Sermon Central
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Gifts Of The Sprit 12: All Involved Worship Series
Contributed by Ewen Huffman on Nov 12, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: There is an early pattern for communal worship shown in this passage. It is quite different to how we do it, today, and really involves, equips and builds the body of Christ!
Gifts of the Spirit 12: “All involved worship”. 1 COr 14:26-33. WBC 14.11.04am
Hymns For All Things:
The Dentist’s Hymn:.....Crown Him with Many Crowns
The Weatherman’s Hymn.....There Shall Be Showers of Blessings
The Contractor’s Hymn:.....The Church’s One Foundation
The Tailor’s Hymn:.....Holy, Holy, Holy
The Golfer’s Hymn:.....There’s a Green Hill Far Away
The Politician’s Hymn:.....Standing on the Promises
The Optometrist’s Hymn:.....Open My Eyes That I Might See
The Tax man’s Hymn:.....I Surrender All
The Electrician’s Hymn:.....Send The Light
The Shopper’s Hymn:.....Sweet By and By
The Massage Therapists Hymn.....He Touched Me
AND for those who speed on the highway - a few hymns:
45mph..........God Will Take Care of You
55mph..........Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
65mph..........Nearer My God To Thee
75mph..........Nearer Still Nearer
85mph..........This World Is Not My Home
95mph..........Lord, I’m Coming Home
Over 100mph....Precious Memories
OLD-STYLE WORSHIP
Well- long before the debates of whether corporate worship should involve
- the projectors of 2000… the OHP of the 90s… the hymn books of the 80s… the guitars and drums of the 70s… the flares of the 60s…. the songs of the 50s or the hymns of old… the organs of the 1800s… the Wesleyan pub-tunes of the 1700s… Gregorian chant…silence…Latin or the vernacular…. The abomination of music instruments at all… or acapella
… we have a pattern of corporate worship laid down in the Bible
- there’s lots more in there as well
o “make a joyful noise to the Lord” Ps 66;1, 88:1, 95:1
o Ps 150:3 Praise Him with harp, lyre, tambourine, dancing, clash of cymbals,
These are 1000 years older than this passage
o Eph 5:19 Psalms (their hymn book), Hymns (their modern hymns, poetry & meter), spiritual songs (their modern heart- touching ditties)
But this, here, is the first example of an ‘order of service’
- (order being an operative word as that that is something they really had a problem with… unlike us!)
There are other styles of corporate worship portrayed in the NT that are helpful to us
- but they still convey this sense of order AND spontaneity
ie Acts 13:2 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
- Literally: while they were liatorgia’ing. …while they were going through the liturgy, the Holy Spirit said
So- here’s something really important!
- important to this passage… Paul
o having spoken about how the Spirit manifests Himself through all the congregation- he’s back to it, again
o this is the final parenthesis of the ‘spiritual dynamic’
- important in history
o earliest Christian pattern available
- important to us
o felt that as I prepared. Sense of importance
o something that has brought SO much blessing to us over the last few years as people have
played their part. Brought words, testimonies, prophecies
has been a sign…outworking…cause even…of our growth.
HUMBLY say: is one of our strong points (pm, particularly)
• Though we still have further to go. There’s much more of God’s DYNAMIC to experience
In fact- I reckon you can tell something of the health of an individual… a congregation… but how much people are involved
- yes, outside the services… in SERVICE
- but also within a service
If people readily pray, respond, interject (in the right way)… bring a word… start up a song… bring a prophecy or tongue and interpretation that builds up all
- it tells you SO much:
o that they’ve come prepared!
Hot!
To give, participate… not just sit as passengers
o That it won’t be long before they are going to the ends of the earth!
o That the people of God… the BODY is being empowered… and this body will outlast any pastor!
It’s true! The church is the PEOPLE…not just the one or two people who are set aside to lead
What good is it… what’s the point if all the ‘power’ lies there (…. On a Sunday)
• They work their backside off
• It becomes their ‘baby’
• Everyone else spectates
o Waits for others to do ‘it’
• When Pastor goes it all collapses!
What’s the point of that, then? (not least because the commission of God on leaders is to build up the BODY!)
- this is no criticism of ANY church
o but big is not always beautiful in God’s eyes
o He wants INDIVIDUALS built up…not an empire built up
Sometimes folks hide from God, each other and ‘being built up’ in big churches
Can I say this humbly again. What God has done in you, and US… will last beyond me… any individual… because the LORD has done something in you, and YOU have participated in it.
