Worship - The Battle of the Ages -

1. Worship- The Battle of the Ages - Traditional Liturgical Worship versus Contemporary Worship Bible Lighthouse Ministries – http://www.biblelighthouse.com

2. “Traditional” “Contemporary” Both sides have fought for years: Presbyterian Anglican Catholic Lutheran Orthodox Methodist and others . . . Pentecostal Charismatic Apostolic Assembly of God and others . . . http://www.biblelighthouse.com

3. They just have different points of view: Yet, BOTH are trying to honor God! Contemporary worshippers believe that the Holy Spirit is working in His Church today. Traditional worshippers believe that the Holy Spirit has been working in His Church for thousands of years. They look to the past. They look to the present.

4. In fact, both sides make some really good points . . . http://www.biblelighthouse.com

5. Traditional Liturgical Worship is in the Bible: • Revelation 4:8-11 • Revelation 5:12-14 • Revelation 7:11-12 • Revelation 11:16-18 Psalm 136 The Lord’s Prayer Acts 2:42 1 Corinthians 14:40 God likes orderly worship that is thoughtfully planned out ahead of time. http://www.biblelighthouse.com

6. And the Holy Spirit has been active throughout Church history: • Nicene Creed • Augsburg Confession • Westminster Confession of Faith • Belgic Confession • Heidelberg Catechism • and many others . . . The Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. God has given the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32), including to Christians who have lived long before us. And God has given some of these Christians to us as teachers (Eph. 4:11-16). http://www.biblelighthouse.com

7. Thus says the LORD:      ”Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it;   Then you will find rest for your souls.” ~ Jeremiah 6:16 We have a lot to learn from those who have gone before us! “Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.” ~ G.K. Chesterson http://www.biblelighthouse.com

8. So, listening to church history is a good thing. Nevertheless . . . http://www.biblelighthouse.com

9. The Holy Spirit is still active in His people today! • God gives the Holy Spirit to all of us who obey Him (Acts 5:32). • Jesus says the Holy Spirit will stay with us forever (John 14:16). • Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). • By the Holy Spirit we are baptized into the church, and we have all been made to partake of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). http://www.biblelighthouse.com

10. The Holy Spirit often works in surprising ways: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” (Joel 2:28 & Acts 2:17) • The Holy Spirit falls on over 100 people, bringing about spontaneous praise. People miraculously hear God’s wonderful works proclaimed in multiple languages. (Acts 2:11) • The Holy Spirit falls on a group during a sermon Peter preaches. They spontaneously begin to magnify God. (Acts 10:44-46) • The Holy Spirit gives prophecy to us. (Acts 11:28, 21:11, etc.) • The Holy Spirit directly leads us. (Acts 13:2, 16:6-7, 20:28, etc.) Is the Spirit of the LORD restricted? (Micah 2:7) http://www.biblelighthouse.com

11. The Holy Spirit can act in ways that are untraditional or non-liturgical: “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to Be ignorant . . . There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . . the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) “Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19) http://www.biblelighthouse.com

12. The Bible says these things even happen during worship in church: “Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. . . . you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:26-33) “Do not despise prophecies.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20) http://www.biblelighthouse.com

13. So, which form of worship best honors GOD? Does God want traditional liturgical worship? – or – Is God more pleased with unstructured worship? After all, true WORSHIP is all about pleasing GOD, not about pleasing ourselves! So, what does GOD want in worship? http://www.biblelighthouse.com

14. The answer is . . . BOTH! http://www.biblelighthouse.com

15. What are they fighting about, anyway? “Traditional” “Contemporary” http://www.biblelighthouse.com

16. We can worship God via both traditional liturgy AND spontaneous praise! It’s time to worship together as ONE church!

17. If both forms of worship are biblical, then why not practice both? open eyes to the Holy Spirit's moving yesterday (church history / creeds / confessions) open eyes to the Holy Spirit moving today in His people a well-planned order of service (liturgy) a more spontaneous "open meeting" included as part of the service http://www.biblelighthouse.com

18. We can worship God through the music of the ages: ancient worship music (Psalms) recent worship music (hymns) and new worship music (CCM and praise & worship)

19. The Bible says it is OK to lift your hands during worship if you want to . . . “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.” (Psalm 134:2) “Lift your hands toward Him For the life of your young children” (Lam. 2:19) “Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.” (Lam. 3:41) “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands” (1 Tim. 2:18) http://www.biblelighthouse.com

20. Or if you’d rather just bow your head in prayer, or kneel before God, that’s OK too: “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. .” (Psalm 95:6) “So the people believed . . . then they bowed their heads and worshiped.” (Exodus 4:31) “I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 3:14) “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Phil. 2:10)

21. Or you are welcome to do both! “Then all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” (Nehemiah 8:6) “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. (Psalm 141:2) http://www.biblelighthouse.com

22. There is only one Body of Christ. We are the Church, and it is time for us to worship together as one! Bible Lighthouse Ministries http://www.biblelighthouse.com