Author: David Ellis

Don: In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave some instruction regarding personal worship. He addressed three elements of worship common to all religions, everywhere and in all ages: Prayer, alms-giving, and fasting: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is…

Don: The concept of fatal worship was outlined by Paul, who contrasted it with true (or what we have been calling authentic) worship: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within…

Don: How can we know that our worship, corporate or individual, is authentic? We know from the story of Cain and Abel that true worship centers on God and his creative works while false worship centers on our own efforts. But, since God extended his grace to the murderer and false worshipper (Cain) anyway, does…

Don: What is the relationship between the senses and worship? A look at worship across time and cultures reveals great variability in the employment of the senses in worship. Some churches today display no pictures, flags, banners, flowers, posters, musical instruments; just a pulpit facing rows of sterile pews. Their colors are muted. There is,…

Jay: Does corporate worship get in the way of Big W Worship? Does it impede The Great Commission Jesus gave the disciples after his resurrection: [T]he eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke…

Jay: We seem still not to have resolved issues concerning “corporate” vs. personal worship and ritualized, doctrinaire “small-w worship” vs. non-time-bound and non-culture-bound “Big-W Worship.” Is big W Worship possible in a corporate setting? If so, could churches facilitate it? We ended last week with a mention of God’s “peculiar people”—something which is part of…

Don: The fundamental question we have been discussing is: Can God be seen through any lens other than the lens of culture? To get at the answer, we have tried to assess the effect of culture on worship. We’ve noted the animal tendency to herd and flock together, usually based upon fear. Humans band together…

Don: Culture is the set of the values, beliefs, ideas, customs, manual skills, arts, and traditions of a people, passed along to succeeding generations. Churches and families have cultures, just as whole societies do. These cultures exert a major influence on how and what we worship. Can, or should, culture and worship be separated? Four…

Don: Most people everywhere, at all times, of all faiths, worship. Most of us are natural-born worshippers. Mankind seems to have a compelling need to worship. It is likely that the most important factor influencing the object of our worship is the culture of our place of birth. We may change the objects and patterns…