Simplicity of Worship Leads to More

Simplicity

New Testament worship can be described in one word: SIMPLE. It is not showy.

God’s ordinances of prayer, reading and preaching the Word, the singing of psalms, along with, when called for, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper comprise the ordinary parts of the worship of God (WCF 21.3, 4, 5). What is important to remember about these elements is they are all very simple and they can be conducted readily.

This is in contrast to the Old Testament Temple worship. In John 4, Jesus spoke of the changeover of worship from the Old Testament, filled with its ceremonies, to the much simpler and more spiritual worship of the New Testament:

²¹ Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. ²² Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 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.

Because Jesus has fulfilled the ceremonial system (Heb. 10:1, Eph. 2:15-16, Col. 2:14), the Old Testament Temple and its system have passed away, leaving for us the simple and plain beauty of the New Testament ordinances. These elements are profoundly spiritual and are designed for our faith to engage with, to see Jesus Christ in them all. The brilliance of this simplicity also allows the worshipers of God to very easily and very regularly worship God.

For public worship, all that is needed is a minister to conduct the service. For private and family worship (WCF 21.6), without preaching and sacraments, there is no need for a minister, and so the ease by which we can now worship should draw Christians to worship God very often (daily).

More

As such, we can and should worship God more often than many of us are doing presently as congregations. In New Testament public worship, after all, there is no need to haul around bulls and goats, no need to employ the Levites to play instruments.

For our public services, what is necessary is that a minister have a sermon ready to preach the Word, decide upon which psalms will be sung, and be prepared to offer prayers to the Lord.

Part of the neglect of the evening service has undoubtedly come about because today, churches are creating environments where the worship of God is no longer simple but complex. Needing music ensembles, choirs, ornate liturgies, programming of lights, and so on. It is more theatrical than worshipful.

However, if we reclaim the notion that worship is designed to be simple, then in addition to morning and evening worship on the Lord’s Day, churches could conduct a mid-week service, and other special times of worship as providence dictates for days of public thanksgiving or fasting (WCF 21.5).

The point is that the Church ought to take advantage of this greater and simpler spiritual worship. One of the greatest blessings of being at the Seminary was the daily worship services at the chapel. I am not advocating for daily services (though what a sanctified dream that is!) but really, the point would be to worship more often than we might be now by embracing the simplicity of New Testament worship.

For your secret worship and family worship – consider how simple it is to enjoy times in the presence of the Lord. With faith in Jesus Christ, your Bible, a psalter, and prayers – you can richly worship the Lord. What a joy that ought to be for a Christian who loves giving homage to their Lord and adoring Him. But it takes faith to believe these simple ordinances are greatly blessed of God and that He will minister grace to us through them.

So, worship is not a “big-budget production”. We desire to do all things well and with excellence for our Lord, but worship is not a showy thing. Once it becomes that, it misses the point entirely – it is meant for the glory of God and for the edification of the body. As Calvin said in his commentary on 1 Cor. 12:31 – “for this fault prevailed among them—that they aimed at show, rather than usefulness.” Worship services that are designed to gratify the flesh and carnally please worshipers will tragically miss the mark.

Flexible

Simplicity also allows for flexibility in the public services. The people of God can meet anytime and in any place. Tangentially, one of our favorite memories in corporate worship was when the power went out in our building right before the afternoon service. Our building has no windows in the meeting hall, and it turned pitch black.

We simply moved to the lobby of our building, which did have windows and we crammed everyone there. With God’s help, we were able to conduct our entire worship service there. The Spirit came down and we were blessed by the Lord.

Worship service being conducted in the lobby of the building we rent when the power went out.

All of this simplicity in worship demonstrates one of the greatest advantages of New Testament worship: it is suited for every place and every circumstance. Whether out in the fields during the Killing Times or recently due to COVID restrictions by ungodly magistrates – the church of Jesus Christ can worship in Spirit and in Truth in every place, and in every time simply by having the Holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:17) and when needed for the sacraments – water, bread, and wine. Remembering this today will help us whenever we find ourselves in times of persecution.

Churches that believe that worship must be an “event” (as the world would see it) will have a great difficulty with persecution. Ask what your church’s worship would look like if you were on the run. Would it still be able to conduct a service as it is today? For most churches in the West, the answer is plainly: ‘no’.

However, churches that believe simple heart-felt worship is what the Lord is after, will find it their joy to worship the Lord wherever and whenever they can. In short, the exhortation to the reader is to enjoy and embrace simplicity in worship whether you are a minister or you are a member. By faith believe that God is pleased with simple worship and God will nourish your soul through it.

May we all embrace the simplicity of New Testament worship so that God’s people may be drawn to His throne to give homage to Him and that He might feed us on the marrow and fatness of Christ for our pilgrimage through this world to heavenly Canaan.