FIDE-O: What Does Corporate Worship Look Like
A very important post from the gents at Fide-O on corporate worship. Corporate worship is not merely "doing church", it is an assembly of believers to worship God, be discipled, support and prayer for one another and declaring the Gospel publicly. Church is for Christians, but unbelievers come also and they need to be confronted with the Gospel. From there it is up to the Holy Spirit. They should hear the same message that believers hear, I don't buy into one message for the regenerate and another entirely for the unregenerate because we have no way of knowing for sure who falls into each camp.
From Scott Hill:
Our corporate gatherings are about much more than what we can give to God or the hope that at some point we get a tingly feeling in our spine’s. Our gatherings are also about God administering grace to us and what we can do for each other.
...
At the top of our diagram we have God who is the center of all things. All things come from Him and should point back to Him. In part of our corporate gathering is God pouring out grace upon us through the preaching of the word and the sacraments of Lord’s Supper and Baptism. The ministry of the Word is primary because it equips us to do the bottom of the chart and that is use our spiritual gifts to build up the church to encourage one another in the word. That is why it is so important that actual scripture is preached and taught not just some philosophical, bible based, pep talks. It is the Word of God that teaches us to love one another as Christ loved us. It is then we use our spiritual gifts to build up the church, for encouragement and edification. This is what makes New Testament worship unique from the Old Testament.
As we grow together in love and knowledge of Christ it will lead us to praise and prayer. Then we can praise God from an overflow of grace that has been administered through Him.
It is with this thought in mind we reversed the order of our worship service. We now have the bulk of the praise and prayer at the end so that the congregation can praise from hearts that have been administered to by God Himself through the means he has established.
It is a multi-way street. I can give God praise at home, but there are some things that God has ordained for the gathering of the saints. I really like the picture/diagram they provided. Worship is so much more than music, it is more than good preachin'. It is a great, thought provoking post on an absolutely vital subject.
A very important post from the gents at Fide-O on corporate worship. Corporate worship is not merely "doing church", it is an assembly of believers to worship God, be discipled, support and prayer for one another and declaring the Gospel publicly. Church is for Christians, but unbelievers come also and they need to be confronted with the Gospel. From there it is up to the Holy Spirit. They should hear the same message that believers hear, I don't buy into one message for the regenerate and another entirely for the unregenerate because we have no way of knowing for sure who falls into each camp.
From Scott Hill:
Our corporate gatherings are about much more than what we can give to God or the hope that at some point we get a tingly feeling in our spine’s. Our gatherings are also about God administering grace to us and what we can do for each other.
...
At the top of our diagram we have God who is the center of all things. All things come from Him and should point back to Him. In part of our corporate gathering is God pouring out grace upon us through the preaching of the word and the sacraments of Lord’s Supper and Baptism. The ministry of the Word is primary because it equips us to do the bottom of the chart and that is use our spiritual gifts to build up the church to encourage one another in the word. That is why it is so important that actual scripture is preached and taught not just some philosophical, bible based, pep talks. It is the Word of God that teaches us to love one another as Christ loved us. It is then we use our spiritual gifts to build up the church, for encouragement and edification. This is what makes New Testament worship unique from the Old Testament.
As we grow together in love and knowledge of Christ it will lead us to praise and prayer. Then we can praise God from an overflow of grace that has been administered through Him.
It is with this thought in mind we reversed the order of our worship service. We now have the bulk of the praise and prayer at the end so that the congregation can praise from hearts that have been administered to by God Himself through the means he has established.
It is a multi-way street. I can give God praise at home, but there are some things that God has ordained for the gathering of the saints. I really like the picture/diagram they provided. Worship is so much more than music, it is more than good preachin'. It is a great, thought provoking post on an absolutely vital subject.
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