Previously, I have been discussing the need for unity among genuine Christian believers. I have shown that “unity” is not equivalent to “sameness.” God desires for His church to be in unity, but He does not desire for each of His children to be exactly alike. While there are some areas in which agreement must be prevalent, there are others in which disagreement is perfectly permissible. Some of these areas of possible disagreement include details of the salvation experience, methods adopted for prayer, styles of preaching and teaching, and denominational affiliation. Now I take up the matter of worship and show how that two genuine believers may, in some ways, worship differently, and yet find common ground upon which to fellowship.
WORSHIP
In many ways, I hesitate to even begin a discourse on this subject, being fully aware that a single blog post will never begin to introduce the subject of worship, let alone expound upon it. Tucked behind the discussion of worship is the realization that God Almighty, the God of the Bible, is tremendously great. When it begins to even remotely dawn on you how great God is, only then will you begin to understand that no form or method of human worship adequately exalts Him to His proper place. There is no way to put in all of the disclaimers here. I understand that, in the Old Testament, God prescribed sacrifices as a form of worship. And, when done as instructed from a pure heart, God accepted those sacrifices as a manner of worship in which He was pleased. Even then, I am not sure that God believed that the worship of man matched the holiness, purity, and majesty of God; but He nonetheless accepted – or perhaps settled for – such worship.
Bringing the idea of worship into the present day, let us be honest and admit that there are saved people in other churches besides the type of church you attend. Let us be honest further and admit that within the walls of those other churches, the people love Christ every bit as much as you do. To deny this is to be either ignorant or dishonest. Whose method of worship is correct?
So far as the New Testament is concerned, we know that worship must be done “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). What exactly does it mean to worship “in spirit?” Oh, I know. It means that everyone must sing the same songs your church sings; that everyone must pray in the same manner that your church prays; that everyone must preach in the same manner that your preacher preaches. The Bible, however, does not specify that everyone must do everything in their worship as your church does it. I have already explained how that methods of preaching, teaching, and praying may be different. There are other aspects of worship that also may be different.
In some good, Bible believing churches, the people do not use musical instruments at all. In other Bible believing churches, the church utilizes only a piano, or perhaps a piano and an organ. They feel that other instruments give the worship service too much of a “secular” feel. In other Bible believing churches, the policy regarding musical instruments is “the more the merrier.” In many cases, those who use little or no musical instruments look at others who use more musical instruments with disdain, claiming that the use of too many instruments in a church is “irreverent.” On the other hand, those who use a variety of musical instruments often look at those who use little or no musical instruments as being “dry.” In actuality, however, God judges our worship by the spirit we display in our hearts and not by the musical instrument we play with our hands.
Consider further the varying demeanors presented in worship. The services in some Bible believing churches are rather formal. The songs that are to be sung are chosen before the start of the service. During the presentation of the sermon, the congregation is rather reserved. In some churches, the congregation says nothing during the sermon. In other churches, the congregation may give forth an occasional “amen.” In yet other churches, the congregation may be on their feet, sometimes even shouting during the sermon. Where, in the Bible, does it declare that one such method is right and the other is wrong? Some may insist that “spontaneous” worship equals worship that is “out of order.” However, in churches where the worship is less formal, the members know exactly what is going on and there is actually no confusion at all. In the more formal churches, many feel that their formality is in itself a noble and respectable worship given to a God of order and design. The truth is, in both kinds of churches, there are souls who have been saved and love their Saviour. These methods of worship are, in themselves, neither right nor wrong – only different.
CONCLUSION
So much more could be said regarding worship, as well as other subjects I have discussed in this series. But, as inadequate as the discourse has proven to be, I will conclude my thoughts on the subject of unity. How can unity best be illustrated? If “unity” is not “sameness,” then what is it? If unity does not exist because of the absence of differences, then what illustration could I give that would successfully show how we can achieve unity in spite of differences?
The illustration that, in my opinion, best describes the unity of believers is the illustration given in I Corinthians chapter 12 – the illustration of a body. The body of Christ is just that – one body made up of many members. The body of Christ – the church – has been issued a Great Commission. We have a task to perform. In order to perform the task, the body will use each of its members – and will use them differently. Each member of the body functions differently, but the goal of completing the task is that which unites us. We are all working for a common cause – for a set purpose. It is in this purpose that each member of the body unites. It is in the function of each member where we differ. The eye does not function the same as the hand. But no need to worry – it is not supposed to!
Suppose I set out to mow my grass using a riding lawn mower or a zero-turn-radius mower. The job seems simple enough. What parts of my body would I use to accomplish the task? I would use my eyes to see the path in which I am mowing. I would use my ears to listen. When I hit a stump, my ears would tell me. I would use my sense of feeling to tell if the mower vibrated too much because of too much grass in the deck, etc. I would use my hands to steer. I would use my feet to operate the clutch or other pedals. I would use my sense of smell to detect a possible gas leak or perhaps something burning in or around the engine. When the job is completed, many members of the body were used to accomplish the task. The members of the body that were used functioned very differently from each other. The hands did not function in same way that the ears functioned. They were very different; yet both were needed. The feet operated one way and the eyes operated another; yet neither the feet nor the eyes were right or wrong – they just functioned differently. While each member of the body functioned differently, each member of the body was united for a common purpose – to mow the grass.
The body of Christ has been given the threefold task of getting God glorified, getting the church edified, and getting sinners justified. It will be done when every member of the body does its job – though different from other members in the body. As members of His body, we may be different from one another in personality, function, or methods employed – but we can unite in accomplishing the task at hand.
