Be careful, not to distract others from worship

September 23, 2002

BaptistWay Bible Study for Texas lesson for Oct. 20

Be careful not to distract others from worship

__1 Corinthians 11:2-16
___²I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.
___³Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head--it is just as though her head were shaved. ⁶If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. ⁷A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. ⁸For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; ⁹neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.
___¹¹In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹²For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. ¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice--nor do the churches of God.

____By Michael Chancellor
___Corinth reads like a pastor's nightmare. Every problem a church conceivably could have seemed to be in full bloom at Corinth. Yet on the Lord's Day, they faithfully gathered together for a time of worship and praise.
___Not surprisingly, worship also was chaotic. Some of those who were "free in Christ" apparently cast off all restraints and cultural conventions. Although scholars are deeply divided over many of the issues in this chapter, it appears some felt freedom in Christ meant they could do as they pleased in worship. The Apostle Paul attempted to pull the congregation back to order and propriety.
___Worship is vital to the spiritual growth of any church. Both individually and corporately, the church flourishes on the basis of its worship. If worship is poor, members will be spiritually stunted and cold. However, vital worship renews and empowers congregations, sending them out for service and missions. Much has been written today about the music wars in the church--praise worship versus the more tradition hymnal-based worship music. While music is vital, perhaps some of this discussion is rooted in the same issues that plagued the Corinthian fellowship.
___The point of worship
___One could read this section and decide it is so time-bound and culture-bound that little of value can be extracted from it for the contemporary 21st century church.
___In most churches, we are far beyond the "hair" issue in our discussion. However, we might be locked in a holy war over pianos, guitars and drums. We might be discussing the appropriateness of casual dress in church or whether our church needs to use a security system during worship.
___Every generation has its struggle to define meaningful worship. Church leadership continually wrestles with how best to lead diverse congregations to experience worship each and every time they come together.
___In Corinth, some women (the focus of Paul's attention) seemed to be conducting themselves in a way that disrupted orderly worship. Central to this disruption seemed to be their rejection of all cultural traditions of proper dress for women in society and in church.
___What is the point of worship? Over the years as I have listened and watched, it appears many folks believe worship is something that happens automatically. When members enter the sanctuary and move through the order of worship for the day, the result is worship. Like riding in one's car through the automated wash, one sits back and worship happens! Then, it's over and one goes home.
___Others seem to believe the essence of worship is being inspired or enthused or emotionally refreshed. All that transpires has the purpose of stirring the emotions of the people present in some way. Worship for them should leave us feeling like we have been to a winning sports event or an inspiring movie.
___A better analogy of worship could be taken from the disciples' experience in Mark 1:35-37. Scripture tells us Jesus got up early and went off to a solitary place to pray. Later, Simon and his companions awoke and then went searching for Jesus.
___Worship is the heart looking for Jesus. It is a progressive experience characterized by first having the desire to be with Christ, followed by the experience of journeying into his presence. Finally, we are transformed by our time with the Lord.
___Worship leaves us changed internally in a spot deeper than our emotions.
___While the Holy Spirit is in the life of each believer, each believer is not always keenly aware of that presence. We are much like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We are just too preoccupied with other things to know Jesus is with us.
___Worship leads us to discover or uncover his presence. Worship helps us set aside the hindrances that block our attention to his presence. Worship leads us to enjoy his presence as God fellowships with his people and ministers to his people. To that end, music and Scripture and prayer and sermon aid us on our journey of discovery. Real worship always brings us to a fresh encounter with the living God. That is the point of worship.
___The participants in worship
___There are several significant truths that come from this passage. Everyone has a place in worship. Much to the dismay of some church leaders in Baptist life today, women were an active and public part of the worship in Corinth. These women prayed and prophesied. Paul did not take issue with their participation. He took issue with their dress and their hair.
___Healthy worship today involves all ages. Worship that includes all the congregation helps all feel invested in the worship experience. It also bears witness to the love of Christ that wants all to come to him.
___Anything that distracts from the central purpose of worship should be prayerfully examined. In the Corinthian church, the women who boldly defied cultural conventions were distracting in worship. Perhaps the congregation was talking more about their boldness than about Jesus. Their behavior was disruptive and detrimental.
___Congregations need to prayerfully consider what aids worship and what hinders worship. God's people should be encouraged to come to worship with expectancy and anticipation. Members should be encouraged to give consideration to the overall experience of the worship of others. Most churches provide preschool options for very small children. Parents should think about the worship of others when they decide against using such resources.
___Children in worship should be helped to go to the bathroom before worship begins and assisted as they learn to participate in singing and listening and praying. Members who have hearing problems should find the place where they can hear and participate best.
___If members are easily distracted by the actions of others, they need to sit closer to the front where there are few visual distractions. Members who have problems sitting for the duration of the service might want to sit toward the back so they can slip out if needed.
___The point is that all should participate, and no one should be a hindrance to the worship of others.
___Believers are interdependent. Paul attempts to rein in the disruptive displays of freedom by some women in the congregation, reminding all that believers live under authority. In this passage, wives are called back to a submissive relationship to their husbands.
___Such a call does not diminish the other teachings of Paul regarding the place of women (Galatians 3:27-29) and the role of mutual submission in marriage (Ephesians 5:21-32).
___Paul follows this exhortation by reminding all that believers are interdependent in Jesus Christ. The lesson here is the need for all to do their part so that worship is all that it can be, allowing all to grow as they can. What this may mean is that in worship, all need to join in and sing and pray and listen.
___Visiting a church and sitting in a nest of people who refuse to sing can be very discouraging. Sitting behind a couple who are talking throughout the service can be distracting and frustrating. Sitting around children who are not being helped to grow in their attention and participation can really hurt the attempts of others to worship.
___We need each other to attend, to participate and to bear witness to the presence and faithfulness of Christ.
___The priorities of worship
___Christian worship should evidence some overarching priorities week-in and week-out. Christian worship should be God-centered. It is the encounter with God that changes us.
___So, first and foremost, worship needs to point us beyond ourselves to look at God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ and made himself available to us through the Holy Spirit. Our songs and prayers and Scripture need to have that focus.
___To that end, no generation needs to own the style of worship. Some years ago, I pointed our folks to a passage in Revelation, 15:2-4.
___I suggested that in the life of most churches, music needs to reflect the songs of Moses, which are the songs of our heritage. These are the songs many of our folks associate with the great works of God in the past. We also need to sing the songs of the Lamb. These songs are the songs that set out the gospel of Jesus Christ in all its forms. We also need to sing the songs of the Spirit. These are the songs of the present as God writes a new chapter in the kingdom.
___All belong and all minister to God's people. Together, Christians can acquire a taste for all the music of the church.
___Christian worship needs to be Scripturally based. If Baptists are a people of the Book, the Book needs to be read throughout the worship time.
___We also need to be careful in allowing cultural trappings to leach into our worship. Worship that includes holidays and observances that might push God off center stage should be prayerfully evaluated.
___Christian worship needs to be bathed in prayer. If worship is essential for the community of faith, all within the community need to pray for those times we share together.
___Christian worship needs to be greeted with anticipation. One reporter visiting All Souls Church in London while John R.W. Stott was the rector there was captivated by the spirit of expectancy that intensified as the service moved toward the sermon.
___We should not come to worship as law keepers discharging a duty, nor as critics evaluating the service, nor as theater goers to be entertained. We are invited to worship as family to a banquet. We should come spiritually hungry and anticipating the feast.
___Worship that transforms is focused on God, with worshippers open to an encounter with the Lord of Glory.

Questions for thought and discussion
___ How would you characterize your worship participation? Using a scale of 1-10, with "1" being most active and "10" being not active, how would you grade yourself in worship? In what parts, if any, do you not participate, and why? If guests to your church sat near you during worship, what message would you communicate to them? Do you detect expectancy in worship as the pastor comes to share the Scripture with your congregation? Why is that expectancy there? If it is not, why not?
___ How do you prepare your own heart for worship? Do you pray for the guests who will be in the worship service, for the pastor as he prepares messages for the congregation, for your music leader as he selects songs for worship time, for the instrumentalists and choir who lead the congregation in worship? How could your prayers enhance your own experience of worship and that of others?
___ Should worship change as the culture around us changes? What parts should change and what parts should not change? Does change make you or members of your church uncomfortable?
___ How has your church family faced issues of change in worship? If there has been conflict, why do you think some people get so emotional about changes in their worship? How can you help folks stay focused on the main thing--working together in the right spirit?

The Baptist Standard

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook