Worship at the Santa Maria CA Church of Christ

Lincoln and Tunnell Church of Christ

416 North Lincoln, Santa Maria, CA 93458
Office 805-925-9406, Minister 805-598-7512

Santa Maria CA- Church of Christ Worship Page 2

WORSHIP - CHURCH OF CHRIST SANTA MARIA, CA
Worship is offered to the glory of God, in Christ, by the Spirit for the edification of the church. The order of this statement is important. God is the object of worship, and worship must be God-centered, not man-centered. Spiritual benefits for the individual worshipers certainly result, for a principle means by which the church of Christ is built up in the faith is through worship. Worship may certainly be an emotional, soul-stirring experience (and this effect should not be despised), but, like happiness, the uplift of worship does not come by "looking for it," but as a by-product of what God commands us to do in worship.

In order to worship correctly, we must first have a directive from God. If we are not worshiping by faith, it is sin (Rom. 14:23). But before we can worship by faith, God must first speak, for "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). If we worship in a way that does not come from God, no matter how noble our intentions may be, our worship is vain. "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9). "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil" (Ecc. 5:1).

WORSHIP ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD

SINGING.
1. The pattern for the kind of music God wants which is established in the New Testament is singing. No other kind was ever authorized by God.
2. "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of olives" (Mat. 26:30).
3. "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" (1 Cor. 14:15).
PRAYING.
1. Purposes of prayer:
  1. To praise and glorify God.
  2. To express thanksgiving for past favors.
  3. To confess sins and receive forgiveness.
  4. To invoke God's care.
  5. To request God's continued blessings.
2. Contents of acceptable prayers.
  1. Addressed to God. "Our Father who art in heaven."
  2. "In the name of Christ." John 14:14 - "If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do."
  3. Prayer is not a development of a mood, but the expression of a mood, thought, will, desire. We do not try to work our emotions up in prayer, but express our preexisting emotions in prayer. Prayer is the out pouring of our heart. This is a very important point. Prayers express what is in man, it is not the development of a mood that is not already there.
GIVING.
1. Some people approach God with the attitude that God should be happy with anything that he gets from them. These people fail to understand that all things are already his. We must understand that what we have been given is ours only to use, not to keep. Even our lives will be taken away from us. We are here on earth taking care of what God has given to us. It is easy to see how giving is worship to God when we see the relationship of all things to him. (1 Cor. 16:1-2).
2. GIVE OF YOURSELF. Those who have given themselves to God have no difficulty in giving as they have been prospered. (James 1:5; Acts 20:35; 2 Corinthians 8:5,11,12)
THE LORD'S SUPPER.
1. The Bible uses several expressions in speaking of this observance.
  1. The table of the Lord - " . . . Ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils" (1 Corinthians 10:21).
  2. The Lord's supper - "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper" (1 Corinthians 11:20).
  3. Communion - "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16).
  4. Breaking of bread - "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread . . . " (Acts 20:7; Acts 2:42).
2. We do not call this observance Eucharist or sacraments as the denominations do because this observance is not called by these names in scripture. Any of the four expressions above are the least likely to raise an objection to the Bible believer.
3. The Lord's supper is a symbolic feast. When Jesus says, "this is my body . . . this is my blood" (Matthew 26:26,28), he is using figurative language. The bread is not literally his body, neither is the fruit of the vine literally his blood. Jesus also said, "I am the door" (John 10:9), and "I am the vine" (John 15:5). Though the bread is really not skin, muscle, and bone, to Christians it represents Christ's body. Therefore, we can say with all confidence that the bread is his body and the fruit of the vine is his blood.
4. The Lord's supper is a memorial feast. Jesus said, "this is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:24). From the rainbow in the sky to the Passover feast, God's people were accustomed to symbols used as a remembrance (Exodus 12:14; 13:3,9; Deuteronomy 16:3). Can you imagine what is running through the minds of the Apostles? They are being asked to remember something that has not yet come to pass.
5. The Lord's supper is a communion feast. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:16)? Thayer tells us that the word communion means "the share which one has in anything, participation" (page 352). The context of 1 Corinthians 10 suggests that we are either with idols or with Christ and that the Lords's supper means a communion with Christ and not idols.
6. The Lord's supper is a covenant feast. "For this is my blood of the new testament, (covenant), which is shed for many for remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). "This is my blood of the new testament (covenant), which is shed for many" (Mark 14:24). "This cup is the new testament (covenant) in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:20). "This cup is a new covenant in my blood." A covenant is an agreement or a contract between two parties which "both are mutually bound to fulfill certain requirements or conditions." This new covenant was sealed by the blood of Christ.
7. The Lord's supper is a proclamation feast. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye do show (proclaim) the Lord's death till he come" ( 1 Corinthians 11:26). The Lord's supper is a declarative statement. Our actions teach fundamental truths. Eating the Lord's supper teaches concerning Christ's death, and by implication, his resurrection, for he is coming again.
TEACHING.
1. We honor God and worship him by only teaching his laws. We cannot teach the doctrines of men (Matthew 15:9).
2. "Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (1 Timothy 4:13).
3. Christians also are taught to give attendance unto the word of God when they assemble.
  1. "And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea" (Col. 4:16).
  2. First Corinthians 14 gives us great insight into how the first century Christians were to worship. Men would arise in the assembly and speak, but the women were to keep silent in this capacity in the church: "For it is not permitted unto them to speak" (Verse 34). All things were to be done unto edifying and decently and in order (verses 26, 40).
4. How we listen to the proclamation of God's Word is an indication of our devotion to God.
  1. We should be quick to hear what God's Word has to say - James 1:18-19.
  2. It is important to receive God's Word with a proper attitude of meekness and willingness to receive it - James 1:21; Mark 4:23-25.
5. When you are in a worship assembly of the Santa Maria CA church of Christ, you should hear the principles, precepts, teachings, commandments, laws, statutes, doctrines, and words of God being taught, upheld, and advocated. This means that there is likely to be admonitions to grow, repent, learn, practice, live, love, follow, understand, emulate, and observe the teachings and principles of God, thus being edified. Furthermore, from time to time, you are likely to hear strong admonitions not to add to or take away from the word of God.