A Position Paper with Biblical Guidelines by the Antioch Eldership, January 2024

(with help from various sources)

“Come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!”

(Psalm 95:6)

OVERVIEW

1 – What Do We Believe About Corporate Worship? (Confessional Foundations)

2 – How Does God Want Us to Worship Him (Biblical Basics)

3 – How Does Scripture Regulate Our Worship?

4 – What is the Role of Music in Corporate Worship?

5 – Who Picks the Songs?

6 – Why Do We Do It That Way? (Explaining Specific Elements of Our Worship Services; pp. 9-16)

Appendix – How Do You Know When You’ve Worshipped?

(A Theology of Christian Worship)

“Modern man worships his work, works at his play, and plays at his worship.” (Gordon Dahl)

“Now, worship is the missing jewel in modern evangelicalism. We’re organized; we work; we have our agendas.

We have almost everything, but there’s one thing that the churches, even the gospel churches, do not have: that is the ability to worship. We are not cultivating the art of worship.” (A.W. Tozer, Worship: The Missing Jewel)

“We have made our worship services more secular than sacred, more common than uncommon, more profane than holy.”

(R.C. Sproul, How Then Shall We Worship)

(1) What Do We Believe About Corporate Worship?

(Confessional Foundations)

“But a time is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;

for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

Al Martin: “In our day of subjectivism, a generation reared on the tyranny of its feelings, our practical danger is to think that there is some height of God-honoring worship to be attained in spirit, while there is indifference to truth! The Father has established the boundaries of His worship.” (https://trinitypastorsconference.org/our-vision-for-these-days-7-a-recovery-of-biblical-worship/)

From our Antioch Declaration of Faith:

We believe that “the Lord our God is the one and only true and living God,” the triune God, Creator of all things visible and invisible; that He is sovereign, eternal, and infinitely perfect in both His holiness and love, His greatness and His goodness, and thus worthy of all praise and adoration. We believe that our one God exists eternally in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit….

We believe the local church consists of a gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith and associated for the purpose of exalting God through evangelizing the lost and edifying and equipping the saints for service. …We believe that the reading and expounding of Scripture must be central to the life of the church, as the fountain from which all other ministry flows. 

…We believe that Sunday is the Lord’s Day, in which we gather for corporate worship in the name of our Saviour who rose on the first day of the week. …We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

From our Church Covenant:

We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, nor forsake attending to the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. …We will work together for the continuance of a faithful Bible-teaching ministry in this church, as we sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines.

From our Catechism:

Question: What is required in 2nd Commandment?

Answer: The 2nd Commandment requires the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God has appointed in His Word.

Question: What is forbidden in the 2nd Commandment?

Answer: The 2nd Commandment forbids the worshipping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in His Word.

Question: What are the reasons annexed to (given for) the 2nd Commandment?

Answer: The reasons annexed to the 2nd Commandment are – God’s sovereignty over us, His propriety (holiness) in us, and the zeal He has for His own worship.

Question: What is required in the 4th Commandment?

Answer: The 4th Commandment requires the keeping holy to God such set times as He has appointed in His Word….

Question: Why is Sunday called “the Lord’s Day”?

Answer: Sunday is called the Lord’s Day because Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, and the early church gathered on that day for corporate worship in Jesus’ name.

O worship the King, all glorious above
O gratefully sing HIs wonderful love
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days
Pavilioned in splendour, and girded with praise.

(Robert Grant, 1833)

“The source of most of the problems people have in their Christian lives relates to two things: either they are not worshiping six days a week with their life, or they are not worshiping one day a week with the assembly of the saints. We need both. …The heart can only go as high in worship as it can do deep into theology.” (MacArthur)

From our 1689 London Baptist Confession:

(1.6) We recognize that some circumstances concerning the worship of God and government of the church are common to human actions and organizations and are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian wisdom, following the general rules of the Word, which must always be observed (1 Corinthians 11:13, 14; 1 Corinthians 14:26, 40).

(22.1) The light of nature demonstrates that there is a God who has lordship and sovereignty over all. He is just and good and does good to everyone. Therefore, he should be feared, loved, praised, called on, trusted in, and served—with all the heart and all the soul and all the strength.1  But the acceptable way to worship the true God is instituted by him,2 and it is delimited by his own revealed will. Thus, he may not be worshipped according to human imagination or inventions or the suggestions of Satan, nor through any visible representations, nor in any other way that is not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures (1Jeremiah 10:7; Mark 12:33. 2Deuteronomy 12:32. 3Exodus 20:4–6).

(22.5) The elements of religious worship of God include reading the Scriptures,16 preaching and hearing the Word of God,17 teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord,18 as well as the administration of baptism19 and the Lord’s supper.20  They must be performed out of obedience to him, with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear. Also, purposeful acts of humblinga with fasting21 and times of  thanksgiving should be observed on special occasions in a holy and religious manner.22

asolemn humiliation
161 Timothy 4:13. 172 Timothy 4:2; Luke 8:18. 18Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19. 19Matthew 28:19, 20. 201 Corinthians 11:26. 21Esther 4:16; Joel 2:12. 22Exodus 15:1–19, Psalms 107.

(26.5) In exercising the authority entrusted to him, the Lord Jesus, through the ministry of his Word,  by his Spirit, calls to himself out of the world those who are given to him by his Father.9  They are called so that they will live before him in all the ways of obedience that he prescribes for them in his Word.10  Those who are called he commands to live together in locala societies, or churches, for their mutual edification and the fitting conduct of public worship that he requires of them while they are in the world.11

9John 10:16; John 12:32. 10Matthew 28:20. 11Matthew 18:15–20.

(26.7) To every church gathered in this way, conforming to Christ’s mind as declared in his Word, he has given all power and authority that is in any way necessary to conduct the form of worship and discipline that he has instituted for them to observe. He has also given them commands and rules to use and carry out that power rightly and properly.14

14Matthew 18:17, 18; 1 Corinthians 5:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 5:13; 2 Corinthians 2:6–8.

Two encouraging quotes:

“When there are a number of worshipers present, there is a participation in worship which is more intense than is the individual passion of any one of them when he is by himself. It is common knowledge that a mob is more cruel than any individual in it would be by himself. Similarly, the enjoyment of an elite company of music lovers at the symphony is more intense than that of a single music lover sitting by himself listening to the same music. God has so created man that there are deeper delights and more intense inspiration in the worshiping congregation than in individual devotion.” (Robert Rayburn, O Come Let Us Worship)

“This intensifying effect of corporate worship enhances edification. In fact, edification will not flourish as it ought apart from it, because hearing God’s Word amidst the corporate assent of a congregation intensifies the mind’s engagement and reception of the truth. Likewise, participation in the community of belief intensifies taking the truth to heart. And then the example of the truth lived out moves the believer to live out the radical truth of God’s Word. Corporate worship is essential to edification.” (Kent Hughes, Worship by the Book)

(2) How Does God Want Us to Worship Him? (Biblical Basics)

by Ligon Duncan

(https://gospelreformation.net/the-reformation-of-worship/)

The Bible provides us with God’s directions for the form and content of Christian worship. When we say that “the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures” (Westminster Confession of Faith 21.1), we anchor that assertion in a number of ways.

Our affirmation is grounded not only in the exegesis of specific texts (e.g., Ex. 20:4-6; Deut. 4:15-19; 12:32; Matt. 4:9-10; 15:9; Acts 17:24-25; 1 Cor. 11:23-30; 14:1-40; and Col. 2:16-23) and not only in the trans-canonical refrain that God does not desire humanly devised worship. We build also and especially on a set of even broader biblical theological realities: the doctrine of God, the Creator-creature distinction, the idea of revelation, the unchanging character of the moral law, the nature of faith, the doctrine of carefulness, the derivative nature of the church’s authority, the doctrine of Christian freedom, the true nature of biblical piety, and the reality of the fallen human nature’s tendency to idolatry. Each of these key foundations for the Reformed view of the biblical doctrine of worship is worth consideration.

The foundational realities mentioned above are connected and compounding and serve to corroborate the legitimacy and importance of the regulative principle – the axiom that we ought to worship God in accordance with the positive warrant of Scripture. This axiom applied, in turn, helps us with the whole scope of worship. Thus historic Reformed worship appreciates God’s concern for the that, what, whom, when, where, why, and how of corporate worship.

(1) It is important that we worship corporately, for God made us for His worship and for community with other worshipers. Worship is the one thing He “seeks” (John 4:23).

(2) What corporate worship is matters to God too. It is not evangelism, nor is it even mutually edifying fellowship. It is a family meeting with God, it is the covenant community engaging with God, gathering with His people to seek the face of God, to glorify and enjoy Him, to respond to His Word, to render praise back to Him, to give unto Him the glory due His Name.

Worship is both active and passive: we come to bless and to receive God’s blessings (Ps. 134). Christian corporate worship is Father-focused, Christ-centered, and Spirit-enabled (Eph. 1:3-14) and “offered up in the context of the body of believers, who strive to align all the forms of their devout ascription of all worth to God with the panoply of new covenant mandates and examples that bring to fulfillment the glories of antecedent revelation and anticipated consummation.”[1]

(3) The whom of worship is, of course, central to true worship (John 4:22, 24). It is what the first commandment is all about. We aim to worship the God of the Bible, God as He reveals Himself, for we cannot worship Him as we ought unless we know Him as He is – and we cannot know Him as He is except insofar as He has revealed Himself to us in His Word. There is a god we want and the God who is, and the two are not the same.[2] The only way to be sure that we have the whom of worship right is to worship according to God’s written self-revelation.

(4) The when of corporate worship remains important in the new-covenant era. In the days of the old covenant, worship was to be rendered on the seventh day because of God’s creational rest and on the various feast days that foreshadowed new-covenant realities. Now, in the end of the ages, corporate worship is to be done on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day. Four tremendous realities establish the importance of Lord’s Day corporate worship:

(a) the resurrection of Christ, which is foundational to the recreative work of Christ in making a people for Himself (Mark 16:1-8; cf. v. 9; 2 Cor. 5:14-17; Gal. 6:15-16; Col. 1:15-22);

(b) the eternal rest foreshadowed in the Lord’s Day (Heb. 4:9);

(c) the Lord’s Day language and observance of the New Testament church (Rev. 1:10; cf. Matt. 28:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19-23; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2);

(d) the New Testament command to the saints to gather, Christ’s promise of presence with us when we do, the faithful example of the gathering of New Testament Christians, and Jesus’ express command that we disciple new converts in the context of the local church (Heb. 10:24-25; Matt. 18:20; 28:18-20; Acts 1:4).

(5) The where of new-covenant worship is important too, though it has also changed from the old-covenant era. Whereas once the answer to where was “the tabernacle” or “the temple” or “Jerusalem,” the answer now is “where the Lord’s house (i.e., His people) is gathered.” Jesus stresses this to the Samaritan woman (John 4:21) and to His disciples in addressing congregational discipline (Matt. 18:20) – surely a solemn component of the life of the gathered church.

The place of new-covenant worship is no longer inextricably tied to a geographical location and a physical structure but to a gathered people. This is why in the old Scottish tradition, as the people gathered to enter a church building, it would be said that “the kirk goes in” rather than, as we often say, “we are going to church.”

The new covenant locus of the special presence of God with the church militant is in the gathered body, wherever it might be – whether in the catacombs or in a storefront or in a beautiful colonial church building.

(6) The why of corporate worship is vital to God as well, and there is more than one right biblical answer. Surely at the top of the list is “for His own glory” (1 Cor. 10:31; Ps. 29:1-2). There is no higher answer to “why do we worship?” than because the glory of God is more important than anything else in all creation. The chief end of the church is to glorify and enjoy God together forever, because the chief thing in all the world is God’s glory (Phil. 2:9-11).[3]

There are other answers as well: because God said to worship, because God created us to worship, because God saved us to worship, because it is our natural duty as creatures and joyful duty as Christians to worship, because our worship is a response of gratitude for saving grace, because those with new hearts long to hear His Word and express their devotion, because God wants to bless us with Himself, because God has chosen us for His inheritance and seeks to commune with us in His ordinances, and more.

(7) The how of corporate worship is the business of the second commandment, but as we have seen, it is a central concern for the New Testament church as well (John 4; 1 Cor. 11, 14; Col. 2). This is where the regulative principle is manifest most clearly. It is concerned to assure that corporate worship in all its aspects – standard, dynamic, motivation, and goal – is biblical.

For the standard to be biblical means that the substance and elements and corporateness of worship are positively in accord with Scripture. For the dynamic to be biblical means that worship is Spirit-gathered, Spirit-dependent, Spirit-engendered, and Spirit-empowered, in accordance with the teaching of Scripture. For the motivation to be biblical means that worship is simultaneously a communal response of gratitude for grace, an expression of passion for God, the fulfillment of what we were made and redeemed for, a joyful engagement in a delightful obedience, and a corporate Christ-provided encounter with the triune God, again in accord with the Bible’s teaching. For the goal to be biblical means that all true corporate worship aims for and is an expression of God’s own glory and contemplates the consummation of the eternal covenant in the church triumphant’s everlasting union and communion with God.

The regulative principle aims to aid the church in ensuring that the elements of worship are unequivocally and positively grounded in Scripture and that the forms and circumstances of worship are in accord with Scripture. The Reformed tradition has not been concerned with forms and circumstances so much for their own sake as much as for the sake of the elements and substance of worship and for the sake of the object and aim of worship.

The Reformers also understood two things often lost on moderns. First, they understood that the liturgy, media, instruments, and vehicles of worship are never neutral, and so exceeding care must be given to the “law of unintended consequences.” Often the medium overwhelms and changes the message.

Second, they knew that the how of worship exists for the what, whom, and why of worship. The purpose of the elements and forms and circumstances of corporate worship is to assure that you are actually doing worship as defined by the God of Scripture, that you are worshiping the God of Scripture, and that your aim in worshiping Him is the aim set forth in Scripture.

So the Reformers cared about the how of worship not because they thought liturgy was mystical or sacramental, but precisely so that the liturgy could get out of the way of the gathered church’s communion with the living God. Its function was not to draw attention to itself but to aid the soul’s communion with God in the gathered company of the saints by serving to convey the Word of God to and from God, from and to His people.

This is why the great Baptist preacher Geoffrey Thomas has said that in true worship men have little thought of the means of worship because their thoughts are on God; true worship is characterized by self-effacement without self-consciousness. That is, in biblical worship we so focus upon God Himself and are so intent to acknowledge His inherent and unique worthiness that we are transfixed by Him, and thus worship is not about what we want or like (nor do His appointed means divert our eyes from Him), but rather it is about meeting with God and delighting in His delights. Praise decentralizes self.

We should also note another thing about the Reformers’ approach to worship. They did not have the same interest in cultural accommodation as many modern evangelical worship theorists do. They were against culture-derived worship and were more concerned to implement principles of Scripture in their specific cultures (and even to emulate the best of the Bible-inspired cultures of Scripture) than they were to reclaim current cultural forms for Christian use. This is precisely one of the areas productive of the greatest controversy in our own age.

What is striking about the Reformed approach to worship is that it requires the substance of corporate worship to be suffused with Scripture and scriptural theology. An apt motto for those who embrace the regulative principle then might be, “Read the Bible, preach the Bible, pray the Bible, sing the Bible, and see the Bible.” This then is our corporate worship manifesto, our call for the doxological reformation of the church: sola scriptura and soli deo gloria.

This material was adapted from the second chapter of Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship, Celebrating the Legacy of James Montgomery Boice (Edited by Philip Graham Ryken, Derek W. H. Thomas, and J. Ligon Duncan III; Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing, 2003), “Foundations for Biblically Directed Worship” by J. Ligon Duncan III. It is reproduced here with permission from the author.

 

[1] D. A. Carson, “Worship under the Word,” in Worship by the Book (ed. D. A. Carson; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 26.

 

[2] I borrow from and pattern this language after the powerful observation of Pat Morley: “There is a God we want, and there is a God who is – and they are not the same God. The turning point of our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is”; The Rest of Your Life (Nashville: Nelson, 1992), 120 (emphasis original).

 

[3] John Piper communicates this as effectively as anyone in our generation. See Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions (Third Edition; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010).

“Pleasing God is at the heart of worship. Therefore, our worship must be informed at every point by the Word of God

as we seek God’s own instructions for worship that is pleasing to Him.” (R.C. Sproul, How Then Shall We Worship)

(3) How Does Scripture Regulate Our Worship? Affirmations & Denials

by David De Bruyn and Co.

(https://religiousaffections.org/articles/articles-on-conservatism/article-7-on-scripture-regulated-worship/)

We affirm that the worship of God is regulated through his Word. Innovation, however well-intentioned, is “will-worship” (Col. 2:23), violates the free consciences of individual Christians (Rom. 14:5, 23), and is therefore displeasing to God (Matt. 15:9). We affirm that the circumstances of worship are matters of prudence, informed by the sound judgment that comes through ordinate affection (Prov. 9:10).

We deny that God desires or is pleased by innovation in matters of faith. We deny that silence from God’s Word on the circumstances of worship renders them amoral, or their mode of implementation a matter of indifference.

_____________________________________

The Christian church is founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 17:1–8; 28:18). Jesus has purchased the church with his own blood, and he owns it absolutely (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 3:11, 23). He gave himself for it that he might present it to himself, holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:27). He appointed his apostles and prophets to speak his words to his followers as he revealed them by his Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:21–22; 1 Cor. 2:10, 13).

Since the apostles and prophets are no longer living, Christians esteem their writings, canonized in the New Testament, as the authoritative teaching of Christ himself (Matt. 10:40; John 13:13–15, 20; Acts 1:2; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Thess. 2:13). Since they communicated the word of Christ, the apostles and prophets serve as the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:19–22; Eph. 4:11–16; 1 Cor. 12:28; cf. Matt. 16:18; Rev. 21:14). Their teachings are fully authoritative, as from Christ himself.

Consequently, Paul told believers to hold fast to the apostolic tradition (1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Thess. 2:15; 1 Cor. 15:1–3), for this tradition comes from Christ. Paul further commanded the Corinthian church, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). This doctrinal foundation, given to Christ’s apostles, is the “good deposit” of apostolic teaching that Timothy was to guard (1 Tim. 6:20; cf. 2 Tim. 1:14; Jude 20). Although apostles could commit personal errors (Gal. 2:11–14), disobedience to an apostle’s commands—i.e., disobedience to apostolic Scripture—constitutes disobedience to Christ himself (2 Thess. 3:14–15).

This robust understanding of the authority of the Word of God leads us to assert that Christian churches must worship God in ways that are prescribed and regulated by God through Christ’s apostles. Since Christ alone has authority over the church, he has the right to say how we must worship. Any attempt to innovate, whether in doctrine or in forms of worship, constitutes a usurpation of the authority of Christ.

The apostle Paul observed that some in Colossae were inventing new doctrines, regulations, and forms of worship that had not been authorized by Christ through his apostles (Col. 2:16–22). Paul designated these innovations as etheolothreskia, a term that means will worship (KJV) or self-made religion (ESV). He made it clear that this kind of roll-your-own-at-home religion was a form of idolatry. In other words, the faith that Christians profess is not self-made. God has revealed it. As he has prescribed our doctrine, God has prescribed our worship.

By attending to New Testament commands and practices, we can ascertain which activities or elements of worship God wishes a church to employ:

  1. Exalting God through the proclamation of his word was commanded by Christ, by Paul, and by Peter (Matt. 28:20; 2 Tim. 4:2–5; 1 Peter 4:11). Such preaching was actually heard in the assemblies of early Christian churches (Acts 6:2; 14:7, 21–22; 15:35; 18:24, 27; 20:7–9, 26–32; cf. 1 Cor. 1:17; Eph. 4:11ff; Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:13). We regard biblical preaching as a required element of worship.
  2. The apostle Paul directly commanded the public reading of Scripture in the churches (1 Tim. 4:13; cf. Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27). As the historical record shows, the reading of Scripture was a regular practice of the apostolic churches. We regard the reading of the biblical text as an authorized element of corporate worship.
  3. Public prayer was both commanded and practiced (Acts 1:14, 24; 2:42; 3:1; 4:31; 6:4; 12:5; 13:3; 16:25; 20:36; etc.;

1 Cor. 11:4–5; 14:15–16; Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17; James 5:13; etc.). One way that the church prayed was by singing to God (1 Cor. 14:15). Furthermore, the apostolic churches were specifically commanded to sing (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:17–20; James 5:13; cf. 1 Cor. 14:26). We regard both prayer and singing as necessary elements of corporate worship.

Sometimes the early church accompanied its prayer with fasting (Acts 13:1–3; 14:23; cf. Matt. 9:15). While fasting was never specifically commanded of New Testament churches, it was clearly practiced. We regard it as a permissible, though not a required, element of the church’s corporate worship.

  1. The apostolic churches regularly practiced giving. Paul referred to the monetary support churches gave their spiritual leaders an “offering,” a term that carries distinct liturgical overtones (Phil. 4:18). Paul further commanded churches to care for needy believers, and to take up the collections for them when they were gathered (1 Cor. 16:1–4). We regard regular giving as a necessary element of corporate worship.
  2. Jesus himself commanded Christian churches to partake in the Lord’s Supper, and this command was elaborated by the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 11:23–26). Jesus and his apostles also commanded believers to be baptized (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:1–4). Baptism is also an act of worship, not only for the person baptized, but also for those who, while observing it, are reminded of the work and perfections of God represented in that holy sign of the profession of our faith. Both baptism and the Lord’s Table were widely practiced in the churches of the New Testament. We regard these ordinances as indispensable elements of corporate worship.

The New Testament provides the authoritative pattern for worship. To introduce some other element is to ask Christians to go beyond what the apostles have given them authority to do (Matt. 15:9). Consequently, adding other practices besides that that are revealed in the New Testament violates the consciences of sincere Christians whose souls are bound to their Lord as Master (Rom. 14:5, 23). We urge those who so desire to add elements to their worship that Christ has not prescribed to consider carefully what is at stake; they may be building with combustible materials or, even worse, doing damage to Christ’s temple (1 Cor. 3:10–17).

Nevertheless, we do not believe that following the apostolic pattern requires us to do exactly what they did in exactly the way they did it. The New Testament prescribes the elements of worship, but it does not always specify the circumstances by which those elements are to be implemented. For example, the New Testament does not require Christians to use a specific language, to gather under specific lighting, to amplify their voices through specific architecture or other technologies, or to order their services in a specific sequence (though we are commanded that our services be done decently and in order; 1 Cor. 14:40).

In other words, while Christians are told what they may do in worship, they are not always told exactly how they are to do it. We recognize that churches exercise liberty in their choice of these circumstances. Nevertheless many (often overlooked) Biblical teachings do provide principles for worshipping God with the prescribed elements.

Therefore, while the choice of circumstances is a matter of prudence, it is not a matter of indifference. The fact that circumstances are not prescribed does not make them amoral or indifferent. The worship of the True and Living God is the principal business of all Christians, and they must exercise discernment in how they go about this business. Christian leaders above all must choose carefully and wisely how to apply these passages, leading their churches to worship the true and living God (Prov. 9:10).

Furthermore, the fact that the elements of worship are prescribed in Scripture does not imply that every element must be present in every act of corporate worship. For example, baptisms may not occur in every worship service. Some services may appropriately focus on only some of the elements. The overall worship of the church, however, must incorporate all of those elements and only those elements that are prescribed by the New Testament if that worship is to be genuinely biblical.

Praise to the Lord!

Oh, let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath,

Come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen
Sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

(Joachim Neander, 1668)

(4) What is the Role of Music in Corporate Worship?

by Matt Merker

(https://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/sermon/worshipping-god-together-through-song/)

One of the greatest privileges we have as a congregation is to praise God together in song.  Because music is such a powerful vehicle for glorifying God and encouraging one another, our desire is to approach worship through song with deliberate thought and care.  Here are five main considerations that give shape to our use of music in our worship services:

1 – We strive to exalt biblical truth in music that leads to an appropriate emotional response.  Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  God created music as a medium that stirs great emotion in the human heart.  Our goal is to harness this power responsibly by using music to highlight and celebrate biblical truth.  We recognize that music can make people feel certain emotions regardless of the lyrics’ message, so we’re careful both to pick songs that have profound biblical content and to avoid over-emotionalizing our music.  The emotion in worship should be a response to the truth of who God is and what he has done.

2 – We strive to cultivate rich congregational singing.  When John views God’s throne room in Revelation 5-7, the whole gathered congregation joins their voices together to praise the Lamb.  Our goal is for singing to be a participatory experience, not an observational experience.  Paul tells the Ephesians to address “one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19), which reminds us that although our worship through song is primarily God-oriented, it also has a secondary purpose of encouraging one another.   For this reason, we print the music for many of our songs to make the melodies (and harmonies) easier to learn, we have plain rather than overwhelming musical instrumentation, and we avoid performances and “special music” in our services.

3 – We strive to use a simple musical style that promotes unity.  Our prayer is that our church would be a community of faith that includes people from all backgrounds and cultures, united in our trust in Jesus Christ. …our hope is that by using a simple style with minimal arrangement and instrumentation, a diverse group of people with varying musical tastes would be able to sing together and enjoy unity around the lyrical content of the songs.  The musical style may not be everyone’s favorite, but that means worship through song is an opportunity for all of us to sacrifice our personal preferences for the sake of the whole congregation.

4 – We strive to appreciate God-honoring music from all eras.  In our services, our aim is to incorporate not the “best of the ‘80s, ‘90s, and today,” but the best from all of the periods of Christian history from which we have music – including today.  Singing edifying hymns from long ago is one way that we appreciate the witness of our brothers and sisters from past centuries who have persevered in the faith.

5 – We strive to reflect the full spectrum of the Christian experience in our music.  Our goal is to sing music that captures the whole array of the Christian life – from the sorrow we have over our sin to the joy of our redemption in Christ, and from the happy expectancy of heaven to the pain of trials and persecution.  We see this variety of expression conveyed wonderfully throughout the Psalms.  Some of the slower, minor key songs we sing may be new to you, but we pray that these hymns would become helpful companions to you during times of suffering, as they have for so many of us.

“Hear how the ungodly world pours out its mirth. Oftentimes their song is so silly it is utterly devoid of meaning.

Are they not ashamed? Then let us not be ashamed. Children of God, sing . . . and let your hearts be joyful before your King!

…Let us sing the songs of Zion. They are as cheerful as Sodom’s songs. Let us drown out the howling nonsense of Gomorrah with the melodies of the New Jerusalem.” (Spurgeon)

(5) Who Picks the Songs?

by Michael Lawrence

(https://www.9marks.org/article/journalwho-should-pick-music/)

…While there are biblical principles that undergirded my answer, in the end it is prudential and pragmatic. Biblically, I believe that some elder should exercise oversight over picking the music and all the other details of the worship service. Prudentially, I think it’s good for the lead preaching pastor to be that individual. Here are the three reasons for these convictions:

1 – Singing is Teaching

We usually think of our singing as the expression of our worship to God. And that’s correct. But that is not all that is going on. Our songs teach and reinforce what we believe about God, and because they are set to music, our songs may often exert a more profound influence upon our members than we realize. As R. W. Dale, a nineteenth-century English Congregationalist minister, remarked in a set of lectures he gave on preaching at Yale University, “Let me write the hymns and the music of a Church and I care very little who writes the theology” (Nine Lectures on Preaching, 1878, p. 271). He may have been overstating the case a bit, but not by much.

Paul instructed the Colossians to admonish and teach one another by “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Col. 3:16). Since teaching occurs when we sing corporately, the elders are responsible to give oversight, and particularly the pastor/elder who’s been given primary responsibility for the teaching ministry of the church (Titus 1:9). If we’re not giving attention to the words that are being sung at our church week in and week out, then we are not being obedient to our calling as elders. Admittedly, this doesn’t require that the lead pastor pick all the music personally. But it does require that he is familiar with it and approves it. In my own church, I work closely with our music leader…. We make a good team, but in the end, as the elder, I’m responsible.

2 – Music is Culture-Shaping

Beyond the overt teaching of our songs, it is undeniable that the music we use and the way we use it shapes and defines the culture of our church. I hardly need to explain this to those who’ve lived through the worship wars in their local church. Those wars have been so intense because they are essentially culture wars, in which music is the proxy for a larger divide between the generations. It is why every church planter wants a like-minded musician on his team. …So from a purely pragmatic perspective, if the pastor wants to give leadership to the shaping of his church’s culture, he has to be involved in decisions about the music.

But what if you want to lead your church in a biblically informed counter-cultural direction? What if you want a multi-generational congregation that is eager to love one another by singing one another’s music? What if you want to promote congregational singing, rather than a passive concert experience? What if you want to encourage a culture of worship that isn’t driven by performance values? What if you want to have corporate worship that expresses itself in more registers than the triumphant and the happy?

Carl Trueman has incisively asked, “What can miserable Christians sing?” (The Wages of Spin, p. 158). That’s a good question in our incessantly happy-clappy contemporary music world. If all you want is a club for twenty-somethings, or baby-boomers, or urban hipsters, then hand the music over to the band. They’ll do a great job. But if you want a culture that is richly textured and diverse, profoundly congregational, and allergic to the values of the entertainment world, then, pastor, you must lead it in that direction, because it won’t go there on its own.

3 – The Whole Service Serves the Word

There is very little explicit instruction in the Bible on what should happen in our corporate worship services. But as Protestants, we’re convinced that the Word is the center and climax, because it is the preaching of the Word that gives us Christ, and it’s the hearing of the Word that elicits faith by the power of the Spirit (Rom. 10:14). Because of that singular and profound truth, it makes sense that the person who is preaching the Word gives time and thought to planning the rest of the service, including picking the songs, so that the entire service prepares for, and then responds to, the preached Word.

In my church, that means settling on a theological theme that arises out of the passage I’m going to preach on, and then selecting a variety of songs and Scripture readings that develop and interact with that theme. What’s more, since the point of Christian worship is the exaltation of Christ in the gospel, there’s an opportunity to arrange the songs, prayer, and readings so that the gospel is explored from the thematic perspective of the sermon text, before the gospel is preached from the sermon text.

The whole service then is not only in service of the Word preached, but is a publication of the gospel itself. While other elders could do this work, it seems to me that the person who’s going to preach the text is in the best position to select and arrange songs with the specific emphasis of the sermon in mind.

…If he is able, the pastor should give leadership to the selection of music. If there are others that can help, he should use them. But one way or another, elders, not the band, should choose the music. I’m not the only person in the conversation about what happens each Sunday morning, but as servant of the Word, I begin the conversation and set the destination. My goal isn’t micromanagement or control. It’s simply that from start to finish, every song we sing, and every other element of the service, serves the Word. Because it is through the Word that we have Christ.

See also: https://religiousaffections.org/articles/hymnody/this-is-why-pastors-should-be-educated-in-music-and-worship/ (by Scott Aniol, with Kevin Bauder)

“In short, we do not simply make music, to some extent music makes us.” (Jeremy S. Begbie)

“Our doctrinal beliefs are not only expressed by the songs we sing, but they are shaped by the songs we sing. If you’re singing truth, you’re memorizing truth that will serve you for a lifetime. But if you’re singing error—if you’re singing mere sentimentality or general theistic truth that could be said of any god—it’s not building your soul. Collin Morris, the BBC Head of Religious Broadcasting in the 1980s, said that ‘hymns plant spiritual time-bombs in the mind.’ Children learn truth even before they understand it—but it will surely ‘go off’ in the future.” (Chris Anderson, Theology That Sticks)

(6) Why Do We Do It That Way?

Explaining Specific Aspects of Our Worship Services

Adapted & Expanded from David De Bruyn

By way of overview, see here as De Bruyn gives biblical reasons for 11 common elements in our worship services, elements which are sadly disappearing in much of the modern church: https://religiousaffections.org/articles/articles-on-worship/including-worship-%e2%80%93-call-worship/

In addition to the above, here are 27 other common questions about our worship services, for which we seek to give brief, biblical and pastoral rationale:

(1) Why do we preach long, expository sermons (from a big, old-fashioned pulpit)?

We believe the preaching of the Word is the single most important discipleship time for the church. Preaching is to expound the Word, giving the correct interpretation of the text in context, and making wise and helpful applications (Ezra 7:10; Neh. 8; 1 Tim. 4:13). We see value in both working through books of the Bible, and in topical messages, though both are to be expository – explaining Scripture.

J.M. Boice writes: We must worship on the basis of the biblical revelation. This is implied in the verses from Matthew’s gospel, for the verse which begins “they worship me in vain” goes on to condemn those who have substituted “rules taught by men” for the only authoritative doctrines of the Bible (Matt. 15:1-9). “Your word is truth,” said Jesus (John 17:17). So if we are to worship “in truth,” our worship must be according to the Bible (Jn. 4:23-24).

When the Protestant Reformation first took place in the sixteenth century under Martin Luther and the doctrines and principles of the Word of God, long covered over by the traditions and encrustations of ceremony of the medieval church, again came forth into prominence, there was an immediate elevation of the Word of God in Protestant services. John Calvin particularly carried this out with thoroughness, ordering that the altars (long the center of the Latin mass) be removed from the churches and that a pulpit with a Bible upon it be placed in the center of the building. This was not to be on one side of the room, but at the very center, where every line of the architecture would carry the gaze of the worshiper to the Book which alone contains the way of salvation and outlines the principles upon which the church of the living God is to be governed (1 Tim. 3:15). (http://articles.ochristian.com/article17756.shtml)

(2) Why don’t we include videos, skits, drama or plays in our services?

We do not use these tools simply because God did not command us to do anything of the sort in His Word. Since God prescribes how we are to worship Him, we must not innovate and come up with our own additions into corporate worship. In the Bible God always frowned upon worship innovations. Also, videos, skits and dramas are often people acting. Since worship is all about utter truth and sincerity, the presence of drama or skits can lend a ‘pretend’ feel to worship which is not helpful for corporate worship.

(3) Why do we also have Sunday evening services?

Here are ten reasons why we love and believe in our Sunday night services, require them for membership and strongly encourage all (who are able) to attend: https://www.antiochbiblechurch.org.za/biblical-reasons-for-loving-sunday-evening-services/

(4) Why do we treat the Lord’s Supper so seriously?

We treat the Lord’s Supper seriously, because that’s what it deserves. The Lord’s Supper is the most important time of fellowship, consecration, memorial and worship that we can experience together as a church. To reflect on the Lord’s sacrifice and our participation in its benefits is perhaps the highpoint of corporate worship. The Bible warns against a flippant use of the ceremony (1 Cor. 11:27-30).

(5) Who should partake of Communion?

We call on only baptised believers to partake. We prefer to guard the Table (and the partakers) from an unlawful partaking – that is, people who are not believers. For that reason, we prefer that parents do not give the elements to their children until those children have been baptised upon a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

See our important document here: https://www.antiochbiblechurch.org.za/children-conversion-and-baptism/

See also here from De Bruyn: https://g3min.org/why-baptism-before-the-lords-supper/

(6) Why do we sing hymns? We sing hymns for several reasons:

First, we are commanded to do so in the Bible (Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:19).

Second, hymns are one of the best ways to worship God in a fitting way. This is because hymns are not art music: they are simple, straightforward tunes and fairly easy to learn. Nevertheless, the music of good hymns matches the content of the lyrics, whether it be sentiments of majesty, reverence, expectancy, reflection, expectation, jubilation and so on.

Third, hymns teach us an enormous amount of truth about God, often packing a lot of doctrinal meat into one hymn. However, hymns are not merely doctrinal statements put to music. They are truth set out imaginatively. The truth is written with metaphors and imagery, so that it grips us in our affections and moves us to respond in a particular way. When the music matches the images of the hymn, it is one of the most powerful ways of responding to God.

Fourth, hymns represent the shared beliefs and affections of the church for two thousand years. When we sing hymns, we include ourselves in that heritage, and learn what it is to worship by example and exposure. It would be quite arrogant to sing only hymns or songs from our modern era, because we are a very small blip on the radar screen of two thousand years of church history. Having said that, we do not object to well-written modern hymns or hymn tunes, and we sing certain modern hymns and songs as well.

(7) Why do we sing the hymns we do?

We try to choose hymns which have several characteristics: First, their content must be true. What they say about God or Christian experience must be Scriptural. Second, they must use images and poetry which will help us to understand God better. A hymn is not a doctrinal statement, it is a lyrical poem, which ought to fire the imagination.

We avoid hymns (some of which are in our hymnal) that use wording that is childish, clichéd or juvenile. We also avoid hymns which treat the things of God ‘too sweetly’. In other words we avoid hymns that are sentimental. We want hymns to produce emotions, but we want the right emotions stirred. To that end, we seek hymns which have tunes (or can be sung to tunes) that match the content of the lyrics. Hymn tunes that sound like nursery rhymes, fun-fair tunes, bar-tunes, children’s story-book music, waltzes or honky-tonk music fail to carry the gravity and majesty of our God.

(8) What about modern praise choruses?

That depends on what you mean by ‘choruses’. A chorus is actually a refrain of a song, that is sung at the end of each stanza. Usually, when people say ‘choruses’ they mean something like ‘simple, shorter songs’. We have no objection to simple songs, because the truth of the Bible is not too complex to grasp. Nor do we have any objection to short songs. We sing some of them. However, there are many choruses which are not merely simple, they are unhelpful for Christian worship, for at least three reasons:

First, they tend to simply repeat a phrase or thought over and over, creating a mantra-like attitude to worship: that if we keep chanting the same thing, somehow we will feel it more.

Second, very often the sentiments contained in those songs represent a kind of response to God which is not appropriate: Jesus as boyfriend, God as daddy. We want to love God and feel love towards Him, but it must be the right kind of love. If love is too harsh, it is brutal. If love is too sweet, it is sentimental. Neither brutality or sentimentality should be in our songs.

Third, too many of these songs tend to shift the focus back to ourselves: “I am worshipping” “I am bowing down” “We’re here to do such-and-such”. Unwittingly, the song becomes about us and our emotions. Emotion is absolutely crucial in worship. However, worship is not about our emotions; it is about God.

(9) Why do we use the music we do?

We believe music communicates emotion. Music symbolically represents human feelings such as excitement, sadness, gladness, zeal, triumph and so on. It does not do so in an exact fashion, like a mathematical formula. But everyone admits that music carries emotional power (movie-makers make sure they provide background music to tell you what kind of emotion is associated with the scene).

When we worship God, we must always ask what kind of love, or joy, or sorrow, or expectancy is the kind which is fitting in response to Him. For example, not all joy is the same – we can be chipper, glib, cheery, optimistic, giggly, satisfied, bitter-sweet, content, etc. We do not have the same kind of joy for our spouses that we do for our pets, nor do we have the same kind of joy for food that we do for sunsets. The affection depends on the object to which it is directed.

Our goal is to pick music which we think represents the kind of love or joy or sorrow or hope ( or whatever other kind of affection is in view) that accords with the God revealed in the Bible. While our music might not always be an exact fit, we as a church strive to approve what is excellent and grow in discernment (Phil 1:9-10, Heb 5:14) so we can sense when a musical form seems to cross the line into inordinate affection. We might not get it right all the time, but that does not mean we can become musical relativists – where truth becomes impossible.

(10) Why do we play music before the service and during the offering?

We play music before and after the service and during collections to enable worshippers to focus on the beauty of God. It also serves to direct our minds to the truth about to be considered, or truth that has already been considered. It is not supposed to be ‘background’ music, but rather music which directs our thoughts and affections towards God.

(11) Why don’t we speak in tongues?

We don’t speak in tongues because we believe the biblical gift of tongues no longer operates like it did in Acts 2, or as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14. That is: a gift of a known human language given to a non-native speaker, whereby he gives some form of revelation from God, in the presence of another believer who has the gift of interpretation, who interprets it back into the native language of the listeners. Since this gift was a sign primarily to unbelievers, we believe the time for this gift was in the transitional time of the church recorded in the book of Acts. We believe the Bible predicted the cessation of the gift of tongues once the apostolic and prophetic foundation of the church had been laid (Eph. 2:20, 1 Cor. 13:8-12).

We are cessationists, so we do not believe the biblical gifts of tongues, prophecy, words of knowledge and wisdom, miracles and healings function today as they did during the apostolic era (see Tim’s sermon here: https://www.antiochbiblechurch.org.za/multimedia-archive/why-i-am-a-cessationist-2-peter-1/). We do not believe that the charismatic interpretation of these biblical gifts, as in modern-day prophecy and charismatic corporate worship, are biblical or spiritually healthy. We encourage believers to exercise their spiritual gifts, by looking for needs in the body, to obey the one-another commands, to seek a variety of avenues of service and to see where they find greatest usefulness and fulfilment (1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Pet. 4:10-11).

(12) Why don’t women preach or lead in our worship services?

We believe women are to be active, fruitful members of the body of Christ, serving and being served by other members. Older women are specifically instructed to teach younger women in godly womanhood. Every avenue of service is available to women except those that place them in a position of headship and spiritual leadership over adult men (1 Tim 2:11-12). For this reason the offices of pastor and elder are for men only, as is any act of public proclamation of the Word of God to a mixed audience.

Public teaching carries with it an injunction to submit to the one teaching, therefore the public teaching of the Word of God to a mixed audience by a woman places men in the dilemma of submitting to both the truth of the Word and to the one who has preached it, violating the principle of male headship in the home and church. Certain other acts in corporate worship, that carry connotations of leadership and public instruction, such as song leading, leading in prayer, or otherwise instructing the congregation, should be performed by men in the public assembly.

(13) Isn’t this view culturally outdated or demeaning for women?

Since we believe that the Bible is God’s Word, we believe God was able to write a book which would not go out of date or be irrelevant. The words written then were not conditioned by a particular cultural situation, nor was Paul a chauvinist or a bigot. Paul grounds these commands in the pre-cultural created order, and in the fall of mankind into sin. We believe that the public preaching of the Word is the declaration of authority, and the one who does so carries derived authority. Since God calls for male headship in the home and in the family, a woman preaching to a mixed audience would violate this principle. Headship does not mean superiority. God regards males and females as spiritual equals, while assigning them different roles in the home and in the church.

(14) Why do we take collections?

We take collections because this has been the practice of the church since the time of the apostles (I Corinthians 16:1-2). The Bible does not tell us how we should take the collection, it simply tells us to make giving part of our Christian lives (2 Cor 8-9). The collection is an opportunity to worship God corporately in the act of sacrificial giving, without it being ostentatious or showy.

(15) What if people want to give through other means?

There is no problem in principle with giving to the Lord through other means, e.g. electronically. However, make sure that even when you give electronically, you are doing so as to the Lord, with a heart of gratitude, love and worship. Don’t let it become a mechanical act, like merely paying a bill.

(16) Why don’t we make our services more ‘seeker-friendly’?

By seeker-friendly, many people mean ‘accommodating a church’s atmosphere to the comfort of the unchurched visitor’. We are certainly desirous to welcome first-time visitors. There is always awkwardness when visiting a church, and we do not want to add to that at all. We try not to draw attention to people publicly, and set up opportunities for guests to be welcomed afterwards.

Having said that, our focus in corporate worship is not evangelism, but worship. Evangelism may sometimes enter in, and a salvation message will often be preached. However, the purpose of church is not to attract the unbeliever, but to edify the saint as he or she exalts Christ in worship. Therefore, we do things which believers growing in grace will appreciate and participate in. It is not wrong for an unbeliever to be a curious witness or ‘eavesdropper’ on our services, even though they do not appreciate or understand it all. It may be one of the things the Lord uses to draw such a person to Himself (I Cor 14:24-25).

(17) How should people dress for church?

We do not make any demands of people on their dress to corporate worship, except the commands for modesty given in I Tim 2:9 and I Pet 3:3-4. Certainly, we are happy to have unbelievers come in almost any form of dress! However, our dress communicates meaning. We all know this. We dress differently at a picnic from a job interview. We dress differently to a court than we do to a family braai. Our dress at a funeral differs from our dress at the mall.

The occasion has a particular meaning, so we typically dress to reflect our understanding of that occasion. All we ask of believers is to consider the occasion of corporate worship. Is it serious? Is it reverent? Is it important? If so, then in some form, our dress should reflect that. Certainly, the external clothing is not enough to make up for an internal attitude that is irreverent or flippant. However, when the heart is right, such externals like dress certainly help us (and those who see us) make the most of corporate worship.

(18) How should we enter the sanctuary for the worship service, and how should we exit?

“Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.” (Ps. 24:3-4)

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God” (Eccl. 5:1). Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29). Never should we approach God in corporate worship in a flippant, cavalier or casual manner. Punctuality also shows our respect for the great God we come to worship, and for our fellow worshippers. If you had long ago booked an appointment with a revered CEO or other towering figure in business, politics, sports, etc., how prepared and punctual would you be for that coveted appointment? (You know the answer.). Why then would we give any less honour to the King of the Universe, who is also our very own heavenly Father who gave His Son to redeem us (Malachi 1, beware of giving God our leftovers).

A reverent, worshipful attitude can be expressed in various ways, depending on a person’s religious background and other factors. At Antioch, most people arrive in the sanctuary eager to greet their brothers and sisters in Christ and to fellowship, until we hear that opening introit song calling us into worship. But there are some who prefer to arrive and first sit quietly and prepare for the service, which we should fully respect and make space for wherever possible (avoiding excessive noise nearby; finding another spot to catch-up with friends)

At the end of the service, sometimes the preacher will ask that you remain seated to ponder what you’ve heard in the sermon. Others might prefer to do this anyway, sitting down before leaving the sanctuary; this too is a practice we should respect and allow space for wherever possible. Meanwhile, most prefer to use the time after service for further greeting and fellowship with the saints, discussing the sermon, and caring for one another – all of which we also welcome (Rom. 16; 1 Cor. 16:19-24; 2 Cor. 13:11-14).

On Sunday mornings, we don’t typically have a closing hymn, so that we can allow the preached Word of God to be the last sound heard, still ringing in our ears. Yet on Sunday evenings, we enjoying closing off the service and framing the entire Lord’s Day with a sung benediction.

(19) Why do we speak of the “music leader”, not calling him the ‘worship leader’, nor speaking of a ‘worship team/band’?

Because the biblical definition of worship is never synonymous with the music or singing; that is a modern invention of the charismatic movement. The preacher is far more of the worship leader in using the bulk of the service to expound the Word of God so that worshippers will know God rightly and respond appropriately to His greatness and worth. The climax of a worship service is not an emotional high point in the music; it is the preaching of God’s Word as it manifests His glory.

(20) Is it biblical to have special music (song items), and special concerts (e.g., Christmas, Easter, etc.)?

1 Cor. 14:26, Paul says of worship at Corinth: “Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm…. Let all things be done for edification.” If the “psalm” was a musical offering in worship (cf. Col 3:16), then this might be evidence of individual singing as part of the NT worship experience. Bob Kauflin explains:

God’s Word says we’re to be “addressing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19). It’s normal to understand that as congregational singing. …But listening to someone else sing can affect us too, and is an application of Eph. 5:19. God isn’t specific here about whether we’re all singing at the same time or taking turns. It’s also not clear from the Old Testament that everyone sang the entire time at the Temple. If anything, the evidence leans towards the Levites leading the singing by themselves, with the congregation occasionally singing in response. So Scripturally, there’s room for solos, duets, or different groups singing to the rest of the church.

If someone sings simply to demonstrate their musical skill, to draw attention to themselves, or because they’re sincere (but have a terrible voice), they won’t be “teaching and admonishing” others “in all wisdom” as we’re commanded to do in Col. 3:16. If a singer moves in sensual or distracting ways, or seems completely unaffected as they sing, that is also inappropriate. …But if God has gifted certain people in your church to sing songs with passion, clarity, and beauty, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use them occasionally, even regularly, to stir up Godward affections in people’s hearts with their gifts.

The best soloists are able to direct people’s attention to God rather than themselves. They do that through a combination of skill, humility, and natural expressiveness. … listening can be an act of worship as much as singing. An effective musical presentation can help us see God more clearly and encourage us to praise him more wholeheartedly after listening. (https://worshipmatters.com/2007/09/14/what-about-vocal-solos-on-sunday-mornings/)

The word “performance” is not synonymous with the word “entertainment.” Rather, “performance” can be the ultimate test and finality of discipline, training, and rehearsal. In this sense a musician’s use of his/her musical talent in a worship service is a “performance.” (https://www.gracedupage.org/beliefs/corporate-worship-at-grace-church-of-dupage)

(21) Is it biblical to have a music team (vocalists) and/or a choir that assist the music leader and congregation?

In the OT, a group of Levites were tasked with special singing (not just leading the entire congregation in musical worship; cf. 1 Chron .15:15-22; 16:4-6; 25:6-8; Neh .12:8). The antiphonal refrain, “For his mercy endures forever,” in Psalm 136 also seems to argue for a choir (cf. 2 Chron. 5:13; 7:6). We might also mention the various groups that sing in the heavenly worship recorded in Revelation (the four living creatures, the 24 elders, the angels, and all creatures).

Robert Reyburn expands: Choirs, with both men and women singers (Neh. 7:67; 2 Chron. 35:25), were organized for the worship of the temple and were placed under the direction of able musicians (1 Chron. 25). Choral singing was accompanied by instruments, indeed in the temple by a full orchestra, as is also indicated in the titles of various psalms (e.g. Ps. 6). From material provided in Chronicles and the psalms themselves, we learn that Heman, Asaph, and Jeduthun were directors of separate temple choirs (Heman’s choir, for example, was apparently known as the “Sons of Korah.”) The title, “For the Choirmaster” or “For the Director of Music,” attached to fifty-five psalms, indicates that psalms or anthems, whatever may have been their origin (e.g. Ps. 51), were collected and arranged for the use of the temple choirs.

The fact that an emphasis was placed on the temple singing being directed and accompanied by trained and skilled musicians indicates that part of the reason for having a choir was to offer particularly beautiful singing to the Lord, singing that was beyond the capability of the congregation itself. Much choral music, though we can hardly say how much, in the Old Testament and in Christian history since, was antiphonal, in which one choir responded to another, or one side to another (e.g. Neh. 12:24). In modern times the antiphonal effect has been incorporated into our polyphonic music, with voices singing different parts in harmony. Some of the most beautiful music in the world was written to be sung by the choirs of Christian churches.

…There have been and are today no doubt churches in which choirs do supplant the congregation’s own singing. But, as the Bible itself shows us, in a properly ordered worship, both choir and congregation have a proper role. …Few Christians have not had the experience of being stirred by the beauty of a sacred text sung well by a choir as part of a service of worship. (https://www.faithtacoma.org/nl-worship/nl-worship-09)

Or as another scholar writes: Based on the survey of biblical literature, there is no command to have a choir. It is, however, scripturally mandated that we sing and sing corporately. If that singing occasionally finds expression in a choral fashion, then that can add to the worship experience. That being said, simply dismissing choral music in worship would be to ignore how powerfully choirs were used in the worship of the Old Testament. There is a significant biblical heritage for the choir in worship. Like any system that fallen man touches, the choir in worship can be corrupted and mishandled. In spite of that, the choir has the potential and, more importantly, the biblical blessing to bring something unique and special to worship.

…Luther wanted the choir to aid the congregation in their singing and to add some beauty to the service. Franklin Segler echoes Luther’s sentiments: ‘The church choir has two tasks in worship. First, it should lead the congregation in expressing worship through the singing of hymns. Second, it should provide choral music which will inspire and enrich the worship experience of the entire congregation.’ (https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/midwestern-journal-theology/02-2_184.pdf)

“The choir can prepare the hymn and introduce it immediately before the congregation sings it for the first time or simply serve as a force to help lead the singing. Choirs can function as corporate teaching ensembles and should be employed in helpful, creative ways in worship.” (p. 249, by Paul. S. Jones of Tenth Presbyterian, in Give Praise to God, 2003 by P&R)

“The congregation is the chief instrument of praise, the one indispensable choir (God’s favourite instrument)! …our choirs understand that first among their ministry responsibilities is leading the congregation in singing. This is foremast a heart matter, then one of earnest example. When we introduce new music, we make sure the choirs have it down first. This makes new hymns and songs less daunting.” (pp. 171-72, K. Hughes, Worship by the Book, ed. D.A. Carson)

(22) Which musical instruments should be allowed in corporate worship? (In addition to our answer to Question #9 above, on pg. 10.)

Psalm 150 gives quite a comprehensive list of instruments employed in the public praise of God. Here are some further helpful answers: There may not be any example of a New Testament church using musical instruments, but, by the same token, the New Testament nowhere condemns musical instruments in the church. It’s natural to come up with rules that are not in the Bible, but we should be very slow to require what Scripture does not require or to forbid what Scripture does not forbid (1 Cor. 4:6). (https://www.gotquestions.org/musical-instruments-church.html)

If one should question whether such practical implications and imperatives for the present-day church can be drawn from the Old Testament (about musical instruments), it can hard­ly escape the attentive Bible-reader’s notice that the New Testament doesn’t seem to let up on instrumental song. Jesus sings God’s praises using psalms (Hebrews 2:12; Psalm 22:22; cf. Romans 15:7-13; Luke 24:44), with no indication that he means less by song than his Old Covenant broth­ers and sisters experienced and enjoyed.

Paul’s command to make music “with your heart fully engaged” includes both singing and instrumenta­tion (Ephesians 5:19-20). John’s vision from the Lord Jesus in Revelation is thundering and ringing with instrumental music and song all around (Revelation 1:10; 4:1; 5:8-11; 14:2). The Holy Spirit tells all Christians, furthermore, to cock their ears for the sound of the trumpet call of God (1 Cor. 15:52; Matt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:16)! So tune your instruments under the baton of the Mas­ter-Musician. Warm up your voices with his songs. De­velop and master new musical skills by the power of his Spirit. Let the music for the King, still thunder and ring! (https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/musical-instruments-and-musicians-worship-confessional-perspective)

(23) Why are all our songs in English, not also in other vernacular languages of South Africa? Why not be more multicultural and display in worship the diversity of this rainbow nation?

We occasionally do enjoy special music (song items) in other languages in the worship service, as long as English translation is provided – so that we can all “worship with the understanding” (1 Cor. 14). But the biblical goal of congregational singing, and of the entire corporate worship service, is unity, not diversity. As our seminary states in our position on social justice:

We affirm that the most powerful statement of the church’s true supernatural nature is its oneness and unity, and that the church should display a Christ-centred unity that transcends ethnicity, sex, age or other social barriers. We deny that such unity means uniformity. The church is a host of redeemed nations of many tongues, tribes and ethnicities. Diversity of appearance, food, custom, language, and art, when under the lordship of Christ, is a great joy. (John 13:15; 17:11-22; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:11-22; Colossians 3:11; Revelation 5:9)

We affirm the beauty of diversity in the church, and of the pleasure of multi-ethnic fellowship in our common Lord…. We affirm the importance of striving to maintain our Spirit-given unity in the body of Christ. We deny that diversity is simply a plurality of variegated views tolerated under the same roof. True diversity is seen in 1 Corinthians 12, where differences unite in a single organism, whereas false diversity allows for independent co-existence. The body of Christ is not a host for competing worldviews and divergent sensibilities, but a body where people diverse in appearance, background, and social status strive for “one mind”. (Ephesians 4:1-3; Romans 15:6; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Philippians 1:27, 2:2; 1 Peter 3:8)

…We therefore further deny that “multiculturalism” is a valid objective for the church, for the church is not to have multiple religions and worldviews within itself. (Romans 1:18-32; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 4:4-6,17-24; Colossians 2:8; 3:5-11; 1 Peter 1:18-19) (https://www.shepherdsafrica.co.za/2020/08/14/on-social-justice-the-woke-church-affirmations-denials-by-the-faculty-of-shepherds-seminary-africa/)

All of our corporate worship, music and singing should reflect the above biblical convictions – applied with much love, patience, grace, forbearance and Christian tolerance of one another’s differences (Eph. 4:1-6).

(24) Why don’t we do altar calls at the end of the service?

From Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: I feel that this pressure which is put upon people to come forward in decision ultimately is due to a lack of faith in the work and operation of the Holy Spirit. We are to preach the Word, and if we do it properly, there will be a call to a decision that comes in the message, and then we leave it to the Spirit to act upon people. …I feel it is wrong to put pressure directly on the will. The order in Scripture seems to be this – the truth is presented to the mind, which moves the heart, and that in turn moves the will. (https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2003/dr-lloyd-jones-on-the-altar-call/)

From another wise pastor: In short, I believe that this particular man-made practice of altar calls, this 19th-century innovation (from Charles Finney), has produced more bad than good for Christian churches in the West. The altar call relies on the powers of emotion, rhetorical persuasion, and social pressure to induce people to make a hasty and premature decision. And producing professions is not the same thing as making disciples (Matt. 28:19). …How many people in the last century walked an aisle, and spent the rest of their days convinced that they were a Christian, never considering how they lived! The alternative to giving altar calls is sticking with the practices we see modeled in Scripture:

  • Invite people throughout your sermon to “repent and be baptized” like Peter did in Jerusalem (Acts 2:38). But when you do, don’t just stand there waiting with emotionally charged music playing, staring them down until they relent. Rather, make several suggestions about how and where to discuss the matter further.
  • Ask people what they believe when they present themselves for baptism, just like Jesus made sure the disciples knew who he was (Matt. 16:13-17; also, 1 John 4:1-3).
  • Make sure they understand what following Jesus entails (Matt. 16:24f; John 6:53-60).
  • Explain that the fruit of their lives and persevering to the end will indicate whether or not they really believe (Matt. 7:24f; 10:22).
  • You might even explain that Jesus has commanded your church to remove them from its fellowship if their life moving forward does not match their profession (Matt. 18:15-17).

(https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/you-asked-should-churches-perform-altar-calls/)

(25) Why do we do parent dedication services on Sunday evenings (but not baby dedication or infant baptism)?

Mark 10:13–14 says, “And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'” Just as Jesus has a special love for children, we want to emulate Christ’s love to the children in our church. We understand the important role parents play in raising their children. Our role as the church is to encourage parents as they raise their children biblically in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).

One simply way to encourage this is through Parent Dedication. While Parent Dedication is not a biblical mandate, it is a time in which our church partners with families by praying for the parents and their babies. It is also a time publicly to give thanks for the gift of children and to celebrate the sanctity of life amidst our pro-abortion culture of death.

Our church seeks to come alongside the parents and reinforce what the parents are already teaching their children in the home. It is also a time for parents to dedicate themselves publicly in the responsibility of nurturing their children in the fear of the Lord(as stated in our Church Covenant) (adapted from: https://www.gracechurch.org/children/posts/1742)

See more here: https://www.antiochbiblechurch.org.za/children-conversion-and-baptism/

(26) What are non-members (regular attenders) allowed to do in our worship services?

We strongly encourage families to serve the Lord together in the local church: “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:15). Along with actively participating in every aspect of the worship service itself, families can also minister together informally in a myriad of ways before and after services – e.g., in greeting and ministering to others, setting a godly example, showing Christian hospitality, welcoming visitors, inviting folks over, and much more. We also encourage member families to bring along their children/youth to sing in our occasional choir (for seasonal/special events), play their instruments for occasional song items, or serve behind the scenes on sound, projection, or elsewhere.

However, we reserve the regular, up-front ministries on our monthly teams for only members (e.g., music teams with vocalists and musicians). This gives our children a clear goal to work towards, and helps preserve an important distinction and the very definition and nature of a regenerate church membership, consisting only of baptised, communing members in good-standing. Again, see here for more: https://www.antiochbiblechurch.org.za/children-conversion-and-baptism/

(27) Why do we encourage parents to train their children to sit in the worship service?

Why not just send the kids off to some kind of ‘children’s church’ to entertain them, instead of the ‘boring’ main service for adults? Answer: Because there is no such thing as ‘children’s church’ in the Bible; there is only the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ – made of true believers of all ages, worshipping God, together, with their families. This whole idea of children not being in corporate worship is a very recent invention, unknown to the vast majority of church history and the worship of God’s people.

Deut. 31:12-13, “Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the LORD your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God….” (cf. same in 2 Chron. 20:13; 31:18; Neh. 12:43)

Coming to the New Testament, in both the Ephesian and Colossian church, the Apostle Paul naturally assumes the children are seated there by the time he comes to instruct and exhort them in his epistles: “Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord” (Col. 3:20; cf. Eph. 6:1-3).

It’s fine to have a crèche until kids are able to sit through the service, as we do at Antioch. We want to help young families however we can! But our goal is to be together as families, in God’s presence, under His Word. So we do all we can at home, through regularly family worship, to prepare children to be able eventually to sit through a Sunday worship service. If you aren’t sure where to start, ask an older or more experienced family for help. That’s what godly friendship and discipling is all about.

Once a visiting university student told me this was what struck her most on her first visit to Antioch and led to her conversion: seeing children so attentive to the preaching of God’s Word! We love kids, so we don’t want them to miss out on this peak event and high point in our week – hearing Christ speaking to us by His Word. Much more in parenting is caught than taught – so what better than for your kids to see you doing something unlike anything else you do all week long – to see you off-line, with eyes lifted to God in praise, ears open to hear His Word.

Think about it – between ages 5 and 18, if you attend Sunday morning and evening regularly, your kids spend some 1,200 worship services with Dad & Mom giving glory to the King of Heaven. The impact that has on your kids is incalculable! Here is where they find out what Dad & Mom really live for, really get most excited about, what really makes their parents tick.

See also: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/should-children-sit-through-big-church; https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-family-together-in-gods-presence; https://g3min.org/12-resources-for-helping-kids-sit-quietly-in-church/

APPENDIX: How Do You Know When You’ve Worshipped?

A Theology of Christian Worship

by Scott Aniol

(https://g3min.org/a-theology-of-christian-worship/)

Believers from the earliest years of Christianity—especially those coming out of Judaism—struggled with how to understand the relationship between Israel’s worship, Christian worship, and the real worship of heaven. In fact, the confusion escalated to such a point that some apostatized from Christianity in favor of returning to the worship of their Jewish heritage.

The book of Hebrews functions as the New Testament’s supreme answer to this fundamental problem, which was written specifically to warn those Christian converts tempted to return to Jewish worship. And in particular, what the book of Hebrews reveals is that the proper relationship between worship as it was in the beginning and worship as it is now is found in our present relationship to the worship of world without end.

The climax of the author’s argument is found at the end of chapter 12:

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.)

Notice the presence of three worship emphases in this climatic text. The author begins with as it was in the beginning, what may be touched—the physical forms of Old Testament worship as represented by Mt. Sinai. Then he moves into as it is now in verse 22 when he says, “But you”—present Christians—“have come to Mt. Zion.” And yet, his description of this mount to which they have come points directly to the world without end: “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” This is the heavenly temple Isaiah and John envisioned, the place where God himself dwells, surrounded by joyful angels, “the assembly of the firstborn,” and “the spirits of the righteous made perfect.” To this heavenly city where God dwells Christian worshipers come to him rather than he coming down to them as in the Sinai experience and his presence in the tabernacle and temple.

The author of Hebrews contrasts these locations of worship in a number of ways throughout the book. He distinguishes between “the true tent that the Lord set up” and the one set up by man (8:1–2). This heavenly tent is “greater and more perfect” since it is “not made with hands, that is, not of this creation” (9:11). He calls the earthly places of worship and all that they entail “copies of the heavenly things” (9:23) and “copies of the true things” (9:24). The Law in general is “a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities” (10:1).

In other words, the author of Hebrews is explicitly correcting those who define the essence of worship by the Old Testament shadows rather than understanding what those shadows represent—the true worship of heaven.

But you have come, the author of Hebrews tells Christians, to the reality—to the true worship of heaven itself. Paul describes this reality for Christians in Ephesians 2:6 when he states that God has “raised us up with [Christ] and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Christ is seated in heaven, and since we are in him, we are with him there. And he tells us how just a few verses down in Ephesians 2:18: “For through [Christ] we . . . have access in one Spirit to the Father.” We have access to the Father because in one Spirit through Christ, we are actually there, in the presence of God, in heaven. This is why we give glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, for each person of the Tri-unity of God plays an active role in what makes worship in God’s presence possible for Christians.

This is the central message of the gospel—we sinners who were far off now have access to the presence of God in one Spirit by grace through faith in the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ. This is the gospel, but don’t miss the essential connection between this gospel message and Christian worship. Paul explicitly makes this connection in Ephesians 2 by alluding to the shadows of Old Testament worship in his explanation of our present reality as Christians. We sinners were far off, we were unable to draw near to the sanctuary of God’s presence. But now, in the Spirit, through Christ, we have access—we can draw near.

“So then,” verse 19, “you are no longer strangers and aliens [those prohibited from entering the sanctuary of God’s presence], but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” That’s a phrase that alludes to the OT temple, and notice how Paul continues to build this imagery of the NT temple, the church: “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

This reveals the essential connection between the gospel and the theology of heavenly worship—through Christ in the Spirit we have access to the presence of God. The goal of the gospel is to enable us to draw near to the presence of God, in his house, in his heavenly temple, where we are then able to commune with him. In other words, we Christians no longer come to the shadows, in and through Christ, by the Spirit, we now come to the reality of the worship of the world without end. The problem with much of medieval worship, and a danger even for worship today, is if we chase after shadows rather than the truth form of reality.

But we must also be careful to avoid a second error. On the one hand, we no longer worship by means of the shadows, we recognize that we are joining in the real worship of the world without end. But on the other hand, although this is a very real reality, we must also recognize that it is not yet a physical reality. Our bodies are still here on earth, while we really are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. What this reveals is the important spiritual essence of our participation in the heavenly worship of God through Christ. As Paul says in Ephesians 2, we have access in one Spirit. The Spirit of God is the agent who makes this possible because it is a spiritual reality. The church is God’s temple, the place of his dwelling, but this temple is not a physical location or literal building, but rather a spiritual reality. And it’s not even that the physical gatherings of the church are God’s temple; rather, the true temple is in heaven, and we are spiritual part of that real temple.

The problem is that physical human beings naturally tend toward defining the essence of our communion with God in physical terms. This is one reason Christians have often gravitated toward the external forms of Old Testament worship—they “feel” more real. And this is why Christians often gravitate toward an experiential focus in worship where we define the presence of God in physical, sensual terms. We know that the Bible teaches that we are seated in the heavens with Christ, we know that we are God’s temple, we know that we have access to the presence of God through Christ in the Spirit, but we want physical proof of these spiritual realities. We want to be able to “feel” God’s presence; we want to tangibly experience communion with God. And so, when we’re asked the question, how do you know that you’ve worshiped, we want to be able to say something like “I felt God.” I experienced his presence.

But here’s what we need to remember: while we truly are in God’s presence through Christ, it is in the Spirit, and it is not yet a physical reality. It will one day be a physical reality. Paul says in Colossians 3:4, “When Christ who is your life appears [bodily], then you also will appear [bodily] with him in glory.” But that time has not yet come. We are already there spiritually, but not yet bodily.

This is why faith is necessary for communion with God in this already/not yet relationship between worship as it is now and worship of the world without end. Hebrews 10:22 says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Faith is the means by which we are able to draw near to communion with God through Christ in the heavenly temple, though we do not yet experience that communion in physical ways. The author of Hebrews defines faith in chapter 11 as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” He says in verse 6 that without faith, “it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

We need faith as we draw near to communion with God because even though we know we have access to the presence of God in the real temple of heaven, we cannot see it; we cannot see God or feel God or experience God with any of our physical senses. Our communion with God is at its essence spiritual. And so, we come with assurance and conviction that when we draw near through Christ, we are actually in the presence of God in heaven even though we have no tangible, physical proof. When we’re asked the question, how do you know you’ve worshiped, we ought to answer: I know I’ve worshiped, because I drew near to God, through Christ, with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.

Our worship now is a spiritual participation of heavenly worship meant to form us to live now in light of the true form of reality. Worship now should embody the theological pattern of true worship as foreshadowed in the rituals of OT worship and revealed in the biblical visions of heavenly worship. From creation to consummation, the corporate worship of God’s people is a memorial—a reenactment—of the “theo-logic” of true worship: God’s call for his people to commune with him through the sacrifice of atonement that he has provided, listening to his Word, responding with praise and obedience, and culminating with a beautiful picture of perfect communion with God in the form of a feast. This reenactment in a corporate worship service of God’s work for us is what will progressively form into us the theo-logic of heavenly worship.

This is why historic worship services, intentionally structured on the basis of this theological pattern, have always followed a standard order: Worshipers begin with God’s call for them to worship him, followed by adoration and praise. They then confess their sins to him and receive assurance of pardon in Christ. They thank him for their salvation, they hear his Word preached, and they respond with dedication. And the climax of all historic Christian worship has always been expression of communion with God through celebrating the Lord’s Table.

To eat at Christ’s Table is the most powerful expression that Christians are accepted by him, memorially reenacting Christ’s death until he comes again. All of the Scripture readings, prayers, and songs in this order are carefully chosen for their appropriateness in a particular function within the service structure shaped by the true reality of worship in the world without end.

Worship now that is shaped by the true spiritual realities of heavenly worship is what God has designed to sanctify us to live by faith in light of those realities, just like the saints of old. Paul says in Titus 2:12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,”—so he’s talking about the gospel that brings salvation, but then notice what else he says the gospel does: “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” In other words, the gospel that saved us is also the gospel that sanctifies us—the gospel that reconciled us to God, that brought us near to him, is the gospel that will continue to grow our relationship with him. We don’t just believe the gospel for salvation and then leave it behind; even as believers, we must continually renew ourselves in the gospel so that it continues to train us and cultivate our relationship with God.

And notice what Paul says next: “Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Worship in this life that is shaped by our covenant relationship with God through the gospel, the spiritual realities of heavenly worship, sanctifies us into people who live in light of that relationship as we wait for our blessed hope. By reenacting what we are in Christ, Christian worshipers become what we are.

We come now by faith and not by sight since we are not yet there physically; but one day faith will be sight. Now, we gather around Christ’s table to remember the hope of glory, and we are with him spiritually, though we cannot see him with physical eyes. One day we will sit at his table in our physical, glorified bodies, clothed in fine linen, bright and pure, and we will see Christ bodily with our physical eyes. And we will join our physical voices with “the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory.’”

We will eternally sing praise to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (12:27–29).

Further caution from Scott Aniol on recovering biblical worship:

…Slick programs, emotional manipulation, and engineered “worship” is not limited to contemporary worship. Even many “traditional” churches, dependent as they are on having a large choir and orchestra or pipe organ in order to “feel” like worship is taking place, often rely on external stimuli to create the worship experience.

The need for “emotional vitality” in worship did not start with the rise of contemporary worship; it started much earlier, first with Romanticism, and then with the theological underpinnings of Revivalism. Charismatic worship was only the next stage in a development in Western Civilization that had begun with Beethoven.

Yet true worship is never rooted in the physical, and any attempt, whether contemporary or traditional, to create an atmosphere of “worship” or otherwise “move” people to worship is a failure to worship by faith. Problems with worship today are deeper than debates between contemporary and traditional. Post-enlightenment thinking has created cultural conditions that make us all desire physical proof of spiritual reality. It is this mentality we must fight against in our attempt to recover biblical worship.

(https://religiousaffections.org/articles/articles-on-worship/beyond-contemporary-traditional/)

~~~

Other favourite quotes on worship:

From James Montgomery Boice: [In light of Rom. 12:1-2, a life of worship, not conforming to the world but having a renewed mind]…the chief (though not the only cause) of today’s mindlessness is television, which is not a teaching or informing medium as most people suppose it is but rather a means of entertainment. Because it is so pervasive–the average American household has the television on more than seven hours a day–it is programming us to think that the chief end of man is to be entertained. How can people whose minds are filled with the brainless babble of the evening sitcoms have anything but trivial thoughts when they come to God’s house on Sundays morning if, in fact, that they thoughts of God at all? How can they appreciate his holiness if their heads are full or the moral muck of the afternoon talk shows? They cannot. So all they can look for in church, if they look for anything, is something to make them feel good for a short while before they go back to our television culture.

…The symptoms are all there. The decline is everywhere apparent. What is the cause? The answer is…the inconsequentiality of truth in our lives…the weightlessness of God in our experience. We do not reject God. He just doesn’t matter to us. We live as if he were non-existent. And what that must mean ultimately is that we really do not know God at all. If we do not know God, how can we possibly begin to worship him?(“What is Worship?”: http://articles.ochristian.com/article17756.shtml)

 

J.C. Ryle: “Public worship has always been one of God’s great instruments in doing good to the souls of men. Preventing public worship causes great spiritual injury to people. Only removal of the Bible itself could do greater harm.”

Al Martin: Our Father, we thank You with all of our hearts for Your holy Word. We thank You that You have given us this blessed Book as a revelation of Your mind and Your will. We pray that as we have reflected together on this great, massive issue of the sanctity, the purity of Your worship, that You would take Your Word and apply it to every heart with power, and grant that in our day we may see an increasing return to that worship in spirit and in truth which You seek and which You delight to receive from Your people through Jesus Christ the Lord.

We ask for those who sit amongst us who see no beauty to captivate the eyes of their soul, who see nothing that elicits wonder and awe and mystery. O God, have mercy upon them in their poor, lost condition. Open their blinded eyes, and lovingly and powerfully draw them to the knowledge of Your Son. Seal Your Word to our hearts, O God, our Father, and accept this poor expression of our attempts to call upon Your name, to worship You, to magnify and exalt Your high and holy name. Hear us. We plead through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (https://trinitypastorsconference.org/our-vision-for-these-days-7-a-recovery-of-biblical-worship/)

“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God,

to feed the mind with the truth of God,

to purge the imagination by the beauty of God,

to open the heart to the love of God,

to devote the will to the purpose of God.” (William Temple)

~~~

…And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped (Revelation 5).

~~~

A.W. Pink: “O that the Spirit of God may so work upon and within all of us that the language of our lives, as well as that of our hearts and lips, may be “Worthy is the Lamb”—worthy of whole-hearted consecration, worthy of unstinted devotion, worthy of that love which is manifested by keeping His commandments, worthy of real worship. May it be so for His name’s sake.” (https://gracegems.org/Pink/worship.htm)

~~~

Holy, Holy, Holy! all the saints adore Thee;
Casting down their golden crowns beside the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

(Reginald Heber, 1826)