What to Expect When You Visit
Perhaps you are one of the many people who have been introduced to Reformed Theology through the internet, radio or books. Your understanding of the Bible is increasingly Calvinistic. Yet you do not know what to expect when you visit a Reformed Church such as Redeemer OPC in Santa Maria.
We believe that the Word of God determines the shape of Christian Worship. Specifically we believe that “the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men… or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture” (WCF 21.1; cf. Deut 12:30-32). The Apostle Paul condemned creative worship as “self-made religion” (Col 2:23, lit. “will-worship”) and the author to the Hebrews commands us to “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29). There is, therefore, an acceptable pattern of worship which is guided above all by Biblical simplicity.
We find the basic outline for Christian worship early in the Book of Acts. The disciples “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).
To be devoted to the apostles teaching is to be devoted to the exposition of the Scriptures. Paul tells Timothy, “Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching… Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them” (1 Tim 4:13, 15). Our worship is centered on the proclamation of the Word of God. Our preaching is expository. In every sermon I seek to make clear the meaning and the application of a portion of Scripture. Yet expository preaching is not enough. The Pharisees were students of the Word and yet failed to see salvation through the Messiah as the central focus (John 5:39). Therefore “we preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1:23; 2:2), the one in whom all the promises of God are fulfilled (2 Cor 1:20). We do not proclaim ourselves, but rather we exalt “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor 4:4-5).
Another aspect of the ministry of the Word is the reading of the Law (such as Ex 20 or Matt 5-7), which expresses God’s will for our life. We usually accompany this with a confession of sin and assurance of pardon (Ne 8:1-12; 1 John 1:9). We also frequently confess our Holy Christian faith, once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3), using the words of the Apostles or Nicene Creed, which state the basics of the faith believed by all Christians throughout the world (1 Tim 6:12).
Singing is an important part of Christian worship (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16; 1 Cor 14:26; James 5:13). “Singing of psalms with grace in the heart” partially belongs to the ministry of the Word and partially to the ministry of prayer. Our songs are instructive and express a rich theology, for by them we sing the doctrine into our heart. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another, with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16). Our songs are also devotional and offered as prayers to God (James 5:13). Many of our songs are the Biblical Psalms set to meter.
We believe that church music should be primarily congregational. It is not a live music performance or a spiritual talent show performed for the entertainment of the audience. It consists of God’s people uniting together in song as one part of divine worship.
Another aspect of worship mentioned in Acts 2:42 is “the fellowship.” This actually doesn’t refer to having good conversation over coffee (we have great coffee BTW). It is a reference to the giving of Christian alms for the support of the church ministry and for those with special needs. If you are visiting our church, you are our guest. We preach the Gospel free of charge. Nor do we ever cease to preach the Gospel free of charge. All giving is strictly voluntary. At no point do we “twist arms” and pressure members to make financial pledges, for God desires that we give freely and cheerfully (2 Cor 9:7).
“The breaking of the bread” is short-hand for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Redeemer celebrates the Lord’s Supper once a month. Some Reformed churches celebrate it more frequently – even once a week. The table is open for visitors from other churches, but talk to the elders if you have any questions regarding who may participate (1 Cor 11:17-29). In addition to the Lord’s Supper we also celebrate Christian Baptism as often as we have opportunity.
Finally, in our Sunday worship service we devote time to prayer. We believe that this means more than having short prayers sprinkled throughout the service. Therefore, it is our practice to have a prayer that is fairly comprehensive (1 Tim 2:1-2). We believe that every Sunday is a “national day of prayer,” or rather a global day of prayer. We pray for the needs of our nation, our missionaries, our churches, our community and our local church members.
Our worship service ends with a benediction. In ancient Israel, God instructed the priests of to raise their hands and pronounce a benediction on the people. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (Num 6:22-27). When Jesus ascended into heaven he raised his hands and pronounced this blessing on his disciples (Luke 24:50). We have examples of Christian benedictions throughout the New Testament (2 Cor 13:14; Heb 13:20-21; Jude 24-25).
If you are considering a visit to Redeemer you may like to know that we dress casual (mostly). We have a Sunday school hour with separate classes for adults and children, but families come together for the worship service. We believe that it is beneficial for families to worship together as the Church of Jesus Christ.