How We Gather: The Lord's Day
THE STARTING PRINCIPLE
When we begin to think through the subject of our gatherings, we must not start with what we desire, what our tradition has been, nor with what our vision is, but with God.
God has not been silent on how he expects us to function in our gatherings and we will do well to take cues from his word.
Ever since the church was birthed in Acts 2, she has gathered as a people set apart for God’s glory and purposes.
We live as a reflection and representative of who he is and what we do when we gather together matters in how we represent him and the work of Christ in our lives.
Now this is not a new subject matter but one that the church throughout history has had to wrestle with. The whole purpose of the letter to the Corinthians was Paul correcting faulty practices with proper biblical mandates. The whole point of the letter to the Galatians is Paul correcting the relationship the church had with the gospel. The whole point of the book of Titus is that the church would be in order as a people who ADORN THE DOCTRINE OF GOD.
And the Lord’s day is a day that we as his people do so in a very public way.
There are two outcomes of our gatherings that we should aim at: 1) the edification of the saints and 2) the conviction of the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 14:4, 20-25, 40).
THE REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE
The regulative principle states that our worship of God is regulated by what he has commanded in his Word.
What God’s word says, that we do.
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Now there are strict adherents to the regulative principle, meaning that we are not allowed to do anything else other than what he has prescribed in our gatherings, and there are those who use it as a governing principle in the decisions that are made to make sure that one is not introducing a faulty practice that would violate God’s desire for his people.
Second London Baptist Confession of 1689:
The acceptable way of worshiping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures. (22.1)
This is more of a strict adherent to the regulative principle.
The great concern from a Regulative Principle perspective is that we do not begin to worship God according to our own desires and traditions but according to his revealed will.
Jesus confronts the religious leaders in his day for doing that very thing:
Matthew 15:3, 8-9
“And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?... “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
Paul confronts this with the Colossians:
Colossians 2:8, 20-23
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ… If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
The Regulative Principle of worship frees the church from trying to figure out if we are functioning in the way that God would want us to. Therefore we are free to express ourselves in worship within the regulation of God’s word.
THE NORMATIVE PRINCIPLE
The normative principle states that we are free to use elements in our worship of God as long as it is not expressly forbidden by God’s word.
While the normative principle still seeks to honor God’s word, there is more freedom of expression in the worship service, such as drama, special music, movie clips, or powerpoint presentations.
Those who adhere to this principle argue that “regulating” worship services creates an unnatural attitude toward worship and God, rather than allowing the corporate expression to be a continuation of a worshipping lifestyle.
1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
EXTREMES ARE DANGEROUS
When taken to their extremes, both principles can lead to faulty worship. The regulative principle can create a legalistic and judgmental mentality while the normative principle can create a man-centered and attraction-oriented approach to our gatherings.
There is a place for both to be useful guides as long as it does not distract from the exaltation of Christ, the edification of the saints, and the evangelization of the lost.
THE WARNINGS
Since this is a weighty issue, we should always remember two guiding principles for what we do when we gather, no matter where one falls between the regulative and normative principles.
THE DANGER OF DOING WHAT GOD HAS NOT COMMANDED
In Leviticus 10:1-3, the sons of Aaron offered a "strange fire" on the alter of God which God had not commanded them and the consequence of their choice had a grave outcome. The text tells us that God consumed them by fire and they died. This should be a sobering reality that we don't approach God on our terms but instead on his. This goes against our sentimentalities and forces us to recognize that even though God gives us grace through Christ, he still is a holy God.
Leviticus 10:3
‘By those who come near Me I bwill be treated as holy,
And before all the people I will be honored.’ ”
THE DANGER OF FLIPPANCY
In Acts 5:1-11, a couple named Ananias and Sapphira had sold their property and gave to the Apostles to care for the poor, but they decided to hold back a portion for themselves. Now that would have been ok but when they came into the gathering they presented it as if they gave all of the proceeds. Peter confronts Ananias and Sapphira with this question, "Why have you lied to God?" and at that moment they died. This moment shocked the early church and a great fear came over the whole church.
Ananias and Sapphira approached God in the gathering flippantly and without regard towards his holiness, and they lost their lives for it.
Now these two may seem extreme from a human perspective but God is a God of holiness and will be treated as holy, so how we gather requires us to consider that HE IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT. We gather on his terms and not him on ours. And it is for our good when approach him as he commands for blessings poor over us, but when we approach God on our own terms, danger lies ahead. Just read the letter to the churches in Revelation 2-3.
WHAT HAS THE LORD COMMANDED?
Read the Bible - 1 Timothy 4:13
Preach the Bible - 1 Timothy 4:13, 2 Timothy 4:2
Teach the Bible - 1 Timothy 4:13
Sing the Bible - Colossians 3:16/Ephesians 5:19
Pray the Bible - 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Matthew 21:13
Practice the ordinances of the Bible - Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The overarching purpose of our gatherings is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12) through making and growing disciples.
A PICTURE OF THE EARLY CHURCH
JUSTIN MARTYR
On the day called Sunday there is a gathering together in the same place of all who live in a given city or rural district. The memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits. Then when the reader ceases, the president in a discourse admonishes and urges the imitation of these good things. Next we all rise together and send up prayers.
When we cease from our prayer, bread is presented and wine and water. The president in the same manner sends up prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people sing out their assent, saying the ‘Amen.’ A distribution and participation of the elements for which thanks have been given is made to each person, and to those who are not present they are sent by the deacons.
Those who have means and are willing, each according to his own choice, gives what he wills, and what is collected is deposited with the president. He provides for the orphans and widows, those who are in need on account of sickness or some other cause, those who are in bonds, strangers who are sojourning, and in a word he becomes the protector of all who are in need.
AN ORDER OF SERVICE FROM 101-200 AD[1]
The service of worship on Sunday lasted about 3 hours in total, with the typical posture being standing throughout. There were no musical instruments, and the Lord’s Supper was observed every week.
The first part, “The Service of the Word,” was open to three groups: (1) baptized believers; (2) those receiving instruction in the Christian faith; and (3) (probably) those who were merely curious about Christianity.
The second part of the service, “Prayers and the Eucharist,” was only open to believers who had been baptized. The rest had to leave. Needham writes that the early church understood congregational prayer as “participating by the Holy Spirit in the glorified Christ’s own heavenly ministry of prayer”—something unbelievers could not share in since they did not have the Spirit.
Part 1: Service of the Word
- Opening greeting by bishop and response by the congregation. Often, the bishop would say “The Lord be with you” and the congregation would respond, “And with your spirit.”
2. Old Testament Scripture reading. Usually read or chanted by a deacon.
3. Psalm or hymn (I). Chanted or sung.
4. New Testament Scripture reading (I). This first NT reading was from any NT book outside the gospels.
5. Psalm or hymn (II).
6. New Testament Scripture reading (II). From one of the four gospels.
7. Sermon. Delivered by the bishop, while seated.
8. Dismissal of all but baptized believers.
Part 2: The Eucharist (Communion)
- Congregational prayers. The prayer leader—the bishop in the West; senior deacon in the East—would announce the first topic. The congregation prayed silently for a while. Then the leader summed up the petitions with his own spoken prayer. Then he would do the same pattern again with a new topic. This was a lengthy part of the service. Early Christian art suggests that a typical posture from praying was standing, looking heavenward, with arms outstretched and palms up.
- The Lord’s Supper. Here’s the order: (1) the bishop offered a greeting; (2) the congregation responded; (3) there was a “kiss of peace” (men to men, women to women); (4) church members brought their own small loaf of bread and flask of wine from home; the deacons took these and spread them out on the Lord’s table, emptying the flasks of wine into one large silver cup. (5) The bishop and the congregation engaged in a liturgical “dialogue” with the congregation; (6) the bishop led the congregation in prayer; (7) the bishop and the deacons broke the bread and distributed the cup to the congregation. (8) Something would be said to each member as he or she received the elements (e.g., “The bread of heaven in Christ Jesus,” with the response of “Amen.”) Unconsumed bread and wine would be taken home by church members to use for celebrating communion at home during the weekdays.
- Benediction. E.g., “Depart in peace,” spoken by the deacon.
1 Needham, N. R. (n.d.). 2,000 Years of Christ’s Power - Volume 1: The Age of the Early Church Fathers. Christian Focus Publications.