PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH TO DETERMINE DIFFERENCES
I have suggested that everyone must worship God because we are commanded to worship
God. But, at the same time I have suggested people worship God differently. This chapter
discussed the basics for the various ways of expressing our worship of God. But even as we look
at the differences among worshippers, let us not forget the unifying core of all New Testament
worship, i.e. God.
It is not HOW we worship,
It is WHO we worship.
This section will focus on three discussions. First, we worship differently because of
cultural differences. God made ethnic-linguistic people groups differently and they will retain
their unique language and identity throughout eternity. Even though each group of people join
the rest of the body of Christ to worship God, each group will do it a little differently because
true worship must come from our inner-most being.
Second, we worship differently because we have different spiritual gifts. God has gifted
each believer with unique spiritual gifts to serve Him and the ministry of each spiritual gift will
develop a response in believers that is reflective of that gift, but different from the strengths of
ministries of others with different gifts. We are different people but united in the one body of
Christ. Our differences will contribute to the glory of God, when we worship from the strength
of who we are.
Third, we worship differently because we understand the commands and principles of
scripture differently and apply them differently. The developing discipline of Church Growth 1 is
built on identifying and teaching the principles of reaching lost people with the gospel and
building them up in their faith. This discipline makes a distinction between universal principles
(i.e. we must worship God) and methods (i.e. how to worship God). A proper understanding of
this discipline will help you understand why people worship differently, and why God accepts
each person who worships God with integrity, based on biblical principles.
I. GOD LOVES THE RACES
The Christian does not believe that the differences between the races, i.e. ethnic-linguistic
people groups, came from evolution. Paul established two truths in his sermon on Mars Hill.