What is allowed in a worship service? What is not allowed in a worship service? There are generally two positions on the matter. Many would adhere to the Normative Principle. Others stick to the Regulative Princile.
Several years ago I firmly clung to the Normative Principle without knowing that there was even a title for such a belief. "Anything goes" was my motto, as long as it is not forbidden by Scripture and as long as it could reach people for Christ. Smoke machines, practical jokes, goofy games with prizes, drama, props, movie clips...you name it, I used it (if it was in the budget). In looking back I can clearly see that I was very consumed with trying to impress the unbeliever with our worship services. Their visiting us for the first time was like a consumer visiting the grand opening of a restaurant and we wanted great reviews. That an unbeliever would find our services appealing was probably the main factor in my clinging to the Normative Princple. I was not so much consumed with them being impressed by God, as I was consumed with them having a good time with us so that they would want to come back again. It was an appeal to the flesh that we were making while trying to reach them with spiritual truths. In retrospect I see how incredibly foolish this was. How can we call people to believe a solemn message from God's Word when silly antics are done right before the preaching of God's Word? Can you imagine the United States government putting on a circus show just before the President approached the podium to announce that war is upon us? How much more serious is the salvation and the coming judgment?
Yet there are churches and youth groups that allow just about anything (see video clip for an example) in their "worship" services because they are trying to be on the cutting edge or they are trying to be innovative. I submit that all they are doing is detracting from and clouding the message of God. We are neither called to be innovative or on the cutting edge. We are called to be faithful mouthpieces for God so that people can be redeemed and worship the Lord.
The Regulative Principle (as opposed to the Normative Principle) forbids anything not commanded in Scripture when it comes to our worship services. If you adhere to the Regulative Principle then there are basically five things we do in our worship services. We read the Word, sing the Word, pray the Word, preach the Word and see the Word in the sacraments. I don't imagine the Apostle Paul or the Lord Jesus would come blazing into a worship service on a motorcyle in order to impress and excite the crowd.
I know that we can retreat to all the data and polls that have been taken and say that the world has a short attention span and that we have to get creative in telling the message. My guess is that these same people can sit through an hour long explanation from a doctor detailing how sick they are and the necessary procedures that must take place for their health to be restored. I assume that the doctor is not taking into consideration their short attention spans by bringing in a circus elephant or clown. No, he knows that the seriousness of his message will keep their attention. Perhaps we pastors do not present the Word of God as serious as it is.
Shame on us for trying to use fleshly devices to entice people to God. Shame on us for turning the worship of God into some MTV style of presentation. The Lord God is specific on how He wants us to worship Him. The Old and New Testament are loaded with examples of how the Lord gets angry when worship is distorted from the parameters and instructions He sets forth. Where has the reverence gone? Where has submission to the Word gone when it comes to structuring our services? God is not the author of confusion or pandemonium. He desires order and truth in the worship of Him as our spirits adore Him. The Regulative Principle helps us to keep the main thing the main thing. And it is precisely this principle that would forbid us from reciting the pledge of allegiance in our worship services. It's not that we don't love our country, it's that worship is for God. Worship is not a time for nationalism or patriotism. It's a time to adore God as His Word reveals who He is and what He has done to glorify Himself in Christ.
"The Regulative Principle forbids anything not commanded by Scripture, whereas the Normative Principle allows anything not forbidden by Scripture." -- Mark Dever, The Deliberate Church
Several years ago I firmly clung to the Normative Principle without knowing that there was even a title for such a belief. "Anything goes" was my motto, as long as it is not forbidden by Scripture and as long as it could reach people for Christ. Smoke machines, practical jokes, goofy games with prizes, drama, props, movie clips...you name it, I used it (if it was in the budget). In looking back I can clearly see that I was very consumed with trying to impress the unbeliever with our worship services. Their visiting us for the first time was like a consumer visiting the grand opening of a restaurant and we wanted great reviews. That an unbeliever would find our services appealing was probably the main factor in my clinging to the Normative Princple. I was not so much consumed with them being impressed by God, as I was consumed with them having a good time with us so that they would want to come back again. It was an appeal to the flesh that we were making while trying to reach them with spiritual truths. In retrospect I see how incredibly foolish this was. How can we call people to believe a solemn message from God's Word when silly antics are done right before the preaching of God's Word? Can you imagine the United States government putting on a circus show just before the President approached the podium to announce that war is upon us? How much more serious is the salvation and the coming judgment?
Yet there are churches and youth groups that allow just about anything (see video clip for an example) in their "worship" services because they are trying to be on the cutting edge or they are trying to be innovative. I submit that all they are doing is detracting from and clouding the message of God. We are neither called to be innovative or on the cutting edge. We are called to be faithful mouthpieces for God so that people can be redeemed and worship the Lord.
The Regulative Principle (as opposed to the Normative Principle) forbids anything not commanded in Scripture when it comes to our worship services. If you adhere to the Regulative Principle then there are basically five things we do in our worship services. We read the Word, sing the Word, pray the Word, preach the Word and see the Word in the sacraments. I don't imagine the Apostle Paul or the Lord Jesus would come blazing into a worship service on a motorcyle in order to impress and excite the crowd.
I know that we can retreat to all the data and polls that have been taken and say that the world has a short attention span and that we have to get creative in telling the message. My guess is that these same people can sit through an hour long explanation from a doctor detailing how sick they are and the necessary procedures that must take place for their health to be restored. I assume that the doctor is not taking into consideration their short attention spans by bringing in a circus elephant or clown. No, he knows that the seriousness of his message will keep their attention. Perhaps we pastors do not present the Word of God as serious as it is.
Shame on us for trying to use fleshly devices to entice people to God. Shame on us for turning the worship of God into some MTV style of presentation. The Lord God is specific on how He wants us to worship Him. The Old and New Testament are loaded with examples of how the Lord gets angry when worship is distorted from the parameters and instructions He sets forth. Where has the reverence gone? Where has submission to the Word gone when it comes to structuring our services? God is not the author of confusion or pandemonium. He desires order and truth in the worship of Him as our spirits adore Him. The Regulative Principle helps us to keep the main thing the main thing. And it is precisely this principle that would forbid us from reciting the pledge of allegiance in our worship services. It's not that we don't love our country, it's that worship is for God. Worship is not a time for nationalism or patriotism. It's a time to adore God as His Word reveals who He is and what He has done to glorify Himself in Christ.
The Regulative Principle sounds stuffy and confined and legalistic. The Normative Principle sounds free and exciting and modern. But let we turn the worship of God into the worship of unbelievers, we best stick with the Regulative Principle. You can't go wrong when you read the Word, preach the Word, sing the Word, pray the Word and see the Word in the sacraments.
