November Newsletter Article

Here is the November newsletter article I wrote for my church, which I just remembered I never posted on here. I pray that it might be helpful and cause us to thank God for pastors who preach the word faithfully and to remind us to encourage our pastors in the work that they do for the kingdom of our Christ.

The Word in Worship:
Preach the Bible

This month's admonition to “Preach the Bible” may be the one that would seem the most obvious to us. You may be thinking “Kenny, of course the Bible should be preached.” Thankfully, I probably will not have to convince anyone at Spring Place Baptist of that, but there are churches across the country where a verse from the Bible simply becomes a springboard for the preacher's own thoughts. Satan trembles not when a pastor preaches the latest psychological methods for superficial change, but he convulses when the Word of the Lord is explained on the Lord's Day. Thank God that we have a pastor who preaches with bold assurance.

John MacArthur stated that the opening of 2 Timothy 4 is one of the most sober exhortations in Scripture. In the passage, Paul writes: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (ESV). Paul is issuing a remarkably intense command, reminding young Timothy that it is a charge given in the presence of Christ the Judge in kingdom splendor. The words of our God make up the subject matter of true preaching. We come on Sundays because we want to hear from God through the preaching of Scripture. God must be supreme in the preaching, for “if God is not supreme in our preaching, where in this world will the people hear about the supremacy of God?”¹

Let us thank God for our pastor, a man who preaches the words of our God and not his own words!

Let me close with offering practical ways to respond to this article:

1. Thank God for Brother Tim with verbal thanks and through cards, letters, or inviting him and his family over for a meal.
2. Apply the preached Word to your life. As a church, we believe strongly in God's Word. Let our actions reflect our beliefs.
3. Attend the worship services of the church to receive instruction from God through the preaching and teaching of the Scripture.
4. Finally, thank God that He has chosen to reveal Himself to us.

¹

From: The Supremacy of God in Preaching, John Piper. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004, 108.

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

Blogging has almost become a thing of the past for me. Life seems to be so much busier than when I started it, but I hope to be able to write more frequently in the near future. However, I felt compelled to list some things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving season, in the attempt to spark greater thankfulness in my heart and hopefully yours as well. Sometimes it helps to simply list what I have to be thankful for to remind me how good God is.

1. God granted me another year of life. Every year of life is a blessing, especially when I consider that I could easily fall asleep tonight and not wake up tomorrow morning. Being reminded how fleeting my days are (Psalm 39:4) teaches me to appreciate them and grants me a dose of wisdom (Psalm 90:12) that I would otherwise not have.

2. God gave me grace to transition to a new place of service. This has been a year of changes, and I am discovering anew the truth of 2 Corinthian 12:9. For me, changes have always been difficult. Even while I did not expect the move to my hometown to be as difficult as it has been, it has definitely been a reminder of how important God's grace is in ministry.

3. God gave me many blessed years in Louisville, Kentucky where I was able to be taught and led by some amazing professors at Boyce College. As part of the seminary community, I was able to attend chapel services and lectures, slowly being shaped and sharpened by some of the brightest minds in the Christian community. I miss Louisville and Southern Seminary so much that I have often joked about how Southern Seminary needs to start a class about how to cope with living outside of the SBTS community.

4. God has been good to my family, especially as we look forward to welcoming my nephew, Levi, later next month or just after the new year. I looked forward to holding that little guy, singing to him, and eventually talking about the gospel and the Bible with him, recounting God's wondrous acts of mercy over the years.

5. God has challenged me in my Christian faith in many ways and at many times, all the while strengthening my trust in Jesus Christ. I had some unique experiences that left me further convinced that Jesus of Nazareth truly walked on this earth, was crucified, dead, and buried, to be raised to new life again. I truly believe that He ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father, from which place He will one day come back again as Judge of all the earth. It was through encounters with others who did not believe these things that I became more convinced of them. In all of this, God reminded me that faith is ultimately a gift. So, I am thankful for God's grace grace and how He has given me the faith to believe, faith that I would not otherwise have were it not for His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The list could go on and on, and I pray that it will...the rest of my life!

Happy Thanksgiving!

RefTagger

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from Dan Pritchett at Logos Research Systems concerning a great RefTagger tool that displays Scripture verses when a blog reader simply drags his pointer over a particular verse citation on any blog entry. I like folks having the words of Scripture at their fingertips.

I must admit: it's pretty nifty...a "nifty gifty," one might say (since it's free)!

Thanks, Logos!

See it in action:

John 3:16-17
Psalm 23:1-6
Romans 8:28, 38-39

My Reading List

I thought it might be wise to offer a brief explanation of my "What I'm Reading..." list at the right. On this list you'll find books that fall into each of these types:

• Religious books with which I agree
• Religious books with which I disagree
• Contemporary, popular religious works that I am reading to evaluate
• Fiction and literature that I read for fun
• Fiction and literature that I read in order to learn and discipline my mind
• Non-fiction works (history, culture, politics, etc.) that I read for personal interest and to be better informed
• Various kinds of books that are recommended to me by others
• And...books I'm not sure why I'm reading!

All that is to say that having a book on my current reading list might not constitute an endorsement. My goal is to avoid being myopic, and a diverse reading list will help accomplish such a goal.

You'll probably see many of these books on here for many months. Some of them are reference books that I turn to occasionally and might read one chapter a month.

Also, feel free to suggest a book and why you think it's worth a read, and you just might find it on my list one of these days.

October Newsletter Article

Here is the October newsletter article that was sent out a few weeks ago, which I had intended on posting earlier.

The Word in Worship:
Read the Bible

This article on “The Word in Worship” series focuses on the phrase “read the Bible.” Baptists have been known as “People of the Book” throughout the centuries. We have traditionally held the Scripture in high regard (and for good reason), and my desire is to continue fostering a fervent belief in the power of God's Word. This is partly why we now read through a portion (or portions) of Scripture during our worship gatherings on Sunday. Reading Scripture as an integral part of worship displays to the world that we, as Christians, have the Bible as the foundation for all of life.

While my desire is to reflect a strong belief in the Word of God, the most important reason that we have a time devoted just for reading through Scripture is due to the mandate of 1 Timothy 4:13, which tells us: “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” (ESV). Later in the passage, Paul mentions teaching as an additional element, which means that the Scripture reading is distinct and separate from the sermon (or “teaching”). Reading Scripture can be done in a variety of ways, and there's no manual on Scripture reading in the Bible. I think Paul's main point is that we should be reading Scripture together as a church, listening and sometimes reciting together these words of truth.

What are some practical reasons why God wants us to read Scripture in worship? Let me close with Bob Kauflin's answer

“When we listen to God's Word being read, we're acknowledging our dependence on and submission to God's revelation. Children learn to respect God's Word when it's read with genuine respect and enthusiasm. Visitors see that we value the Bible. When Scripture reading is well planned, the congregation gets a balanced diet of God's Word. And for those who don't read their Bibles, it may be the only time they hear it."1

1 From Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God, Bob Kauflin. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008, 94.

September Newsletter Article

Much has changed since I last posted on this poor, little blog! I am now back in my hometown of Chatsworth, GA serving as Associate Pastor and Minister of Music and Education at Spring Place Baptist Church. While preparing this September newsletter article, I decided to go ahead and post it here, even though I have blogged about worship in the past using the quote from Boice. Even though the quote will be a bit of a repeat to this blog, I still thought it might be edifying to put the newsletter article on here nonetheless.

I do hope to write more personal update posts as well as some articles I've been meaning to write and post on here concerning:

• Seeing Joel Osteen at a Joel-stravaganza in Louisville this summer
• A conversation with a Church of Christ believer concerning baptism, imputed righteousness, etc.
• Position papers on practical issues, such as depression, etc.

In the meantime, I've been extremely busy with my new responsibilities, and I welcome your prayers as I seek to carry out those responsibilities with the grace that God provides.


Newsletter Article: September 2008

A Word of Thanks!

Only a month ago I was preparing for a move back to Chatsworth, and the time sure has flown! Let me say “Thank you!” for such a warm reception to the family of faith at Spring Place Baptist. Thanks also to many of you for encouraging e-mails and kind words. My pledge to you is to continue seeking to biblical in each decision I make. One of the decisions I made was to add a Scripture reading into our Sunday services. This was done with the purpose of fulfilling Scripture’s admonition to have Scripture publicly read (1 Timothy 4:13), a verse that we will examine more fully in a future article. With that in mind, I would like to introduce a series on “The Word in Worship.”

The Word in Worship:
Introduction

J. Ligon Duncan III (pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville, Mississippi) has been a strong influence on me in the area of Bible-centered worship. When you hear or read him regarding the area of worship, you’ll find a common theme of Word-centeredness. His view is that we should: “Read the Bible, Preach the Bible, Pray the Bible, Sing the Bible, See the Bible.”

In the months to come, I have decided to flesh out the implications of this Bible-based, Word-saturated approach to public worship. As I think through these issues myself, I pray that I will understand worship better, and my prayer is that we all with be able to worship better after having examined the primacy of God's Word for our services of worship. In conclusion, let us prepare for this series by considering the words of James Montgomery Boice:

“To worship God we must know who God is, but we cannot know who God is unless God first chooses to reveal himself to us. God has done this in the Bible, which is why the Bible and the teaching of the Bible need to be central in our worship.”*

* From: Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship, edited by Philip Graham Ryken, Derek W. Thomas, and J. Ligon Duncan III. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2003, [vii].

New Article on Jesus of Nazareth

Craig Blomberg has written a new article entitled, "Jesus of Nazareth: How Historians Can Know Him and Why It Matters." I haven't read the following article, but I know that Blomberg has written some very helpful material concerning Jesus Christ (such as his work, Jesus and the Gospels). I presume this article will be accurate and helpful.

Desert Thoughts

Trials come in many shapes and forms. Some tend to be a gathering of inconveniences or menial problems that combine in snowball fashion to form a problem much bigger than me. At other times, a boulder comes out of nowhere, knocking me off my feet. Often in conjunction with that, there are times when a fog settles over me, leaving me in the position of wandering about, lacking clarity on my calling and sense of purpose.

That seems to be where I've been for over a month now. I've had some minor inconveniences recently: running out of cell phone minutes, minor relational difficulties, running out of checks, etc. I've had some boulders come my way: my car breaking down (over $1200.00 in repairs), my new glasses breaking, having to find a new place to live (yet again!), struggling to make ends meet, difficult relationships, loneliness/singleness and feeling left out, etc. In the midst of all of this, I feel somewhat left in the dust, pondering the larger issues of my purpose(s) in life.

Thankfully, the psalms give expression to my thoughts. In Psalm 6, David writes of a miserable existence. He is "languishing" and "greatly troubled" (v. 2, ESV) to the point where he writes: "I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes" (v. 6-7, ESV). I rarely hear Christians admit feeling this way, and the hymns that we sing reflect little of the full breadth of Christian experience and these desert experiences of the Christian life.

It is no coincidence that David begins with a plea for God not to rebuke him in anger or discipline him in wrath. During desert experiences when bombarded with trial upon trial, we are tempted to believe that we are bearing the wrath of God. However, as a Christian, I know that God's wrath toward me was focused on His Son, Jesus Christ, at the cross. When I face times like these, I know they are trials that are used to conform me to Jesus Christ and/or they may be chastening blows from His loving hand. Either way, everything in my life has a good end now (Rom. 8:28), something that was not true prior to my conversion to Christ. Therefore, I must and will accept from God whatever His hand ordains to give me.

My loving Father has ordained that these various trials come my way, and I must not buck that or argue with Him. He truly knows best. In spite of what may seem to the contrary at times, what He sends my way comes from His heart of love. I accept what He gives me, because He is a good Father. He has ordained that I am single at this time, and in spite of the loneliness that sometimes creeps my way, I recognize that He has ordained this. Because I see His love in my lack, I trust him and have the faith to pursue a wife, knowing that His love for me and His goodness may also bring my wife and me together soon enough.

Let us cry to God from the desert, seeking to be faithful to serve Him when the feelings are not there and when life is not "peachy." We must remember that those who do not bow the knee to Jesus Christ are watching how we respond to the trials that our King sends our way. Pray that I'll respond in a godly manner in all of this.

Let us also read and sing the psalms. They are inspired cries from the hearts of many believers long ago. Carl Trueman's defense of psalm-singing--"What Can Miserable Christians Sing?"--provides some food for thought, and I encourage you to click here to read an excerpt at the Tolle Lege blog.

Thank God that He cares to listen to us, giving us this reminder from David in Psalm 62:8 (ESV): "Pour our your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."

Let us be obedient and pour our hearts out to Him daily and consistently...He cares!

Book Giveaway

Tim Challies is giving away some books in a drawing this month. Click here to access the page, and please enter my name when asked who referred you to the drawing.

God as Potter...Not Dentist

Paul Tripp has recently composed thoughts on the subject of waiting, admitting that when he is waiting on the Lord he often views that time much akin to sitting in the waiting room of a dentist's office. However, God is shaping and fashioning us as a Potter during this time. I encourage you to read his article, "Psalm 29: Productive Delay." I have gone through a lot in the past few weeks, and very few people know fully how these weeks have been, something that I hope to write about soon. His post brought me a world of encouragement (along with much-needed conviction). I'll whet your appetite to read the full article by quoting his conclusion:

Waiting on God is restorative. It's one of the tools God uses to remake us into what we were designed to be in the beginning. Yet, I don't like to wait and I still struggle to wait well. How about you? The next time God calls you wait, don't let your mind go to the dentist's office. Picture in your mind the nimble and skilled fingers of a potter, who's putting pressure on the clay right where it's needed, so that it will take on the beauty that is it's potential. And with this picture in mind, give thanks for the very moment that would have once have driven you crazy.

Sweating the Small Stuff?

A great new article on the Boundless Webzine site tackles the issues of being picky and sweating the minor difficulties that come up in relationships, especially in the initial stages. I just read the article and found it to be very observant and convicting! The title of the article is also the author's main focus: "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff." It's worth a read!

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Wade Burleson at Grace and Truth to You posted the history of the composition of a hymn by T.A. Dorsey. The song, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" is a reminder that some of the greatest blessings can come out of the most intense pain. It also serves a reminder that the Lord extends such grace to His children. We can thank God for this song that has been a comfort to many through the years, and I encourage you to click here and view this post.

I cannot help but be reminded of the words of the apostle Paul:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

Worship Notes: The Work of Missions

Here is tomorrow's "Worship Notes" bulletin insert:

We will hear and sing about missions this morning during the course of the worship service. If you have not done so already, please take a moment to read the passage found on the back of the bulletin. Those words come from the opening chapter of a book by John Piper entitled Let the Nations Be Glad! The next paragraph from the opening chapter continues:

But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. Missionaries will never call out, “Let the nations be glad!”, who cannot say from the heart, “I rejoiceI will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High (Psalm 104:34; 9:2). in the Lord…. Missions begins and ends in worship. (p. 11)

Our goal in missions work and in spreading the gospel is not simply to have more people who will experience the joy of a relationship with Christ, although that is part of our desire. Our goal is to bring others to Christ mainly because it grieves us to know that others have not bowed the knee to Jesus Christ as Lord. Our goal is for the Lord to be glorified by others coming to know Him and bringing glory to Him through a new life wrought by the Holy Spirit. This is also why we sing songs of praise and worship. We sing not for our own benefit; we sing because we cannot be silent. The Lord is worthy of our praise, and we want Him to be glorified.

Songs for Today

“Send the Light” is based on Acts 16:9 where Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia “standing and appealing to him, and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’” (NASB). As believers, we are instruments in God’s hand to reflect the Light, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Light that “shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5, NASB). Our mindset should be like that of John the Baptist: “He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light” (John 1:7-8, NASB). In that way, we proclaim the message that we sing about in “We Have Heard the Joyful Sound”: “Jesus saves! Jesus saves!”

“I Saw One Hanging on a Tree” was written by John Newton, a man who truly understood the fact that—although we are guilty and deserving of God’s wrath—the heavenly Father’s wrath was appeased by the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, in our place. This stirs our hearts, “To think He died for me!”

1. I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agony and blood;
He fixed His loving eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.

2. Sure, never till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look;
It seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke.

3. My conscience felt and owned the guilt,
And plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins His blood had spilt
And helped to nail Him there.

4. A second look He gave, which said,
“I freely all forgive:
This blood is for your ransom paid,
I die that you may live.”

5. O, can it be, upon a tree
The Savior bled for me?
My soul is thrilled, my heart is filled,
To think He died for me!

We end with the reminder that in the end “Jesus Shall Reign” over the whole earth! Let us ponder the Lord’s majestic reign throughout this week. Stop to thank Him for reigning over every facet of your life.

Worship Notes: Our Adoption as Believers

Although somewhat late, here is last week's "Worship Notes" bulletin insert (July 15, 2007):


This morning we meditate upon the doctrine of adoption. This much-neglected doctrine is one of the most comforting aspects of salvation. God, without any obligation to do so, has freely chosen a people for Himself. Being specifically elected by God the Father to be one of His children is a reminder both of our inability to save ourselves and of God’s great mercy and grace in choosing us for salvation.

Every Christian has been adopted into the family of God. This is a family that far exceeds the fellowship of the world that we once knew. Now, we have a unique relationship with Jesus Christ. Hebrews 2:11 (NASB) tells us that Christ “is not ashamed to call them brethren,” when speaking of believers who have been saved in and through Christ. However, Christ is the natural Son of the Father, the “only begotten” (i.e. unique; one of a kind), while we have been adopted. How glorious it is to consider that even though we are not the natural children of God in the way that Christ is, we still “have obtained an inheritance” (Eph. 1:11, NASB). We receive the blessings of sonship for which the Holy Spirit is “given as a pledge [or down payment] of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:14, NASB).

If your trust is in Christ alone, thank God that He has given us the “right to become children of God” (John 1:12, NASB). If you have not come to the point of trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, consider your hopeless and helpless state. You are not His child and thereby stand under judgment without the blessing of adoption. This morning, come to the true Son, Jesus Christ.

Songs for Today

Today we glory in God as our Father, a reflection of the fact that we have been adopted. We begin by singing, “Redeemed,” a hymn that reminds us that we can only be called God’s children because of Jesus Christ, who is the only way to God (John 14:6). Since we have been redeemed we can sing, “His child and forever I am.”

Our next song, “The Child of God,” is one compiled from verses of a hymn by Isaac Watts (v. 1-3) and one verse from a hymn by Charles Wesley (v. 4). I encourage you to follow the internet links in the footnotes and read the full texts of both of these hymns.

The Child of God
(Sung to the tune of “Am I a Soldier of the Cross”)

1. [As] new-born babes desire the breast,
To feed, and grow, and thrive;
So saints with joy the gospel taste,
And by the gospel live.

2. They find access at every hour
To God within the veil;
Hence they derive a quick'ning power,
And joys that never fail.

3. Lord, I address thy heav'nly throne;
Call me a child of thine;
Send down the Spirit of thy Son
To form my heart divine.

4. Assure my conscience of its part
In the Redeemer's blood;
And bear thy witness with my heart,
That I am born of God.

“God, the Father of Your People” reminds us that God is our Father, and we are united as a family of spiritual brothers and sisters as children of the heavenly Father. This song brings to mind the reality of God’s promise to us: “I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jer. 31:33).

Finally, “Be Thou My Vision” serves as a hymn of response to remind us to keep our focus upon the Lord at all times. We glory in the words of verse two, knowing that God is “my great Father, I Thy true son.”

Powerful Sermon

Paul Washer of HeartCry Missionary Society preached a powerfully convicting sermon confronting nominal Christianity at a youth conference. Click here to download this sermon. It brings tears to my eyes...tears of remembrance, tears of repentance, and tears of sadness. I remember my life before Christ and how easily I become complacent in my Christian experience, leading me to repent of my stagnation. I am saddened that I have family and friends who claim to be Christians, but they are not committed to the local church nor do they show any signs of fruit. The truth is that I wish I would have been confronted with preaching like this a few years ago before I became a Christian. I was the kind of nominal Christian that Paul preaches about in his sermon. I was a false childhood convert who wasn't a Christian due to the simple fact that I was not truly following Christ.

As a Christian, this sermon convicted me and brought a renewed sense of zeal and purpose to my walk with Christ. Oh, how easy it is to slumber in the comfy bed of contemporary American evangelical Christianity. Too often I become acclimated to the conditions of this world. My prayer is that the Lord would stir within me an enmity toward this world's charms and riches.

I am reminded of the words to Isaac Watts' great hymn, "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?" One particular stanza expresses the prayer and resolve of my heart:

Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord.
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.

Worship Notes: God as King and Law-Giver

Here is the latest edition of the Worship Notes bulletin insert for July 8, 2007:


God as King and Law-Giver

This morning’s worship service focuses on God the Father in His sovereignty and role as Law-Giver. God rules over all of the earth (Psalm 47:8), and His creatures must submit to the rule of His law as found in Scripture. He has the right to set the standard, because He is holy and His standard is holiness and perfection (1 Peter 1:15-16). Mankind’s condition is that of an innate sin nature and the perpetual failure to keep the law of God, placing all of humanity under God’s just judgment, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NASB).

The law is God’s gracious provision to reveal this condition to us. As a verse from today’s Scripture reading reminds us, we would not have been aware of our sinful state were it not for God’s law (Romans 7:7). Today’s sermon will serve to remind us that the law is what leads us to Christ as we realize our sinfulness and cast ourselves upon Him.

As you sing this morning, be mindful of God’s holiness and His sovereign rule over us. If you are a Christian, thank God for His mercy in bringing you to Himself. If you are an unbeliever, realize how far you are from God’s standard, and flee to the Lord Jesus Christ by grace through faith in humble repentance. You can be made right (i.e. “justified”; Gal. 2:24) by faith in Christ.

“Come, Thou Almighty King” serves as one of the most popular hymns that call the people of God to worship Him, the King. This hymn was originally sung to the same tune as Great Britain’s national anthem, “God Save Our Gracious King,” which also serves as the tune of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” During the Revolutionary War, British soldiers once invaded a church and demanded the singing of the British national anthem. The church responded by singing the correct tune but instead sang the words we sing today: “Come, Thou Almighty King, Help us Thy name to sing,” serving as a reminder that no earthly monarch can usurp the role of the King of kings and Lord of lords. [1]

“O Worship the King” also reminds us that God is King, with a special focus upon His role as Creator, based on Psalm 104. The last verse declares God as “Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.” Notice the progression: “We know God first as our Maker, our Creator. Then, even before our conversion, He is our Defender, our Keeper from harm. We know Him then as Redeemer, our personal Savior from sin and its penalty. Finally, as we walk day by day with Him, as we commune with Him and enjoy His fellowship, we know Him also as Friend.” [2]

“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” culminates in a downpour of descriptions of God in His glory. The words can be overwhelming in their succession, but this may serve to instill in us a sense of the wonder we will experience when beholding our God one day in all of His perfection. Beholding Him “will overwhelm us far more completely than does this hymn, and we will find ourselves lost in praise.” [3]

In response to God’s law and its purpose in leading us to Christ, we will sing “Jesus Paid It All.” The law shows us that “nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim” (v. 3). Thankfully, for those of us who have placed our trust in Christ alone for salvation, Christ’s death paid the debt to redeem us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13), canceling out the debt that stood against us (Colossians 3:14).

How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You.
(Psalm 65:4, NASB)

[1] Osbeck, Kenneth W., 101 Hymn Stories (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1982), 49-50.
[2] Brown, Rober K. and Mark R. Norton, eds., The One Year Book of Hymns (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1995), July 9^th reading.
[3] Grudem, Wayne., Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 183.

"Just Friends"

I just came across an article on the Boundless website, and like much of their material, it really caused me to think. I commend the article, "Biblical Dating: Just Friends," to all single believers who are serious about acting with integrity in male-female relationships.

Likewise, I recommend much of what Scott Croft has written in the biblical dating series. I'm afraid that there's not enough good, solid, biblical material on the topic of dating and relationships, but I'm thankful for the ministry of Boundless that seeks to fill that void.

Dr. Moore on Southern Culture

I'm a storyteller, and I enjoy being one. By storytelling, I'm not referring to lying. Instead, I refer to what Dr. Moore referenced in a recent post on southern culture on the Henry Institute website, entitled "Reading Southern Culture": "Southerners are storytellers and myth-makers, and the ethos of the South can be better felt than analyzed." He's right, and my southern roots never show so much as when I relate the experiences of my dear Aunt Linda (from Williamsburg, KY) or tell the story of an eye-opening encounter involving a food pantry. Dr. Moore hits the nail on the head when he writes that southern culture is "better felt than analyzed," and I like the feeling.

So, take a minute or two and read Dr. Moore's latest entry, preferably with a Mason jar of sweet tea at hand. In the meantime, I'm going back to work after being on break. I hope you enjoy the read!

The Bible in Worship (Bulletin Insert)

The Word of God should be central in the worship of God. This simple statement guides my understanding of services of the worship of God. Below is the bulletin insert from Sunday, June 24.

The Word and Worship

One of the unique aspects of worship services at Parkwood Southern Baptist Church is our emphasis upon the Bible. The words of our God call us to worship every Sunday morning as Pastor Todd reads a psalm. A Scripture reading is placed in the middle of our hymns and songs to remind us of the centrality of the Word of God in our services. In the evenings, we are reading through the book of Proverbs to complement our pastor’s preaching in the book of James, both books of which are very practical in focus.
Why so much Scripture? The late Presbyterian pastor James Montgomery Boice gives a cogent response:

To worship God we must know who God is, but we cannot know who God is unless God first chooses to reveal himself to us. God has done this in the Bible, which is why the Bible and the teaching of the Bible need to be central in our worship. [1]

Our worship is not a generic service of worship where we simply gather to do the act of worship. We come together to worship God, so that Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries prefers to speak of church worship services as the community gathering not for a “Service of Worship” but for a “Service of the Worship of God.” Therefore, if our worship is to be God-glorifying, it has to have the Word of God at a central place. Worship is not about our collective feelings, and we do not gather to worship so that Our hearts will be blessed, although our good God does often see fit to quicken our affections for Him and His glory as we worship. Our services of the worship of God are all about Him and His glory, and thus His book, the Holy Bible, has center stage in our church. No person, song, instrument, or emotional response should take center stage in our worship. The moment these things become the focus of any church the Word of God becomes supplanted, an idol has been erected, and God’s glory is offended so that what happens bears no resemblance to what can rightfully be termed Christian worship.

One church shares a similar high view of God’s Word with regard to worship. This church—First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi—has a motto that captures this view of the Bible as it relates to worship: “Read the Bible, Preach the Bible, Pray the Bible, Sing the Bible, See the Bible.”[2] The pastor, J. Ligon Duncan, sums up the aim of biblical worship:

“Our aim then is to have a public worship service that is according to Scripture: that is, a service rooted in the Bible’s teaching about the form and substance of congregational worship."[3]

These are some of the reasons why the Word of God is implemented in various ways during the course of our service. Our attempt is to shape and fashion our worship services according to the Word of God and a proper theological understanding that comes from the study of God’s Word.

On this Lord’s Day, consider an important question: Is the Word of God a central theme in your life? If our worship is based on Scripture, how much more should our relationship with God be governed by the principle of Scripture-centeredness? May the Lord be pleased by our worship today and by our devotion to Him and His Word every day of our lives.

---

[1] Philip Graham Ryken, Derek W. Thomas, and J. Ligon Duncan III, eds., Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2003), [vii].

[2] J. Ligon Duncan, Worshiping God Together: Congregational Worship at First Presbyterian Church (Jackson, MS: First Presbyterian Church, 2005), 9.

[3] Duncan, Worshiping, 13.

The Bible in Worship

One of my roommates has a book entitled Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship, a book edited by Philip Graham Ryken, Derek W.H. Thomas, and J. Ligon Duncan III (and one that I plan to begin reading slowly through sometime soon). This book was written to celebrate the legacy of James Montgomery Boice, and it covers a plethora of material on various aspects of worship.

My purpose in writing this blog entry was simply to draw attention to this resource that I had somehow missed and to provide the following quote from Boice that was printed on a solitary page among the prefatory material. I think this quote captures my own view of the centrality of the Bible in worship, and it should cause any pastor or worship leader to seriously ponder the principle that the Bible should guide our worship:

"To worship God we must know who God is, but we cannot know who God is unless God first chooses to reveal himself to us. God has done this in the Bible, which is why the Bible and the teaching of the Bible need to be central in our worship" (vii).