Goal #4
PP  Nature and practice of Corporate Worship

PP    Definition:
        Corporate worship is the gathering of two or more people who worship God  together. When two or more are gathered together to worship God, rules and                 rituals are implemented to maintain order. (see 1 Cor. 14:26-40)

PP    History

PP    Denominational agreement: Liturgical and Free, Catholic and Protestant,  Liberal and Conservative; all would say that to a greater or lesser extent, Scripture guides  their practice of corporate worship. However, historically it has been found that the     practice of corporate worship is based both on Scripture and tradition.

PP    Old Testament
 

Question: Where did the ancient Israelites worship?

    In the Old Testament, corporate worship first centered on the Tabernacle which moved from place to place as the ancient Israelites traveled through the wilderness on their way  to the Promised Land. As the Israelites began to organize itself as a nation, it centralized its corporate worship in the Temple. From the time of the monarchy to the Exile, the  Temple was the only recognized location for corporate worship in Israel.

    While in exile, with no Temple for corporate worship, the faithful Israelites maintained a  personal worship practice as seen in the life of Daniel. (I will look closer at the  worship practice of Daniel in a later section of this class.) With the return from exile, and  the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, Israel, once again practiced corporate worship as a nation. 

PP    New Testament: In the New Testament, after the birth of the Church, it is generally recognized that there were three types of corporate worship;

Question: What were they?

     Temple, synagogue and home. Christians participated in all three, until persecution by the Jews forced them out of the temple and synagogues.

Question: What became the principal place for corporate worship?

    The principal place for corporate worship in the early Christian church, according to Scripture and extra-biblical literature  was the home.

PP  Importance of Corporate worship to the Christian life
   
PP    Called by God to Corporate Worship (Ex. 4:23; Heb. 10:25)
PP Read: Ex. 4:23; Heb. 10:25

Question: What was the reason for the Israelites to leave Egypt?

    The reason for the Israelites exodus from Egypt was so that God’s people could worship their God, together, corporately as a nation called out by God. (Ex. 4:23)
    In Ex:24:1-8, God called the Israelites to Mt. Sinai and established his covenant with  them. This was the first corporate worship assembly of God and his people. It is there that     the Israelites were first called the Q’hal YHWH: the People of God. Corporate worship is  important because it was instituted by God.

     Hebrews 10:25 reminds us that we have a responsibility to gather together for  worship…regularly.

PP  Elements of Corporate Worship

Scripture gives us examples of the content of worship but no where does it give us a single complete order for corporate worship practice. While some early documents describing corporate worship exist:
•    Clements letters written about 96 A.D.,
•    Pliny’s letter written about 112 A.D., and the Didache written between 120 and 150 A.D.

None of these gives an order for corporate worship. The first document to give an elementary order for corporate worship was Justin Martyr’s Apology written around 150 A.D.

Historically, different groups within Christianity have tried to codify or regulate order within corporate worship but only those of the liturgical traditions have been able to do so with some success.

Question: Which churches would be considered liturgical?

    Roman and Orthodox practices, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist

With Scripture as source, the following list of elements is descriptive of what corporate  worship can include but is not prescriptive of what corporate worship must include as Scripture does not give a command to worship in any one particular manner.

PP Elements of Corporate Worship
    1.  Scripture Reading: 1 Tim. 4:13; Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27
    2.  Instruction/Preaching: 1 Tim. 4:13; Acts 20:7
    3.  Edification: 1 Cor. 14
    4.  Prayer: Acts 2:42; 1 Tim.2:1-2
    5.  Responsive Sayings: 1 Cor. 14:16, 16:22; Rom. 10:9
    6.  Offering: 1 Cor. 16:1-2
    7.  Physical Actions: 1 Tim. 2:8; Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 14:25
    8.  Breaking Bread: Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 11:20ff; 1 Thess 5:26
    9.  Exhortation and Encouragement: Heb. 3:13, 10:24
    10.  Confession of Sin: James 5:16
    11.  Confession of Faith: Rom. 10:9; 1 Tim. 6:12
    12.  Dedication and Commitment: Acts 2:37ff
    13.  Benediction and Doxologies: 1 Cor. 1:3, 16:23; Eph. 1:3
    14.  Prophesy, Revelation and Discernment: 1 Cor. 14:6, 12:10
    15.  Tongues and Interpretation: 1 Cor. 14:23
    16.  Healing: 1 Cor. 12:9,28,30
    17.  Singing: 1 Cor. 14:26; Heb. 2:12; Ps. 149:1

Corporate worship then,
         is the gathering of God’s people for the purpose of honoring God for his work in salvation, his current work in their lives, and for the hope of a future with                 him in glory.

Corporate worship includes elements or actions that are responses of God’s people to God’s self-revelation.

These elements/actions are primarily derived from Scripture but may also come from the tradition of the local church. While worship is principally God centered and focused, there is a resulting blessing of being edifying to those present.