shall get no reward of God (Matthew 6:5-6). This is implicitly condemned in the requirement of worship "in spirit."

(f) Yet we must not think that our attitude in worship is so exclusively directed Godwards that our relation to man does not enter into the matter at all. Jesus has told us that our forgiveness of those who do us wrong is a condition of God’s hearing our prayer for pardon (Matthew 6:14-15), and that if our brother has aught against us, we must seek to be reconciled to him ere we approach God in worship (Matthew 5:23-24). These passages imply, what is really assumed throughout, that worship is a privilege given to those who are serving God and seeking to live as he would have them.

Worship of God may be either public or private. In our ordinary devotions we worship him. With due reverence and adoration we worship him when we offer our daily prayers when we read his Word, and when we offer him our service. The principles stated above will apply to both kinds. In what follows, we deal with public worship. The New Testament makes it clear that it was the custom of the early Christians to meet together for worship on the first day of the week. This day was called "the Lord’s day." Only in one place in the New Testament do we find it so called (Revelation 1:10). We can easily see why the first day should thus be honored with the title of "Lord’s day." On it the Lord Jesus rose triumphant from the grave declared to be the Son of God with power by that resurrection (Romans 1:4); on it he appeared first to his disciples (John 20:19); on it, after a week’s interval, he made his second appearance to the disciples (John 20:6) he sent the Spirit to the Apostles on this day (Acts 2:1; cf. Leviticus 23:15-16), the first proclamation of the exaltation and Lordship of the risen Christ was made on the first day; on it the first gospel sermon was preached, on it the church of Christ was established (Acts 2:1-47). We have distinct mention of the Christians meeting for worship on that day (see Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2). We find that it was so, too, in the age immediately after the apostles. The "Didache" (100 to 120 A.D.) refers to the stated breaking of bread on the Lord’s day. Justin Martyr in his "Apology" (c. 120 A.D.) records that on the day called Sunday the Christians held a religious service; he tells of the sermon, the reading of the writings of apostles and prophets, the common prayers, and the taking of bread and wine. We have a most instructive passage in Acts 2:42. Though we have no authority for saying that this verse purports to tell the order of service at the stated meetings of the church, yet it does deal with things which enter into the worship service and things which with significant emphasis it says the early Christians "continued steadfastly in." The Christian or the church which wishes to follow Bible example will not disregard that to which men following apostolic instructions steadfastly attend. We have here reference to the teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers. There is not room or necessity for much more than an enumeration of the things which indisputably found a place in the early Christian’s meeting for worship on the Lord’s day. Prayer.--The Lord Jesus taught its necessity and helpfulness by precept (Matthew 6:9; Luke 18:1), and by example (Luke 3:21; Luke 6:12; Luke 9:18; Luke 9:28-29). He spoke of secret prayer (Matthew 6:6), but attached a special promise to united prayer (Matthew 18:19-20). We find prayers in the church’s worship, see 1 Corinthians 14:14-15), which also gives the two-fold character of true prayer--"with the spirit" and "with the understanding." At the close of the prayer, the congregation said "Amen" ("so be it"), indicating that all accepted the petition as theirs and wished it to be answered (1 Corinthians 14:16). Prayer was generally offered to God the Father (Ephesians 3:14) in the name of the Lord Jesus, in harmony with the Savior’s words (John 16:23-24); but Sometimes petitions were addresses to the Lord Jesus (Acts 7:59-60; cf. John 14:13-14, R.V.). Praise.--This may have been both by individual utterance (1 Corinthians 14:26) and sung in common. The Lord Jesus and his disciples, the night on which the Supper was instituted, sang a hymn (Matthew 26:30). Hymns, like prayers, were to come from the heart, and were to be intelligently sung (1 Corinthians 14:15); so tunes were not of sole importance. Psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs were sung "to God," though they also helped in the comfort and edification of men (Colossians 3:16). Teaching.--Instruction was doubtless given

(a) through the reading of the Old Testament Scriptures (as was the case n synagogue worship, Acts 13:5). Paul, too, clearly expected his Epistles to be read to the church (1 Thessalonians 5:27; Colossians 4:16).

(b) Oral instruction was also given. The apostles taught (Acts 20:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:15). Some others had the gift of inspired speech or prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:3-4). The gift of prophecy was possessed by women (1 Corinthians 11:5), yet women did not teach in the church (1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:12). Some excelled in comforting or exhorting, as Barnabas, the "Son of Exhortation" (Acts 11:23). The supreme rule of public speech was that all must be done to edification (1 Corinthians 14:26). There was neither a "one-man ministry" nor a license, miscalled liberty, which made public utterance depend on a sex-qualification alone. All must "edify," and that implies both character and ability.

Contributions.--It may be that "the fellowship" of Acts 2:42 has reference to fellowship in the matter of giving and receiving. We know that the giving of one’s material substance is a way of honoring God and a method of worshipping him (Hebrews 13:16; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2). One of the needs of the day is a restoration of the conviction that giving is an act of worship. The Lord’s Supper.--The night before his suffering the Lord Jesus instituted a memorial feast. He requested or commanded that his disciples should break the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of him (Luke 22:19-20). It was in loving obedience to this wish that the early church "continued steadfastly in ... the breaking of the bread" (Acts 2:42). Acts 20:7 furnishes the requisite testimony for the day and frequency of its observance. For long after the apostolic age the Christians met every first day of the week (cf. the references previously made to the "Didache" and to Justin Martyr). Acts 20:7 also shows the central purpose of the gathering; the disciples came together to break the bread. They did other things; for instance, they listened until midnight to Paul; but they are not said to have come to hear Paul, but to "break bread." So constant was the custom of weekly celebration, and so central an act of worship was the breaking of bread in remembrance of the Savior in sub-apostolic days, that Chrysostom (died 407 A.D.) called the first day of the week dies panes, or "the day of bread." The evangelists’ accounts of the institution (Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-23) and the references in 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30, should be carefully studied. We have there set forth the purpose of the feast. It is a feast of commemoration. The Savior’s body and blood are symbolized by the bread and wine. It is a communion. It is a pledge of brotherly love It is a sign of unity (1 Corinthians 10:17). It is a means of preaching the gospel (1 Corinthians 11:26) If we remember that our Lord and our loving Savior, who knew our frame, our needs, and our weaknesses, instituted the worship of the church for our good, we shall see to it that we never neglect the means of grace, the spiritual food he has provided. We require constant and regular food and help. The injunction to forsake not the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25) is as pertinent now as it ever was.