Worship

	*The churches of Christ Salute you (Romans 16:16)*
	THE WORSHIP OF THE LORD'S CHURCH Jesus said, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24). Two things are required of worshippers if our devotions are acceptable to God. First, we must worship in spirit. That is, our heats must be right. We must be right in life, and we must have the correct attitude. We must be thinking of what we are doing (Isaiah 1:11-20; Proverbs 28:9; Matthew 15:8). Second, we must worship God in truth. To worship God in truth means that we will worship him according to the truth. God's word is truth (John 17:17). Therefore for our devotions to be acceptable to God, they must be offered in accordance with His Word. The New Testament gives the acts of worship in which Christians are to engage. The acts of worship mentioned in the Old Testament such as dancing, instrumental music, animal sacrifices, special singers, and burning of incense, were commanded only of Israel (Deuteronomy 5:1-3). The Old Testament as a binding law for God's people ended at the cross (Colossians 2:13-14). The Old Testament teaches that it would be done away with (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The New Testament is the religious law for God's people today (Matthew 17:4-5). There are five acts of worship required by God, and they are plainly set forth in the New Testament. THE LORD'S SUPPER The Lord's Supper or communion was instituted by Christ (Matthew 26:26-29) and taken weekly by the first century church (1 Corinthians 10:16). The Supper consisted of two things: First, unleavened bread (without yeast) and second, the fruit of the vine (grape juice). The purpose of the Lord's Supper is to bring to our remembrance the sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus on the cross for our sins (Matthew 26:26-29). We must be very careful when we partake of the communion that we discern the blood and body of Jesus so we partake in a worthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:23-30). Christians are to eat the Lord's Supper every first day of every week (Acts 20:7). PRAYER Prayers offered to God are to be part of our public worship as well as our private daily devotions. There are many examples and rules concerning prayer in the New Testament (1 Timothy 2:2-8; Philippians 4:6). In our prayers to God we give thanks and praise His name. In our prayers we can pray for our needs and the needs of others. Jesus gave us a "model" prayer in Matthew 6:5-15. He never intended for us to simply repeat this prayer by rote but gave it to us as an example by which we can pattern our own prayers. Christ is our mediator and high priest; therefore, our prayers must be addressed to God in the name of Jesus (John 16:23; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 2:1-2). PREACHING AND TEACHING GOD'S WORD God has commanded us to teach His Word (Matthew 28:19-20). Both saved and sinner are to be taught; therefore, a lesson from the Bible is one of the acts of worship in which Christians are to engage (Acts 2:42). We must learn God's Word so we can grow stronger in Christ, teach others, and overcome false teachings (1 Peter 2:1-2; 2 Timothy 2:2; 4:1-5). This is a very important part of worship and must never be overlooked. GIVING Giving of our means is a part of our worship to God. This way Christ's church gets the necessary funds to do its work. God has given us the perfect plan for giving (1 Corinthians 16:2). We are told who is to give, "Let every one of you." We are told when to give, "Upon the first day of the week." We are told how much to give, "As God has prospered us." We show our love for God when we give cheerfully and willingly to Him (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). SINGING Christians are commanded to praise God in song (Colossians 3:16). The kind of music God has commanded for His church is vocal music only, that is, singing. There is no command or example anywhere in the New Testament for the use of mechanical instruments of music in Christian worship. To add instruments of music to our singing is a sin for it is adding to what God has told us He wants. No man has the right to do this (Revelation 22:18-19; 2 John 9-11). We are to "make melody in our hearts" (Ephesians 5:19), the instruments made by God, not by instruments made by man! To some, forbidding the use of instrumental music in the worship seems strange and ridiculous. Many think when they hear this "strange doctrine" that the churches of Christ made it up to be different. While we endeavor to be different in the fact that we want to do only what the Scriptures require nothing more and nothing less; the churches of Christ are following the example of not using instrumental music as the church did from 33 - 800 AD. Church history shows us that the early church did not use musical instruments in worship because they were not authorized. From the inception of the church in 33AD until the sixth century, church history records that the form of music in the church was acapella singing. The musical instrument was starting to show its influence in the church in the late sixth century and by the seventh century the instrument was slowly being brought into the church. In 670 AD, Pope Vitalian I was given an organ and put it in the church at Rome. There was a revolt from other churches, and Vitalian was forced to remove it because of the damage the disunity was causing in the church. The organ would not see wide spread use in the church until the ninth century almost two hundred years later. In 1054 AD the Catholic Church divided into the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church over idols being allowed into the church. Another issue that the Roman Catholics and the Greek Orthodox Church disputed over was the use of instrumental music in the worship, and the Greek Orthodox even today do not use the instrument in worship. The Protestant Reformation leaders had a problem with the unauthorized use of instruments of music in worship. We in the churches of Christ would like to share some quotes from these as well as some more modern denominational leaders:
	Martin Luther (1483-1546), the founder of the Lutheran Church, rejected the organ saying, “It is an ensign of Baal” (McClintock & Strong’s Encyclopedia, Music, Vol. VI., 762). John Calvin (1509-1564), a Presbyterian, said the following about instrumental music, “It is no more suitable than the burning of incense, or the lighting of tapers, or the revival of the shadows of the old law. The Papists therefore, have foolishly borrowed this, as well as many other things, from the Jews” (John Calvin’s Commentary, Thirty-third Psalm). John Wesley helped establish the Methodist Church and said the following about the organ, “I have no objection to the organ in our chapels provided it is neither heard nor seen.” (Clarke’s Commentary, Vol. IV., 686). Adam Clarke a Methodist preacher and scholar stated the following concerning the musical instrument: "I’m an old man and an old minister, and I here declare that I have never known instrumental music to be productive of any good in the worship of God, and have reason to believe that it has been productive of much evil. Music as a science I esteem and admire, but instruments of music in the house of God I abominate and abhor. This is the abuse of music, and I hereby register my protest against all such corruption in the worship of that Infinite Spirit who requires his followers to worship him in spirit and in truth (Clarke’s Commentary, Vol. IV., 686). Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) a Baptist preacher and scholar said the following on the matter, “I Corinthians 14:15 says, What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” I would as soon pray to God with machinery as to sing to God with machinery.” He is also recognized as the greatest Baptist preacher that ever lived. He preached at the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle, London, England, and did not have instrumental music in their worship (M.C. Kurfees, Instrumental Music in the Worship, p. 196). John Knox, Scottish reformer, "called the organ a 'kist' (chest) of whistles." (McClintock & Strong's Encyclopedia, Music, Vol. VI., p.762). Conybeare and Howson, famous scholars of the Church of England, in commentary on Ephesians 5:19, say, "Make melody with the music of your hearts, to the Lord ... let your songs be, not the drinking songs of heathen feasts, but psalms and hymns; and their accompaniment not the music of the lyre, but the melody of the heart." (Life and Epistles of St. Paul, Vol. II, p. 408).
	Not one of the religious leaders quoted above is a member of the church of Christ. They are quoted to show that their are others in the religious community that have problems with instrumental music in worship. Ephesians 5:19 says "speaking to one another" and Colossians 3:16 says to "teach and admonish one another." Some things we must notice about these verses are first, these things are to be done by singing and second, what I am doing to you you are doing to me so all must be involved in the singing. Therefore, if we are to play, as some suggest, we would all need to play as well. Not all can play a musical instrument, but all can sing praises unto God. Neither has God commanded us to have special singers in our worship such as choirs. Every Christian must praise God in song just as every Christian must eat the Lord's Supper for himself. The purpose of our worship is not to entertain ourselves. If we worship God the way we want to we are sinning because our worship is "will worship" (Colossians 3:20-23). If we think God will accept our worship and the scriptures do not indicate the thing we are doing is a scriptural act of worship we are guilty of "presumptuous sin" (Psalm 19:13; 2 Peter 2:10). True Christians want to worship God. When we understand God's greatness, glory, majesty, wisdom, strength and reflect on His infinite mercy in giving His only begotten Son to save us from our sins, our hearts will overflow with a "sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of the lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15).
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