Relevance and Preference or Reverence and Prescription: The Posture of True Worship

One of the quickest ways to get “Christians” arguing with one another, causing one another, and ultimately writing one another off is to talk about worship style. One person believes he may worship in whatever way seems best to him, while another only wants to worship by singing hymns, and others still meet in the middle with a praise band, or choir. Some calk this issue up to nothing more than the popular cliché, “to each their own”, but really they don’t believe that. This is exemplified in the truthfulness of the opening statement, namely that fighting and name-calling begin when one’s preferred worship style is condemned. What is it that should determine the way we worship? Relevance or reverence? Preference or prescription?

The first thing to establish is Christ’s rule and ownership over the Church. Acts 20:28 tells us very plainly the Church is not independent of God, but…