Have you ever been to a Christian church that felt more like a concert with some self-help mixed in rather than an encounter with the living God? Especially over the last few decades, churches have turned to Silicon Valley for innovative techniques to attract those disinterested in religion. This movement has slowly taken us away from Mt. Zion so that it isn’t uncommon to have an experience of “worship” that is completely foreign to what the Bible describes. Rather than take a poll of our neighbors asking, “What do you want in a worship service?”, we should take a look at how the Bible describes Christian worship.
What is it then that makes a worship service a worship service? In Scripture, there seem to be certain integral elements that constitute the gathered assembly for worship. These elements are:
- Prayer to God (Phil. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:1; Col. 4:2)
- Reading of Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13)
- The preaching of Scripture (2 Tim. 4:2)
- Singing songs of praise (Col. 3:16; Eph 5:19)
- Baptism and Communion (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-29; Ac. 20:7)
- Collection of offerings (1 Cor. 16:2)
These elements are confirmed by the early description of the Christian assembly given by Luke, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Ac. 2:42) The elements are also described by an early Christian writer called Justin Martyr,
And on the day called Sunday there is a meeting in one place of those who live in cities or the country, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president in a discourse urges and invites us to the imitation of these noble things. Then we all stand up together and offer prayers. When we have finished the prayer, bread is brought, and wine and water, and the president similarly sends up prayers and thanksgivings… and the congregation assents, saying the Amen.
Worship isn’t all about us, but about God. When worship is focused on God, we benefit most, because only an encounter with God through his Word can genuinely transform us. This focus on God doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be sensitive to those who are seeking to know him, though. We must order the circumstances of our worship service in such a way that we’re communicating the God-given elements helpfully.
The circumstances of worship should be thought through by Christian leaders seeking to engage the world with the truth of Scripture. Circumstances of worship consist of (but are not limited to) questions like: What time should our service start? Should we use a hymnal or a projector? Do we sit in pews or chairs? What type of lighting should we use? Etc.
God calls us to uphold the elements of worship, communicating them in ways that are clear and accessible, while exercising wisdom as we think through the particular circumstances of our services. Christians may differ on the circumstances of worship depending on the context of where they are ministering, but we should hold fast to the elements of worship as the means through which God is building us up in the worship service.
Footnotes
Martyr, Justin, First Apology, 67.
