ISN’T IT TIME TO LOOK AT THE BIBLE AGAIN?

by David Campbell

Since the writing of the New Testament much has occurred that has diluted, perverted, and distorted the truth. Men have added their doctrines, traditions, and other “testaments.” These, along with the various interpretations taught by men, have made it difficult for some to come to an understanding of the truth. What we propose is that men leave behind the doctrines and traditions of men and go back to the Bible. After all, the doctrines and commandments of men will make our worship vain (Matthew 15:9).

When we go back to the Bible we see a simple pattern for Christian worship that involved the following:

1. A regular assembly for the purpose of worship (Hebrews 10:25).

2. Singing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).

3. Praying (1 Corinthians 14:15).

4. Weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

5. Cheerful giving (Matthew 6:20; 1 Corinthians 16:2).

6. Preaching the Word (Acts 5:20, 42; 20:7).

7. Worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

8. Worship in a decent and orderly fashion (1 Corinthians 14:40).

This is a far cry from the types of worship we see in churches today. On the one hand we have the ritualistic observances of centuries of man’s traditions employed in some churches. On the other hand we have many churches that have turned the worship of our Lord into an entertainment event designed to please men rather than God. In so many denominations there is a strong emphasis on drama, orchestral music, contemporary Christian rock music, and many other forms of entertainment. Because none of this was practiced by the church of Biblical times, we must conclude that this is a digression rather than progression (Revelation 22:18, 19).

History shows us that the people of the first century were very much in love with entertainment. Rome, Jerusalem, Ephesus, Philippi, and other cities had amphitheaters which were used for drama and other forms of entertainment. If God had wanted worship to be an entertainment experience, early Christians could have easily worshipped Him in that manner. However, God chose a different approach to worship and the spread of the Gospel (Romans 10:14-17).

The people of the first century were very much like us. They had families and jobs, and they experienced stress, illness, and faced death. Though very much like us, those early Christians were content to accept the apostles’ teaching, and worship accordingly. They understood that the good feeling one derives from worship comes from knowing that we are pleasing God (Matthew 7:21). We are pleased with our children when they do as we request. In the same way God is pleased with us when we do what He wants.

Our goal is to please God by following the plan for worship that is found in the New Testament. If you have an identical desire, we would welcome you and your family.