God’s Son is the Lord of the church. He sends his Spirit to all believers, as they gather together. His presence is in the assembly. The Spirit inspired Scripture, which the church should study, deriving doctrine from it. The Spirit will also inspire praise and worship in the Son’s community. Finally, this post has a table of the famous “one another” verses.
Let’s begin.
I.. The Spirit in the Church
A.. The Spirit birthed the New Covenant church at Pentecost.
It is not as if the movement Jesus formed during his ministry were made up of unbelievers, but the numbers were small, when compared with the global outreach in the book of Acts. So it is accurate to say the church as a growing and expanding organism began when the Spirit fell on the 120 believers in the upper room (Acts 2:1-4).
But was it birthed only at Pentecost? Some theologians say that godly believers in the OT should be included in the church, the greater ekklēsia. They may be right because believers in the New Covenant church was surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1), who had been named in the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11. Further, the New Covenant Christians are part of the ekklēsia enrolled in heaven, so the church can be extended to the holy ones, commonly called saints, who have already died in the OT times. They are “the church of the firstborn [Jesus], whose names are written in heaven” (Heb. 12:23).
On the other side of the discussion, Jesus said “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18), which is in the future tense. Christ is the cornerstone of the temple, the church (Eph. 2:20). So it seems there is a shift from the OT ekklēsia to the NT ekklēsia, and the change is embodied in Christ. He is the clearest revelation.
Therefore, we can conclude that the OT believers were forerunners of the New Covenant believers, and the latter group fulfills and completes and clarifies the message of the gospel and of Christi’s headship and Lordship, themes which were only partly revealed in the OT. Both groups are important, but at Pentecost the Spirit birthed New Covenant church.
B.. He dwells in the church.
In the context of God’s judgment, Paul tells the Corinthians that together they are God’s temple, and he will protect it, even if he has to “destroy” its destroyers. Sobering words. But the main idea for this post is that the Spirit lives in the new temple (the church) as he once did in the old temple in Jerusalem (1 Cor. 3:16-17). Paul repeats this idea of the Spirit living in the new temple—all of us together (Eph. 2:22). That’s a wonderful promise for the church. Maybe we should do less fighting and more loving.
C.. He appoints ministers in the Church.
In Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders, he says the Spirit appointed them to be overseers, so they should be diligent to care for the flock (Acts 20:28).
D.. He directs decisions in the church.
At the Jerusalem council, in James’s letter to the Gentile believers, whom he called “brothers,” he wrote that the Holy Spirit told them not to burden them with too many rules (Acts 15:28).
E.. He chooses and commissions missionary-apostles.
Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen (Menahem), and Saul were praying for direction and just seeking God’s face. The Spirit finally spoke to them, to send Barnabas and Saul for their first missionary journey (Acts 13:2-4). Expect the Spirit to speak to you, too, but please be warned of directional prophecies that come out of left field. Rather, they should confirm what God has already put on your heart. But if they do seem to come out of left field, then put them on the shelf and let God fulfill them, if they came from him.
F.. He directs the missionary endeavors and projects and direction.
The Spirit told Philip to approach the wagon on which the Ethiopian eunuch was riding, exactly at the time he was reading a Messianic prophecy (Acts 8:29). Paul and Barnabas intended to go into Asia, but the Spirit prevented them (Acts 16:8-7). This shows that the Spirit has to direct us and spare us from a good idea, as distinct from a God idea. Sometimes they are the same, but in other circumstances they are different.
II. Scripture in the Church
A.. The earliest church taught the words of Jesus.
The earliest proclaimers of the gospel remembered what he said or asked those who followed him from the beginning what he had said.
Just before going up into heaven after his resurrection, Jesus in the Great Commission said to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching them to observe all that he had commanded them (Matt. 28:19-20). His commands are authoritative and must be taught.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, and Peter finished preaching to the extra-devout crowd in Jerusalem by quoting from the Old Testament, the author of Acts, Luke, writes that the disciples devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). The words “devoted themselves” comes from the one Greek verb and implies that meaning, because kartereō means to “persevere” and “endure” (Heb. 11:27). It is as if they were looking towards or paying intense attention to “the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship and the breaking of bread and to prayer.” The people were leaning in.
In Acts 5:42 the apostles went regularly to the Jerusalem temple and from house to house and proclaimed Jesus is the Messiah. In Acts 15:33, Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch and taught and proclaimed the word of the Lord. In Corinth Paul stayed a year and a half and taught the word of God among them (Acts 18:11). He stayed in Ephesus for two years, so that the Greek and Jews in Asia heard the word of the Lord (Acts 19:10). Then on his quick return to a nearby town, on his way back to Israel, he reminded the Ephesian elders that he did not shrink from proclaiming the whole counsel of God.
Luke writes with Paul speaking:
20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. […] 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. (Acts 20:20-22, 27).
A key phrase is the “whole will of God.” “Will” could be translated as “counsel,” which comes from the Greek noun boulē (pronounced boo-lay), and it can also mean, depending on the context, “plan, purpose.” Believers need the fullest teaching of the Scriptures and God’s ways, not just the happy tidbits. See v. 21 which discusses repentance, which is an elementary teaching. People need to go beyond these elementary teachings, and v. 21 is parallel to Heb. 6:1-2, which lists more elementary doctrines.
Finally, Paul spent two whole years in Rome and preached the kingdom of God and teaching the about the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:30-31).
So the apostles made teaching their top priority, and the people listened to them. Today we have some of their teachings written in Acts and their epistles. It would be to our advantage to listen their teachings, as well.
B.. Paul taught God’s grace.
He was the apostle of grace. Galatians and Romans is all about it (e.g. Gal. 3 and Rom 3-4). In Acts 20:32, he reminds the Ephesian elders that the “word of his grace” is the message about Jesus. In other words, Paul offered repentance and salvation through Jesus, and that’s the message of grace. People do not need to work up self-effort to be accepted to God. All they need to do is repent and receive his love and grace. The word of grace builds up believers by reminding them of where they came from, what God has done in their lives, and where he is taking them. Only his grace will see them through to the end.
C.. Doctrine and reading Scripture in public is important.
Paul writes:
13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, preaching and teaching […] 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Tim. 4:13, 16)
The word Scripture is implied, for it is not in the original Greek, but it is clear by the context and by process of elimination. Paul did not expect Timothy to read pagan myths and novels (they existed back then) and other such things to the congregation. The word teaching, appearing twice, is the noun, which could be translated “doctrine,” and is not merely the act of teaching.
Then Paul wrote to Timothy that he should entrust to reliable men what he had heard from Paul before many witnesses (2 Tim. 2:2). He also told him to be unfailing in teaching (doctrine). “For the time will come when people will put up with sound doctrine.” Instead, certain teachers were going to draw lots of people to themselves and teach them what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim. 4:2-3). The “hopes and dreams and passions” doctrine that is circulating through the Western church is just ear scratching. Yes, we need to be successful in our endeavors because when we are, God gets the glory and we prosper, and then we can give to his kingdom. However, this is not even close to the main theme of Scripture. Most importantly, Paul wrote to Titus that he should teach sound doctrine (Ti. 2:1).
D.. All Scripture is inspired and the source of doctrine.
Paul writes:
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Once again, the word teaching is the noun, so it does not mean the act of teaching, but doctrine. Scripture is the Old Testament, but since the New Covenant sets aside the Old Sinai Covenant, the “God breathed” quality can transfer over to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles.
The Word can develop one’s inner conviction, which most translations have as “reproof.” In other words, Scripture guides the believer away from bad teaching develops inner convictions.
The translation “correcting” has the word Greek stem ortho– in it, and it means “straight” and “true,” but most translations have “correction.” In any case, God-breathed Scripture can straighten out our defective and bad ideas.
E.. The church teaches first the milk and then the meat.
Peter wrote that “pure milk” is for newborn babies so that they can grow up in salvation (1 Pet. 2:2). On the other side, we must not drink milk forever and exclusively. The author of Hebrews writes:
Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[a] and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment (Heb. 6:1-2)
And Paul writes:
“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?” (1 Cor. 3:1-3).
“”Mere humans” means prone to cave into sinful desires and actions. The fault was not in Paul’s teaching, but in human nature too. Are people ready to grow up?
And the author of Hebrew writes relevantly:
12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Heb. 5:12-14)
Dr. Williams warns that the church at large is falling short of advanced teaching:
The sad truth is that many people come to church hungry, but receive no milk at all or impure milk, that is, milk adulterated by false, impure, human-biased ingredients. The pure milk, the ‘sincere milk’ must be drawn whole from Scripture and everything said and taught in consonance with it. (vol. 3, p. 112)
F.. Teachers need to arise and instruct the church.
The pastors and elders cannot teach by themselves. Small group leaders, Sunday School teachers, and other teachers should share in the load. The more the congregation matures in the Word of God, the more people are correctly trained to teach. Ephesians 4:11-12 says that Christ himself gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to build up the body of Christ. It is a team effort.
G.. Both the Old and New Testaments must be taught.
Sad to say, but there is a trend in the American church to “unhitch” the NT from the OT. But the OT still have the highest value. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:6 that the things written there serve as examples, often for what not to do. Paul repeats the same truth in Romans: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).
After he was resurrected, Jesus explained to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus that the recent events were predicted in the Scriptures, from Moses and all the prophets and in all of Scriptures (Luke 24:27). Philip the Evangelist taught Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, beginning from all the Scripture (Acts 8:35). In Acts 3, Peter proclaimed the resurrection through the OT.
However, in the church, the OT must be filtered through the NT. Some of the Old Covenant punishments, for example, were for ancient Israel living in a designated Holy Land. These laws were designed to show how seriously the violation were in God’s sight. But this is not to say that God will not and is not judging the church, as Peter notes, writing that judgment begins with the family of God (1 Pet. 4:17). But judgment in the New Covenant takes on a different form, like not treating private sexual sins (e.g. adultery or homosexual) as capital crimes. Instead, the NT treats these “crimes” as forgivable sins, on the sinner’s genuine repentance. For this age, before the final judgment, God disciplines his Son’s followers for the purpose of improving their walk with God (Heb. 12:4-13).
Today there is a movement in America towards Jewish roots (Americans are very trendy). Maybe such knowledge is valid up to a point. But if a believer in Jesus wants to fulfill the festival of Pentecost, for example, he can do no better than following the New Covenant way of fulfilling it: the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Let him hit his knees and ask for a fresh infilling. The same goes for the Passover. The believer can just focus on Jesus on the cross when he takes communion.
Most importantly, Christ is called the Word (John 1:1-3), so his teachings take priority, and the four Gospels should be taught. As noted, the apostles left behind their words in their epistles. Let’s read and learn from them. The Book of Acts records the activities and teachings of the apostles and evangelists and prophets.
III.. Praise and Worship in the Church
A.. Reverence and awe
“True worship is suffused with a spirit of reverence and awe” (Williams, vol. 3, p. 91). In today’s atmosphere of leaping and bouncing—which is a joy to see—we must not forget these two biblical, Spirit-inspired virtues. Hebrews 12:28-29 says that the people of God should offer acceptable worship to God with reverence and awe, for God is a consuming fire. God will burn off the wood, hay and stubble from our lives right here and now, or at judgment (1 Cor. 3:10-15). Hebrews 12:22 says that we come spiritually to Mt. Zion in the presence of God, the consuming fire. Deuteronomy 4:24 also says that God is a consuming fire and will burn away idolatry. Exodus 3:5 teaches us that Moses approached the burning bush that did not consume itself, and it was God speaking in the bush—the preincarnate Son of God. Moses was commanded to take off his sandals. Holiness and awe.
Exodus 19:16-19 says:
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain, Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him (Exod. 19:16-19).
It is true that we no longer approach fearsome Mt. Sinai (Heb. 12:18-24; Gal. 4:24-25), because we are under the New Covenant, but the awesomeness of God has never diminished, and we need to worship in reverence and awe. When the Philistines took the ark of the covenant, which housed the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written, their god, Dagon, fell and broke before the ark’s presence (1 Sam. 5:4). This is a picture of God’s awesomeness ultimately defeating Satan. When the ark was offered back to the Israelites at the town of Beth Shemesh, because the Philistines were being afflicted by God for sheltering it, God followed the Sinai Covenant which contains his wrath (Rom. 4:15) and eliminated seventy Israelites who peeked inside it. The people of the town cried out, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, the holy God?” (1 Sam. 6:20). Once again, we do not live under the old Sinai Covenant, but God has never lost his holiness and awesomeness.
Isaiah 6 teaches us that Isaiah saw the LORD high and lifted up, and he felt impure, living among a people with impurities. The seraphim cried, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is filled with his glory” (v. 3). If the seraphim worship in awe and reverence, so should we.
First Kings 8:11 says that at the dedication of the temple, the priests were unable to perform their duties. Why not? Here’s why: “And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple.” We can experience that today—or let’s pray we can.
Revelation 4:8 says that the four living creatures cried before the throne, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” Why aren’t we doing that? God’s holiness, reverence and awe.
Myriads of angels proclaimed, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev. 5:12). Every creature in heaven and earth and sea also cried out, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.” The twenty-four elders fell down and worshipped (Rev. 5:8-14). They guide us on how we too should worship, unreservedly. Falling down and prostrating oneself is the first step in worship in fear and awe.
Revelation 14:7 signifies how we should be in God’s presence: We must fear God and give him glory, for the hour of judgment has come, and we must worship him who made the heaven and earth and sea and fountains of water. Fearing and glorifying him is a good balance to celebrating him with unrestrained joy. Both components are needed.
Matthew 6:9 says that we should call God our Father, in a family relationship, but then Jesus said we need to praise his holy name or make it set apart or sanctify it with our words and in our minds. “Hallowed be thy name.” “Name” is God’s character and his being and himself. We approach God with both familiarity and reverence.
Habakkuk 2:20 says that the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. The church is on the earth, so we too should have moments of reverential silence.
Williams insightfully writes:
Protestant churches [I assume he means charismatic Protestant churches] especially often lack a spirit of reverence in worship. The main gathering place for worship is frequently viewed as an auditorium (a place to hear) rather than a sanctuary (a holy meeting place). There is little to no room to kneel, and so the psalmist’s call “Let us kneel before the LORD our maker!” (Ps. 95:6) is neither heeded nor practically possible. Moreover, the people often gather to talk first with one another rather than to look expectantly to God. How many churches need to recover a sense of worship and awe!” (vol. 3, p. 92)
B.. Worship in the church is Trinitarian.
Christianity, by explaining all of Scripture, offers the fullest revelation of who God really is. Worship leaders and song writers and pastors must take this into account. They worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Deuteronomy 6:4 offers the famous shema: “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one.” The Hebrew word for God is Elohim, and the –im ending indicates masculine plural. So it works out like this: Elohim (plurality) is one (unity). Jesus repeats this phrase in Mark 12:29: “The Lord our God is one,” and Paul does the same in Galatians 3:20: “God is one.” Christians worship one God, but within this one God are three persons. Plurality in unity is a perfect, boiled-down, beginning statement of the Triunity of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit contained within one God.
Revelation 4:8 shows the figures in heaven worshipping the Lord God Almighty, and in Rev. 5:13 the Lamb of God is worshipped, who was also sitting on the throne. Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12 say that God is the First and the Last. Revelation 1:17; 21:6; 22:13 repeat the total primacy of Christ by calling him the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. Therefore Christ is part of the Godhead. He is the beginning—he is before all things and began it all. He is the end, after him nothing can exist. He is the eternal Being. He embraces and encompasses the whole universe. When the Son is worshipped, it is not any other being than God who is worshipped.
Jesus said that true worshippers worship the Father in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23). Wise men fell down and worshipped Jesus (Matt. 2:11), and those in the boat worshipped him, after he calmed the storm (Matt. 14:33). The women at the tomb took hold of his feet and worshipped him (Matt. 28:9). So the Father and Son are worshipped.
Now what about the Spirit? There seems to be no direct evidence that the Spirit is worshipped. He mission is to testify to Jesus (John 14:26; 15:26) and to lead Jesus’s followers to glorify him (John 16:14). But other verses show that the Spirit is fully God, so on that basis it is permitted to include him in our praise and worship songs and prayers: “Come, Holy Spirit!”
Being filled with the Spirit continually is a part of worship, and we sing in the Spirit and give thanks in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father (Eph. 5:18-20). We thank God in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Spirit. So here the Trinity is involved in the believers’ lives and worship activity. The Spirit enables and inspires them to praise God.
Singers and song writers and pastors do not have to mention the formal doctrine of the Trinity at every turn, but they must honor the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in their lyrics and prayers, at various times, without getting legalistic. That is, no lyricist should feel pressure to always name all three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in every single song. Sometimes the song is Christocentric, other times it is theocentric (Father-centered), and some songs can call on the Spirit to come and fill the place of worship and people’s hearts: pneumatocentric (or Spirit-centered). Thus, the three persons of God are worshipped.
C.. Worship in the church balances freedom and order.
Some free-flowing Renewalists believe that the more freedom prevails in a church service, then the Spirit can move and operate. Traditional Renewalists believe in stronger order because the Spirit can work through liturgy. Both sides need to understand this tension more fully.
As for freedom, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:17 that “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty” or freedom. When God’s people get together, they should exhibit a spontaneity in worship. Paul says we should speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). Apparently the Ephesian church (and other churches that also received this circulating letter) sang (or “spoke”) these songs to each other, which indicates a liberty of soul and heart. “Spiritual songs” may indicate those musical messages instantaneously inspired by the Spirit. Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 14:15, which contrasts singing in his spirit in an unknown language or with his mind in a known language. But caution must be shown in singing in the Spirit in the local assembly because people won’t understand it, and it is useless to them (1 Cor. 14:13-19. However, if the singer singing in a prayer language is confident that an interpretation will be forthcoming, then he should step out in faith. Sometimes the entire congregation sings in the Spirit, but it is not clear how this follows the guidelines in 1 Cor. 14:13-19, though I have enjoyed hearing it because I am not a newcomer or unbeliever (1 Cor. 14:22-23).
In New Covenant worship, newness should be a part, but not newness for its own sake. Yes, the old hymns are wonderful, but what is wrong with new songs? Psalm 98:1 says, “O sing to the Lord a new song.” Mary sang a new song to the Lord, after baby John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb (Luke 1:46-55). If we were to repeat some of it over and over, it would no longer be a new song. The leaders in Revelation 5:9 sang a new song. Why not down here on earth? If someone has a new song, let her submit it to the worship team by her singing it, so they can test it. Or sometimes she may just sing it out, like a prophecy, and the others should judge it. Expect to receive new songs, church of God. But I urge worship leaders to stay away from novelty for its own sake or for entertainment. Nonetheless, “For freedom Christ has set you free” (Gal. 5:1). Let’s hope the churches will retain liberty and freshness in worship.
Now what about order? It should also come into play in church worship. The Corinthian church was very gifted in the charismata, and Paul has to offer them guidelines in how they exercised them (1 Cor. 12 and 14). For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33). The Greek word for “disorder” can also be translated as “unruliness,” “tumult,” “unsettledness,” or “disturbance.” “But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1 Cor. 14:40). The Greek word for “fitting” can be translated a “decorum.” Liberty in worship should not degenerate into confusion and chaos (Williams, vol. 3, p. 105). Charismatic meetings that allow actions like barking, roaring, meowing and such like are wrong, Scripturally thinking.
To illustrate why God values order, God in his essence is three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so there is order in his being. Each has his role to play in the role of redemption, for example. If God’s very being is this way, so should our worship be.
Liturgy has its place. Even very charismatic churches have an order to them: introduction (welcome!), singing, announcements, offering, prayer for needs, preaching, ministry time for first-time salvation for unbelievers or rededication for believers and personal prayers. Sometimes the order will shift a little, but not much. And charismatic churches don’t need to feel they are compromising freedom in worship, either, when they follow that order. People have order in their minds, and they need it at church too. Some churches print an order of service. The Spirit can work in this order. Order in freedom and freedom in order,
D.. Worship in the church is in Spirit and truth.
In the famous passage in John 4:1-42, Jesus dialogued with a Samaritan woman, while the disciples went into the local village to buy some food. He revealed to her that she has had five husbands, and the one she has now is not her husband (vv. 17-18). “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet” (v. 19). Then she changed the subject to the dispute between worshipping on Mt. Gerizim or Mt. Zion. Jesus replied that it did not matter and added, […] “God is Spirit, and his worshippers must worship in Spirit and in truth” (v. 24). In John 4:24, “in Spirit” can mean in one’s spirit or in (the Holy) Spirit. The NIV has it right: “in Spirit.” All worship must be inspired by God. Therefore worship leaders must seek him and live in the Spirit. Jesus’s response also reveals that worship is not confined to a central sanctuary or in a church on Sunday morning. People can worship at any time and in any place.
True worship must be based on the word of God and right doctrine. So it is important that worship leaders have regular Bible reading time. Their lyrics must reflect God’s character—his greatness, goodness, and love. The church should also be concerned with doctrinal truth. If a lyricist at church is a novice about basic Bible truths, then she should sit quietly and learn. She must go to Bible study. She can, as noted, submit her song to a mature team or the “doctrine expert” (whoever that may be) at her local church. The lyrics nowadays are about a personal journey. “I know that you love me.” This seems ego-centric. The point is that God loves you whether you realize it or not.
One day we may hear a biblical warning in a song that says God is a judge and will even judge the Christian’s words and deeds! Even a passing line about this biblical truth and future reality would be a shock! But I won’t hold my breath for it in today’s climate.
E.. Worship in the church must be total.
Everyone—all people—worship with their entire being. So let’s divide this section into two parts. First, in NT worship everyone must participate from all
Psalm148:1-3, 11 says:
Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD all his angels; praise him all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies […] kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. (Ps. 148:1-3, 11)
Psalm 106:8 says, “Let all the people [of Israel] say ‘Amen!’”
Revelation 19:5 says: “Then a voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small.’” Class distinctions do not matter in heaven. Everyone who has surrendered to God is his servant, and they must praise him. This “must” will actually flow from the heart, out of genuine gratitude for salvation and redemption.
In each of those verses, all peoples are to praise him, and Psalm 148 even calls creation to praise the Lord.
Further, worship in the church service must be done by all. It is not an auditorium where the specialists perform. Yes, soloists can be seen as teachers and edifiers, but the people must also sing. Choirs are biblical in the psalms, where it is estimated that 55 times the word choir appears. It also appears in other verses in later, second-temple Judaism (1 Chron. 15:27; Neh. 12:31, 38, 40, 42). However, people must join in. Even at concerts where bands perform, people will even sing with the band. You can’t stop them, for it seems to be embedded in their nature, and that’s good.
Sometimes the congregation will break out in song, and in that case the worship leader in front should follow and join in or stand aside and let it happen. No, this is not disorder, because everyone is on the same page. So it is beautiful to see and hear. Unfortunately, it does not happen nowadays, probably because platform leaders are very intense and dominant. They don’t allow even for a moment of silence. The people would not know what to do with such silence. But in the Charismatic Renewal, spontaneous songs used to happen often.
First Corinthians 14:28 uses the word each: “When you assemble, each one has a hymn, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a prayer language, has an interpretation—let everything happen for building up” (my translation). In smaller meetings, this personal participation can happen more easily, but even in large meeting a prayer language can be given, if the interpretation follows. It may seem odd that a teaching comes from the congregation, and it should not, unless the person is known. But in small home groups, teachings were given all the time in the Charismatic Renewal. In one which I regularly attended, the leader used to ask, “Does anyone have something to share?” And a guy regularly gave a brief teaching, as he unzipped his Bible cover with deliberate effect. And then someone else would teach for a moment. Once in a while, someone broke out into a song. It was thrilling when someone sang in the Spirit, with or without an interpretation. We all sang! We did not say he was crazy because we were not novices or newcomers. But once again, this was done only in a small group, where everyone understood what the gift of tongues was about.
Second, worship must come from our whole being. Psalm 103:1 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” That verse is a favorite of many people (including me). We are called to give our whole soul to bless the Lord. Matthew 22:37 says, “Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” These piled on synonyms express the one of idea of worshipping God with our whole and entire being.
Worshipping with our whole being includes the body: bowing and kneeling (2 Chron. 7:1-3), trembling (Pss. 96:6; 99:1; 114:7; Jer. 5:22), prostrating (Rev. 4:10), clapping (Ps. 47:1), lifting hands (Pss. 28:2; 63:4; 1 Tim. 2:8) and lifting heads (Ps. 3:3), and dancing (Pss. 149:3; 150:4). The Psalmist and King David danced with all his might (2 Sam. 6:14). His wife Michal mocked him, and this displeased the LORD (2 Sam. 6:23). When Solomon finished his dedicatory prayer for the newly built temple, he had been kneeling and spreading out his hands towards heaven (1 Kings 8:54). Do we have such an unbridled, uninhibited stance when we worship in front of people?
People really get into sporting events, cheering and yelling and jumping up and down and hugging, when their team scores. Why wouldn’t we do the same to cheer God and his wonderful deeds? Sometimes churches have dancers, usually women, and often the platform leaders jump up and down nowadays. But we must make sure everything must be done with decorum (1 Cor. 14:33, 40).
F.. Joy and exuberance and exultation
Let’s not always and permanently remain in a state of reverence and awe. Let’s leave room for exuberance and exultation. Williams says that praise should take priority because “because it is the worship of God Himself” (p. 92).
Psalm 150 says, “Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the Lord!” (v. 6). Now our focus is off the self and on God, where it belongs. No matter what your trial, praise the Lord! Holy, holy, Holy, quoted above, expresses the triune God. Then the author says “is the Lord Almighty.” This turns the focus on God. Our revelation of the true nature of God is clearer than that of the psalmist, though the Hebrew Bible nowhere denies the Trinity when the Scriptures are properly understood.
Ephesians 5:18-20 says we need to be filled with the Spirit and to keep on being filled. Why? We speak to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs from the Spirit. “Spiritual songs” speaks of singing in the Spirit or Spirit-inspired languages (commonly and archaically called “tongues”). We do this in church and in our prayer closet, as we sing and make music in our hearts to the Lord. So worship is public and private. The goal is to give “thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 20). So this passage combines praising God with hymns and thanksgiving.
Psalm 95:2 says we should enter his presence with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. We must make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise. Never discount the fact that the house of God, set apart to him, is a place of his presence. In the previous section, reverence and awe were the important components, but praise and thanksgiving and joy are the other side of the worship coin. Psalms 107 and 136 begin with “O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, and his steadfast love endures forever.” Even when God does not appear to be good in your tiny mind, he still is.
In the New Covenant, our deliverance is Spirit-inspired and permanent through Christ. God expresses his love through his Son, and Paul writes: “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift” (2 Cor. 9:15). Colossians. 3:16-17 says,
[…] “As you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:16-17)
This is a parallel to Ephesians 5:18-20, but here it is public worship, so we should not sing in our Spirit-inspired languages, formerly and archaically called “tongues,” to one another because people would not understand it (1 Cor. 14:8-17).
In Luke 1:46-55 Mary magnifies the Lord for the announcement of the birth of her Son. It is called “Mary’s Song.” In Luke 1:68-79 Zechariah’s tongue was released when his son John (the future Baptist) was born, and he began his song “Praise be to the Lord.” Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God with poetry (Luke 2:28-32).
G.. Humility and contrition and repentance
Isaiah 57:15 the Lord, who dwells in the high and holy place, will also dwell with those who have a contrite and humble spirit. God will take up residence in your life if you show contrition and humility. God does not like arrogance. He specializes in humbling people, but for a purpose, so they can give their lives to him and follow his lead.
David prayed that the acceptable sacrifice to God is a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart (Ps. 51:17). God will not despise us or turn his back on us when we have it. When you stand before a holy God, you tremble—or should tremble. When we see him in part after we die, we will fall on our faces, like the twenty-four elders did (Rev. 5:8-14).
In Isaiah 6, the holy prophet felt he was ruined when he caught a glimpse, a vision, of God. “Woe is me!” (v. 5). In God’s holy presence, there is a deep sense of unholiness in us. Now at this point I could say that Christ is our holiness, and that’s true (1 Cor. 1:30), and we can come boldly before the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). But we miss something if we strut into God’s throne room.
One doctrine and reality in our lives is repentance. It means a “change of mind.” It denotes a radical and profound moral turn of the whole person from sin to God. Repentance goes together with the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3; 24:7). Sins are blotted out in repentance (Acts 3:19; 5:31; 11:18; 21:21).
Those three Spirit-inspired virtues are not gingered up by self-effort. In the old days, people forced themselves to show contrition and humility and repentance, as if they are spiritual works that come by willpower. The only point is what Williams writes:
There are many churches that in worship have a fine season [time of worship in a church service] of praise and thanksgiving—everything from psalms and hymns and spiritual songs—but almost totally lack in the matter of confession. This ought not to be. The God who is high and lifted up, indeed “enthroned upon the praises of his people” (Ps. 22:3), is a holy God, so that the more we become aware of His awesome presence, the more we must also sense a need for humility and contrition, confession and forgiveness. (p. 95)
H.. Consecration and dedication and offerings
The tithe—ten percent off gross pay—is rooted in an obsolete theocracy that used the resources to support an obsolete temple complex. Therefore, the tithe no long applies today in the post-cross church life. Incidentally, Williams agrees with me (or I agree with him) on tithing no longer belonging to the New Testament church (p. 99).
See my post about tithing:
Why Tithing Does Not Apply to New Covenant Believers
However, at that link, I show that offerings and generosity are very much valid today. God loves cheerful givers (2 Cor. 9:7). Jesus praised the widow who gave two copper coins, over the givers who offered more than two copper coins. She gave everything she had, while they gave a mere surplus (Luke 21:1-4). If we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly. People must consecrate their finances to God—set it apart to him—because he owns it all. Let him do with it what he wills. And then Malachi 3:10 promises that God will pour out blessings on us. Yes, that looks like prosperity, but so what? You can’t give what you don’t have. If all of God’s people were poor, then how can the gospel go around the globe? It takes money in the world today.
More than money, God wants his people’s hearts. They should be given an opportunity to offer their lives to him. This is done during ministry time. It is best if it comes at the end of the service, because the singing inspires people, and the word instructs them. They hear about God and conclude they have fallen short of his glory. The pastor offers the call of salvation for nonbelievers and rededication for believers.
Generosity in the New Testament
Two sections of Scripture clarify the matter. Isaiah 6, as noted, says that when Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, he felt unclean. But a seraph put a coal of fire on his lips, and he was sanctified and consecrated at that moment. Then Isaiah heard the Lord say, “Who will go? Whom shall I send?” Isaiah replied, “Here I am! Send me!” (v. 8). Cleansing and sanctification and dedication come from encountering the Lord. The second section of Scripture is found Romans 12:1, which says that we must offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is our spiritual or reasonable act of worship. This sacrifice is total dedication or rededication of our lives. Christ sacrificed himself for us, and now we do the same for us, by the power of the Spirit, not our own willpower.
IV.. Community in the Church
A.. Koinōnia
Recall that this word means “fellowship, communion, participation, and sharing” (Mounce, p. 247). It means mutual sharing among believers. This noun describes the spirit or camaraderie or attitude in the gathering of believers. It is the Spirit we share within a physical gathering.
1.. The basis of community
It begins in Genesis. Genesis 2:18 says that it is not good for man to be alone, so God made a suitable helper for him. God walked with humankind and womankind in the cool of the day in the garden. We are made for fellowship with God, at our core.
Fellowship with God is seen in John 15:3-4. Jesus teaches us through the image of the vine and the branches. When the branches stay connected to the vine, they have a life-source. This is deep fellowship. It is amazing that we are invited into relationship with God himself. And now, according to 1 Corinthians 1:9, God has called us into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. We can enjoy fellowship in the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14).
Matthew 18:20 promises restoration of the intimate fellowship with God through Christ because he said that where two or three are gathered together in his name, he is in their midst.
In Philippians 2:1 Paul writes a series of hypothetical “if’s,” with the implied answer of yes. Here is one: “If there is a common sharing of in the Spirit” [….]. We can share commonalities in the Spirit, with God himself and with each other.
First John 1:3, 7 says that Christians can have fellowship when everyone has fellowship with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, because his blood purifies us from all sin. In context, this means that the proto-Gnostics, who proclaimed that deliberate sin was no big deal, could not have fellowship with believers in Jesus. People must walk in God’s light, not sin’s darkness.
Another basis of our fellowship is the word of God, common meals and prayer. The earliest church, which started in Jerusalem, gathered together for hearing the apostles’ teaching and breaking of bread and prayer (Acts 2:42).
2.. Expression of community
Christ prayed for it. John 17:20-23 is profound. In his long prayer, he asks the Father to grant Christ disciples in the future to be as one, as the Father and Son are one, just as the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father. Then they are to be in him, and he in them, so that they may be brought into complete unity. So unity is one expression of fellowship.
Another expression of fellowship is mutual sharing. In Acts 2:44-45, the earliest believers shared everything in common, so that no one had any need. This is a small community of the few thousand of voluntary members. Be careful about imposing the sharing by government compulsion on a national scale, however.
An expression of fellowship is prayer. In Romans 15:30-32 Paul asks the Roman Christians to pray for him, so he can be kept safe from unbelievers in Judea, and he could deliver the money the Corinthians and other Achaeans and Macedonians gave the church in Judea. They are asked to pray that he can visit them soon.
Paul has to remind the Corinthians that pagans offered sacrifices to demons, so Christians could not participate in the table of the Lord and the table of demons or the cup of the Lord and cup of demons. The two must be kept separate. The essential point is that the Corinthians shared the Lord’s Supper often (1 Cor. 10:16-17).
Leaders welcomed and endorsed each other. James (the Lord’s half-brother), Peter, and John gave Paul the righthand of fellowship and recognized the grace God gave him, when he went to Jerusalem (Gal. 2:9).
Finally, unity is proclaimed in Psalm 133:1. It is “good and pleasant when God’s people live together in unity!”
B.. Table of Community
These are the famous “one another” verses in the New Testament. (I recall that my roommate developed them at seminary in the late 1970s and shared them with his professors, and eventually his list went “viral” before there was a worldwide web, but I may have my chronology wrong here.) The method was to interpret the imperative verbs (e.g. “Love one another”), but I added a few other ideas.
|
Table of Community |
||
| One Another | Scriptures | |
| 1 | Be devoted to one another | Rom. 12:10 |
| 2 | Live in harmony with another | Rom. 12:16; 1 Pet. 3:8 |
| 3 | Accept one another | Rom. 15:7 |
| 4 | Instruct one another | Rom. 15:14 |
| 5 | Each member of the body belongs to one another | Rom. 12:5 |
| 6 | Use your gifts for one another | 1 Cor. 12:7; 1 Pet. 4:10 |
| 7 | Honor one another | Rom. 12:10 |
| 8 | Stop passing judgment on one another | Rom. 14:13 |
| 9 | Share with one another | 2 Cor. 8:7, 13-15 |
| 10 | Greet one another | 2 Cor. 13:12 |
| 11 | Serve one another in love | Gal. 5:13 |
| 12 | Carry one another’s burdens | Gal. 6:2 |
| 13 | Be kind to one another | Eph. 4:12; 1 Thess. 5:15 |
| 14 | Forgive one another | Eph. 4:32 |
| 15 | Look to interests of others | Phil. 2:3-4 |
| 16 | Bear with one another | Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:13 |
| 17 | Love one another | John 13:34; 15:12-17; Col. 3:14; 1 John 4:11-12 |
| 18 | Admonish one another | Col. 3:16 |
| 19 | Let love increase and overflow for one another | 1 Thess. 3:12 |
| 20 | Consider others better than yourselves | Phil. 2:3 |
| 21 | Have equal concern for one another | 1 Cor. 12:25 |
| 22 | Be encouraged by each other’s faith | Rom. 1:12 |
| 23 | Be compassionate to one another | Eph. 4:32 |
| 24 | Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ | Eph. 5:21 |
| 25 | Encourage one another | 1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 10:25 |
| 26 | Build up one another | 1 Thess. 5:11 |
| 27 | Live in peace with one another | 1 Thess. 5:13 |
| 28 | Spur one another to good works | Heb. 10:24 |
| 29 | Confess your sins to each other | Jas. 5:16 |
| 30 | Pray for one another | Jas. 5:16 |
| 31 | Be hospitable to one another | 1 Pet. 4:9 |
| 32 | Clothe yourself with humility for one another | 1 Pet. 5:5 |
| 33 | Have fellowship with one another | 1 John 1:7 |
| 34 | In coming together to eat, wait for one another | 1 Cor. 11:33 |
| 35 | Let us not envy one another | Gal. 5:26 |
| 36 | Do not lie to one another | Col. 3:9 |
You must go regularly to church or fellowship. Meeting together on Sunday morning at a large, mid-sized, or small church is a good thing—is a commanded thing. Why do we need to meet regularly? Those “one another” verses explain the answer. We are built for relationships.
V.. Application
A.. Experiencing the glory of God in worship
First Kings 8:11 says that at the dedication of the temple, the priests were unable to perform their duties. Why not? Here’s why: “And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple.” We can experience that today—or let’s pray we can. Consider this verse, however. “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with them” (Matt. 18:20). That is in the context of church discipline, but we can apply the promise to church services. Even if we do not see a glory cloud, Scripture promises us his presence when we gather. We can count on Scripture and take his presence by faith.
B.. Experiencing the presence of God in worship
God wants to bless his children with his presence. He gives it to them when they gather together and pray and worship in his name. God is glad to meet the needs of his children. So he offers his gifts, to penetrate through the natural world and get in touch with God’s domain, his kingdom. For example, if anyone is sick, let him call the elders of the church, who are to pray for him. The prayer of faith will raise him up (Jas. 5:14-15). The gifts listed in 1 Cor. 12:7-11 are ready for use. If someone is oppressed by the devil, the gifts of discerning of spirits is designed is available to help. The bottom line: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with them” (Matt. 18:20). Even if we do not see a glory cloud, Scripture promises us his presence when we gather.
C.. Balanced view of worship
I hope this post presented a balanced view of biblical worship. Order and freedom, Spirit and truth, and body, soul and spirit. You can go to a church where the Spirit leads you. If you are not clear about the Spirit’s leading, then just start with a church where you feel “at home” in your Scripture-trained inner being. Whether it is more liturgical or free-flowing, just be sure it is Bible based, Spirit filled, gift offering and gospel oriented. I don’t recommend a church that bottlenecks or suffocates the Spirit and his gifts (1 Thess. 5:19).
Instead, let God be God in his church.
D.. The significance of the “one another” verses
You must have fellowship with God through Christ. People without God cannot enjoy those relationships, but you can. And now you can share this relationship with God with others.
Second, you must avoid fellowship with the ungodly or with darkness (1 Cor. 5:1-2; 2 Cor. 6:14-16; Eph. 5:5-7, 11). This does not mean you shelter yourself from the world, but “fellowship” goes deeper than friendly conversations on the job. You cannot share in or participate in their attitudes and activities. Keep things wholesome. Invite them into the light; don’t go with them into their darkness.
E.. The main purpose of the church
The main mission of church leaders is to grow the flock of God, so the sheep can stay close to their heavenly Shepherd, and then when they grow up healthy, they can reproduce. They can do this in three ways.
First, they can implement programs for teaching. This can include classrooms. One church where I attended had various classes taught on Wednesday night, lasting ten weeks. Then they took a break and started up with new classes.
Second, they need to teach people how to study the Bible. Nowadays there are excellent study Bibles, and the web can offer basic Bible history. If there are puzzles, website can explain difficult passages, like why all the killing and wars in the Old Testament. Small groups in the home can be an environment for learning. It should be Bible centered.
Third, small groups should be a safe place for sharing. When things get personal women should share with women and men with men. But healing and growth can happen, when we share our lives (Jas. 5:16).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
In this post I depend on J. Rodman Williams’ Renewal Theology, vol. 3, chapters 4 and 5.
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 