Order in Worship and Service--Part 5

God has a chosen place for worship, and His choice is not of men’s choosing. The places of men’s choosing are preoccupied with differing interpretations of Scripture, institutional programming, and internal politics. Most preachers are the products of denominational schools recommended by denominational men who are looking out for their respective denominations. Preachers who expect to climb the denominational ladder must be great soul-winners, Sunday School builders, and money raisers for all the denominational programs. They have to be good public relations men. They must shun controversial subjects because these stand in the way of statistics. Therefore, all men-chosen places of worship are designed to prevent true worship. The services are filled with activity that pleases the flesh. People who attend these men-chosen places of worship do not want anything to hinder or upset their religious routine. They know very little about the distinction between the narrow (election) and broad (reprobation) ways (Matt. 7:13, 14).

The place of God’s choosing is contrasted with all the places where the nations that the Israelites were to dispossess served their gods (Deut. 12:2, 3, 5). God put His name in only one place—the tent of meeting. There are ten references to the tent of meeting in Exodus 40 (vv. 2, 6, 7, 12, 22, 29, 30, 32, 34, 35), and there are six references to the place chosen by God where He established His name in Deuteronomy 12 (vv. 5, 11, 14, 18, 21, 26). God had but one way for His people. There was no true unity in the worship of false gods. Unity depends on the truth that God is one: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” (Deut. 6:4 NASB). Nothing sectarian could be in the one place where God placed His name. The tent of meeting of the Old Testament was then and the assembly of Christ of the New Testament is now God’s dwelling place among His chosen people.

If anyone loves certain doctrines more than Jesus Christ, he is nothing more than a rationalist who accepts reason as the supreme authority in matters of opinion, belief, or doctrine. If he loves forms or ceremonies more than Christ, he is nothing more than a ritualist that advocates rituals above the Person of Christ. If he loves his works more than Christ, he is a legalist who thinks more about what he is doing than what Christ has done on behalf of the elect. If he loves the local assembly more than Christ, he is a sectarian who cannot see there are sheep beyond his confined assembly. If he loves his experiences more than Christ, he is an emotionalist who bases conduct on feelings instead of reason.

Deuteronomy 12 demonstrates the practicality of the Scriptures. The Israelites are viewed as having come into the land. The application of this chapter to Christians, since the first advent of Christ, is clearly seen. Since they have received forgiveness of sins, God has in mind that saints should enjoy the grace they presently possess and the anticipation of their future inheritance. Paul’s testimony before Agrippa included forgiveness of sins and an inheritance: “…arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:16-18 NASB). Christians have not only the forgiveness of sins as soon as they are born of God, but they also have the assurance of “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (I Pet. 1:4 NASB). They possess double assurance—the inheritance is reserved in heaven for them, and they are protected by God’s power for the inheritance (I Pet. 1:5).

The keynote in Deuteronomy 12 is the condition under which God and Israel could dwell in fellowship. The Israelites must destroy everything having any connection with idolatry. Furthermore, they were to have one place of worship, and that place would be of God’s choice. The one center for worship would secure purity of doctrine and unity. This is exemplary of the New Testament assembly. The Thessalonian saints “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (I Thess. 1:9 NASB). Christians should continually guard themselves against idols: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (I John 5:19-21 NASB).

As there is only one place where God sets His name, there is only one way by which God’s people can approach Him (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). A truth almost forgotten today is that God has an assembly to which He has given His decree (all-inclusive purpose) and constitution (fundamental principles of government), which are universally the same.

God’s people are obligated to withdraw from everything that is contrary to God’s decree and constitution. Paul warned Timothy to “avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some” (II Tim. 2:16-18 NASB). Paul did not stop with that initial warning, but continued: “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (II Tim. 2:20, 21 NASB). These two verses are within the context of false teachers among whom Hymenaeus and Philetus had been named.

False teachers did not shake Paul’s or Timothy’s confidence in God’s eternal purpose, Jesus Christ, or the assembly Christ is building. God’s purpose is embedded in His one complex eternal decree: “But He is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does. For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such decrees are with Him. Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence; When I consider, I am terrified of Him. It is God who has made my heart faint, And the Almighty who has dismayed me, But I am not silenced by the darkness, Nor deep gloom which covers me” (Job 23:13-17 NASB). Paul reiterated the same truth: “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness” (II Tim. 2:19 NASB).

The very nature of the tent of meeting for the Israelites and the local aspect of the assembly for Christians made it possible for a mixed multitude in Israel (Ex. 12:38; Neh. 13:3) and human faith believers in the assembly (Matt. 13:20, 21; John 2:23, 24; Acts 8:12, 13, 20, 21). Chickens cackle when they lay eggs, but their cackling may be premature. Like professions of faith by professing Christians, many eggs are infertile. There are “professing Christians,” but there are “true Christians” to whom Christ entrusts Himself.

The regenerated elect in every age must go back to first principles. In a day of departure, they may find few with whom they can walk in the truth; but the truth itself is universal; and every Christian is obligated to embrace it. God-evaders are everywhere. Although God is silent today, His silence is not indifference. It is the climax of Divine revelation. Faith would sink to a lower level if miracles were performed today to prove God’s existence, grace, and power. The sufferings of Paul and Christians denote a greater faith than the faith of those who saw mighty deeds and miracles during the time of Christ and the apostles. Paul’s life became an example after miracles ceased (I Tim. 1:16). No disciple ever grounded his faith on miracles (John 2:23, 24). During the time of God’s silence, wicked men are “…storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Rom. 2:5 NASB). God’s silence will be broken when He comes in judgment.

The visible aspect of Christ’s assembly, the place God has appointed for New Testament saints to worship, is manifested by the Holy Spirit’s application of Christ’s redemptive work to the elect and their effectual call to association, not isolation (Acts 2:41-47). Each local assembly of Christ has a visible function in the world: “For God, who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves” (II Cor. 4:6, 7 NASB).

The two aspects of the assembly—visible and invisible—do not fully correspond on earth. The true nature of the assembly, like the Christian, never attains perfect expression in her earthly form (Eph. 4:3, 11-16). Those who look no further than the visible aspect of the assembly will perceive an abundance of weaknesses and deficiencies (I Cor. 1:1-17; 3:1-3). Christ’s assembly may be compared with His incarnation. The mystery of Godliness complements the mystery of the assembly. The incarnation was both a manifestation and a mystery. It manifested the invisible God: “And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory” (I Tim. 3:16 NASB).

Divine existence and manifestation differ. In order for God to be manifested, He was necessarily abased: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (II Cor. 8:9 NASB). Although God is revealed in Christ, He remains a mystery. There is an element of mystery in all graces (Rom. 11:5-7, 33-35). The Infinite cannot be completely manifested to the finite. Although Christians cannot completely comprehend the union of Christ’s Divine and human natures, they understand that apart from that union there is no salvation. What one learns about the incarnation is that the eternal Son of God experienced a change of form, but not a change of content.

The assembly is both invisible and visible. To say the assembly is only visible is like saying Christ is only human. To make the assembly only invisible is the same principle as merging the human nature into the Divine. The human nature of Christ was only the visible manifestation of the invisible principle of life. Both Christ and His assembly are mysteries in the world. There was no external beauty in Christ (Is. 53), and there is none in the visible assembly (I Cor. 4). The assembly viewed externally seems to be a contradiction. However, the assembly is relevant when she is relative to the whole purpose of God (Acts 20:27).