Christian worship

James F. White observes: “Take away
Christian worship, and it is hard to
conceive of Christianity as long
enduring.”1 If this be true of Christianity
in general, it is certainly true of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church in
particular.
What is worship?

According to Webster's Dictionary, its verb
form includes such synonyms as "esteem,"
"exalt," "revere," "glorify" and "respect." As
a noun, it can encompass adoration,
veneration, devotion, supplication and
invocation. Its actual definition, though, is
"reverence, honor or homage paid to God;
ceremonies or services expressing such
reverence." Worship thus includes both an
attitude and the actions that accompany
and are motivated by it.
Mmm?

Worship is homage consisting of both an
attitude of deep respect, adoration,
reverence and even awe and the
activities designed to describe the
position and worth of the One
worshipped
Why worship?
The most basic answer is that He is the great and
powerful Creator and we, the insignificant and weak
creation. Therefore, we humble ourselves and submit.
 Revelation 4:8-11 proclaims:
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full
of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or
night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who
was and is and is to come!" Whenever the living creatures
give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the
throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders
fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship
Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns
before the throne, saying: "You are worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honor and power; for You created all
things, and by Your will they exist and were created."

Is It a Requirement?

Philippians 2:9-10 says, however,
"Therefore God also has highly exalted
Him and given Him the name which is
above every name, that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of those
in heaven, and of those on earth, and of
those under the earth.“
How did we get here?

After the flood.

Because the human desire to conform to what we
admire and respect is so persuasive, we need to
worship Him. This desire is so strong that, if we do
not give it to Him, we will probably give it elsewhere

Nimrod was undoubtedly the most notorious man in
the ancient world who is credited with instigating the
Great Rebellion at Babel, and of founding the vs,
astrology and even human sacrifice.
Examples of different gods
Nimurda, the Assyrian god of war
 Marduk, the Babylonian king of the gods
 Sumerian deity Amar-utu

Need for reverence

We Have More Reasons for Reverence Than the
Hebrews.--It is too true that reverence for the house of
God has become almost extinct. Sacred things and
places are not discerned; the holy and exalted are not
appreciated. Is there not a cause for the want of fervent
piety in our families? Is it not because the high standard
of religion is left to trail in the dust? God gave rules of
order, perfect and exact, to His ancient people. Has His
character changed? Is He not the great and mighty God
who rules in the heaven of heavens? Would it not be well
for us often to read the directions given by God Himself to
the Hebrews, that we who have the light of the glorious
truth shining upon us may imitate their reverence for the
house of God? We have abundant reason . . . even to be
more thoughtful and reverential in our worship than had
the Jews. But an enemy has been at work to destroy our
faith in the sacredness of Christian worship. {CG 541.1}
Should we be silent?

To Be Sober and Quiet.--Do not have so
little reverence for the house and worship
of God as to communicate with one
another during the sermon. If those who
commit this fault could see the angels of
God looking upon them and marking their
doings, they would be filled with shame
and abhorrence of themselves. God wants
attentive hearers. It was while men slept
that the enemy sowed tares. {CG 542.2}
Dancing in the Bible
"We are called to be a godly people who think,
feel, and act in harmony with the principles of
heaven. . . This means that our . . .
entertainment should meet the highest
standards of Christian taste and beauty. . . .
`Many of the amusements popular in the world
today, even with those who claim to be
Christians, tend to the same end as did those of
the heathen. . . . Satan employs [the dance] to
break down the barriers of principle and open
the door to sensual indulgence.'--Patriarchs and
Prophets, pp. 459, 460. . . .
 which tend to deaden and destroy the spiritual
life."

Why did Moses get angry?




. . as he came near the camp, . . . he saw . . . dancing. So
Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of
his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain" Ex
32:19; NKJV
Moses chose rather to suffer "with the people of God than
to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin" Heb 11:25
"What did this people do to you that you have brought so
great a sin upon them?" (Ex 32:21). Aaron understood the
wickedness of dancing and idolatry. He responded, "You
know the people, that they are set on evil" (v. 22).
How did God feel about this sin at Sinai? (v 33) 3000
died! ( I would rather walk my way into heaven than dance
may into hell – Dance of death)
Our common defence

Psalm 149:3 teaches us to worship God with
dance. The verse says, "Let them praise his
name in the dance"
BUT
Oxford University Press edition of the King
James Version gives an alternate translation
of the original. For with the dance it says, "or,
with the pipe." Psalm 150:3-5 lists eight
musical instruments which can be used to
praise the Lord; the list includes the pipe if
you take the marginal reference for "dance" in
verse 4.
Continued




Then Masego what is pipe?
Any dictionary including the Seventh-day Adventist
Bible Dictionary, Volume 8 of the Commentary
series, and you will find that the pipe was probably a
flute or a reed instrument. There is a lot of difference
between praising God with dance and praising Him
with a flute or shepherd's pipe.
Douay version of the Bible, which is translated from
the Latin Vulgate, uses the word choir instead of
dance in both Psalm 149:3 and Psalm 150:4.
Translators may not agree on the exact word to use
in these texts, but dance is not a correct translation.
God does not contradict Himself.
What God you I worshiping?
to get off the mountain. He said, "For
your people whom you brought out of
the land of Egypt have corrupted
themselves" (Ex 32:7).
 Dancing corrupts, worshiping another
gods corrupts. Are we going to corrupt
ourselves by bringing dancing into our
worship services?

White adds

"How often, in our own day, is the love of
pleasure disguised by a `form of godliness'!
A religion that permits men, while
observing the rites of worship, to devote
themselves to selfish or sensual
gratification, is as pleasing to the
multitudes now as in the days of Israel. And
there are still pliant Aarons, who, while
holding positions of authority in the church,
will yield to the desires of the
unconsecrated, and thus encourage them
in sin" (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 317).
Dancing at Jordan


"Invite them to a great festival," he suggested
"Beguiled by music and dancing" and beautiful
women, God's people drank wine, committed
adultery and bowed to idols (ibid.). A plague
followed. And talk about a dance of death,
Numbers 25:9 says, "Those who died in the
plague were twenty-four thousand." Many
others repented, and Moses led the people in
battle with the Moabites. Balaam, who had
promoted the whole wicked scheme, got
caught in the battle and died (Num 31:8).
Cabarets in Bangkok
"I have made a covenant with my eyes; why
then should I look upon a young woman?"
(Job 31:1). David clinches it when he
exclaims, "I will set nothing wicked before my
eyes" (Ps 101:3).
 "Cabarets were a direct descendant of the
Thai ramwong dances found in almost every
town and at every fair."3 The secular press
sees dance as a factor in Thailand's
prostitution problem.

"Who Is on the Lord's Side?"


Moses stopped the dancing at the foot of Mount
Sinai. Then he asked the important question, "Who is
on the Lord's side?" (see Ex 32:26)
"David's dancing in reverent joy before God has
been cited by pleasure lovers in justification of the
fashionable modern dance, but there is no ground for
such an argument. . . . The music and dancing in
joyful praise to God at the removal of the ark had not
the faintest resemblance to the dissipation of modern
dancing. The one tended to the remembrance of God
and exalted His holy name. The other is a device of
Satan to cause men to forget God and dishonor Him"
(The Adventist Home, p. 517).
But I'm no Hebrew scholar
One verse in the King James Version
describes David as "leaping and dancing
before the Lord" (2 Sam 6:16). The word
dancing may also mean whirling. I checked
my New King James Version and here is
what it says: "leaping and whirling before
the Lord.“
 Describing the same incident, the King
James Version uses "dancing" in 1
Chronicles 15:29. Strong's gives other
meanings such as "spring about wildly or
for joy; jump, leap, skip."

Today, we wait for Christ to come.

We can dance with the devil or rejoice
with Jesus. It's our choice.
Kneeling to pray? Why is this
important?
Invasion of psychology and sociology into
the realm of church services, is slowly
displacing God from the center of worship,
making it more human-centered.
 One of the more common words in the Old
Testament for kneeling down is karac,
which means "to bend one's knee, to bow
down, to kneel down." In nonreligious
contexts it is associated with the position of
a woman during childbirth (1 Sam. 4:19)
and with sexual activity (Job 31:10).

Continued
1. An Expression of Honor and Submission: Fearing for
his life, one of the captains sent by King Ahaziah to arrest
Elijah "went up and fell on his knees" before the prophet,
saying, "Man of God, . . . please have respect for my life
and the life of these fifty men" (2 Kings 1:13).

2. A Symbol of Defeat: When individuals were mortally
wounded they collapsed on bended knees, falling and
dying (Judges 5:27; 2 Kings 9:24). The psalmist praises
the Lord because his adversaries "bow at my feet" (Ps.
18:39). The prayer of the righteous is that God may cause
the adversary to bow/kneel down defeated by the Lord
(Ps. 17:13). The idea of defeat is clearly expressed in
Psalm 20:7, 8: "Some trust in chariots and some in
horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up
and stand firm."

Continued


3. An Expression of Adoration: Prayer to God is most
often made standing, but there are cases in which
people knelt to pray and to worship the Lord (2
Chron. 7:3; 29:29; Ezra 9:5; Eph. 3:14). Kneeling
before the Lord is a voluntary act of honor,
submission, and adoration. The psalmist invites us to
"bow down in worship," to "kneel before the Lord our
Maker" (Ps. 95:6).
But in worship something wonderful happens. By
kneeling down we are, in fact, voluntarily returning
our lives to the Lord, acknowledging Him to be the
very source and ground of our being, the Creator (cf.
Acts 7:59, 60).
Kneeling?

The next time you kneel in worship you
are in fact making the nonverbal
statement "Lord, here is my life; it is
Yours. Take it and use me as You
please."
Shall we kneel?
And Now, a Round of Applause



the Lord said to Moses, "By those who come
near Me I must be regarded as holy; and
before all the people I must be glorified" (Lev
10:3 NKJV).
We must magnify, not decrease, the difference
between the holy and the unholy, the clean
and the unclean (see Ezek 22:26).
Hand clapping, as innocuous as it appears to
some, is letting the camel's nose of secular
influence into the church. Shouting, whistling,
and foot stomping have not yet arrived, but
can they be far behind?
The Entertainment Quotient
What are we trying to accomplish by
clapping? Is it to give praise and adulation
to the per-formers? If so, we have defeated
the purpose of worship, which is to give
honor and praise to God.
 “A quiet place, far from the rapid pace,
where God can soothe my troubled mind."1
It seems reasonable that the church should
be that place, and not a kind of Sabbath
theater.

The Music Makes Them Do It
. People applaud what they instinctively
recognize as "gospel entertainment"--a
term used without embarrassment by
many in "music ministry" today.
 I have yet to hear any group of
worshipers applaud the singing of "The
Lord's Prayer" or "Just as I Am,"
although I'm not ready to rule out the
possibility.

Shades of Pentecostalism?


Early Adventism we find several instances of
individuals who went beyond shouting and clapping;
they were "prostrated" by the Spirit and "slain by the
power of God" (Spiritual Gifts, 2:27, 221). Ellen G.
White even seems to have approved of these
demonstrations at the time
"With some, religious exercises mean little more than
a good time. When their feelings are aroused, they
think they are greatly blessed. . . . The intoxication of
excitement is the object they are seeking; and if they
do not obtain this, they suppose they are all wrong,
or that someone else is all wrong" (Selected
Messages, 2:21).
Continued


Seventh-day Adventists historically have chosen the
path of calm reason and quiet joy so that the world
might see us as "an intelligent, thinking people,
whose faith is based on a surer foundation than the
bedlam of confusion" (ibid., p. 24).
"In our speaking, our singing, and in all our spiritual
exercises, we are to reveal that calmness and dignity
and godly fear that actuates every true child of God.
There is constant danger of allowing something to
come into our midst that we may regard as the
workings of the Holy Spirit, but that in reality is the
fruit of a spirit of fanaticism. . . . I am afraid of it; I am
afraid of it" (ibid., p. 43)
Dealing an Uneven Hand

And if Heaven approves clapping at all,
my guess is it would be for a struggling
soul who has gained the victory over
some besetting sin, or someone who
has come through a great trial of
suffering and loss with a triumphant
spirit. In such cases, I can hear Jesus
saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have
found my sheep which was lost!" (Luke
15:6).
An Intoxicating Wine

I have found no instances where it is used
in a positive sense. She speaks of people
"panting" for applause, of those who "seek
more earnestly the applause of those
around them than the approbation of God,"
of some who "receive applause for virtues
which they do not possess," and of some
whom applause stimulates much as "the
glass of wine does the inebriate"
(Testimonies for the Church, 4:375; Early
Writings, p. 107; Testimonies for the
Church, 2:512; 3:185, 186).
Everybody Clap?

But what about the Bible references? At
first glance, the Bible might seem to be on
the pro-applause side. It speaks of the
"trees of the field" clapping their hands in
joy at the deliverance of Israel (Isa 55:12),
and the rivers clapping their hands in
anticipation of the coming of the Lord to
judge the earth (Ps 98:8, 9). Second Kings
11:12 says the people "clapped their
hands" during the coronation ceremonies
of King Joash.
Continued


The only reference to hand clapping in
connection with worship is Psalm 47:1, 2: "Oh,
clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God
with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most
High is awesome; He is a great King over all
the earth.“
And in any case, we can say with certainty that
hand clapping did not come into the Seventhday Adventist church as the result of a
prayerful search of the Bible and Mrs. White's
writings. It came, rather, as so many things
have, out of "a desire to pattern after other
churches" (Selected Messages, 2:18).
A divider


Hand clapping is one of several elements in worship
that divide us. We need to come together and
resolve the issue with prayer and study and much
humility of spirit.
"If all the proud and vainglorious, whose hearts are
panting for the applause of men and for distinction
above their fellows, could rightly estimate the value
of the highest earthly glory in contrast with the value
of the Son of God, rejected, despised, spit upon, by
the very ones whom He came to redeem, how
insignificant would appear all the honor that finite
man can bestow" (Testimonies for the Church,
4:375).
The Foolishness of Preaching Vs.
the Preaching of Foolishness
"My people have committed two sins: They
have forsaken me, the spring of living
water, and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water. . . .
Now why go to Egypt to drink water from
the Shihor? And why go to Assyria to drink
water from the River?" (Jer 2:13, 18, NIV).
 The apostle Paul refers to the method as
the foolishness of preaching (1 Cor 1:21).

Why We "Don't See Anything
Wrong"
1. Desperation
 2. Weak Church Leaders.
 3. Denial of Faith.
 4. Lack of Conversion.

Desperation




"the Bible and the Bible only,"
Our identity as God's "remnant" church makes us
complacent instead of inspiring us to fulfill our divine
mission to the world. We assert repeatedly that "we
have the truth," but very often the truth does not
have us.
Instead of our worship being reverently vibrant, it
tends to be either dull and sterile or emotional and
superficial.
Parents and teachers, in sheer desperation to hold
them in the fold, encourage every worldly fad, even if
it means importing "gospel rock," "gospel clowns," or
"gospel magicians" into the church.
Continued
forms of worship and outreach are
incompatible with biblical Christianity
 fact, we share the same worldly values
and do practically nothing for the Lord.
On the other hand, our children and
students want to be active in the church.
But the only way they know how is
through different forms of worldly
idolatry.

Weak Church Leaders.
Unfortunately, some of us pastors and
church leaders are sometimes to blame for
the introduction of gospel gimmicks into
church.
 We seldom preach Bible-based messages.
With hazy preaching and teachings
paralyzed by uncertainty, our churches are
dying.
 We find it easier to jump on the bandwagon
of what is new instead of courageously
holding on to what is true

Denial of Faith.
Some of us have embraced liberal
higher criticism.
 Although we may accept some aspects
of our faith, such as the Sabbath and
“our health principles”, in the honesty of
our hearts we do not see the
uniqueness of our message, the
distinctiveness of our identity, the endtime dimension of our hope, and the
urgency of our mission.

Lack of Conversion



Perhaps, unknown even to ourselves, we have
never been fully converted.
Our tastes and affections are still in the world.
We are honest when we say that we see
nothing wrong with these biblicallyquestionable innovations
“A contemporary church program that meets
the needs of our generation." We don't realize
that the god of this world has blinded us (see 2
Cor 4:4). Without a true conversion, there is no
hope of changing our minds against the use of
worldly methods in worship or evangelism.
Worldly Entertainment
(1) Worldly methods trivialize the
message;
 (2) Worldly methods are contrary to
biblical teaching.

Worldly methods trivialize the
message



we trivialize and cheapen the importance of
the message when we adopt the world's
entertainment methods to communicate the
truth
If it is true that rock music (disguised as praise
music and praise dancing) is the most
effective medium to reach young people today,
why is it that math teachers and chemistry
professors don't set their classes to heavybeat and hip-swinging music? Why don't
politicians employ clowns and illusionists to
present their political messages?
(1 Jn 2:15-16).
Continued

Jesus did not use the gimmicks of
entertainment to proclaim his Sermon on
the Mount. On the day of Pentecost,
Peter did not set up a drum set or ask
Mary to lead out in praise dancing to
announce the resurrection of Jesus and
His enthronement in heaven. And Paul
did not persuade people on Mars Hill
using gospel magicians.
Contrary to Scripture
It is a mistake for us to think that the world
will embrace our message when we use
worldly methods. The New Testament tells
us that when Christ came to the world, "the
world knew him not" (Jn 1:10), for He was
"not of this world" (Jn 8:23). What makes
us believe that we can succeed where
Christ failed?
 The apostles also taught that "friendship
with the world is hatred toward God" (Jas
4:4) and that the world "pollutes" the
believer (cf. 1:27).

What God wants

Divine worship is not to be conceived
as a form of religious entertainment in
which the action takes place “up in
front,” and the congregation remains
passive.
Continued

In harmony with Revelation 14:6-7,
authentic Adventist worship is decidedly
theocentric. Whereas anthropocentric
worship encourages unrestrained
emotionalism, theocentric worship
produces the conviction of Isaiah: “I am a
man of unclean lips, and I live among a
people of unclean lips, and my eyes have
seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (Isa 6:5)
Worshipers Identified
True end-time worshipers of God (Rev
14:1-5) is found between the final
persecuting scenes of Revelation 13:1117 and the call to worship in Revelation
14:6-7.
 The sound of praise they make is like
the orchestrated blend of the melodious
harp, an instrument uniquely adapted to
the praise of God (Pss 149:3; 150:3).

Characteristics of EndTime
Followers
They have not committed spiritual
fornication/adultery with “the great
prostitute” (17:1), “Babylon the Great”
(18:2ff.).
 They have cast off idolatry and refuse to
adore or follow “the beast[s]” (13:2, 11).
Spiritual “virgins” do not yield to the
temptation of spiritual sensuality and are
“offered as firstfruits to God and the
Lamb” (14:4).

Continued
Because they serve God, they do not blur
distinctions between good and evil, right
and wrong: “No lie was found in their
mouths” (14:5).
 They allow God’s commandments, His
revealed will, to establish their beliefs and
lifestyle.
 They will have nothing to do with
falsehood, not even a mixture of truth and
falsehood (cf. Zeph 3:9-14). All idolatry is
considered as spiritual fornication

The Call to Worship

Centrality of Worship - The call to
worship is given by the first angel in
Revelation 14:6-7, and is addressed to a
humanity that is idolatrous and
superstitious, seduced by the beast and
the false prophet (Rev 13:3-8, 11-17).
The call to worship God is seen in
contrast with worship of the beast and
its image (cf. 14:9), the ultimate
transgression of God’s commandments.
Continued

Therefore, the primary activity of the
remnant church, and its most
distinguishing mark, is worship
Theocentric Worship

The two fundamental expressions of
worship are “fear” God, and give “glory”
to God. The first has ethical/moral
overtones and obligations involving
obedience as the evidence of faith. The
second has liturgical overtones involving
the act of worship itself for individuals
and for the corporate body of believers
known as the remnant.
Continued

There is no trace of anthropocentricity !
Rejecting False Worship

In order to worship God fully and freely,
in order to worship in spirit and in truth
(John 4:24), God’s people must
recognize Babylon’s fallenness and
“come out of her” (Rev 18:4) so they will
not “share in her sins.”
False Worship Rejected

The king’s heralds announce that at a
given signal the assembly will “fall down
and worship the image of gold that King
Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever
does not fall down and worship will
immediately be thrown into a blazing
furnace”
Previous Religious Training
What was the worship tradition that
inspired such courage, conviction, and
praise?
 Reason for Israel’s existence. The
nation of Israel was established for
the purpose of worshiping and giving
glory to God (Isa 43:21).

Continued
Deliverances recounted. The
corporate memory of deliverances
was part of the worship tradition.
 Creator’s powers. The corporate
memory of God’s act of creation also
formed part of Hebrew worship
tradition.

Heaven’s Victory

The tragic “Fallen! Fallen . . . !” (Rev
18:2) spoken by the angel about the
apostate church, and the “Woe! Woe . . .
!” (18:10, 16, 19) cried by those on earth
who witness her sad demise, are
followed by joyous and triumphant
“Hallelujahs!” (19:1, 3, 4, 5, 6) from
heaven.
Continued

Joyfully praising God is not always
appreciated, even by religious people,
as the Lord’s disciples discovered.
When they were rebuked by the
Pharisees for their enthusiasm, Jesus
said “if they keep quiet, the stones will
cry out” (Luke 19:40). If God’s people do
not give “glory” to Him in worship, the
stones will.
Continued

Perhaps we need to be reminded that
the Lord Himself, who even now praises
the Father in the midst of the
congregation, will one day soon
“descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the
trumpet of God” (1 Thess 4:16, NASB).
Jesus is coming soon!