Worship
We have already spoken about the mission of the believer, namely to be a priest before God; concerning Christ the Crucified. Now we have to do that personally and in our families. But it is also especially the task of the Church to do it together.
But how do you do that? Is it sitting in the pew listening to a sermon? Or attending a service in a Christian congregation with a band? Or should it be a bit more relaxed and is it a service or meeting in a new church form (such as 'emerging church')? Let's try and see if the Bible says anything about it, that seems so safe.
We read at the beginning of the Christian Church that “they persevered (…) in the breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42). This expression 'breaking bread' is not very common in the New Testament. A few times in the book of Acts (Acts 2:42;2:46;20:7) without anything being explained about the how and what, and further in the 1th letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor.10:16;11:26-28). It appears from Acts 20:7 “They were gathered together to break bread” that this 'breaking bread' was also the purpose of the meeting. It was what the Lord had asked them to do "in remembrance of Him" (eg Luke 22:19). Paul later calls this 'eating the Lord's Supper' (1 Corinthians 11:20). And in 1 Corinthians 10:16 he calls it "the bread that we break."
I have received from the Lord
Paul was not present when the Lord instituted the Lord's Supper, but he writes that the Lord Jesus specially informed him to pass it on. “For I have received from the Lord whatever I delivered to you . . .” (1 Corinthians 11:23). Its importance and significance is great: the Lord Jesus instituted it, communicated it separately to Paul, Paul 'handed down' it orally in his teaching and now he also writes it again in his letter to confirm it.
The Lord Jesus tells His disciples that "He has longed to eat this Passover with them . . ." (Luke 22:15). From the fact that He had given Paul special instruction in this regard, don't we also see the Lord's desire to "keep the supper with us," as it were?
Weekly
Now we don't know much about exactly how it happened at the breaking of bread; we have no eyewitness account. But what little the Bible does say about it matters.
In the beginning the disciples broke bread together every day (Acts 2:46) and in time it apparently became customary to do so every first day of the week (Acts 20:7).
Also in Corinth they met weekly; at least there is no reason to think that the practice which the believers had in the beginning had been abandoned. For the Corinthians it is still an important – if not the most important – meeting, given the attention that Paul gives it.
People 'ate the Lord's Supper' (10:20), the Lord's Supper as ordained to remember Him. That's special! They had a meeting to remember the Lord Jesus – that was the goal! — using the signs which He Himself had appointed: bread and wine. Signs to remind believers of His death on the cross; His body that was broken and His blood that He shed on the cross of Calvary. Paul refers to it in the 11th chapter of the 1th letter to the Corinthians when He quotes the Lord: “Do this in remembrance of me” (verses 24 and 25).
Priestly service
That in that meeting prayers are said and songs of praise are sung will not surprise anyone (see eg 1 Cor.14:15). After all, isn't that priestly service, that we give thanks from our hearts to our God and Father and honor and praise the Lord Jesus for what He did on the cross of Golgotha? We proclaim with our mouths “the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
This is priestly service as also Peter describes it:
“Come to him as to a living stone, rejected of men, but chosen by God and precious; then you also, as living stones, will be built a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices. that are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is written in the Scriptures: Behold, I lay in Zion a cornerstone chosen and precious; and, Whosoever believeth in him shall not be put to shame. To you therefore who believe He is precious; . . . But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a nation that God made His own; that you may declare the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:4-9)
It is a beautiful description of what our joint priestly service is all about:
- At the center is our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is that living stone, rejected by men, but extremely precious to God because He accomplished the great work of redemption and reconciliation on the cross of Calvary.
- If we are concerned with Him ('coming to Him') then we form together like stones a spiritual house (where God dwells), then we bring Him spiritual sacrifices that are pleasing to God because they are about Jesus Christ!
- Christ is the Cornerstone, it revolves around Him. If it's not about Him, the house will collapse. Then it is at most a house of men, but not a house where God can dwell.
- Christ is the One who is not only precious to God the Father, but is also mentioned here as the One who is precious to the hearts of those who believe. To the heart of the Father and the heart of the believer it is God's Son who is precious. That can only bring forth praise, thanks, and worship in our hearts that is pleasing to God.
- That is why God has called us: that we should be a royal priesthood, a separated people, His own. His purpose with us is that we would proclaim His virtues and the virtues of the Lord Jesus!
That's unbelievably big, isn't it? That God has called us to such a lofty task, and that if we obey it, our God will be pleased? Then there is nothing higher and more beautiful to do here on earth? Then wouldn't you want to be together with believers every week to 'proclaim the death of the Lord' (1 Corinthians 11:26) and 'break the bread'?
Whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed
We do not read anywhere in the New Testament how the breaking of bread is organized. There is no indication whatsoever that one or more persons are in charge. Or that a 'liturgy' was drawn up in advance that could be followed during the meeting. On the contrary, if you read what Paul writes to the Corinthians, you get the impression that there was freedom for the believers to participate in the meeting and express themselves. He does give the necessary directions (which we will come back to), and he closes it with the sentence "Let all things be done in a proper way and in good order" (1 Cor.14:40).
This is a way of coming together that is generally not practiced. And yet this is really all that God tells us in His Word. We gather for the breaking of bread, which involves “proclaiming the death of the Lord,” reading from God's Word, singing hymns of praise, and offering prayers. And we simply do all this in an appropriate manner and in good order, without anyone 'arranging' it.
We have the Spirit of God who is also present in us together – as the temple of God. The mission of the Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus. Will not that Spirit of God guide us in these things? It can't be otherwise!
We think that's how the apostles taught it to the believers. It is imaginable that they sometimes had a hard time with that and you can also find that here and there in the New Testament.
- In Corinth they abused freedom, so much so that Paul had to tell them that what they were doing was not the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:20).
- The Hebrews were under pressure in this regard to abandon the practice learned from the apostles and return to a more Judaistic form of gathering.
- And when Peter talks about the priesthood in 1 Peter 2:4-9, he also knows that the believers can tend to give it up, so in the middle of this section he says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed'. Or in other words, if you continue to trust in Him, who is Himself the cornerstone, even in this priestly ministry, you will not be ashamed. God gives His blessing when you obey and do that which is why God has made you His own.
It is very simple, but it does take faith. The confidence that this is what God loves most.
Clues
Of course, this does not say everything. The apostles have given directions. We will review these when we talk about the lessons of Corinthians and Hebrews and the lessons of John.
If what has been described above is the model for Christian worship, then everyone understands that it only functions when every believer who participates in it has a spirituality. But there is a danger of drifting away from this ideal image, where it can go in two different directions.
The first is that Christian freedom is abused and leads to undesirable conditions. That had taken place in Corinth, and that is why Paul is writing to them. There we can learn what Paul has to say about that.
The Hebrews were under pressure to give up what they had learned from the apostles about coming together and return to their Jewish roots. They are sternly warned not to go back to the Judaic system with its forms and rituals. On the other hand, the writer explains very clearly what Christian worship is: “boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19).
In a 'Christian worship' it is only about Christ the Crucified. If you go to the left or to the right, there is a good chance that you as a community will lose the Lord Jesus.
We will examine what the said letters tell us about this.
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