"Acceptable Worship Toward God"....!

How often through our years of attending "church" have we heard such statements as these...."We are assembled here together to worship God" "The worship service is about to begin", "We invite you back again to worship with us", "Where do you worship regularly?", "Oh, I worship at the __________ Church"...., We have developed a 'tradition' of making laws where God never intended. We have used historical divisiveness to take biblical words and twist them into meanings not remotely reflected of New Testament usage. We use the language of Ashdod to keep the pew-people in line with the thinking that "true worship" takes place in this stained-glass building. Where in the New Covenant scriptures do we find out about "worship services", "5-acts of worship", "worship place", also where in the scriptures does it tell us about all this extraneous stuff that is so important in promoting the Institutional Church, such as.... "The Invitation Song, The Pulpit, The Professional Minister, The Church Treasury, The Clergy & Laity, Placing Membership/Joining the Church, Going to Church, N.T. scriptures consist of only 27 books, O.T. scriptures consist of 39 books, The Lord's Supper is an Act of Worship, Sermons are Acts of Worship, Public Prayer as an Act of Worship.... etc. And the end is not yet! You may add to this list many "church functions" that are equally suspect as these are.

Jesus well demonstrated, in His sojourn here on earth, what it means to "worship in spirit and truth". His attitude and character were clearly manifest in all that He said and did. He was not interested in outward form but rather in the changing of the inner man. All of His teachings were devoted to the transforming and renewing of the mind (Rom 12:1-2) His greatest teaching of service (worship) to His Heavenly Father was what man MUST give unto God, and that is, a total surrender of self to serve the True and Living God, by serving O T H E R S !!

If "worship" consisted of doing certain prescribed things on a certain day at a certain location, then why did not Jesus ever say anything about it? If it were mere outward acts being performed that God seeks for us to please Him, then the heart could be far away from Him. Jesus taught every day of His life about outward deeds were totally useless, unless the heart was right. Why do we as children of God even perform certain deeds as though God needed them. God is all sufficient. What makes us think that our "acts of worship" are what He needs so He can make it through another week. We have an idolatrous view of "worship" if we think our doing anything puts another good mark on our score card in order to guarantee a home in heaven. All of our activities we do as a together assembly aren't for His benefit, but rather for Ours.

If we can ever understand that our love for God must be manifest in our love for our fellow man, then we have finally begun to understand that worship is, in spirit and truth, not certain deeds, to exclusion of others. Even a cup of cold water given in the name of Jesus is deemed worthy, by any follower of Christ. Just as we don't stop being a Christian and then start being a Christian again depending on some circumstances, neither do we cease worship to God, based on special circumstances, special place, some peculiar time built around our own convenience. Christianity is not something done one day a week at a set hour, rather a way of life that will influence everything that we say and do. Paul says it much better than I could ever say it..... (Rom. 12:1, NAS) "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."

That which Jesus calls 'worship in spirit and in reality', actually consists of the surrender of self to God. It is giving my eyes, ears, mouth, tongue, hands and feet to God, and doing so voluntarily as an act of commitment. It entails also the devoting of my bodily desires, feelings, passions and sensations to God, holding nothing back. Thus everything I do in the body, with an eye singled to the glory of God, is worship in its purist form. For the Christian there are no 'acts of worship'. For the simple reason that there are no acts which are not worship.

In Christ there are no holy places, no holy days, no holy things and no holy land. There is only, holy people, those that belong to Christ. We cannot dedicate buildings to God. We can only dedicate our lives. We give our bodies, that is ourselves. And we are the temple of God, We are God's building. We are God's garden. When we allow the beauty, fragrance and sweetness of our lives to point others to the Heavenly Father above, THAT IS OUR TRUE AND REASONABLE WORSHIP!

Listen to this Bible Scholar from the past: "The true worship, the really spiritual worship, is the offering of one's body, and all that one does every day with it, to God. Real worship is not the offering of elaborate prayers to God; it is not the offering to God of liturgy, however noble, and ritual, however magnificent. Real worship is the offering of everyday life to God. Real worship is not something which is transacted in a church house. Real worship is something which sees the whole world as the temple of the living God, and every common deed, an act of worship."  (William Barclay, Commentary on Romans 12:1)

Now about, (IM) "Instrumental Music In Worship".....

Mechanical Instruments of Music, is neither 'scripturally allowed' or 'scripturally forbidden'. The NT scriptures say absolutely nothing at all about instrumental music, one way or the other. Period! I could stop here and would answer the question, but I will be so bold as to offer some additional comments.

First, I do not know of any scripture or combination of them would allow Instruments to be played while singing praise to God: nor do I know of any scriptures that forbid or condemn the use of (IM) while singing praises to God. I refer only to (NT) scriptures. On the music subject the scriptures are silent, as is true about many other things practiced by Christians around the world.

Thru the years I've known many dedicated saints who had no hesitation in singing praise to God in their home or in social gatherings even when a piano or a guitar accompanied their singing. Is that "Worship"? Most disciples will join right in when listening to some Quartet and or some Country Singers as they sing "Amazing Grace" or some other good hymn when instruments are being played. They enjoy and even find it uplifting as well as edifying.

Is "God Bless America" a song of prayer or praise toward God? Often saints have sung this old song, as well as "Onward Christian Soldiers and other such songs along with instrumental accompaniment. Is this a violation of God's Word? Is such sinful? In my view, most Christians at a school function, civic club, community meeting or at a social event in the home don't have a problem with instruments accompanying the singing! Why is it sinful if the same thing is done with a group of saints in a "Church Building"? Is the building some sacred place or palace where such has been expressly forbidden?

It appears that the use of an instrument is magnified into a matter of sinful action only when it is used in what is today referred to as our "corporate worship", these specified times, sometimes referred to as "The Worship Services of The One True Church". This brings up another dangerous concept know among brethren, as the "Divine Pattern", as they say, it is clearly spelled out in the NT scriptures. That is what the "pattern theologist" demand for in each and every local church institution, an explicit pattern that must be followed in detail, as they understand it and it must be absolutely followed in order to be a "True & Faithful Local Church of Christ"!

Another important point needs to be injected here. It is highly questionable that the scriptures say anything at all about what is designated as "congregational singing". Certainly the expression is no where found in scripture. One would be hard pressed to prove from Eph.5:19 or Col.3:16 that the reference is for what we so demandingly call "congregational singing". I do not believe that these passages require as one of the Five Acts of Worship, that each and every person must all sing together as a congregation. In fact, I do believe that congregational singing is not what is herein referred to.

Well, you might ask, Is IM scripturally allowed? NO! It is not allowed because scripture says nothing about it one way or the other. All of the arguments for its use, while singing praise to God, are man-deduced. They are conclusions based on human reasoning not by a thus sayeth the Lord, or by any other way suggested by any NT scriptural reference.

Over the years I have come to the conclusion that there is really only one argument 'for' the use of Instrumental Music in praise toward God and only one valid argument 'against' it.

First, the argument for it; IM was first used by the Jews in their worship in the Temple and in the synagogue, with God's approval, and there is absolutely nothing in the scriptures that would indicate that He would disapprove or condemn such! Absolutely nothing!

Second, the argument against it; Not even one time in NT scriptures is there anything at all to indicate that those early saints were ever instructed to use or did use IM in connection with any form of praise, even though there are references to singing. And to further establish this, there is no indication in secular history that those who claimed to be God's holy people ever used IM in their worship until the sixth century and then only with great opposition to it.... Me wonders why?

Nothing I teach regarding this subject is intended to promote the use of IM while singing praise to God or in teaching one another in psalms and hymns. But I will not line up with a majority of my brethren who say that IM in worship toward God is sinful and those that practice such will spend eternity in hell.

Thus both views on this subject; those promoting its use, the other one condemning its use. A divisive issue that alienates them one from the other. In so doing they practice disputes, dissentions, factions, as condemned by Paul in Gal. 5:19....Those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  This is very serious and it should be taken to heart by all of us.  And all of this dividing and fussing is over a practice about which the scriptures say absolutely nothing! The day of reckoning is surely coming! Come Lord Jesus, come quickly!

Yours for Truth and Freedom..... Horace Hooper