WORSHIP IN THE EARLY CHURCH
A young pastor was just out of the theological seminary, sincere and earnest, interested in preaching the gospel as Good News to his congregation. But he had questions and a concern: Is there a danger in preaching too much about the cross, and the grace of Christ, and His love, and not balance that by preaching also enough about the law, and obedience, and duty? He doesn’t want to be pastor of a lazy congregation who take advantage of “cheap grace” and clothe their religion with a thin veneer of love and grace which covers hypocrisy.
Believe what the Bible says: (1) “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20); “cheap grace” is a counterfeit message, a detour around the atonement of Christ; you can’t preach too much about the genuine grace that “abounds much more” than all the sin the devil can heap upon a congregation. (2) If what Paul says is “the preaching of the cross” (1 Cor. 1:18) is clearly presented to a congregation, sin and hypocrisy cannot flourish among them because that grace conquers sin and eradicates it. The “power” is in the gospel itself, not in the law (see Rom. 1:16). And Paul says, Don’t doubt, pastor! “Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace?” Says Paul: “That’s impossible!” (See Rom. 6:14, 15).
Being “under grace” is different than many superficial people imagine: it means you are under a new motivation imposed upon you by a deep heart-appreciation of what it cost the Son of God to save you from hell itself. There is where you see the length, breadth, depth, and height of the love of Christ at His cross (Eph. 3:18). That motivation is far stronger than all the fear-motivation you can use to assail your congregation.
(3) The pure, true gospel is not a perfect so-called “balance” between faith and works; it is a message of faith which works. How many “good works”? Infinitely more than legalism can ever produce! Don’t be afraid to preach salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8, 9).
Wherever human pride or self-sufficiency raises its head even a little, there you can be sure the grace of God is being somehow “frustrated.” “Righteousness by the law” is the sure result. Close by 2:21 in context Paul defines what he means by “grace”; “before [your] eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified” (3:1). The people in Paul’s Galatian audience forgot who they were, where they were, for he brought them to the cross and they saw, “comprehended,” “the width and length and depth and height” of the revelation of that grace (Eph. 3:18, 19), as if they were at Calvary itself. They responded with what Paul called “the hearing of faith,” precisely the same as Abraham’s response (“he believed” when “God . . . preached the gospel unto” him, Gal. 3:6-8).
I walk softly here; I tread on holy ground; here is the solemn truth behind all the “frustration” of confusion about the gospel that so afflicts the modern lukewarm church. As James Stewart said long ago, “No man can give the impression that he himself is clever and at the same time preach Christ crucified.” “Who is sufficient for these things?”
Acts 1:14: “But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:”
Acts 2:15: “For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.”
Acts 2:16: “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.”
Acts 2:17: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
Millions of Christians are studying some refreshing news in about Pentecost: “It shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. . . . Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:17; 2:21). That sounds like Good News, but is it too good?
The words “all flesh” surely mean everybody in the world. How can it be true? Note that Peter does not say that everybody will RECEIVE the Holy Spirit; he only says that God will give the gift to everybody. Jesus can help us understand. He says that “when He [the Holy Spirit] is come, He will reprove [convict] the world of sin. . . . because they believe not on Me” (John 16:7-9). The Father “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (3:16). Christ “was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (1:9). The ancient Jews wouldn’t believe this, for they thought that only they are “lighted.” But Gentiles are also included! The Holy Spirit sheds light on every human heart; that person may not RECEIVE the light, but in the last great judgment day, no one can accuse God of not letting some light shine upon his pathway, some evidence on which that soul could make a choice. In every human heart the Holy Spirit has brought a conviction of sin, a sense of right and wrong. And blessed are those who respond to that conviction the Holy Spirit gives.
But there’s another statement in Peter’s sermon that arrests our attention: “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Of course, that must mean, “in sincerity” (Eph. 6:24). God pays attention to “all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s” (1 Cor. 1:2). Here is His “much more abounding grace” “the same Lord is rich unto all that call upon Him” (Rom. 10:12). David says, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (Ps. 34:6). Do you feel sinful and unworthy? Call upon the Lord, and believe that in His mercy He will hear you. Yes, He will convict you of sin; but thank Him for that with all your heart!
Acts 2:18: “And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.”
Acts 2:19: “And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.”
Acts 2:20: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come.”
Acts 2:21: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Acts 2:37: “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 2:39: “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.”
Acts 2:40: “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.”
Acts 2:41: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
Acts 17:15: “And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.”
Acts 17:22: “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
Acts 17:23: “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you.
Acts 17:24: “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.”
Paul the Jew unraveled the dispute when he discerned that only those who have faith in Christ as “Saviour of the world” are Abraham’s true descendants; and the promises God made to the patriarch include the whole world as an “everlasting possession.” Forget the Temple Mount; it means nothing. “Your house is left unto you desolate,” Jesus told the Jews (Mt. 23:38); in the true Messiah you have an infinitely greater inheritance! All idolatry is forever passé in the light of Christ’s sacrifice for the world; there is no spot of land or building in the whole earth that is “sacred.” “The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands” (Acts 7:48). Rather, “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity” dwells “with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit” (Isa. 57:15). A Christlike spirit is the Lord’s true Temple now. Let both Israelis and Arabs “come unto [Him] . . . and rest,” for He is “meek and lowly in heart” (Mt. 11:28-30). The glorious Good News of the gospel not only “offers” this blessed rest; it actually gives it.
Acts 17:25: “Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.”
Acts 17:26: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.”
Acts 17:27: “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though He be not far from every one of us.”
Acts 17:28: “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.”
Acts 18:4: “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.”
Acts 18:5: “And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.”
Acts 18:6: “And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.”
Acts 18:7: “And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.”
Acts 18:8: “And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.”
Acts 18:9: “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:”
Acts 18:10: “For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.”
Acts 18:11: “And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”
Acts 18:13: “Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.”
1 Corinthians 13:1: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”
Not only are we living in what we have always said is “the shaking time,” but more than that: we are living in the time when everything possible is being shaken furiously.
Is there a sine qua non, an utterly necessary truth that must be held onto, even at the cost of life?
The Bible says yes! Clearly so, in 1 Corinthians 13:
“Though I [or anyone] speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not [the love which is] agape, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal . . .” A brilliant mind and ready speech may cover a lack of essential truth.
This brilliant mind may explain the prophecies: “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge. . . . but have not [the love which is agape], I am nothing” (vs. 2).
We have come to the time when 1 Corinthians 13 itself has become a prophecy!
Almost overwhelming in its power of deception is the moving of mountains “by [supposed] faith,” where this alarming lack is there (vs. 2).
And we can “bestow all [our] goods to feed the poor [in Calcutta? What more could you give?)]. . . . but have not love [agape],” it’s again only vanity. This agape is deeper than giving “goods.” Or even giving physical life.
The apostle John agrees with Paul: he says that “God is love [agape]” (1 John 4:8), and “anyone who loves not [with agape] knows not God.”
Is there confusion? No, not a trace: this is the solid building block of Bible truth. It’s what Paul meant when he told the Corinthians, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). In other words, agape.
Obedience to the law is included, for only “agape is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10). So it’s not sentimental emotionalism; love is being crucified with Christ, with joy and gratitude for the privilege of fellowship with Him.
1 Corinthians 13:2: “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:3: “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:4: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1 Corinthians 13:5: “Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1 Corinthians 13:6: “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1 Corinthians 13:7: “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1 Corinthians 13:8: “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”
1 Corinthians 13:9: “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.”
1 Corinthians 13:10: “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.”
1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1 Corinthians 13:12: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
(b) The one so tempted tastes what Christ experienced on His cross: the curse of God, the being “forsaken” of God (Gal. 3:13). The total blackness of despair, the end of hope, the tunnel where no candle shines at the end (Matt. 27:46).
(c) Don’t denigrate Christ’s supreme sacrifice by short circuiting what He suffered: Christ endured the pangs of hell itself. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth a conqueror; He truly felt as the lost will feel in the Final Judgment. When Hebrews 4:15 says He was “in all points tempted like as we are,” it tells the truth: He was tempted to commit suicide. But the text goes on to say, “yet without sin.” He didn’t do it! Now, don’t you do it!
(d) Why didn’t He? Paul intimates the reason when he speaks of “these three” in 1 Corinthians 13: “now abideth faith, hope, charity [agape].” The one of the three that did “abide” the awful trial was “agape.” Not love for Himself; He chose to go to the unending hell because He loved US, not Himself! He prayed with Moses, “Blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written” (Ex. 32:32). He made Paul’s prayer His own, “I could wish that Myself were accursed. . . . for My brethren” (Rom. 9:3).
(e) What sustained Him on the cross until He could shout, “It is finished!” was the joy of knowing that Moses, and Paul, and the believing thief (and Mary Magdalene!), and a few others (144,000?), appreciated what He was doing. Ah, THEY would be saved eternally, while He Himself would go down to ruin forever (cf. Ps. 22). “Agape never faileth.” That’s it.
(f) Tell someone about it; save him/her from a possible suicide. The missionary needed to know.
Justification by faith brings the gift of heavenly agape-love “shed abroad in the heart” by the Holy Spirit (5:5). That means a deliverance from all kinds of fear because “perfect agape casts out fear” (1 Jn. 4:18). Fear ceases to be a motive in following Christ, for “the agape of Christ constrains us” to live not for self but “for Him who died for us” (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).
(5) This change of character is produced by a heart-appreciation for the sacrifice of Christ who died for “sinners,” even His “enemies” (Rom. 5:7, 8). The “wrath” that He endured on the cross had to be that of the second death (vs. 10). Such agape produces the most miraculous change in human hearts ever seen in world history, for as Luther wisely said, a full understanding of justification by faith must grow as the world becomes progressively more wicked just before the end. “More abounding sin” will require a clearer revelation of “grace [that] much more abounds” (5:20).
(6) The end result? A people prepared for translation when Jesus returns (see 1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
