Envision worship in heaven. We’d never imagine poorly attired cherubim and seraphim imbibing some drink while worshiping God, would we?  Nor any angel or host of angels responding to God in any type of lackadaisical manner.  Neither should we. We should come to God in worship with our humblest attitude, appropriately attired, not distracted with earthly needs, and not sharing his glory with any human being.  All who are present in our worship services should be overwhelmed by how we all are focused on the one true God and revere his majesty.

As a missionary to the Muslim world, I couldn’t be unimpressed with the reverence Muslims bring to their worship of Allah—standing, then on knees and touching their heads to the floor.  In Christendom there are different approaches to the practice of worship. For example, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches bring a visible reverence to worshipping God, kneeling, sitting, and standing according to the liturgy taking place.  Protestant churches, whether evangelical, reformed or progressive, traditionally show reverence in worship in their regular practice of sitting and standing.  Lately, there have been some changes in some of the latter; a casual, less reverent ambiance appears to be growing in some churches.
What are some trends of lapsing down reverence of worship to Almighty God?  One may have begun with clerics no longer wearing robes, which is neither right nor wrong. Yet it may have measurably diminished formality and authority (consider that judges wear robes as a sign of their authority). More formal or less formal attire doesn’t contradict Scripture—first century church leaders dressed as everyone else.  Israelite priests wore specific apparel as commanded in the Law.
Another is casual dress.  In the past, people attending worship dressed in their “Sunday best.” What people wore was intended to show respect for God; understandably, if we aren’t careful it could turn into making a fashion statement.  The result was that whether rich or poor, the manner of dressing appropriately to the occasion made all more equal in appearance.  It appears that in recent years our overall manner of dress has become more casual to the point that our clothing appears poorer with holes and such in them.  It may mean that the unintended consequence of dressing down may result in a lack of respect toward God as we worship him, in contrast to the Psalmist exhortation,  “Worship the Lord in holy attire” (Psalm 96: 9).
Can the approaches to worship over the centuries be called a  lapsing-down of worship? By “lapsing-down” is a way to describe a lapse of awe, reverence, and worship of Almighty God as our Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer and Judge. Our worship is to be directed to God alone.
Now the practice is to applaud or clap after musical performances or testimonies. Why may this be disconcerting?  Worship is to laud and honor God alone.  Scripture refers to clapping to God, which clapping while singing may be appropriate.  We don’t normally clap for the Scripture readings, prayers, or sermons, do we?  These parts of worship may be more appropriate to receive such affirmation, more than applauding human performances. Children can be taught to sing to the Lord to bring attention to Him and not to themselves. Worship and entertainment are not the same.
Another trend current in our modern worship is bringing drinks into the sanctuary.  Worship is not entertainment in a theater or a lecture in a classroom.  Worship is other worldly; it’s spiritual.  Sipping or drinking can be disrespectful in worship.  What’s next, eating in worship?  The time to eat and drink in worship is during the sacrament of Lord’s Supper.  There is a certain decorum expected at formal events such as a presidential address.  That is not the time or place to drink coffee or lemonade, which those attending don’t. Doesn’t God deserve better?  Our entering into God’s presence is a call to humility, awe, and reverence.
Dr. Carl R. Trueman recently wrote, “God is a consuming fire and to be approached with awe and reverence.”  Envision worship in heaven. We’d never imagine poorly attired cherubim and seraphim imbibing some drink while worshiping God, would we?  Nor any angel or host of angels responding to God in any type of lackadaisical manner.  Neither should we. We should come to God in worship with our humblest attitude, appropriately attired, not distracted with earthly needs, and not sharing his glory with any human being.  All who are present in our worship services should be overwhelmed by how we all are focused on the one true God and revere his majesty. Instead of lapsing in our worship, rather let us acclaim in our worship the glory He deserves:
“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, The Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come; Worthy are You, our Lord and our God to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4: 8, 11).
Helen Louise Herndon is a member of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. She is freelance writer and served as a missionary to the Arab/Muslim world in France and North Africa.
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If God never blessed us again, we could continue to praise Him for Who He is – God the Creator of heaven and earth, the Everlasting One, God Almighty, or Father of lights.  His character remains constant and always worthy of praise – holy, righteous, just, loving, patient, and merciful.

The Scriptures abound with plaudits of praise to God.  Praise is the essence of worship.  There can be no worship service without praise.  Whenever any people of God stray from Him, their patterns of worship change.  No longer is He the object of worship or adoration; rather they begin to worship, whether formally or informally, false gods.  The false gods could be idols carved in wood or stone or they could be ideologies or philosophies of life carved with words.  The result is God is no longer recognized for Who He is or what He does.
Throughout Church history, there have been doxologies (hymns of praise to God) written to help Christians verbalize their praises to God in song.  Best known to us is a translation of one written in the sixteenth century by Louis Bourgeois, “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow,” or “Old 100th.”  Louis Bourgeois was the master of choristers in Geneva and was primarily responsible for the musical portions in the Geneva Psalter.  My French hymnal is replete with hymns attributed to him.
Another well-known or favorite doxology is, “All Creatures of Our God and King.”  This doxology was written in the twelfth century by Francis of Assisi, founder of the Order of Little brothers or Friars Minor.  It is a beautiful example of a call to all creation, animate and inanimate, to render praise and glory to God.  If the “Hallelujah Chorus” causes us to rise to our feet, “All Creatures of Our God and King” ought to cause us to lift both head and hands in glory to God the Creator, the Eternal One.  It is truly worthy of memorization, freeing us from looking down at our hymnbooks in order to look up to our God!
Thanksgiving is the time of year when thoughts turn to considering our many blessings and expressing thankfulness to God for His bounteous acts of mercy and loving-kindness.  Surely a thankless heart is a cold, insensitive heart.  It is a heart that barely beats and where the pulse of spiritual life is undetected.  Each day affords each and every one of us many opportunities to be thankful to God, for His blessings are innumerable.  Praise encompasses thanksgiving, but thanksgiving is just a portion of praise.  Thanksgiving praises God for what He does or gives.  Praise goes beyond focusing on the acts of God to spotlighting His person and His character.
If God never blessed us again, we could continue to praise Him for Who He is – God the Creator of heaven and earth, the Everlasting One, God Almighty, or Father of lights.  His character remains constant and always worthy of praise – holy, righteous, just, loving, patient, and merciful.
This Thanksgiving Day many will know how to offer thanks, even if it is only for the table spread before them or for the family that is gathered together that day.  However, as Christians, let’s not just tally our thanks nor tarry at thanksgiving.  Let’s go beyond what the world can do because we know Him and Who He is.  Let’s pursue praise and devote our doxologies of praise to Him who is worthy of worship.
From time to time, we enjoy either singing or hearing a hymn with a descant.  The descant is a melody or counterpoint sung above the simple melody, usually by sopranos.  As the descant rises distinctively above the simple melody, so praise rises above simple thanksgiving.
“Now Thank We All Our God” may be a favorite American Thanksgiving hymn, but “Great is the Lord and Greatly to be Praised” is an age-old admonition.  Let’s not waste the centuries-proven talents of a Louis Bourgeois or a Francis of Assisi, as well as others like them.  Let’s join them and centuries of Christians in praising God for Who He is with our doxologies of praise!  May God be pleased as we all – soprano, alto, tenor, and bass – join together singing the indelible descant of praise.
Helen Louise Herndon is a member of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. She is freelance writer and served as a missionary to the Arab/Muslim world in France and North Africa.
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As believers, our final authority lies with scripture. The Bible itself is full of examples of people, saying to other people, that the Bible says their behaviour is troubling or needs correcting. That is the bread and butter of church discipline and, according to James, a matter of life and death (cf. James 5:20). 

The concept of abuse is floating around a lot at the moment. It is absolutely right that we recognise that there are pastors who abuse their sheep and, similarly, congregations who abuse their pastors. But it also bears saying that not everything that is called abuse is any such thing. Here are some things some people call abusive but are not.
When Someone in Authority Disagrees with You
This is just what it is. Disagreement is not abuse. Someone disagreeing with you who also happens to have some authority over you is also not abuse. You may go to your pastor and ask for something to happen that he does not think should happen. That is not abuse.
The fact is, people will disagree with each other. It may be over minor stuff, it may be over major stuff. But disagreement is not abuse. Disagreement is just disagreement. And disagreement will inevitably have consequences inasmuch as you presumably have to do something in line with whatever it is you are disagreeing about (either doing a thing or specifically not doing a thing). But to disagree and act in line with what is decided is not abusive.
Someone in Authority Not Doing What You Want
Similarly, just because somebody with authority or power does not do what you want does not make them abusive. I have written various book manuscripts. When it comes to the writer/publisher relationship, I am very much without power in that I cannot make a publisher take my book. All the power lies with the publisher. Hold onto your hats for this shocker, but not every manuscript I have written has been accepted by publishers when I sent them in. Some of them had the audacity to say they didn’t want my book (imagine that! The impertinence!) There is nothing abusive about them choosing to do what they are within their rights to do. Just because they didn’t do what I wanted does not mean they have abused me.
Similarly, you may want to do something in the church that your pastor, vicar or elders determine is not appropriate (for any number of reasons). That, similarly, is not abuse. There are any number of reasons why your suggestion might not be adopted. But just because they say ‘no’ to your idea does not mean they are abusively trying to control you. They are just not doing something that you would prefer they do. That is not abuse.

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