On Worship

A brief guiding statement on Christian Worship -

Worship is privately and publicly acknowledging the absolute sovereignty of God, His complete sufficiency and our complete inadequacy¹, all done in spirit and truth².

Christians accomplish this good work, in general, by loving God with their full selves and loving others³, so that all may ascribe glory to Him alone⁴.

Corporate worship is the gathering of the church specifically to worship as a unified body. Corporate worship includes the proper and orderly⁵ public practice of the spiritual gifts, preaching, praying, singing, giving and other elements which are required, allowed and outlined by God in His Holy Word⁶.

While the practice of worship may vary in terms of inclusion of all or some of the elements, no element may be added that is not clearly outlined in Holy Scriptures⁷.

(Intended as a Scripturally based guiding principle, not as an exhaustive declaration.)

notes

¹ 1  Chronicles 16:23-31, Psalm 86:10, Revelation 15:4

² John 4:23-23

³ Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27

⁴ Isaiah 48:11, Matthew 5:16

⁵ 1 Corinthians 14:40

⁶ Colossians 3:16

⁷ Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 12:32, Matthew 5:17