Reforming Worship: Centering on God in Our Practices

 

Summary

In reflecting on Calvin's treatise "The Necessity of Reforming the Church," we delve into the profound insights he offers on worship, which he identifies as the chief issue of the Christian religion. Calvin's perspective challenges us to reconsider the purpose of salvation, not as an end in itself, but as a means to foster a relationship with God. This relationship finds its most significant expression in our regular public worship, which should be centered on glorifying God. Calvin critiques the worship practices of his time, noting that half of God's glory was often diverted to saints and other distractions, rather than focusing solely on God.

Calvin's observations prompt us to examine our own worship practices today. He questions whether our worship is truly God-centered or if it has become a form of entertainment, designed to make God more palatable to man rather than making man more acceptable to God. This reflection is crucial as we consider whether our worship activities draw us closer to God or serve as distractions. Calvin emphasizes that true worship involves meeting with God, a concept that is often overshadowed by the desire to attract large congregations without ensuring they genuinely encounter God.

Calvin also highlights the importance of adhering to God's instructions for worship, warning against the dangers of fictitious worship devised by human reason. He argues that God has provided clear guidelines for worship to establish His authority and prevent us from going astray. This obedience to God's voice is essential for authentic worship. Calvin uses prayer as a litmus test for genuine worship, noting that it is one of the most intimate ways we meet with God. He challenges us to consider whether our worship practices, including prayer, truly honor God and facilitate a meeting with Him.

In conclusion, Calvin's treatise serves as a mirror, urging us to reflect on our worship practices and ensure they align with God's intentions. As we strive to reform our worship, we must prioritize meeting with God, listening to His Word, and allowing it to permeate our lives.

Key Takeaways:

- Worship is the chief issue of the Christian religion, serving as the primary means through which we cultivate a relationship with God. Salvation is not an end but a means to this relationship, which finds its fullest expression in worship. [01:58]

- Calvin critiques the theatrical nature of worship in his time, warning against ceremonies that entertain rather than draw us to God. This reflection challenges us to examine whether our worship today is truly God-centered or merely designed to attract and entertain. [07:09]

- True worship requires obedience to God's instructions, as He has provided clear guidelines to establish His authority and prevent us from going astray. Fictitious worship, devised by human reason, is condemned by God. [13:03]

- Prayer is a vital component of worship, serving as an intimate way to meet with God. Calvin uses prayer as a test of genuine worship, urging us to consider whether our prayer practices truly honor God and facilitate a meeting with Him. [19:47]

- Calvin's treatise challenges us to reflect on our worship practices, ensuring they align with God's intentions. We must prioritize meeting with God, listening to His Word, and allowing it to permeate our lives, rather than focusing on entertainment or human-devised practices. [24:23]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:23] - Introduction to Calvin's Treatise
- [00:53] - Historical Context of the Diet of Speyer
- [01:23] - Worship as the Chief Issue
- [02:26] - Purpose of Salvation
- [03:04] - Worship and God's Glory
- [03:40] - Need for Church Reformation
- [05:12] - Focus on Conservative Protestant Worship
- [07:09] - Theatrical Nature of Worship
- [08:22] - Entertainment vs. Meeting with God
- [10:05] - True Discipleship and Worship
- [11:25] - Listening to God in Worship
- [13:03] - Obedience to God's Instructions
- [19:47] - Prayer as a Test of Worship
- [24:23] - Reflecting on Worship Practices

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. John 4:23-24 - "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."
2. Romans 12:1 - "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
3. Matthew 15:8-9 - "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."

Observation Questions:
1. According to the sermon, what does Calvin identify as the chief issue of the Christian religion? [01:23]
2. How does Calvin describe the worship practices of his time, and what does he critique about them? [07:09]
3. What does Calvin suggest is the purpose of salvation, and how does it relate to worship? [01:58]
4. How does Calvin use prayer as a test of genuine worship, according to the sermon? [19:47]

Interpretation Questions:
1. In what ways does Calvin's view of worship challenge the contemporary church's approach to worship? [08:22]
2. How does the concept of worship as a "meeting with God" differ from worship as entertainment, according to Calvin? [08:47]
3. What does Calvin mean by "fictitious worship," and why does he warn against it? [13:03]
4. How does Calvin's emphasis on obedience to God's instructions for worship reflect in the Bible passages provided?

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your personal worship practices. Are there elements that might be more about entertainment than meeting with God? How can you adjust them to be more God-centered? [08:22]
2. Consider the role of prayer in your worship. How can you make prayer a more integral and meaningful part of your worship experience? [19:47]
3. Calvin emphasizes listening to God's Word in worship. How can you ensure that you are truly engaging with and responding to God's Word during worship services? [24:23]
4. Think about the distractions that might be present in your worship environment. What steps can you take to minimize these distractions and focus more on glorifying God? [08:47]
5. How can you encourage your church community to prioritize meeting with God over merely attracting large congregations? [10:05]
6. Reflect on the idea that salvation is a means to a relationship with God. How does this perspective change the way you view your daily walk with God? [01:58]
7. Identify one aspect of your worship that might be influenced by cultural trends rather than biblical instructions. How can you realign this aspect with God's guidelines for worship? [17:52]

Devotional

Day 1: Worship as a Relationship with God
Worship is not merely a ritual or tradition; it is the primary means through which Christians cultivate a relationship with God. John Calvin emphasizes that salvation is not an end in itself but a means to foster this relationship, which finds its fullest expression in worship. Worship should be centered on glorifying God, not on human-centered activities or distractions. Calvin critiques the worship practices of his time, noting that they often diverted attention away from God. This reflection challenges us to examine whether our worship today is truly God-centered or if it has become a form of entertainment. [01:58]

Psalm 95:6-7 (ESV): "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand."

Reflection: Consider your current worship practices. Are there elements that distract you from focusing solely on God? How can you adjust your worship to deepen your relationship with Him today?


Day 2: Entertainment vs. God-Centered Worship
Calvin critiques the theatrical nature of worship in his time, warning against ceremonies that entertain rather than draw us to God. This reflection challenges us to examine whether our worship today is truly God-centered or merely designed to attract and entertain. True worship should not be about making God more palatable to man but about making man more acceptable to God. It is crucial to ensure that our worship activities draw us closer to God rather than serve as distractions. [07:09]

Amos 5:23-24 (ESV): "Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

Reflection: Reflect on your church's worship services. Are there aspects that prioritize entertainment over genuine encounters with God? How can you contribute to fostering a more God-centered worship environment?


Day 3: Obedience in Worship
True worship requires obedience to God's instructions, as He has provided clear guidelines to establish His authority and prevent us from going astray. Calvin warns against fictitious worship devised by human reason, which is condemned by God. Obedience to God's voice is essential for authentic worship. This obedience ensures that our worship aligns with God's intentions and is not swayed by human preferences or innovations. [13:03]

1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV): "And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.'"

Reflection: Are there areas in your worship practices where you rely more on tradition or personal preference than on God's instructions? How can you align your worship more closely with God's guidelines today?


Day 4: Prayer as Intimate Worship
Prayer is a vital component of worship, serving as an intimate way to meet with God. Calvin uses prayer as a test of genuine worship, urging us to consider whether our prayer practices truly honor God and facilitate a meeting with Him. Prayer is not just a ritual but a profound expression of our relationship with God, allowing us to communicate with Him and align our hearts with His will. [19:47]

Colossians 4:2 (ESV): "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving."

Reflection: Evaluate your prayer life. Do your prayers reflect a genuine desire to meet with God, or have they become routine? What steps can you take to deepen your prayer life and make it a more intimate part of your worship?


Day 5: Reflecting on Worship Practices
Calvin's treatise challenges us to reflect on our worship practices, ensuring they align with God's intentions. We must prioritize meeting with God, listening to His Word, and allowing it to permeate our lives, rather than focusing on entertainment or human-devised practices. This reflection is crucial for personal and communal spiritual growth, as it helps us remain faithful to God's design for worship. [24:23]

Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV): "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

Reflection: Take time to reflect on your personal and communal worship practices. Are there areas that need reform to better align with God's intentions? What practical steps can you take to ensure your worship is reverent and God-centered?

Quotes


Calvin says, worship is the number one issue of the Christian religion. And yet, I think if we pause a minute and think about that, we can almost hear Calvin saying, "Salvation is not an end; it’s a means to an end." What is the end for which we’re saved? Not just to be saved. The end for which we’re saved is to have a relationship with God. [00:02:04]

Calvin in this section of the treatise says, "Worship has to glorify God," and he says in our day half of God’s glory is taken away from Him in worship and distributed to various saints. So, the focus in worship, the attention in worship, the very center of worship is not God but all sorts of other things going on, Calvin said, in his day. [00:03:04]

Is worship in those circles really focusing on God, really stressing the meeting with God, really sensing that we gather to glorify God? That’s what Calvin is calling on us to think about and to reflect on. And it’s interesting as he goes along he talks about how much time and energy in his day has been devoted in public worship to ceremonies, to ceremonies. [00:05:14]

And what is the character? The essential character of the theater. The essential character of the theater is to be entertaining. Now, entertainment can come in a variety of forms. We can be entertained by what is exuberant and boisterous and crazy, which tends to be the entertainment we have in our time, but entertainment could also be very kind of solemn and inspiring and moving, and that’s what Calvin is complaining about. [00:07:31]

How much of it is meant to be entertaining rather than drawing to God? How much of it is intended to make God more acceptable to man rather than making man more acceptable to God? Do we really gather to meet with God? You know, that’s the very briefest definition of worship, "meeting with God," meeting as His people with Him. [00:08:24]

Calvin contends rather remarkably that the way to know how to meet with God is to listen to God. Now, that shouldn’t be all that remarkable, should it? That doesn’t seem all that radical or contentious. Let me read a little bit of what Calvin says about that. When you read Calvin, you have to read a little bit more than when you read Luther. [00:11:25]

Therefore, if we would have God to approve our worship, this rule which He everywhere enforces with the utmost strictness must be carefully observed for there is a twofold reason why the Lord in condemning and prohibiting all fictitious worship requires us to give obedience only to His own voice. [00:12:15]

First, it tends greatly to establish His authority that we do not follow our own pleasures but depend entirely on His sovereignty. And secondly, such as our folly that when we are left at liberty all we are able to do is go astray. So God wants to establish His authority and He wants to keep us from going astray. [00:12:44]

He says, "I know how difficult it is to persuade the world that God disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by His Word." God wants to be worshiped the way He tells us to worship Him. That seems reasonable, doesn’t it? It seems reasonable to me; I’m easy to convince. But Calvin states this in several different ways. [00:14:08]

Praying is one of the most intimate ways in which we meet with God. The Word is God meeting with us, but when we sing and when we pray we’re meeting with God, we’re baring our souls to God. Do we believe He’s there to hear us? If we don’t pray maybe we’re saying we really don’t believe He’s here or we really don’t need to pray. [00:22:14]

Are we meeting with God? Are we sensing that God deserves the glory? That we come into an awesome presence and we are there to praise Him, to speak to Him, and then to listen as He speaks to us; that’s the great simplicity of worship that God speaks and we respond. God speaks and we respond. And it means you have to be engaged. [00:23:19]

Are we honoring God? Are we meeting with God? Are we listening to God? Are we letting His Word permeate all that we do and all that we think? So, Calvin is very challenging when he talks about worship. And next time we’ll want to follow him as he talks about salvation, evaluating churches in terms of how they’re doing teaching about salvation. [00:24:23]

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Transcript
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