Worship, the Trinity, and the charismatic movement

The Trinity has been largely neglected in Pentecostalism, as in the entire Western Church right throughout the centuries. So demonstrates Robert Letham in The Holy Trinity. Most striking and significant for me personally in Letham's excellent and much needed book is his chapter, The Trinity, Worship and Prayer. He outlines the importance of understanding the Trinity for our right response to God in true Christian worship and prayer. Apart from the fact that there would be no true Christian experience without a knowledge of the Trinity, Letham quickly and convincingly shows that authentically Christian worship and prayer is distinctively trinitarian:

"Our communion with God "consists in his communication of himself unto us, with our returnal unto him... flowing from that union which in Jesus Christ we have with him. [1] (p. 414) ... 

Here is the reverse movement to that seen as the ground of the church's worship--by the Holy Spirit through Christ to the Father. This encompasses our entire response to, and relationship with, God--from worship through the whole field of Christian experience...

Putting it another way, from the side of God, the worship of the church is the communion of the Holy Trinity with us his people. We are inclined to view worship as what we do, but if we follow our argument, it is first and foremost something the triune God does, our actions initiated and encompassed by his (p. 416) ...

The worship of the church is thus not only grounded in the mediation of Christ, but takes place in union with him and through his mediatorial work and continued intercession (p. 417) ...

Since Christian worship is determined by initiated by shaped by, and directed to the Holy Trinity, we worship the three with one undivided act of adoration (p. 418).

The Holy Trinity also has this to say specifically on the Pentecostal focus on the Holy Spirit, under the heading, Worship, Perichoresis, and the Charismatic Movement:

"Richard Garrin, in a recent article, points to a tendency in the charismatic movement to separate the Holy Spirit from Christ. He counters by pointing to the close connection that Paul draws between Christ and the Spirit [2]. This argument is undergirded by the patristic teaching on perichoresis, the mutual indwelling of the three persons, all occupying the same divine space. The Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Father, the Holy Spirit is in the Son and the Father, the Father is in the Holy Spirit, and the Son is in the Holy Spirit. Thus, to worship one person at the expense of the others is to divide the undivided Trinity. Worship of any one of the three at once entails worship of all three and worship of the indivisible Trinity. An undue emphasis on one person, whether it be the focus on Jesus in pietism or the concentration on the Holy Spirit in charismatic circles, is a distortion. Owen, in his discussion, is careful to guard against this danger." (p. 421)

Dividing the undivided Trinity; it might not seem like such a serious distortion, until we're convinced about the fiercely and uniquely Trinitarian emphasis and focus of New Testament Christianity in the Scriptures. The authors of the NT of course got this from Jesus, who it seems did not cease to explain and insist upon the importance of understanding his relationship to the Father, and in turn his relationship with the Spirit. 

Letham begins his section on the Trinity and Worship by calling us stop neglecting in the Western Church the uniquely Christian doctrine of God as the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit:

"God-centred worship (can worship be anything else?) must, by definition, give center stage to what is distinctive of Christianity, the high-water mark of God's self-revelation in the Bible. Yet... In the West, the Trinity has in practice been relegated to such an extent that most Christians are little more than practical modalists. As Laats comments, "Instead of being in the centre of christian worship and thinking it has been marginalised"...

[And he goes on to give this great example...] 

J. I. Packer's best-seller Knowing God (1973) has only seven pages out of 254 on the Trinity. He recognizes that for most Christians it is an esoteric mystery to which lip service may be paid once a year on Trinity Sunday. However, after this chapter is over, he carries on as if nothing has happened...

A right understanding of God as a Trinity changes the way understand the Baptism in the Spirit (See here for an article outlining what the New Testament teaches about Baptism with the Spirit in context).

We need to stop neglecting the New Testament's unique and insistent focus on God as the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and how our knowledge of that Union is to shape our whole response to him. Pentecostals need a greater focus on the persons of the Trinity; that is, Pentecostalism needs to be more Christ-ian!



---

Letham, Robert. The Holy Trinity - In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship. P&R Publishing Company: New Jersey, 2004.

[1] Owen, Of Communion with God, in Works, ed. Goold, 2:8-9.
[2] Richard B. Gaffin Jr., "Challenges of the Charismatic Movement to the Reformed Tradition," Ordained Servant 7 (1998): 48-57.

Worship: The End for which God's Word is given

We know that the end for which we were made is to worship and glorify God. It's surprising then that within Christianity, worship is a topic often surrounded today by much confusion. It's a key concern for Pentecostalism, as it should be among all true religion in the world. What is true religious worship and therefore what is true religion?

1. Foundation of true worship: God in himself

The reason for our worship is not merely what God has done for us, or what God is to us; but the reason our worship of God is an absolute duty is what God is in himself.

John Owen explains that it is the nature of God, his very being, that is the foundation of all true worship:

Because he is; that is, because he is an infinitely glorious, good, wise, holy, powerful, righteous, self-subsisting, self-sufficient, and all-sufficient being; the fountain and author of all being and good; the first cause, last end, and sovereign Lord of all; therefore, he is to be worshipped: therefore, are we to admire, adore, and love him; to praise, to trust and to fear him. [1]

Of course we worship God because of what he has done for us and is to us, but the principle reason for that worship, and what makes it true worship, is who and what God is. God is the great I AM; that name by which we are to know him. We worship him because he is I AM WHO I AM.

2. Rule of true worship: God's word about himself

And so our worship of God, owed him because of his divine nature, must be directed according to the revelation he has made of his being and nature to us. That is, if our worship is not ruled by God's revelation, if it does not conform to his word about himself, it is rebellion and wickedness.

The end for which the revelation of God is given through the Scriptures is that it would direct us to worship God; that is, the purpose of God's word to us is that we would respond to the true God with the obedience of faith in his word.

Our worship must therefore be a faith response of obedience to the Gospel, God's revelation of himself in the Scriptures. Otherwise we fail to worship under his rule: such worship dishonours the true and living God, is false religion, dead spirituality and idolatry.

Pentecostalism and true worship

Pentecostals may know that the end for which we were made is to worship and glorify God. But do you know that the end for which God's word is given is that it would direct your worship so that it does actually glorify God? The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23).

--

Owen, John. The Holy Spirit--His Gifts and Power. Christian Focus Publications 2004, p. 61-62.

[1] Ibid.

Music in church: Michael Jensen

© Australian Christian Pty Ltd 2010
This article was first published in eternity.biz and Eternity Newspaper, 26th February 2010. It is reproduced here with permission. For more information about Eternity, visit eternity.biz.

I know there’s no subject more likely to get Christians weeping and gnashing their teeth, but I’d like to put forward some observations about music in church.

Musical diversity & culture

The days when you’d hear people talking about rock’n’roll as ‘the devil’s music’ are happily long in the past (…um, like the term ‘rock’n’roll!). Modern-day churches have, on the whole, moved beyond the sacred/secular divide when it comes to styles of music. They have decided that there is no genre of music that is necessarily more holy than any other; and that the matter of style in music is merely a matter of personal taste. This is a theological decision (i.e., no music is inherently more sinful); but it is also an aesthetic judgement (i.e., there is no objectively beautiful or universally ugly music).

Nowadays, most evangelical churches imagine themselves choosing a style of music on the basis of its cultural relevance. The right style of music, then, is the style that clicks best with the congregation of the day, roughly speaking. To cite an example drawn from the US: when megachurch pastor Rick Warren arrived in the Saddleback area, he researched the kind of music that people in his target group were listening to, and that became the music-style of his new church. And ministries targeting special groups adopt the music of that particular tribe.

There are good theological instincts at work here. The Bible does not mandate a style of music, though like an opera it is full of people bursting out into song at the drop of a hat (Miriam, Hannah, Deborah, David, Isaiah, Zechariah, Mary… the list goes on). What is more, the gospel does not come to us bound hard to a particular cultural expression - in fact, the missionary genius of Christianity is that it transcends cultural expressions. Church singing in Africa and church singing in Indonesia are going to be different, and yet still absolutely Christian – and thank goodness for that.

Musical adaptation & transformation

Furthermore, a robustly Biblical doctrine of creation and a cursory glance at church history both show us that the church adapts forms of music that it finds to its uses rather than needing to invent them from scratch. So: today’s beer hall song is tomorrow’s Lutheran hymn; that familiar sea-shanty will be turned to use in the Methodist chapel; the work songs of the slaves morph into gospel music.

But does this mean that church musicians are aesthetic relativists? I don’t think it can mean this. Don’t get me wrong: I am not saying that (for example) the organ is a more sacred instrument than the electric guitar. That is just silliness in spades.

No: what I mean is this: I would expect that as music is pressed into the service of congregational singing and worship of God, it will be transformed as music. And this means that the church will continually be generating fresh styles (or freshening up old styles) as it puts the music it hears to holy purposes.

Which means that, while church musicians ought to be open to repeating what they hear around them, they ought also to be encouraged to innovate and develop their musical style as a reflection of what they are doing.

Music of the people & for the people

How might this work out in practice? A preacher I greatly admire once said to me, when I put the relativist/pragmatic argument forward: “no, there definitely is a style for church music. It’s called ‘folk music’.”

Originally I thought this was hogwash. But nowadays I think there is something in this – so long as we take a broad definition of ‘folk’. He didn’t mean Peter, Paul & Mary or Bob Dylan before he went electric! He meant ‘folk’ in the sense that means ‘of and for the people’ - as opposed to elitist and alienating.

That is, a style of music that achieves a marriage between the words of praise and the use in congregational singing can never be stylistically arbitrary, though it may vary enormously over time and place. And ‘folk’ isn’t a bad designation for it if it is in the service of the people of God. It is in that sense ‘music of and for the people’. This is the criterion we get for the use of any gift in church from 1 Corinthians 12-14 – and music shouldn’t be exempt from this. It is truly the music of love if it up-builds the church.

It is no accident that Christians have been responsible for developing some highly original and sophisticated forms of music from asking ‘what musical style best serves and edifies the people of God?’ and ‘what musical style best helps us let the word of Christ dwell in us richly’ (see Col 3:16)? These styles have been very different from one another – think gospel music and choral music – but have had a common purpose. Putting music to this purpose is truly transformative.

So here’s my tentative thesis: ‘folk’ music is the best way to describe the form of music that ought to be found in churches. This is a particular expression of a theology of church of course. It is missional, in that adapts to local conditions; it is non-elitist, in that it is accessible by the community without asking extraordinary skill or learning (thus reflecting the priesthood of all believers); and it is open to being sanctified for its use by the Christian community.

The Christian pop music genre

And so (and here’s the controversial bit), some forms of music are going to be excluded because they are not aesthetically shaped to the purpose of singing together to God. While no particular form of music is commanded or sanctified in scripture, as we try to adapt different forms of music to use in Christian fellowship as expressions of common life we will soon realise that some styles are just so ill-suited they will never work for this purpose without a great deal of adaptation.

In each age, certain musical styles offer themselves in different ways for adaption for use in church meetings. The traditional tunes that we find used in ‘Be Thou My Vision’ or ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God’ are already deeply embedded in the history and culture of the community from which they emerged as an expression of commonality - the pride and security of togetherness is the note they immediately sound.

These features really work for church music because of the overlap - Christians want to express precisely those feelings and truths about their God. The return of Celtic-sounding melodies in the music of Stuart Townend and Keith Getty works because we associate that style of music with rousing fellow-feeling. If anything, the danger is that the Celtic style is a little militaristic - they all sound like national anthems in the end!

Since the 1970s, much new church music has followed the form of the popular song, with its verse and chorus pattern (and sometimes a middle section), its use of repetition, and simple and rather short melodic lines. In a sense, popular songs are the ‘folk’ music of the era, given the mass appeal of the form – so it has made good sense to use them. What are the implications of using this genre for church music?

Music for our maturity?

Broadly speaking, the popular songs of the mass communications age are all about romantic love and desire. The (usually) bright and hooky melodies are meant to match the content of the words. When we hear a popular song, we immediately associate it with this erotic theme, even before we hear the words.

The singer of a popular song is most often an individual singing about his or her longing or loss. That’s the genre: when the Beatles play around with this genre and began singing about walruses and paperback writers and what have you, we recognise that this stretching of the genre is taking place, and ride with it. The music of U2 (beloved of many Christians) is an interesting case of course: they express desire and love, but most often it isn’t for another human being. In fact, it is often suggestive of a desire for the transcendent.

And this is quite apt. Psalms such as Psalm 63 give Scriptural voice to this theme of longing and desire for God. Christians have recognised that the popular song is a ready-made vehicle for the expression of longing and desire of an individual for God, because we instantly think of this when we hear it.

However, this is where the pitfalls lie, too. Since way back in the 1930s, the popular song has revealed itself to be capable of quite complex and even profound expressions of grown-up and mature emotions. But it has also been the musical vehicle for short-cuts to emotional fruition.

So: while the popular song expresses much of what we might want to say to God, it doesn’t capture all of the gestures and attitudes that are available to us. If Christian musicians don’t work hard to transform the popular song for a higher purpose, it may not help us mature in our Christian affections.

Dr Michael Jensen teaches doctrine at Moore College. The original version of this article was presented at EMU Music’s TWIST conference in 2009.

talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Why Stephen died: Where God's glory is focused today

What is God's geography? Where is God's glory seen today? Our geography shows us a lot about who we are, and what we do as a civilization. Our geography, such as the big cities of our world -- Sydney, London, New York, Paris -- reveal the glory of our western world.

There are many different opinions about where God is seen today. Is the picture of God's greatness today seen in the image of a man hanging upon a cross? Is it seen in Rome, in the Vatican? Or is God's magnificence seen in the shrine at Mecca called “Ca'ba?” Is that the holy place? Will God's glory be seen if the Jews rebuild their temple in Jerusalem? Is it seen in church buildings, or in worship services? Or is it seen today in miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit? Thankfully, this is not just a contemporary issue.

The place of the Temple in Christianity (Acts 6:8 – 7:1)

Acts 6:8 – 7:60 is all about this question: It was a time in the history of the early church when the word of God was spreading, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem was increased rapidly, and even a large number of priests had become obedient to the faith. Stephen was a man “full of God's grace and power.” He was chosen as a leader because he was full of faith and the Spirit. However, opposition arose against Stephen because of arguments he was having with certain men. People began reporting, 'we have heard Stephen's preaching, and it's blasphemous against God and Moses' (Acts 6:11). Stephen was brought before the highest tribunal of the Jews - the Sanhedrin – and the high priest questioned him, "Are these charges true?". And so in Acts 7:2, Stephan began what seems to us like a very lengthy reply.

The key to understanding Stephen's reply is understanding the charges laid against him. The charge has two sides: blasphemy against the law of Moses (Acts 6:11) and blasphemy against the temple of God (Acts 6:13). And the evidence they bring is their testimony that they have heard Stephen preach that Jesus will (1) destroy the Jewish temple, and (2) and change the Jewish law (Acts 6:14).

All this came from their general opposition to the gospel. When the Church started in the first century, Jewish Christians began changing the whole way they think about the temple. They believed that it was no longer necessary to go to a priest and bring sacrifices to the temple, and in fact that because of Jesus the whole temple ministry was now obsolete. All of a sudden these Jewish followers of Jesus began to break with the customs of their law, by eating pork and seeing it as no longer necessary to observe circumcision and the Sabbath. On top of all that, Stephen's preaching sounded like he was saying that the temple will be done away with altogether and that Jesus has changed the law. It is understandable that this would bring opposition. In their view, this was opposing God because the temple and the law were from him.

Their opposition to the gospel is similar to the arguments that still go on today in religion. Today, if a notable Christian were to publically speak out in the name of Christ, against the “holy places” in Orthodox or Catholic churches, or in Islam or any religion, opposition would immediately arise. The vilification laws of Victoria may even incriminate him.

However, Christians themselves fall into the same error as these religion leaders (Stephen's opponents): When Christian churches begin to treat their church building as a type of Temple, they too need to hear carefully Stephen's reply.

The 'place of the law' in Christianity has also often been a topic that has caused arguments to flourish amongst Christians. There are those today that would say, for example, that Christians must keep the Sabbath because it is holy; it is a timeless, unchanging law of God – and those who don't are charged with desecrating what has been handed down from God. They too need to look at Stephen's reply.

Stephen's Sermon (Acts 7:2-56)

You would expect Stephen's reply to address the charges laid against him. Why his long history lesson? There's an important lesson to be learnt here from Stephen's method: He didn't argue back at them in the way they attacked him. Before he even answered them specifically, he took them to the Bible, and without making any assumptions, he set out the theology of the Bible itself. That's also the approach we need to take when we come up against arguably matters today.

The Jews that opposed Stephen grew up with the Bible, but Stephen's point was also that they were actually biblically illiterate. They needed educating because they didn't know how to interpret the Bible and how to apply it. Today also we need to make sure we ourselves don't fall into that category.

However, Stephen didn't simply repeat the history already given in the Bible, as if this group had never heard it before. He was actually constructing a theology from the Bible, and it was all about 'glory', which was the root issue of his opponent's argument, and also all about changing 'geography'.

Stephen began by answering the question behind their argument: Where is God's glory seen? And he began by looking at the times and places when God has revealed his glory in Israel's past.

The time of Abraham (Acts 7:2-8)

“The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia...” This is the claim of the Bible, but notice, he was still in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). Before Abraham had any descendants, before he owned even a single foot of the promised land, before the law, and certainly before the temple, God had made himself known in all his glory.

And what did that mean for Abraham at that time? Was he to start treating that place as holy and set up camp there permanently? No, he left that land, because, from the very beginning, God's glory was always about his plans for the future. God made promises that were to involve changes and moves, not just in their geography, but also in where and how they were to worship God.

The time of Joseph ( Acts 7:9-15)

Now the God of glory was with Joseph, in Egypt - the secular world of that day - even though the sons of Israel had sold him into slavery. God rescued him and exalted him to the right hand of the king, to rule over his entire kingdom. Why? To bring God's salvation to God's people, Abraham's starving descendants. But this wasn't where it was to stop. The fulfilment of God's promise still lay in the future, because Jacob and his whole family all ended up in Egypt, where they all died.

The time of Moses (Acts 7:17-36)

Once again, the time had changed because of where God was up to in fulfilling his promises. Now it was Moses to whom the God of glory appeared. And interestingly, at this time the Lord said to him, the place where you are standing is holy ground (Acts 7:33). Moses wasn't in the 'holy land', nor did he yet have the 'holy place'. He was out in the desert. What did this mean for Moses at that time? The God of glory had appeared to set his people free (Acts 7:34). So he didn't stay there. God sent him back to Egypt at that time. Why? So God's glory could be seen in the change he was about to bring as Moses led Israel out of Egypt and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert (Acts 7:36).

This was that Moses whose own people rejected with the words: 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? This was that Moses who had fled from them to live in the desert as a foreigner. And yet, this was that Moses who brought them salvation and who God used to show his glory.

The time of the law (Acts 7:37-43)

Now Stephen's words began to relate specifically to the charge they brought against him about the Law. Stephen replied that when Moses received the law, the God of glory gave them his word to obey (Acts 7:38). Now God's time had come for them to leave Egypt behind and move towards the future God was bringing them into. But instead, they refused to obey God and they rejected Moses and “in their hearts turned back to Egypt”. Instead, they made for themselves other gods. They rejected God's glory for idols. And so when they did finally enter God's promised land, it was only to be kicked out of it again, into Babylon (Acts 7:43).

And sadly, this is the same thing Stephen's hearers also did. They too had received the law but not obeyed it (Acts 7:43). They had charged Stephen for 'speaking against the law', but Stephen replied, 'you have not obeyed the law!'

The time of the temple (Acts 7:44-50)

Now Stephen's words began to specifically relate to the second charge that they had brought against him about the Temple. Stephen replied that the Tabernacle, which preceded the temple, had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. It was a pattern of the glory of God that Moses had seen in the desert. But it was never more than a pattern, and Israel should have known this. Even in the time of David when God allowed Solomon to build him a dwelling place in the temple, Israel should have known that “the Most High does not live in houses made by men” (Acts 7:48).

But Stephen's hearers treated their temple in Jerusalem as a “holy place” (Acts 6:13) even though it was not even the temple Solomon built. And for speaking about its destruction, which was something that the Old Testament prophets did, they had charged Stephen with “blasphemy” against God himself! They had idolised the temple when it was only a temporary pattern of the future reality that God was bringing. They had charged Stephen with 'speaking about the temple's destruction', and Stephen replied, 'you have made the temple your idol'.

The time of the cross (Acts 7:51-53)

Up until this point Stephen had made a very repeated and significant point to his opponents: God's glory that was seen in the past was about his saving acts for them through those he sent – even the temple and the law pointed to the future change that God was going to bring. But they had always opposed God's change by rejecting those he sent, by disobeying his law, and by committing idolatry.

Stephen, now pulling this all together into one big conclusion, pointed his finger straight at his accusers: 'This is exactly what you are like' (Acts 7:51). For just as the Israel of the past had persecuted the prophets who pointed out these sins to them, and just as they even killed those who predicted the coming of the Messiah, so too, now, this group of Jews were the very ones who had betrayed and murdered the Messiah! They had charged Stephen with speaking against God's glory, and now rather than clearing himself, Stephen turned the charges on them: 'you are rejecting God's glory.'

What does it mean for our world today? The purpose of the law was to point out human rebellion, and the purpose of the temple was to provide for human rebellion. And so the message of both the law and the temple was that people are sinful. And the reaction of the Jews to the law and the temple actually prove this message. For they rejected the law, and they idolised the temple, both of which showed their sinfulness all the more.

Responses to Stephen (Acts 7:54-56)

It's not surprising that when Stephen's opponents heard this, they were furious. But in the midst of their anger, right when they were about to respond to him, Jesus himself burst into the scene and gave his response first.

The time of Jesus now (Acts 7:54-56)

Stephen right then looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus was there! Jesus was standing in the glory of God! This was not a vision he saw at his martyrdom. It was a vision immediately at the end of his sermon. It was a conclusion to his message provided by Jesus himself to justify everything Stephen had told them. But it also is a vision showing the time we are in right now; the stage in the revelation of God's glory that Stephen's sermon had left off.

Jesus' response, on the one hand, proved Stephen's very point: Once again the God of glory has appeared to his people, but it was not tied to the physical pattern of the temple at Jerusalem, or their land or their law, but in God's man who he had used to bring deliverance to God's people. Once again God had as brought his change. Jesus wasn't seen there as the man they killed. The time had come for God to lift him up to his right hand as the glorious Son of Man. And now it is where Jesus is standing in heaven that we see God's glory. It is now where Jesus is that God calls his “holy place”.

Their response (Acts 7:54 – 60)

Stephen's contemporaries responded again to God's glory with rebellion. If in Acts 7:54 after his sermon they were furious at him, now they want to kill him. Their reaction to him proves the point of Stephen's message because they do exactly what their father's had done – they reject God's glory, that had now appeared again, by killing Stephen.

Our response

The law and the temple, correctly understood, have always taught that God's glory is not fixed to places and things in this world, or a certain way of doing things, but has always been located in God's own rule as King from heaven through the man he's appointed to bring salvation. And that means God's glory is now seen in Jesus.

We need to make sure we figure out how to understand the place of the law and the temple in the Old Testament, and not fall into the trap of going backwards. Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement need to hear Stephen's sermon: We mustn't mimic what is past. We can do that by imitating the temple ministry of the Old Testament, or by simply carrying over into Christianity aspects of the law, or by naively imitating the earthly ministry of Jesus, whether it was his miracles or him hanging on the cross.

Jesus has now changed how we understand all this. Stephen died to show that where God's glory is seen in the world today has changed. And Jesus appeared to show that his own place in the world has now changed. He's now not in the world. He is now glorified in heaven where he is moving us toward the future where he is going to change everything again.

This means we need to be very careful about how we think about places and things and ways of doing things in Christianity. We need to resist the temptation to idolize things of this world by focusing on what is temporary: church buildings, baptism, worship styles, the gift of tongues – all of which are temporary and will pass away. Our focus should always be on things above, which are eternal, where Christ is seated, and on the future that Christ's coming will bring.

And it also means we need to do away with all attempts of bringing God's glory in this world by anything other than by speeding the coming of Christ himself: Rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem will not bring God's glory, but praying “come Lord Jesus” will; singing special songs in a special order in a special church service in a special building will not bring God's glory, but speeding Christ's return by preaching the gospel and living a godly life will; looking upon a picture of a man handing on the cross will not show you the glory of God, but letting his word reveal to you the exalted Lord Jesus will. Come our Lord Jesus!

---

Cook, David. Teaching Acts (Christian Focus Publications, 2007).

Do we need the Bible: The Church & the Word of God

Do we need the Bible for church? The Bible itself says, in effect, 'Wherever two or three people come together in Christ's Name, there is Christ among them' (Matthew 18:20). How 'essential' is reading the Bible to church meetings?

In Pentecostal and charismatic churches around the world today, it would seem as if the spirit and life and growth of the Church was dependant on the quality of the music, not the preaching. But if preaching is important, it is the ability of a speaker to connect with his audience, or speak with relevance about real-to-life issues. The nature and function of 'leaders' in the Church has become just that; 'leadership'. The chief responsibility of leaders is to empower every-member ministry, so as to keep seats full. The Bible may get a mention, maybe even a look-up, but then again, sometimes not.

The church growth movement has spawned a growing trend, particularly within Pentecostal and charismatic circles, towards 'seeker sensitive' meetings, with the focus on attracting new comers. Dynamic and prolonged 'praise and worship' times feature strongly in meetings, followed by highly 'relevant', and at times entertaining, practical and 'down-to-earth' messages, aimed at kick-starting Christianity for new comers and 'charging up' the spiritual energy of regulars. The move away from Bible-teaching centred church meetings is extenuated.

Sadly, this trend portrays a deep ignorance in Pentecostalism and wider about how God is known and makes himself known to people. It comes from a conviction that God is known via 'encounters' in the experience of worship, and that this begins by coming to know him for the first time in the emotion of an initial encounter.

But what does the Bible have to day about all this? How has God revealed himself in the past, and how does he make himself known today, both individually, and in the Church?

The Revelation of God

God is light, says 1 John 1:5. He is open, and not secretive, and delights to make himself known. He wants to reveal himself to the people who are his creation, shining his light into people's darkness (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

But more than that, God has acted. God has actually taken the initiative to reveal himself in deeds. He has shown his power and deity in his creative universe. He has given his redemptive plan in the Old Testament through Israel, and accomplished it in the New Testament through his most mighty act: the birth, death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.

But also in addition to his actions, God has spoken. He has actually communicated to his people by speech (Isaiah 40:5; 55:11; cf. Psalm 115:5). His self-revelation is not only in historical deeds, but through explanatory words, and the two are together. Even his ‘Word made flesh’ would remain vague had he not described it and interpreted him through his apostles.

God is light (and so wanting to be known), that God has acted (and thus made himself known), and that God has spoken (and thus explained his actions).

The Word of God

God has not only acted, and spoken, but the divine speech, recording and explaining the divine activity, has been committed to writing. Scripture is God’s Word written. God’s words through men’s words, spoken through human mouths and written through human hands; the Bible has both 100 per cent human and divine authorship (2 Timothy 3:16; cf. 2 Peter 3:16).

But the God who spoke centuries ago is not silent today. Scripture is not a museum of ancient documents in which the words of God a preserved. On the contrary, it is a living Word to living people from the living God; a contemporary message for a contemporary world. (Hebrews 4:12; e.g Hebrews 3:7). God still speaks through what he has spoken. That is, God speaks to us today through the Scriptures.

We must guard against two opposite errors in thinking: The first is that, though God spoke in ancient times, God is silent today. The second is the claim that God is indeed speaking today, but his Word has little if not nothing to do with Scripture. God has spoken, and God speaks, and it is through what he has spoken that he speaks. We must keep the Word and the Spirit together, for apart from the Spirit, the Word is dead, but apart from the Word, the Spirit is unknown.

But not only has God spoken, and continue to speak through what he has spoken, but when he speaks he acts. God’s Word is powerful. The Word does more than explain God’s actions, it is in itself active. God accomplishes his purpose by his Word (Isaiah 55:11; Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word is so different from ours, because in his Word his speech and actions are combined.

The Church of God

The universe was formed by God's Word and is sustained by it. So too, the Church is the creation of God by his Word, and as God’s ‘new creation’, it is as dependant upon his Word as his first creation (the universe). Not only has he brought it into being, but he maintains and sustains it, directs and sanctifies it, reforms and renews it through that same Word. The Word of God is the scepter by which Christ rules the Church and the food with which he nourishes it. That is, the Church lives by the Word of God in the Bible.

'The quality of preaching and the spirit and life of the church have advanced or declined together' (Stott, 1982). The spirit and life and growth of the Church is dependant on the quality of the teaching of God's word in the Church. The nature and function of 'ministry' in the Church is 'pastoral'. It is a ministry of the Word where the chief responsibility of pastors who ‘tend’ the sheep is to ‘feed’ them the Word of God; 'leading' them to obey the Word of God, and 'protecting' them from false teaching and godlessness by teaching them accurately the Word of God (Ezekiel 34:1-3; Psalm 23:1,2; John 10:9; 21:15,17; 1 Peter 5:2; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11).

--

Stott, John. I believe in Preaching, Hodder and Stoughton, 1982. talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Why we meet: The centrality of Preaching

Why should we preach at all? Pentecostal and charismatic churches today make 'worship' central to their meetings, and tack-on-the-end sermons have increasingly suffered from a shift in emphasis and purpose. They serve to 'charge up' Christian motivation, or sell a vision for the future direction of the church, or explain keys to successful Christian living--anything but the bold and accurate declaration of the message of God as written from Genesis to the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

The New Testament never gives 'worship' as a reason why Christians should gather together at all. But it does teach that Christians should meet together for edification and fellowship. We should meet to build one another up in faith and share in our common-union with Christ (Hebrews 10:24-25). But how do we build each other up as Christians? The answer highlights the importance of preaching within Christianity and our church meetings: it is through speaking God’s word to one another that we grow up into Christ (Ephesians 4:15).

Preaching as God's idea

Preaching is God’s idea. Preaching didn’t evolve out of history. It isn’t the idea or invention of people. It isn't something the church came up with as a contemporary means of communication. It actually was the plan that God had for the church. Preaching is completely characteristic of Christianity.

Jesus

Jesus used preaching as the central point to his ministry. The evangelists present Jesus as having been first and foremost an itinerant preacher (Mark 1:14). This was Jesus’ own understanding of his mission at that period (Luke 4:18). He acknowledged that the Spirit of God was on him to preach: “The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news.” During his life Jesus sent his apostles out to preach to Israel (Mark 3:14), and after his resurrection he solemnly commissioned them to preach the gospel to the nations (Matthew 28:19), and this is exactly what they did (Mark 16:20).

The Apostles

The apostles gave priority to the ministry of preaching (Acts 6:4), since it was to this that Jesus had primarily called them. It appears that reading the Scriptures at Christian gatherings (e.g. Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27; 2 Thessalonians 3:14), followed by Bible exposition (Acts 20:7) was preserved as a custom in synagogues, and taken over and Christianized by the apostles (Acts 13:14-43). And the Apostles continued to pass on the baton to others. To start with, they were not the only ones that preached in the first century. Philip (Acts 8:5) and Barnabas (Acts 13:2, 5) are two famous examples. Paul passed his commission to preach on to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:1, 2). He also instructed Timothy to continue passing on this responsibility to teach God’s Word onto others (2 Timothy 2:1). The Apostles taught that preaching was God’s appointed way by which sinners would hear of the Savior and so call on him for salvation (1 Corinthans 1:17-21; 9:16; Romans 10:14,15).

Church history

Preaching and teaching God’s Word continued to be a predominant emphasis among the early church fathers, and using this as its means, in 3 centuries alone, the Church brought the Roman empire to its knees. And preaching has continued to be a predominant emphasis of the Church right down through all of Church history: 'Since the early Church era, the quality of preaching and the spirit and life of the church have advanced or declined together' (Stott, 1982).

What is preaching

To 'expound' the Scriptures is to bring out of the text what is there and expose it, rather than ‘imposition’, which is to impose on the text what is not there. But preaching is more than exposition, for otherwise preaching would not necessarily have any application to our contemporary lives. Preaching is more than communication. Preaching involves communication, however there is no other form of communication which resembles it and could replace it because each component is special, making this type of communication unique: the Preacher is a servant of God who speaks God's words, as God's word, to God's people, knowing that God himself is speaking through his words to his people.

The Bible itself uses a variety of images to illustrate what Christian preaching is. The commonest is the 'herald' (or 'town crier'), who has been given a message of good news to proclaim. Two of Paul’s most direct descriptions of his evangelistic preaching are “we herald Christ crucified” and “we herald... Jesus Christ as Lord” (1 Corinthains 1:23; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Isaiah 52:7).

Other metaphors the Bible gives to illustrate the role of a preacher of God’s Word are 'sower' (Luke 8:4-15), 'ambassador' (2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 6:20), 'fellow worker' (2 Corinthians 6:1; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9), 'steward' or 'housekeeper' (1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 1Tim 3:4-5; Tit 1:7), 'pastor' or 'shepherd' (John 21:15; Acts 20:28-31; Cf. Ezekiel 34), and 'workman' (2 Timothy 2:15).

The preacher goes out into the world, like a farmer into his fields, spreading the precious seed of God’s Word, praying that some of it will fall into well-prepared soil and in time bear good fruit. The preacher has been commissioned to serve as an envoy in a foreign–even hostile–world. He has the responsibility of representing the sovereign Government he represents, whose cause he is proud to plead. The preacher is partnering with God in the work of God. He is a co-worker: He has a role to play, and God has a role to play, and together the job will get done. The preacher is privileged to have been put in charge of God’s household and entrusted with the provision they need: God’s revealed secrets. He is expected above all to be faithful in dispensing them to God’s family. The preacher is an under-shepherd of the Chief Shepherd, to whom he has delegated the care of his flock and who he has charged to protect them from wolves (false teachers) and lead them to good pasture (sound teaching). The kind of preacher who is approved in God’s sight is the workman who is skilful in his treatment of the word of truth. He correctly handles the Bible.

Contemporary objections

Preaching in our contemporary age has its challenges. Society has for decades now seen preaching as a ‘dying art’, an outmoded form of communication, a ‘relic from the past’. The 'anti-authority' culture that seeks ‘true freedom’ sees preaching as a symbol of the authority that it rejects. People have their own opinions and convictions, which they at the very least consider to be equally valid to the preacher's; a preacher has no right to lay down his message as 'law' on another, or frame his message in absolute terms as 'truth', let alone assume to speak as one with the 'words of God'.

The Scriptures teach that fallen mankind can only find fulfillment in the context of authority. Unlimited freedom is an illusion. The mind is free only under the authority of the truth, and the will under the authority of righteousness. We believe not what we have invented but what God has revealed. This gives us authority. Preachers are trustees of divine revelation (1 Corinthians 4:1). A sermon by very nature is a revelation, not an exhortation. The Word of God is the authority. The authority with which we preach is inherent neither in us as individuals, nor primarily in our office as a preacher, nor even in the church whose members and accredited pastors we may be, but supremely in the Word of God which we expound. But it is not enough for us to make pronouncements of authority. Preachers need to argue the reasonableness and demonstrate the relevance of God's word. When a message 'rings true' and is seen to relate correctly with human reality, it carries its own authority, and authenticates itself.

The contemporary loss of confidence in the gospel is the most basic of all hindrances to preaching. To preach is to publicly proclaim a message, while to ‘evangelize’ is to spread the good news. Both presuppose that we have been given something to say. Without a clear and confident message preaching is impossible. Yet it is precisely this that Pentecostalism increasingly lacks. Much charismatic preaching today is ‘speaking’ not preaching: encouraging motivation, explaining practical insights, proclaiming speculations, giving opinions, expounding views, declaring the preacher's beliefs.

Preaching as essential

Preaching is a distinguishing feature of Christianity. It is essential to Christianity; it is a necessary and authentic part of it. Christianity is a religion of the Word of God. It revolves around the fact that God has revealed himself by his own initiative to fallen humanity, and his self revelation is given to us in the most straightforward means of communication known to people--by words. God spoke through the prophets and instructed them to convey his message to Israel by speech and writing. Supremely, he has spoken in his Son, who is his "Word made flesh", whether directly or through his apostles. God's word comes to us by the Holy Spirit, who bears witness to Christ and to the Scriptures, and who enables us to accept it as God's Word.

It is God’s speech that makes our speech necessary. Those who have heard and believed God’s Word are to speak it to others. We must speak what he has spoken - this is the Christian obligation to preach.

Needed: A recovery of preaching

What is needed within Pentecostalism is a recovery of conviction in the essence and importance of preaching. Pentecostals need to regain confidence in the truth, relevance and power of the message of the Bible--the gospel. Preaching is not motivational speaking, it is not the proclamation of new ideas, or the discussion of key issues. Preaching is the declaration of the Word, the truth as it has been revealed in the Bible.

--

Stott, John. I believe in Preaching, Hodder and Stoughton, 1982. talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecostal worship: What's at Stake

The strong emphasis of the praise and worship movement has been prolonged, and is set to continue. When it comes to 'worship', there is more at stake than just a confusion of terms.

The gospel

Whole sections of Christianity around the globe have experienced a blurring of the gospel itself. The worship movement distracts Christians from the vital and assuring truth of Christ as the perfect worshiper of God on their behalf who has permanently secured for them their intimacy with God. The consequence is that Christians are robbed of their assurance.

Christian living

The Pentecostal and charismatic movement's view of and emphasis on worship confuses the nature of the Christian life which is to chiefly involve worship in the New Testament sense: a continual faith response to God of holy living, obedience and generous service from a heart of thanksgiving to Christ. Instead, the Pentecostal movement has many Christians thinking that their weekly lives hinge on spending quantified time each day speaking in 'tongues' (ecstatic or simply unintelligable vocalisations). The praise and worship movement also has many Christians focusing their daily efforts on momentary connections with the emotion of their relationship with God, helped on by a whole genre and industry of praise and worship music cds. Their weekend life similarly revolves around the climax of their corporate public worship events.

The result of this emphasis is that church meetings and private encounters with God are seen to be the place where God’s blessing is received, even the necessary place. This was intrinsically clear when Hillsong's music proclaimed that God’s blessings were found ‘in this place’ and ‘in the secret place’ where God is. In other words, a special blessing is found in God's special presence (which is personal and intimate). And God's special presence is 'entered' via ‘worship’.

In this movement, the event or activity of ‘worship’ has become the mediator of God’s blessings to his people. Since ‘worship’ is understood within the movements as the way or means by which we approach God, then the error of the Charismatic and Pentecostal movement is that it makes an event or activity the mediator of Christian's approach to God.

To do this is to rebuild the earthly tent: the worship movement reintroduces the Old Testament model of human mediation in relating to God, and an unauthorised one at that. It indirectly teaches that what is needed when coming to God is the gospel plus a human element. And so in this emphasis on ‘praise and worship’ the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements have let go of the absolute sufficiency of what Christ has done for us through his death and resurrection. This is offering an alternative gospel, because it offers a different way of drawing near to God, other than through faith in Christ alone.

Christian growth

The praise and worship movement has distracted generations of Christians within the Charismatic and Pentecostal movement from the God-given task of ‘edification’ and ‘fellowship’. Our shared responsibility is to build one another up in faith and join together with others in true Christian communion. But charismaticism has the tendency to promote a self-absorbing culture because Christians are overly focused on building themselves up in their individual journey to achieve fullness in God. The unfortunate result is that Christians – who lack the teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness that comes from the Scriptures (2 Tim 3:16) – are left lacking in good works, and consequently left spiritually immature in Christ. talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Christian services: Why we meet

Why do Christians meet? What are church 'services' meant to be about? If we stick to the concept of 'worship' in its true biblical sense – as our faith response of obedience and service to God – then is ‘worship’ the central reason why Christians gather together? Is worship at least one of the main reasons for church 'services?'

Why Christians meet together

There is abundant teaching in the New Testament on the reasons why Christians should meet together. But a very simple look at the New Testament teaching itself would seem to forbid us upholding ‘worship’ as a central reason for the Christian gathering.

It is clear that ‘worship’ is nowhere expressly taught as a reason why Christians did, should or do gather. In fact, the Greek words that are translated in our Bibles as ‘worship’ or ‘service’ are not often used to describe what Christians did when they gathered corporately. The New Testament certainly does not provide a single example of a Christian gathering where they sang songs at all, let alone involving themselves in such events as are staged at many Charismatic and Pentecostal meetings.

The New Testament specifically teaches that the reason Christians should meet together, while not for ‘worship’, is for ‘edification’ and ‘fellowship’; that is, to build one another up in faith and share in communion (common-union through Christ) (Hebrews 10:24-25). How we build each other up as Christians is worth emphasising: it is through speaking God’s word to one another (Ephesians 4:15), for by this we encourage, comfort and strengthen each other in our faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 14:3). As previously mentioned, we do not edify each other unless we come together with "some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction" (1 Corinthians 14:4-6). Whether we bring a "hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation", either way, "these must be done for the strengthening of the church" (1 Corinthians 14:26); that is, it is the word of God by which those with word gifts "prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up", with the ultimate goal of reaching "unity in the faith" and becoming "mature" in Christ. And to this goal each and every member of the body has its part to play (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12).

There is no doubt that the reason why Jews gathered together at the temple was for worship. But that old system awaited the coming of Christ. To hold that we now gather together for the central purpose of worship – where Christians approach God by presenting to him a sacrifice of praise, by which they enter his presence and receive his blessing – is to hold onto an old (and redundant) model. When we do have earthly gatherings now, it is not so that we can draw near to God by our offering of 'worship' to him. To be sure, as we put our faith in Jesus and display our faith in Jesus when we meet together we do consequently 'draw near to God' (According to Hebrews 10:19-22). But the reason why we meet together (and should meet together, and need to meet together) is in order to "spur one another on towards love and good deeds", so that we may "encourage one another" as we "see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Worship: Why and How

Worship for the Christian is their faith response to God that comes from a heart of thanksgiving because of Christ’s perfect sacrifice of Himself on the cross, offered to God by him on their behalf. It involves the obedience that comes from their faith in Christ, through whom they offer themselves to God with holy lives in his service.

Why do we worship?

If that is what worship is for the Christian, the question is: 'Why do Christians need to worship God'? It is crucial to distinguish between Christ’s sacrifice offered for us, and our sacrifice offered through him. It is Christ’s sacrifice alone that obtains God’s mercy and favour for Christians. Only his worship on the cross reconciles us to God; that is, it alone brings us into fellowship with him. Our sacrifice is a duty that does not achieve anything for us; but rather it demonstrates the gratitude of those whom God himself has already brought into fellowship with himself through Christ: we worship God by offering ourselves to God through Christ in thanksgiving. The cross is the work that secures God’s favour for us. The obedience of our faith is our expression of thanksgiving for Christ’s work on our behalf. It is necessary for us to worship God because it is necessary for us to be thankful to God. So then, "let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire" (Heb 12:28-29)".

How do we worship?

The New Testament describes the church as a ‘holy’ and ‘royal priesthood’ in which all of God’s people act as priests, offering ‘spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:6). But the question is: ‘how does the New Testament picture these sacrifices, in practical terms?’ They include just about any type of sacrifice of oneself that is from a thankful response to God’s grace in Christ, as the many and varied references to Christians’ spiritual worship in the New Testament shows: we offer our bodies by living a holy and pleasing lifestyle to God (Romans 12:1); we praise God by confessing his name to others (Heb 13:15); we pray for others (Acts 10:4; Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4); we continue to have faith (Php 2:17); we give to others (Acts 10:4; Philippians 4:18); we do good to others; we share with others (Hebrews 13:16); we preach the gospel (Romans 15:16; 2 Corinthians 3:15); we give our lives even unto death for the gospel (2 Timothy 4:6).

Praise and worship

Alongside the term 'worship', it seems that the concept of ‘praise’ is also a term largely misunderstood and often misapplied in the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements. The Psalms demonstrate that the chief way we praise God is by telling others about him (E.g. Psalm 22:22; and 2 Samuel 22:50); that is, we praise God to each other, and those who have not heard of him. It seems from a number of New Testament verses that a key expression of worship is the continual ‘praising of God’ to others - both to fellow Christians and unbelievers - which involves the confessing of God’s name; that is, speaking to others about the greatness of God. This is chiefly done in the New Testament by telling other people the gospel (Hebrews 13:15; 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).

It seems then that the picture of Christian worship in the New Testament is a collage; there is a myriad of images all superimposed on each other in a way that leaves us wondering whether or not there is a picture at all.

Charismatic worship

At this point, it is imperative to see that New Testament Christian worship looks in most part completely different to what the term ‘worship’ is used to describe in a Charismatic meeting. The point here is not that Charismatics or Pentecostals do not worship, but only that there is nothing about their ‘praise and worship’ 'services' and singing that is necessarily worship. It is only if during such ‘praise and worship’ ‘times’ that Christians engage in some type of sacrifice of themselves that comes from a thankful response to God’s grace in Christ that it is really worship in spirit and in truth.

In other words, if any Christian meeting is really a 'service', because in it Christians serve God and serve each other, then it may certainly be referred to as 'worship' to God. This may well take place as some respond by praying to God with a thankful heart. Others may find themselves looking around and with heartfelt thanks to God find themselves confessing his name through the songs to other Christians.

But even then, the ‘praise and worship time’ was not necessary (or even helpful) for this. For loud emotive songs can often distract from genuine and thoughtful prayer to God and for others. And most often than not confessing God’s name to others - whether to Christians or not - is most effectively done directly (that is, in person, over coffee).

talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

What is Worship: Your Spiritual Act

What is worship - for the Christian? Is our approach to God mediated through sacrifices, as it was for Israel under the Old Covenant? Do Christians need to 'worship' in order to ‘approach’ God? How should Christians ‘draw near’ to God and maintain the ‘presence of God’ in their lives?

Old Covenant worship

The biblical concept of worship has its origin in the Old Covenant. Israel were redeemed from slavery in Egypt and brought before God on Mount Sinai. There he gave them his law and the sacrificial system; that is, he gave them the means by which they were to relate to him as his saved people. Obedience to his covenant law was the proper loving response to the God who had become their covenant king. The sacrificial system was the gracious means that he provided for them to maintain the covenant, since he knew that they could not keep his law. God had provided a way by which Israel might approach his holy presence, and it was on their part to come to him in worship by the obedience of faith in the sacrificial system, without fear of judgement.

This was how Israel worshipped God: by offering him sacrifices in faith – and not any sacrifices offered in any way (Look up 'unauthorised fire' in your concordance). They were to worship (approach him) only in the way perscribed by God in his law. By such worship - obedience to the sacrificial regulations set out in the law - Israel would show their commitment to the covenant, because by it they showed their faith in the God-given means for maintaining their God-given relationship him.

Worship, then, was a faith response of obedience to the covenant, whereby Israel applied the God-given means for maintaining their covenant relationship with God. Therefore the sacrificial system mediated Israel’s relationship with God; that is, they approached God through the sacrifices the law prescribed.

New Covenant worship

What then is worship for the Christian? Is our approach to God also mediated through sacrifices, but of a less bloody kind? God initiated worship took a cataclysmic change with the coming of Jesus. The New Testament presents Jesus himself as the once for all sacrifice who perfects worshipers under the new covenant. Jesus himself has become the priestly worshipper on our behalf of Christians (Heb 9-10).

Before this time worship was a faith response whereby Israel applied the God-given means prescribed in the sacrificial system to maintain their relationship with God. But now Jesus’ work on the cross has put and end to the sacrificial system, because it was the final God-given means for maintaining our covenant relationship with God. His blood was the perfect sacrifice, offered once for all time, that the Old Testament sacrificial system looked forward to. He has performed it (not us), and it is now finished (not ongoing). And he now forever lives in God’s presence as our perfect priest making intercession for us. Since Jesus has ‘entered into’ God's presence in heaven (the perfect tabernacle), once for all by his own offered to God on our behalf, Jesus is the perfect worship of God for us (Heb 7:27; 9:26). Because sin is the only thing that alienated us from God, and since Jesus has dealt with our sin by his cross, there is no longer any need for any sacrifice for sin ever again.

What Christian worship is not

Christians therefore do not need to 'worship' (make sacrifices) themselves in order to ‘approach’ God. And indeed they simply cannot ‘draw near to’ him through their own actions (effort/works). Christians cannot achieve (or maintain for themselves) the ‘presence of God’. This is what worship achieved under the old covenant, but that covenant has been finished by the work of Christ. The work of worship in that sense has since that time been fulfilled perfectly by Christ. There is no longer any offering of worship for sin (Heb 10:18).

Jesus has already approached God for us by his once for all worship on the cross. Those who have faith in him are permanently brought into God's presence (the heavenly realm) with him now. Those who trust in Jesus have a full and complete assurance that their covenant is maintained for them perfectly by Jesus who now intercedes for us in God's presence on our behalf.

The question is, therefore, do Christians worship at all? If so what is their spiritual act of worship? This is a question that the New Testament itself asks, and answers. It is related to the essence of what worship was under the old covenant, but with an important difference. We do have a sacrifice to offer, but it’s nature and purpose is very different.

Your spiritual act

Worship has always been a faith response whereby God’s people applied the God-given means for maintaining their covenant relationship with God. In the New Testament worship for the Christian still involves a faith response of obedience, except that we as God’s people no longer apply the God-given means ourselves for maintaining our covenant with God. Jesus has already done that for us. It is left to us only to have faith in him. Our worship is nothing more (though also nothing less) than continuing to display a faith response to Jesus who has permanently secured our relationship with God forever by his own perfect offering to God of his blood. We 'draw near to God' in worship with the offering of a 'sincere heart in full assurance of faith' (Heb 10:19-22); that is, we enter God's presence by putting our faith in Jesus, and we continue in God's presence by continuing to display our faith response to Jesus.

So what does a faith response to Jesus really look like? Since the gospel proclaims Jesus as Lord, it means treating him as Lord in our lives: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him (Col 2:6)”. And to live with Christ Jesus as Lord of ones life means nothing less than to submit to his Lordship in every area of our lives. Our offering to him is therefore our display to him of a holy life involving our obedient service to him. It is just as Paul commands us: “in view of God’s mercy, offer your body as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him. This is your spiritual act of worship (Rom 12:1)”.

talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Worship: What Pentecostals believe

What do Pentecostals believe about 'worship'? Pentecostalism believes that worship is the primary means by which Christians draw near to God to offer him a sacrifice of praise, in faith that his blessings will follow. This blessing involves the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s presence amongst Christians as they worship. A central reason, if not the reason Christians should gather together is for corporate worship in the Spirit, for it is there that God reveals himself in particular.

While affirming on the one hand that ‘worship is a lifestyle’ (it's not about one day per week, but every hour of every day; it's not about an event or an experience, but about belief-fuelled behaviour), on a practical level however, the focal point of worship in Pentecostalism is the corporate event, the 'worship meeting.'

Churches meet in ‘worship centres’. A time of ‘praise’ prepares individuals and the whole congregation for the ‘worship time’ that will follow. The aim of the worship time is for each individual to achieve genuine openness to God at the deepest (or highest) level. It is during this time that individual ‘worshipers’ seek and move close to God. This partly involves 'letting go' on a mental level; letting go of 'personal baggage' and inhibition. This allows individuals to move beyond the mind to find God himself. When this is achieved on mass (worshipers collectively 'enter in', and are united in 'pursuit' of God), then the worship meeting and centre becomes a place where God's special presence is revealed, “a place where earth can touch heaven” (to quote Hillsong).

The act of ‘drawing near’ to God in particular involves offering him a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. But often it is more than this: From the front, ‘worship leaders’ urge the congregation to ‘enter in’ (to the realm of 'worship'), not only because this causes God's presence to be manifest (or be felt), but also because this 'offering' of praise 'exalts' or lifts God up (He is ‘enthroned on the praises of his people’). In other words, God is enthroned or 'glorified' as his people praise him (Hence the old hymn, “we enthrone you,” and “I exalt you”).

In this sense, God acts in a special way when Christians praise and/or worship him: God 'reigns' (locally) as king through our act of acknowledging and submitting to his kingship in worship. It follows then, that as his people worship him, he becomes active in a special way. That is, God's Spirit is 'poured out' or 'rains down' and therefore God 'comes' and 'moves’ and 'works' in the midst of his people, as they worship him wholeheartedly.

The ‘worship team’ (musicians, singers and leaders) are therefore instrumental in this process. The worship leader and his/her team are seen as central to the church's purpose for meeting. Their role is to help the church to 'enter in' to worship wholeheartedly, and consequently “experience the manifest presence of God” (To quote Integrity Music's purpose statement). They do this in two stages by their own praise and worship: Firstly, by ‘ushering in the presence of God’ to the meeting by being the first to 'enter in', and secondly by leading the congregation 'into the presence of God’ as the congregation begins to follow their lead in worship.

The Pentecostal and indeed all charismatic movements also strongly emphasise private worship to God. Whether this happens in one's own home or car, individual Christians need to maintain their own private devotion to Christ by setting aside 'quiet times' (or loud as the case may be) where they worship God every day. This type of worship really amounts to the same activity as the main meeting, except that a Cd recording of a live worship event replaces the function of the ‘worship team.’

But this 'lifestyle' worship obviously involves isolated individuals and so lacks the 'corporate' element. Therefore, the public meeting remains central to worship in Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement more widely. For in the 'worship meeting' Christians experience something that is really unlike anything they do at any other time: they make a corporate sacrifice (or free will offering) of praise to God. God ‘delights in the praises of his people’ (collectively), and therefore this special activity carries the promise of a special blessing for the individuals who participate in the church-wide experience.

Summary

In summary, at the very heart of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements is a belief that central to the purpose of churches gathering is the public formal worship event where Christians draw near to God both individually and corporately to offer sacrifices of praise in the expectation that God's blessings will follow, which involve the coming of his active presence into their meeting and lives.

Next

But does Pentecostalism have a concept of worship that is its own? Is this concept of worship the biblical concept of worship? What is worship? Why do we do it? How do we do it? Why did Christians meet together in the New Testament? What should be the purpose of our congregational gatherings together? These and others are the questions we'll be talking more about.

talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.