Thursday, 17 July 2008
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Is "Worship Service" Biblical?
by mrs lily 
I’ve been struggling with the idea of a Sunday morning worship service. And I don’t mean going to church. This is not a church-bashing post. I am talking about the time that we call the “worship service.”I'd been having an extremely difficult time connecting to God during worship at church when it suddenly dawned on me: music is an overflow of the worship that we already give God everyday. Sometimes I feel ashamed when the worship service starts because I realize it is the first time I have acknowledged God in a day or two. It just seems like the way church has been institutionalized in our culture, we second-naturedly associate music with worship - we forget it's something we are supposed to do every day. Or perhaps worse, we go through the motions and forget to even acknowledge God. It’s just what we do,every Sunday morning. But if our hearts are not in it, and if we are not worshipping Him in everyday living, such as taking time to serve others, love people, to give beyond what is comfortable to give, how can we expect to instantly connect with God when music starts, as if we can flip a switch with the start of a beat?
He (Jesus) replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." - Mark 7:6-8
Music is beautiful and it moves us, but when was this integrated as part of meeting together? I know that music and singing, and even dancing is all throughout scripture, but where did we get this idea of a "worship service"? Is it biblical?
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Comments (44)
granted this isn't speaking especially saying that we must have "worship services" but here goes
1 Corinthians 14: 26What then shall we say,
brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of
instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these
must be done for the strengthening of the church.
that does suggest singing was a part of the meetings of the brothers however I assume it would not have been at all like we have today, anyone could lead a song and the rest join, not a guy up front...
while we're at it, what is the biblical basis for a sunday sermon? there is not even a place for anyone to offer teaching or exhortation in most assemblies today unless you are the preacher.
Worshiping the Savior is, indeed, Biblical. I agree with you there. The question I believe you're asking is how the "contempory" church holds their worship service. Of most of the churches that I've been to, they seem to be nothing more than a small-scale rock concert, followed by babbling that the people who are there (and have no clue how the gifts of the Spirit work) claim is the "gift of tongues". That is not worship. It's a party. Worship should be done with reverence, with humility; it is impossible to be humble while listening to a guitar, bass, and drums rocking out, despite the lyrics.
"Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord," (Joel 1:14)
@J_Goldens_Shadow@xanga - while I do think the modern worship service is not ideal, I can't agree that certain instruments make it impossible to be humble. Remember in the old testament? it talks of every instrument they had at the time (that's a guess, I have not verified that) being used to praise God.
ahem, I missed the fun quote part!
Psalms 150
[a]1 Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
There is something to be said of rethinking our time is church as 'The Divine Worship Hour'. We are to have a mind of worship throughout our week. When we come to church it is to come into the very presence of the creator of the universe. It is easy to get so lost in the music whether it be classic hymns or modern praise music that you are not aware of the presence of God. Music or sound has become common place in our society. Some believe that it is because the lack of it makes us uncomfortable. We have forgotten that there really is comfort in the quietness when in the presence of God. We are encouraged to 'Be still and know that I am God'. When the prophet Elijah ran from Jezebel he went through a time of earthquakes, fire, and fierce storm. But God was not to be found in these. It was in the stillness after that Elijah found and heard the voice of God as He spoke to him. So there is my thoughts on it, hope it helped you to gain a different perspective.
You somewhat answered part of your post.
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. Sometimes I feel ashamed when the worship service starts because I realize it is the first time I have acknowledged God in a day or two
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I have found there to be excellent worship music where Jesus and God are the center of the lyrics.... and "Feel Good" music where the words have nothing to do with worshiping God.
Where did we get the idea of a worship service??? It is Biblical, In Acts I think it says that the Diciples met daily to worship.... over time ... It got to be just a day or two a week.... which is wrong... you should be worshiping Him every day...
BUT... it also says, do not foresake the gathering.... meaning don't give up meeting with other Christians.... It does help keep the Spirit alive and build you up.
On the subject of instruments of 'worship' I must comment that it is not the instrument as much as it is the heart of the one who controls it. So it is that the one who controls the musician mind is the one who controls music. I have seen few lead guitarist who are humble in heart when they play. So it was with my husband who was a lead guitarist. There is a certain 'pull' one might say in the 'praise' forms of music. I have sat in churches where praise music is being played and even though they might be conversing with someone or trying to pray, they are unable to sit still or not be moving. There is something in the music that influences them and I am not sure as to what control that is. I know that there are many out there who will disagree, but I encourage you to just sit in the back of a church or assembly and watch with an open mind before you flash out about what I have shared.
How do you get a thousand or so people together and do anything that pleases God? By worshiping him.
How do you get a thousand or so people together and do anything that pleases everybody? You can't.
So for man to disect "worship service" as biblical or just plain tradition is to judge the inner most heart of each and every believer. Rocking out and praising God may very well be pleasing to God in a few hearts and it may just be plain entertainment in others.
Since God's judgment can span the very thing we can't, I'll leave it up to him. I think he loves all worship that comes from a humble and contrite heart. And you probably will never get a thousand or so humble and contrite hearts all in one "Worship service." Unless one is bragadocious about ones own denominational flavor.
Remember Jesus said to leave the tares lest you pull out the good seed. I think that can go for pulling "Worship Services" to pieces also.
I guess carpet and air conditioning would be cheating too. Biblically. Just joking there.
there are instances in Scripture where the gathered people of God came together and sang the praises of God... if that serves as the model for our services today... then i guess you can consider them Biblical...
i think what you're fearing is the institutionalization of what is constituted as a "worship" service since our entire waking lives are to be considered as worship offered to God... but more or less...
i full understand what's being said here... and for the most part, i'd have to agree...
but i do have to interject and say that worship is both a vertical expression to God but a horizontal service to each other and true Biblical worship is about loving God but also loving people and a service wouldn't be complete without the service of letting God's creation of sound and music minister to people.... which in turn (with hopes and prayers) would cause people to come and respond to God for Who He is and what He's done for us through Christ...
@AdveniatRegnumTuum@xanga - Yes, while it's true that the instruments we have can be used to praise God, we have to remember the mood that it puts us in. Do you really think that listening to something like "Casting Crowns" or "Five Iron Frenzy" (however good of bands they may be, or were in the latter case), can put you in the mood to worship the Father of us all through His Son? No. The Spirit is a very fickle personage. If we are too busy rocking out to a music band (again, despite the lyrics) then He will not reside. If reverence is not observed throughout the entire service, then the Spirit will not be there, despite what truth is spoken.
Yes Worship services are Biblically sound, the Psalms are full of how we are to worship. It talks about how they gathered to go on to the mountains a ref. for Gods presence. It talks about entering His gates & such
Psalm 100A psalm of thanksgiving.Nehemiah 40 The two choirs that were giving thanks
then proceeded to the Temple of God, where they took their places. So
did I, together with the group of leaders who were with me.
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.
3Acknowledge that the L
ordis God!
4He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
5go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the L
ordis good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Can it ever be wrong to be struck by the presence of God? If you believe that only God himself can move within the heart to harden or to heal, then you can also believe that such moments are acts of divine mercy. It is God himself moving to turn our "hearts of stone into flesh" and it is both humbling and refreshing to believe that, even when our hearts have hardened or become apathetic over the course of the week, a few whispers of encouragement or strains of music can revive what was broken. I have the same problem a lot of the time, and still marvel that God would reach out and be gracious to me at least once a week.
@J_Goldens_Shadow@xanga - i'm sorry, but i have to say. . . i don't believe that is in any way biblical that The Spirit (if you're talking about The Holy Spirit) is dependant on our attitude or mood. the Holy Spirit resides in believers whether they're feeling humble today or not. having said that. . . i think you've missed something pretty important. that "worship" should be every day. . . not just when you're in a specific building listening to specific music. the bible is pretty clear that worship is the way we live our lives. we should live worship every day. it is entirely possible to be humble and reverent while listening to upbeat music. if you find it impossible. . . well, that's just your style. but there is upbeat, rocking music that energizes my spirit and lifts me up. i can praise the Lord with drums and guitars, etc. i mean, my goodness, how reverent was David when he danced almost naked through the streets? for real. and that was the Spirit of the Lord in him.
but, really, when you get back to the basics, it's not about music or sermons or a building where you go to worship. . . because if you aren't living out daily worship in the way you live. . . all that means absolutely nothing.
when I recently went on a missions trip, all the people at the church there were so happy to be there, and so happy to praise God, they all sang loudly, clapped loudly, danced a little bit, and their music was extremely joyful. I loved it.
I get the impression that "worship" in most Churches is just a shallow attempt to get people excited about something they don't really care about but need for social reasons.
This isn't to say that singing songs is bad but worship has become more about the music, the band, and the fake tears than the expression of love from someone who worships Him in the way they live their daily life.
I think the concept is indeed biblical, and a good thing. That said...it has been institutionalized and "routine-ified," which causes all good things to loose their original meaning.
Yes, we should worship God throughout the week on our own, but there's something good to be said for worshiping in community.
We just have to keep in mind what it is supposed to be and not be.
It's not supposed to be a replacement of individual worship, only an extension of that.
@J_Goldens_Shadow@xanga - well, I do think that some people may be distracted by the music and forget about God, but that goes for all music. just because I am able to rock out to some music does not mean I will, or that it will be at the forefront of my mind. Mood? what does my mood have to do with worship? If I am stating the truth of God's glory and mercies as worked in and through my life does it really matter how I feel? It doesn't. So I agree that music can distract from God, ANY music can. the real test is in the heart of the singer, and speaking for myself, I know I can sing "Every New Day" and through that be worshiping God, not to mention any number of O.C. Supertones or Flatfoot 56 songs, though may of those are more songs of exhortation than praise.
@J_Goldens_Shadow@xanga - also I'm afraid I must sharply disagree with your statement that, "If reverence is not observed throughout the entire service, then the Spirit will not be there, despite what truth is spoken." Show me any scriptural basis for that. where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is.
@J_Goldens_Shadow@xanga - Oops, just went to your page and I see you are a Mormon, disregard all I said. I don't say this meaning to be abrasive, but I know it will be; there is just no other way to put it, I am speaking of Worship to the One True God. Of course you feel your God is that, but you are wrong, I am not even going to go into apologetics here as I'm sure you've heard it all already. May God work in you.
Well, in my opinion, and I hope I'm not being too opinionated with this, but, shouldn't we ourselves choose how and when and where we worship whom we believe in?
In all honesty, it shouldn't matter where you are, what you do, or who you're with, your beliefs should follow you everywhere. It's inside and around you. It's what you stand up for. It IS you.
Your belief, that is.
And on the subject of music..what is this about some of it being a distraction from your worship? Isn't having a job, going to a birthday party, going to school, or paying taxes the same thing? Focusing on a mundane aspect of our world? I don't think needs to be judged so harshly.
On that note, I did read something today about tv shows being a bad thing for us and that it can 'distract' us from our worship and beliefs. If that were true, listening to the news would do the same. It's the same argument as with the lyrics. :/
I'm sorry, but, like I said. We should choose ourselves how we worship who we worship. If we are true to ourselves and our higher power, there should be nothing to fear.
I personally find the worship and praise part of the meeting really helps me get focused on God and ready for whatever word is going to be brought. I do attend a church where we are free to express ourselves in whatever way we feel, whether it's clapping our hands, dancing, jumping up and down or merely being still and quiet and listening to what is going on around us.
I also do this in my own worship time at home, I sing, I dance, I praise, worship in tongues as well as pray and come to God's word etc. I know this is only 'part' of the worship process, as you said we exalt him or should exalt him in other ways. Through our actions throughout each day.
But as it's already been mentioned, praise and celebrations have always been part of worshiping God. David was scorned by his own wife because of his behaviour but he refused to be ashamed because he was giving God all the glory. The disciples were scorned and thought to be 'drunk and disorderly' when the tongues of the Spirit came upon them and they went on to give salvation to the crowds.
As for listening to different types of music, I can't get enough of the Newsboys at the moment. Listening to them as I walk to work gets me in a good mood yet keeps me focused on God. I'm not 'up' on music as it were, Christian or 'secular' so I don't know many band names etc. However seeing as my ipods half full of Hillsong's and United Live albums I'm quite happy with the music I listen to.
I lead worship at church on occasion and I'm always striving to do better. There is something very humbling about leading people through worship, encouraging people to praise in whatever way they feel and feeling the benefit of it yourself also.
I've been a worship leader for the past 5 years and I've got to say to the other comments that there's just no way to keep everyone happy with one "correct" biblical interpretation of what a worship service is supposed to look like. Ideally I would love for people to go to church every sunday and there be no routine or structure that people could get used to and place into some sort of a humdrum autopilot mode where they can predict, "song's ending... let's cheer and clap and shout! after worship there will be announcements and then a sermon about the topic we've been discussing all month and then we shall look our brothers squarely in the eye and lie about how much we are walking in God's presence every day."
I will admit though that I've felt the presence of God in a standard worship service... I've also felt his presence in a mosh pit at ozzfest and so started praying for the people I was bumping into and watched some leave the pit weeping uncontrollably who later gave their lives to Him for the first time... He's also been amongst us and that same feeling of glorifying him swelled up in me while building houses for poor people in Mexico... with no music involved. Gathering together and experiencing God with other people is what I see the main point of corporate worship to be; people don't seem to realize this can happen in any way at any time.
going back to the standard worship service I have been involved in services where it was appropriate for people to sing a cappella in stillness and reverent awe of a God more powerful than the mind can fathom, and there've been times when it was appropriate to dance and leap and flail around like a maniac because every inch of the body bubbled over with absolute Joy at the familiarity and intimacy He offers us. It's simply a matter of the Spirit leading the service... a good worship leader is just a guy (or gal) who hears and feels the Spirit of the lord and leads others to follow Him and not himself.
But even then... it's impossible to keep everybody happy. There's the guy who thinks the guitar is too loud and the guy who wants it turned up. there's the guy who likes hillsong and the guy who likes delirious. the feller who wants a huge instrumental break to just express his worship freely and the dude who doesn't know what the heck to do when there's no words to sing. just like finding a denomination and a home church, finding a worship style that works for you is never going to match the rest of the body of Christ... it doesn't make them wrong, just different. kindof like how you can't brush your teeth with hand soap, it'll make the tongue angry and won't do it's job... but those hands get quite clean when you lather them up. You can't expect the entire body of Christ to use the same worship styles... people are different.
There's my thoughts... I hope they make sense
1 Corinthians 14 (I believe) talks about coming together on "the first day of the Week" and then says whenever we come together, one has a song, a tongue, a teaching, and so on. The type in the Old Testament was to bring your top portion and offer it to the Lord in Jerusalem together with the others at the feasts.
I would like to ask, is the idea of multiple "churches" in one city Biblical? To me, according to the Bible, it clearly isn't, but people have succumbed anyway.
We worship in very unusual circumstances.
It seems it is as in the Old Testament again, such as at the end of Judges, where we are told everyone just did what was right in his own eyes.
www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html
http://onlizinenet.slide.com/