Sunday Worship
Everything you do when you gather together should be done to edify the Church.
Key words
- The Lord’s Supper: a Christian ceremony based on Jesus' last meal with his disciples (communion)
The Lord’s Supper traces its roots to the Passover meal at the time of the Exodus.
- Usurp: to take control of a position of power, especially without having the right to do so
Local control is being usurped by central government.
- Mediator: a person who tries to end a disagreement by helping the two sides to talk about and agree on a solution
She has agreed to act as mediator and meet with them to try to resolve the dispute.
- Edify: to instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually
You must try to edify your children.
- Mandate: to give official permission for something to happen
Peace was made impossible by the rush to mandate war.
Read the article to find the answers
- What name was given to the temple in Jerusalem?
- What did the writer of Hebrews say the new sacrifice was?
- When did the definition of the word 'church' change?
- What does the New Testament mandate?
Sunday
Sunday was a day of rest and worship in Roman culture, known as 'the day of the sun' or 'dies solis' in Latin, but Constantine's Edict of Milan helped cement Sunday's status as a day of rest and worship for Christians throughout Britain.
The House of the Lord
The Jews, and others, thought that the early Christians did not have a religion, because they did not worship by offering sacrifices in a temple. The House of the Lord was the name given to the temple in Jerusalem where animals were sacrificed on an altar by priests as an act of worship. But Jesus said that there would no longer be ritual sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem. He said that the temple would be destroyed, and it was - in 70 A.D.
He also said,
"Someone greater than the temple is now here."
And Paul wrote,
"God does not dwell in temples made with hands."
The writer of Hebrews said that continually thanking God and doing good was the new sacrifice that had replaced the old animal sacrifices, but in the second century some Christians began to see the Lord's Supper as a sacrifice.
Worship
In the fourth century, the definition of church changed from a gathering of Christians to a building where sacrifices were made. After Emperor Constantine became a Christian, he made Sunday a day of rest, and began building holy temples - Houses of the Lord - where the priesthood wore sacred robes and acted as earthly gods, usurping the role of Jesus as mediator between God and man.
In the early days of Christianity, followers of Christ came together to build each other up spiritually. Paul urged all Christians to use their gifts and contribute to the edification of others. There was no sacred place or time for their meetings; the church was not a building.
Preaching
After His resurrection, Jesus appointed Paul to preach. Paul told the church in Rome that he deliberately did not preach the gospel to those who already knew Jesus. The early Christians didn't preach to each other; only a few who were skilled in evangelism were appointed to preach to those who didn't know about Jesus. The early church was not a place where one person preached to all the others. It was a gathering where those who already knew Jesus encouraged, strengthened, and edified one another. The New Testament doesn't mandate participation in rituals led by a hierarchy of clergy. It mandates that everyone be spiritually built up by everyone in a way that produces visible results.
This article is based on the work of Tom Wadsworth PhD
Discussion questions
- Do you have any questions about any of the vocabulary or grammar in this article?
- What are the most famous temples, churches or shrines in your country?
- What do they preach there?
- How do they worship there?
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