Reverence
In The Worship Service
Elder
O. B. Mink
Retired
Sovereign Grace Baptist Pastor
"Let
all things be done decently and in order". (I Corinthians 14:40)
New Testament churches are to "Adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour
in all things". (Titus 2:10), and the chief place and time for
the adorning of the doctrine is during the worship service of the church.
A church, correct to the letter, but slothful in propriety or decorum during
the worship service is like unto a house half complete and decrepit. It
has been the good pleasure of the God of all grace to open the understanding
of His churches, and cause them to see Him high and lifted up. The Holy
Spirit has taken the things of Christ, and has showed them to His churches,
and they have become doctrinally strong. But they must also realize that
orthodoxy in doctrine is worth little to nothing without due reverence
for the presence of Christ during the worship service. Adult worshippers
need to be fully aware at all times of the solemnity of the occasion, and
parents should with utmost diligence train their children for this highest
of all earth's privileges. The greatest business in the world is that of
the Lord's blood bought church, and its worship service should never be
approached with an insincere spirit or attitude of indifference.
PROFIT
FROM OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE
"Now all these things happened unto them (Israel) for examples:
and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world
are come". (I Corinthians 10:11). Moses received the Law from
the mouth of the Supreme Lawgiver, and declared the same unto Israel. When
the tabernacle and the ark of testimony were finished, he assembled the
whole congregation of Israel before the tabernacle, gave them by tribe
their stations in the camp, and the orders and service of the tabernacle.
The tribe of Levi was given the responsibility of the tabernacle, and from
the tribe of Levi twenty-two thousand priests were made and the order of
service was dictated to them. The sentence of death was passed not only
upon the pagans and heathen who would desecrate the tabernacle, but also
upon every Israelite who assumed undue liberty toward the tabernacle. The
Levites with guarded reverence for their duty in and with the tabernacle
showed their devotion to God, and to His order of service.
Seeing that with all due reverence the Levites drew near unto God (Numbers,
chapters 1,2, and 3), should not New Testament churches regard
with the greatest dedication those holy oracles and ordinances which have
been committed to their charge? Where there is reverential fear of God
there will be proper respect for the worship services of the church. When
that fear is wanting, there will be disorder, indecency, and impropriety,
which bespeaks contempt for God's church and His command to do all things
"decently and in order".
COUNTERING
CONFUSION
"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches
of the saints". (I Corinthians 14:33). Irreverence is a forerunner
of confusion, and confusion begets dissension, and dissension is the mother
of schism, and when schism is finished it brings forth the ruin of the
church. Where irreverence consistently prevails in the church, it might
be that God has taken His leave of the church, seeing that He will not
abide where the honor and glory due His name is turned into confusion and
shame. "Give unto the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord
in the beauty of holiness." (Psalms 29:2).
There is nothing the devil hates more than he does true worship of the
Son of God, and he knows there is nothing more conducive to good singing,
teaching, and preaching than an attentive congregation. Therefore, he is
determined to distract the worshippers, and thereby bedim the glory of
Him Who bought the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
The success of the worship service of the church depends not only on what
we put into it, but also on what we leave out of it. Let us put as much
of heaven into the worship service as we can, and heaven's first law is
order. Let us leave out of our worship service as much of the world as
we possibly can, for the measure of the world that enters into the service
is the exact measure of irreverence and slight shown unto God. Let us not
ally ourselves with the world, and contribute to the downgrading of the
church worship services by inattention, whispering, writing notes, added
comments, etc., etc. "Know thou how thou oughtest to behave thyself
in the house of God ... " (I Timothy 3:15)
(The
Baptist Herald )
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