They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42, New International Version)
Theme: The Local Church
Context:
It was such a blessing to see the supportive exchanges in the commentaries last Friday and Saturday. Thanks to all who participated! As we now turn our attention to the Discipline of Worship we will begin by considering questions about the role of worship in your local church.
Before we consider the questions, it is worth remembering that worship (respect and adoration for God) is a whole-life activity.
Primary Questions:
- Does your local church promote a comprehensive view of worship?
- Does your local church encourage participative worship (i.e., all members play their part)?
- Do your local church leaders model a life of worship?
- Does your local church guard against church services becoming predominantly entertainment events?
Optional Secondary Questions (if you have the time):
- Does your local church make worshipping at the Lord’s table (communion) a priority?
- Does your local church have a process for ensuring worship songs are biblical?
Your Feedback:
While you are not expected to share your answers to the questions above, we would still love to hear from you. Based on your answers to the questions, what is your general observation about how local churches relate to worship?
March 21, 2022 at 7:28 am
The churches I’ve attended all my life have usually done well at worship. Music is the catalyst we use for worship and while the music should be good, the lyrics are so important for it to be really meaningful. Part of that understanding is that songs should be god-centric rather than centred on us which tends to happen sometimes. Also, I remember many years ago being told that giving our offering was also an act of worship. So true. Our worship should be comprehensive as the question says. Another great way is testimony from the saints which allows us to see the good hand of God in our lives.
March 21, 2022 at 11:57 am
My local church here in Houston, TX has a very solemn worship service every Sunday. The songs sing by the choir can touch the heart of every believer. The sanctuary is beautiful, serene as you enter , you would see the beautiful flowers in the altar and everything looks neat. The sanctuary exudes peace, and holiness. God is glorified with the songs and prayers. Most members quietly sit and greet everyone. The songs chosen from the hymn book as always, were related to the scriptures for the sermon. This church is a traditional one ( not like the churches now with projector showing all the songs or bible verses), where you have to open the pages of your bible, to follow through the verses/ scriptures and also the pages on the hymn books. The service is not like a show where there is a band singing, but just a pianist/ organist and one music minister leading the worship singing time. I’m not saying that it’s better not to have a projector or band, but for me, I prefer a church building not a stage or a big dome or like an assembly room
or gathering place. I only want a simple sanctuary with the cross and I prefer small congregation where most of the church members are acquainted with one another, like one big family. It helps me focused more on God when worshiping. For others they may not mind the band with worship singers leading the singing like singing more of gospel songs. But sometimes, I get distracted with that kind of worship singing. Maybe it all depends on the individual.
For prayer meeting, I think it’s nice to experience too the singing and clapping for the Lord, but this kind of fellowship is on one night on weekdays ( when there was no covid yet) and most youth members lead the group. That kind of worship time motivates and helps revive the soul. I’ve had that in some churches i attended in different countries I’ve lived.