One thing clear about the Christian worship servicet is that the Bible is not clear on how it “ought” to be performed.  There are many different views but only the reformed and charismatic perspectives will be briefly portrayed and examined.  On one hand the reformed ideal for a worship service is guided by order and supported by a ritual of activities rich in the history of the Church.  On the other hand, the charismatic ideal for a worship service is an intense worship experience where there is an encounter with the Holy Spirit accompanied by signs and wonders and new and fresh experiences.  Both ideals have strengths and weaknesses.  However, if each camp merely pursues its’ own ideal then they are left with an immature and unbiblical expectation of how the worship service “ought” to be.  Therefore, further explanation is needed in order to flush out the benefits from these different ideals in order to serve these purposes.

The reformed ideal for a worship service is guided by order because God is a God of order.  Thus, the service is usually done with a type of ritual order that is made up by various parts.  One part of the service is corporate prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer and/or the corporate confession of sin.  It is also typical for creeds to be read such as the Apostle’s creed, which has been in the church for hundreds of years and sums up what a Christian ought to believe.  There is also typically a great veneration and respect for the Lord’s Supper, and this sacrament is taken more often in a reformed tradition than in a charismatic one.  This also includes someone sharing about what the Lord’s Supper symbolizes the benefits of grace it provides, and a warning to those who have unconfessed sin or are unbelievers not to partake of it lest they incur judgment upon themselves.  One of the most important parts of the worship service is the preaching of the word because this is where God’s word is preached for the edification of the body of Christ, and is where God’s sovereign will is manifested to his people.  Another part of the service is the singing of songs, but often there is a greater respect for historical hymns and songs such as the doxology than is given in a charismatic service.  At the end of the service a benediction or prayer of blessing is pronounced upon the congregation.  

It is important to note that the large idea that formulates the reformed perspective of a biblical service is God’s transcendence and thus his lofty and holy nature.  In short God is above his people and the world and in light of this, there is not an expectation for God’s Spirit to show up and change the service.  Indeed, this is why so much painstaking thought and effort is taken in order to plan the service in a manner that best edifies the body of Christ and glorifies God.   The service is very intentional and is planned and ordered because it is thought of as the godly thing to do.

In addition, when faced with the question ,”what a biblical worship service is supposed to look like,” the reformed camp does not merely gather from biblical support but heavily values and looks to history as well.  What did the early church services look like and what did the early church do? The Apostles Creed testifies to this reformed value.  Besides it educating the Christian on what they ought to believe, the Apostles Creed is a rich and historical part of the Church.  Thus, if the Church has spoken it for so many hundreds of years then the question is why not say it anymore? 

On the other hand, the charismatic ideal of a worship service is an intense encounter with the Holy Spirit accompanied by signs and wonders.  Though not typically as many as the reformed service, there are also different parts that make up the charismatic service.  One of these parts is an openness and expectation for the manifestation of spiritual gifts.  The charismatic camp longs to hear prophetic words every Sunday, to see healings, miracles, and even more extreme parts seek after signs such as gold dust.  Another part is the preaching of the word, but the ideal in the charismatic preaching is to have a fresh word from the Lord, and what is preached is supposed to be what the Spirit of God is leading the pastor to preach.  Singing is also an important part of the service and these songs are often newer songs that will be sung for a few years and then eventually become dull and then dismissed in light of newer  and fresher songs.  There is often great excitement, emotion, and affection shown in the singing of songs than in the reformed camp as these are highly valued in order to portray one’s love for God.   The sacraments are also given though usually not as often as the reformed church and usually in a more individual and emotive manner.  Yet, the best expectation for the service is for the Holy Spirit to fall in such power that there is no sermon given, no “ordered” service per se, but an encounter with the Holy Spirit in which He minister’s to his people.

It is important to note that what forms the charismatic perspective of the biblical worship service is the imminence of God, and thus his Spirit filling his people and being close to them.  This is why the people often cry out for God to pour out his Spirit in greater and greater heaviness, with cries to God for “more and more and more” of his Spirit. This type of service is seen as seeking after God for an intimate experience with his presence.

In addition, when faced with the question, “what a biblical service is supposed to look like,” the charismatic camp does not tend to look at history but at the present Church at large and who is being more successful.   For instance, there was a recent outpouring of God’s Spirit in Lakeland, FL and when charismatcis go to this type of service they then return home wanting the same type of experience at their church with an understanding that this “ought” to be a typical service.

One of the strengths of the reformed service is their intentional pursuit to form an ordered service, and thus careful attention is given to every detail for the edification of the church and the exaltation of God.  Thus, the sermon is carefully prepared in order to adequately preach the Scriptures, and because of this the sermon is clear and professional.  Whereas charismatics may try to preach off the cuff, which is often sloppy and more hype than edification.  Another strength in the reformed camp is their value of Church history.  Sadly, many Christians and charismatics in churches today look at the Apostles Creed or older hymns as boring and meaningless ritual.  However, this only reveals such a person’s ignorance and utter disrespect for the richness of Church history to guide the present Church on how to best obtain a biblical service.  If a reformed person knows the Apostles Creed then he can respond with what a Christian ought to believe, but if a charismatic person is asked what he ought to believe as a Christian then one will tend to get a plethora of different answers because they were never taught precisely what they ought to believe. 

One strength of the charismatic service is the manifestation of spiritual gifts for the edification of the body of Christ.  This is an important aspect of the service that must not be neglected, as much of the reformed camp does because of their false understanding that the New Testament gifts have ceased.  Another strength is the hunger and eager expectation for the presence of God, to which God will often respond with the pouring out of his Spirit on his people unto their edification and his exaltation.   However, too often this understanding that one must always be crying out for more of God’s Spirit often leads to a type of discontentment, which may be ungodly and not spiritual but fleshly.  This is revealed by many charismatics who are unhappy with their church and may even leave it because the church they attend doesn’t measure up to the revival they just came from.  Thus, in their pursuit of the presence of God they rightly hunger for God, but loose a godly contentment and understanding that the service is not primarily about their experience with God but about the edification of the body of Christ and exaltation of God.

In conclusion, the transcendence and imminence of God must be valued and kept in perspective.  The history of the church is not boring but rich, and what is new, fresh, and seemingly successful may not actually be what is needed for a biblical service that edifies the body and exalts God.  Intentional order must always be pursued but a healthy and eager pursuit of the Spirit of God and his gifts must be sought after.  In such a reformed charismatic balance is a more biblical service then if left to themselves.