Do Baptists have a shallow view of Corporate Worship?

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.​

Stirs me to the soles of my size 14 feet I tell you! :thumbsup:

When done well it stirs me to the soles of my size 14 feet I tell you! :thumbsup: Rather fond of "O Canada" as well. Spent many summers in the early 70s watching the Expos. My MIL asserts "God Save the Queen" is the genuine anthem, but I digress.

No. The latter is called patriotism. I love my country but love my God greater. There is no comparison between worship and patriotism...

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psalms 84:10 NASB​

 

Okay, so let me ask you plainly. Do you attend a local church in your area? I mean one that has an appointed pastor, elders or deacons and acutally has a sign outside the building with a name on it?

Gee, you know what I mean. Obviously you are being evasive. I suspect you attend no organized church at all. Am I correct?

Frankly, I am new to this board myself, but being the curious soul that I am, I would really like to know what your religious affiliation is so I can see where you are coming from.

 

Saved by the blood of the Lamb (in my head for 20 years, in my heart for 15), women's bible teacher, director of community outreach, published Christian author and wife of a Baptist minister.

 

I agree, but the comparison is interesting. There are many that don't have or show a great deal of emotion when the national anthem is sung. The same is true when singing hymns. There are others who will cry with the first beat of the hymn being played. Some seem to be a ball of emotions, especially in this generation.

Emotions are not bad. They are a by-product--whether it be of worship, or of patriotism. Many times our emotions need to be brought under control, if not most times. Anger is an emotion. If not controlled it is sin. If, during "worship," all emotions are "let loose" then one has an emotional frenzy such as is demonstrated in some Third Wave assemblies. It results in chaos. God is not pleased. He desires order and not chaos.

In corporate music the music needs to be the vehicle to accompany the lyrics which are to instruct, admonish, and edify the believers. If the genre of music appeals more to the flesh than to the heart it is wrong. If it takes away from the message of Christ, it is wrong. The "medium" of music must fit the "message" of the lyrics--the message of Christ, the Word that ought to be instructing us about Christ our Saviour.
It shouldn't appeal to the flesh. But if emotion comes, it comes only as a by-product. The same is true of prayer--also worship. Some may weep as they plead with God in prayer. That is not a bad thing. It is a "by-product" of their prayer time. It is not necessary that everyone who prays must weep. But many will if they truly travail with God in prayer.

 

Disagreeing with Aaron here. Worship IS all about God. The answer is yes.

Service should end when the Holy Spirit ends it. Ours does.

Let the Holy Spirit lead.

Sit, stand, raise your hands, run the aisle, it don't matter to me as long as it's real.

If your running a service for the expectations of the congregation you're in the wrong business.

I think my answers above indicate that i prefer the Spirit to lead. I love to watch a service come together as the he leads the songs, testimonies, message. It's awesome.

His glory should always be the priority, not only in Church but in everything we do.

 

Just goes to show you how old and maybe backwoods I am! LOL!

Where I grew up, Baptists made a big deal about NOT calling the church service a WORSHIP service. (Nor did we have sanctuaries or altars.) Worship was something we were to do privately, and more than daily.

Where I grew up, the church service was to evangelize and edify. Therefore, the purpose of the music was not to invoke some warm fuzzy feeling or to make one feel they had "made contact" with God, but to teach theology and doctrine.

What is called "worship" today would have been blasted as eastern mysticism in that place and time.

And I guess I am an old fuddy duddy--I still feel the same way today. I don't go to church to "get", be it warm fuzzies or the hair standing up on the back of my neck moment, or whatever. I figure that is our time to give--to give the gospel to the lost, and to give Bible knowledge to the saved.

When I am in a service that promotes "corporate worship" I feel much like I would feel in a meeting promoting any other form of "corporate intimacy." Icky.

And while we may make a big deal about talking about how inducing those emotional moments is all for God's benefit, I don't believe it for a minute.

I believe God would much rather have us have a lot more of those emotional, intimate moments ALONE with Him, without an audience.

And I believe He would much rather have us use the church services to send forth His Word rather than seek some thrill or warm fuzzies.

And before you blast me, I know that is out of step with what passes as evangelical churches today. But you see, while not officially one I consider myself a Baptist. Not a Pentecostal. Not a Buddhist. Not a Hindu. And for sure not a part of sweat lodge religion, always seeking an experience or a vision.

I don't believe in public displays of affection, whether between a husband and wife or between Christ and His Bride.

Yeah, I know, crawl back in the cave with the rest of the Baptist dinosaurs.

But I also believe this: when we just cannot rev ourselves up any higher emotionally, this sort of "whirling dervish" religion will pall.

And once more, God's Word will accomplish its purpose.

 

I believe that traditional hymns should be used in services. Worshipping God isn't to make us feel good, it is to praise God!!! And in Psalm it is said many times, Make a joyful noise unto the LORD. Not a pretty noise or a practiced and trained noise, but a joyful noise. As long as you are joyful in singing, God gets the glory. I don't have the most beautiful voice, but I have been called by God to sing specials. It is what God wants from us, not what we want from others.

 

But who decides what is "traditional?" How is "hymn" defined?

I agree with your other stuff...

 

It seems our services are a little different than most other posters here. We have no program. If a person feels led the sing, they stand up and sing. If they feel led to testify, then they do. If they would like for the congregation to sing a hymn, they ask and we do. Are there any others who conduct service like this?

 

Since you have read 1 Corinthians quite a few times, surely you've read that the Spirit is subject to the prophets. Decorum and order are paramount in the outward observances of Christian worship, not what one "feels led" to do.

 

Psalms 100:3-4
(3) Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
(4) Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

:godisgood: