Certainly wise words in your post. Begs the question though: HOW can we know the best way to worship God? And I’m not talking about just “not sinning” (which, while certainly difficult, at least has plenty of Scripture to validate such a desire)
But worshipping God? The actual act, as to what it means specifically HOW it’s done? I don’t see that in Scripture (at least not very much, other than the occasional, almost in passing mentions of “assembling on the first day of the week” and/or “not forsaking the assembly of each other”).
No, we don’t read, for example: whether or not women can be pastors or...
...what kind of music is most pleasing to God, if any (classical, contemporary rock, heavy metal...) or no music during worship or...
...what time of the day, and indeed what day of the week or...
...is it even compulsory to GO and worship Him at a church building or can He be appropriately worshipped in someone’s house or...
...what Bible readings are best for the worship service and when should one passage be used over another. Or should the Bible be read aloud at the worship at all? Or...
...what prayers should be used? Should they be informal prayers or formalized prayers composed by some individual or committee beforehand? Should they be read aloud or only in silence? Or...
...what posture should be taken at the worship service, and when should different postures be implimented? Or doesn’t posture matter?
I don’t see these questions answered in the Bible. I don’t see the Bible saying explicitly “It doesn’t matter how you worship the Lord” either.
It’s just silent on the matter. Scripture is silent on how it should be done, how one of the most important things we SHOULD be doing is done, even in the most basic of questions above.
Much less any more that might come up in a group of people, all of whom love the Lord with all their heart, so desire to worship Him the best way possible, the way that is pleasing to Him, but have no idea of how this is manifest in a practical sense.
These answers are not forthcoming from Scripture alone. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t important. Because truly, when one loves another, one desires to do what the Other wants, not what oneself wants.
So again, I commend you for your post. It brings up a vital question, a question so obvious it’s often overlooked in its simplicity. Seems to me it begs more exploration. It will be interesting to see if reasoned exploration is forthcoming.
Thank you for your reply. Those are excellent questions, in that they seek to know what God expects of us and how we can please Him.
It may take more time and space than we have here to explore the Bible’s answers, but I’ll get started so that you will at least see that God does tell us what He wants of us, and that He doesn’t expect things of us that we can’t know or do.
- We do know whether or not women can be pastors. Paul, in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1, lays out the qualifications for this office - which qualifications exclude women.
- We do know what kind of music is pleasing to God. In Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:18-20, etc. we’re told what music God wants, and what instruments are pleasing to Him.
- We do know what day of the week we are to assemble. In Acts 20, 1 Cor. 16, etc. we find the practices and commands delivered to the disciples and churches by the Lord’s apostles.
These are a few examples of God being very specific. But that’s not to say He’s like a movie director who hands us a script and demands we recite the lines with such-and-such a tone and inflection. But rather, He has given us commands within which we must abide, while leaving us a great deal of latitude and freedom in which to obey these commands.
For instance, though He commands us to give of our money for the work of the church, He does not command from us a tithe (10%) as He did under the Law of Moses. Rather, we are to give as we’ve been prospered, as we’ve purposed in our hearts, and cheerfully not grudgingly (1 Cor. 16, etc.)
I hope this helps, and that you’re stirred to dig into the Scriptures to learn more of God’s commands for worship and service to Him, out of a heart that wants to draw nigh to Him. :-)
Probably because they are insignificant, meaningless questions...
It’s (the bible) just silent on the matter. Scripture is silent on how it should be done, how one of the most important things we SHOULD be doing is done, even in the most basic of questions above.
This is a false claim made to people who do not read the bible...One who actually spends time in the bible knows the bible is not silent on worship...
These answers are not forthcoming from Scripture alone.
They most certainly are...You can't learn the things of God from human wisdom...
Quite untrue - Torah is quite specific.
Certainly wise words in your post. Begs the question though: HOW can we know the best way to worship God?
John 14
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 3
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
John 4
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Jesus tells us in Mathew 22:37,38,39,40 what his commandments are.