Jeff Ling

One of the most profound views of worship that has shaped me over the years, first came via Ralph P. Martin in his book; “Worship in the Early Church.”  In conclusion concerning the factors that shaped worship in the early Church, Martin states:

“Christian worship, as a distinctive, indigenous thing, arose from the fusion, in the crucible of Christian experience, of the synagogue and the Upper Room…. The typical worship of the Church is to be found to this day in the union of the worship of the synagogue and the sacramental experience of the Upper Room; and that union dates from New Testament times.”

I have made the statement many times over the years when teaching on worship that the early disciples would not recognize most of what the contemporary church engages in as worship. For them, the core of worship was “word and table.” For the church today it’s “music and word” with the table thrown in periodically.

It’s why I’m a “three streamer” and will remain one.