Here in the Nashville area, there is a well-known saying that a hit country song consists of “three chords and the truth”. But, even the big-name artists don’t necessarily follow that rule — especially the “truth” part. Sadly, a lot of modern churches are in that same boat. That is why this church focuses on the “ancient” aspect. Modern churches are often adrift in a sea of “entertainment”, instead of being guided on the straight course of the Word of God.

The image featured for this post’s headline is a stillshot from a video that I just linked into the sidebar. In an orange box, it says, “If your church does this, then you need to run!” If you can’t tell whether you are at church or at a rock concert, then something is woefully wrong. If your pastor is trying to “please the world” by making church sound like the world, instead of trying to please God by making church sound “other-worldly”, then something is woefully wrong. If you need to wear earplugs because of the sound volume at church, then something is woefully wrong. (Ultra-loud music at church is not only hazardous to hearing, and the style often similar to the head-banging music of Bon Jovi, but also it has become the “golden calf” of those churches. The only way to break free of its grip is to “burn it with fire” and then “grind it to powder”.)

As with any worthwhile endeavor, it is not enough to be merely “against” something. The foundation of a worthwhile endeavor is to be “for” something. A big part of the foundation of AFSOC is to be “for” a return to reverent awe toward God. In pursuit of that, we look to the patterns appearing in Scripture and in early Church history. As is described on the About and Doctrine pages (see links in header), AFSOC looks to the ancient pattern of the worship and music of the Orthodox Church — minus the non-Scriptural parts, such as calling a priest “father” or prayers to the Virgin Mary — and moves toward the future.

Liturgy — counterfeit versus real

Every church has a liturgy of some sort — although modern churches don’t call it that. The word “liturgy” comes from a Greek term that means “the common work of the people”. In other words, a liturgy is something that Christian believers gather and do together. The early Church patterned their worship after the style of the Temple in Jerusalem. Given that the pattern was handed down to Moses from the mind of God Himself, there is no better way to please God than by singing to Him in the manner that He prescribed. The ancients preserved that pattern via oral tradition, and then around AD 330 it began to be written in early forms of musical notation. Over the centuries, prayers and the reading of Scripture have been combined with the singing of Psalms and other hymns. The combined result has been “codified” into what we were handed down as The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom. (His name means “golden mouth”, for his fiery and accurate preaching.) Although there are some less “formal” variations, the essence of that text is the basis for Orthodox worship worldwide. There have also been some modifications to it over the centuries. It is via some of those modifications that the non-Scriptural elements have crept into it.

Although far less formal, modern churches do have their own version of a liturgy. Most are “four songs, announcements, and a sermon”. Some modern pastors put the announcements at the very beginning. (Do they do that to “punish” people that arrive late, and thus those people miss out on some of the “life” of the congregation…??) While this pattern is a bit more pious than “three chords and the truth”, it is clearly less formal than the Orthodox Liturgy. And, for most modern churches, less formality seems to be the goal. But, is that truly Biblical??

The pattern in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus is very formal. And, it is God Himself that commands the formality. Make the tent this long, this wide, this high. Make it of only these materials. Make the priestly garments of these materials and in only these colors. Make the Ark of the Covenant, and the Altar of Sacrifice, and the Altar of Incense, and the Table of Showbread, etc. this long, and this wide, and this high, of only these materials, in this order, and according to this pattern. It becomes obvious that God not only desires, but also commands, that we engage in formal corporate worship. In an effort to get away from what they perceive as “dead rituals”, modern pastors have drifted to the point of head-banging music and people jumping up and down like a “rave” party. Wouldn’t it make more sense for those pastors to study what the rituals mean, and then use the good* ones in worship?? That’s what I did for almost 50 years before launching this church. (*The vast majority of the rituals are good, and the rest I have discarded.) In fact, failing to study the Bible and the meanings of things can lead a person into perdition and blasphemy. (If the author of that linked column had studied Psalm 141:2, or had been exposed to the corresponding Orthodox hymn, then his falling away could have been avoided.)

The above Scripture refers to an individual person that chooses to fall away from Jesus. (While it is true that Jesus said, “… no one can snatch them from My hand,” it remains true that a person can jump out. Read that again.) The larger question that this post addresses is when an entire church congregation or denomination chooses to fall away — usually because their pastor led them in the wrong direction. Jesus said that “a little yeast leavens the whole loaf”. So, when false doctrines and false practices creep in, then they must be eradicated — quickly and thoroughly. Such heresies include: “second baptism”, monism (the idea that everything contains the “God spark“, and therefore all gods are the same), “all love is the same” (i.e.: ignoring God’s condemnation of homosexuality), etc., etc. And, when we have watered down our definitions of God and His Laws, then watering down of His worship quickly follows.

So, is your current church/pastor trying to “please the world” by having a service that sounds like a rock concert and looks like a circus? Are you tired of leaving a service with your ears ringing for an hour after being exposed to 100-decibel noise? (By the way, that’s as loud as a chainsaw!) Have you felt “left out” because a bunch of other people went up front to jump around like the “cool kids” a rave party? Have you experienced the tug of the Holy Spirit upon your heart to look for a Bible basis for such activities, but can’t find one? Are you wondering what is actually Christian about “fancy costumes, big bands, and indoor fireworks”? Well then, relax, slow down, and come home to the Ancient Future Scriptural Online Church.