Entertain Us?

Throughout churches of every variety, debates over how to worship God have raged through the centuries. Each major time period has witnessed shifts in worship practice and theology. For instance, on the historical scale, four-part harmony is still a relatively new practice.

Yet, questions continue to abound concerning how the "corporate worship assembly" should be conducted. From the singing, to the observance of the Lord's Supper, to things such as announcements, Christ-followers have argued over the "how to."

There is no question that every congregation must find ways to adhere to an unchanging message, while finding methods to communicate to a changing culture. This is where the problem resides.

My greatest fear is the fellowship of which I am a part will refuse to make concessions and in the process, my children will someday decide to leave. I don't believe they will leave the Lord, but I believe through their study of the Bible and their walk with the Lord, they may very well one day look at us and wonder why we were unwilling to "count the cost" in order to "make and grow disciples."

That is what makes the debate over "the public worship assembly" so critical. It is personal.

I am a fourth generation member of the Churches of Christ. This is where I have been my entire life. It is where my parents are. It is where my grandparents -- on both sides of the family -- were. It is where my great-grandparents were -- on both sides of the family.

The point is that my roots run deep. I am not some "fly-by-night-let's-change-everything-newbie." I grew up attending church services three times a week. I was raised on the Jule Miller filmstrips. I could quote the plan of salvation before I was in the second grade (and give the appropriate Bible verses). I was trained in Timothy Class. This is my home and it is all I have ever known. This is where I plan to stay.

So for the next several blogs, I want to spend some time discussing what we call the "corporate worship assembly." What guidelines does the Bible give us? What freedoms do we have? How should disagreements be handled? These are all questions I plan to explore.

One of the most popular critical remarks people make who do not like a particular congregation's worship assembly is that the leaders are attempting to entertain people. As is common in the English vernacular, we often use incorrect words in our remarks. For some reason we have attached entertainment as something being evil. As if entertainment is okay unless God is involved.

The word entertain means (from the American Heritage Dictionary): 1. To hold the attention of; amuse. 2. To extend hospitality toward. 3. To mull over; contemplate. 4. To hold in mind; harbor. 5. To continue with; maintain.
Interesting definitions.

Guess when we use the word "entertain" we are talking about far more than "amusement."