New
Testament churches are to “Adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in
all things” (Titus 2:10). And the chief place and time for
the
adorning of the doctrine is during the worship service of the church. A
church, correct to the letter, but slothful in propriety or decorum
during
the worship service is like unto a house half complete and decrepit. It
has been the good pleasure of the God of all grace to open the
understanding
of His churches, and cause them to see Him high and lifted up. The Holy
Spirit has taken the things of Christ, and has showed them to His
churches,
and they have become doctrinally strong. But they must also realize
that
orthodoxy in doctrine is worth little to nothing without due reverence
for the presence of Christ during the worship service. Adult
worshippers
need to be fully aware at all times of the solemnity of the occasion,
and
parents should with utmost diligence train their children for this
highest
of all earth’s privileges. The greatest business in the world is that
of
the Lord’s blood bought church, and its worship service should never be
approached with an insincere spirit or attitude of indifference.
PROFIT
FROM OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE
“Now
all these things happened unto them (Israel) for examples: and
they
are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come”
(I Corinthians 10:11). Moses received the Law from the mouth of
the Supreme Lawgiver, and declared the same unto Israel. When the
tabernacle
and the ark of testimony were finished, he assembled the whole
congregation
of Israel before the tabernacle, gave them by tribe their stations in
the
camp, and the orders and service of the tabernacle. The tribe of Levi
was
given the responsibility of the tabernacle, and from the tribe of Levi
twenty-two thousand priests were made and the order of service was
dictated
to them. The sentence of death was passed not only upon the pagans and
heathen who would desecrate the tabernacle, but also upon every
Israelite
who assumed undue liberty toward the tabernacle. The Levites with
guarded
reverence for their duty in and with the tabernacle showed their
devotion
to God, and to His order of service.
Seeing
that with all due reverence the Levites drew near unto God (Numbers,
chapters 1, 2, and 3),should not New
Testament
churches regard with the greatest dedication those holy oracles and
ordinances
which have been committed to their charge? Where there is reverential
fear
of God there will be proper respect for the worship services of the
church.
When that fear is wanting, there will be disorder, indecency, and
impropriety,
which bespeaks contempt for God’s church and His command to do all
things
“decently and in order”.
COUNTERING
CONFUSION
“For
God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all
churches
of the saints” (I Corinthians 14:33). Irreverence is a
forerunner
of confusion, and confusion begets dissension, and dissension is the
mother
of schism, and when schism is finished it brings forth the ruin of the
church. Where irreverence consistently prevails in the church, it might
be that God has taken His leave of the church, seeing that He will not
abide where the honor and glory due His name is turned into confusion
and
shame. “Give unto the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord
in the beauty of holiness” (Psalms 29:2).
There
is nothing the devil hates more than he does true worship of the Son of
God, and he knows there is nothing more conducive to good singing,
teaching,
and preaching than an attentive congregation. Therefore, he is
determined
to distract the worshippers, and thereby bedim the glory of Him Who
bought
the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
The
success of the worship service of the church depends not only on what
we
put into it, but also on what we leave out of it. Let us put as much of
heaven into the worship service as we can, and heaven’s first law is
order.
Let us leave out of our worship service as much of the world as we
possibly
can, for the measure of the world that enters into the service is the
exact
measure of irreverence and slight shown unto God. Let us not ally
ourselves
with the world, and contribute to the downgrading of the church worship
services by inattention, whispering, writing notes, added comments,
etc.,
etc. “Know thou how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of
God ... “ (I Timothy 3:15)
(The
Baptist Herald)
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