CHAPTER 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day
(Parts Seven through Nine)

There are five component parts to corporate worship.

We worship God in song, singing praises to Him, and with words to worship God and encourage one another.
We worship God through the preaching of God’s Word as we give Him our attention, listening to learn more about Him and how He would have us live in relationship to Him and to each other.
We worship God in corporate prayer, whether by listening to (and praying along with) those who lead the congregation in prayer, or by participating in times when it is appropriate for members of the congregation to pray aloud in turn.
We worship God by observing the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. At a baptism, the person being baptized is worshiping God, as are those who witness the baptism worship with the one being baptized. Every time we receive the Lord’s Supper, we worship Christ, remembering Him in faith, proclaiming His death till He comes again, and receiving spiritual nourishment.
Lastly, as we gather for worship, our fellowship together is also an act of worship as we delight the Father by gathering around Him in one accord.

Adding to these things makes worship something other than biblical, corporate worship.
Worship that neglects these things is less than biblical worship.
Let us worship God according to His Word.

(Part Eight)

In the previous post, we listed five component parts of biblical worship. We stated that adding to these things makes corporate worship something other than biblical worship. Worship that neglects these things is also less than biblical worship. Let us worship God according to His Word.

So what additions make worship not worship? Short answer: Anything. Why? Because worship is God’s idea and not ours. Since worship is about God, not about us, we are not at liberty to add our innovations. There are many man-made innovations routinely added to worship by well-meaning, but misguided believers. Some of the most common items include, ear-assaulting sound levels, light shows, and even pyrotechnics.

Yes, incredibly, some people do this to “wow” God’s people. Listen, when God’s people encounter God through biblical worship that is “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), there is no need to try to “whoop anybody up.” After all, if people are not awed by God, how can man-made techno-dazzle do it? And if people are wowed by the techno-dazzle and not by God, isn’t it obvious that it wasn’t God-centered worship, but man-centered entertainment?

Once again, let us worship God according to His Word.

(Part Nine)

In addition to what the Confession teaches about biblical corporate worship, there are other actions done by, and attitudes found in believers that are very much components of small group, family, and individual worship. The Confession mentions several:

Reading Scripture (1 Timothy 4:13).
Teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19).
Generous and charitable giving (Acts 20:35).
Prayer (Philippians 4:6-7).
Obedience (Philippians 2:12-13).
Faith in God (Hebrews 11:6).
Reverence and godly fear (Ephesians 5:21).
Godly humiliation and fasting (1 Peter 5:5 & Matthew 6:17-18). Faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:2).
Let us incorporate all these into our lives as acts of worship!

One last thing… Biblical worship is never to be tied to, nor is it more holy or acceptable to God because of location, the direction one faces, or what one wears. No amount of incense or candles make worship more spiritual or acceptable to God. Sadly, these kinds of additions to worship often taint alleged worship, making it not worship when alleged worshipers trust in any of these things.