12 The Fruit of Fearful Faith: Worship I have always found it instructive to realize and emphasize that worship is nowhere specifically defined in the Bible. Nor do we ever find a divinely ordained outline of worship in the Bible. We certainly do not find anything like church bulletins or a printed order of worship in Holy Writ. However, the way many churches view their form of worship as untouchable, you would think it came down from heaven with the Ten Commandments! In addition to this age-old tension in the church, we have the current debate and division over contemporary versus traditional worship. The younger people generally like informality and the more contemporary approach to worship. The older people prefer the more formal and traditional style of worship that they grew up with. Sadly, many churches are divided and will eventually split because of this different perspective of what authentic worship really is. But when you take time to read and study the Bible, you find a great latitude in worship. That’s also why you see and experience such a diverse expression of worship in the church worldwide. In church after church where I have the joy and privilege of worshiping in other countries, I experience everything from form to freedom. There are millions who wor-
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