(The following is the July 25 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read 1 Corinthians 14 and pay close attention to verses 26-40.)
Church worship practices vary widely across major Christian groups, denominations, and within denominations. Worship is influenced by those leading, those participating, people’s understanding of worship’s purpose, standards imposed by governing bodies, and people’s commitment to what God’s Word teaches.
The Bible doesn’t prescribe all details Christians must follow whenever we worship. There are occasional descriptions of what to do and not do, such as 1 Corinthians 14. The passage primarily addresses worship irregularities at Corinth. Paul emphasizes that “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (v. 33) and that “everything is to be done decently and in order” (v. 40).
When we worship, our actions should be worthy of our God. We don’t gather haphazardly, flippantly, thoughtlessly, for entertainment, to draw attention to ourselves, or honor a celebrity pastor. We worship because we love our heavenly Father, Christ has saved us, the Spirit within compels us, we seek to know and obey his Word, and he calls us to experience him in a community of faith.
Wayne Grudem defines worship as “the activity of glorifying God in his presence with our voices and hearts.” * He writes that when we worship God appropriately, we delight in God, and God delights in us; we draw near to God, and he draws near to us; God ministers to us; the Lord’s enemies flee; unbelievers know they are in God’s presence. ** Contributing to genuine and effective worship are prayer, teaching, personal reconciliation, pursuing personal holiness, a physical setting conducive to worship, and wise allocation of time. ***
There is room to differ in how worship looks and sounds. Still, it must be orderly and worthy of the One we adore.
Next Step:
Review the following passages. Reflect on your church’s worship in light of scriptural teaching: Ps. 47, 100; Matt. 21:12-13; John 4:21-24; Eph. 5:15-21; Col. 3:16; Heb. 12:18-29; James 4:8; Rev. 5:11-14.
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* Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 2nd ed., (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 1236.
** Ibid, 1238-1242.
*** Ibid, 1244-1246.
