`What is Christian Worship?’ Series: What is the Role of a Service of Worship?

This week we begin a 3-month series on “Christian Worship”. It is a long series and we encourage leaders to keep to the topic of the week and not get involved in the topics relating to later weeks (not an easy task)

We begin with the question: How do the services we attend impact our spiritual life both as individuals and as the Body of Christ?

It would be worth, at the very start of this series, to ask the question: What word/words come to mind when we talk about WORSHIP?

It might be of value to make a note of the responses, and then, at the end of the series, to ask the same question and see whether the answers have changed at all.

WORSHIP is a challenging activity as we aim to engage in a dialogue with a divine and invisible being! So it is worth taking a little time to consider how well we prepare for a service in church. Is it possible to “come to church” and not engage in worship?

Q: Do we take time to prepare our hearts for worship (Psalm 15)?

Q: Can what we do on a Saturday night affect our readiness for worship?

Q: What about the things we do before coming to church? Do we come hurriedly at the last minute – or even a few minutes late – or have we come feeling calm and relaxed?

Q: What about the time between our arrival and the start of the service? Our interaction with friends reminds us that we are here in relationship with one another, but do we take time to quieten our hearts; to pray that we may meet with the living God?

Q: If there is music/song before the start of the service, do we use that time to get ready to worship our living God?

Q: Is there more that could be done before the service starts to create the right “atmosphere” to enable everyone present to meet with God?

We can now turn to our key question for this week as we study Romans 12 verses 1-8: Please read aloud

Q: How do the services we attend impact our spiritual life both as individuals and as the Body of Christ?

J B Phillips has a very useful translation of verses 1-2: With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

NIV translation begins with THEREFORE. When we see this word, we need to ask what is it there for? Paul often begins his letters with a doctrinal section and follows this up with exhortations to Christian living. Here he begs Christians to live a certain way because of what God has done for them in Jesus.

Q: “By the mercies of God”. What “mercies” has God given to us (fully outlined in chapters 1-11)? So, what should our response be?

Q: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices” What do you think this means?

Q: How easy is it for us to be “conformed to this world”?

Q: What might be the evidence that we have been “transformed”, i.e. that we are living out the will of God?

Q: Paul is about to speak about the need to exercise spiritual gifts in the body of Christ, but here he issues a warning in verse 3. Why this warning about humility?

Q: What do you think is meant by “many members on one body” and “Individually members of one another”? (Verses 4-5)

Q: In verses 6-8 Paul speaks of the need to use the gifts God has given us as individuals. How do we attain spiritual gifts?

Q: Reflect on the gifts mentioned in these verses. How might such gifts be evident in the life of our church?

IN THE LIGHT OF THIS STUDY, GO BACK AND SEEK TO ANSWER THE KEY QUESTION: How do the services we attend impact our spiritual life both as individuals and as the Body of Christ?

PRAYER

• Pray for our church in this time of vacancy, especially for Sarah Tapp, our Associate Minister and Sharon Seal, our Pastoral Leader

• Pray for those involved in the lengthy process of appointing a new Rector

• Pray for our services Sunday by Sunday, and especially the new 10.30 am service at St George’s

• Pray for those who will be leading our services next Sunday

• Pray that we may discern and use our spiritual gifts wisely and for the benefit of others

The following notes are offered specifically for leaders, but are available to all:

1.“By the mercies of God”. What “mercies” has God given to us (fully outlined in chapters 1-11)?

• Justification from the guilt and penalty of sin

• Adoption in Jesus and identified with him

• Placed under grace, not law

• Given the Holy Spirit

• Promise of help at all times

• Confidence that we will never be separated from the love of God

• Confidence in God’s continued faithfulness

2.“Offer your bodies as living sacrifices” (1). What do you think this means?

We are called to bring our whole being (spirit, soul, flesh and mind) before God. He wants all of us, not just our work for him. Ancient Greeks saw the body as unspiritual, but Paul makes the point that God really is concerned about our whole being (1 Corinthians 6.20) – and that he bought our bodies with a costly price.

Both Jews and pagans knew what sacrifice was all about, so talk about a “living sacrifice” was a striking image. It needs to be “holy and pleasing to God” – a commitment on our part to live holy lives, not just when we are in church, but in our daily lives. This is our “spiritual act of worship” (or “reasonable service”) that is, a life of worship lived in accordance with God’s Word.

3. How easy is it for us to be “conformed to this world”?

The popular culture that is all around is often at odds with God’s standards and values. Instead, we are called to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It is easy for us to live our life based on feelings and actions, but we should be asking ourselves: What is true in this situation? What does God’s Word say?

4. What might be the evidence that we have been “transformed”, i.e., that we are living out the will of God?

• Constantly keep in mind the rich mercy of God – past, present, future

• As an act of worship, yield your whole self to God

• Resist conformity to the thoughts and actions of the world

• Focus on God’s word

• Seek the transforming work of the Holy Spirit

5. Paul is about to speak about the need to exercise spiritual gifts in the body of Christ, but here he issues a warning (3): Why this warning about humility?

Pride can easily arise from those who see themselves as spiritually gifted. Just because a person has one or more spiritual gifts does not mean they are spiritually mature. When we see ourselves as we really are there is no room for pride!

6. What do you think is meant by “many members of one body” and “Individually members of one another”?

As a church we should be a unified whole (one body) yet within that one body we are individuals. In Christ there is unity but not uniformity. Unity should never be promoted at the expense of individuality; individuality should never diminish our essential unity in Christ, who is our common ground. You might like to consider how this works out in our church with our very different congregations every Sunday.

7. In verses 6-8 Paul speaks of the need to use the gifts God has given us as individuals. How do we attain spiritual gifts?

Spiritual gifts are not given on the basis of merit, but because God chooses to give them (1 Corinthians 12.11). This means we should rejoice at the genuine gifts of others. It is all to do with grace. There is no room at all for pride when it comes to spiritual gifts.

8. Reflect on the gifts mentioned in these verses. How might such gifts be evident in the life of our church?

PROPHECY – in proportion to our faith. If we can’t prophecy in faith and trust that God has really spoken to us then we shouldn’t do it at all. We must exercise great caution in saying “The Lord has told me ….” In the Bible prophecy is less to do with “fore-telling” and more to do with “forth-telling” the heart and mind of God.

FAITH – could be translated “according to THE faith”, that is, in line with the accepted body of the Christian doctrine.

MINISTRY – really about serving in practical ways.

TEACHING – not just instruction, but an encouragement to practice what has been taught. There is a great need for churches to have a teaching ministry and so develop discipleship.

GIVING – a gift to be exercised with liberality. There is a need for all Christians to give to the Lord’s work but for some this is extended to giving over and above what is required.

LEADERSHIP – it is very easy for leaders to become discouraged (in what ways?) but if we are called to a leadership position we need to persevere. Leadership in the New Testament usually includes the home as well as the church.

MERCY – a gift which requires cheerfulness. Showing mercy is not always easy, and is even harder to do it cheerfully. To show mercy is to care for anybody who is in need or distress.

It is worth pointing out that the gifts mentioned here (apart from prophecy) are either general and practical (service, teaching, encouragement and leadership) or even prosaic (giving money and doing acts of mercy). We need to broaden our understanding of spiritual gifts away from just the “spectacular” such as speaking in tongues, healing and miracles.

IN THE LIGHT OF THIS STUDY, GO BACK AND SEEK TO ANSWER THE KEY QUESTION:

How do the services we attend impact our spiritual life both as individuals and as the Body of Christ?

John Stott writes: Now all believers, irrespective of their ethnic origin, are brothers and sisters in the one international family of God, and so all have precisely the same vocation to be holy, committed, humble, loving and conscientious people of God.

John Stott writes: We are dependent on one another, and the one-anotherness of the Christian fellowship is enhanced by the diversity of our gifts. This metaphor of the human body, which Paul develops in different ways in different letters, enables him here to hold together the unity of the church, the plurality of the members and the variety of their gifts.

You might like to reflect on whether our church in Ashtead mirrors what John Stott writes. Do you agree? If our church does not mirror this picture, how might we move towards it?

And a final quote – some years after Paul wrote his letters to the Romans, the Christian philosopher Aristides was able to tell the emperor to look at the church in his city as a proof that the Gospel must be true: (written to Emperor Hadrian in c125)

They walk in all humility and kindness, falsehood is not found among them, and they love one another. They do not despise the widow or grieve the orphan. He that has, distributes liberally to him that has not. If they see a stranger they bring him under their roof, and rejoice over him as if he were their own brother, for they call themselves brothers, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit and in God … and if there is among them any man who is poor and needy, and they have not an abundance of necessaries, they fast two or three days so that they may supply the needy with the food they need. And they observe scrupulously the commandments of their Messiah.

What would happen if the Church of Ashtead lived in this way?