|
SUBJECT: Church Services
QUESTION: I have a member who wishes to have the prayer
before the song service. What is your thinking?
ANSWER:
Regarding the member who desires prayer before the songs:
I must agree with you; the opening prayer is well placed.
Not only is it tradition but the opening song service is
actually a call to the service or a call to worship (worship
meaning the worship performed in the actual Sabbath service).
We can liken the messages (sermons
and sermonettes) as the spiritual meal but there
is more. The whole Sabbath day is a day of worship and is
special and sanctified by God, not just the Sabbath service;
therefore shouldn't we pray beginning at sunset on Friday?
Do not the scriptures tell us to worship God at all times,
not just at services?
John 4:23-24
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth.
True Christians are in a constant state of dedication and
worship. The scriptures also encourage us to pray without
ceasing...
1Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.
We had a member here locally that felt that we should pray
during and/or after the the sermonette, the announcements,
whenever a prayer request was announced in services and the
sermon. Not all in one service mind you, but at any one of
these points in any given service. He did not feel that you
could pray too much.
One could ask the question, "Should we insert prayer at
every point of the service?" Should we pray before and
after services; before and after the sermonette AND before
and after the sermon? What if a member was adamant about
one or more of this points where prayer could be? What if a
congregation had several members, each adamant about where
he or she thought prayer should be place?
Let us go further, what if certain members were just as
adamant or insistent about what should be preached or where
services should be held? What about who should be serving
where? What do we do when one person states that services
should be held at 10 AM and another at 1:30 PM? Why don't
we hold services on Friday evening when the Sabbath begins?
Why are we waiting until they are almost over to hold the
actual service? THERE IS NO END TO THESE TYPES OF
SITUATIONS.
The local church and by extension the church worldwide would
be thrown into chaos if we began giving in to every whim of
every member concerning every element of the service.
Notice how God gave instruction concerning the building of
the tabernacle in the wilderness. The instructions are
absolutely detailed so that no one could come forward
demanding arbitrary changes. Concerning the conduct of
services however, there are no detailed instructions or
formats. The order of services has come down from a long
history of tradition, experience and order...
1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in
all churches of the saints.
We do deal with an important issue in all this and that is
the specific personal faith of the individual believer. You
have a member that strongly feels that the opening prayer
should be prior to the song service. I would encourage this
person to personally come before the throne of God before
services begin and quietly pray for the whole congregation.
That is, this person should find a quiet place to pray
before services begin; not in front of others, but in some
place quiet; another room, a restroom, or out in the parking
lot or in a car. They should pray for themselves and for
the whole congregation that God put His blessing upon this
service. Clearly we are all one with God..
Ephesians 4:4-6
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called
in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in you all.
1 Corinthians 12:20
But now are they many members, yet but one body.
1 Corinthians 12:12
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the
members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also
is Christ.
Point is that since we are all of one body, we are all heard
of God, and if this one member prays for God's blessing upon
the services, God will bless those services. This assumes
that all members of the body are of one accord. This point
of when the prayer should be given should not be so great as
to destroy the body or cause discord in that body. If it
does, we are like the man who burns down his house to get
rid of a rat. It is all for nothing. I point again to all
the other arguments about the order or elements of the
service stated above.
This person is going to have to make his or her own
conclusions, of course, but it is our hopes that this person
will continue in the faith. We are not going to gain or
lose our salvation based on the order of services. We will
gain it by getting the Work done and building the character
of Christ. How would Christ handle this situation?
Clearly, He does not want us tearing ourselves apart on this
particular element. There is one being that DOES want us to
tear everything apart based on every point and element you
can think of. We must always we weary of him.
1 Peter 5:8-11
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same
afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in
the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his
eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a
while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Times are tough and they are about to get tougher. There is
a high stress building up in very one, member and non-member
alike. This makes us open to attack by Satan. Faith must
increase now. We must understand that these things will
increase as we approach and enter the tribulation. It could
be closer than we think. Encourage everyone to pray more,
study more, meditate more and never give up on their journey
toward the perfection of Christ.
Hebrews 6:1
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ,
let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
toward God,
back to the top |