Revolution Era

Part 3: The New Testament - What New Covenant Worship Can Look Like

a) From the Writings of Paul

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Rom 12:1-2

A sacrifice, in the mind of a Jew, only happened once. They animal was slain and killed. In other words, “don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Rom 6:3-4). Living life by the Spirit of God, in Christ, as slaves of righteousness, IS COUNTED AS WORSHIP unto God.

Most Christians can quote this verse, but few understand it. But in light of Jesus’ revelation in John 4, Paul’s words here continue to shed light on what New Covenant worship looks like. “[God’s] worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth [that is, in Christ]” (Jn 4:26). A form of worshipping in Spirit and in Truth is by living out a life as those dead to their old self and old ways, and totally committed to Jesus Christ. As we count ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ, as we live out the Great Command (love) and the Great Commission (discipleship) we are IN A CONSTANT STATE OF WORSHIP towards God. That is new indeed!

As Paul stated elsewhere: “For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh” Phil 3:1-3

So far, we haven’t read anything about Sunday morning gatherings, music, or intercession. I’m not mocking anyone here. I just want to highlight this fact: In the New Covenant, WORSHIP, AT IT’S CORE, IS A LIFE LIVED IN CHRIST, according to Jesus Christ Himself.

Now, that said, I am not in any way eliminating corporate expressions of praise and song lifted to God. Such things are also a part of New Covenant life. But I want to be sure that your foundational understanding of worship is based on Christ’s teachings, not Moses’ and David’s.

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing the praises of your name.”
Again, it says,
“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”
And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
let all the peoples extol him.”
And again, Isaiah says,
“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
in him the Gentiles will hope.”
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.” Rom 15:5-14

Here we begin to see an element of corporate worship being touched upon. However, it has nothing to do with a specific event, gathering, and so on. Paul here still stresses that our LIFESTYLE is one of glorifying God. Specifically, as we love one another as Christ loved us (Great Command) we are IN A CONTINUAL STATE OF BRINGING GLORY TO GOD. The Prophets Paul quotes all prophesied of a time where Gentiles (meaning, anyone who wasn’t born a Jew) would begin to praise God along with the Jews. Paul uses these prophecies to explain that they are for the New Covenant. Anyone can become one with Christ, and enter into true worship of God through the Holy Spirit.

Now we come to more familiar passages.

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Eph 5:17-20

Now, the problem with this verse is the context. Nowhere in this letter does Paul specifically say that these guidelines are for a formal meeting or gathering. He doesn’t exclude them, but it isn’t like in 1 Corinthians 11:17, for example. Also, we are dealing with specific expressions of worship: psalms, hymns, and songs. These are all verbal utterances (and can include instruments). They take action on our part, same as Godly living and loving others does, but it is through words.

That said, it begs the question: what setting did Paul have in mind here? Paul has been talking about LIFESTYLE choices for almost the entire letter. Daily living. Without a doubt, this would include their fellowship times together. But it wasn’t exclusive to those times. In other words, “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit” was meant for any time a believer met and interacted with another believer! A hard sell for our individualistic, gotta-be-cool, 21st century Christian culture. “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” can be either by yourself or in the company of other believers. It doesn’t matter.

Allow me to suggest that the point here is this: Because we now worship on a whole new level, from a whole new Covenant, where the Spirit and Christ reside in us, and our lives are already worship, and our fellowship is praise, then it is only natural to verbally express adoration and worship as well. And if we allow Christ to fully dominate our minds and hearts, then we won’t mind singing and making music by ourselves or with fellow believers, no matter when or where.

Again, I haven’t ruled out Sunday mornings. But again, I want your foundation to be based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, not popular Christian culture.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we again see that his focus is on LIFESTYLE. He paints pictures of what a New Covenant life looks like. And, as in Ephesians, we again see verbal expressions of worship as a natural part of this new life.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Col 3:15-16

To close this Pauline section, let’s look at 1 Corinthians. Here, Paul is addressing their corporate gatherings, or services. But before we read, understand this: These guidelines were written to a specific church, with specific problems, that needed specific instructions. Not every church Paul planted was eager to acquire Spiritual gifts, or had some getting drunk during the Eucharist. So we have to read these passages with this reality mind.

“Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.” 1 Cor 14:10-19

Paul is addressing several problems. One being this: Believers are being filled with the Spirit, and are singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (like we read in Eph 5 and Col 3). They may have done so individually, and were certainly doing so corporately. Again, such things Paul had written to other believers to do, as we’ve read. BUT, now Paul has to help them along. My guess is that they were doing as he told them to do – in regards to songs and praise – and thinking that the confusion that can result when everyone is singing spiritual songs and hymns is okay.

Now Paul has a challenge: how do I keep from discouraging them from singing spiritual songs and hymns (which is an expression of worshipping in Spirit and Truth, right?) whether alone or together, yet keep them from total chaos when they come into assembly and wish to sing spiritual songs and praises to God? Paul’s answer is written above. Does it apply to you? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on how much your gatherings look like the gatherings of the Corinthian church during the period of time in which they had these issues.

“What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.” 1 Cor 14:26

Here is one of those oft-quoted passages we’ve all heard a million times. The setting is for corporate worship, so Sunday mornings would apply here for sure. Yet, let me ask you, have you ever ACTUALLY experienced it on a consistent basis? My guess: nope. The top-down, hierarchical setting of today’s churches (from Catholic to Pentecostal) does not make allowances for this passage. As much as you’ve heard it quoted, chances are you’ve never experienced it.

I’m not even sure how we could apply this passage to a modern day Sunday morning gathering. The setting Paul wrote this for was intimate, small, and most likely for home-based groups. But again, we need to keep in mind that this letter was not written to you, or your church, specifically. Therefore, we need to understand the context, the situation, which led Paul to write these instructions. We can glean from them, but I would not suggest taking them as law.

b) From the Epistle to the Hebrews:

There are two points I want to bring up here.

1) The Old Testament system and style of worship, including the Psalms, were part of their Law. That Law no longer applies to us.
2) We should not covet the lives and experiences of Moses, David, or any other Old Testament great. Why? Because if you understand what you have through Christ, you’ll realize that Moses and David would covet YOUR life.

“Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.” Heb 9:1-6

“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Heb 10:1-4

The sacrifices and rituals performed were a part of their worship to God. But it is not a part of our worship to God, as the writer will explain here:

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Heb 10:19-25

We have “a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body”. The new way is the New Covenant.

“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”” Heb 12:18-24; 28

All that ‘glory cloud’ stuff is done. We don’t need to ask for God’s goodness to pass by, because we have His Son dwelling in us. Now, at the same time, I do not want to discount divine encounters with our Lord Jesus. Yes He dwells in us. But John for example, had an encounter (likely, more than once) with Jesus Christ in which He was made manifest before him:

"I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Rev 1:10-11; 17-18

And Paul speaks of someone’s (possibly himself) experience in heaven, saying:

“I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.” 2 Cor 12:1-4

Tertullian, and early church father, wrote the following:

“We have now amongst us a sister whose lot it has been to be favored with sundry gifts of revelation, which she experiences in the Spirit by ecstatic vision amidst the sacred rites of the Lord’s day in the church: she converses with angels, and sometimes even with the Lord; she both sees and hears mysterious communications; some men’s hearts she understands, and to them who are in need she distributes remedies. Whether it be in the reading of Scriptures, or in the chanting of psalms, or in the preaching of sermons, or in the offering up of prayers, in all these religious services matter and opportunity are afforded to her of seeing visions… This was her vision, and for her witness there was God; and the apostle most assuredly foretold that there were to be “spiritual gifts” in the church.” (Tertullian; Ante-Nicene Fathers/VolIII/Apologetic/A Treatise on the Soul/Chapter IX)

Spending time in the Holy Spirit, fellowshipping with God, and longing to see Jesus Christ manifest visibly in the same way He did with John are all honorable and commendable things to incorporate into our lives.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Heb 13:15-16

This last passage so wonderfully describes New Covenant worship: to “do good” and “share” comes from a lifestyle of worship and praise, while songs and praise from our mouths are also expressions of worship we can offer God. All of them are pleasing and acceptable to Him.

c) From the Epistle of James:

“Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
[The] tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” Jam 3:2; 5-6; 9-11

James here put full emphasis on the verbal expression of worship – the praise from our lips. Just as Paul stresses that we ought to develop a lifestyle of living apart from sin and in submission to Christ, here James stresses that we discipline our tongue so that is remains dead to sin but alive to Christ. Just as our bodies are instruments of worship, so too are our tongues. Both need to be monitored and in submission to the Spirit.

“Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” Jam 5:13b

The context is dubious in the sense that it can imply either individual or corporate expression of songs and praise.

to be concluded in Part 3