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1 Remnant Publicatins Visit ur Public Library at: Frm the bk the TRUTH, the whle TRUTH and nthing but the TRUTH (Vlume 2) Celebratin mvement Leviticus 10:1: And Nadab and Abihu, the sns f Aarn, tk either f them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense theren, and ffered strange fire befre the LORD, which he cmmanded them nt. Ministry magazine: During the time the SDA Church was prmting the Celebratin mvement, the Octber 1991 issue f Ministry magazine, by the SDA Ministerial Assciatin, included the fllwing. 1. Recmmended reading a. Participating in Wrship by Craig Duglas Ericksn (a pastr fr a nn- SDA thelgical seminary): He prmtes the charismatic mvement and meditatins, including the silence f centering. b. Tuch Hliness: Resurces fr Wrship, by Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi: This bk includes a variety f liturgical perspectives and prvides readings and prayers fr different services, including the liturgical year and sacraments and rites. Ministry suggested that with ccasinal mdificatins, any church culd use the material, that it culd add freshness and a tuch f elegance t wrship services. c. Acting Out the Gspels With Mimes, Puppets, and Clwns by William DeAngelis: Instructins fr 19 plays are included. Ministry stated that it was written fr Cathlics but culd be easily adapted t any church. 2. Articles n hw t infiltrate the Celebratin wrship style int the churches. a. Selling Change by Darryl Cmstck: This authr prmtes the Celebratin services as a way t reclaim frmer members; states that thse type f services are warm, lively, and markedly less traditinal with an exciting grwth in membership ; and mentins changes such as mving the pulpit clser t the cngregatin, singing livelier sngs frm a screen and smetimes accmpanied with guitars and drums (stating that it was t bad they bught all thse new hymnals), using mre drama, clapping and raising f hands, changing the rder f service and the frms f public prayer, pssibly ding away with parts f the Sabbath schl prgram, and shrter sermns with less emphasis n dctrine and mre emphasis n the gspel, relatinships, praise, and scial issues. Celebratin mvement 1

2 Cmstck ges n t explain hw pastrs are trying t rejuvenate their smetimes lackluster services but that the changes have upset sme peple and that it wuld be tragic t adpt a liturgy that weakens the unity which is a prerequisite fr the latter rain and the gift f the Spirit. He recmmends that thse prmting Celebratin shuld nt mve s fast as t cause undue distress, therwise it wuld create disunity which is nt cmpatible with Pentecst. He states that t make sudden changes in the area f music wuld cause t much ppsitin, that a slw prcess [creeping cmprmise] gives members mre time t adjust t the new ideas and allws change withut divisin. He expresses his belief that the church in 1991 was experiencing the stirrings f the Hly Spirit that wuld grw int that lng-awaited explsin f lve knwn as the latter rain. That was 20 years ag. The latter rain never came. It cannt cme in the midst f infiltrating the celebratin ideas int the SDA rganizatin. b. 101 ideas fr better wrship services (Reprint frm WORSHIP, a publicatin f the Department f Church Ministries, Suth Pacific Divisin f the SDA Church in Australia): Ministry stated that the fllwing suggestins were designed t add life and vigr t wrship services. While many ideas were gd, thse that are questinable r d nt agree with Gd s instructins are included belw. Try a rle play (acting ut) a sermn, invlving sme f the yunger members r dramatize a Scripture passage. A staged interruptin as an attentin-getter. Have a rusing praise service. Use f an verhead prjectr t see the wrds f the sngs. Unfrtunately, this has allwed fr the raising f hands. Use f a written prayer such as frm a prayer bk. Hwever, nt nly are many authred prayers nt dctrinally crrect, but prayer shuld cme frm the heart and thrugh the Hly Spirit. Use drama r a mime t highlight the Scripture reading. A suggestin is made fr the cngregatin t read the Scripture respnsively and that if Bible translatins is a prblem, t put the verse n an verhead screen. Yet if everyne had kept t the King James Versin, there wuld nt be a translatin prblem. Celebratin mvement 2

3 During the welcme, allw time fr members t greet visitrs next t them. Is this the right time and place fr visiting? It certainly disrupts the reverence and sends a message t children and visitrs that it is all right t visit with each ther in the sanctuary. The scial time shuld be reserved fr utside the sanctuary. During children s stry, use a little sleight f hand t get the children s attentin and shw that things aren t always what they appear t be. Is this why magic tricks are perfrmed in the schls and churches? Certainly a pint can be made and interest held withut using tricks. Have the children act ut charades. Invite the adults t g t a child and tell him r her that they are happy the child is part f the church family and hw much they lve having children in the church. Again, this is nt the right time and place. Invite the children t spntaneusly dramatize a well-knwn Bible stry. Besides the fact that drama shuld nt be dne, it leaves plenty f rm fr hilarity, since the children are nt prepared. Take advantage f the public s interest in Easter (such as Latin American SDA churches d). Hld a Sunday celebratin f the Resurrectin (drama culd be used). ideas-fr-better-wrship-services Many f these suggestins have been accepted in SDA churches. The leaders tld the members that they did nt knw the utcme f the celebratin wrship style but that they shuld try it and then wait t see what wuld happen. A true Christian will never experiment with smething that cannt be supprted by Scripture. A February 2000 Ministry magazine featured an article entitled Wrship and Praise: One Mdel fr Change in the Wrship Hur by Jhn Slmn, wh at the time was the assciate pastr at the Yakima SDA Church in the state f Washingtn. He explained a plan that is flexible, simple, and yet effective, that starts frm the small grup and wrks ut infrmally int the cngregatin as a whle. The fllwing steps were suggested t help transitin a church int mre cntemprary music in rder t help it grw: Start by educating a small grup f leaders. If they are cnvinced, they can help initiate changes gradually, such as bringing a guitar and intrducing praise music with wrds cming straight frm the Bible. The leaders can then begin intrducing these sngs t small grups in the cngregatin, such as Sabbath Schl classes. Once they becme accustmed Celebratin mvement 3

4 t the music, the pastr can meet with the leaders t plan fr a Sabbath when sme f the music may be intrduced t the larger setting f wrship. After that first Sabbath, the pastr can make these changes: Add a praise sng at the end f the sermn r just befre r after the greeting time. In the call t wrship, use a mre traditinal hymn and a praise sng based n a biblical text. Include a sermn r a series f sermns n music and have the musicians pull ut the stps n sme f the great hymns and biblical sngs, and authentically fcus n Christ and n wrship, rather than n the music itself. The Bible is full f instances in which a wrship gathering is marked with singing and praising, alng with the sharing f the Wrd. Hwever, the praising by Christians in the Bible was far frm the praise f tday. Add mre musicians t the music time fr variety. Cntinue ffering lively renditins f hymn music alng with praise music. Have each small grup take charge f the music n a Sabbath, using the same sngs the small grups use and rtating the leadership f the music grups. The article cncluded that mdern music in wrship is crucial if we are ging t keep in tuch with many imprtant sectrs f cntemprary culture. We need t pray, fully seeking the directin f the Hly Spirit as we cntemplate reaching peple. We must be sure we are fllwing the guiding f the Hly Spirit. Thrugh a willingness t wrk within culture, we can, like Paul, be all things t all peple s as t win the unchurched t Christ and t the pwer f the gspel. The authr als quted Gerge Barna, Bill Hybels, and ther emergents and prmted the Maranatha! Music Praise Chrus Bk. Maranatha! Music was started in 1971 by Chuck Smith, Sr. f Calvary Chapel t prmte the Jesus Music his yung hippie fllwers were writing and singing. Again we can see in the steps abve a way t gradually infiltrate the SDA Church with mdern ways f wrshiping, especially thrugh a change in music. That is nt hw the Hly Spirit wrks. Fllwing are sme bservatins again frm the bk The Rad t Rme by Clin and Russell Standish: Celebratin mvement 4

5 Celebratin-style wrship services are intrducing irreverent wrship frms; encuraging ppular religius sngs, bdily attitudes and gestures; teaching t accept all just as they are; preaching lving sermns; and stating t nt be "negative. These services lack vital present truth, yet it is claimed that these will be a savir f ur church t reunite the backslidden with Gd s church and make it mre acceptable and attractive t nnbelievers. It is an insult t Bible truth and faithful SDAs t hear that the prblems in the SDA Church can be crrected by changing the wrship services. The nly way t escape the spiritual decline is thrugh cnfessin and repentance. Intrducing Cathlic terminlgy is desensitizing ur peple t Rman Cathlicism. Examples include the wrds celebratin, liturgy, and canticles (as seen in the latest SDA hymnal). One SDA church (Dundas, New Suth Wales, Australia) annunced the Lrd s Supper in its bulletin as the Celebratin f the Eucharist. This is n time t sing with false jy as many jurney dwn that rad t Rme. The celebratin-type churches are nt feeding the cngregatins with the meat f the Wrd but with party cake. It is all abut having fun and getting alng as ne big, happy, lving family regardless f the beliefs. This is nt the type f celebratin Gd s faithful are t be invlved with. True celebratin is calm, nt full f excitement. Yes, we are t have enjyment in life, but when it is all abut fun, we miss the seriusness f sin and being reverent t Gd. Hw des Gd ask us t celebrate? Last Day Events, p. 93: We must g t the peple with the slid Wrd f Gd, and when they receive that Wrd, the Hly Spirit may cme, but it always cmes, as I have stated befre, in a way that cmmends itself t the judgment f the peple. In ur speaking, ur singing, and in all ur spiritual exercises, we are t reveal that calmness and dignity and gdly fear that actuates every true child f Gd. It is thrugh the Wrd--nt feeling, nt excitement--that we want t influence the peple t bey the truth. On the platfrm f Gd's Wrd we can stand with safety. This Day With Gd, p. 368: Last night the Christmas [Eve] celebratin was held in the [Battle Creek] Tabernacle, and it passed ff well--mdestly, slemnly, and with gratitude expressed in everything dne and said, because Jesus the Prince f Life had cme t ur wrld a babe in Bethlehem t be an ffering fr sin. Celebratin mvement 5