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Definition
Elwell, Baker Books, 1991. Worship in the Church (page 564) To worship God is to ascribe to him the worth he is due. The church of Jesus Christ is by definition a worshiping community called into being by God as "a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to GOd through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5) The Christian church has from its beginning gathered regularly to worship. The most basic acts of worship in the early church - the reading and exposition of Scripture; the prayers; the singing of songs, hymns and spiritual songs; and the observance of the sacraments - are all derived from the example and comand of Jesus. However, except for the celebration of the Lord's Supper, these practices were derived from synagogue worship. skip to "American Churches" Three principal types of worship came to the American colonies. (1) Some retained a fixed liturgy, as in the Anglican Church. This allowed maximum opportunity for formal corporate participation. (2) A characteristic of churches that arose out of radical Puritanism was rejection of all forms in worship as quenching the Spirit. This guarded the freedom to personally praise God and communicate his message to others. (3) Calvinistic churches sought to worship according to the Word, following the dictum that nothing was to be allowed in worship except what Scripture commanded. (R.G. Rayburn) Worship Quiz: What is this last idea called in reformed circles? The ________ principle Have a great week. |