Honor in Order
It is interesting to read the Old Testament and see how detailed Yahweh’s instructions are in just about everything he calls man to do. Whether it is the creation of the ark of the covenant, the tabernacle, Noah’s ark, or instructions to men on how to win a war…Gideon. There are many things in life where we have a lot of freedom from our creator to creatively decide how to structure, build, or organize. However, when we are given something specifically meant to bring Him glory, He often gives very detailed instructions.
This same principle is not missed on the body of Christ…or what we would call the church. While there is not a lot of specific instruction in the Gospels, from Jesus, on how to run and organize a worship service, the rest of the New Testament scriptures are surrounded by this exact idea. God desires order in things that glorify Him, while we want to allow for the Holy Spirit to lead our services, we also must be mindful of the fact God is not a God of confusion, (1 Cor. 14:33).
This week we will be looking at what God desires in worship, and what a healthy body of Christ that is fully engaged in worship, communion and fellowship might look like. How does order and spontaneity coexist in a worship service? How do you challenge and stretch people in the body of Christ, knowing that there will be missteps, mistakes and hurt feelings? Paul addresses these questions in his letters, and to give a little hint into what the answers look like…humble yourself as our Lord has done before us.
See you Sunday.
Peace,
Nathan Bentley