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Passing on the Truth to Worshippers
Discipline in Corporate Worship |
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By Pastor Ben Murphy First Church of God Wise, VA |
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I have an idea that anytime in this age that we hear the word “worship” we automatically associate it with the genre or style of music a particular church is adhering to. But worship was around long before the seven-eleven choruses came on the scene. I heard that expression recently and think it refers to songs that have seven words repeated over and over eleven times! Anyway, it refers to songs sung in the church today that most of the older generation either can’t, or have a difficult time, getting on board with. But worship long preceded these “types” and the blending styles of songs and hymns. As a matter of fact, worship was around long before Amazing Grace was a contemporary song.
Can’t you just hear people in the eighteenth century hearing Amazing Grace for the first time and saying, “I sure don’t like this new stuff they’re singing!” Worship was prescribed and called for by God Himself. He installed worship in the Garden; in the tabernacle and the temple; in the early meetings in homes and in every place where people come to meet in His name. He needed worship in the church and in the hearts of all believers. Worship is what we do to exalt our God and testify of Him working in our lives. It is also all about what He does back to us when we come to give praise to and worship our wonder-ful Lord and Savior. The dictionary says that worship is defined as reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred. So we get it or we should get it when we hear the word worship.
I think also that we can get—or wrap our minds around—the word “discipline,” as well. Discipline as defined means, training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline. I read this definition on dictionary.com and wasn’t all that pleased with it. To me it sounded a little bit too harsh. But I read the other online renderings and they weren’t any better. Each of us has been at some point in time under the discipline of a parent or other authoritative persons in life, so we generally understand the meaning of discipline. So I began thinking more centrally about what is meant when it comes to the subject of “corporate worship?” What is the meaning of Discipline in Corporate Worship?
To be honest, I’m not really sure. I was assigned the subject by the editorial staff of Truth Matters. I didn’t take the time to ask them what they wanted, but as I thought more and more about the topic, I came to the realization of what Discipline in Corporate Worship means to me. So this is not some online research or copied sermon. This is just my meandering through a subject. And as my astute colleague Richard Bradley says, “If you’ve got a crow to pick with me, I’ve got a basket big enough for the feathers!”
I’ve been in the Reformation Movement of the Church of God for more than sixty years. I have served as a worship leader in Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Alabama, Virginia and Kentucky. I have led worship in numbers of camp meetings and revivals. I know something about that part of worship. That is, directing congrega-tional worship and directing choirs. But there was something I learned long before music ever became a part of my life. I learned as a child the basic principles and ideals that the Reformation Movement of the Church of God was based on.
I learned about those things that our founding fathers believed strongly in. I heard preaching on “D.S. Warner and other’s” teaching a thing called unity! The church had been divided and denominated far too long. These men and women sensed an urgency to bring unity. “The day of sects and creeds for ever more is past” they sang in their hymnody! There were as many schisms’ prevailing as there were pills in Mr. Carter’s little bottles. (Gotta be old to remember that one.) We needed to go back to the blessed old Bible. We needed to see sects and creeds abolished. We needed to return to preaching on, and living lives of, holiness.
But remember, I stated in the earlier paragraph that I am stating what Discipline in Corporate Worship means to me. So if I had to narrow our foundation down to one word, that word would be unity. Our preachers preached it. Our songs sang it. Our lives were supposed to proclaim the message of unity. “We reach our hands in fellowship to every blood washed one,” says the hymn, “The Church’s Jubilee.” But do we?
Months ago, a church of God group known to us as “The Succession Committee” decided on Rev. Dr. Jim Lyon as the new National Director of Church of God Ministries. Dr. Lyon followed another dedicated soldier of the cross, Dr. Ron Duncan. Dr. Duncan served during a most tumultuous time in our history. Due to the debacle that took place with one of our national agencies, the church became very disjointed and un-unified. There were dissension and misunderstanding throughout the movement. We said, “How could such a thing happen in the church?” Dr. Duncan’s personality, talent, and demeanor helped to bring back some trust and harmony in the church.
Dr. Lyon now has as his charge to bring back a vision to the church. That is no small order in any venue, much less an international following of races, cultures and ideals. As this assignment was issued to Dr. Lyon it seemed almost like an impossible task for any mortal man. Jim Lyon is one of the most brilliant men that I have ever known. He has a command of the English language and a command of the scriptures like no other person I have ever been around. How does a man with such a vast, varied background and with such a complex mind bring a vision to this vast array of people throughout the world?
He has done so by using simplicity. He did it by minding the Holy Spirit without questioning Him. He did it by envisioning something that even I can understand. He simply said: “Jesus is the subject!” WOW! Never thought about that! Make Jesus the subject of everything we do and the pieces will all fall into place. Make Jesus the subject of our worship and we will experience true worship. Make Jesus the subject of racial identity and we’ll be healed of color-consciousness. Make Jesus the subject of our singing, and the songs will begin to reach our hearts regardless of what style they are. Make Jesus the subject of all our discipline and our lives will become more like Christ in our day-to-day walk.
Make Jesus the subject of unity with other groups and denominations and . . . WHOA! Wait a minute. Now I’ve stopped preaching and started meddling! “That bunch down the street may call themselves Christians, but they don’t believe in ___________!” (Fill in the blank with any number of things that we believe we have cornered the market on in our tribe!)
Unity! How can we possibly come together corporately with people who believe in Christianity differently than we believe? It’s simple. Make Jesus the subject. “Yes, but they believe in eternal security.” Make Jesus the subject. “But they believe in one work of grace only.” Make Jesus the subject. “But they’re Catholics!” Make Jesus the subject. How in the world can we ever preach unity and gather in a corporate setting for worship if we have an attitude that we reach our hand in fellowship to everyone blood-washed one, provided all accept what we believe? I can take ten church of God preachers and set them at a table and ask them their take on sanctification and get ten different answers. What to do? Well, I’ll only worship with the ones who believe as I believe! But if I were to make Jesus the subject . . . . But if our sick nation would make Jesus the subject . . . . If our world would make . . . well, you get my drift. Unity happens when we make Jesus the subject. Discipline in any area happens when we make Jesus the subject.
I meet for breakfast every Monday morning with three other pastors. One is Free Will Baptist. (Throw him out!) One is Pentecostal. (Jesus, help us!) One is of the Christian Church. (Finally, a Christian!) Three preachers from different backgrounds and different doctrines who love each other like biological brothers. How can that be? The reason is that Jesus is the subject, not our varied understandings.
I also meet once a month with fifteen to twenty pastors from around our county. We break bread together at noon time on the second Monday of the month. It is some of the richest fellowship and worship that I have ever enjoyed. Is that because the food is so good? No, it is because Jesus is the subject and Jesus is so good.
Each year at Thanksgiving, we come together as the family of God from all across denominational lines for a community/corporate unity service here in Wise County, Virginia. We receive an offering, and it goes toward assisting stranded or needy travelers in our area. In November, 2014, at this Thanksgiving unity service, our speaker was the Priest from the Catholic Church who was retiring that year. He preached a tremendous sermon on brotherhood and making Jesus the subject of Thanksgiving! Jesus is the subject.
Now, do you want to hear what this topic was most likely originally chosen to be written about? Probably not. I didn’t want to get into it either. But I assume it was to be about the present members of our local congregations not being disciplined to attending faithfully the set corporate worship times in the church. Where are they these days on Sunday mornings? What is it that takes them out of church with all the “stuff” that they get into? Why are people who call themselves Christians and faithful members barely showing up for worship about 35-40% of the time? It is a perplexing problem for our churches today. From what I am hearing, all churches are plagued by this lack of discipline to corporate worship. What has happened that so many feel the need for travel, ballgames, dance recitals, vocal contests, golf or hunting outings or time away with the girls and any number of reasons for being absent from corporate worship? I can answer that question in five words. Jesus is not their subject! “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Lift Him Up by Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1903
How to reach the masses, men of every birth,
Refrain:
Oh! the world is hungry for the Living Bread,
Don’t exalt the preacher, don’t exalt the pew,
Lift Him up by living as a Christian ought,
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