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Again and again we hear it. Some say, “Our worship seems so lifeless! Let’s revitalise it by adding guitar and drums!” Others respond, “No! Worship must be marked by reverence!” The first group counters, “But shouldn’t it also be marked by joy?”

God says that worship that’s genuinely vital—alive and enlivening—will be characterised both by reverence (Heb. 12:28) and by joy (Ps. 100:1–2). Why then do we find ourselves trying to choose between them?

Could it be because we imagine that worship is primarily something that we do? We very much need to understand that the heart of true worship is the living God himself meeting with and working in his people by his means of grace. He alone can genuinely vitalise his church. We need to get out of the way anything that might distract or divert us from his supernatural working. If we do, then what’ll worship look like? First Corinthians 14 provides five touchstones of vital worship.

The Centrality of God’s Word

In vital worship, God addresses his people through his Word. The Father draws near through his Son by his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works to draw God’s people in faith near to the Father through the Son’s mediation (Eph. 2:18). He uses God’s Word to create this response of faith (Rom. 10:17; Eph. 6:17).

That’s why prophecy—the forthtelling of God’s Word—was permitted in public worship, while uninterpreted tongues weren’t (1 Cor. 14:28). Prophecy instructs and edifies (vs. 3). But if uninterpreted tongues can’t be understood, they can’t edify (vs. 2). On the other hand, interpreted tongues could properly be used in worship during the apostolic era because they expressed God’s Word in an understandable way (vv. 5, 13, 18–19).

Today, we’ve got the functional equivalent of prophecy and tongues in the reading and preaching of Scripture. The gifts our Lord designed to be central to public worship are those which he gives to teach and edify the church. First, then, the ministry of God’s Word will be central to vital worship.

Clarity

This implies a second touchstone: “Let all things be done for building up” (1 Cor. 14:26). In vital worship, everything will be clear and understandable so that it edifies God’s redeemed people.

Order

Third, we tend to think that sincere worship must be spontaneous, but God insists that public worship must be marked by order. Why? Because only God can grant authenticity and vitality, and he “is not a God of confusion but of peace” (v. 33). Therefore, in worship “all things should be done decently and in order” (v. 40).

One Voice at a Time

Fourth, worship can be orderly only if one “voice” speaks at a time. In vital worship, God speaks to his assembled people, and the congregation responds to God. These voices are to be clear and distinct.

Those who have the spiritual gifts—and are authorised to use them—speak on God’s behalf. Through them, our Lord addresses his people. “Two or at most three, and each in turn,” may speak (1 Cor. 14:27, 29). Only a few in the congregation may represent the voice of God in worship, and only one at a time (vv. 30–31). Our Lord wants his voice to be clear and edifying. And so verse 31 insists, “Prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged.”

Accordingly, in elements of worship where God speaks to the congregation, only one voice is to speak at a time. Likewise, in elements of worship where the congregation speaks to God, only one voice is to speak at a time.

Silence

This implies, fifth, that vital worship will be marked by substantial silence. Jesus said that in this new age of covenant fulfilment, worship is in Spirit and in truth—i.e., by the Holy Spirit and through the mediation of Christ (John 4:23–24). This adds a new dimension and dynamic to worship. Because of Christ’s accomplished work and the Holy Spirit’s application of it, New Testament worship is personal and intimate in a way that Old Testament saints could only long for. Our heavenly High Priest grants access to the very throne room of God (Heb. 10:19–22). He graciously makes it possible for you to experience a new and deep interaction with the living God by his Spirit and through his Word. A tremendous amount of activity goes on when, in worship, the Triune God speaks to you and you genuinely listen in silence.

This helps us understand 1 Corinthians 14:33b–35, “As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak….” That prohibition is clear and emphatic. But that instruction applies to everyone’s attitude in public worship. That very same imperative—”keep silent”—is given two other times in this context (vv. 28, 30) to men! When it’s not appropriate for you to speak, “keep silent.” That goes for everyone.

How can we follow this principle? First, we must realise that in worship, not speaking does not mean not worshipping. God calls everyone to participate actively during every element of worship. At the same time, the way you do that in most of public worship is by means of outward silence. As the minister reads or preaches God’s Word, everyone else is to be silent. But when you are really worshipping, a lot will be happening in your silence. You will actively listen for God’s voice. The Holy Spirit will inwardly apply God’s Word. You will respond in faith. You will commune with your Lord by means of his ordinances. Keeping silent in worship is not the same as not participating in worship. Indeed, in order to participate fully, most of the congregation has to keep silent for most of the worship service.

Second, when the congregation as a whole speaks as a single voice to God, you should add your voice. Your voice sincerely raised together with the rest of the church is part and parcel of vital worship. But so is your silence. The genuine worship which you offer to God in silence is just as important and just as spiritual and just as vital. When God allows only a few men to speak on his behalf or to speak on behalf of the congregation, he does so precisely to enable you to enter more fully into the essence of worship—the intimacy of Spirit-and-truth communion with the living and true God.

Genuine Reverence and Genuine Joy

We see in 1 Corinthians 14 that vital worship is intensely spiritual. Does this help to explain why we keep finding ourselves choosing between reverence and joy in worship?

Francis Schaeffer once observed that it’s possible to counterfeit holiness in the flesh, but it’ll be legalistic and unloving. Similarly, it’s possible to counterfeit love in the flesh, but it’ll be permissive and unholy. But, he said, it’s impossible simultaneously to counterfeit both holiness and love in the flesh. Only the Holy Spirit can produce holy love and loving holiness.

Could it be that our worship dilemma arises because we’re too fleshly? It’s possible to counterfeit reverence in the flesh, but it’ll be sterile and joyless. It’s possible to counterfeit joy in the flesh, but it’ll be shallow and irreverent. But it’s impossible simultaneously to counterfeit both reverence and joy in the flesh; only the Holy Spirit can produce reverent joy and joyful reverence. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail” (John 6:63).

Accordingly, while these touchstones do have implications for our worship practices, the first step toward solving our worship dilemma is not to make external changes to our practices. The first step to cure counterfeit reverence is not to add guitars and drums, nor will counterfeit joy be cured by insisting on solemnity. The first step is to get down on our knees in repentance for our sinful reliance on the flesh. It’s to admit to God that we are “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked,” and that our only hope is the grace of God in Christ. It’s to seek the Lord for the internal changes that will draw us into close fellowship with him (Rev. 3:17–20).

Vital worship depends wholly on the living God. He’s not limited by external circumstances. He can produce vital worship—Spirit-and-truth communion with himself—in any circumstances, from cathedrals to catacombs, using a whole spectrum of preachers and a whole spectrum of music.

But you’ll never, ever really enjoy Spirit-and-truth communion with the living God unless the Holy Spirit regenerates you. It’s impossible for you to participate in the spiritual intimacy of new covenant worship unless you’re in living contact with the living Christ. Apart from that, vital biblical worship will always seem boring to you.

Moreover, unless you’re also abiding in Christ, vital biblical worship will still seem boring to you. You’ll go to worship just to meet other people, or just to be entertained, or just to be intellectually stimulated, or just to be emotionally stirred, or just to be motivated to action. But you’ll miss the main point. Worship is first and foremost about communing with the living, life-giving God.

Reprinted (slightly edited) from New Horizons, June 2009

Joel Sauve writes:

The next time you go to church, grab a bulletin and look through it. You’ll usually find something somewhere along the lines of “stay after the service for a time of fellowship and coffee with other brothers and sisters in Christ”. So usually the sound or smell of coffee brewing after the service seems delightful. To an earnest Christian, the prospect of fellowship seems even more delightful. Mix both coffee and fellowship and, bam! There’s the body of Christ at it again in full unity, loving and edifying each other. As a redeemed child of God, it excites me to hear this is going to happen after the morning or evening service.

But here’s the problem. A lot of Christians either don’t know or have forgotten what true Christian fellowship really is. It’s so sad. You pour your coffee after church and go to talk to someone or several people about what God is doing in your life (or to share someone’s burdens, or to tell how the sermon edified you). But all you get is talk about how someone’s work week was, or the new car they bought, or the worldly things they want to talk about … this list could go on and on! I believe there’s a time and place for that. But should there be any place for the world or the things you can’t bring to heaven in the body of Christ, especially on the Lord’s Day?

I wanted to understand what true fellowship is in the church, so I looked back to the early church. I found some interesting things as I studied and researched biblical fellowship. Please bear with me as I walk through this and uncover what has been lost in our very own churches today. Let’s look at what God wants us to experience as the body of Christ.

Fellowship is heart-felt and heart-expressed. Every faithful Christian wants that company with other believers. It’s a way of life to share with each other and support each other spiritually. When someone’s hurting, we all share that burden. It’s a unity that’s unbreakable for the people of God.

The early church in the New Testament gives a biblical example that we should go by even in our day and age. They had to deal with some serious persecution. They were alienated from society. Jesus had been crucified a few months earlier. They feared for their lives. And so, as they bonded together through these harsh times, the church became their support. Brothers and sisters in Christ provided each other stability. Now let’s be honest. The dynamic isn’t much different today. There’s still a lot of pressure from the outside world. And more persecution seems to be coming down the pipe! So in the midst of all this danger, the early church all came together (Acts 2:44).

In the church, there should be no division. We should have the same care for one another (1 Cor. 12:25). And we should stir each other to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). But is that what we see in our churches today? Is that what you personally do for your church? It’s so easy to point at other churches, or at other believers, and say “Well, they certainly don’t support each other over there”. But take a close look at yourself for a minute. Do you support your own Christian brothers and sisters in your own church? Do you seek to promote unity as one body and one mind in your own church? Do you share your brother’s or sister’s burdens?

I’ve seen churches where there’s no support for the leadership of the church! If things aren’t done in a certain way, or on a certain timetable, they’re criticized. And gossip and back stabbing becomes their form of “fellowship”. People hold back from edifying other believers. People hold back from supporting other believers. People hold back from encouraging other believers. People hold back from building up other believers. It’s so sad! And at the same time it’s so disgusting! It means that Satan is winning! It means that the world has infiltrated the church. And ironically, now the church is driving the world away from the gospel!

Since we’re especially thinking about Christian fellowship on the Lord’s Day, take a look at the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8–10). When people come to church to fellowship but they neglect to bring Christ to their fellowship … when they whine and complain, or talk about business or politics, or the new car they bought, or the new Pokemon game that just came out, or etc.—you know, the vain things of the world—the fourth commandment that they profess to obey just went flying out the window!

It says a lot about us when we do that. When we’re healthy believers, we’re on fire for God. When we’re healthy believers, we want to leave the worldly things in the world and talk with fellow believers about spiritual things. When we’re healthy believers, we want to support and edify and pray with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. But in the modern church we seem to have lost that! It’s every man for himself now! And once again, Satan is really loving this. It’s how he infiltrates a church. When God’s people cooperate with him in all these ways, he is able to derail faithfulness to God.

The Greek word that’s translated “fellowship” is “koinonia”. It comes from the word “common”. It means sharing something in common. It means communion. An unknown commentator describes fellowship as “the expression of genuine Christianity among the members of Gods family”. I couldn’t agree more. Sadly, it seems that in our day we’ve totally forgotten what fellowship really is in the body of Christ. And as a result, the church becomes weak and worldly and not centred around Christ. Do we really have to spell out where that scenario ends up?

At its heart, fellowship has love and acceptance for those Christ loves and accepts (Rom. 14:7; Eph. 3:17–19). We need to learn to be patient with each other’s faults. We need to learn to esteem one another higher than ourselves. That would solve 95% of the problems that come up in a church.  Fellowship also requires showing concern and having a spirit of restoration to one other (see Gal. 6:1–2). It means bearing each other’s burdens, praying together, fellowshipping together. Fellowship involves confessing our sins against each other, seeking and granting forgiveness to each other (James 5:16). Gossiping, back-stabbing, criticising, bitterness—each of these blocks forgiveness and confession. And they will each kill the spirit of a church eventually.

Encourage one another, be available to one another. That’s true fellowship! That’s what God wants us as a church to experience. It’s what the Holy Spirit enables us as Christians and as churches to do.

I encourage you to examine the fellowship you have in your church. Examine the fellowship you personally bring to the church. And bring Christ into the centre where He belongs. As you pour yourself a hot cup of sweet nectar of the beans, leave the worldly things in the world. Be humble and show that Christ dwells in your heart.

It’s one thing to know the Bible. It’s quite another to live it! “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:22–25).

Joel Sauve is a member of Redeemer OPC in Airdrie, Alberta

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John Bunyan (1628-1688), the author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, wrote another, less well-known allegory of the Christian life, The Holy War (1682). The Holy War portrays the struggle that goes on in the in the heart of every Christian as a war for the town of Mansoul (the individual human soul) between Diabolus (Satan), on the one side, and King Shaddai (God), Prince Emmanuel (Jesus) on the other.

The following excerpt is adapted for modern readers.

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In the town of Mansoul, there was a man named Mr. Carnal-Security. Even after all the mercy bestowed by Prince Emmanuel, this man brought Mansoul into terrible slavery and bondage. Here is a brief account of him and his doings.

When Diabolus first took possession of the town of Mansoul, he brought many Diabolonians along with him. Among these was Mr. Self-Conceit. Diabolus, perceiving this man to be active and bold, sent him on many desperate missions. He was very successful on these assignments and pleased his lord more than most who served him. Finding Mr. Self-Conceit suitable for his purposes, Diabolus made him second in command to the great Lord Will.

In those days Lord Will was pleased with Mr. Self-Conceit and his achievements, so he gave his daughter, Lady Fear-Nothing, to be his wife. Now the son of Lady Fear-Nothing and Mr. Self-Conceit was Carnal-Security. There were many of these mixed marriages in Mansoul, and it was hard in some cases to figure out which were natives and which were not. Mr. Carnal-Security was related to Lord Will on his mother’s side, but his father was a Diabolonian by nature.

Carnal-Security took after his father and mother. He was self-conceited; he feared nothing; and he kept very busy. No new idea, doctrine, or change came about in the town except that he was at the head or tail of it. Yet, in the midst of any conflict, he always rejected those he considered weak and sided with those he deemed to be strongest.

When Shaddai the mighty and Emmanuel his Son made war on Mansoul, Mr. Carnal-Security was in town. He was very active among the people, encouraging them in their rebellion and hardening them in resisting the King’s forces. When the town of Mansoul was taken over and converted by the glorious Prince Emmanuel, Mr. Carnal-Security saw Diabolus ousted and forced to leave the castle in great shame. He realised that the town was filled with Emmanuel’s captains and weapons and men, so he slyly wheeled about. As he had served Diabolus against the Prince, so now he feigned to support the Prince against his enemies.

Having obtained a smattering of information about Emmanuel’s plans, Mr. Carnal-Security ventured into the company of the townsmen and attempted to chat with them. He knew that the power and strength of Mansoul was great and that it would please the people if he flattered their might and glory. Therefore, he exaggerated the power and strength of Mansoul’s strongholds and fortifications, saying that the town was impregnable. He magnified the captains and their weapons, assuring the townsmen that the Prince would make Mansoul happy forever. When he saw that some of the people were tickled and taken with his discourse, he made it his business to walk from street to street, house to house, and man to man, until he at last convinced them to dance to his tune. Soon they became almost as carnally secure as he was. So from talking, they went to feasting and from feasting to playing, and from playing to other things.

Mayor Understanding, Lord Will, and Mr. Conscience were also taken with the words of this flattering gentlemen. They forgot that their Prince had warned them to be careful not to be deceived by any Diabolonian trickery. He had further told them that the security of the now flourishing town did not lie so much in her present fortification as in her desire to have Emmanuel abide within her castle. The true doctrine of Emmanuel was that Mansoul should take heed not to forget his and his Father’s love for them. They were also to behave themselves in a way that would keep them in his love.

It was a grievous mistake for them to become so infatuated with one of the Diabolonians, especially one like Mr. Carnal-Security, and to let him lead them around by the nose. They should have listened to their Prince, feared him, and loved him. They should have stoned this carnal mischief-maker to death and walked in the ways of their Prince. Their peace would have been like a river if their righteousness had been like the waves of the sea.

Emmanuel saw what was happening in the town. He realised that by the policy of Mr. Carnal-Security, the hearts of the men of Mansoul had turned cold in their love for him. 

First, he went to his Father’s Secretary [the Holy Spirit] and bewailed, “Oh, that my people had listened to me and that Mansoul had walked in my ways! I would have fed them with the finest of the wheat and sustained them with honey out of the rock.” Then he said in his heart, “I will return to my Father’s court until the people of Mansoul consider and acknowledge their offence.”

He did so, and as a result, the people no longer visited him at his royal palace as they had before. In fact, they didn’t even notice that he no longer came knocking on their doors. The Prince still prepared the love-feasts and invited them to come, but they neglected his invitations and no longer took delight in his companionship. The people of Mansoul didn’t seek or wait for his counsel but became confident in themselves, imagining that they were now strong and invincible. They believed Mansoul was secure and beyond all reach of the enemy.

Emmanuel realised that, by the craft of Mr. Carnal-Security, the town of Mansoul no longer depended on him and his Father. Instead, they trusted in the blessings they had received. At first, he grieved over their fallen condition; then. he attempted to make them understand that the way they were going was dangerous. The Prince sent his Lord High Secretary to forbid them to continue in their ways. But twice when he came to them, he found them at dinner in Mr. Carnal Security’s parlour. The Secretary realised that they weren’t willing to listen to reason concerning their own good, so he was grieved and went his way . When he told the Prince about their indifference, Emmanuel was also offended and grieved. So he made plans to return to his Father’s court.

Even while he was still in Mansoul before his departure, the Prince began to keep more to himself than he had formerly. If he came into the company of the townsmen. his conversation was no longer as pleasant and familiar as it had been before. He no longer distributed treats like he had done. And when the townspeople came to visit him, as now and then they would, he was not as easy to speak with as they had found him to be in the past. Formerly, at the sound of their feet, he would have run to meet them halfway and embrace them in his arms. But now they’d knock once or twice, and he’d seem not to hear them.

Emmanuel continued to behave this way, hoping the people of Mansoul would reconsider their actions and return to him. But they did not take note of his new ways toward them, and they were not touched with the memory of his former favours.

Therefore, the Prince quietly withdrew himself—first privately from his palace, then to the gates of the town, and finally away from Mansoul. He left the town until they would acknowledge their offence and earnestly seek his face. Mr. God’s-Peace also resigned from his post and, for the time being, would no longer perform his duties in the town.

So the townspeople walked contrary to their Lord and in response he walked contrary to them. But, alas! By this time, the people were so hardened in their ways and so intoxicated with the teaching of Mr. Carnal-Security that the departure of their Prince didn’t touch their hearts. In fact, they didn’t even notice that he was gone, and his absence didn’t seem to matter to them.

(Canada lynx)

Iain Duguid writes:

In the Old Testament, ḥesed is a central theological term. It is a key attribute in the Lord’s self-description in Exodus 34:6–7, as well as an obligation that is placed on all of His people in Micah 6:8. Yet because there is no exact English equivalent, it has proved hard for Bible translators to render it accurately. In various versions, it appears as “kindness,” “faithfulness,” “mercy,” “goodness,” “loyalty,” and “steadfast love.” In what follows, we shall explore how love and loyalty are combined in this one word.Normally, ḥesed describes something that happens within an existing relationship, whether between two human beings or between God and man. In human relationships, ḥesed implies loving our neighbour, not merely in terms of warm emotional feelings but in acts of love and service that we owe to the other person simply because he is part of the covenant community. God’s people are to do justly, to love ḥesed, and to walk humbly with their God (Mic. 6:8).

An example of this that radically redefines the boundary of the community of obligation is the parable that our Lord Jesus told about the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37). A good neighbour had an obligation to help a community member who was in trouble. Yet this obligation to show ḥesed was repudiated by the priest and the Levite, who passed the wounded man on the other side of the road. In this instance, the true neighbour was the Samaritan who “showed mercy” to the stranger (v. 37). Not coincidentally, the Greek word for “mercy” is the same one normally used to translate ḥesed in the Greek Old Testament.

Similarly, ḥesed can describe loyalty to one’s obligations to God. This includes faithful actions toward other members of the covenant community, for how can we say that we love our covenant Lord if we ignore His commands to love our fellow vassals (1 John 4:20)? The person who is ḥasid (from ḥesed) is loyal to his God and appeals to the Lord to show him similar faithfulness in return (Pss. 4:4; 32:6). The name Hasidim has thus been ascribed to the strictest Jews in contemporary Judaism.

Yet the most precious use of the word ḥesed in the Old Testament is as a description of what God does. Having entered a covenant relationship with His people, God bound Himself to act toward them in certain ways, and He is utterly faithful to His self-commitment.

Psalm 136 explores what the Lord’s ḥesed means in its broadest possible terms, for each line concludes with the words: “his ḥesed endures forever.” Because of the Lord’s ḥesed, He created the universe, and He rules it daily through His providence (Pss. 136:5–9, 25). Because of His ḥesed toward Israel, He redeemed them out of Egypt and brought them through the Red Sea and the wilderness into the Land of Promise. For the same reason, He hurled the Egyptians into the sea and struck down the Canaanite kings before them (vv. 11–21). Both His deliverance of His people and His destruct ion of their enemies are aspects of the Lord’s faithfulness to His promise to make Abraham a mighty nation, blessing those who bless him and cursing those who curse him (Gen. 12:1–3).

Even when His people sin against Him and face the consequences of their sin, they may still appeal to the Lord’s ḥesed, as the writer of Lamentations does in the midst of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Surrounded by the evidence of the Lord’s faithfulness to judge wickedness, rebellion, and sin, he casts himself on the unchanging character of God, affirming, “The ḥesed of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22–23).

In Psalm 23:6, the psalmist declares that the Lord’s goodness and ḥesed will pursue him all the days of his life. The word pursue normally describes the action of pillaging armies and covenant curse, but the psalmist is convinced that instead of the covenant curse he deserves, the Lord’s faithful love and goodness will hunt him down relentlessly instead.

The fullness of the Lord’s ḥesed is seen in the cross: there the true ḥasid, Jesus Christ Himself — the only human ever truly to be loyal to the Lord and to His neighbour in every aspect of life — was treated as the covenant breaker and cursed for sin so that we who are unfaithful might be clothed in His faithfulness and thus redeemed. In this way, God’s original covenant purpose to have a people for His praise was faithfully accomplished.

The Lord’s ḥesed will never let us go. In the midst of life’s trials and tragedies, we may cry out to our loving Lord in confidence that nothing in all creation can ever separate us from the loyal love that chose us before time began, is sanctifying us in the present, and will faithfully bring us to our eternal home (Rom. 8:28–30).

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from http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/loyal-love-hesed/

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