Posts Tagged ‘worship’
Is it wrong to read a prayer in worship services?
Question: Is it wrong to read a prayer in worship services? Answer: “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (I Timothy 4:13). Many of the passages of the Bible are prayers, such as Jesus’ prayer (John 17), Hannah’s prayer (I Samuel 2), Solomon’s prayer (I Kings 8:22ff),…
Read MoreCan non-believers join you for worship?
Question: Hi, I have two questions for now from reading your web site, I am sort of looking for the why and wherefore from you and God’s word. With your invitation to join the congregation for Sunday worship and Bible study; do you have any restrictions on who can and cannot join you for worship…
Read MoreIs the first day of the week Monday in some countries?
Question: I am confused over the first day of the week. Why is Sunday is the first day of the week in America but it is Monday in the UK? Does that make Monday a day of worship there? Answer: The world has always had multiple calendars in use. The one used in the United…
Read MoreWorshiping during the Coronavirus-19 Pandemic
Question: Brethren, I really appreciate the wealth of information contained on your website and it has been very helpful and insightful. I do have a current concern with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been a few articles in your archive where some have inquired about proper worship as individuals as opposed to…
Read MoreDoes God accept wrongly done worship if the heart is right?
Question: Hello, I understand that God does not accept vain worship (Matthew 15:8-9), that we are to worship the way the Bible teaches (John 4:23-24), and that God punishes those who worship in their own way (Leviticus 10:1-2). But does II Chronicles 30, where the Passover was held not in accordance with the Law of…
Read MoreLooking for God in All the Wrong Places
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Looking-for-God-in-All-the-Wrong-Places.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Amos 5:4-9 I. God wants us to seek Him A. It is not that God is hiding or “playing hard to get.” 1. God is not found unless we are looking. 2. Example: the child who cannot find his shoes. a. He has looked “everywhere,” but he is standing in the middle of…
Read MoreIf HOW We Worship Doesn’t Matter …
by Terry Wane Benton Then it should not have mattered that Cain brought a different offering from Abel as long as he brought something (See Genesis 4). Then it should not have mattered what source of fire that Nadab and Abihu used as long as it was in their heart to offer God something (See…
Read MoreCan we pray individual prayers together in worship?
Question: Brother Jeffrey, Please, I want to know from Scriptures about mass prayer in New Testament worship. Can we pray together, when we come together, but each one prays his or her own prayer? Thank you. Answer: Worship as a church is distinct from individual worship. In a church service, everything is done to edify those…
Read MoreCan we worship at home because it is more convenient?
Question: Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Is home worship acceptable on Sunday by a family if they were unable to get to church? Can it continue for convenience? Answer: If a family wishes to establish a church in an area that doesn’t have a church nearby, that would be…
Read MoreIs watching a church service an acceptable way to worship?
Question: Hi Jeffrey, This has become popular with people. Is the video sermon a new way to worship God? I do not like it and don’t understand how it’s right. Do you find scripture to support it because I can’t? Thank you again and always. Answer: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching…
Read MoreAre responsive readings in worship wrong?
Question: Dear Bro. Hamilton, I live in a rural area and worship at a non-institutional congregation that’s an hour away. This morning I completely failed to prepare properly and ran out of time to make it to Bible study and worship service in time (I won’t be making that mistake again). I stopped to worship…
Read MoreWill Bagels and Coffee Improve Our Worship?
by Ken Weliever “During our years of church planting, we tried to change people’s perceptions about what the Sunday worship would look like,” wrote Michelle Lazurek, in a recent Crosswalk.com article. “We took out pews and replaced them with pub tables and chairs, added lights and a stage and most importantly,” the award-winning author and…
Read MoreIs it a sin not to give each Sunday?
Question: Since giving is an act of worship. Do we sin on the Sundays we do not give? For example, from my understanding, we are to give as we prosper, so if I only get paid twice a month, don’t I only give on the Sunday following when I got paid? I got paid on…
Read MoreIf a woman can say “Amen,” then why can’t she say “I disagree?”
Question: If there is such a thing as a “smell” test, I think the “Amen” at least invokes a whiff. If you accept that a woman can randomly and audibly say “Amen” (meaning “I agree” or “I concur”), why could she not randomly and audibly say “No!” meaning “I don’t agree?” Answer: There is a…
Read MoreIs the silence of women only applied to prophecy?
Question: Hey brother, Just had a quick question: How do you reconcile I Corinthians 14:34-35 applying women to the entire context beginning at I Corinthians 14:26 and not just the direct context of prophecy grammatically? I have been having issues with that. Answer: “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has…
Read MoreHow do we worship with an autistic child?
Question: Hello. I wrote to you about 5 or 6 years ago for some advice on how to help my severely autistic son during worship. Today, he is 8 years old, and going to worship never got easier. However, it got extremely hard, to the point where going was nothing but a major distraction and…
Read MoreGathering Together
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2005/06/GatheringTogether.mp3 I. When we talk of worshiping God, one aspect of that worship is our gathering together A. Psalm 122:1 1. Is this your attitude, or do you feel dragged here? 2. To worship God requires assembling with fellow Christians B. Hebrews 10:19-27 1. The writer of Hebrews discusses the conversion of a man 2. Jesus consecrated a new and living way…
Read MoreQuestions About Bible Classes
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/QuestionsAboutBibleClass.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 2:1-8 I. It is apparent to me that Christians as a whole do not understand the purpose of Bible classes. A. It is not just locally because I have receive similar questions from Christians in other areas. B. I think it would be beneficial for all of us to examine…
Read MoreClapping in Worship
by Gardner Hall Is it wrong? If so, why? The last few years have seen the introduction of handclapping in congregations of the Lord, including a few that have opposed institutionalism. Though motives are often praiseworthy, serious questions are raised by the practice. Is it presumptuous? Is it practiced because God wants it? Or rather,…
Read MoreThe Worship of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/WorshipOfGod.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Revelation 5:11-14 I. Why are you here? A. Because it is what you do on Sundays? Because your parents make you come? B. I hope most of us will say we are here to worship. After all, we call this the worship service. C. Yet, most of us have only vague notions…
Read MoreRestoring God’s Religion
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/RestoringGodsReligion.mp3 Text: II Kings 18:1-6 I. Without a doubt our society has slipped in its desire to follow God A. Sin and the acceptance of sinful practice has become prevalent. We have convinced ourselves as a society to be proud of our tolerance of sin. B. Churches are losing members. 1. In their panic, they look for ways…
Read MorePharaoh’s Compromises
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/PharaohsCompromises.mp3 Text: II Corinthians 6:14-7:1 I. Most of here, even the little children, can tell the story of Moses and the ten plagues. A. It is exciting to read about the wonders God wrought against the Egyptians B. And even more amazing to see how stubborn a man, Pharaoh, can be despite the overwhelming evidence arrayed against…
Read MoreWhat is Worship?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/WhatIsWorship.mp3 Text: John 4:19-24 I. I was asked recently to address a question of what constitutes worship A. Defining terms, such as worship, is interesting because there is a tendency in the religious world towards vagueness. 1. Pentecostal beliefs emphasize the emotional experience (the spirit). Worship is not real unless you can feel it and, on the…
Read MoreHow do we know Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 are speaking about congregational worship?
Question: How do we know that Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19, in regards to singing, are dealing with a congregational worship assembly? Answer: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand…
Read MoreShould my friend leave her husband so she can worship the Christ?
Question: Dear Brother, Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ. This question is regarding my colleague. She was born in a Hindu family but accepted Jesus in her youth. Her parents did not allow her to marry a Christian, so she married a Hindu, concealing the fact that she was a Christian. Her husband did…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between praise and worship?
Question: I need a lesson from you about the difference between praise and worship. What is it that we mean when we say “let’s praise the Lord” and when we say “let’s worship the Lord”? Please help me in that area. Answer: Praise “And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time…
Read MoreWas the collection in I Corinthians 16:1-2 really worship?
Question: The church I attend teaches that the collection in I Corinthians 16:1-2 is not part of the worship service. They say Paul commanded that to help the church in Jerusalem, not to worship by giving. What is your comment about that? Answer: The same giving is discussed in II Corinthians 8 and 9, where…
Read MoreWere only Levites allowed to use instruments in worship?
Question: Dear sir, Please help me resolve a question regarding the use of instrumental music in worship by Christians. Although it is not prohibited specifically, the fact that God specified singing ought to warrant its prohibition through the principle of “silence of the Scriptures” as indicated by Hebrews 7:14. The problem is that, under the…
Read MoreWhat do you do if you can’t worship with faithful brethren?
Question: I’ve read everything I could find on your page concerning worship alone. I know already that communion and singing are out of the question. So where does that leave someone who is in prison for life or far away from anyone or group that teaches and holds to sound doctrine? I’m sure you could…
Read MoreCan’t I just worship with different congregations each Sunday?
Question: Good evening Minister, I have been a member of the Lord’s church for over five years. I’ve been a faithful member; however, I had some concerns about some things that were going on in worship. I left my home-based church where I felt like I was ostracized because I’m a single woman. I began…
Read MoreWhy did the Israelites add an extra week to the Feast of Unleavened Bread?
Question: Hello, I’m from a church of Christ. I, of course, believe in worshiping after the pattern in the New Testament. How would you harmonize II Chronicles 30:23 with this? This text appears to show the Israelites adding seven additional days to the Feast of Unleavened Bread with God accepting it. There is no apparent…
Read MoreWhat Is Idolatry?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/WhatIsIdolatry.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 44:9-20 I. I got into a discussion with a teenager about what exactly is idolatry A. He had the impression that anything you really liked was an idol, whether it was sports, cars, or girls B. “What is an idol? Well, it is the thing. It is the thing loved…
Read MoreWhy Do We Church?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/WhyDoWeChurch.mp3 by Garry Floyd
Read MoreIs Everything We Do Worship?
by Harold Hancock A Christian should try to please God in everything he does, but everything a Christian does is not worship. For instance, a Christian may travel, work, rest, and sleep with God’s approval, but he is not worshipping God when he does these things In the New Testament, the Greek word Proskuneo is…
Read MoreIs it a sin to not offer an invitation at the end of a sermon?
Question: I understand there is a sin of omission, James 4:17. I attend a congregation where the preacher never preaches the gospel, hear, believe, repent, confess, and be baptized for the remission of sins. He preaches the truth and is very scriptural in all of his lessons; however, he very rarely, if ever, extends an…
Read MoreWhy Worship?
by Matthew W. Bassford via His Excellent Word There has literally never been a time in my life when I wasn’t regularly attending worship services with the Lord’s people. Even when I was a little kid, even when my parents were members of a little congregation in New Jersey that was lucky if it broke 20…
Read MoreShould someone who says he is gay lead singing in a congregation?
Question: Yesterday my husband was disheartened to hear that one of our song leaders at our church of Christ is a confessed gay man who came out on social media and declared he has tried all kinds of treatment but just can’t feel differently. We both wish the best for all people in seeking their…
Read MoreHow Man Is to Approach God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/HowManIsToApproachGod.mp3 by Gary Wells
Read MoreHow do you deal with a woman who brings her dog to worship?
Question: We have a lady who has been attending worship with us for over a month. She has since placed her membership with our congregation. This morning when she entered the building she had a little Chihuahua dog in her arms. She stated that it was her service dog and he did not have any…
Read MoreHow should prayers be offered in worship?
Question: Where I need help is with prayers. Is it scriptural to pray saying “In Jesus’ name” several times in between the prayer before concluding? Does it not count as vain repetitions? Is it scriptural to raise prayer points while everyone prays until the person leading will ask everyone to round up and stop eventually?…
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