Rom. 12:2 reads, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The Phillips translation reads, “Don’t allow the world around you squeeze you into its mold.” Our culture is extremely active in catechizing each of us, wanting us to think a certain way, independent of God and contrary to His word. Its important to always be aware of this.
DISCIPLES ARE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST: In considering what it means to be a follower of Christ, what immediately comes to mind?
Certainly, to follow Christ means to love Him and obey His commandments. The Bible has much to say about this, of course.
When we ask questions such as this one, where does the concept of “Church” fit in to the equation? What has the Church got to do you and me as followers of Christ?
I’m convinced that many professing Christians have a far too low view of the Church. Molded not by Scripture but by the culture around us, some have the false view that we can have a “personal” relationship with Christ without a “corporate” relationship with the Church. That is not good at all. It’s not good because it is not correct.
The very air we breathe in America (so to speak) is very individualistic, and that’s something we need to be aware of. The New Testament is clear in calling individual Christians to gather together for corporate worship and it is Jesus Himself who is behind that call.
Take for example, the Apostle Paul. Paul was not self-appointed but was an apostle of Christ. Christ Himself hand picked, appointed and commissioned Paul for the task of Apostleship. As Christ’s Apostle, Paul was given his marching orders personally by Christ Himself. Part of that mandate is revealed to us by the following words Paul wrote in Titus 1. He writes, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you…” (Titus 1:5)
Paul went into pioneer situations where no man had gone before – preaching the gospel. As he preached, people were converted to Christ. In seeing this, Paul could simply have thought that his task was over and moved on to the next town or city. But he didn’t. Before he moved on, he raised up elders, or else, made sure elders were set in place to care for the disciples of Christ. Read again his words to Titus, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you…”
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH AND LOCAL CHURCH DISTINCTION
Each individual Christian is a part of Christ’s Universal Church. The Church is made up of all true, genuine Christians. Yet, these individual Christians are not to exist separately and alone. Each individual Christian is to be cared for by God appointed Elders in a local Church family. Read that sentence again. Its important to grasp this.
Elders are shepherds/overseers – under-shepherds of Christ – commissioned by Christ to care for and protect Christ’s flock and answerable to Him. Sheep have a great Shepherd (the Lord Jesus Christ) and also have need of under-shepherds (local Church Elders) to watch and care for their souls. Heb. 13:17 reads, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” The people are to know who their personal leaders are and submit to them, and the elders are to know who they are accountable to Christ for.
Three quotes in this regard (readers alert – strong words follow):
“‘I don’t need church. I study the Bible for myself.’ That is proof that you don’t actually study the Bible for yourself.” – J. C. Ryle
“It’s foreign to the New Testament to have someone professing faith in Christ and not be a member of a local church.” – Dr. Kim Riddlebarger
“Joining a local church isn’t one aspect of your Christian life. The local church is the primary context where you live out your Christian discipleship.” – Sam Emadi
These quotes are highly charged. They present a very high view of the local Church. I believe they portray the Biblical view – Christ’s view of the Church. The local Church is precious to Christ and is meant to be central in the life of every follower of Christ.
With that said let’s go a little further today and talk about what it is supposed to take place when we (under-shepherds and sheep) gather together as the local Church. Let’s talk about the Divine Worship Service…
Here’s a helpful article on this written by Jacob Crouch:
Did you know that your church has a liturgy during the Sunday gathering? A liturgy is simply the order of a public worship service. No matter how relaxed or formal your Sunday service is, you have some sort of weekly routine that your people have come to expect. A liturgy, when done well, regulates the worship of God in the way that God prescribes. There may be a variety of forms and circumstances, but the elements will be the same across various churches all over the world. Assuming the best of your church, each week God’s word is read, prayed, sung, preached, and seen. And insofar as this is true of your church, that means that every part of the service matters. And if every part matters, then missing part of the service matters too.
At our church, we begin each Sunday with a call to worship from God’s word. The people of God are addressed by God Himself and called into the joyful duty of worship. “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (Psalm 34:3). Then we sing a song of praise to God, followed by a pastoral prayer. We sing more songs of praise and then the word of God is preached. After the preaching, we sing in response to God’s word, take communion, and leave with a word of God’s blessing. Simple. Glorious. Purposeful.
Bits and Pieces
But what if our people routinely miss this first part of the service? They will miss vital parts of what we think is critical to the gathering of the saints. The call to worship is not just a placeholder to get people to settle in and be quiet. This is purposeful! It focuses the heart on God and His word and settles our minds to focus on Him. The first song is not to be viewed like a preschool class getting the wiggles out. We are beginning with praise. The prayer is a time of speaking with the living God, not just a chance for the musicians to retune and get settled.
Wrong Thinking
Missing this time communicates that you don’t really think these parts are important. There are some who are only interested in the preaching. “I’m not really into singing. I just want the theology.” Or maybe there are some who couldn’t care less about the preaching and just want to sing, sing, sing. These are not just incorrect ways of thinking, they are sinful. To dismiss one over the other is to ignore the good meal that God has prepared, and instead choose the buffet model. “I’ll take a little singing, a little preaching, but I don’t really like all that other stuff.” But “all that other stuff” is what God says is good for the church. Each part of the service is part of the normal means of God’s grace to you, and you neglect it at the peril of your soul.
I hope you think every part of the Sunday service matters. I pray your churches are ordered according to God’s word. I hope your churches are full of reading, singing, praying, preaching, and communion and baptism. I pray that God’s people will catch the vision and show up ready for the full liturgy. I want to challenge you to make it your aim to see the entire service each week. If we really think it all matters, then let’s act like it.