I've talked to several people about different aspects of worship that are not practiced in the New Testament church. Tithing, instrumental music in the worship, and keeping the Sabbath or Passover are some which come directly to mind, but it's not limited to these.
When we worship, who are we worshipping? God. HE decides how we worship Him. Jeremiah 10:23 says it is not in man to direct his own steps. Proverbs 14:12 says there is a way that seems right to man, but it leads to death. God tells us how to worship Him in the New Testament, and we would do well to heed those instructions. He told the Israelites exactly how to worship Him, and the consequences were ugly when they didn't pay attention to those instructions. The sons of Aaron offered strange fire to the Lord. They were killed by God (Leviticus 10:1-2). In I Chronicles 13, Uzza thought to keep the precious ark of God from falling. See, touching it had been strictly forbidden. But his intentions were good because he only wanted to keep it from falling. For his good intentions, he was struck dead by God (v. 10).
When these topics are brought up, people usually go immediately to the Old Testament to justify their actions. I have often wondered why that is. The Old Testament is no longer in effect. We are no longer under the Old Law. It was nailed to the Cross with Christ. Colossians 2:8-14 tells us how the laws and ordinances are not against us anymore. Galatians 3:10-13 says the old Law was a curse but that Christ had redeemed us from that curse. Hebrews 8:6-9 tells us how Christ is the mediator of a new covenant. It goes on to say in verse 13 that the fist covenant is now old and vanished away. Hebrews 9, particularly 18, goes on with the same thought saying that the blood of animals dedicated the first testament, but the blood of Jesus dedicates he New Testament.
I'm not saying we should ignore the Old Testament completely. It was written for our learning and understanding (Romans 15:4). But it cannot be used to justify any part of a Christian's worship. A Christian's worship must be in a way that is totally authorized by God in the New Testament. We don't have authority to change anything in regard to worship. We aren't worshipping together for our own entertainment.
I cannot express how sad in my heart I was after talking with a friend recently. During the conversation I realized her definition of a good church was one where she had fun. Folks, that does NOT define what God considers acceptable! If we are only worried about how much we are enjoying ourselves, we are missing the whole point! We are worshipping in vain. No amount of Old Testament scripture is going to authorize anything in our worship, no matter how fun it is or how much we think it is a good idea.
After talking with my friend, I began to pay closer attention to the attitudes people have toward worship. Human ideas are everywhere - the adults can't "enjoy" the worship service unless we pack off the kids to Children's Bible Hour. Instrumental music must be o.k. because it sounds so good! I "felt" really into the service tonight. It's not about what we want or feel or enjoy. It's about what God wants. We have to find it authorized in the New Testament befre we say it's o.k.
God is so much smarter than we can ever imagine! If He would have wanted us to do these things, He would have had no trouble getting it into the New Testament to let us know. Since it's not there, we know it's not o.k. II Timothy 3:16-17 says that's what scripture is for; so we can be perfect in His sight and thoroughly furnished.
Looking at the New Testament examples is the only way we can ever have true unity in Christ. It's the only way we can be sure our worship is acceptable to God. The first century church all spoke the same thing. They were of one mind in all things. Historical evidence shows instrumental music wasn't introduced in worship for several centuries. Even then, it was met with great resistance. It wasn't widely accepted for several more centuries.
The burden of proof rests on those who say it's o.k. to do these things. Show me where the New Testament authorizes it, and I will be happy to change my mind. Until then, this is the well-being of my eternal soul we're talking about. I'm not willing to put it at risk.
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