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Has the Distinctiveness of the Church Been Forgotten?

Pew

I have in front of me an article titled Local Church of Christ adds instrument to worship. It was published last week, April 16, 2015, from The Daily News Journal out of Rutherford County, Tennessee. The article reports that “the Stones River church of Christ made a radical move – at least by denominational standards – to allow instrumental worship to take place on Sunday morning.”

There are several things that concern me about this article. I am concerned that this congregation would decide to introduce instruments into worship, thereby departing from the New Testament pattern for true worship (as we discussed yesterday). However, perhaps the addition of the instrument is a symptom of a much larger problem – that is, a problem of misunderstanding the uniqueness of the one, true church of the Bible.

This article follows in the footsteps of one published by USA Today last month. The national newspaper ran an article on March 6, 2015 with this headine: Church of Christ opens door to musical instruments. The article chronicled the journey of the Otter Creek church in Brentwood, TN as they, too, decided to add the instrument into some of their worship services.

In the Otter Creek piece, Heidi Hall writes, “Church of Christ commitment to a cappella dates to the faith’s emergence in the 1800s Restoration Movement.” Hall goes on to say, “Scriptural citations backing the a cappella tradition include a passage in Ephesians about singing hymns and making music in the heart. But Otter Creek’s preaching and teaching minister, Josh Graves, said church history is a stronger influence.”

Have some members of the Lord’s church forgotten the distinctiveness, the purity, the separation from worldliness (including worldly religions) of the one, true church of the Bible?

With all of the love in my heart, I must say that the Bible only speaks of one church. It’s the Lord’s house that Isaiah said would begin in Jerusalem (Isa. 2:2-3). It’s the kingdom that Daniel said the Lord would set up which would never be destroyed (Dan. 2:44). It is the church that Christ Himself promised to build (Mat. 16:18-19). It is that kingdom that Christ said is not of this world (John 18:36), that would come even before some of Jesus’ apostles and first-century disciples died (Mark 9:1).

This is the one church to which the believers were added upon their baptism in Acts 2:47. It is that church that spread like wildfire throughout the New Testament world (Acts 8:1-4), that walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31). That is the kingdom of which the Christians in Colossae were a part (Col. 1:13).

Jesus is the Head of that church (Eph. 1:22-23). He is the Chief Shepherd of it (1 Pet. 5:1-4). It is that one church that He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). He gave Himself for the church (Eph. 5:25).

It is that church, referred to as Christ’s body in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians, and elsewhere, that the New Testament clearly teaches that there is only one (Eph. 4:4).

Let’s wrap it up: I return to this article that I have before me which states that the Church of Christ is a denomination that came out of the Restoration Movement in the 1800’s. That’s just not true.

I don’t want to be a member of a denomination. I want to be a member of the church that Jesus promised to build, the one that was established in His name in Acts 2. This is real history! These are the facts. That’s the church that I want to be a part of. Don’t you?

So why are articles about instrumental music, women serving as preachers, and a host of other topics popping up in newspapers all across the country? It seems that at least one reason is because some people have forgotten that the Lord’s church is not a denomination. It’s precious. It’s Christ’s bride (Eph. 5). It’s unique.

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Modern Departures from True Worship

Pew

Today, I want us to talk about some modern departures to true worship. But first, let me point you back to this week’s episodes of The New You. If you haven’t already done so, go to thelightnetwork.tv and listen to episodes 71-73 of The New You on which we talked about some Old Testament departures from true worship, followed by some applications from those accounts and, finally, the fact that God has specified how we are to worship today.

With those thoughts in mind, let’s tackle four departures from true worship in our day.

1. Hand Clapping In Worship

I know there are congregations all over that allow hand clapping during the singing, during the preaching, and perhaps even at a baptism. This concerns me. Listen: I’m not concerned because I didn’t grow up with hand clapping. I’m concerned about it because hand clapping during worship is simply not authorized. It is an addition to God’s specified commands to sing using our hearts and our voices. It is not expedient in aiding our singing. Further, when people clap during a sermon or after a baptism, it places the emphasis on the person rather than on Jesus, His gospel, and what He has done in the life of a believer who submits to baptism. There’s just no place for that in true worship.

2. Praise Teams

The passages in Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 clearly state that we are to sing to each other. That tells me that everyone is to participate. Therefore, utilizing a praise team that would sing in our place is unauthorized and is, therefore, unacceptable worship according to the New Testament pattern.

3. Lifting Hands or Body Swaying

You know, 1 Timothy 2:8 speaks of “lifting holy hands” in a worship context. However, this is not a prayer posture. The Bible often uses the hands to represent the work that someone does. James writes, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 3:8). He isn’t saying that they need to wash their physical hands. Instead, the point is that their lives need to be holy. So it is in 1 Timothy 2.

I think some modern worshipers in our culture are appealing to emotionalism instead of to Scripture. Don’t get me wrong, there is an emotional aspect to worship. No question about that. However, we must avoid emotionalism as an effort to feel closer to God without actually being closer to Him. To state it differently, the way we get closer to God is by doing the things that He tells us to do.

4. Instrumental Music in Worship

There’s a lot that could be said on this subject. However, I don’t know of anything clearer to say than this. Instrumental music is a blatant addition to the New Testament. I know it’s mentioned in the Psalms, and I know that there are many talented people who can play instruments. I also freely admit that I like the sound of instruments. However, none of that matters when I look at the New Testament and see that the only authorized instrument to be played in worship to God is the human heart, coupled with the human voice (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19).

Let’s wrap it up: It is so important to do what God wants in the way that He wants it done. God is serious about worship. He has specified how we are to do it. Are we listening, or are we making worship about us?

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TheNewYou1400 This is a partial transcript from my weekday podcast, The New You, where we focus on maintaining and accentuating the new that Christ created in each of us as Christians. A new episode is available each Monday through Friday on The Light Network. Click here to see all of the episodes.