WHAT MAKES SIERRA TICK, Part #7

Our philosophy of ministry
by Paul Null, FormerTeaching Pastor

HOW WORSHIP FITS INTO OUR FELLOWSHIP

What is worship? Not long ago in a discussion of the subject one friend suggested that everything a believer thinks or says or does should be an act of worship. I understand what he was getting at. In its most basic sense worship can be defined as honoring God. It was in this sense that Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31). Everything about the believer's life should bring honor to God and, in that sense, everything we do should be an act of worship.

But the bible provides many examples of worship as a specific activity distinguished from other areas of life. The Psalms, for instance, are filled with illustrations of worship that could be described as honoring God by directing special attention to him with our words. Worship then, in a more specific sense, involves honoring God with the special attention of our words of confession, commitment, praise and thanksgiving. In this sense worship is expressed through prayer, song and testimony.

But another distinction must be made. Worship can be done in solitude or in the company of other believers. Individuals can worship God at just about any time or in any place as long as they are able to give him undivided attention. But there are special times when believers come together for worship and, in fact, worship in those cases comes under the heading of fellowship (see Acts 2:42-46). For our purposes here worship is defined as the activity that takes place when the congregation meets together to give specific attention to God and express appreciation for who he is and what he has done with words of praise, thanksgiving, confession and commitment.

It is important to note that worship was not the primary reason for the regular gatherings of the congregation. The purpose of the gatherings, as one author points out, "is the growth and edification of its members into Christ and into common life through their God-given ministry to one another (1 Corinthians 14:12, 19, 26)." During the earliest days of the gatherings two emphases are noted, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, . . ." (Acts 2:42). As was stated above, worship came under the heading of fellowship.

New Testament worship departed in form from the ritualistic and formal mode of Old Testament temple worship, and for that matter the Gentile pagan worship of that day, with good reason. When Christ died the temple veil was torn asunder, symbolizing universal access into the presence of God. The Levitical priesthood has been replaced with the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9). The dwelling place of God is not only with men, but in each of us who has trusted Christ as Savior and LORD. We are now the temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19).

For the first 300 years of the church the congregations met in homes because the building was no longer a priority. Worship took on an informal, participatory mode that expressed the wonderful change that had taken place. Under the Old Covenant holiness was corrupted by its contact with that which was common and unclean. Worship was an individual thing, accomplished at a distance. In the New Covenant the common has been made holy because of the once for all sacrifice of Christ. Worship is a coming together to draw near to the God of our salvation.

The apostles modeled an approach to worship that was characterized by its simplicity, informality, limited structure, and participatory nature. But soon after the apostles left the scene the church began to revert to an Old Covenant mentality and to express through the increasing formality and ritual of its services that God's work in Christ was not complete. The Jewish Christians were reluctant to give up their traditions and the Gentiles incorporated the magic associated with their former paganism into their Christian worship. At Sierra we are committed to the apostolic model for worship that celebrates the finished work of Christ and the access all believers have to the presence of God.

Our congregational worship at Sierra Community church is led by our Worship Team. In this context our worship is usually expressed in song. As you participate in our services you will notice that our worship ordinarily moves from an upbeat celebratory mode into something more serious and contemplative. We begin our time together by acknowledging the greatness and goodness of God in providing for our salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. We clap and laugh and dance and raise our hands in celebration as we sing. Sometimes individuals will be given the opportunity to speak words of testimony and sometimes, while the instruments play, we have the opportunity to sing our own personal songs to the LORD. As the worship service moves along our singing becomes more and more contemplative providing the opportunity for us to examine our own hearts and prepare ourselves to hear God speak through his Word. During this time we are given the opportunity to present our tithes and offerings to the LORD which is also an act of worship.

True worship comes from the heart (John 4:24) and can include the full range of emotion from somberness to ecstasy. At our worship services we attempt to set the tone but never to manipulate the mood or the emotion. We lead in worship but never push or shove. We encourage celebration but not irreverence or disorder; seriousness but not a formality that suppresses the work of the Spirit in our midst. We are guided by the following vision:

. . . that through our corporate worship

people would be touched spiritually by God

and be encouraged in an ongoing relationship

with him in all of its facets.

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