A long-debated biblical

The

As we conclude this study on a concise theology of worship, I contend that worship may be summed as a sacred dialogue. In a dialogue, one party must initiate and another respond. In the sacred dialogue of worship, God initiates and the church responds. Jesus assures his followers that he chose them; they did not choose him (John 15:16). Lest God’s people believe they possessed any ability to choose him, consider the words of Paul.

As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles (Rom 9:13-24)?

Worship is a right but only in Christ. In other words, God’s people, by nature, do not deserve the opportunity to approach the Lord in worship, but in Christ, the church may do so.

As worship is a dialogue, the church must take great care in ensuring active and right participation in the conversation that occurs between God and the church.  The dialogue persists in a communal and personal manner, through which the dialogue is also realized by God’s people. The sacred dialogue that is worship should be prioritized and ameliorated by the church as God’s people seek to attain right doxology.

The centrality of Christ in worship has been discussed to this point, but

Christ mediates the practice of worship in his ever-present work. Jesus

Additionally, Jesus works with the Holy Spirit to radically transform the

Believers should realize the great need all people have for the mercy of

An important element to consider in especially the planning of worship is

Content includes the material of the Christian worship gathering and the

Moreover, the purpose of worship (broadly speaking) is the glory of God so

Content and purpose are nonnegotiable. Style is the only negotiable element

When content, purpose, and style are intentionally contemplated, the

[1] In

[2] That

The sacred actions of worship are what comprise the totality of the

The sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist shall be examined here with

While the arts are not fundamental to Christian worship, they are surely

Authentic worship is a continuous outpouring of all that we are and can

Therefore, the arts in worship include a critical

This chapter will define art as it relates to Christian worship, answer the

[1]

Time and space are steadfastly linked to Christian worship because time and

Since God is not bound by time and space, he is infinitely worthy. For him

[1]

[2] There

The

Baptism is a call to die, for in God’s Kingdom, the one that

[1]

[2] The practice and mode of

In

1)     

2)     

3)     

Worship in the New Testament immensely contrasts worship in the Old

Since the early church, believers have met weekly on Sunday largely due to

Worship in the New Testament creates an improved situation for the people