Worship of the Church
Worship means to make obeisance or do reverence to. It suggests an action being performed indicative of the worshiper’s reverence for the one being worshiped. It is an attitude of reverence and piety. It is a means by which the Christian can express his love and devotion to God. True worshipers, the only kind the Lord desires to have worship Him, are those “who worship Him…in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). To worship “in spirit” is to have a proper attitude of respect and reverence for God as the action of worship is performed. To worship “in truth” is to follow God’s instructions given in the Bible, in particular the New Testament, as to how He is to be worshiped. These two, spirit and truth, make one’s worship acceptable because if one has true reverence for God he will necessarily follow God’s instructions as to how he is to worship Him. To disregard the instructions of God, therefore, is to manifest a lack of reverence for Him.
Worship Authorized
Man has never been left to his own thoughts as to how he should worship God. God has always given him instructions as to what He wanted from him. There are many examples in Scripture of what happens when people choose to disregard God’s instructions.
Consider the accounts of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-7) and Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-3). Abel’s sacrifice was accepted because he offered it “by faith” (Hebrews 11:4), he acted in accordance with the instructions of God because faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Cain’s sacrifice was rejected because he did not heed God’s commands. Nadab and Abihu, Israelite priests, had been instructed to use a certain fire to burn the incense that was offered to God. They chose to use a “strange fire,” one which God had not commanded. God caused that fire to come forth and consume them.
How does God want us to express our devotion to Him? In other words, what is to be included in the worship we offer God today?
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper commemorates the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ upon the cross for the sins of mankind (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The elements of the Supper are unleavened bread and fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:26-27). The bread symbolizes the body of Christ. The fruit of the vine signifies His blood. The Christian is to partake of the Supper, in accordance with the example of the early church, every first day of the week (Acts 20:7).
Singing
Christians are to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19). They sing as part of their worship in order to praise God and to edify one another (Colossians 3:16).
Prayer
According to 1 Timothy 2:1-8, there are several things for which a Christian should pray: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” The apostle Paul urged the child of God to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Giving
Every Christian is commanded to give as he has prospered upon the first day of the week (1 Corinthian 16:1-2). According to 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, he is to purpose in his heart and give cheerfully, not grudgingly or of necessity, realizing the great blessings that God has showered upon him.
Instruction from the Word of God
The early saints engaged in the study of God’s word in their worship assemblies (Acts 20:7). Giving and receiving instruction in the word of God accomplishes the dual purpose of glorifying God and edifying His children. If one is going to teach, he must “speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11). That means that his teaching must agree with the word of God in all things. Including the doctrines of men in one’s teaching makes his worship vain (Matthew 15:9). The attitude of those listening to the word of God preached today should be the same as that of the Bereans when they listened to the apostle Paul preach the gospel of Christ to them (Acts 17:10-11). They were “noble” or “fair-minded” (NKJV). They listened attentively to the things Paul had to say about Jesus. Then they went to the Scriptures to see whether or not the things he was saying were so. Every listener must use the word of God to test the teachings of those he is hearing. Every listener must demand the truth of the word of God from all speakers and teachers. Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). One must never settle for any teaching other than the truth of the gospel. To do so brings the curse of heaven upon you (Galatians 1:6-9): “If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” The following chart lists a number of responsibilities that both teachers and listeners have with respect to the word of God.