Mattox, www.sxc.hu/photo/1170830

There are many different denominations of Christianity which all come with variances in practices of worship. This has to do with traditions. Traditions are perfectly acceptable in the church, even if they vary between churches, so long as they do not distract from or contradict the word of God. Regardless of traditions, there is only one way that a church should function. The modern church can only function in the same manner that the early church was directed to operate; however, it is not to operate in practice according to methods uncovered in extra-biblical texts or some other means. It is to operate under the instruction of God according to the words written by the Apostle Paul, namely: the responsibility of the Preacher (and Teacher), the qualifications of church leaders and the importance of orderly worship regardless of cultural revolution.

The Church can only function properly if it has sound teaching. According to Paul, a teacher of the word of God must be “without stain or reproach” (1 Tim. 6.14). This means that his life does not reflect a life of sin, but more than that, he also cannot be able to be accused of sin. For example, a preacher who regularly goes out to bars and clubs, can easily be accused of sin, even if he is somehow able to keep himself from sin in that environment. In order to be above reproach, it is not enough to keep yourself from sin, but you must “flee from these [sinful] things” (1 Tim 6.11). A teacher of the Word must consistently extricate himself from the practices of the culture and completely envelop himself in the Spirit and the word of God. John Piper says this:

We are outcasts. We are aliens and exiles in the world. Our citizenship is in Heaven and we wait with eager expectation for the Lord (Phil. 3:20). You cannot professionalize the love for His appearing without killing it. And it is being killed (2002).

Piper rightly suggests that the culturalization of preachers into the world is to simply make preaching a profession. A preacher is not a man who happens to be a preacher; on the contrary he is a preacher of God’s word who happens to be a man and as such should live as Paul says, “without stain or reproach” (1 Tim. 6.14). Macarthur says that the “man of God” characterized in first Timothy, chapter six (the expositor, the preacher, the teacher) must be “lifted above worldly aims and ambitions, and devoted singularly to God’s word” (2005).

There are very specific instructions listed in First Timothy regarding the qualifications of church leaders. “It is significant that in describing the qualifications for overseers, the apostle Paul focused on the character rather than the function of the elder” (2008). The qualifications, save for one, are all judgments of character, not ability. The overseer or elder must be above reproach, both in the Church and in the community, just as the preacher. Deacons are called to the same standard. The only characteristic required of a leader is specific to the overseer or elder. That is that he must be able to teach. This is not so much that he is required to teach, but that he must have a thorough understanding of God’s word and be able to communicate God’s word so that he can employ God’s word in Church processes. The overlying purpose for these requirements is simple. If one is called to be a leader of Christ’s church, then he must be able to show his ability to employ God’s word in his own life so that he is above reproach, and also he must be able to teach so that he will be able to employ God’s word in the functions of the church so that the church will be above reproach by following the elders’ leading. The prophet Hosea said, “Like people, like priests./I will punish both of them for their ways/and repay them for their deeds” (Hos. 4.9). The people (the church) will follow their leaders and if those leaders are acting outside of God’s word, they will be punished and so will the church that follows their leading. Paul was not concerned with the job or function of the elder, just that whatever his role is in the church, that he be performing that role in accordance with God’s word in order that the will of God would be done through the church.

Paul gives bi-level instructions on worship, instructions on worship and character of worship. In First Corinthians he gives instructions on how to worship: “hymn[s]… instruction… revelation… tongue[s]… interpretation” (1 Cor. 14.26). In First Timothy, Paul gives instructions on the character of worship. Prayer must be made for everyone so “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (2.1). We are to worship “without anger or disputing” (2.8). Women should be careful to “dress modestly” so that all can see their “good deeds” because this is “appropriate for women who profess to worship God” (2.9,10). Women should submit to the men for teaching, not because they are incapable of teaching, but simply because God designed it this way (2.11,12). These instructions are the heart in which the process given to the Corinthians should be accomplished. Robert Mohler Jr. writes,

We cannot buy in to the cherished myth of autonomous individualism, and we cannot compromise with a worldview based on the assumption that truth is relative or socially constructed…our first priority is to love God with heart and soul and mind…In the end, the culture will pass away. But our Lord has left us here for a reason—as His people we are to be salt and light in a dying world (2008).

In other words, we cannot compromise God’s standards on worship simply because of cultural influence. For example, in evangelical feminism the idea is that a woman is perfectly capable of ministering God’s word to anyone, including men. Evangelical feminism argues that women were not culturally accepted as leaders in the early days of the church (Grudem, 2006), but due to cultural revolution God’s word can now be compromised because men will actually listen to women. This is a ridiculous assumption. Women were no less capable in the early days of the church than they are now and, in fact, did take on leadership and teaching roles in many ancient religions, including Judaism (See Judges 4.4). God does not disallow women to teach men on grounds of ability, but on grounds of orderly worship. We are to worship God because of our love for Him and therefore submit to His instructions. This culture will pass away and a new one will arise. In the end, all worldly culture will be obsolete. In spite of the culture we are in, we are to be “salt” (a symbol of eternal salvation) and “light” (an illumination of the love of God), to the world, expressing the love of Jesus, the Christ to a dying people (Matt 5.13-16).

In order to adhere to God’s standards of worship and church function, the preacher must be above reproach and constantly saturated with the word of God so that the teaching he brings to the church is the accurate, unadulterated word of God. The elders and overseers must also be above reproach, in all ways applying the word of God to their lives so that the church can take their leading as an example for their own lives and that the church itself can be above reproach, proving Jesus as the messiah and not as a hypocrite. The practices of worship must be dealt with in care so that they are in all ways consistent with the heart and practice according to God’s standards. These things are not optional, a way to better the church, but are by design, the required process for the church. To do anything less is to defy God’s design for the church and His authority over it.

References
Grudem, Wayne (2006). Countering the Claims of Evangelical Feminism. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Multnomah Books.
MacArthur, John (2005). Preaching: How to Preach Biblicall.y Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc..
MacArthur, John (2008). The Masters Plan for the Church. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers.
Mohler Jr., R. Albert (2008). Culture Shift. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Multnomah Books.
Piper, John (2002). Brothers We Are Not Professionals. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers