Scriptures, our sole authority

As I reflect upon this semester, the thought that continues to appear in my mind is the importance of Sola Scriptura. Sure, I knew that the Bible was powerful and that we could apply it to all of our lives, but throughout the class, the matter of the regulative principle has greatly impressed on me the importance of Scripture alone, in worship, in prayer, in preaching, and all of life. God's Word alone has the power to change people. We must be daily devoted to studying His Word and enjoying Him in the process. Our focus should be on knowing and enjoying God rather than merely doing a good work or a duty. Glorifying God must be our sole passion and the only instruction on how to accomplish that is found in the Scriptures alone. So let us be a people who look to the Scriptures for instruction in every area of life. let us live Sola Scriptura.

Looking Back with Different Eyes

To obtain an accurate view of what I learned over the semester in this class, I surmise that I must not look back at my notes. I must not review the books. I must not reread the blog. Rather, I must think, without aid, about what has changed. For that which comes to mind now is most likely that which will come to mind years from now when I have forgotten the blog, the notes, and perhaps even the class.
So here I will begin. Entering this fast-closing semester, I was uncomfortable with drama, mega-church videos, and the like being used in corporate worship, but I could give no concrete reason for this discomfort. The discussion concerning the regulative principle contributed to my beliefs, providing foundation for an existing structure. The Word of God is the only infallible truth, and corporate worship is the body’s affirmation of that truth to its Head. Therefore, all of worship must be governed by that which God has commanded. As far as I can tell, that is the heart of the principle.
Let me be clear that I am not questioning the motives of those who rethink “how we do worship.” I’m sure some of them are attempting to honor God with their performances. However, that which distracts or detracts from the unchanging message of God, leaving behind theology for cultural, therapeutic appeasement, is wrong. Churches must sing to God, sing His character, sing His deeds, sing His Word. Logocentrism seems a lost cause today, but I know that the words of God will never pass away. The church is called to proclaim those words. Any other pursuit which causes this one to be neglected or minimized in any way is of no eternal value. No other gospel saves. No other gospel can glorify God.
The church does not exist for self-satisfaction or self-help. True, “there is great gain in godliness with contentment.” That’s real satisfaction. The cross, “my grace” God told Paul, is sufficient. No other help, from within yourself or without, can be of any help at all. Sola Scriptura. Soli Deo Gloria.

The means of our growth in grace.

During this semester in this class, I have witness how the book “Gospel Worship” has epoch in Jeremiah Burrough’s life and a superficial impact it has taken in my life this semester. This class has lived up to my expectations I had before the semester began. It has showed me the importance for having foundations in my worship of God and the issues that come with human opinions that do not line up with the Sovereignty of God. Thanking Christ Jesus for giving you to us Doc.

The greatest gift we can receive from God besides His Salvation is prayer. Christ came as prophet like Moses (Deu. 18:18), crucified as the Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7-8), ascended unto the Father after his death, burial and resurrection on the behalf of his elect as our high priest like Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 4:14) who is now seated at the right hand of the Father (Col. 3:1) as our King of Kings like David (Ps. 29:10; Lk. 23:2; Is. 23:1; Acts 2:24-36).
Burrough’s thoughts on prayer were higher than humanistic thoughts they were spiritual thoughts, which God commanded us to do (Col. 3:2). Burrough’s said “God expects that we should have our thoughts, will, and affections, our whole soul acting upon Him in duty of prayer, or else we do not pray to God as unto a God” (pp.281). This statement took me back to when I read “The Sovereignty of God” by A.W. Pink. Pink said,

“Prayer redounds to God’s glory, for in prayer we do acknowledge our dependency upon Him. When we humbly supplicate the Divine Being we cast ourselves upon His power and mercy. In seeking blessings from God we own that He is the Author and Fountain of every good and perfect gift. That prayer brings glory to God is further seen from the fact that prayer calls faith into exercise, and nothing from us is so honoring and pleasing to Him as the confidence of our hearts. Prayer is appointed by God for our spiritual blessings, as a means for our growth in grace. When we seek to learn the design of prayer, this should ever occupy us before we regard prayer as a means for obtaining the supply of our need. Prayer is designed by God for our humbling.”

Burrough’s and A.W. Pink both comprehended the Sovereignty of God on prayer. We are designed for prayer because that is true worship and it cause the Believer to be humbling to God. This class will be forever itched upon my mind for true desire of Sanctifying God’s Name when I come nigh to Him.

Concerning the Matter of Prayer...and Foundations and Issues of Worship.

Among the many things I have learned this semester in Foundations and Issues of Worship, one of the greatest is concerning the matter of prayer. I've always desired a more consistent and meaningful prayer life. My grandfather told me once that it's something you will spend the rest of your life making efforts to improve. In all honesty, I never fully understood what prayer is and how to pray until the last year, but it was Jeremiah Burrough's chapter on prayer that God used to kindle a greater desire and motivation to improve.

At the beginning of the chapter, Burroughs declared that we must live in continual dependence on God and pray continually. "That soul that every day and hour is sensible of the infinite dependence it has upon God for its present and eternal estate will be fit for prayer." I believe one of the greatest struggles of living in a prosperous culture like ours is that we don't need to depend on God for everything - or at least we don't think we need to. The problem I've found myself facing is that I will go through an entire day without ever entertaining thoughts of God's Word and how it should change the way I think and live. Since my time in this chapter, I've made changes in my schedule to accomodate Scripture meditation and prayer throughout the day. I hope to continue growing in a continual dependence on God.

At a later point in the chapter, Burroughs says, "Take this one note with you: all those dreadful, vile, unclean, covetous thoughts of yours in prayer have been to God as if you had spoken them in words." He stated that a godly man's prayer life is like a spaniel that "is running from his master, yet, if he gives him a call, he is able to call the spaniel to him immediately." I am a distracted prayer. Rare is the time that I will be fully focused in my personal prayers or even the public prayers of others. Vain thoughts and lusts pervade my mind constantly. Concerning this, I have made changes in the my understanding of prayer which has changed the disposition of my heart during prayer times. Along with this I simply begin my prayers by asking for God's help.

God has used this class to change me as a person and change the way I understand corporate worship. I'm thankful for Doc, for great authors and teachers, for Puritans, and for the Bible. Although God is continuing to grow my prayer life, I have learned many other things as well. Thank you, Doc, for your willingness to teach what God has taught you and introduce us to great men of the faith.

Burrough's Exemplary View of God

Throughout the duration of this class I have not ceased to be impressed with the writings of Jeremiah Burroughs. His appeal is broad, his heart warm with love and devotion, and his thoughts obviously enraptured with the excellency and greatness of God. It is particularly on this last point that I have learned much from his book, Gospel Worship.

In these days of prevailing man-centeredness and lack of reverence for God, I found the view of God that he presents through his writing to be quite refreshing and immensely convicting. It is clear when he expounds on proper worship of God that he highly esteems and reveres God. While some of our fellow Christians today are telling us that we can be inventive and creative in the ways that we approach God in his worship, Burroughs stands at hand bearing the reminder of Nadab and Abihu: “I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me”.

In particular, his section on prayer was of great use to me. When he states that “God expects that we should have our thoughts, will, and affections, our whole soul acting upon Him in the duty of prayer, or else we do not pray to God as unto a God”, I am chastened and humbled to realize how far my fear and reverence of God are from where they ought to be. Burrough’s constant display of honor and fear for our infinitely holy God is one that I hope to learn much from as I grow in my understanding of where I stand before God as a redeemed, justified sinner.

Text By Francis Scott Key

Lord, with glowing heart I’d praise Thee
For the bliss Thy love bestows
For the pardoning grace that saves me
And the peace that from it flows
Help O God, my weak endeavor
This dull soul to rapture raise
Thou must light the flame, or never
Can my love be warmed to praise

Praise, my soul, the God that sought thee
Wretched wanderer, far astray
Found thee lost, and kindly brought thee
From the paths of death away
Praise, with love’s devoutest feeling
Him who saw thy guilt-born fear
And, the light of hope revealing
Bade the bloodstained cross appear

Praise thy Savior God that drew thee
To that cross, new life to give,
Held a blood sealed pardon to thee,
Bade thee look to Him and live.
Praise the grace whose threats alarmed thee,
Roused thee from thy fatal ease;
Praise the grace whose promise warmed thee,
Praise the grace that whispered peace.

Lord, this bosom’s ardent feeling
Vainly would my lips express.
Low before Thy footstool kneeling,
Deign Thy suppliant’s prayer to bless:
Let Thy grace, my soul’s chief treasure,
Love’s pure flame within me raise;
And, since words can never measure,
Let my life show forth Thy praise.

OK, I'll kick the dead horse

"First, there must be inward dispositions answerable to the expressions. For instance, when I come to express the greatness of the majesty of God, then I must have an inward disposition suitable to this expression. I must have a fear and reverence of the infinite majesty of God" (GW pg 929).
And when I come to express the matchless graces and mercies of God, new every morning, then I must do so coming with a humility and thankfulness required by the awareness of such Heaven-sent gifts to such a one as I.
We have spoken much of proportionate affections to the level and greatness of truth being experienced. This once again puts that forward.
Additionally, I was convicted because of the intentionality represented in this statement. Burroughs says "when I come to", meaning when the purpose of my prayer is specifically to.... He gives a 'for instance' which I take to mean that there are other 'for instances' that he could have used. How little I come to prayer with such intentionality and specificity. I may find that focus midway through a prayer. But I felt challenged just now by Burroughs to come to prayer more often, much more often with the attributes and character, nature, person, and works of God in mind to bring to Him in worshipful prayer.
With this put into practice, and the proportionate response level, how could I not then practice what Burroughs spoke of on pg 295 when he discussed fervency? With accurate truth about God at the forefront of my mind and tongue in prayer, the honey will certainly be to hot to entertain any unwelcome flies, thus helping me to keep my prayers both pure and passionate.

Rethinking Church?

A received a helpful reminder from David Wells as I neared the end of "The Courage to Be Protestant" this last week. In his chapter on the church he discusses the idea of "rethinking the church". Many church leaders of our day have thought it judicious, in light of the changing culture and its new perceived needs, to rethink how we "do" church. Viewing the church as a business, or a product to be marketed and sold, they see the necessity to ensure that the church does not become irrelevant or out of touch with what people are seeking, but rather to stay on top of things to make sure their product is going to maintain a high level of appeal.

These people have forgotten (at least) one thing: The Church is not theirs to "rethink". As Wells reminds us, the Church is God's. Rather than "seizing sovereignty" in regards to what our churches should be doing, we are to realize the truth that "Christ not only instituted the church (Matt. 16:18), but God has given us the blueprint for its life in Scripture" (Wells, 223). He determines its purpose and how it is to be accomplished.

Yet, as Burroughs helped us understand, while the elements of church are determined by God and are not to be altered, the circumstances (physical components connected with and subservient to the elements) are subject to change depending on a host of variable cultural and social factors. We can rethink, say, whether we want to to observe the the Lord's Table monthly, weekly, or quarterly, but we cannot rethink whether we will in fact observe the Lord's Table at all. That is a non-negotiable issue because it is a clear part of God's blueprint for the church.

Wells further points out that if any rethinking needs to be done, it is probably rethinking our thoughts about the church that needs to happen. Indeed, if we have problems with following the direction of God's Word in running the church, it is certainly a problem of our own. If we do not see God's blueprint for the church as a good or effective and see our own plans as superior, we really need to grow up and relinquish the sovereignty over God's institution that we have claimed for our own.

A Great Experience in Canadia!

I had a great experience this past Sunday. During Thanksgiving break, I was able to go to Nova Scotia where I attended a little country church of about 40-50 people. The service was phenomenal! Although I can't say much for the music :), the pastor (and I forget his name) was a great man who really cared for his flock and had a real desire to teach them. During the song time, he taught his congregation deep truths that were a part of the song texts. His sermon was filled with Scripture and theological truth but practical and easy for the country-folk to understand. Before the sermon, he had all the children sit around him and he taught them a short lesson from the Bible and made it practical for them. After the sermon, he addressed a serious issue that had been taking place in the church. He confronted his congregation on the sinful way they had dealt with it and showed them a more Christlike way of handling the situation and then had us break up and pray for the people involved. Overall, the service was filled with truth made easy to understand from a guy who loves people and is passionate about God's Word. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this experience. I hope one day I'll have the privilege of serving alongside a brother like that in ministry.

At the Lords table: sacrament or sacraments?

I have one fairly simple question that has been raised by Burroughs' writing. This isn't a great propositional truth, nor is it a deep philosophical thought. It is merely my statement that have been challenged to think about the prospect that the elements of the Lord's table may be distinct of themselves, separate, and still the essence of what the ordinance as a whole stands for. Now perhaps the fault lies with my own misunderstanding.
Burroughs speaks much of partaking of all of the sacraments. On page 233 he posits the idea that one could be allowed the bread and disallowed the wine. (Or, perhaps vice verse?) Is it possible to separate the two? For the wine, being the blood of Christ, by which there is remission of sins, cleanses me, and the bread, the body of Christ, becomes my righteousness. What is one without the other. At this point my thoughts become scattered and jumbled. I will think upon this more and perhaps set down another formal thought, but for now, am I on to something, or guilty of misunderstanding or perhaps over criticizing?

Am i confused, thelogically mistaken or both?

Reading through on the Lord's offering in Burroughs, discussing it with friends, and also just hearing it preached from the pulpit. I think i am at some points completely in agreement, and others i find myself standing alone. I love how Burroughs talks through the section on examine ourselves, how he can only go as far to keep himself clean. But im getting bogged down in theology of how grace, as it pertains to edification, is related to communion or even how that same grace correlates with the Christian life, or even biblical examples of it. I understand that all i do that is good before God is the power of God being used through me, and inso it is "not i, but Christ". So i suppose the question that would help me in understanding would be, where in the scripture can we find progressive edification and where does it relate to communion?

Love in Reform

Let a couple of observations serve as introduction. First, the practice of how we “do church” needs to reform; a more biblically faithful approach must be taken. Second, doing that will necessarily require thought and may prove intensely difficult.

Employing necessary changes (those prescribed by God’s Word) into the local church will require wisdom and patience, stretching one’s mental and emotional fortitude. Those terms may seem slightly harsh at first (to be frank, they still do to me at times), but I’m not convinced they are. I can envision the “theologian” leaving his training and entering a church ready to change that church into his new perceived (or conceived) ideal. Without the aforementioned qualities (wisdom and patience and the like), this situation will hardly turn out directly edifying or glorifying. If the “reformer” does not have the prudence and patience to introduce the more biblical practices at an opportune time in an opportune way, then people (the essence of the body) will be hurt and the church will be further wounded rather than healed. I realize that sometimes a scold is necessary, but I realize this is necessary sometimes. Rebuke for persistent, blatant sin is a biblical concept, but corporately gathering and interacting unbiblically perhaps fueled by nothing more than tradition and lack of information is hardly persistent, blatant (presumptuous) sin.

The point is this: when introducing reforms, truths new or unknown to the local church, into the local church, care must be taken. Yes, truth is important. Doctrine is invaluable. Orthodoxy should irresistibly lead to orthopraxy. But we are to be known as Christ’s by our love. Our interactions with each other, the ways in which we encourage and admonish, speak to who we are. They lead our world in how they perceive our God. I believe they lead those within the church as well. If we cannot work to help the church while encouraging and edifying it also, we should take the time to rethink our own motives and relationships (including with God). God loves His church. We must seek to help her become more like Him, but we must do so humbly, lovingly, and wisely.

I hope everyone in this class is in agreement on this point, and I anticipate you are. But I write this because it has been on my mind as I have attempted to correlate the teachings of this class, the practice of different churches, and the commands of Jesus Christ.

Simplicity or Self-discipline

As Christians, we all to often see the need to know God better. We want to pray more, we want to study the Scriptures more, and we want to meditate on God's Word more. But despite our somewhat recognition of our need we do nothing to change the lack of devotion that we have for God. Instead, we complain that our schedules are too busy and that if we just had a few more extra minutes throughout the day, that we would be able to spend personal time with God daily. We even ask people to pray for our busy schedule that we might somehow lead a simpler life so that we can spend more time with God. Though this seems good and our motives, in fact, may be good, we have become deceived. This problem of not spending time in devotion to know God better is NOT a situational or circumstantial problem, but rather a problem of the heart. Our hearts are deceitful and wicked and we must recognize where we have gone astray. So if a person desires to have more devotion in knowing God in his life, he must not pray and ask for different circumstances, but rather pray for self-discipline to spend time with God during his day. Is this easy? Absolutely not, but it is absolutely necessary. We, as Christians, must not ignore our proud, selfish hearts that have deceived us, but instead, we must pray to God and beg Him for mercy and humility and the strength to live a disciplined life where we can devote portions of our day to know God better through His Word. Our only hope of change is not changing our circumstances, but in God alone. Let us humbly seek His face.

Repentance and Restoration to the Means of Grace!

I feel and believe that the modern evangelical movement is moving further away from believing that God can strengthen and edify us as His people by created means (Sacraments). "Despite its internal differences, the modern evangelical movement is united in its quest for a higher and purer direct experience of the Christ of faith. It is not, however engaged in a more profound search for a more biblical understanding of God's communion with His people through the signs and seals of the covenant." -R. Scott Clark
Clark goes on further to say we are denying ourselves of Christ's benefits. "American evangelicalism is a pietist, experiential religion that is too busy with cell-groups meeting to be troubled with the Lord's Supper at the same time, we have functionally excommunicated ourselves and, to borrow Calvin's language, robbed ourselves of Christ's benefits." So if the Protestant Evangelical religion is going to get back on track there will have to be repentance for our unbelief that God can use created means for strengthen or edifying us as His people.
http://www.the-highway.com/supper_clark.html

True Passion for Sanctifying God's Name

In today's reading, Burroughs presents what is perhaps a rather novel thought for many Christians today. His description of confronting the wicked when they come to holy communion seems a far cry from the inclusiveness and man-centeredness of much of American evangelicalism. I was much impressed by his reverent zeal for the sanctification of God's name.

Today we can have a tendency to be too individualistic, self-centered, and man-fearing. We typically avoid confrontation like the plague and concern ourselves solely with our own spirituality and religious experience. The problem with this attitude is that it lacks concern for both the spiritual state of others and the sanctification of God's name. There are more important things at stake than our comfort and individuality. Mankind's spiritual state before God and the hallowing of God's name are both more important than our looking clean, neat, and pretty in our spotless garments, unblemished by the often dirty business of administering caring rebuke and showing steadfast zeal for God's honor.

Christianity is not an easy religion. Christ calls us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross, following him. We are not to save our lives, but to lose them for Christ's sake. Both of these orders call for extraordinary commitment and power. And it is only through Christ working through us that we can ever have the requisite power to live this way.
May God give us such a desire for the sanctification of his name that we would be willing to do what is necessary for him to be honored in all things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb9DF16Fx8k This is everything Zach was talking about Doc. Some will think it is funny but we are not creative, we are theives. I don't know how making fun of the mega Churches and pore theological preachers are going to get them to repent and turn to the correct teachings of God by doing this. Thanks Zack, you made me go looking for the theives and I found some.

A Practical Inquiry into Psalm Singing

As I read Terry Johnson's chapter on Psalmody in the church, I began to realize how little of this I personally had experienced. Other than the fragments that are typical of contemporary music (some of which is biblical, edifying, and useful), and an occasional Watts paraphrase (the inclusion of which in a discussion on Psalms is open to question), I do not remember singing Psalms with a church body. To be honest, this never concerned me. It never approached the forefront of my inquiry. However, I believe that Mr. Johnson is correct is affirming the Psalms as an essential part of the church's praise to God.

Instead of continuing to speak about my personal experience (let that suffice as a background), I would like to pose a question: pending acceptance of Johnson's analysis of the causes behind the lack of hymn singing (ignorance, supposed lack of accessibility, assumption of the outdated nature of the music, fear of numerical decline, etc.), how do we, as future pastors, music leaders, and/or laymen influence the church local and universal positively toward singing Psalms consistently?

Psalms as a Picture of True Christianity

Today's reading from Terry Johnson's article outlined several reasons why Psalms are an important part of Christian worship. As I reflected on this, I realized how influential the Psalms can be in helping believers to live a life pleasing to God. Through their laments, pleadings, questions, resignations, and praises to God they set an example and precedent for Christians of all times. They exemplify a life in which an understanding of God's character and actions are ultimately the basis for every action. Whether it is David in Psalm 3 placing his utmost hope for protection in God himself or if it is the psalmist in Psalm 96 calling the whole earth to praise God because of His greatness, the Psalms depict a life lived in light of and in dependence on God. They point out to their readers who God is and how that in turn is to affect their lives. All these things are lessons that would greatly aid Christians today, if learned correctly. And what better way to meditate on and remember an important truth than to put it to music and sing it?

Christless Christianity

Doc, I hope you do not mind me doing this - I am going to put a plug in here for Michael Horton's new book Christless Christianity.
Set for release on Oct. 31, Christless Christianity deals with the so-called "alternative Gospel of the American Church". Having read the first chapter online, I sense that this will provide a much-needed glimpse into the areas in which much of the American church has strayed from the truth. Horton addresses issues such as the problem of moralistic preaching facing the church today, the danger of downplaying or ignoring doctrine, and the pervasiveness of self-centered Christianity. Since this work handles the topic of American Christianity, it will certainly be applicable in many ways to our understanding of modern Christian worship.
As good as this book looks, there is even more good news; if you pre-order it (before Oct. 31) you can get it for $10.00, 50% off the list price. Shipment is slated for the first week of November.
If you have a chance, read the the first chapter (http://tinyurl.com/3mqzuz) to get a taste for what it's like.

http://www.christlesschristianity.org/

Gospel Worship

"Gospel worship is the joyful sanctifying of God's Name by glorifying God as God in the face of Jesus Christ through the enablement of the Holy Spirit."

I read this quote in a book I've been reading. It's an article from GQ magazine written by Walter Kirn. This man, a novelist and GQ's literary editor, decided to examine evangelical Christianity from the viewpoint of an outsider. He spent seven days doing nothing but Christian things, listening to Christian music, watching Christian movies, etc. This is what he said on the seventh day:

"[Evangelical Christianity] is mall Christianity. It's been malled. It's the upshot of some decision that to compete with them - to compete with 'N Sync and Friends and Stephen King and Matt and Katie and Abercrombie and Fitch and Jackie Chan and AOL and Sesame Street - the faithful should turn from their centuries-old tradition of fashioning transcendent art and literature and passionate folk forms such as gospel music...and instead head down to Tower or Blockbuster and check out what's selling, then try to rip it off, on a budget if possible and by employing artists who are either so devout or so plain desperate that they'll work for scale. What makes the stuff so half-assed, so thin, so weak and cumulatively so demoralizing...has nothing to do with faith. The problem is lack of faith."

I thought this was pretty interesting.

Preaching in Song

As we discussed the Lewis paper in class on Tues. a few connecting thoughts came into my head. When a preacher does his role rightly and speaks the Word, Truth will penetrate minds, hearts, even souls, and the result will be conviction of sin, repentance, and changed lives. This is true worship according to Romans 12:1-2 -- that we be living sacrifices seeking conformity to the Truth as it is seen and revealed in scripture and in Christ. Certainly we may acknowledge that this is not often comfortable. But it is always good and pure and true and right and admirable and holy. It is indeed the necessary job of the preacher to make the flock uncomfortable at times, to break the legs of the sheep if they are found to be habitual wonderers. If, then, it is true, as we have said in the past, that the song texts in congregational worship are "the other sermon" does it then stand to reason that our worship in singing might not always be comfortable by design or reception?

Finding Intentions In Prayer

Too many a times in the pulpit, you will see a pastor or music leader asking to for the congregation to come into prayer without any inclination of what will come out of there mouth next. Finding purpose, and placing intention in prayers is important. Planning a prayer, which is described in GPTG pg163, is essential as not to lead your people before the throne with no plan on how your going to get there. "By the blood of Jesus" saith the preacher, but i say that without a foreknowledge of prayer, you will be leading into a prayer lacking the most important issues and settling for a intermission between speaking instead of grabbing hold onto the power of God to heal, fix, grow, change... and thats just intersession!
The three points of what to avoid in prayer, that are listed on page 165, ring true almost once a week in either my church or chapel. To have brief prayers where it is best to keep it short is SO distracting. Experiencial, having a short prayer for someone comming to speak is worth having at least one thought prior. Also, planning some certian praises, pations, or presenting sin is worth planning before hand. (look at all the "P''s ) Preaching in prayer is impersonal, it's almost like talking to friend while having another friend on the phone.

Meditation On The Implication Of God's Eternality In Our Worship From The Reading In Gospel Worship

From the reading in Burroughs, if God is eternal, then we must view our sin - past and present - as if it had just been done [pg 122-123 of the old version]. God does. I tend to enter into worship in a frame of mind proportionate to the amount of sin I committed recently. Instead, I should always enter into worship with the conscious realization of who God is - HOLY - and who I am and what I've done to offend his holiness. This is why our worship must be done through a mediator. I cannot come into God's presence because of my sin. It is only through Christ's righteousness imputed to me that I can. The realization of who I am, what I've done, and who I am in Christ should compel not a boastful and arrogant disposition but a heart that is humble and contrite, desiring God's glory alone.

Praying in Accordance with God's Will

The quotation by Thomas Murphy in today's reading from GPTG pg. 157 really struck me. His reasoning resonates with me and helps me understand more clearly the relationship between the Word of God and our prayers. Here is his quotation:

"The prayer of the sanctuary should be thoroughly saturated with scriptural thought and expression. The language of the Bible is that which the Spirit prompted, and which must therefore be most in accordance with the mind of God. For the same reason it must be Bible language which is best calculated to express those devotional feelings which are the work of the Spirit in the heart."

In addition to guiding the believer to express the correct feelings (affections) toward God, the Bible helps us to know how to pray for God's will. How can our prayers be filled with "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" if we do not look to his word to seek that for which we should be praying? As the writer of this section points out, we may pray something that we know to be God's will, but there is an added comfort in couching that prayer in the language of the Scriptures.

I attend a church whose pastor purposefully fills his pastoral prayers with Scripture as he seeks to pray according to God's will and to edify his flock. I have been immeasurably blessed by it. I hope this reading will give us all a desire to know God's Word in a way that will allow us to pray it back to him, both in public and private prayers.

"Seeker-Sensitive", But Seeking What?

Often we hear the term seeker sensitive applied to a church, a church service, etc. I do not care to discuss at the moment the positive or negative connotations of such language; rather, I desire to emphasize the ineptitude of "preaching" that aims to make the outsider "comfortable."

My inspiration in writing this is Mark Dever's commentary on pages 136-137 of Give Praise to God. Dever challenges, "We must go into our pulpits not trying to win our non-Christian friends' approval, but their souls." I concur that too often preachers are overly concerned about how they are viewed by those outside of the church. Should pastors desire a good standing in the community? Sure, Paul states as much as a requirement in I Timothy 3:7. But that verse speaks of how they are viewed in regard to their lifestyle, their reputation as a person and then as a pastor. When declaring God's truth, no overseer is to compromise the message for the sake of his reputation. Being "well thought of" (I Timothy 3:7) and being liked may very well be different traits.

Ultimately, proclaiming the gospel must start with proclaiming God's holiness and man's sinfulness. This, in itself, is not a popular subject in postmodernity. Many will despise this message. Many will not like the one who gives it. To risk sounding flippant, why does it matter? If one thinks you an enemy when you work for his good, will that change your desire to work for his good? Likewise, if one thinks you a friend when you work for his downfall, will that make you any more his friend? The point is this, the best you can do for another is aid his soul. As Dr. Ryrie said this morning (and I paraphrase), what is best is for God to be shown through a person. Your desire for God's glory and your love for your friend compel you to preach the gospel, unadulterated and without apology, to your friend.

Dever sites a Greek proverb: "The opposite of a friend is not an enemy, it is a flatterer." Do preachers today believe this. If so, we must concern ourselves less with comfort and more with confrontation. Not confrontation between us and them, but between their souls (their sinful souls) and the gospel. "How are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" Preaching not comfort for sinners, but atonement for sin. Preaching not contentment in damnation, but death (and life) in Christ.

Pride, The Enemy Of The Gospel

As Christians, we need to be careful not to exclude God from every aspect of our lives. I find that so often in the things that we feel weak, we humbly trust God to get us through but in areas of our lives where we feel confident, we fail to give God the glory and ask for his strength do so. But this should not be so. In our ignorance we may have temporary success in man's eyes, but we are only creating mere habits of pride in our lives. God must be in control of our entire lives but, in our fleshly pride, we so often fall before the idol of ourselves. And this idol of self sufficiency, based in pride is an enemy of the Gospel. Pride tells us that we can make it on our own. We can have salvation through ourselves and we are stronger than any of God's power. While we know that we are weak, pride deceives us into worshipping our own strength. But on the contrary, the Gospel shows us who we are and cuts us down to humbly acknowledge our weaknesses and the all-sufficient grace of God which is applied to our lives. So the root of the problem of God not being in all we do is that we fail to have a true sense and appreciation for the Gospel in our lives. Therefore, as Christians, we must always have a keen awareness of the Gospel's truth and power in all that we do whether we feel physically confident and capable or weak and helpless. The Gospel must prevail in our lives!

The Desperate Need for Clarity in Preaching

In Albert Mohler's essay on expository preaching, his quotation from John MacArthur really brings us to the heart of the preacher's task: "I want people who listen to me to understand exactly what God's Word demands of them when I am through" (GPTG pg. 114). This is the job of a minister of the Word, and he must not shirk from it. In Joshua 24, we see Joshua himself doing this exact thing when he delivers an ultimatum to Israel: you must choose either God or your idols. A preacher must not leave his people mentally sitting on the fence, not knowing what God requires of them. He must speak with clarity and seek to deliver a message that leaves no doubt in anyone's mind what their duty is before God and man.

As I pondered this, I remembered what I have been reading in "The Courage to Be Protestant", as well what we had read at the beginning of Mohler's essay last week. Wells has written about the postmodern approach to Christianity and its deemphasis on the objectivity of truth and an accompanying lack of clarity in postmodern teaching. Actually, in many cases it is an intentional ambiguity that in part leaves the actual meaning up to the reader himself. The problem with this indistinct language and the deemphasis on the knowability of truth is that it is incompatible with Christianity. Christianity is all about objectivity and concrete facts. When we remove this, we lose the knowledge of what exactly God requires of us.
In 1 John, we see a strong emphasis on knowing things that pertain to the faith: our salvation, the truth, the presence of the last days, etc. Jesus himself said "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (Jn. 8:32). If there is not a dedication to the objective truth of the Word in its exposition, there will be foundationless churches that really have no message for the world. This is what Paul spoke of in Ephesians 4 when he said: "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."

Since some of us may end up being pastors in the future, the points that Mohler and Wells make are incredibly important. One of the tasks of a pastor is to equip the saints towards the attainment of the knowledge of the Son of God. That is why we need to look to the Bible as the objective, revealed truth of God and preach it as such.

How Deep?

We are often reminded in song of how deep God's love for us is. Paul stood in awe of this as he wrote the Ephesians, and we rightfully should as well. However, I'm afraid that our love for God is often more like a "kiddie pool" than an ocean. Mohler's careful assessment of the situation through the eyes of Michael Green intrigues me (Give Praise to God 110.) Sermonettes, he says, lead to Christianettes. Shallow, hollow, messages, lead to shallow, hollow people. As churches have bought into the entertainment mindset of today's culture, truth and consentrated thought have been relegated for the sake of fast-paced, "enjoyable," programs and performances. The Gospel (which alone can save the lost) has been sacrificed on the altar of "reaching the lost." This is disheartening, not to mention self-defeating.
But thank God that He is still sovereign, and this "trend" is not all-consuming.

A Congregation of Me

For the past week, I have been thinking a lot about the mindset of those who come to a worship service. One thing I notice many people saying during my church’s recent search for a pastor was that we needed to be unified as a church. It was not until recently that I began to think about what that meant. Our world tells us to “look out for #1”, to be an individual, to look different, think differently, and act differently than everyone else. Then, all these individuals come to church, and expect to be unified. I believe that this is having a major impact on the way churches worship.

In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul urges the church to have the “same mind and the same judgment.” In 1 Corinthians we see a church who is very divisive. Like so many of our churches, there is unrepentant sin, and fights and quarrels. Paul reminds this body of believers that the only reason they can have fellowship is Christ (1:9).

We come to church so often with consumer mindsets, where we are looking to be ministered to, but this is not what church is about. As Paul says in Philippians 2, another passage where he calls the church to be likeminded, we are to look to the interests of others. If we come to church seeking what I can get out of it, or how I can be ministered to the church will just be a congregation of “me” instead of a church worshiping together in their hearts to the Lord.

Separation only to be restorated

"Seemeth it but a small thing unto you that God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to Himself?" One thing is a fact in today's Church, there is less disciplining going on within her. One reason for this is because of the wrong use of Scripture. "Judge not, lest ye be judged. Matthew 7:1 has likely eclipsed John 3:16 as the most oft-quoted verse in all the Bible. Now en vogue among moral relativists is to invoke the maxim in order to slip out from under even the most biblically sound rebuke or admonition. It is in this context that the historic practice of church discipline has gradually come to be regarded as antiquated. But is church discipline so irrelevant to the well-being of the local assembly?"- Mark Dever "Nine marks of a healthy Church"
What might we be missing in its absence? Pastor Mark Dever goes on to say,"Membership in the local church is that church's public affirmation of a person's salvation, as far as the leadership of the church is able to affirm it on the basis of good visible fruit.
When we refuse to discipline serious sin committed by members, we deceive people into thinking that the church can happily affirm, by uninterrupted membership, the salvation of someone whose unrepentant sin contradicts their verbal profession.
In other words, neglecting church discipline tacitly affirms the lie that verbal profession of Christ is saving even when unaccompanied by a lifestyle of genuine repentance and progress in practical holiness. It gives false assurance to people who have no biblical reason at all to feel sure about their salvation.
It is in this way that the church contributes to the self-deception of a seriously sinning member. The complacence of pastors and leaders with unrepentant sin in members' lives leads unrepentant members to indulge that same complacence, all the while enjoying the church's public affirmation of their salvation in the witness of membership!" Pastor Dever goes on to say that the reason for Church discipline is only for
"Restoration - Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness (Gal 6:1).
Salvation - …so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus (1Cor 5:5).
Teaching - Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan so that they may be taught not to blaspheme (1Tim 5:20)." This is the same call that Paul called the Church of Corinth in (1 Cor 5). This separation is only to have the sinner come back closer to Christ. If you have not read this book, it is a must read brother and sister Saint's. "O Church arise and put your armour on. Hear the calling of Christ our Captain."-In Christ Alone: Modern Hymns Of Worship by:Bethany Dillon & Matt Hammitt
You can go and read more on this and the other "9marks of a Healthy Church" @http://marks.9marks.org/Mark7

Drawing Me Nearer

Just like Josh, I had some real thoughts going on in Burroughs writings on pages 47 to 50ish. The passage "Deuteronomy 4:17" which actually was quoted from 4:7, shows just how awesome it can be to be a people, a person, who has God near to them. If your familiar with Chris Folson and his praise song, "I walk by faith", he has the same idea of the power of God with Him when he sings "if my God is for me, then who can stand against me". By that same power is evil judged, the righteous rewarded and the universe sustained. And God, the source of this amazing power, has chosen to allow his creation to come along side him? Simply awesome. How can i really understand the goodness of Him? But that was exactly what Burroughs was saying. Pg 48, top paragraph "You who are near to him... This is your privilege, and you should count it a great honor" Just as the nation of God could draw near to Him, as individuals through the Gospel we can draw near to God. This choice to come along side with God is a vital step, overlooked by many members of God's congregation, to being able to truly worship. To first reconcile with Him and then worship Him.

Worshipping the True God Ignorantly

Something unnerving in the church today is how often we are caught "worshipping" without stirring our hearts and minds about the object of our worship. We are so easily pulled into music and lyric that we believe we have raised our affections and later upon thought of what we have sung or meditated on, we realize that maybe it was not Biblical. I think specifically of the example brought up in class of the song "Above All". How many times do we come unprepared into worship and blindly regurgitate words on a screen because it is what we ought to do? Sooner than the pre-chourus hits there are hands in the air and emotions are stirred. What is it if not the knowledge of the Holy that brings us to that point.
Sam Storms identifies affections as vigorous exercises of the heart. So, if we are not vigorously exercising our hearts during worship but are coming to similar effects what is it that we are worshipping?

Familiar Yet Reverent

Burroughs emphasizes (pp. 47-48) the importance of becoming familiar with God. He makes the statement, "One great reason why God suffers you to fall into afflictions so much is that you may come running to Him." I believe Burroughs' statement to be profound in its simplicity. God really does want us to come to Him and to know Him as He is. What a beautiful thought! What a comforting thought! When we worship God, says Burroughs, "there will grow a sweet and blessed familiarity..." between us and God. I do not know one Christian who would deny that he or she desires this familiarity.

If God wants us, then, to become familiar with Him, certainly this familiarity is attainable. That said, a question arises in my mind: how can one come to meet God on familiar terms and still come with the reverence due His holy Name? Humanly speaking, when I am familiar with someone, then I come to that person in a much more relaxed, real, open, vulnerable way. I come without a doubt of rejection (regardless of my own failures) and with expectation of mutual encouragement. Perhaps this is what God desires. But the opening words of Ecclesiastes 5 remind me that when a person comes into God's Presence he should be careful in what he says because "God is in heaven and you are on earth." Acknowledging the larger context of vows, I still observe a principle in those Verses? "God is high exalted above what we can even comprehend from this lowly state; therefore, come before Him with reverence." The Old Testament could hardly emphasize this point more. And Christ did not hesitate to condemn those who came proudly before God and took liberty with the Law He had decreed (the Pharisees). More Texts and examples could be given, but I will let those suffice. The point remains that God deserves, desires, and demands reverence when His creation comes into His Presence.

With that point in mind, I return to my original question: how do familiarity and reverence mix? It does seem that God wants us to come to Him in the real, open, vulnerable way in which we would go to a familiar friend. He does offer consistency, love, and the hope of mutual encouragement. However, the relaxed (perhaps presumptuous) way in which we approach each other seems hopelessly irreverent in our communion with God. Even those we view as very familiar with God treated Him with reverence (i.e. Moses, David, John, etc.). We must be careful not to allow our (hopefully) increasing familiarity with God to lead to flippancy. He deserves better. In fact, I would venture to say that instead of taking our familiarity with God down to the level of our human interactions, we should instead raise the level of respect amongst those we are closest to here without losing the openness, love, and vulnerability that come with familiarity. But that is another topic. For now, as we grow ever more familiar with God, may our reverence and respect for Him increase as well.

Are we Daily Drawing Nigh to God?

As a Christian it is our duty to draw nigh to God and strive to know him better. It is not merely enough to say that "I am saved and I go to church Sunday morning and evening and Wednesday night." There must be a personal striving to build ones relationship with the Almighty God. This is not an easy task. It is easy to give way to our flesh and say, "I am too tired, too busy, or just plainly don't feel like it." and we forsake our God and scream, "I hate you!" to His face. And when we give way to our flesh once and do not repent and draw nigh to God once again, we allow ourselves to be more calloused to the death that sin brings and we make more decisions based on our fleshly selfishness. And the more times that we allow sin to take hold of our lives the further we stray from God and peregrinate from his amazing grace. And if we continue down this path, we will continue to make our decisions based on our selfishness until we eventually either stray from God or we make a decision that we regret (because of the consequences and that our habitually sinful state is revealed to other people). But though we regret this decision in order to ultimately change from our sinful ways, we must repent from our sinful actions and draw nigh to our God who is running to us in love because he see his prodigal son coming home to Him. So in order for us to prevent ourselves from denying our God traveling down a sinful path, we must humbly repent from our sins and beseech God for strength to draw nigh to Him. We must daily study and meditate on the Scriptures and spend our days filled with prayer and fellowship with the body of Christ. As Christians, we must beat and train our bodies as an athlete as to guard our lives from ever forsaking God and listening to the sinful whispers of our flesh and so to draw nigh to God and the knowledge of His holiness.

Prayer: Seeking God's Will

What is prayer? The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines it this way: "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies" (Q98). In today's Christianity, this view of prayer often seems to be the exception, rather than the norm. Some Christians today need to recover a biblical sense of prayer, especially in regards to praying things "agreeable to [God's] will".

The third petition of the Lord's Prayer directs us to pray "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven". Unfortunately, in both my private prayers and in public prayers the attitude sometimes seems to be "My will be done", even if not stated quite so blatantly. This, obviously, is opposite of the way it ought to be. Prayer is to be a response to God revealing himself through the Word. Therefore our prayers should be guided by what we know about God and his will from his Word. Oh, may we recover a sense of what it means to ask things according to God's will!

Additionally, I sometimes hear people say "Let's just have a quick word of prayer". While there is obviously nothing wrong with praying a short prayer, sometimes I feel that the attitude is one of flippancy and carelessness. When we come to prayer, we need to understand exactly what we are doing. We are approaching God. God has allowed us to present our desires to him for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ. Prayer is not something that we tack on in order to make something Christian. It is a God-given privilege to approach him, and we must not treat it lightly. On the other hand, we must remember the command in Ephesians 6 to pray at all times in the Spirit. Do not neglect prayer because you are so privileged to have it; use it for seeking God's will and the advancement of his kingdom, all to his glory!

Does Worship Change Us?

"Evangelicals do think that worship matters, but they also often view worship as a means to some other end than that of the glorification and enjoyment of God." (Give Praise to God page 25) So many times I've read or heard people say that we are changed in worship. Worship changes us. It is when we enter into worship that God works in our lives and we leave having become different people than the ones we were when we came in. I've always had a problem with that. My belief is that worship is a response to God's revelation. "To worship God, therefore, is to assign him his supreme worth, acknowledging him to be the creator and redeemer revealed in the Scriptures." (Give Praise to God page 6) As Doc says so often to us, we cannot worship a God we do not know. And it is through God's Word that we know him. What happens when you say that we are changed in worship is that the Bible no longer becomes the standard for truth, but experience becomes the standard. Instead of saying that we are changed in worship, we should say that we are changed and then we worship.

Who Are We Worshipping?

As a church and a body of Christ, do we really worship Christ in our worship services. I think that pastors have good intentions of trying to motivate their congregation for worship, but that that trying has led to the superstitious worship of man. Pastors begin trusting their methods of ministry rather than in the Almighty God and who He shows Himself to be in Scripture. The congregation begins to worship the feelings and the band and the preacher and trusting what the authorities tell them rather than the Creator and their Savior and God's Word. So they go to church wanting to feel stimulated but their stimulation is entirely man centered and not based upon the Scriptures. The church is in love with itself instead of God. This problem will always be a struggle among churches but our goal should be to keep worship on God and not on man. By keeping the Scriptures at the basis for all of worship and as an active part of the worship service, the church can slowly bring itself out of the horrible pit of man-centered worship that it has fallen into.

Who (or What) is Exalted?

Worship divides. That one word can take a local church and make it two local churches. I would say, however, that division is not even close to what God intended when He commanded worship. That which God institutes is good, and its purpose is good. Mankind, however, has changed the very command of God, the institution of God, to something that it was never meant to be. If I can restate my original statement as “worship” divides, perhaps that will make it a bit clearer. The church has redefined worship to the point that the outcome of it is counterproductive to its original intention.
The church has made worship about sound, feeling, and performance. God intended it to be about truth, Christ, and perspective. It is a time of realizing who we are, not by focusing on ourselves and our preferences, but by focusing on our Creator and His perfection. True worship may involve any number of things, whether singing, praying, preaching, reading, serving, etc. But true worship binds the body of Christ in exaltation of the Head. It does not divide the body in glorification of the parts. The arm is not more important than the foot; neither is the arm’s favorite musical style (or the foot’s favorite translation). The list may continue.
Fights (figurative of course) do nothing but divide the body and draw attention to those involved. To state the obvious, Jesus Christ is not one of those involved in the fights. He does not receive the attention, but people do. He is not praised, but the “winning” side is. That’s not worship, regardless of whether you are singing your heart out every Sunday. If you harbor hatred, anger, or ill-feeling against your brother (or he against you), Christ does not want your offering (Matthew 5:23-24). It is not worship to Jesus. His body is torn apart by superstition. As our author would say, the church has raised an avenue of worship to worship itself, and Christ’s reputation has suffered for it. We are to be known by our love, not our musical style. What does it say of Christ when His followers are able to set aside personal preferences because they want to join together to worship their King? That is worship: God’s people following God’s commands for God’s glory.

A Sizable Superstition

Picture this imaginary scene: sitting at a large round table are a few men, neither filling the whole table, nor sitting all together. They are anxiously awaiting the beginning of the such and such pastor's conference when Pastor B.G. Deal approaches and pulls up a seat between two of them. Introductory conversation begins, "Hi, I'm Bed Deal, I'm pastor up in/at __name of the local mega-church__. What's your name?" he says to the man on his left. "I'm Pastor John." and what is the next question asked of poor pastor Jon? "How big is your church?"

Unfortunately there is a pervading superstition in our churches that attendance and membership numbers mean Biblical success. Somehow, we have come to associate the two intrinsically. One of the biggest reasons for the popularity of such churches (and i am not condemning or promoting any such church or church movement. that is for a different discussion.) is 'oh, I can just really worship so much more here.' Really? Where is the drawing near to God and the sanctifying of His name in that? No, don't just leave it at that. Tell me how and why it is true (that you are able to worship more here) and then you will have my attentive ear.

Worst of all, this size syndrome has been bought into by many pastors and church leaders. In the scene described above, there is suddenly a hierarchy created at the table by the size of each man's congregation, which some feeling inferior and/or unqualified to participate in further discussion among such heavy hitters as Pastor B.G. Deal.

Have we elevated to the level of spirituality the factor of congregational size? I fear perhaps so.

Superstitious Tradition

When I think of superstition in the contemporary evangelical church my mind immediately thinks of tradition. I grew up in typical GARBC churches with three hymns, an offertory, special music, three-point sermon, and an invitation to "Softly and Tenderly." Many of the members, specifically the older ones, loved the old hymns done with piano and organ and a worship leader with a big voice that swung his arms all over the place. This was the tradition. Many of these members had been at this church for their whole lives. These songs, this style of music, this liturgy was the way it had been done for years (maybe centuries) and to them it had become doctrine. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with tradition. Tradition informs us of our history, gives us a sense of familiarity, and grounds us as we explore new things. But to raise it to the level of theology and doctrine is to idolize that which is man made. The Bible does not mandate a certain style of music or way of doing church. Tradition has a place, but to raise it above that - to spirituality - is superstition.

Superstition in the Church - Usage of the Sinner's Prayer as a Modern-day Indulgence

Thinking about modern ecclesiastical superstitions, I remembered a topic that has occupied my thoughts in the past. As Americans in the last days, I am sure we have all encountered either in print or in speech the Sinner's Prayer. In it's various versions it is basically a formulated prayer through the use of which a sinner can ask God for forgiveness of sins and for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. My purpose is not to argue whether or not this prayer should be used, since I am sure it has been used sincerely as a true expression of a sinner's repentance from sin and reliance on Christ for deliverance. Rather, my point is concerning it's devastating misuse in the evangelical Christian community. There are actually some striking parallels between Roman Catholic indulgences and the sinner's prayer as it is often misused today that can help us to understand what is truly at stake.

When Martin Luther posted his 95 theses in 1517 he was doing so in reaction to the many doctrinal inaccuracies he perceived in the Roman Catholic Church. One of these was the sale of indulgences. Intended to bring in money for the Catholic Church, these indulgences held out the promise of good works credited to one's account so that one's punishment for sin would be less severe. Luther denounces this teaching when he says in his 36th thesis: " Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon." The use of indulgences flies in the face of passages such as Ephesians 2:8-10 and 2 Corinthians 3:5 that teach salvation Sola Gratia et Sola Fide (by grace alone through faith alone) in Christ alone (Solus Christus), apart from works of sinful man.

In too many modern evangelical's minds the sinner's prayer can be seen as the single determining factor in someone's salvation. Phrases such as "If you prayed this prayer you are now a Christian" frequently accompany its usage. In this case the prayer is being raised above what it has in it by nature. Prayer, by nature, is a plea, request, or praise to God, who is outside, beyond, and above us and owes nothing to sinful men. Prayer in itself has no power; it is not a magic incantation that guarantees immediate, self-satisfying results.

So are you seeing any connections yet? The main similarity that I want to point out is that both indulgences and a misused sinnner's prayer promise something they do not have the power to deliver. Indulgences gave hope of lessened penalties for sin, but were in reality only pieces of parchment with no spiritual significance. The sinner's prayer used as a fool-proof means to gain salvation gives hope of salvation and eternal life, but is in reality only words when not accompanied by a truly repentant heart. When people think salvation is as easy as praying a prayer, they have been deceived. It is not the prayer that saves; God saves the sinner, and prayer is a faith-filled, repentant, trusting response to God from a heart that has been given new life. We love because he first loved us. Otherwise we hate. (Titus 3:3-7)

A lesser, but yet interesting, parallel between the two is the motive that is so often behind both of them. Just as the RC church sought to benefit monetarily from the sale of indulgences, so many churches may seek to benefit numerically from their use of the sinner's prayer. Because numbers are now often used as a measure of success, any method that will increase the numbers is seen as desirable. Unfortunately this comes at the expense of a pure gospel, which promises justification only by reliance on Christ's work and only by repentance of all efforts toward self-salvation, which are essentially sin. In the end, many sinners may go away feeling justified for praying a prayer, when in fact they are no closer to the kingdom than they were before.

I am still developing my thoughts on this, so any contributions or corrections are appreciated. I sense that there is more to this topic than that with which I have dealt, but I just don't have the time now to add more.

As Stevie Wonder sings, "Superstition!"

"Superstition aint the way, no, no, no!" Stevie Wonder

Superstition is raising in a religious way any creature [or thing] above what it has in it by nature. Jeremiah Burroughs, Gospel Worship

Course Syllabus

Foundation and Issues of Worship 2008 [MU404]
Baptist Bible College, Dr. David Harris, D.M.A.
Tuesday/Thursday 1:00 p.m. Jackson 426

I. Course Description

A study of Biblical and historical foundations of Christian worship and their implications for understanding the nature of corporate worship. Through the close reading of seminal texts, the student will examine the Christian’s responsibility to worship in spirit and truth.

II. Six Observations

A. Jeremiah Burroughs [1599-1646]

Jeremiah Burroughs, one of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, wrote Gospel Worship so that the people of God might corporately sanctify God as God in hearing the Word of God preached, in taking the Lord’s Supper, and through prayer. His text for these 14 sermons are the words of Moses spoken after God slew Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons, for offering unauthorized fire before the Lord: “Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ And Aaron held his peace.” Leviticus 10:3, ESV. Burroughs writes: Now upon this, when Moses said that God would be sanctified in those that draw near to Him, it was as if He had said, ‘Aaron, though I confess that the hand of God is heavy upon you this day, yet it is fitting for you to submit to God. It is fitting that God should be glorified, whatever becomes of you. You are dear to God, but God’s name is dearer to Him than you are. Whatever the lives of your sons were, yet it is fitting that God should be honored and His name sanctified whatever becomes of your sons or your comforts, and, therefore, let your heart be quieted. You have had a great loss and affliction upon you, but God has had glory. God has glorified Himself.’” from the CD Gospel Worship recorded by the BBC Praise Band [2005]

B. John Piper

“Jonathan Edwards was criticized in response to that book [The Essay on the Trinity] for trying too hard to understand the Trinity, and removing mystery. His response to that was two things. The Bible reveals vastly more than we imagine about God as Three in One. And we have scarcely begun to probe the depths of what really there is for us to understand by revelation. And secondly, he said that there is plenty of mystery left when I’m done with my little efforts. He said we will intensify our worship more if we press in and up as far as we can, rather than stopping early and saying, ‘Isn’t it a mystery? Let’s all bow down and worship. Now the way that landed on me 30 years ago was very significant because there were people in my class in seminary [Fuller] who had a very anti-intellectualistic, anti-rational, ‘stop questioning, probing, digging, trying to understand, because worship comes from the great unknown [mysterious] and if you can understand God, why would you want to worship Him? He’d be equal to you!’ And that never quite sat right with me. You can’t sing [very] many worship songs about what you don’t know about God. I mean one or two. You can write one or two songs about how little you know of God and feel really little and worshipful. But you can’t write more than two or three. Worship does not primarily flow from what you do not know. Worship primarily flows from what we have been able to see of the wonder. And it just seems so strange to me that people would be pushing on ignorance for the sake of worship. ‘Just don’t go there, don’t rise there, don’t climb there, because when you get to the top you won’t worship. You’ll stand on top of God.’ And I just thought, ‘there is no danger of that happening.’ In fact, I have a conception of eternity, of spending about 10,000 years climbing the Alps of God’s all-satisfying glory, discovering new things all the way, and at the last year of the 10,000th, pulling myself over the crest and looking – and there stretches another mountain range disappearing into the sky and you spend another 10,000 years climbing and discovering new things about the glory and wonder of God. And you pull yourself up over 20,000 years into eternity and there’s another mountain range – and that will happen forever and ever. You will never be bored in heaven. An infinite God revealing Himself to a finite mind requires eternity. It’s the knowledge of God, not the ignorance of God that inspires God-exalting awe and worship.” September 2003, Capitol Hill Baptist Church [transcribed].

C. Bob Kauflin
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1362_kauflin_on_singing_and_preaching_and_2_other_conference_interview_clips/

D. The Cambridge Declaration [1996]

“Whenever in the church biblical authority has been lost, Christ has been displaced, the gospel has been distorted, or faith has been perverted, it has always been for one reason: our interests have displaced God's and we are doing his work in our way. The loss of God's centrality in the life of today's church is common and lamentable. It is this loss that allows us to transform worship into entertainment, gospel preaching into marketing, believing into technique, being good into feeling good about ourselves, and faithfulness into being successful. As a result, God, Christ, and the Bible have come to mean too little to us and rest too inconsequentially upon us.”

E. Paragraph XVIII [Worship] Statement of Faith, Grace Baptist Church [2006]

We believe that the Word of Christ should dwell richly in the corporate worship services of Grace Baptist Church. The Word should be prayed, sung, read, and preached. The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. So we desire that the Word should also dwell in fullness among His people. When God’s Word fills His people, true religious affections filled with grace and truth will rise to the praise of His glorious grace. Colossians 3:16; I Timothy 2:1; I Timothy 4:13; Romans 10:17; Ephesians 5:19; John 1:14; Ephesians 3:19; Ephesians 1:6.

We believe that the people of God will learn to love the glory of God as the ministers of God teach them to see and savor the Word of God. God’s self-revelation is found in His Word. The self-love and relativism of our “ungodly” and “unrighteous” culture have negatively affected the church’s corporate worship. A change of audience has occurred. Worship is often shaped more by what people desire than by the nature of God’s self-disclosure found in the Bible. We will be changed only as we discover in the Word what God must be like for our joy in the face of Jesus Christ. Exodus 32:7-10; II Timothy 3:1-5; II Corinthians 3:17-18; I Corinthians 14:26-33.

We believe that the singing of theologically based and historically informed hymns and songs will free us to rejoice in our God. Unison singing unites us with one voice as we sing with “one accord.” Part singing expresses musically the unity of substance and tri-unity of persons within the Godhead. Part singing reflects the unity of purpose and difference of roles within the congregation. All the music used in our worship services will be measured against the standard of sound doctrine. James 5:13; Psalm 149:1; Titus 2:1.

F. Michael Horton

“Creeds, confessions, a good systematic theology can all help us to see the limitations of our own narrow range of ideas, presuppositions, experiences, and longings. We must rid ourselves of the notion that it matters little what others have said in their reading of Scripture through the ages . . . The choice is not between following ‘mere men’ and Scripture directly; it’s a choice between interpreting Scripture with the larger church rather than thinking of ourselves as omnicompetent. It is a sign of humility when we are able to conclude that we, like the Ethiopian eunuch, are hampered by our own blind spots. ‘So Philip ran to him [the Ethiopian], and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him . . . Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture [Isaiah 53.7-8], preached Jesus to him [Acts 8.30-31, 35 NKJV].’ Instead of pretending to start from scratch, join the conversation already in progress since Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of Christ-Centered Worship [2003]

III. General Objectives

A. The student will see the Bible as the the final authority for the practice of Christian worship.
B. The student will interpret the Scripture with the larger historical consciousness of the Christian church for the practice of Christian worship.
C. The student will recognize anthropocentric worship, performance based worship, and methodically based worship as compared with the practice of Christian worship.
D. The student will appreciate the value of reading seminal texts on the practice of Christian worship.

IV. Specific Objectives

A. The student will read seminal texts on the practice of Christian worship
B. The student will evaluate relationships between Old and New covenant practices of Christian worship.
C. The student will organize important Scriptural passages on the practices of Christian worship into categories.
D. The student will read seminal texts of the Christian church on the practice of Christian worship.
E. The student will evaluate relationships between historical writing and contemporary writing on the practice of Christian worship.
F. The student will participate in class discussions on the practice of Christian worship.
G. The student will write on the practice of Christian worship.

V. Requirements

A. Knowing
B. Enjoying
C. Reading
D. Remembering [quizzing]
E. Blogging [on subjects covered in the reading]
F. Conversing [final assessment on subjects of interest to class members]

VI. Texts

Burroughs, Jeremiah. Gospel Worship. Morgan, Pennsylvania: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1990.
Ryken, Philip Graham, Thomas Derek W.H., and Duncan J. Ligon III, editors. Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 2004.
*Wells, David. The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers and Emergents in the Postmodern World: Eerdman's Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, MI, 2008.

VII. Calendar

August
26 Semper Reformanda
28 GPTG 1-16, GW 1-11, Quiz 1

September
2 GPTG 17-32, GW 12-23, Quiz 2
4 GPTG 33-48, GW 24-33, Quiz 3

9 GPTG 49-64, GW 34-44, Quiz 4
11 GPTG 65-80, GW 45-56, Quiz 5

16 GPTG 81-96, GW 57-66, Quiz 6
18 GPTG 97-112, GW 67-78, Quiz 7

23 GPTG 113-128, GW 79-89, Quiz 8
25 GPTG 129-144, GW 90-100, Quiz 9

30 GPTG 145-160, GW 101-110, Quiz 10
October
2 GPTG 161-169, GW GW 111-124, Quiz 11

7 C.S. Lewis on Church Music, GW 125-135, Quiz 12
9 GW 136-146, Quiz 13

14 C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory 25-35, GW 147-157, Quiz 14
16 C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory 35-46

21 GPTG 241-256, GW 167-180, Quiz 16
23 GPTG 257-272, GW 180-191, Quiz 17

30 GPTG 273-288, GW 191-2o2, Quiz 18

November
6 GPTG 289-304, GW 203-215, Quiz 19

11 GPTG 305-320, GW 215-225, Quiz 20
13 GPTG 321-336, GW 225-236, Quiz 21

18 GPTG 337-352, GW 236-247, Quiz 22
20 GPTG 353-368, GW 247-258, Quiz 23

25 GPTG 369-374, GW 258-268, Quiz 24
27 GPTG 222-240, GW 269-280, Quiz 25

December
2 GW 158-166; 280-291, Quiz 26
4 GPTG 436-448, GW, 291-299

9 The Cambridge Declaration [1996]
http://www.alliancenet.org/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID307086%7CCHID560218%7CCIID1411364,00.html
11 T4G Affirmations [2006]
http://www.t4g.org/pdf/affirmations-denials.pdf

15-17
Final Exams