Welcome Bro. Moss.
I know what you mean.
I often talk in my head, to God, and, about things I don't understand or just need to share with Him.Good or bad, He listens and I get the help I need.
My devotional time is lacking,and my prayer life is almost nill some days.

Worship can be remembering a sermon you heard, dwelling on a piece of scripture and digging into it in an attempt to wrest from it every shred of strength God has put into it, singing a song (hymn)[ notice it sounds like Him?]or praying in your head about someone or something i.e. the needs of a friend, the spiritual needs of others you know, or just plain getting to know Him better.

You don't have to be in church or on bended knee to worship.
Look at the Pharisee and the Publican.
Both stood and worshipped, but only the Publican had the right attitude.
So, attitude plays a part in it as well.
Do we come presumptiously?
Or do we come as the Publican?

My $0.02

Gerry

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Chose you this day whom you will serve,
as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15

[u]What is popular is not always right.
What is right is not always popular.[/u]

Gerry, what a wonderful description of worship you have given us! Thank you.

Markell, glad to see you here! I'm really curious to know what you would consider sufficient worship time?

I realize that each of us has differing opinions about worshipping, amount of time to be spent in worship, etc. Is quantity and quality of worship something you grow into as you grow in your spiritual life, or is the desire for worship straight from God Himself?

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Sarah Moss
*Prayer Changes Things!*

How often we worship should not be determined by anybody other than ourself. In other words, how often we worship or how we worship should come from our own heart, not from the heart of anybody else.

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In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

[This message has been edited by Daryl Fawcett (edited March 27, 2001).]

I have a question for you all.

Suppose that a certain number N of people meet together in an assembly E00* - sufficiently great in number, and sufficiently dignified in manner, to constitute a formal worship service on the Christian Sabbath (and the particular day is not the question concerning this case).

And in the course of the formal worship service, the pastor (hereinafter referred to as A) is divinely inspired as a prophet to preach a sermon whose content and exact wording as the result of immediate Divine Inspiration instead of forethought and planning like most sermons are, and A preaches and prophesies.

Then somewhere during the pastoral sermon, another adult male B, stands up, interrupts the sermon, and harangues the crowd, what would you think about B’s conduct? Do the rules God has given to preserve reverence for His stated hour of Public Congregational Worship on the Christian Sabbath permit B to behave like he just did? Or has B shown his irreverence for God by interrupting A's sermon?

Juan, is it necessary for brother B to "interrupt" pastor A in the middle of the message Jesus has commissioned him to proclaim? Or, would it be okay for brother B to raise his hand and obtain permission to share his message immediately then and there?

But most of the time, the pastor wouldn't even THINK about granting the brother B such a permission had B not been invested with such an extraordinary and miraculous spiritual gift. Why is that? Now to worldly carnal secular wisdom there may be no more harm in allowing B to raise his hand and obtain permission to share his message for the moment, just like is often done in secular worldly assemblies. But the formal worship service is the temple of the Lord! Every ultra-fundamentalist KNOWS that the peculiar dignity and sanctity of a formal worship service REQUIRES a higher standard of propriety and decorum. Oh sure, adult males may feel like they may have a worthwhile message to share with the rest of the congregation. But can't they always wait for a more suitable time? Remember, "wisdom is profitable to direct". The idea that brother B can raise his hand and obtain permission to share his message immediately then and there, is indeed the ONLY "legal" loophole men can muster in order to gain permission to interrupt the pastor's sermon. But since the peculiar dignity and sanctity of the formal worship service is the highest law and supreme necessity, and must have priority over all other considerations, are you really sure that it is advisable to make such provisions and loopholes in order to render the peculiar dignity and sanctity a thing to accomodate itself to any lesser considerations that may arise at the moment?

I agree that out of respect and the need for peaceful assembly people should not speak out, giving their own message, while the pastor is preaching.
We do give members opportunity to share and discuss Biblical themed subjects during the Sabbath School hour, but usually not during the main service when the Pastor usually presents his message without interruptions.

Yet, where in scripture does it say anything about this policy? Where in scripture does it say anything about a required ultra formal service with all this dignity and sanctity focused on one human?

I agree that there should be reverence -- as the church is a place where God meets with His people. But your remarks sound more like everyone is worshipping the speaker, rather than coming together to worship God.

No, I am not talking about worshipping the speaker. I am talking about the pastor as the official representative of God to the congregation. The dignity and sanctity has been invested in the WORSHIP SERVICE, not the person.

And it is this peculiar dignity and sanctity due to the FORMAL WORSHIP SERVICE that constitutes the highest law and supreme necessity at such occasions.

Under the precepts of the Old and New Testaments, the pastor is duly appointed to preach by virtue of the authority of his office. And I am not saying that the CONTENT of what he's preaching is authoritatively binding on the hearers just because of his office.

But what I am saying is that the ACTIVITY of preaching the sermon is an activity and a function that is assigned to him by virtue of the authority of his office.

I am glad to hear that you give members the opportunity to share their Biblical provable thoughts and opinions during the Sabbath School class and after the service is over, but usually not during the main service where the Pastor preaches the sermon without interruption.

And remember, in the formal worship service, we gather not only to WORSHIP God, but to HEAR the voice of God, not the OPINIONS or private interpretations of the hearers or the laity.

And the rest I will tell you when I have the time.

What if error is being preached?

Then I encourage all the laity to examine these things for themselves silently while showing all due respect for the pastor's office, obeying him in all things appertaining unto his lawful authority and not contrary to the Word of God expressly written.