SBS | 1st Quarter of 2024 | CPAD Adults | Theme: THE BODY OF CHRIST - Origin, Nature and Mission of the Church in the World | Sunday Bible School | Lesson 11 - The Worship of the Christian Church Slides created by Celso Napoleon

1. March 17, 2024
Lesson 11
The Worship of the Christian Church

2. GOLDEN TEXT
“What will you do then, brothers? When you come
together, each one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has
a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let
everything be done for edification.” (1 Cor 14.26)

3. PRACTICAL TRUTH
Worship is a sublime way of expressing
ourselves in adoration, praise, gratitude and
total surrender to God.

4. DAILY READING
Monday - 1 Cor 11.27 The solemnity of the worship event
Tuesday - Ez 44.9 The sacredness of the worship event
Wednesday - Ps 48.1 Celebrating the greatness of God
Thursday - 1 Co 14.26 Worship must bring edification
Friday - 1 Tim 4.13 The Scriptures as the basis of true Christian
worship
Saturday - Eph 5.18-20 Praising God sincerely and with all your
heart

5. BIBLE READING IN CLASS
Ephesians 5.15-21
15 - Therefore be careful how you walk, not as fools, but as
wise,
16 - redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 - Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the
will of the Lord is.
18 - And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is
contention, but be filled with the Spirit,

6. 19 - speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your hearts to the Lord,
20 - always giving thanks for everything to our
God and Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ,
21 - subjecting yourselves to one another in the
fear of God.

7. INTRODUCTION
In this lesson we will study Christian worship from different
aspects, as we need to know its nature. Here, we will see that
worship is holy and, therefore, must be solemn. Thus, too, we
will show that the glorification of God and the edification of
the church are the sublime purposes of true Christian worship.
And, finally, we will show that every worship also has a ritual. In
the context of the Christian church, we will highlight the role of
the Bible and enthusiastic worship in Pentecostal dynamics.
KEYWORD: Worship

8. I - THE NATURE OF WORSHIP
1. Worship as service to God. In the Bible, occult is shown as a
service, that is, a life given and consecrated to God (Dt 6.13). On
a first level, it has to do with the attitude with which the Most
High is worshiped and, on a second level, with the way in which
one worships. Worship, therefore, expresses a combination of
obedience to the Word of God and the ritual form in which this
worship takes place. The book of Acts of the Apostles, for
example, shows worship in the context of Christian worship
(Acts 13.1-4). While Christians “served” the Lord, the Holy
Spirit commissioned the first missionaries da igreja.

9. Preacher's Library – The Early Years of the Early Christian Church

10. 2. Worship must be solemn. By “solemn” we refer to that which
brings respect and is majestic. This means that both the content and the
way of worship are important (Ecc 5.1; 1 Cor 11.27). Therefore,
worship cannot be devoid of meaning or carried out in any way
(Lev 10.1,2). It is no coincidence that the apostle Paul sets out
principles that regulated worship in the church of Corinth (1 Cor 12-
14). This makes it clear that there is an order to be observed in the
Christian liturgy. For this, we have in the Bible the parameter for the
good ordering of worship. For example, to the Corinthians, the apostle
highlighted the following: “But let everything be done decently and
in order” (1 Cor 14:40). In this text we have the Greek terms
euschémonós, translated as “decently” and “decorously”; and taxis,
translated as order. This leads us to understand, therefore, according to
the Bible, that worship needs to have decorum, decency and order.

11. 3. Worship is holy. The holiness of God is affirmed throughout the
Bible (Lev 11.44; Is 433; 1 Pet 1.15,16). Since God is holy (Lev 20:26),
worship must also be holy. In this way, nothing that was profane
should be part of the worship and life of those who practiced it in
the Old Testament (Ez 44.9; Am 5.21-27; Is 1.13). Thus, the limit
between the holy and the profane should be maintained (Ez 22.26;
44.23). On the other hand, the New Testament also highlights
Christian living in the sphere of worship, that is, a life in the service
of God (Rm 15.5). The church is the sacred space where worship
takes place (Acts 13.2). Just as in the Old Testament, Christian
worship must not be profaned (1 Cor 11.17,18). In this case, both
conduct and way of living are taken into account in the sphere of
worship (1 Cor 11.22).

12. The separation between the Holy and the Profane - Supper at Emmaus (Caravaggio, 1606)

13. SYNOPSIS I
Since worship is a form of service
to God, its practice requires
reverence, order and holiness.

14. II - THE PURPOSE OF WORSHIP
1. Glorify God. Worship is a celebration of God. We
celebrate the greatness of God and his mighty deeds (SI 48.1).
Thus worship is a celebration of who God is and what He
does (SI 103.1-5). In this aspect, the worship is always
Christocentric, never anthropocentric. Christ is the sphere or
place where true worship must take place (John 2:18-22; Mark
14:58). He is the only mediator between God and men (1 Tim
2.5) and the Eternal High Priest (Heb 2.17; 5.5,10). If God is
not celebrated, if He is not glorified, then worship has lost its
real meaning.

15. 2. When God is not worshiped. In fact, there are
worships that do not worship God. Paul rebuked the
Corinthians by stating that: “When you come
together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s
Supper” (1 Cor 11:20). It was as if he said: “what
you are celebrating is not the Supper”. It wasn't a
worship what they were doing. Not like that.
Unfortunately, there are many meetings that are
painted to look like a worship, but in fact, they are
not. They seem like profane meetings in both their
form and essence. They do not seek to glorify God.

16. 3. Build the church. One of the main purposes of worship
is to bring edification to the church. Thus, in the sphere of
worship, everything must seek edification (1 Cor 14.26). The
Greek verb oikodoméo, translated as “build,” occurs 40
times in the New Testament while the noun oikodomé,
translated as “building,” occurs 18 times. The meaning is of
something being built, as in the parable of the house built on
the rock (Mt 7.24,26; Lc 6.48). It is often used in the context
of worship. The clearest fact that one of the purposes of
worship is to bring edification to the church is revealed in
chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians.

17. In this chapter, the apostle disciplines the use of
gifts in the church because their use is not bringing
edification to the church. Thus, he who spoke
tongues in the sphere of public worship should
interpret so that the church could be edified (1
Cor 14:5). All other gifts should follow this
criterion (1 Cor 14:12). Likewise, ministerial gifts
(Eph 4:11) should contribute to “building up the
body of Christ” (Eph 4:12).

18. SYNOPSIS II
Although the target of the worship is God
and not the human being, a legitimately
Christocentric worship edifies the entire
church.

19. III - THE LITURGY OF WORSHIP
1. The exposition of the Bible. The Pentecostal Movement
has been committed to the authority of the Bible to govern all
belief, experience and practice. Thus, Pentecostals saw the need
to judge the merit of all teaching, spiritual manifestations, and
conduct in light of God's objective, revealed Word, the Bible.
This fact shows that the reading and exposition of the
Bible must occupy a primary place in the dynamics of the
liturgy of worship. In this aspect, the pastor who is in charge
of a church, and responsible for the liturgy of the service, must
be aware of the place that the Scriptures have in the service.

20. The Lord Jesus, our greatest example, made the
exposition of the Scriptures the basis of his ministry
(Luke 4:16-18). Writing about the liturgy of worship in
the church of Corinth, the apostle Paul placed
“doctrine”, “instruction” (Gr. didaché) as one of the needs
of the church (1 Cor 14:26). We find this same apostle,
together with his companion Barnabas, expounding and
teaching the Word of God (Acts 15:35). Likewise, the
apostle stayed in Corinth for a long time expounding the
Scriptures (Acts 18:11).

21. 2. Enthusiastic worship. Worship appears first in
the liturgy suggested by the apostle Paul to the
church in Corinth (1 Cor 14:26). The word
“psalm” used in this text translates from the Greek
psalmon and is a reference to the hymnal used by
the first Christians. It is possible that the apostle is
referring to the Psalms of David. There is no doubt
that worship in the Early Church was enthusiastic.
This is because Paul refers to Spirit-filled Christians
who gathered to worship (Eph 5:18-20).

22. 3. The place of worship in Pentecostal worship. A great
Pentecostal theologian, William W. Menzies, highlights the
place that worship has among Pentecostals. According to
him, from the beginning, Pentecostals were known
throughout the world for their joyful and noisy worship
meetings. This was seen in prayer meetings where everyone
present collectively and eloquently poured out their hearts
before God in prayer and praise. This also happens in the
raising of hands in response to the perception that God is
present. It is also part of the Pentecostal liturgy to praise
God loudly and exercise spiritual gifts during worship.

23. SYNOPSIS III
The Pentecostal worship follows the New
Testament liturgy model, with a fervent
expression of worship and primacy to the
teaching of the Word.

24. CONCLUSION
In this lesson, we saw the principles that should
govern a Christian worship. The worship cannot be
any form, as it has principles and norms to follow. As
God is a God of order, the worship that is given to
Him must also be ordered. However, orderly does not
mean cold and lifeless. Worship should be a moment
of celebration, joy and energized by the Holy Spirit.

25. REVIEWING THE CONTENT
1. How does the Bible show the worship of God?
In the Bible, worship is shown as a service, that
is, a life given and consecrated to God (Dt 6.13).
2. According to the Bible, what does worship
need to have?
According to the Bible, worship needs to have
decorum, decency and order.

26. 3. When does worship lose its meaning?
Worship loses its meaning when God is not celebrated, if he
is not glorified.
4. Besides glorifying God, what is the other purpose of
worship according to the lesson?
One of the main purposes of worship is to bring edification
to the church. Thus, in the sphere of worship, everything
must seek edification (1 Cor 14.26).
5. What commitment has the Pentecostal Movement made?
The Pentecostal Movement has been committed to the
authority of the Bible to govern all belief, experience and
practice.

27. REFERENCES
PREACHER'S LIBRARY. The early years of the early Church. [S. l.],
2023. Available in: https://bibliotecadopregador.com.br/wp-
content/uploads/2023/03/Os-primeiros-anos-da-igreja-crista-
primitiva.jpg.
CARAVAGGIO, M. A. Supper at Emmaus. [S. l.], 1606. Oil on canvas.
Available in: https://diariodorio.com/wp-
content/uploads/2019/08/Ceia-de-emaus.jpg.
CPAD. O CORPO DE CRISTO - Origem, Natureza e Missão da Igreja
no Mundo. Rio de Janeiro: Casa Publicadora das Assembleias de Deus
(CPAD), 2024. (Lições Bíblicas, Adultos CPAD).
SOCIEDADE BÍBLICA DO BRASIL (org.). Bíblia De Estudo Plenitude
Revista E Atualizada. Barueri, SP: SBB, 2005.

28. Slides created by Celso Napoleon
SBS | 1st Quarter of 2024 | CPAD Adults |
Theme: THE BODY OF CHRIST - Origin, Nature and
Mission of the Church in the World | Sunday Bible
School | Lesson 11 - The Worship of the Christian
Church

29. LESSONS:
Lesson 1- The Origin of the church
Lesson 2 - Biblical Images of the Church
Lesson 3 - The Nature of the Church
Lesson 4 - The Church and the Kingdom of God
Lesson 5 - The Mission of the Church of Christ
Lesson 6 - Church: Organism and Organization
Lesson 7 - The Ministry of the Church
Lesson 8 - Discipline in the Church
Lesson 9 - Baptism – The First Ordinance of the Church
Lesson 10 - The Lord's Supper – The Second Ordinance of the Church
Lesson 11 - The Worship of the Christian Church
Lesson 12 - The Role of Preaching in Worship
Lesson 13 - The Power of God in the Mission of the Church