Take for instance, the heave offerings and wave offerings which were made to "lift up" God with the first fruits of the Hebrews, and to wave in a horizontal motion a peace offering to God before Passover, respectively. Those with little imagination should see the formation of a cross made when the heave and wave offerings were made. Lifting up Jesus is how anyone must be born again according to John 3:7, 14. Because the culmination of the Passover was the time of the crucifixion, the wave offering represents Jesus crucifixion, Being an offering of peace, it corresponds with Jesus purpose which is "on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). The wave offering is symbolic of spiritual peace which was Jesus's purpose for being born.
That symbology seems complex, but when the priests, patriarchs, and prophets were inspired by God, rituals painted a portrait of the coming Messiah. Can you even imagine continually doing those rituals without asking the priest to ask God, what's this all about?
Rituals were the "text books" for ancient Hebrews to learn about the Messiah. The Old Testaments purpose was to learn all about Jesus. When the apostles taught about Jesus, they used extant scripture, which included the Torah and the prophets. Many Jews made the connection; most did not. Only in later life did I!
Without using specific passages, the New Testament has few rituals. The Lord's Supper or Holy Communion is a ritual. It continues the Passover feast, only it is no longer a "feast" but a "remembrance" in that Christians are to eat at home because the Lord's Supper was not for them but for Jesus. Another ritual is the washing of feet for humility, and of course Baptism of which circumcision was symbolic, both in reality, symbolizing the cutting away of the old "flesh" of the heart. Some denominations have more rituals than that. Roman Catholicism has rituals for most all types of worship.
Because rituals were ordered by God, in evangelical churches they are call ordinances. In more mainstream churches they are sacraments because they consider ritual as providing divine grace. Of course in reformed church theology, works do not constitute grace, and what were once sacraments are ordinances since they are how Christians have grace for God, and not God to Christians.
Beyond the few ordinances in the New Testament, worshipers could worship fairly well as they pleased as long as it was in an orderly manner.
- Let all things be done decently and in order. (1 Cor 14:40)
- When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation.when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. (1 Cor 14:26)
- Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. (1 Cor 14:29-31)
- If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.(1 Cor 14:39)
- The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. (1 Cor 14:32)
Of course, there is much more in that chapter, but order in the church is what God wants. Satan is the author of chaos, but there must be some type of order without censoring the Holy Ghost.
Because one man was out of order at a Bowling Green Church, the deacons instituted rules of order: Before anyone could speak, what they had to say was to be written down, previewed by the deacons, and said at a specific time in the order of the service. That church effectively silenced the Spirit within the Church. The "prophets" mentioned above are not spiritual psychics but those who by discernment reveal the meaning of scripture since all prophetic revelation has already been prophesied. That church developed a new set of procedures (ritual) which I believed to be contrary to Corinthians Chapter fourteen.
On the other hand, some charismatic churches get so much out of order, that if anyone outside the church was to come in, it would seem to be an insane asylum to them. There must be order without too much ritual.
When I was a youth, I was a candle boy in my formal church. Even as I lit the candle, I thought, this is meaningless! I still don't even care for lighting candles for anything because it seems silly. For me, the candle adds nothing to prayer, honor, or memories. Those things come from the heart.
Habits develop because of repetition. At certain times in one evangelical church, people just begin drifting forward at the same time each service for prayer. I would not do that because it is too ritualistic for me. I would come forward if I was called, but do not because it is ritualistic.
I've always stood up, and even held my hands high in church, when I'm blessed. Now I don't. It has become ritualistic. When even one person stands up because of joy in the spirit, everyone feels as if they too must stand up. I want to lift up Christ with my arms sometimes, but don't want everyone else to fake it. Neither do I want to fake it when others are in the spirit. I stand up for Jesus, not because others do. Now I can't because others would feel obligated to stand up. That is the way of the Pharisees.
Of course, I believe all Christians should stand up for Christ, but not at a certain time nor for a specific cause. It should be when they feel the need to lift up Jesus. For some, they could stand up all the time, and for others, none of the time. Whenever anything is done, there should be some type of order but not just out of habitual repetition.
On the other hand, when church ritual is done - foot-washing, baptism, Holy Communion, it should be done orderly, seriously, and reverently. Everyone should be told the significance of what is going on, and lift up God by doing the ritual. Rituals are not a time for disorder but order, and there is a time for everything.
I do appreciate it when routine is lax within church. The order of music, preaching, praising, an alter calls should not be set timing. Anyone should feel free to make their praise offering to the Lord whenever or submit themselves to the Lord by coming forward, not when the pastor calls, but when the Lord beacons. Satan wants Christians to sit back and overcome the Lord until his call is long past. Churches into too much ritual stifle the Lord. He must be allowed to speak, and when He wants!
In summary, some type of order is necessary, but the Lord cannot remain silent. I would merely suggest that each parishioner evaluate how they worship, and feel free to deviate from things they do just because everyone else is doing it. Let me give one case of what I mean:
When I was a youth at church camp, I had never been exposed to altar calls. That's a ritual whereby coming forward to the altar or asking for prayer is for rebirth. The preacher said, "Anyone who wants to stay after the service for prayer, feel free to do so." I peeked; the person to my right raised his hand and I did as well, and I stayed for prayer. That night in service the pastor announced that I had been saved. I asked myself, "When?" The ritual for staying for prayer is not saving, and could even be dangerous. I could have went on thinking that I had been saved when I had not!
Why Christians do things is not obvious to those who do not know the rituals. Ironically, the very people who may need the Lord may not have the slightest idea why going forward can lead to regeneration. I submit that many Christians cannot explain regeneration or are as ignorant of "born again" as Nicodemus was when he asked Jesus, "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born" (John 3:4). Nowadays, few Christians even hear that they must be born again because, as one preacher told me, they might become confused!
Whatever we do we must do for the Lord, as heave and wave offerings were to Him. Too much ritual may hide God from newcomers. Too little order, may make Christians look crazy. We must explain why we do things and the meaning behind them.
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