Biblical Worship, Not a Worship Service

[TitusTwoWife]

Instead of worship at a set time and place, worship as Jesus and the apostles taught is in Spirit and Truth and in presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice. The worship God wants from us is daily and from a heart that obeys Him at all times. Worship is all of us surrendered to the Lord's ways all the time, not an emotional musical experience we may have at a building.

We are members of the Temple of God now. And if we obey God from the heart daily, no weekly program is needed.

The early church met in informal places to edify one another. They did not meet for Worship services, preaching, or music. It was a gathering mostly at houses where people would be hospitable and encourage each other in the things of God, each sharing in turn.

John 4:23-24
King James Version
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Here is what it truly means to worship.


Romans 12:1
English Standard Version
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

 

[TitusTwoWife]

Great 18 minute summary of a 7 part series by Tom Wadsworth.

He explains that the early church for three centuries were very much against big buildings because God is not contained by them and believers are the temple of God.

Notably, when the Lord's supper was turned into a sacrifice, it led to altars, priests, and a temple over time in church history.

 

[Papa Smurf]

The early church met in informal places to edify one another. ~They did not meet for Worship services, preaching, or music.~ It was a gathering mostly at houses where people would be hospitable and encourage each other in the things of God, each sharing in turn.

Hello TitusTwoWife, while I agree with some of what you've said about the liturgy of the 1st Century church, I don't agree with all of it (because the Bible doesn't agree with all of it).

Here's a short, well-written article w/linked Scripture verses/passages that speaks to this.

What are the ingredients to a truly biblical worship service?​

Humans are instinctively worshiping creatures. The psalmist expressed this when he wrote, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1). Cicero in the first century BC observed that religion, regardless of its form, was a universal trait of man. Seeing that people are going to worship something or someone, we should ask what is worship? Whom and how shall we worship? What constitutes a biblical worship service, and, most importantly, will we be “true worshipers” (John 4:23) or false worshipers?​

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Christ commanded that true worshipers worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The apostle Paul explained that we worship by the Spirit of God (Philippians 3:3), meaning that true worship comes only from those who have been saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and have the Holy Spirit living in their hearts. Worshiping in spirit also refers to having the proper heart attitude, not simply adhering to rites and rituals. To worship in truth means to worship according to what God has revealed about Himself in Scripture. In order for our worship to be biblical, it must abide within the doctrine of Christ (2 John 1:9; see also Deuteronomy 4:12; 12:32; Revelation 22:18–19). True worship relies on the instructions given in the Bible and can be offered with or without a Book of Confessions, Rules of Order, or other manmade book of instructions or guidance.​

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The first-century church engaged in several devotional acts in their worship services, from which we can determine what comprises a truly biblical worship service: the communion supper was observed (Acts 20:7), prayers were offered up (1 Corinthians 14:15–16), songs were sung to the glory of God (Ephesians 5:19), a collection was taken (1 Corinthians 16:2), the Scriptures were read (Colossians 4:16), and the Word of God was proclaimed (Acts 20:7).​

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Communion and prayer were also essential elements of the early church service. The communion supper commemorates Jesus’ death until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:25–26). Prayer should be directed only to God (Nehemiah 4:9; Matthew 6:9) and in harmony with the will of God (1 John 5:14). Corporate prayer is important because it creates unity (John 17:22-23) and is a key aspect of believers’ encouraging one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11) and spurring one another on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).​

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In our worship, we should sing. The apostle Paul commands us to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19–20). Singing to the Lord and to one another conveys truth set to music (Colossians 3:16).​

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Part of true biblical worship is giving an offering, as Paul instructed the Corinthian church: “Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made” (1 Corinthians 16:1–2). Our regular giving for the support of the Lord’s work is a serious responsibility. The opportunity to give should be viewed as a thrilling blessing, not as a burdensome matter for grumbling (2 Corinthians 9:7). Additionally, freewill giving is the only explicitly biblical method for financing the work of the church.​

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Finally, preaching and teaching are major ingredients of true biblical worship. Our teaching must be the Scriptures alone, the only means of equipping believers for life and godliness (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The godly preacher or teacher will teach only from the Word and rely on the Spirit of God do His work in the minds and hearts of his listeners. As Paul reminded Timothy, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). A church gathering that does not include the Word of God as a major component is not a biblical worship service.​

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As we follow the pattern of true worship in Scripture, let us worship God with great passion. We must not convey to the world the impression that the worship of our God is a boring, lifeless ritual. We have been redeemed from sin. Let us therefore praise our Creator as His children who are grateful for His bountiful blessings. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28–29). ~What are the ingredients to a truly biblical worship service? | GotQuestions.org​

God bless you!!

--Papa Smurf

 

[TitusTwoWife]

I believe the article is reading practices into the early church that just weren't there.

I strongly disagree with this portion.

Part of true biblical worship is giving an offering, as Paul instructed the Corinthian church: “Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made” (1 Corinthians 16:1–2). Our regular giving for the support of the Lord’s work is a serious responsibility. The opportunity to give should be viewed as a thrilling blessing, not as a burdensome matter for grumbling (2 Corinthians 9:7). Additionally, freewill giving is the only explicitly biblical method for financing the work of the church.

1 Cor 16? Let's go there.
Why were they collecting? Not to pay the ministers but to give to the Christians in Jerusalem.

16 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.

2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.

The ministers in the new testament took food and shelter if they traveled and some of the rich women helped pay for expenses but they never charged for the gospel and were not paid a salary.

While it is okay for pastors to make money on their own time, the idea of a tithe system with paid staff to spread the gospel is not biblical.

We should give directly to those in need, not fund pastor's salaries and fancy buildings. The collection was always for saints in need, not paid pastors.

 

[Papa Smurf]

Hello again @TitusTwoWife, while you are welcome to disagree with that or any other portion of the article, of course, I don't believe that it spoke of anything that isn't Biblical (concerning taking an offering to pay for needed expenses, including pastors' salaries).

Here are some Scriptures that direct us concerning this particular practice (in no particular order).

1 Corinthians 9​

14 The Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. ​

Reading the opening context (1 Corinthians 9:1-14) would be helpful here too, I think.

​

Matthew 10 ​

9 Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, ​

10 or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. ​

The above were the Lord Jesus' instructions given to the Twelve. He also instructed the Seventy in a similar manner (see Luke 10:1-7).

1 Timothy 5​

17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. ​

18 For the Scripture says, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”​

The ministers in the new testament took food and shelter if they traveled and some of the rich women helped pay for expenses but they never charged for the gospel and were not paid a salary.

I believe the "ministers" that you are referring to above were actually missionaries (the 12 & the 70), not the Lord's undershepherds (IOW, the elders/pastors/priests of the visible church) who He continues to commission to carefully watch over the souls of His flock (during the time of His physical absence from among us .. e.g. Hebrews 13:17). Quite frankly (at this point in the 1st Century, that is), the Christian church and congregations full of believers were yet to be formed (following Pentecost).

BTW, churches do not "charge" for their services. Cults have been known to do so, and if you find yourself present at one of their services (a service where people are charged to attend, or ones that ask you to come back the following week with 3 year's worth of tax returns to show them), leave immediately, not walking, but running

That said, asking congregants (who benefit regularly and directly from the many services that they are privy to in their churches) to make a ~voluntary~ offering (to help support the church financially), in no way constitutes being "charged" to attend church!

Finally, although some still use it as a helpful reference, the "tithe" was for OT Israel, not for the Christian church (e.g. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

While it is okay for pastors to make money on their own time, the idea of a tithe system with paid staff to spread the gospel is not biblical.

I direct your attention to the Scriptures (posited earlier in this post) concerning where the livelihood of our pastors is supposed to come from (there are more, of course, and we can discuss all of them if you'd like to). The Apostle Paul "chose" to have a separate income of his own (for a time anyway .. he made tents), but he makes it clear that he did so for a specific reason, and because he wanted to, ~not~ because the Bible required him to.

He also received support from various churches, sometimes to support his ministry work in those churches, and sometimes to support his ministry work in other churches. For instance, as he said to the church in Corinth,

2 Corinthians 11​

8 I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you.​

Fortunately, this was not always the case in the Corinthian church (as this and many other problems in that church were, PTL, corrected over time).

We should give directly to those in need, not fund pastor's salaries and fancy buildings. The collection was always for saints in need, not paid pastors.

I disagree, and (as you've just seen) so does the Bible. Once the 1st Century congregations were formed, people laid their offerings at the feet of the Apostles and/or the leaders of their churches, to support the various ministries of the church, and to also be distributed where the need was greatest. Part of the collection was given to support the full-time staff, who spent their time at work in prayer and in the ministry of the word to the benefit of the members of their congregations, first and foremost.

The good news is this, churches come is all shapes and sizes, including house churches that do not include formal preaching/teaching by seminary-trained pastors, nor do they have the expenses associated with church buildings. Of course, there are many advantages to the large churches, advantages that require $$, all of which is typically collected from voluntary giving (as a for instance, while our city provides a meal/day for the homeless here, the megachurch down the street from me provides a second meal for them each day of the year too .. a meal that is prepared and served by the congregation of that church, and completely paid for, as well, by the voluntary giving of its members).

The thing is, we need to be in fellowship with one another regularly. The good news is, there are many ways to do that, so just pick the one that suits you best w/o judging the others for doing what they choose to do (unless it violates Scripture, of course). Quite frankly, I hope that these many choices remain, from simple Bible studies, to house churches, to our megachurches, and everything else in between, too.

God bless you!!

--Papa Smurf
p.s. - preaching the Gospel to unbelievers, while ~extraordinarily~ important, is hardly the sum total of the important work that our elders/pastors/priests do for us, whether in the 1st Century or now. For instance,

Ephesians 4​

11 He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ​

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; ​

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ​

 

[David]

What are the ingredients to a truly biblical worship service?

Some of what you said lines up with Scripture, but part of your reply leans too heavily on a man-written article instead of simply letting the Word of God speak for itself.

You referenced an article to define what a “biblical worship service” should look like. The problem is not whether the article includes verses, but that it builds a structured explanation around them that goes beyond what Scripture itself plainly states. Our authority is not an article or its conclusions, but the actual text of Scripture.

The Bible does show believers gathering for teaching, prayer, breaking bread, and exhortation. Acts 2:42 says, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 20:7 shows preaching. 1 Corinthians 14:26 shows participation: “When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine…” Hebrews 10:24–25 shows mutual exhortation.

What Scripture does not do is lay out a fixed definition of a “worship service” in the structured way your article presents. That framework is being added on top of the text.

So the correction is this: it’s right to point to Scripture showing what believers did when they gathered, but we need to be careful not to let a man-made summary define the pattern. The safest ground is to stay with what is written and not go beyond it, as it says, “that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written” ~1 Corinthians 4:6.

 

[David]

We should give directly to those in need, not fund pastor's salaries and fancy buildings. The collection was always for saints in need, not paid pastors.

I hear you, and you're seeing something real that Scripture calls out plainly. A lot of what passes for "church" today has flipped the script: the collection plate funds the machine—salaries, buildings, programs—while actual born-again believers who sit there are scraping by. That self-focused setup isn't what the New Testament describes for the body of Christ.

The early church didn't operate like a business with overhead. When they gave, it went straight to need. ~Acts 4:34-35 ESV "There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need." That was the pattern. Collections were for the poor saints, not for creature comforts or empire-building. ~1 Corinthians 16:1-2 ESV makes it specific: it was "the collection for the saints."

Scripture never sets up a paid professional class living off mandatory ten percent while the flock struggles. Elders who labor in the word deserve support, yes~1 Timothy 5:17-18 ESV "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,' and, 'The laborer deserves his wages.'" But that's modest, voluntary support from cheerful givers, not a salary package that funds nice houses, cars, and facilities while members go without. ~2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV still stands: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion."

The real church is people, not the building or the budget. ~1 Corinthians 12:27 ESV "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." Pure religion looks like this: ~James 1:27 ESV "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." When the main push from the platform is "give more so we can keep this going," and the struggling believers get left behind, it matches the warning about loving money. ~1 Timothy 6:10 ESV "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils."

You're right to be pushed away from that version of it. The Bible doesn't command you to prop up systems that misuse giving this way. The mission was always Christ and caring for His people, not the establishment's comfort. Scripture says what it says about where the giving belongs, and it gives no command, example, or principle for turning collections into self-funding for buildings, salaries, and operations. Stay anchored there.

 

[David]

Here are some Scriptures that direct us concerning this particular practice (in no particular order).

1 Corinthians 9​

14 The Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. ​

Reading the opening context (1 Corinthians 9:1-14) would be helpful here too, I think.

​

Matthew 10 ​

9 Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, ​

10 or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. ​

The above were the Lord Jesus' instructions given to the Twelve. He also instructed the Seventy in a similar manner (see Luke 10:1-7).

1 Timothy 5​

17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. ​

18 For the Scripture says, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”​

I believe the "ministers" that you are referring to above were actually missionaries (the 12 & the 70), not the Lord's undershepherds (IOW, the elders/pastors/priests of the visible church) who He continues to commission to carefully watch over the souls of His flock (during the time of His physical absence from among us .. e.g. Hebrews 13:17). Quite frankly (at this point in the 1st Century, that is), the Christian church and congregations full of believers were yet to be formed (following Pentecost).

BTW, churches do not "charge" for their services. Cults have been known to do so, and if you find yourself present at one of their services (a service where people are charged to attend, or ones that ask you to come back the following week with 3 year's worth of tax returns to show them), leave immediately, not walking, but running

That said, asking congregants (who benefit regularly and directly from the many services that they are privy to in their churches) to make a ~voluntary~ offering (to help support the church financially), in no way constitutes being "charged" to attend church!

Finally, although some still use it as a helpful reference, the "tithe" was for OT Israel, not for the Christian church (e.g. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7).


I direct your attention to the Scriptures (posited earlier in this post) concerning where the livelihood of our pastors is supposed to come from (there are more, of course, and we can discuss all of them if you'd like to). The Apostle Paul "chose" to have a separate income of his own (for a time anyway .. he made tents), but he makes it clear that he did so for a specific reason, and because he wanted to, ~not~ because the Bible required him to.

He also received support from various churches, sometimes to support his ministry work in those churches, and sometimes to support his ministry work in other churches. For instance, as he said to the church in Corinth,

2 Corinthians 11​

8 I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you.​

Fortunately, this was not always the case in the Corinthian church (as this and many other problems in that church were, PTL, corrected over time).


I disagree, and (as you've just seen) so does the Bible. Once the 1st Century congregations were formed, people laid their offerings at the feet of the Apostles and/or the leaders of their churches, to support the various ministries of the church, and to also be distributed where the need was greatest. Part of the collection was given to support the full-time staff, who spent their time at work in prayer and in the ministry of the word to the benefit of the members of their congregations, first and foremost.

The good news is this, churches come is all shapes and sizes, including house churches that do not include formal preaching/teaching by seminary-trained pastors, nor do they have the expenses associated with church buildings. Of course, there are many advantages to the large churches, advantages that require $$, all of which is typically collected from voluntary giving (as a for instance, while our city provides a meal/day for the homeless here, the megachurch down the street from me provides a second meal for them each day of the year too .. a meal that is prepared and served by the congregation of that church, and completely paid for, as well, by the voluntary giving of its members).

The thing is, we need to be in fellowship with one another regularly. The good news is, there are many ways to do that, so just pick the one that suits you best w/o judging the others for doing what they choose to do (unless it violates Scripture, of course). Quite frankly, I hope that these many choices remain, from simple Bible studies, to house churches, to our megachurches, and everything else in between, too.

God bless you!!

--Papa Smurf
p.s. - preaching the Gospel to unbelievers, while ~extraordinarily~ important, is hardly the sum total of the important work that our elders/pastors/priests do for us, whether in the 1st Century or now. For instance,

Ephesians 4​

11 He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ​

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; ​

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ​

Those passages show that support is allowed and right, but they do not establish a system where collections are primarily gathered to fund salaries, buildings, and ongoing operations as the main purpose.

When Scripture actually shows collections being taken, it consistently points to helping believers in need. 1 Corinthians 16:1–2 says the collection was “for the saints,” and Romans 15:25–26 makes it plain this was for “the poor saints.” That is the stated purpose in the text.

Also, Acts 4:34–35 shows resources being laid down so “neither was there any among them that lacked.” The priority was need, not maintaining an institutional structure.

Another issue is going beyond what is written by building a full financial model from a few verses. Saying that collections were broadly for “various ministries,” salaries, and general church operations is not something the text explicitly teaches. That conclusion is being added on top of Scripture, not drawn directly from it.

And while it is true that giving is voluntary, the New Testament does not present it as funding a system. It presents it as meeting needs and supporting the work of the gospel as situations arise.

Yes, those who labor in the Word can be supported. That is biblical.
But the consistent, clearly stated purpose of collections in the New Testament is helping the saints, especially those in need, not building and maintaining an institutional system.

We have to be careful not to take a true principle and stretch it into something Scripture itself does not clearly define. That’s where things start to drift.

 

[David]

From my experience, it’s often the paid leaders themselves who push hardest for more giving, bigger buildings, and bigger budgets to spend on the system. That pattern raises a red flag Scripture already warned about.

~1 Peter 5:2-3 ESV says elders are to shepherd the flock “not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” ~1 Timothy 3:3 ESV lists the qualification for an overseer as “not a lover of money.” Paul himself worked with his hands so he wouldn’t burden the churches. ~Acts 20:33-35 ESV “I coveted no one’s silver or gold… In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak…”

The New Testament directs collections toward helping needy saints and modest support for those who labor hard in the word, not building bigger operations while born-again believers in the same church scrape by. When the loudest pressure for more money comes from the ones getting paid from it, it doesn’t match the pattern we see in Scripture. The Bible says what it says.

This seems to be a good topic to me, because most Christians will not talk about it for fear of rebuke from the pulpit and leaders. But the question is not what’s comfortable. The question is what God actually said.

The Word does not teach that believers are to be pressured, pushed, or made to feel obligated to give more. It says plainly, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” ~2 Corinthians 9:7. That cuts right through the noise. If there is pressure, guilt, or fear driving it, it is already off track.

Now look at what the New Testament actually shows. When collections were taken, they were aimed at real needs among God’s people. Paul calls it “the collection for the saints” ~1 Corinthians 16:1-2, and Acts 4:34–35 says it was distributed “to each as any had need,” so that there was not a needy person among them. That is the heartbeat. Not building something bigger. Not maintaining a system. Meeting needs among the people of God.

Yes, Scripture is clear that those who labor in the Word are worthy of support. “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching… The laborer deserves his wages” ~1 Timothy 5:17-18. That is right and good. But that truth comes with a warning that cannot be ignored. “Shepherd the flock of God… not for shameful gain… not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” ~1 Peter 5:2-3. And an overseer must be “not a lover of money” ~1 Timothy 3:3.

So here is where it has to be said straight. When the message turns into “give more so we can expand, give more so we can build, give more so we can sustain this system,” while people sitting in those same seats are struggling just to survive, something is out of line with Scripture. That is not the pattern we are shown.

God never told His people to fund comfort, image, or expansion through pressure. He told them to give freely, to care for one another, and to walk in integrity before Him. When that order gets flipped, the problem is not the people holding back. The problem is that something has drifted from what is written.