What Kind of Worship Does Sovereign Grace Chapel Have?
In the African-American Church there are many styles and varieties when it comes to worship. We at SGC[1] hold to a Theocentric (God-centered), conservative, Reformed[2] tradition of worship. Worship is to be given to the Triune God alone[3] and is to be ordered by God Himself as revealed in the Bible[4]. Although cultural styles may vary among nations/people groups and Christian prudence (or common sense) may differ, but the overarching desire at SGC is to adhere strictly to the “whole counsel of God”.
We see that the Lord takes His own worship seriously to the point He struck dead two of His own priests for an offering which “He commanded them not” in Leviticus 10:1; and before we say that was under the Old Testament worship, we find a couple falling dead before the apostle because the offering was given under false pretense in Acts 5:1-11.
We find in the New Testament a fulfillment of a lot of the temple worship of old. We need no more daily sacrifices, for Christ is our final and completed sacrifice[5]; we have no need for a Jerusalem Temple, for true believers are the temple[6]; feasts like the Passover are not needed because they are fulfilled in Christ as He is the very Passover Lamb[7]; and the list could go on.
New Testament worship appears on the pages of Scripture as simple and yet deeply mystical[8]. We are called to pray, sing, read publicly the Bible, give monetarily, preach, etc. As the Bible is our standard of faith and worship, our prayers are Word-based (so we try), our hymns are Scriptural, our responsive readings are select quotations from the Bible, and our sermons are expositions of…you guessed it: the Holy Scriptures. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t worship the Bible; but we do focus our eyes upon the invisible, yet very real God of the Bible through whom we can worship acceptably through the mediation of His Son Jesus. Lord, may we learn at SGC to treasure Your worship times together and sense Your presence in our midst, to Whom be all the glory. Amen.
In the African-American Church there are many styles and varieties when it comes to worship. We at SGC[1] hold to a Theocentric (God-centered), conservative, Reformed[2] tradition of worship. Worship is to be given to the Triune God alone[3] and is to be ordered by God Himself as revealed in the Bible[4]. Although cultural styles may vary among nations/people groups and Christian prudence (or common sense) may differ, but the overarching desire at SGC is to adhere strictly to the “whole counsel of God”.
We see that the Lord takes His own worship seriously to the point He struck dead two of His own priests for an offering which “He commanded them not” in Leviticus 10:1; and before we say that was under the Old Testament worship, we find a couple falling dead before the apostle because the offering was given under false pretense in Acts 5:1-11.
We find in the New Testament a fulfillment of a lot of the temple worship of old. We need no more daily sacrifices, for Christ is our final and completed sacrifice[5]; we have no need for a Jerusalem Temple, for true believers are the temple[6]; feasts like the Passover are not needed because they are fulfilled in Christ as He is the very Passover Lamb[7]; and the list could go on.
New Testament worship appears on the pages of Scripture as simple and yet deeply mystical[8]. We are called to pray, sing, read publicly the Bible, give monetarily, preach, etc. As the Bible is our standard of faith and worship, our prayers are Word-based (so we try), our hymns are Scriptural, our responsive readings are select quotations from the Bible, and our sermons are expositions of…you guessed it: the Holy Scriptures. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t worship the Bible; but we do focus our eyes upon the invisible, yet very real God of the Bible through whom we can worship acceptably through the mediation of His Son Jesus. Lord, may we learn at SGC to treasure Your worship times together and sense Your presence in our midst, to Whom be all the glory. Amen.
[1] For ease of reading the author will use SGC to stand for Sovereign Grace Chapel
[2] Following the 16th century Protestant Reformation
[3] Matt. 4:9-10
[4] The Reformers and Puritans call this the Regulative Principle (see Gen. 4:1-5; Ex.20:4-6; Duet.4:2)
[5] Heb.7:27; 10:5,12
[6] Jn. 4:20-24; I Cor.5:19 (By the way the you here is plural: You all are the temple…); I Pet.2:5
[7] Jn. 1:29;I Cor.5:7
[8] The author is sure there is a better word to use, but he uses mystical as mysterious/spiritual and not as the Pentecostals would use to say anything goes in worship. See Matt.18:20; Jn.4:23-24; Ac.4:31; I Cor. 14:24-25 How is an unregenerate man able to say “God is in your mist” unless there is mystical meeting taking place among God’s worshiping people?
