WORSHIP IN THE WOODS

WORSHIP IN THE WOODS

            It is so quiet and peaceful walking through a wooded hillside all alone. The gentle breeze on a crisp autumn morning passes lightly over your cheeks. Birds can be heard sending lighthearted messages from one nest to another as others respond from distant locations deep within the forest. And if one pauses momentarily the majesty of the setting can be almost overwhelming. Certainly here a person can truly commune with God. Here, in the pristine solitude of nature surrounded by God’s creation and away from all of the busy-ness of man’s imagined progress, is the perfect setting for worshipping God. Worship in the woods, one man alone with God in nature, must surely please God more than a bunch of people sitting in a big man made building all together.

            It certainly seems logical. And I don’t doubt it has its place. But it is no substitute for corporate worship. It may be logical but logic can skew truth. Before one determines anything to be true or false one must first have a basis for truth. The Bible is the basis of truth for any real Christian. Before a believer can answer any question pertaining to life he must first seek the guidance of God’s Word. So then, what does the Bible say, if anything, about worship?

            The word for worship in various forms is found not less than 183 times in the Bible. So it is safe to say the Bible has much to say on the topic. When the sons of Zebedee and their mother came into the presence of Jesus they worshipped him (Matt. 20:20). This was a spontaneous act in a public place which I have no doubt all of us would do in similar circumstance. There is also the state of worship such as Lydia (Acts 16:14) is said to have, a condition of the heart that worships God at all times. That is not wrong either. But what most people refer to when suggesting they worship in the woods is a replacement of corporate worship.

            The Old Testament is replete with examples of organized worship. Worship which is defined by God with rules and regulations set down by God and taking place in congregational settings in compliance with God’s instruction. In John 4:20 we read “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus was being asked if they were to worship in the temple in Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem. Clearly they had all been worshipping in one or the other. But Jesus answers in John 4:23-24 and says, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (v.24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Many take this passage then and run with it suggesting that we may worship anytime, anywhere, and God will be happy with us. Certainly an attitude of worship should permeate the believer’s life. But it does not replace corporate worship.

            In the New Testament we have the beginning of what most now commonly call the Church. It is the body of believers in the period after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is generally thought to have begun in Acts chapter two. So let’s take a look at the meeting of believers from that time on.

            The first group of believers to meet together that we have record of were in a building and specifically in the “upper room” of that building (Acts 1:13). Later in Acts 2:46 we read, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house….” And, we see that they were meeting in the temple and in homes. Homes are mentioned again in Acts 10 as Peter preaches to those in Cornelius’ home. And again Colossians 4:15 and Philemon v.2 we see home churches. But what we never see is an encouragement to worship separately in nature.

In fact, all of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible are designed to be used to build up and encourage believers. No gift is ever given for personal use, it is for the church. And as the day of Christ’s return approaches Hebrew 10:25 tells us, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” It is imperative, in these last days especially, that we worship together and build each other up in the faith. This is not the time for the Church to disperse. We are one body designed to function as a unit (I Corinthians 12).

Worship in the woods, or on a river, or in your home is not wrong. But, as the Church we must worship together. It is imperative to the very life of the Church. We support and strengthen each other. So, it is especially important as the day of his appearing approaches.