Assembling (part 3) - An Assembly that Stirs Up
An Assembly that Stirs Up
Introduction. As children, we waited with eager anticipation as repetition led to mastery. At first, we struggled to button a shirt, tie our shoes, write the alphabet or learn our math tables. Yet through the years, as we did these things over and over again, we soon became so proficient we didn’t even have to think about them anymore. It is how we learned to type, to drive, and to use a computer. Practice makes perfect since repeating things leads to faster and more proficient methods. Yet there is downside to repetition. Doing the same thing over and over again can lead to boredom.
Losing interest in an activity is not an issue as long as it is unimportant. If we get bored with a new hobby or a television show, it is easy to set it aside. But if it is our career, it becomes a little more complicated. We either learn to make it challenging and interesting again, make up our minds to endure it, or find another job.
What if we become bored with our walk with God or our service to our Lord Jesus Christ? It happens enough that Jesus alluded to it. First in the parable of the sower, the thorny heart are those who allow the enticement of the cares of this world and enjoyment of other things to choke the word. Second in His rebuke of the church in Ephesus after listing all the things they were doing right He said, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Rev. 2:4). They were still doing all the right things, but they were only going through the motions, either becoming complacent or worse, bored. Their initial zeal and love was fading, leaving them ripe for a change to something new and exciting that they could love more. History tells us that change came quickly.
Israel had been God’s chosen nation for nearly 1,000 years, and the priests had also “left their first love.” They felt that the worship God commanded them to perform was tiresome and dull. Since the beginning of their nation God had chosen Aaron and his children to minister in the tabernacle, allowing Israel to draw near to God through their efforts (Num. 18). God had warned them “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you,” (Deut 4:2). Because they dared not change it, but didn’t love it, they too had left their first love. God accused them of becoming so bored with His sacrifices that they were grumbling to one another about it. “You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!” ‘And you sneer at it,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” (Mal. 1:13). The honor and majesty of bringing God to the people and the people to God had become stale to them. They were going through the motions, but had lost any real respect for God and His commands.
It is evident today that many have drawn the same conclusion about worship. Christians have the same mandate not to add to nor take from God’s commands (2Jn. 9; Gal. 1:6-9). Jesus made it clear this was especially true of worship. “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (Jn. 4:23-24). God revealed the exact method and manner (in truth) about each act of worship. It must not be changed. God also revealed exactly how we should feel and think (in spirit) in each act of worship. The progression is clear. First, if we “leave our first love” and become weary, it is no longer in spirit. Then, over time, if we change them completely, it is no longer in truth. At that moment God no longer sees us as true worshipers.
The church assembled together each first day of the week to take the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7; 1Cor. 11:17-34). As these disciples in each community came together in one place as a church, they had communion with their Lord. They ate the unleavened bread to remember His body and drank the fruit of the vine to remember the “blood of the New Covenant shed for many for remission of sins.” This was meant to be permanent for: “as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.” As they remembered the death of the Lord in the manner He chose, they were worshiping in both spirit and truth and Paul called this “a worthy manner.”
Those who changed either the emotions or the purpose were worshiping “in an unworthy manner.” They had also become “weak, sick, or sleeping.” In the same letter, Paul wrote to them of singing, praying, preaching (1Cor. 14:15-17, 26), and the contribution (1Cor. 16:1-2). These five acts, when done exactly as revealed, with the proper emotions, and done “in a worthy manner” are therefore done in “in spirit and truth.” Those who do this week after week without it becoming tedious or monotonous are “genuine worshipers” who still have “their first love.” If we are doing this, we are the worshipers the “Father is seeking to worship Him.”
For nearly 2,000 years these commands have been fixed and absolute. No change is possible because “in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Mk. 7: 6-9). The instant we change any element of God’s worship either “in spirit” or “in truth,” we introduce a command of men that will soon lead to a new tradition for our children and those who come after. At that moment, our worship to God becomes as vain as those priests!
“Yet such changes are all around us today.” Many have turned things upside down, calling what God revealed in Scripture “traditional worship,” and the changes man has now made “contemporary worship.” Yet by contemporary, they mean changed to fit today’s culture. What occurs at some churches on the first day of the week bears no resemblance to the churches worshiping while the apostles were still here to “teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Mt. 28:18-20). Although God warned that those who do this have “left their first love,” are “worshiping in vain” and no longer worshiping “in spirit and truth,” they remain unmoved by the Scriptures.
Movements never arise until people are ready to follow them. Only after the attitudes of society change will the movements that arise after them begin. The reason worship changed from congregational singing without any instruments or a band to what it is today is because people wanted these changes. The weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper became once a year on Easter because doing it once a week could made it common and boring. Book, chapter and verse preaching was too tiresome and troubling, so it was replaced with drama or storytelling. This only happens when people with itching ears want teachers to turn them to fables (2Tim. 4:1-4).
Many who visit an assembly where worship is patterned exactly as commanded often leave feeling like those priests in Malachi. The words have changed, but the sentiment is the same. “What a weariness” has become “I didn’t get anything out of that service”. God’s testimony against those priests was “you sneer at i,” while people today say “it was boring and stale.”
While many in our age have taken this attitude, those who love the Lord and know His commands have remained steadfast. Since the acts of worship God gave and the manner they are to be done are not subject to change, if we begin to “leave our first love” by becoming weary of them, the only thing we can change is our attitude. We must make each act of worship as stimulating and stirring as possible without changing anything that has been revealed. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another” (Heb. 10:24-25).
There is no question that some assemblies are not what they ought to be. Paul told the Corinthians that their changes to the Lord’s supper had led them to “come together not for the better, but for the worse.” He encouraged them to take the Lord’s Supper “in a worthy manner,” and “let all things be done unto edifying.” (1Cor. 14:26) He told the Ephesians to “speak one to another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in our hearts to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). During the contribution, we are to “give as we have purposed” and “be a cheerful giver” (2Cor. 9:7). While the sermon is being presented, the preacher is to “preach the word” and “be urgent” (2 Tim. 4:2). The hearers are to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Paul commanded that “men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands” while those listening are to focus on the words so they can say the amen with feeling. (1Tim. 2:8).
Conclusion. Beyond this we dare not go. Worship is not for us. It is for God. If we don’t like what God has told us we must do to honor and glorify Him, we will find ourselves exactly where those priests were. The problem is not with God or His commands, the problems are within us. They can’t be fixed by changing the commands but by changing the heart. Jesus was clear to those who have “left their first love:”
Introduction. As children, we waited with eager anticipation as repetition led to mastery. At first, we struggled to button a shirt, tie our shoes, write the alphabet or learn our math tables. Yet through the years, as we did these things over and over again, we soon became so proficient we didn’t even have to think about them anymore. It is how we learned to type, to drive, and to use a computer. Practice makes perfect since repeating things leads to faster and more proficient methods. Yet there is downside to repetition. Doing the same thing over and over again can lead to boredom.
Losing interest in an activity is not an issue as long as it is unimportant. If we get bored with a new hobby or a television show, it is easy to set it aside. But if it is our career, it becomes a little more complicated. We either learn to make it challenging and interesting again, make up our minds to endure it, or find another job.
What if we become bored with our walk with God or our service to our Lord Jesus Christ? It happens enough that Jesus alluded to it. First in the parable of the sower, the thorny heart are those who allow the enticement of the cares of this world and enjoyment of other things to choke the word. Second in His rebuke of the church in Ephesus after listing all the things they were doing right He said, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Rev. 2:4). They were still doing all the right things, but they were only going through the motions, either becoming complacent or worse, bored. Their initial zeal and love was fading, leaving them ripe for a change to something new and exciting that they could love more. History tells us that change came quickly.
Israel had been God’s chosen nation for nearly 1,000 years, and the priests had also “left their first love.” They felt that the worship God commanded them to perform was tiresome and dull. Since the beginning of their nation God had chosen Aaron and his children to minister in the tabernacle, allowing Israel to draw near to God through their efforts (Num. 18). God had warned them “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you,” (Deut 4:2). Because they dared not change it, but didn’t love it, they too had left their first love. God accused them of becoming so bored with His sacrifices that they were grumbling to one another about it. “You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!” ‘And you sneer at it,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” (Mal. 1:13). The honor and majesty of bringing God to the people and the people to God had become stale to them. They were going through the motions, but had lost any real respect for God and His commands.
It is evident today that many have drawn the same conclusion about worship. Christians have the same mandate not to add to nor take from God’s commands (2Jn. 9; Gal. 1:6-9). Jesus made it clear this was especially true of worship. “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (Jn. 4:23-24). God revealed the exact method and manner (in truth) about each act of worship. It must not be changed. God also revealed exactly how we should feel and think (in spirit) in each act of worship. The progression is clear. First, if we “leave our first love” and become weary, it is no longer in spirit. Then, over time, if we change them completely, it is no longer in truth. At that moment God no longer sees us as true worshipers.
The church assembled together each first day of the week to take the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7; 1Cor. 11:17-34). As these disciples in each community came together in one place as a church, they had communion with their Lord. They ate the unleavened bread to remember His body and drank the fruit of the vine to remember the “blood of the New Covenant shed for many for remission of sins.” This was meant to be permanent for: “as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.” As they remembered the death of the Lord in the manner He chose, they were worshiping in both spirit and truth and Paul called this “a worthy manner.”
Those who changed either the emotions or the purpose were worshiping “in an unworthy manner.” They had also become “weak, sick, or sleeping.” In the same letter, Paul wrote to them of singing, praying, preaching (1Cor. 14:15-17, 26), and the contribution (1Cor. 16:1-2). These five acts, when done exactly as revealed, with the proper emotions, and done “in a worthy manner” are therefore done in “in spirit and truth.” Those who do this week after week without it becoming tedious or monotonous are “genuine worshipers” who still have “their first love.” If we are doing this, we are the worshipers the “Father is seeking to worship Him.”
For nearly 2,000 years these commands have been fixed and absolute. No change is possible because “in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Mk. 7: 6-9). The instant we change any element of God’s worship either “in spirit” or “in truth,” we introduce a command of men that will soon lead to a new tradition for our children and those who come after. At that moment, our worship to God becomes as vain as those priests!
“Yet such changes are all around us today.” Many have turned things upside down, calling what God revealed in Scripture “traditional worship,” and the changes man has now made “contemporary worship.” Yet by contemporary, they mean changed to fit today’s culture. What occurs at some churches on the first day of the week bears no resemblance to the churches worshiping while the apostles were still here to “teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Mt. 28:18-20). Although God warned that those who do this have “left their first love,” are “worshiping in vain” and no longer worshiping “in spirit and truth,” they remain unmoved by the Scriptures.
Movements never arise until people are ready to follow them. Only after the attitudes of society change will the movements that arise after them begin. The reason worship changed from congregational singing without any instruments or a band to what it is today is because people wanted these changes. The weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper became once a year on Easter because doing it once a week could made it common and boring. Book, chapter and verse preaching was too tiresome and troubling, so it was replaced with drama or storytelling. This only happens when people with itching ears want teachers to turn them to fables (2Tim. 4:1-4).
Many who visit an assembly where worship is patterned exactly as commanded often leave feeling like those priests in Malachi. The words have changed, but the sentiment is the same. “What a weariness” has become “I didn’t get anything out of that service”. God’s testimony against those priests was “you sneer at i,” while people today say “it was boring and stale.”
While many in our age have taken this attitude, those who love the Lord and know His commands have remained steadfast. Since the acts of worship God gave and the manner they are to be done are not subject to change, if we begin to “leave our first love” by becoming weary of them, the only thing we can change is our attitude. We must make each act of worship as stimulating and stirring as possible without changing anything that has been revealed. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another” (Heb. 10:24-25).
There is no question that some assemblies are not what they ought to be. Paul told the Corinthians that their changes to the Lord’s supper had led them to “come together not for the better, but for the worse.” He encouraged them to take the Lord’s Supper “in a worthy manner,” and “let all things be done unto edifying.” (1Cor. 14:26) He told the Ephesians to “speak one to another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in our hearts to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). During the contribution, we are to “give as we have purposed” and “be a cheerful giver” (2Cor. 9:7). While the sermon is being presented, the preacher is to “preach the word” and “be urgent” (2 Tim. 4:2). The hearers are to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Paul commanded that “men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands” while those listening are to focus on the words so they can say the amen with feeling. (1Tim. 2:8).
Conclusion. Beyond this we dare not go. Worship is not for us. It is for God. If we don’t like what God has told us we must do to honor and glorify Him, we will find ourselves exactly where those priests were. The problem is not with God or His commands, the problems are within us. They can’t be fixed by changing the commands but by changing the heart. Jesus was clear to those who have “left their first love:”
- “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent.” (Rev. 2:5).