Stunting Worship (Protestant/Evangelical Caucus and Devotional)

Ligonier Ministries ^ | 11/8/2017

[Gamecock]

The visual impact of the furnishings and the buildings of both the Old Testament tabernacle and temple was awesome. The eyes were dazzled with a sense of the splendor of God.

Sound was vital to Old Testament worship. The choral compositions of the Psalms were moving to the Spirit. They were accompanied by the full harmony and rhythm supplied by the harp, the lyre, the flute, and trumpets. The piano and the organ are marvelous instruments, but they cannot produce the sounds that the other instruments provide. Hymns and choral anthems are greatly enhanced when they are supported with greater orchestration.

Old Testament worship involved all five senses. The element of touch is missing in most Protestant worship. Charismatic groups emphasize the laying on of hands, which meets a strong human need for a holy touch. Early Christian worship involved the placing of the pastor’s hands on each person with the pronouncement of the benediction. When congregations got too large for such personal attention, the act gave way to the symbolic gesture of the benediction spoken by the pastor with outstretched arms. This was a simulation of the laying on of hands, but the actual touch was lost.

Old Testament worship included taste and smell. The fragrance of burning incense gave a peculiar sense of a special aroma associated with the sweetness of God. One of the first gifts laid at the foot of the manger of Jesus was that of frankincense. Most Protestants reject incense without giving any substantive reason for its rejection.

Taste was central to the Old Testament feasts as well as the New Testament celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The injunction to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8) is rooted in the worship experience. The people of God “tasted the heavenly gift” (Heb. 6:4).

Perhaps we have stunted worship by excluding elements that God once included and deemed important.

Coram Deo

Reflect on ways you might involve your physical senses in worshiping God in your private devotions.

Passages for Further Study

Psalm 150:3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals

[Gamecock]

Ping

[JAKraig]

To some degree what you grow up with is what is normal. I did not grow up with incense. When on rare occasion I attend a worship service with someone whose church burns incense it seems foreign to me. When I go to a service that has a rock band while I realize the words of the music being played are worshipful, to me, the music is not.

To me organ, piano and choirs are the normal way to worship with music. Perhaps to King David trumpets, cymbals, lutes and lyres were what worship music was. To each his own.

For many years I sang with a large chorus and orchestra, the Louisville Bach Society. I have a special reverence for the music of the Baroque period. While much of what Mozart did could hardly be called religious much of his music is also religiously inspiring. I don’t have a great love for any composer’s entire work output there are a few things that stand out in many that can only be described as inspiring, perhaps almost holy. Bach’s B minor Mass, Mozart Requiem, Brahms Requiem even Handel’s Messiah. There are many more works that fit in to this category but these are pretty much universally inspiring. Brahms does indeed use the harp in his Requiem, Bach makes good use of flutes in the B minor Mass and they all make good use of drums and cymbals in most of their religions music. So in a sense our most religious music does indeed use the instruments mentioned in Psalms.

That being said, most organs, pipe and electronic include voices of strings, reeds, brass and percussive.

So to me, most, at least most traditional churches have not departed from the admonition in Psalms.

[Nevadan]

Interesting observations and food for thought.

However, it seems to me that even in Biblical times it was only possible to have all of these elements together if one was worshiping in the Temple, which was only in Jerusalem. If one was attending a Sabbath service in their local community they did not have the beauty and splendor of the awesome furnishings and the buildings of both the Old Testament tabernacle and temple. Also the sacrifices were not performed anywhere else. When the disciple were awed by the beauty and splendor of the Temple, Jesus let them know that they were not enduring. Something and Someone greater than the Temple had come. Hebrew 9 talks about this.

To expect that all places of worship be spectacular in order to make worship an enhanced experience involving all 5 senses seems to me to be a 1st World expectation or objective. Neither the persecuted church of early church history nor the underground church worldwide had or have access to any of these elements, yet I would not even for a moment consider their worship experiences to be lacking.

As for music in the church, to each his own. Musical tastes vary. Different cultures appreciate different styles. Music that impacts me and touches my spiritual senses doesn't have the same effect on everyone else. The shofar doesn't make me think of God. Now that is a bonafide Biblical instrument! Yet I wouldn't want someone blowing it in a church service I attend. Now a saxophone or well played trumpet I could worship with!

[Arlis]

Just what we need to do - revert to Judaism - the Law, the EXTERNAL vs. the Spiritual.

Already the church mostly models either Judaism or Catholicism rather than the NT pattern.

Cannot find one scripture where there is a man leading a church titled “pastor” in all the NT - let alone find one putting his hands on the saints. Yes, laying on of hands was clearly practiced, but no where is it associated with a man called a pastor.

BTW, only use of the word “pastor” referring to a man’s ministry (a true gift to the church - along with 3 or 4 others neglected) is PLURAL - EPH. 4:11. And every use of the singular word “Pastor or shepherd” refers to the Lord Jesus. No where in the NT is a man found leading a church with the title “Pastor.”

As someone said, “many denominations believe in a Pope. Only difference is he is local.”

https://www.lifestream.org/we-already-have-a-shepherd-leadership-in-the-relational-church-part-8/