Theology of the Church, Mentor's Guide, MG03

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T H E O L O G Y O F T H E C H U R C H

The Church at Worship

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Welcome in the strong name of Jesus Christ! After your reading, study, discussion, and application of the materials in this lesson, you will be able to:

Lesson Objectives

• Defend the idea that salvation comes by God’s grace alone and that human beings can in no way earn or deserve it.

• Recognize that worship is the proper response to the grace of God.

• Explain the difference between the terms “sacrament” and “ordinance” and describe the theological perspective that lies behind each term. • Understand the meaning of baptism and the Lord’s Supper and discuss the key differences in the way Christians think about their meaning. • Recite the primary purpose of the Church’s worship of God, to glorify God because of his solitary holiness, his infinite beauty, his incomparable glory, and his matchless works. • Articulate that the Church worships the Triune God through Jesus Christ. We worship Yahweh God alone, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. • Know and apply how the Church worships through praise and thanksgiving, through liturgy, which emphasizes the Word and the sacraments, and through our obedience and lifestyle as a covenant community.

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We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise

Devotion

Read Romans 12.1-2, Hebrews 13.15, and Habakkuk 3.17-19 . One of the most common ideas associated with the Old Testament form of worship was the idea of sacrifice. In general public worship, as was connected to the services in the temple, those who draw near to God were in every case to bring sacrifices, whether during ordinary times of worship, or especially at important events like the dedication of the temple. At this high moment, the blood of the animals flowed greatly as the worshipers expressed their thanksgiving to God for his great blessing in the

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