Born Again Christian Worship Service Compared to Roman Catholic Mass
Some Roman Catholics wonder what's so different about Evangelical worship services. Some of them are laughing at how it's performed. An article from Homiletic and Pastoral Review titled "What Evangelicals Can Learn From Catholics" has these words about the Evangelical liturgical service:
The ideal Evangelical sermon not only teaches the meaning of the biblical text, it also applies that text to the real-world concerns that the members of the congregation face. Many pastors use expository preaching, which means the pastor will have a series of sermons on a single book of the Bible. Each week, the sermon explains another section of the book, verse by verse, so that by the end of the sermon series, the congregation has a good understanding of the main message of the book. Sadly, expository preaching is probably the biggest reason that Catholics leave the Church in favor of an Evangelical congregation. Ex-Catholics often say that they understood the Bible for the first time after regular attendance at an Evangelical church.
You may have noticed one glaring omission in the description of an Evangelical worship service: there is no mention of the Eucharist or Communion. That’s because the Eucharist is normally celebrated infrequently in a special service. In Evangelical theology, sacraments are only signs; they do not actually confer grace. Instead, Evangelicals believe that it is much more important for believers to be strongly grounded in scripture, than it is to celebrate any ritual. Thus, Evangelical churches have chosen to limit the time-consuming celebration of the sacrament in favor of longer sermons. In fact, when an Evangelical speaks about “being fed,” he is probably talking about the practical knowledge of Scripture that he is gaining by listening to the weekly sermon, not the reception of the Eucharist.
This is where the difference between the Roman Catholic and born again Christian worship service lies. For Evangelicals, sacraments don't save and it's biblical. Baptism and Lord's supper are sacraments but they can't save. The word sacrament means a sign or symbol of divine reality. Baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of the believer. That's why born again Christians insist on baptism by immersion whenever possible. The Lord's supper (or referred to as communion) is celebrated infrequently and is usually done during an evening service. It's because supper means an evening meal. Unfortunately, Roman Catholics have put the cart before the horse by making sacraments a mandate for salvation rather than for sanctification. Salvation precedes sanctification and not the other way around.
What does it mean to engage in expository preaching? Expository means to explain or describe something. It's all about exegesis or context. An exposition is a comprehensive explanation of an idea or theory. In this case, expository preaching is to comprehensively explain the ideas and theories of the Scriptures as the final authority. Sola Scriptura doesn't mean the Bible is the sole authority but the final authority which dictates the church's traditions. All the traditions of the Church must spring forth from the Scriptures whether it's the Old Testament canon or the apostolic writings. That's why verse by verse preaching accompanied by knowing the Hebrew and the Greek has become part of church tradition. It's all about rightly dividing the Word of God as Paul's instruction to Timothy (2 Timothy 2:15).
What does it mean to engage in expository preaching? Expository means to explain or describe something. It's all about exegesis or context. An exposition is a comprehensive explanation of an idea or theory. In this case, expository preaching is to comprehensively explain the ideas and theories of the Scriptures as the final authority. Sola Scriptura doesn't mean the Bible is the sole authority but the final authority which dictates the church's traditions. All the traditions of the Church must spring forth from the Scriptures whether it's the Old Testament canon or the apostolic writings. That's why verse by verse preaching accompanied by knowing the Hebrew and the Greek has become part of church tradition. It's all about rightly dividing the Word of God as Paul's instruction to Timothy (2 Timothy 2:15).
A series of lessons may feel difficult at first but it becomes easy to follow in the long run. It's because a good outline has been formed. It would help explain underlying texts especially those that are deemed very difficult to understand. The Bible can't be understood in one sitting. Not even reading the whole Bible cover-to-cover can get anyone to understand it in full. The Bible can be read by anyone, we're encouraged to study the Scriptures, and to meditate upon it (Joshua 1:8). The exhortation is to study or be diligent in 2 Timothy 2:15. Focusing on the Word of God first before rituals would be more beneficial than ritualism. The weekly sermon is more important than the focus of the Lord's supper. Also, almost every born again Christian service gives believer's baptism after every service for anyone who's just newly received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That's what it means to be biblically born again.
While I was a Roman Catholic - I never remembered having such sermons preached to in the Masses. Most of the sermons done by the priest were not even a series of lessons. Sure, there was Scripture reading during the mass but is it enough? I even wonder does the priest understands what he's reading? Sometimes, obvious truths are read yet the priest tends to explain it away. The Mass was more focused on responsorial psalms and repetitious prayers. It was more focused on the eucharistic rite than the message. It was more focused on this and that than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything was really too focused on ritualism than anything else. How often are responsorial psalms overshadowing the sermon? When there's a sermon, there's more tradition than focus on the Bible itself. No wonder Sola Scriptura is junked by every means necessary. It was more on religious rites than getting deep into the Word of God.
I'm glad some Roman Catholics are now getting curious. I'm glad that a crisis of faith has happened in the Roman Catholic institution. Sure, there are over five billion Roman Catholics but an estimate of one out of five Roman Catholics begin leaving for born again Christian churches. There are even former Roman Catholic priests and nuns who are now born again Christians. Inviting Roman Catholics to attend Sunday services in born again Christian churches is one step. Not all of them would be saved, some will never return, but it would be a good way to evangelize to them.
I'm glad some Roman Catholics are now getting curious. I'm glad that a crisis of faith has happened in the Roman Catholic institution. Sure, there are over five billion Roman Catholics but an estimate of one out of five Roman Catholics begin leaving for born again Christian churches. There are even former Roman Catholic priests and nuns who are now born again Christians. Inviting Roman Catholics to attend Sunday services in born again Christian churches is one step. Not all of them would be saved, some will never return, but it would be a good way to evangelize to them.