Observations on Worship

By Jeff Curtis

More than any other passage, 1Corinthians 14 gives an insight into what New Testament Christians did when they assembled. Christians today might wish for a passage that begins, “When you assemble on the first day of the week, you are to do this…,” followed by a step-by-step approach. For his own reasons, God has not chosen to set the worship before us in that way. Here is what we may safely say. (1) In the New Testament period, Christians were guided by apostolic revelation to meet on each Lord’s Day (1Corinthians 11:20; 16:2). (2) During the assembly Christians observed the Lord’s Supper (11:20-26; Acts 20:7), sang, prayed, and learned the gospel message as it was taught by inspired men (14:26). In addition, they gave according to their ability (16:2).

Christian assembly is a door that God has opened so we can answer His call and respond to our Creator. We are mystified by life and by the great universe in which we live. Experience had taught us that we are fragile creatures; tomorrow is uncertain. Through worship, we commune with the Creator, the Eternal One. None of us knows how to have a relationship with God or other people in the absence of giving, receiving, and sharing. We give to people we love. We share with them our words, our presence, out time, and our belongings. Relationships require interaction. It’s no different with God. Worship is the means God has ordained so that we can interact with Him.

Worship, like all other things people do, is tainted with sin. No one has been endowed with a sinless purity of soul that allows him to know instinctively how to honor and praise God. To worship God requires that believers listen to Him and worship as He directs. It’s easy to allow what we intend as worship to denigrate into self-praise for our own glory. If we are to offer our worship to God, we must listen to what He wants us to do.

By His grace, God accepts our feeble praise. God welcomes our gift of worship when we try to honor Him. Many don’t try; many seem unmindful of Him. When we, as Christians give our best in worship, good results will happen. God refines our worship. His Spirit works within us and teaches us to pray and to honor Him. Alexander Graham Bell wasn’t trying to invent a telephone when he discovered the form of communication was possible. His wife was nearly deaf, and he was trying to develop a way to convert sound into some type symbols she could interpret.

The inventor learned by accident that sound should be carried over wires. Bell wasn’t trying to make a telephone, but he was doing something when he made his discovery. When we do something, we listen to God and try to worship Him, by God’s grace good things come from our efforts. Even with all our sins and inadequacies, God is pleased when we worship Him.

God’s Solutions for Our Fears

By Jeff Curtis

The Bible often speaks to our deep-seated fears.

“Does my life have any purpose?” Some people panic because life seems to be passing them by and they have accomplished so little. As a result, they feel useless to others and often useless to God. Most Christians can find some part of their lives in the story of Deborah and Barak, in Judges chapter 4. Whether their dread arises out of nervousness or shyness or the sense of being an outsider, those with such fears can comfort in the ways God used these people.

“Can the church survive the evil in the world around us?” Some Christians live in apprehension because of what they see as the rise of a culture that is hostile to their faith. Church members may complain about the decline of church attendance or morality or character. At times, they begin to think that Christians can’t function or even survive in such a foreign environment.

The story of Deborah and Barak took place in a time in which God’s own people rejected Him and often seemed hostile to Him. However, rejection and hostility didn’t prevent Deborah and Barak from living out their faith. Really Barak’s faith earned him a mention in Hebrews 11. This story gives all Christians hope that, no matter what our environment may be, we can always rely on the faithfulness of God.

“I am beyond God’s mercy. Is there any hope?” Others fear they have drifted so far from holiness, purity and even God that they are beyond redemption. At the core of their fear is the sense that they have crossed a point of no return with God.

They believe their sins have been so terrible, their deceit too costly, and their denials too loud. And they find themselves in company with the Israelites of old who had done the same and more. In the story of Deborah and Barak, God called them to rescue just those kinds of people. The word “mercy” doesn’t appear anywhere in this story, but the events of this episode shout that God’s mercy is available even for those who feel helpless.