LitJ: Your everyday, ordinary life
Over at “Life in the Journey“, I’ve posted a new blog called “Your everyday, ordinary life“. I hope you’ll take the time to interact with us there as we attempt to learn more about this abundant life we have in Christ.
More worship…
Paul at “A Man Among the Exiles” examines worship in a post called “singing songs to God sometimes feels trivial“. This is a powerful post that encourages us to examine not only our motives, but also the truth that is being expressed in our lives. Consider this:
I’ve song a thousand songs that basically say the words, “God, I surrender.†Most of those times, I groped for God through those songs, seeking very hard to make that statement true. It was like I was trying to convince myself and God that I did indeed surrender everything to Him. However, without there being something in my life making it a true expression of worship, all I was doing was trying to muster up some kind of emotional intensity through the power of music. When worship comes out of real life, there is no striving. That which is in our hearts will naturally surface. For example, when our first child died at birth, and I struggled with even believing or loving God anymore, I made a choice. Both my wife and I chose to say, “God, this hurts like hell, but I still love You. I don’t understand why this is happening, but I still trust You. God, I surrender.†Now there was something real to incite the response of surrender to God. This has been one of the deepest worship experiences of my life… I don’t look for God once a week on a Sunday morning. I wake up each day wondering where and how I’ll see Him next.
Think about this… singing is not worship… attendance is not worship… listening is not worship… standing is not worship… What is worship? Do you worship?
Worship…
Two of my friends have posted blogs about worship:
Eric from “Hammer and Nail” wrote a post called “Does it matter what the Bible says about worship?” After reading David Peterson’s book Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship (one of my favorite books), Eric raises some questions about worship:
This book is making me think about how I am living out my life. Is what I think of worship the same as what God thinks of worship? If not, then what does God think of my life?… God takes worship very seriously (when I use the word “worship,” I am referring to an entire life given to God, not a church service at 11:00 AM on Sundays). Peterson’s book makes me want to examine my life more closely to see if both my definition and my practice of worship are acceptable to God.
Similarly, Lew from “The Pursuit” examines worship in a post called “What is Worship?” Lew posts several quotes from John Piper’s book Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions. I think this quote is my favorite:
So when I say, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is,” I do not mean “worship services.” I do not mean “worship singing.” Those are part of the expression of the essence of worship, but those things can happen and not be worship. Worship is not first an outward act; it is an inner spiritual treasuring of the character and the ways of God in Christ. It is a cherishing of Christ, a being satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ. When these things are missing, there is no worship, no matter what forms or expressions are present.
So, when you think about worship, what do you think about? Do you think about “worship services” or “singing”? Do you think about a particular day, time, or location? Should we be concerned that Scripture does not define worship with those terms?
What do we do with 1 Corinthians 14?
This fall I am planning to take a seminar in NT Greek Linguistics. For one of the requirements for this seminar, I hope to examine the structure of 1 Corinthians chapters 12 through 14. Recently, in a discussion in Steve Sensenig’s blog (“Theological Musings“), a discussion about music turned to the question of 1 Corinthians 14 (see “I’ve been interviewed by the iMonk“).
I see 1 Corinthians 14 as very important for the church – both for the church in the first century and for the church in the twenty-first century. In fact, this is the only glimpse that Scripture gives us into the meeting of the early church. Were there problems at Corinth? Certainly. Was Paul correcting problems? Probably. However, it also seems that he was laying down some foundational concepts for a church gathering.
For example, consider the following commands from 1 Corinthians 14 (ESV) – imperatives are highlighted:
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (vs. 1)
So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. (vs. 12)
Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. (vs. 20)
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. (vs. 26)
If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. (vs. 27)
But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. (vs. 28)
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. (vs. 29)
If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. (vs. 30)
… the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. (vs. 34)
If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. (vs. 35)
If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. (vs. 37)
So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. (vs. 39)
But all things should be done decently and in order. (vs. 40)
Now, many of these commands are conditional: i.e. the prophet who is speaking should be silent IF a revelation is made to another (vs. 30). For now, let’s only consider those commands that are not conditional. How do we deal with these commands? At this point, many people point to the difference between the “regulative principle of worship” and the “normative principle of worship”. Let’s look at each of these principles. (By the way, I do not understand “worship” here in the sense of “worship service”, but in the sense of living a life in obedience to God. In other words, these principles answer the question, “What should we do to please God in our lives?”)
According to the “regulative principle of worship“, “only those elements that are instituted or appointed by command or example in the Bible are permissible in worship”. If God commands something in Scripture, then this command should be obeyed. If God does not command something, then that is prohibited.
According to the “normative principle of worship“, anything that is not prohibited by Scripture is allowed. Only things that God prohibits in Scripture is prohibited. Thus, according to the normative principle, there are more things allowed than using the regulative principle.
Apparently, there is a new (to me) principle called the “informed principle of worship”. According to this principle, “what is commanded in Scripture regarding worship is required, what is prohibited in Scripture regarding worship is forbidden, what is not prohibited in Scripture regarding worship is permissible, but only if properly deduced from proper application of Scripture using good and necessary consequence”. This seems to be a position that is somewhere between the regulative principle and the normative principle.
There is something common to each of these three “principles”: if something is commanded by God through Scripture, then believers are required to obey those commands. This is true for those who hold to the “regulative principle”, the “normative principle”, and the “informed principle”.
So, that brings us back to 1 Corinthians 14. What do we do with these unconditional commands (not an complete list)? “Strive to excel at building up (edifying) the church” (vs. 12). “Let all things be done for building up (edification)” (vs. 26). “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said” (vs. 29). “So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues” (vs. 39). According to the regulative principle, the normative principle, and the informed principle, these commands should be obeyed by believers.
It would seem, in fact, from the context of this passage, that in order for church gatherings to be “decent and in order” (vs. 40), we should obey all of these commands, since this is how Paul described “decently and in order”. So, what do we do with 1 Corinthians 14?
Series on 1 Corinthians 14:
Prologue 1 – What do we do with 1 Corinthians 14?
Prologue 2 – 1 Corinthians 14 and the Leadership
Context & Verses 1-5 – Summary of 1 Corinthians 14 – Part 1
Verses 6-25 – Summary of 1 Corinthians 14 – Part 2
Verses 26-40 – Summary of 1 Corinthians 14 – Part 3
Concluding Remarks – Summary of 1 Corinthians 14 – Part 4
All Day Worship Service…
The title of this post usually conjures up images of long meetings with teaching, singing, dinner on the grounds, etc. However, that is not the point of this post. Consider this passage:
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV)
For some reason, God chose to give us several opportunities to serve Him through serving others last Saturday.
Saturday morning, we had the chance to video chat with some friends in another country. I’ve written about them before in the post “Praying with the Church“. They are still in a very dark place, and they have had some physical ailments lately. It was great to laugh with them, encourage them, wish the older daughter “Happy Birthday”, etc.
Saturday for lunch, I had the opportunity to eat with a couple of new friends – a father and his son. Again, we were able to discuss Scripture and God’s will and ministry while enjoying fellowship over a great meal of Mexican food.
Saturday afternoon, I met with another brother and his wife to again discuss Scripture and ministry. There was no meal this time, but the conversation was as nourishing (if not more so) than food would have been.
Saturday afternoon, my family helped another family with yard work. Truthfully, I did very little yard work. I arrived after most of the work had been done. This was a very encouraging time for me, because others had given up their Saturday to help as well. It is truly a beautiful sight to see brothers and sisters helping one another.
Saturday evening, we were able to share pizza and ice cream with another couple. These are very dear friends that we have known for several years. God has done a great work in all of our lives, and he keeps growing us closer to one another as he grows us closer to him.
In all, God allowed us to interact with nineteen brothers and sisters just on Saturday. No, there was no planned meeting or event. In fact, the lunch and afternoon meeting were not planned until Friday evening. The evening dinner was not planned until… well… Saturday evening. (We’re very spontaneous people.)
So, as I was thinking about these opporturnties to serve God by serving others, the passage from 1 Peter came to mind. I’m sorry to say that I did not think of this passage while we were talking and working with these brothers and sisters. But now that I think about it, I wonder… Did our words convey the truth of God? Were our actions carried out in order to serve by the power that God provides? If so, then we worshipped God.
I truly believe that this is the type of “worship” service that God desires. I pray that God allows my family – and others – many more opportunities to worship him by serving others.
Mutual Edification and Activities…
(Part 5 in a series on the implications of mutual edification as the purpose of the gathering of the church): I have argued previously that the purpose for the gathering of the church in the New Testament is mutual edification (1 Cor 14:26)—each believer building up other believers and being built up himself or herself (see here, here, and here). If most churches understand their purpose in gathering to be something other than edification (i.e. worship or evangelism), then this change in understanding will have significant implications for the contemporary church. These implications fall into both philosophical as well as practical categories.
This series will examine several of the implications of mutual edification for the gathering of the church.
Fifth, and finally, believers should remember that while certain activities may aid in the edification of the church, the activities themselves do not please God. Even eating the Lord’s Supper, which Jesus commanded the church to partake in order to remember his sacrificial death, does not please God if the believers eat and drink in a way that does not build up others (1 Cor. 11:20-21).
There are many activities that believers performed during the gathering of the church in the New Testament, including teaching, reading, praying, sharing (partnership), debating, disciplining, prophesying, speaking in tongues (with interpretation), and breaking bread. However, incorporating certain activities in the meeting does not necessarily mean that the church is edifying itself. Activities do not produce a successful gathering of the church; mutual edification does.
Modern pragmatism teaches that churches should imitate the activities of other groups of believers who are “successful.†Scripture teaches that churches must work to ensure that the body of Christ is built up during their meetings.
If the purpose of the gathering of the church is mutual edificatio – and I believe it is – then there are certainly other implications. If you think of other implications, tell us about them in the comments.
Implications of Mutual Edification Series:
1. Mutual Edification and Individualism
2. Mutual Edification and Leadership
3. Mutual Edification and Excellence
4. Mutual Edification and Reverence
5. Mutual Edification and Activities
Mutual Edification and Reverence…
(Part 4 in a series on the implications of mutual edification as the purpose of the gathering of the church): I have argued previously that the purpose for the gathering of the church in the New Testament is mutual edification (1 Cor 14:26)—each believer building up other believers and being built up himself or herself (see here, here, and here). If most churches understand their purpose in gathering to be something other than edification (i.e. worship or evangelism), then this change in understanding will have significant implications for the contemporary church. These implications fall into both philosophical as well as practical categories.
This series will examine several of the implications of mutual edification for the gathering of the church.
Fourth, Christians should adjust their understanding of what it means to please God during the gathering of the church. In many gatherings and for many people, “reverence†during the meeting equates with silence for everyone except for those who are specially qualified to speak.
However, there is no indication in Scripture that an “untrained†person’s silence pleases God nor that education, training, knowledge, or role in the body qualifies anyone to speak. Instead, only the indwelling of the Spirit of God and the prompting of the Spirit makes someone eligible to speak during the meeting.
The body should allow any of its members to speak as long as the Holy Spirit directs that person to speak, love motivates the person, and mutual edification is their aim. Notice that in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul does not give these instructions to church leaders. He gives his instructions to the entire church. Everyone is responsible to edify the church, and to make sure that Paul’s instructions are carried out.
Implications of Mutual Edification Series:
1. Mutual Edification and Individualism
2. Mutual Edification and Leadership
3. Mutual Edification and Excellence
4. Mutual Edification and Reverence
5. Mutual Edification and Activities