By grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone
Theologians call the gathering of the church in heaven “triumphant” and the gathering of the church on earth “militant”—the label indicating her state; the congregation in heaven rests, the congregation on earth works. The division is descriptive but it can also confuse; leading some to think that our earthly worship is distinct, even separate from […]
Who’s changed? Not God. The word used to describe His attribute is immutability. It is why God is often compared to a rock: “He is the Rock…” sang Moses in Deuteronomy 32:4. If we miss Moses’ lyric and metaphor, God declares of Himself: “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6). If you want some […]
“We need to get back to the first century church.” How many times have you heard that? Their point being that the 21st century church has lost its purity, focus, and way. What is interesting is that many who say this are the very ones pressing for a progressive and ever-evolving Sunday morning worship. In […]
We spoke of the “three marks” last time. It is time to comment on the disappearance of the third and why such a discussion belongs in a series on worship. The third mark the 16th century reformers used to distinguish the true from the false church was the practice of church discipline; the true church […]
They called it the “marks of the church.” As a result of the 16th century Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church no longer was the only church in town. Questions arose: “What’s a true church?” “How do you recognize one?” “What’s the difference between a true church and a false one?” These were very good questions […]
We’ve been tiptoeing through the mine-field of Sunday morning worship and music. Have I stepped on any mines yet? I’m sure I have. But this is a discussion the church needs to have. “Cultural creep” is incessant and subtle; and when it comes to the most holy of all earthly exercises—the worship of the One […]
We need to sing psalms in worship (see previous blog, “Multi-versed for a Reason,” part 13). Some have even concluded that is all the people of God should sing on Sunday morning; our hymnal restricted to the 150 Psalms. A very strong case can be made, however, that the Bible does not limit us to […]
Is this fair? Most Sunday morning music sung today is catchy, entertaining, and likeable—a reflection of pop-culture. But generally speaking, it lacks content, depth, and musical complexity; it really is a Christianized version of pop-music. “So what?” someone may say. Well, does the Scripture tell us what to sing? It is hard (impossible?) to argue […]
The premise is that Sunday morning worship music should fit what we have gathered to do; to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords. So what kind of music does God like? Does He have a preference? Those two questions should be the kinds of questions we should be asking, don’t you think? […]
I know it’s potentially divisive, but we need to keep talking about worship music. Similar to food and art, music has a certain subjective quality to it; especially when it comes to style. Somebody likes jazz, someone else likes rap—and so on. And it’s in the car where we most often reveal our musical taste. […]
A few years back, a full-page ad was taken out in our local newspaper; a new church was starting across town. Here is what they promised would-be worshipers: “Clips from your favorite movies; Casual attire; Coffee to drink during the presentation; Contemporary music: rock or pop, by Ian McMurren and the Next Band; Most of […]
God speaks; we respond. Those four words describe biblical worship. But the guy in jeans and un-tucked cool shirt behind the plexiglas podium has been doing too much talking lately. The sanctuary has become his stage; he’s a talk-show host giving out life-tips to a sorry congregation serving as his audience. Sure, the Bible […]