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Isaiah 29: 13 The Lord says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” |
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Some of the things we think are important are just part of a church culture we’ve constructed around the faith, similar to what the Pharisees did.* |
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Genuine worship comes in two styles: private and
public. It is probably true that even the most judgmental among us have no
problem worshipping God at home, in our own way, on our own schedule; but
public, corporate worship seems to bring out the passive-aggressive in us!
●Ushers and
servers must wear ties. ●Women can’t take up the offering. ●Communion must be
served before the sermon. ●Communion
must be served after the sermon. ●You
must sing an “Invitation Hymn” after every sermon.● No running in the church! ●You
must sing, “Now I Belong to Jesus” after every baptism.
The people who live by these rules attend church
services faithfully. They go through the motions of worship but they are robbed
of their joy if any of their rules are broken. I shouldn’t sound so critical because
I have my personal preferences, too, and when I don’t get my way, sometimes it
interferes with my worship. We are a sad bunch of Christians if this is what we
think worship is all about!
Read the gospels and see what Jesus said we should and
shouldn’t do in a worship service. Having trouble finding it? Turn to the Book
of Acts and read the list of rules that Peter proclaimed on the Day of
Pentecost. . . Well, seriously, you should read the Book of Acts and what you
will find are some suggested activities as practiced by the early church. You
won’t find an “order of worship” as often seen in our Sunday bulletins. No
mention of “Sunday School.” I don’t think you will read about pews, choir robes
or that the sermon has to have three points. But you will read about sincere
worship, unity and joy.
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Several statements found on his lips in the Gospels suggest that Jesus was most concerned about pure worship, not misguided tradition.* |
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