restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

True Worship

 David Alan Black 

Vaughan Roberts has written a delightful book called True Worship. It has six chapters:

1. The Foundations of Christian Worship

2. The Nature of Christian Worship

3. The End of Religion

4. The Purpose of Christian Meetings

5. The Place of Music and Singing

6. Understanding the Lord's Supper

In chapter 1, Roberts' main point is that true worship is all about Jesus. Where can He be found? The surprising answer is that we can meet Him anywhere -- be it Jerusalem, a mountain in Gerizim, or even a church building. During my teen years, as part of the so-called Jesus Movement, I met with him while surfing in Waikiki just as much as when I paddled in for an hour of "worship" at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel. True worship is always possible because it doesn't involve going to a special place, writes Roberts. You simply go to Jesus.

While reading chapter 2, I was reminded of the saying, "Enter to worship, and depart to serve." Somehow we've gotten the very mistaken idea that worship focuses exclusively on Christian meetings. Roberts responds: We are called to worship at all times. "Worship involves an obedience to God's will in all parts of life" (p. 22). Thus one cannot judge a church's "worship" by what happens on Sunday morning. "The real test is how its members behave during the rest of the week" (p. 30). Roberts then offers a "worship checklist" (pp. 31-34) that I thought was fabulous. He probes 5 areas of life:

  • Your relationship with yourself
  • Your relationship with other Christians
  • Your relationship with your enemies
  • Your relationship to authorities
  • Your relationship to God's standards

Worship, for Roberts, defines the whole of life. To use his analogy, you would no sooner say "I'm going to bed to breathe for a while" than you would say "I'm going to church to worship."

In chapter 3 Roberts correctly notes that the New Testament never refers to "morning worship" or "evening service." He explores the different Greek words for worship (proskuneo, leitourgeo, sebomai, and latreuo), concluding that Christians do not go to church to worship. Quoting F. F. Bruce (p. 40):

[T]he remarkable fact is that Christian meetings are not said to take place specifically to worship God and the language of worship is not used as a means of referring to them or describing herm. To sum up what goes on in a Christian meeting as being specifically for the purpose of 'worship' is without New Testament precedent.

Roberts thinks the problem is that we're muddled down in Old Testament concepts and patterns of worship, where "holy" people do "holy" things in "holy" places. "Jesus," he notes, "brought the whole temple system to an end" (p. 43). This is clearly taught in the book of Hebrews. Thus Roberts concludes (p. 55):

So let us not go back to the ways of the old covenant. Christ has brought an end to religion. If we grasp that great truth we will see why the New Testament does not teach that we meet together to worship.

Up to this point our author has been making a largely negative argument. Now, in chapter 4, he turns to the positive New Testament teaching concerning the purpose for the gathering of the church. Christians are to meet with one another for encouragement (Heb. 10:24-25) and edification (1 Cor. 14:26). Thus "... in our meetings we are directing ourselves primarily towards one another rather than toward God...." (p. 60). It is still God, of course, who ultimately provides the encouragement and edification we need. This He does largely through His word. But take note! Lest you think that Roberts is pointing exclusively to a pulpit ministry, he adds: "The sharing of God's word was the responsibility of all church members" (p. 63). Of course, this does not minimize the importance and significance of elder-teachers in the church. But Christians should not abdicate their responsibility to know God's word to their "ministers." "Again and again the New Testament exhorts all church members to be involved in ministering to one another" (p. 71). Church leaders have an important role to play, but it is one of becoming catalysts enabling others to do their part. For Roberts, the church is a Christian family, and good family members always "spur each other on in the Christian life. And the more we do that, the better we will worship God -- not just on Sunday, but with the whole of our lives" (p. 83). Or, in the words of Howard Marshall (quoted on p. 81):

Christian meetings are for the benefit of the congregation and so indirectly for the glory of God.

Chapter 5 points out the very grave danger of viewing "worship" as essentially a time of singing through which we are draw close to God. For Roberts, these dangers can lead to a situation in which:

  • God's word is marginalized
  • Our assurance is threatened
  • Musicians are exalted
  • Division is increased

Positively, Roberts insists that we should indeed still sing, for two reasons: to praise God, and to encourage one another. He encourages both "God-focused songs" and "God-focused singing." And always pay careful attention to the words we sing!

Chapter 6 hearkens back to the original setting of the Lord's Supper as a fellowship meal. For Roberts, communion is a time to look back (remembrance), look up (communion), look around (edification), and look forward (hope).

What Roberts does in this short book is nothing less than earth-shaking. I know some folks will think that his views are inherently anti-church. But I don't see why this should be the case at all. In John 4, Jesus was very specific about worship. He wasn't trying to duck the Samaritan woman's question. With the coming of the Messiah, He said, everything was about to change. He would introduce a completely new way of engaging with God the Father, one that depended on "Spirit and truth" rather than on any place, person, or posture.

If you're willing to go back to the (New Testament) drawing board, Roberts' book would be a good place to start. No longer can we think of a church building as a sanctuary or as "the house of God." No logger can we think of the gathering of the body as a "worship service." I know this suggestion is going to disappoint some, but I'm convinced it's the truth. Now the question is: How do I implement this truth in my local church, and how do you implement it in yours? In his essay “Worship -- not just about Sundays” (see http://fervr.net/bible/worship-not-just-about-sundays), Bruce Chapman writes:

Worship is not 'just about Sunday' it is NOT even about Sunday! Worship is living in obedience to God every day.

Worship is when I washed the dishes yesterday. Worship is when I wrote a chapter in my book Godworld this week. Worship is when I brushed my teeth this morning. I do not mean this facetiously. By God's design, we are to be worshippers 24/7/365. He wants us to see our daily work as an act of worship. Ditto for anything else in our lives. You can worship God through your marriage. You are not just a husband or a wife. You are worshippers of the living God. Right now, at your school or your job, there are people who will be influenced for Christ as you worship Him through your daily lives. No matter how small or insignificant you think your daily activities might be, they aren't to Jesus. When you worship God through working at Starbucks or flipping burgers you are showing what Sunday "worship" is all about: merely a supplement or continuation of what you do throughout the week. All of life is sacred because of our union with Jesus. You are God's "worship team," and your place of service is not limited to a building on Sunday morning.

I am not suggesting that on Sunday mornings we should not offer worship that is acceptable to God. But it seems to be assumed by some that worship is an activity led by singers and performed in a church sanctuary. We cannot simply write off such verses as 1 Cor. 14:26 and make believe they say nothing about the true purpose of the gathering. That's why I'm not all that interested in the so-called worship wars. What I do on Sunday morning is merely a tiny fragment of the worship I (hopefully) offer to God in Spirit and in truth as I sit at my computer or pick up hay. Worship is not the prerogative of some. It is the daily privilege of all of us. And a theology of worship that does not take into account the sacredness of all of life, I maintain, is a defective theology.

So, what are you doing right now, at this very moment? Is it an act of worship unto the Lord Most High? It can be and should be and will be if you would but offer it to God as such.

January 28, 2018

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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