Today, we are studying about the Worship of the church, and the many innovations in worship. It will be
impossible for us to notice all the innovations that have marred the worship of the Lord's church. For that reason, we
have selected three items of worship, and shall notice some of the innovations that have destroyed their original
beauty. They are: Music in the Church, the Lord's Supper, and The Teaching of the Word
In John 4:24 we read the following, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in
truth." All acceptable worship must come from a pure heart, whose motives are just and true. And all acceptable
worship must be offered according to the truth of God's Word. A failure to observe either renders the worship vain
and ineffective.
Music in the Church
A careful survey of the New Testament will reveal that only vocal music was used by early Christians in praising
God Such scriptures as the following bear this out: I Cor. 14:15, "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the
understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." Col. 3:16, "Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" Other passages could be offered as proof that early Christians
sang unaccompanied, but we deem these sufficient.
Whence came the instrumental music? The answer may be found in any good encyclopedia. The Roman
Catholics were the first to introduce the use of the organ into the worship of any body of people claiming to be
Christian. This was 670 years after Christ. It was introduced by Pope Vitilian I. When it threatened to cause division
in the Roman Catholic Church, it was removed to preserve unity. However, some eight hundred years after Christ,
the organ was reintroduced into the Roman church. The Greek church, however, rejected it. (American
Encyclopedia, Vol. XII, p. 688.)
The Lord's Supper
The simple primitive account of the Lord's Supper may be found in any of the following scriptures: Matt. 26:26-28;
Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20; and I Cor. 11:23-29. We do not have the space to read all of them here, but will give
Matt. 26:26-29, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the
disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say
unto you, I will not drink hence forth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
kingdom." This gives the account of the institution of the Supper by Matthew. From this the following may be seen:
1. Jesus took bread;
2. He blessed it and broke it;
3. Gave it to disciples and they ate;
4. He took a cup;
5. Gave thanks for it;
6. After drinking gave it to the disciples; and
7. They all drank from it.
But today we see a change in this pattern. Instead of each member of the congregation drinking from the same
cup, individual cups are used Whence came these? Again we must go to history for our answer. I quote, "Until near
the end of the nineteenth century the chalice, or cup was used in the distribution of the wine at the Lord's Supper. At
that time more attention began to be paid to hygiene, and the use of the common cup began to be unpopular with
the communicants. Rev. J. G. Thomas, who was both a minister and a physician, was the originator of the idea of
individual cups. From his medical practice he learned the uncleanness and danger of the common cup and felt that
the Lord's Supper could be made more attractive and beautiful by the use of individual cups. His first patent was
granted in March, 1894. The first individual cup service was held in a little Putnam County church in Ohio."
Sacrament of The Lord's Supper by Thomas H. Warner. So there is the authority for individual cups. This is where
they originated, in Ohio, not in Jerusalem, by a doctor, not by the Saviour. The use of one cup as opposed to more
than one is taught in the scriptures by example, command and necessary inference.
The following facts should abundantly prove this:
1. Christ took one cup.
"And he took the cup"…………..………………................................................Mt. 26:27
"And he took the cup" ………………………………..............................….Mk. 14:23
"likewise also the cup after supper" ………………………………......…….Lk. 22:20
"After the same manner also he took the cup" …………………….…....I Cor. 11:25
2. He gave thanks for one cup.
"And he took the cup, and gave thanks" ………………………….........….Mt. 26:27
"And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks"………………….....…Mk. 14:23
3. We give thanks for one cup.
"The cup of blessing which we bless" ……………………….…..I Cor. 10:16
4. Jesus gave one cup to His disciples.
"And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them"…….……….Mt. 26:27
"He gave it to them" ……………………….....................................…..Mk. 14:23
5. Jesus called the contents of the one cup His blood.
"This is my blood" ……………….…….…..........….Mt. 26:28
"This is my blood" …………………………............Mk. 14:24
6. Jesus commanded His assembled disciples to drink one cup.
"And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
Drink ye all of it" ………………………………............................................Mt. 26:27
Or, "Drink from it" ………………………………....................................(Goodspeed)
7. The disciples obeyed and all drank of one cup.
"And he took the cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and
they all drank of it"……………………………................................................Mk. 14:23
Or, they "all drank from it" or "they all drank out of it."
8. The communicants of an assembly are admonished to drink of one cup.
"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and
drink of that cup"……………………………................................................I Cor. 11 :28
From the above arguments it is evident that if I follow the Bible only, I will use only one cup, in the observance of
the Lord's Supper.
May God help us to restore the primitive beauty of the Lord's Supper by avoiding all human innovations.
The Teaching of the Word
How did the New Testament church teach the Word of God? Was it in an undivided assembly, or in segregated
classes? Did men only do the public teaching or did both men and women teach in the church? The answer to these
question are basic and important. Because of a misunderstanding of them, innovations have again entered the
church.
The pattern of public teaching in the New Testament scriptures is very plain, always one man to one audience.
This was the practice of Jesus while He was in the world. And it later became the practice of the church. The
following passages show this: 1 Cor. 11 :20, "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the
Lord's supper." This passage shows that it was the practice of the church to come together into one place. They
evidently did not segregate themselves into Bible classes or Sunday School Classes as many do today. Also 1 Cor.
14:23, "If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come
in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?" Again, we see the contemplated
practice of assembling in one place. Suffice it to say, not one case of the church dividing into classes for the
purpose of teaching can be cited in the entire New Testament. Can you find one?
What about women teachers? Let us go to the Bible for the answer 1 Cor. 14:34-35, "Let your women keep
silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience,
as also saith the law. And if they will iearn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for
women to speak in the church." Now someone is ready to say, "But that only applies to the wives of the prophets."
Well suppose it does, why must the wives of the prophets remain silent? Here is the answer: "For it is a shame for
women to speak in the church." Any woman, be she wife of a prophet or not. Again 1 TIm. 2:11-12, "Let the women
learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be
in silence." Why? "For Adam was first formed, then Eve."
But we ask, whence came these Bible classes or Sunday School? The answer: from man, where all innovations
originate. Robert Raikes is given credit for being the founder of modem Sunday Schools by many. The date was
Nov. 3, 1783, in England. You know as well as I do that 1783 is along time after 33 A.D. and England is a long way
from Jerusalem.
Notice the following chart:
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC INTRODUCED INTO WORSHIP…………658-666 A.D.
INDIVIDUAL CUPS ORIGINATED……………………………..….....MARCH, 1894
MODERN SUNDAY SCHOOL……………………….…….............................1783
I ask you, can any of the above three lay any claim to Bible authority, when they originated so recently? Are they
not all innovations? Certainly so. To reject one and accept the others is a mistake. If we are going to oppose
innovations, we must oppose them all. There is no middle ground. Will you not resolve today to return to the "old
paths" and to walk therein? Give up those things borrowed from sectarianism and return to "Thus saith the Lord."
Speak when the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent. Call Bible things by the Bible names and do Bible
things in Bible ways.
