“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33 (NLT)
Should all worship services in all churches look the same, following a preset pattern and structure? Is the pattern in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 meant to be followed to the letter? Is it a structure for all Christian worship at all times for all Christians?
The answer is no. Rather, the timeless principle behind the structure that existed in the Corinthian Church is that of making worship make sense to everyone, ensuring that it is intelligible to all. It’s the idea that no one gets left out. It’s the passionate desire that the Gospel gets clearly communicated to everyone.
Structure that reflects a local body of believers will necessarily vary. Did you know that the most popular music genre in the United States is country western? Therefore a number of growing churches in the southwest have country western oriented Christian music.
One of the most powerful and growing and influential churches full of young people in the nation is in Manhattan and uses organ and liturgy and is Presbyterian, of all things! There’s no one correct worship style. But there is one worship principle behind style: the heart to communicate the Gospel uncompromisingly but also intelligibly, in a way that the local context and culture can apprehend. And a structure (one that doesn’t become calcified) lends itself to that end.
Mark said...
ReplyDeleteI have been in churches in Kenya. The worship style can be vastly different, but with elements of similarity. The one overriding similarity which brings great joy to my soul is that the Gospel is the Gospel. It is spectacular to be in such a different culture, but to worship the same awesome God. This has made it clear to me that it is the heart to communicate the Gospel uncompromisingly that has no cultural, geographical, of political boundries. God is Great.