Note: This is part 4 in a 5 part series. Here are the links for the previous articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. 

The Beauty of the Order of Service

The Inevitability of An Order of Service

If you've been coming to church for any length of time, you likely have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen and when. Maybe an opening song followed by a welcome. Then a few more songs, a Scripture reading, and the sermon, capped off with one more song and a closing prayer. 

We have one every Sunday... The order of service.

Every church on the planet has one. In fact, they are inevitable.

Why?

First, because God commands churches to gather regularly (Heb. 10:24-25). And second, because God has commanded us to sing (Col. 3:16), pray (1 Tim.3:15), read the Word (1 Tim. 4:13), and hear the Word preached (1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2) each time we do. Since we gather and are told what to do when we gather, that means we must decide what order in which to do them. Even the most charismatic, spontaneous church you can think of will have an order of service. Attend that church 2-3 Sundays in a row and I promise that you will be able to tell what that order is (even where in the service it is permissible to be spontaneous!).

Since an order of service is inevitable, I think it's wise for us to think through how to do it well to the glory of God. And at Five Points, our order of service has two aims: (1) To make clear the Gospel narrative, & (2) to disciple our members.

The Order of Service & The Gospel Narrative

What is the Gospel? It is the good news of what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. But let's get a little more specific than that. There are 4 key components of the Gospel: God, man, Christ, & response. We will use Isaiah 6:1-8 as our template for understanding each one.

Gospel Component #1: God. The starting point of the Gospel is a right understanding of who God is. In Isaiah 6, the prophet has a vision of the Lord. And here's what he sees:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isaiah 6:1-3)

Note, first of all, how the earthly king has died, yet the Lord -- the eternal One -- is still ruling and reigning on His throne. He has always been and will always be the Sovereign Ruler of the universe! Note also the refrain of the seraphim as they behold Him: That He is holy, holy, holy and He is glorious! The Gospel begins by having a high view of God. That He is perfect in all of His ways and majestic beyond all compare!

Gospel Component #2: Man. It's only when we have a right view of God that we will have a right view of ourselves. Listen to Isaiah's response upon beholding the beauty of the Lord:

And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5)

It is when we have a clear understanding of who God is that, like Isaiah, we will be able to see our own sin. And when we see our sin clearly, the appropriate response is to own it and confess it. 

Gospel Component #3: Christ. Now for the good news. When we own our sin, we are in the perfect position to receive God's forgiveness. But forgiveness always comes through atonement -- An action taken by God to put away our sin by dealing with our guilt.

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." (Isaiah 6:6-7)

Just as Isaiah's sin was atoned for, so today our sins are atoned for through the finished work of Christ. Through His death on the cross, Jesus absorbed the wrath we deserved for our sin so that our condemnation would be removed and we could be reconciled to God (Rom. 5:1-11; 8:1).

Gospel Component #4: Response. Once Isaiah's sin has been atoned for, notice how he then desires to move out on mission for the Lord:

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." (Isaiah 6:8)

In like manner, when our sins have been atoned for, the natural response is that we will desire to go back into the world to tell others about this glorious God! 

So what does this have to do with our order of service? Great question! Each Sunday we want our gatherings to flow according to these components of the Gospel narrative. Think of it as a way to remind ourselves of the Gospel each week.

We begin with reading a passage that reminds us of the granduer and majesty of God, followed by a song that does the same. Having reminded ourselves of who God is, we next move to a time of corporate confession of sin. Sometimes we may read a passage that highlights our sin, followed by a pastoral prayer. Other times, we may simply go into a time of quiet prayer, confessing our sin the Lord individually. The point is, each week we remember that we are sinners who stand in need of God's grace (1 John 1:9-10). 

While confession of sin is important, we can't stop there. We must also remember the assurance of pardon that we have in Christ. And this is why, once we have confessed our sin, we have a Scripture reading that points us to the sufficieny of Christ's finished work. And it's when we remember the Gospel and apply it to our hearts that we next celebrate it through songs that highlight His Person and work.

All of these portions of the service work together to prepare our hearts for the preaching of the Word. This is where we receive instruction on how to live in light of these glorious truths. We will usually follow this with another song that reinforces the truths we encountered, before we are sent back into the world with a closing benediction. 

In all of these ways, our order of service stands as a weekly reminder of the Gospel narrative. 

The Order of Service & Christian Discipleship

But this order not only reminds us of the Gospel narrative, it also models corporately how Christians should live individually. Think about it. In this service we look to God, confess our sin, remind ourselves of Christ's finished work for our sins, and then learn how to live in light of all of this as we are sent back into the world to bear witness to Christ. 

In the same way, this should be a daily rhythm for the believer. As we grow in our understanding of God's holiness and our own sinfulness, hopefully we will confess our sin and then remember that in Christ we have been pardoned from it's penalty. The sweetness of this assurance is what motivates us to then press on in making Christ known to our friends, neighbors, and co-workers. 

Each week, we want our order of service to model what is the nature of daily Christian discipleship. 

Leveraging The Order of Service For Gospel Transformation

Since having an order of service is inevitable, we think it is wise to leverage it for maximal spiritual benefit for our members (and guests). We believe the best way to do this is by having our order reflect the narrative of the Gospel and model what it looks like to follow Jesus. 

Let me hear from you! Have you ever thought about the significance of the order of service? How might the way we do things on Sunday be a help or hindrance to our own discipleship? 

Warmly,
Pastor Drew