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A
Response To “Rethinking Church”
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A recent headline in The Wayne
County Post read “United Methodist is ‘Rethinking
Church.’” According to the article “instead of
the normal two worship services on Sunday morning” 175 members of
the UMC, United Methodist church, went to work all over town, replacing
roofs, installing flooring, doing garden work and much more.
According to the article the UMC believes that by doing these good
deeds they were worshiping God. A caption read “a new
worship experience for many.”
On March 25, 2010 roofs, floors, and gardens were fixed, but was this
worship? If so, what about driving a car, picking up trash or
playing sports? Am I worshiping God when I participate in these
things? Not everything we do is worship! The remainder of
this article makes an appeal to the Bible, the word of God, concerning
what the New Testament has to say about worship.
Worship.
There are two kinds of worship: vain worship and true worship.
Regarding the worship of the Scribes and Pharisees Jesus said,
“and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men” (Mt. 15:9). Vain worship is
meaningless and empty and is not according to God’s
commandments. A reading of Leviticus 10:1-2 reveals Nadab and
Abihu offered vain worship when they offered “strange
fire.” In order for worship to be acceptable it must be on
God’s terms! John wrote about true worship when he penned,
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit
and truth” (Jn. 4:24). To worship in spirit is to do so
with understanding, meaning and feeling. To worship in truth is
to worship as God has directed.
Object Of Worship.
When folks worship, God must be the object of that worship. Jesus
commanded Satan, “…you shall worship the Lord your God,
and Him only you shall serve” (Mt. 4:10). The Psalmist
said, “In the midst of the assembly I will praise You” (Ps.
22:22). Is God the object of your worship? True worship is
done “in spirit and in truth” and directed toward God.
Channels Of Worship.
The UMC would have folks believe that gardening and fixing things is
worship. Where is the Bible verse that teaches this? Not
everything we do is worship. The following are the five channels
of Christian Worship commanded and authorized by God.
Singing: Paul
penned, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”
(Col. 3:16). The Bible only authorizes vocal music in our worship
to God.
Prayer: Paul
commanded the Ephesians “pray always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18). A reading of Acts
12:5 reveals “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant
prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”
Teaching: John
recorded “It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be
taught by God” (Jn. 6:45). Jesus said, “teaching them
to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Mt.
28:20). Paul “ready to depart the next day, spoke to them
and continued his message until midnight” (Acts 20:7).
The Lord’s Supper:
The converts in Acts 2 “continued steadfastly in the apostles'
doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in
prayers” (Acts 2:42). According to Acts 20:7 “on the
first day of the week…the disciples came together to break
bread.”
Giving: Paul
commanded, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I
have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On
the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside,
storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I
come” (1 Cor. 16:1-2). Further guidelines are given
regarding this channel of worship as “Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of
necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).
The New Testament reveals God’s Will regarding worship
today. Those folks who worship God in another fashion worship in
vain. The UMC would have you believe the end justifies the
means. If that be true, then we could lie and steal to accomplish
a certain end. However, what God wants is for folks to stop
“rethinking” how they are going to worship and serve God
and get busy reading, studying and applying the word of God to their
lives in every way!
~ Keith Welch
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