THE FIVE ACTS OF NEW TESTAMENT WORSHIP
Worship is one of the greatest privileges given to the Christian, but worship must be offered according to the will of God rather than according to human preference. Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24, KJV). The word “must” is significant. Worship is not simply whatever makes us feel religious or sincere. To worship “in spirit” requires sincerity and reverence from the heart, while worship “in truth” requires conformity to God's revealed Word. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV). Therefore, if we want to know how the church should worship, we must turn to the New Testament and follow the pattern revealed there.
The first act of worship is singing. Christians are commanded to praise God and teach one another through vocal music. Paul wrote, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19, KJV). He similarly commanded, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16, KJV). The writer of Hebrews declared, “In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (Hebrews 2:12, KJV), and again, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips” (Hebrews 13:15, KJV). The New Testament instruction is consistently to sing. Every Christian can participate because the instrument God desires is the human heart and the fruit of the lips. The New Testament does not authorize mechanical instruments of music in Christian worship. The issue is not whether an instrument sounds beautiful or whether we personally enjoy it; the question is whether Christ authorized it. When God says to sing, our responsibility is to sing.
The second act of worship is prayer. The early church was devoted to prayer. Acts 2:42 says, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Christians are commanded, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV). Paul instructed Timothy concerning the worship of the church, saying, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8, KJV). Prayer allows Christians collectively to praise God, thank Him for His blessings, confess dependence upon Him, and make requests according to His will. Jesus taught His disciples, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9, KJV). Prayer is directed to God through Jesus Christ, for Jesus said, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23, KJV). Prayer is therefore not entertainment or performance; it is the reverent communication of God's people with their heavenly Father.
The third act of worship is preaching and teaching God's Word. The first Christians “continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine” (Acts 2:42, KJV). When the disciples assembled at Troas, Luke records, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them” (Acts 20:7, KJV). Paul commanded Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2, KJV). The preacher's responsibility is not to entertain the congregation, deliver motivational speeches, promote political opinions, or substitute human philosophy for Scripture. His responsibility is to preach the Word. Paul told Timothy, “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:13, KJV). Biblical preaching teaches sinners how to be saved, strengthens Christians, corrects error, warns against sin, encourages faithfulness, and exalts Jesus Christ. Faith itself comes through the proclamation of God's Word, for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, KJV).
The fourth act of worship is partaking of the Lord's Supper. Jesus instituted this memorial on the night before His crucifixion. Matthew records, “Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26, KJV). He then took the cup and said, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28, KJV). Paul repeated the Lord's instructions in 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 and explained, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26, KJV). The early church observed this memorial when it assembled on the first day of the week. Acts 20:7 states, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread.” The Lord's Supper directs the Christian's mind back to Calvary, where Christ gave His body and shed His blood for our sins. It also looks forward because Christians proclaim His death “till he come.” We should neither neglect the Lord's Supper nor alter what Christ established.
The fifth act of worship is giving of our means. The New Testament church supported the Lord's work through the voluntary contributions of Christians. Paul instructed the Corinthians, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him” (1 Corinthians 16:2, KJV). Christian giving is not based upon coercion but upon willing hearts. Paul wrote, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7, KJV). Christians recognize that everything they possess ultimately comes from God, and giving is an expression of gratitude, stewardship, love, and concern for the Lord's work. The contribution can support the preaching of the gospel, assist needy saints, and accomplish the work God has assigned to His church. We give because we have first been given much by God.
These five acts—singing, praying, preaching and teaching God's Word, partaking of the Lord's Supper, and giving—are found in the worship and instruction of the New Testament church. The question then becomes whether mankind has the authority to add other acts of worship simply because they are popular, entertaining, traditional, or emotionally appealing. Scripture repeatedly warns against changing what God has commanded. Under the Old Testament, Moses warned Israel, “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it” (Deuteronomy 4:2, KJV). Proverbs 30:6 warns, “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Revelation similarly warns against adding to or taking away from the words of God's revelation (Revelation 22:18–19). These passages establish an important principle: mankind has no right to tamper with God's revealed will.
The danger of unauthorized worship is dramatically demonstrated by Nadab and Abihu. Leviticus 10:1 records that they “offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.” Notice the problem. They offered something God “commanded them not.” Verse two records the terrible consequence: “And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.” They may have considered one fire as good as another, but God had given instructions concerning worship. Their mistake teaches an enduring lesson: God's silence does not give mankind permission to invent whatever he desires in worship.
Jesus also condemned worship based upon human authority. He said, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9, KJV). It is therefore possible to worship God and still have that worship described by Jesus as “vain.” Sincerity alone does not make worship acceptable. Cain offered worship to God, but God “had not respect” unto Cain and his offering (Genesis 4:5, KJV). Nadab and Abihu were involved in religious service, yet God rejected their unauthorized offering. The lesson is unmistakable: God determines how He is to be worshiped. The worshiper does not.
The New Testament teaches Christians to act under the authority of Christ. Paul wrote, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17, KJV). To do something “in the name of” Christ means that we act by His authority. Before introducing something into the worship of the church, therefore, we should ask, “Where has Christ authorized this?” It is not enough to ask whether we enjoy it, whether another congregation practices it, whether it attracts larger crowds, or whether it has become a religious tradition. Our question must always be, “Where is the authority from Christ?”
The principle is beautifully expressed in 1 Peter 4:11: “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” Paul likewise commanded, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV). The Bereans were called noble because “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11, KJV). That same attitude should characterize the church today. Every doctrine, practice, and act of worship should be examined in light of Scripture.
Therefore, Christians should be content with the simple pattern of worship revealed in the New Testament. We sing because God commanded singing. We pray because the church was commanded to pray. We preach and teach because God's Word must be proclaimed. We partake of the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Christ. We give as God has prospered us. We do not need to make worship more entertaining, more spectacular, or more appealing to the world. Our responsibility is to make certain that it is acceptable to God.
True worship is not about what pleases us; it is about what pleases God. Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24, KJV). If we love God, respect the authority of Christ, and believe the Scriptures are sufficient, we will neither add to nor take away from the worship He has authorized. We will approach Him with reverence, humility, sincerity, and obedience, seeking not to redesign His worship but faithfully to offer the worship revealed in His Word.