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Improving Our Worship. Lesson 20. “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints… Let all things be done decently and in order. .” (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40). Improving our Worship.
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Improving Our Worship Lesson 20 “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints… Let all things be done decently and in order. .” (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40)
Improving our Worship Can we improve worship by improving on God’s plan? (John 4:23-24; Matthew 15:8-9) God-prescribed rituals must be followed! (2 Kings 17:26) But God-prescribed rituals can turn into ritualism! (Isaiah 1:10-20; Matthew 6:7) Ritual: The prescribed order of a religious ceremony. Ritualism: Exaggerated emphasis on the importance of rites and ceremonies or on the external aspects of worship.
Improving Worship by Improving Ourselves Preparing our hearts & minds for worship. (2 Chron. 30:13-20; Psalm 46:10; 51:7-15) What are some practical ways of doing this? Planning worship (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40) Participating (1 Corinthians 14:15; Col. 3:16) Creating an appetite for worship (Psalm 122:1; 42:1-2) Losing sight of ourselves (2 Cor. 10:5)
Decently and In Order God expects our worship to be carried out “decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:33, 40) “Decently” is translated from εὐσχημόνως (euschēmonōs). It means “in a seemly manner” (Thayer) or “decorously” (Strong) “Order” is from τάξις (taxis) which is “an arranging, arrangement…a fixed succession observing a fixed time…due or right order, orderly condition” (Thayer) In 1 Corinthians 14, engaging in multiple items of worship simultaneously or in a single item of worship unintelligibly is forbidden (14:16-17, 23, 26-28, 29-31)
Decently and In Order How could we go beyond God’s word in attempting to worship decently and in order? What of man-made dress codes, ritualistic demands or liturgical requirements? How could we fall short of God’s word and fail to worship decently and in order? What of purely spontaneous worship, worship without a planned order, or worship that displays sloppiness in deportment or preparation?