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Worship and the Worship Assembly
by Alan Adams
    There is a methodical effort afoot to denigrate, deny and destroy some of the most fundamental aspects of the Lord's church, the plan of salvation, and Christian duties and responsibilities. There are those among us who have abandoned all of that for which they once pledged allegiance. Have they found something in the Bible which negates that for which they once professed knowledge? No, it is a problem of pure naked pride. They have set up their own Club of the Intelligentsia, with their own rites of initiation, and have ipso facto declared themselves members thereof. They are Twentieth Century "Gnostics" who just seem to naturally possess an enlightenment that eludes the uninitiated. Actually, they are not really as bright as they imagine themselves, rather "professing themselves to be wise, they [have become] fools" (Rom. 1:22).


Two Precious Bible Doctrines The "Changelings" Would Like To Alter or Destroy

    Worship and the Worship Assembly are two concepts long understood by most, but now are severely misunderstood, misapplied, and downright abused. Some are saying that "Worship is not limited to any specific acts, it is an attitude, a state of mind." One brother told me that we "Worship twenty-four hours a day." Yet another has averred that what we call the Worship Service or Assembly is not an integral part of New Testament Christianity, but rather a matter of custom and convenience.


What Precisely is Worship?

    Different things give rise to these strange notions. Whereas, it is true that one may worship God during any hour of the twenty-four hour day, it is not true that anything one does during that same period is worship. I sleep several hours each day, I am not worshipping while I am asleep. Worship is a conscious "act of reverence or homage paid to God." It comes from the Greek word proskuneo which is made up of the preposition pros which means "toward," and the verb kuneo which means "to kiss." The idea is that of "kissing the hand toward." Again, it is a positive, conscious, particular act by which we pay or show reverence to God. Now, which or what act or acts are "acts of worship"? Is this something we just "think up" ourselves, or may only the Creator specify the way in which the Created may approach Him? How would Cain (Gen. 4, cf. Heb. 11:4) and Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10) answer this question? In the Bible there is "vain worship" (Mt. 15:9); there is even "will worship" (Col. 2:23); but, worship which is acceptable to the Creator is only that which is done "in spirit and in truth" (Jno. 4:24).


Some Possible Motives Which Prompt Those Who Tinker with the Biblical Concept of Worship

    I think I know at least two reasons as to why this everything-is-worship idea is popular with some: (1) It gives aid and comfort to brethren who don't like "going to church." How many times have you heard it said, "Why, I can be just as close to God at home or down at the lake on Sunday morning as I would be in a church service." Well, if everything is worship, then gardening, sleeping in on Sunday morning, or fishing would all be acts of worship. (2) It is a roundabout way of justifying the use of instrumental music in worship to God. If everything is worship, then playing the piano or organ, regardless of what you're playing would be worship.


Worshipping The Creature Rather Than The Creator

    Of course, all of this is sheer folly. Everything is not worship. Only those acts prescribed by God in His Word may be used to worship God. John 4:24 still reads, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." It is wrong to simply go through the motions of worship. Jesus said it must be "in spirit." The heart and soul of the supplicant must be brought into play if he desires to please the Almighty. But, neither may that same person just "decide" how or in what way he will worship the Father. It must be done "in truth." What did Jesus say about "truth": "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (Jno. 17:17). To worship God "in truth" is to worship God according to His Word. The Creature may never arrogate unto himself the means by which he will pay homage to the Creator (Cf. Rom. 1:25). In reality, when people do this they are not worshipping the Creator at all, rather the Creature. Paul said of such people, their "God is their belly" (Phil. 1:19).


The Biblical Concept of "Going To Church"

    One of the meanings of the word ekklesia, generally rendered "church," is that of the whole church gathered together for worship. It is essential to our understanding of the church that we know that in the New Testament there is a thing called "the assembly," and it refers to a particular time and place wherein every member of a local church will come together.

    I Corinthians 11:17 through 16:9 is an organically connected scenario in which a beautiful picture is painted of brethren, two thousand years ago, assembled together and engaging in specific acts of worship. It makes me sad and angry to hear brethren demean and make fun of the worship assembly. One Jubilee speaker, several years ago, in mocking and arrogant tones derided our assemblies by saying, we "push a little button and sing, then push a little button and pray, push a little button and take the Lord's Supper...." Ignorance is bad enough, but conceited ignorance is an abomination. The whole tenor of I Cor. 14 had to do with events within The Assembly: who is to do what, when, and how. Paul ends the chapter by saying "Let everything be done decently and in order" (v. 40). I admit, these Jubilee hucksters "push my button" when they romp on the Lord's church and mutilate God's Word.

    As you examine the section of Scripture mentioned above, take note of such phrases as "come together in the church [assembly]" (18), "come together in one place" (20), "in the church [assembly] I had rather speak" (14, 19), "whole church be come together into one place" (23), "when ye come together" (26), "as in all churches [assemblies] of the saints" (33), "women keep silence in the churches [assemblies]" (34), "it is a shame for women to speak in the church [assembly]" (35), and "upon the first day of [the Greek actually says, 'every'] week" (16:2).

    Take care not to allow mention of "spiritual gifts" to distract you from the main purpose of this Assembly: worship (Cf. 14:25). The "spiritual gifts" were part of every assembly in the infancy of the church. No one preached from New Testaments or sermon outlines (Cf. Mt. 10:19-20). Prayers and songs: All of these items of worship were possible only by use of the spiritual gifts. Take away the spiritual gifts (as they most assuredly have been "done away" (13:10), and what you have left is exactly what we call the Worship Service today. No humble reverent person would dream of joking about or trivializing the Worship Assembly.

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