Reference Gospel Advocate, October 2009, “The Split That Wasn’t”

Reference Gospel Advocate, October 2009, "The Split That Wasn't"

Nice article. The concept of unity is curious. I have said for years we are either already unified or we can never be. We are either both the church Jesus established on Pentecost or one of us is or neither of us is. The latter two obviously prohibit unity under the name of Jesus.

The discussion centers on the importance of what is done in our assemblies. No place in the New Testament do we read where the "good guys" are told to separate from the "bad guys" so that their Sunday worship would be acceptable. In fact nowhere are we told to worship and nowhere are the activities described or defined as worship activities. That appears to be man's term.

That Jesus did not instruct separation of the churches in Asia suggests who is sitting next to us on Sunday has no affect on you or me. Being in an assembly where instruments are played has no affect on the individuals not in agreement with the instruments being played. If anything could affect the "good guys" surely Jesus would have encouraged them to separate from the "bad guys." He did not which tells us nothing should be permitted to divide the church. When congregations split neither side is right. By our love for each the people will know we are followers of Jesus. But we prefer to permit the world to enter eternity lost while we argue over meaningless differences, meaningless because the activity is not worship.

You mention worship services and that brings me to the point of this email which is a request for a future article. I have asked several preachers including some of the authors of articles of Gospel Advocate with no responses. I can only believe that like me, they have no idea either. Old habits are some of the reasons for the decline of the church of Christ. Young people today want answers and we are not providing any.

The Church of Christ habitually calls what we do on Sundays and Wednesdays, in fact every assembly, worship. We have even identified five acts of worship: praying, singing, preaching, giving, and the Lord's Supper. Not finding any reference to these practices as "items of worship" in the Bible I have to consider the term originated by man.

Members of the Church of Christ claim commands, examples and necessary inferences for what we do but considering these items to be worship confuses people because there are none. To say praying for ourselves, singing to each other, giving to ourselves for our comfort, listening to preaching are items of worship and primarily nonparticipatory at that being sit and listen is difficult for people to comprehend them to be worship. We conduct memorial services for the deceased all the time and hardly call it worship so calling the Lord's Supper worship is a stretch. All can be edifying but worship?

Nowhere are we commanded to worship which is good because worship cannot be commanded. Even the creator of the universe cannot command worship. Worship comes from within. In John chapter 4 Jesus was assuming or taking for granted his followers would worship and Paul told us when. As a side note the author of Hebrews tells us the purpose of our assemblies and he or she does not mention worship.

My questions include: Why do we call these items worship? How are they worshiping? How is giving to ourselves considered comparable to Paul's instructions for the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem? I believe an article answering such questions would be well-received.

Maybe if we understood our assemblies maybe we could be more loving.

Thank you for your time.