Church Worship

Very balance, I say.

 

I can only add my total endorsement. :thumbs:

 

For one of the earliest post-100AD records of what a church service was like see "Chapter LXVII.--Weekly worship of the Christians" from Justin Martyr's First Apology. Justin lived A.D. 110-165.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.txt

See also,

Chapter LXI.--Christian baptism.
Chapter LXV.--Administration of the sacraments.
Chapter LXVI.--Of the Eucharist.

CA

 

The "Church" spread to area's that were not natively Jewish so didn’t have Jewish Temples. Some areas had temples made from greek gods. Are you implying they all built Temples designed as described in Exodus and exactly as you worship in today?

Ex 26:15 And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.
16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.

This verse says the boards of the tabernacle should be made of shittim wood, ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. Are you implying all Divine Liturgy facilities are made of shittim wood in this manner?

 

Solid questions, but I'm afraid they might be explained away.

 

1. Was there a temple in Damascus where there was obviously a group of believers? How about over in Antioch of Syria?

2. It seems to me that their worship was simple and fits well what Pliny the younger reported to Trajan the emperor.

3. I see no room for elaborate liturgical expressions. And I say this out of respect for your type of worship.

 

This is my point, in OT times the presence of God dwelled in a certain place. In the tabernacle, on the mercy seat, behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies etc… The veil was rent in two and we no longer need a certain place for the presence of God to abound. Jesus promised he would be wherever two or three is gathered in His name touching and agreeing.

God is Spirit, we worship Him in Spirit and in truth… That is the building, the layout and the order of worship, in Spirit and in Truth. Anything beyond this is for Man and not for God.

We don’t need a special layout, edifice or symbolism to worship God. He can be worshipped alone in your car on the highway just as he can in a finely made Temple… At least my God can.

Just my observation, it appears you are worshipping the building or your closeness to Judaism instead of God. I’m not trying to offend, this is just my opinion.

 

1. I respect your liturgical expressions, though I would not make them my own, for such is not necessary from the biblical data.

2. Yes, Luther was liturgical, but my admiration for him transcends his worship style. I admire him because of his courage to stand against Rome while standing the Holy Writ. That, my friend, is the extent of my admiration.

 

And if I may add, Paul says that our bodies are the temple [lit. sanctuary, Greek naos as opposed to hieron]] of the Holy Spirit. The Shekinah glory of God dwells in our mortal bodies by the Spirit of God (1Cor 6:19).

 

The most common Greek word for 'worship' in the New Testament means to prostrate. Interesting, the Bible never tells us that Christians are to gather to worship (prostrate.)

What does the Bible teach us about church gatherings? Does it say that we must have a liturgical order similar to the temple. No. Does it say that we are supposed to sing three songs, hear a preacher preacher, take up the offering have communion (once a week or once a month) sing three more songs, pray and then go home? No.

The Bible does talk about coming together to break bread. The early church ate a supper together to remember the Lord. We also see in scripture that when the church comes together, the believers are supposed to use their gifts to edify the body. Believers should take turns singing songs, teaching, sharing revelations, giving messages in tongues and intepretations in an orderly manner. All may prophesy in a church meeting.