The Christian Examiner
The Christian Examiner Volume I: August 2000 - July 2001 Volume II: August 2001 - July 2002 Volume III: August 2002 - July 2003 Volume IV: August 2003 - July 2004 Volume V: August 2004 - July 2005
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In This Issue

An Observation of a Worship Service

Ira Mikell

Recently, while listening to a church of Christ worship service on the internet, I was amazed at what I had learned. To my amazement, as I studied God's word (Acts 17:11), there were several unscriptural practices performed by this particular congregation. I had to listen to a few more to have a complete understanding of how they worship. These include the usage of praise teams, clapping, drama teams, and singing secular songs. In addition, the preacher, after introducing the sermon, began singing and the praise team joined with him. The audience sat and listened to the song. Brethren, this is entertaining worship to the core! Let us read what God said about the worship of the church. For the purpose of this article, I have chosen to reprint some material from a previous article.

Each local church meets on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; Hebrews 10:25) for worship. The worship service consists of hearing word of God preached (Acts 2:42), singing "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," (Ephesians 5:19), praying (Acts 2:42), partaking of the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7), and giving to the Lord as we have been prospered (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Regardless of the order of worship, we assemble to edify, rather than entertain, one another.

When we worship God, it must be done "in spirit and in truth," (John 17:17). It is impossible for our heart to be right when we do not worship God according to His inspired word (Colossians 3:17). Let us now review briefly together each aspect of the worship of the Lord's church.

The preaching of the word must not be done in order to satisfy the demands of "itching ears" (2 Timothy 4:3). In other words, one must not become an advocate of the doctrine of positive preaching only. The Israelites demanded of the prophets of God saying,

Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits, (Isaiah 30:10).
Likewise, there are churches today who are supporters of this type of preaching. Paul, when preaching in Miletus to the elders of the church at Ephesus, said,
"For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God," (Acts 20:27).
This means that he preached everything that is taught in the word of God, although some might be offended through their unbelief.

Praying. The church is a people of prayer. Prayer is a direct line of open communication between God and man. The Scripture says,

And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us, (1 John 5:14).
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he gave them a model prayer in Matthew 6:5-15. We are not to pray, "Thy kingdom come," for Christ's kingdom has already come. In addition, God forbids the recitation of prayers (Matthew 6:7).

Singing. The early church was a singing church. God gave specific instructions through the apostle Paul to the churches in Corinth, Ephesus, Colossae, and elsewhere that they were to sing. Paul, in Colossians 3:16, said,

Let the word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
There were no instruments of music, choirs, praise teams, invited singing groups, etc. found in the Lord's church, for they were added after the Bible was completed. Neither should there be any found in churches of Christ today.

The Lord's Supper. The church observed the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week. Christ instituted this supper the same night he was to be betrayed and crucified (Matthew 26:26-29). This memorial feast signified his death, burial, and resurrection from the dead on the third day, being Sunday. Christ, after "he rose from the dead," (Acts 10:40-41), observed the Lord's Supper new with his disciples. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-24, Paul gave the church further instructions on how the Lord's Supper was to be observed.

Giving. Upon the first day of the week the church is commanded to lay by in store as God has prospered us (1 Corinthians 16:2). Paul reminded the Corinthian church that he gave the same command to the churches of Galatia. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were commanded to give unto God a tenth of everything they owned. Today, we are no longer required to give that amount. Paul said,

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver, (2 Corinthians 9:7).
The early church did not have any kind of fund raising activities to raise the necessary funds for church benevolence.

Ira Mikell
ira@thechristianexaminer.com

The Men of Faith

Ethan R. Longhenry

In the Old Testament, we are told of many men who had great faith. Let us examine some of these now.

  1. Abel. In Genesis 4, we read that Abel's sacrifice was offered correctly before the Lord, and He accepted it while denying that of Cain. Cain then killed this righteous man of God.

  2. Enoch. We do not know much about Enoch, but he must have been a strong man of faith because he "walked with God" in Genesis 5:22, and was one of only two men to never taste death.

  3. Noah. We read of the great faith of Noah in Genesis 6, when God commands him to build an ark because of the impending Flood. Noah was given no indication beyond the statement of God that a flood was approaching, and he was mocked by man. Despite this, he built the Ark to God's specifications, and thus saved his entire family.

  4. Abraham. Abraham is a great man of faith, and his story runs in Genesis 12-25. God told him to leave his father's land and to follow Him into Canaan, where he received the promise, that through him would be a great people and eventually, a great person. He was promised a son which he saw in his old age, and yet still would offer him as a sacrifice when God told him to do so. His undying and unwavering faith in God earned him the title of Father amongst the Jews, and deservedly so.

  5. Joseph. Joseph, in Genesis 37-50, places his life and trust in God, who delivers him from chains in Egypt, and places him as second-in-command in all of Egypt. Through Joseph comes the delivery of Jacob and his sons, and the promise of the Exodus.

  6. Moses. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy all testify to the faith of Moses. He rejected the soft life in the Egyptian court for his people, and through the work of God he was able to deliver them from the Egyptians. He delivered to his people faithfully the laws which their God had given him, and despite the unfaithfulness of his people, Moses stood firm for God.

  7. Joshua. Joshua was given the charge in the book of Deuteronomy to lead the people of God into their Promised Land, Canaan, which he fulfills in the book named for him. Despite the great numbers he is pitted against, God strengthens Joshua and his people, and they are able to overcome their adversaries.

  8. Rahab. In Joshua 2, we read of the remarkable faith of Rahab, who was a Gentile living in Jericho. Having heard of the greatness of the Jews and their God in war, she protected the Israelite spies, and received the promise of safety. Her life and the lives of her family were spared because of this faith.

  9. The Judges of Israel. In the book of Judges, we read of great men and a woman who constantly delivered the people of Israel from the bondage of their neighbors and from their faithlessness.

  10. Samuel. The prophet Samuel, in the books named for him, demonstrates his faith by judging Israel and performing the commands that God gave him, even when that required the chastisement of the king.

  11. David. What can be said of David? By trusting in the Lord, he was able to make Israel a power to be reckoned with, conquering Canaan, Philistia, and lands to the east. He inaugurated a great era of peace and prosperity delivered through his son, and set about the task of preparing the Temple.

We could go on and on, discussing the great faith of the prophets and some of the kings of Judah, how they were able to succeed and prosper or persevere through the providence of God. However, the individuals above are the ones discussed by the author of the letter to the Hebrews in the eleventh chapter, of which he ends in verses 39-40:

And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
We have seen all of these great men of faith, and yet they were not able to have a taste of the promise which we now share through the Savior Christ Jesus. Think about all of these men and the obstacles they overcame, and that they all knew that they did these things, not for themselves, but so that we may inherit the promise given to mankind. Do not make that promise null and void, and invalidate the great works of the men of faith; please obey our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and humbly submit to His will.

Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com

For Further Discussion

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