Is All of Life Worship? That's what some are saying. In his book, Unbroken Bread, Mike Root says: "Worship is a life given in obedience to God. It's not a when or where proposition, but a what. It's what we are. You can't go to it or leave it, dress for it or from it, and you can't start it or stop it... it doesn't open and close with a prayer, and it doesn't have human leader or a special day" (115). The New Testament clearly teaches that a Christian is to present his body as "a living sacrifice" to God (Rom 12:1-2) and do everything in the name of the Lord (Col 3:17) and to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Acts 16:25 25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Hebrews 13:15 15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Does this mean, however, that all of life is worship? Just a few examples in the Bible clearly illustrate that all of life is not worship. 1. Abraham told his servants that he and Isaac would "go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you" (Gen. 22:5). Romans 12:1-2 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Colossians 3:17 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 1 Corinthians 10:31 31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Genesis 22:5 5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." 2. God told Moses to "come up to the Lord... and worship from afar" (Ex. 24:1). Exodus 24:1 1 Now He said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. It is also true that a Christian can and should worship God apart from those times when the church assembles together. 3. After the death of his son, David "went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house..." (2 Sam. 12:20). 1
2 Samuel 12:20 20 So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. 4. The wise men came to Bethlehem to worship Jesus (Matt. 2:2) and when they found him, they "fell down and worshiped Him" (Matt. 2:11). Matthew 2:2 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." Matthew 2:11 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 5. John "fell at his feet to worship" the angel (Rev. 19:10; 22:8). Revelation 19:10 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me,"see that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 22:8 8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. The Bible clearly teaches that worship has a beginning point Matthew 8:2 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Matthew 9:18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live." Matthew 14:33 33 Then those [disciples] who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." Matthew 15:25 25 Then she [Canaanite woman] came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" Matthew 28:9 9 And as they [Mary M & other Mary] went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Matthew 28:17 (disciples) 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Mark 5:6 (man w/unclean spirit in county of Gadarenes) 6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. John 9:38 38 Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. Hebrews 11:21 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 2
and an ending point Luke 24:52 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and that worship does involve a time and place. John 12:20 20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Acts 8:27 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, Acts 24:11 11 because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. In light of this kind of evidence, from where does this "all-of-life-isworship" concept come? The proponents of this make a proof-text on Paul's statement: "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (Rom. 12:1, NASB; cf. ESV, NIV, NRSV). Other translations say "which is your reasonable service" (KJV, NKJV) or "which is your spiritual service (ASV). Although the original word translated "spiritual service of worship" (latreia) can refer to worship (Rom. 9:4; Heb. 9:1, 6), it more generally refers to service (John 16:2; Luke 1:74). Romans 9:4 4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; Hebrews 9:1 1 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. Hebrews 9:6 6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. John 16:2 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. Luke 1:74 74 To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, In fact, the verb form (latreuo) is contrasted with the usual word for "worship" (proskuneo) (Matt. 4:10; Luke 4:8; Rom. 1:25), suggesting a difference between the two. Matthew 4:10 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Luke 4:8 3
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Romans 1:25 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. This evidence indicates that while all of life is service, all of life is NOT worship. 4 WHAT IS BEHIND ALL-OF-LIFE-IS-WORSHIP CONCEPT? 1. Informality in worship period: Of the assembly in Troas (Acts 20:7), Mike Root says: "This 'first day of the week assembly was as unstructured and informal as an unplanned reunion of college friends" (Spilt Grape Juice, pp. 50-51). Who says so? Luke certainly doesn't say anything like that, and since Paul taught the same things in all the churches (1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17), there is every reason to believe that the assembly in Troas followed the principles of decorum that Paul taught the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 14:26-40). Acts 20:7 7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. 1 Corinthians 4:17 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. 1 Corinthians 7:17 17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 26 Order in Church Meetings How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church. 36 Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? 37 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. 39 Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues. 40 Let all things be done decently and in order. 2. Assemblies for their enjoyment: For the promoters of the all-oflife-is-worship concept, it's all about me (or to be as charitable as possible, it's primarily about me); it's not about God. Root says: "Encouragement is the glue that keeps us close, the rah-rah that keeps us going, and the hook that keeps us coming back for more. It's a drug we can't get enough of and a gift that we never tire of giving" (Spilt Grape Juice, p. 73). The New Testament teaches, however, that worship is not about me; it's all about God (Matt. 4:10; John 4:21-24; Rev. 14:6-7).
Matthew 4:10 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" John 4:21-24 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Revelation 14:6-7 6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people 7 saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water." 3. Eating together at the assembly: That sounds pretty innocent until you learn that this includes, in Root's theology, the eating of a common meal when Christians assemble. All of this despite the fact that Paul told the Corinthians, after they had turned the Lord's Supper into a common meal, to "eat at home" (1 Cor. 11:22, 34). 1 Corinthians 11:22 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you. 1 Corinthians 11:34 34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come. 5 4. An expanded role for women: With a touch of sarcasm, Root writes,... women can talk all they want before and after those magical opening and closing prayers, because being silent in the church is referring to the formal assembly. Five minutes before that opening prayer, the same women in the same building, sitting in the same seats, could comment, share, and edify others, simply because it was called "a Bible class," and everyone knows that's not the same as the formal worship. There is some sense of consistency in this; neither Bible classes nor formal worship are found in the New Testament, so we can make up the rules as we go (Unbroken Bread, p. 128). Root suggests that Paul's restrictions on women (1 Tim. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 14:34-35) were "just dealing with specific first century problems in Corinth and Ephesus" (Unbroken Bread, p. 180); but in the context Paul instructs men "everywhere" (1 Tim. 2:8) and his instructions for the Corinthians were the same "as in all the churches of the saints" (1 Cor. 14:33-34, ASV, ESV, NIV, NRSV). 1 Timothy 2:11-12 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church. 1 Timothy 2:8 8 Men and Women in the Church I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;
Others argue that these restrictions were based on first-century culture, and, therefore, have no application in twenty- first-century America; but Paul bases his restrictions on women on Creation (1 Cor. 11:7-9; 1 Tim. 2:13), the Fall (1 Tim. 2:14) and the Law (1 Cor. 14:34) three things that have absolutely nothing to do with culture. 1 Corinthians 11:7-9 7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. 1 Timothy 2:13-14 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. NKJV 1 Corinthians 14:34 34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. CLOSING False Teachers are trying to affect radical change in the church as we know it today. The all-of-life-is-worship concept is a step in that direction. This concept, however, lacks divine foundation and must to be rejected. {{AA lleessssoonn l frf room KKeevvi iinn KKaayy iinn i BBi iibbl lli iiccaal ll Innssi I iigg hht ttss,,, JJuul llyy 22000066,,, PPaaggee 1188- -1199 kkeevvi iinnsskkaayy@moouunneet tt...ccoom }} 6