grace notes

Kauflin's Next Book

2010-03-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

Over at his blog Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin just announced that he's beginning the process of writing a new book. His first one was targeted to worship leaders, and addressed the biblical role of those who lead in corporate worship. His next book will be aimed at the worshiper - the one who comes to church on Sunday morning to be led.

He's asking for suggestions of topics to address in the book. What questions might people be asking regarding worship in their church? If you go to his blog, you can comment on the post with a question you'd suggest he answer in the book.

What question would you ask?

Consecration and Worship - The Prayer Used in Worship

2009-09-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

In our worship services this week, I used the words of a prayer from The Valley of Vision (in leather or paperback), a collection of Puritan prayers. The editor of the collection, Arthur Bennett, has given this prayer the title, "Consecration and Worship." I thought it would be helpful to post the text of this prayer here, since sometimes there is so much content in these prayers, and expressed in such sophisticated (and outdated) language, it can be a bit challenging to discern upon one hearing what precisely is being expressed.

So without further adieu, here is the text from the prayer, "Consecration and Worship."

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My God,

I feel it is heaven to please Thee, and to be what Thou wouldst have me be. O that I were holy as Thou art holy, pure as Christ is pure, perfect as Thy Spirit is perfect! These, I feel, are the best commands in Thy Book, and shall I break them? must I break them? am I under such a necessity as long as I live here?

Woe, woe is me that I am a sinner, that I grieve this blessed God, who is infinite in goodness and grace! O if He would punish me for my sins, it would not would my heart so deep to offend Him; But though I sin continually, He continually repeats His kindness to me.

At times I feel I could bear any suffering, but how can I dishonour this glorious God? What shall I do to glorify and worship this best of beings? O that I could consecrate my soul and body to His service, without restraint, for ever! O that I could give myself up to Him, so as never more to attempt to be my own! or have any will or affections that are not perfectly conformed to His will and His love! But, alas, I cannot live and not sin.

O may angels glorify Him incessantly, and, if possible, prostrate themselves lower before the blessed King of heaven! I long to bear a part with them in ceaseless praise; but when I have done all I can to eternity I shall not be able to offer more than a small fraction of the homage that the glorious God deserves. Give me a heart full of divine, heavenly love.

His Faithfulness Is to All Generations...

2009-09-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been half a year since I posted, and another half a year before that one. Let's try again.

Lindsey and I (and Jude) recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend Sovereign Grace Ministries' "Worship God" conference. We heard teaching from John Piper, Bob Kauflin, C.J. Mahaney, Thabiti Anywabwile, Keith & Kristyn Getty, and many others. We had the privilege of being led in congregational praise by 6 different teams of leaders from Sovereign Grace churches. We each attended 4 breakout sessions (or "seminars") addressing various topics related to corporate worship. It was encouraging and equipping all the way around.

The theme of the conference was "From Generation to Generation," which focused on passing on the values and skills of biblical worship to the next generation(s) of leaders and worshipers. Bob Kauflin preached an excellent message entitled "The Future of Worship" based on Psalm 78. He has posted much of the material from this message in a recent blog entry at Worship Matters. One particular portion of this message/blog I have found especially poignant and important. I'm pasting this portion of the text in italics below (and I've bolded one line of central importance):

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How many of our thoughts about music and worship revolve around what we like, what we prefer, what interests us, and what we find appealing? And how often is that attitude passed on to the next generation, who then focus on what appeals to them?

I suspect this may be one of the reasons churches develop separate meetings for different musical tastes. In the short run it may bring more people to your church. But in the long run it keeps us stuck in the mindset that musical styles have more power to divide us than the gospel has to unite us.

How do we pass on biblical values of worship to coming generations when we can’t even sing in the same room with them?

We have to look beyond our own generation, both past and future, if we’re to clearly understand what God wants us to do now. Otherwise we can be guilty of a chronological narcissism that always views our generation as the most important one. As Winston Churchill insightfully wrote, “The further back you can look, the further forward you can see.”

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I think this is perhaps one of the most important messages for leaders and worshipers of our generation(s) to hear. I place a high value on multiple venues of congregational worship being identical in both content and style for this reason (and others). When we decided two years ago at BridgePoint to hold two separate worship services with precisely the same content and style, I believe we expressed the importance of intergenerational expressions of worship.

We have Bible study groups for men and women that enable Christians of different generations to learn and grow together, each benefiting from the other in unique ways.

And yet I'm sure there is more that could be done (in any church, not just ours) to emphasize the importance of intergenerational experiences of God and expressions of worship.

What do you think? Can you think of some ways that this intergenerational dynamic of discipleship and worship could be enhanced at BridgePoint? Do you agree that this is an important message for Christians today? If not, why not?

Easter Scripture Passage

2009-04-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the scripture reading you heard at the front end of our Easter services last week. The voice you hear belongs to Brett Binkley, and the music was composed and recorded by me.

Easter Scripture Reading - Brett Binkley (voice), Kyle Carlson (music)

The passage is Luke 23:50 - 24:9 from "The Message."

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times...

2008-11-05T12:01:00.001-08:00

I'm torn.

You see, on one hand, last night was a gloomy night for America. Senator (soon-to-be President) Obama's radical position on issues related to abortion (most notably his oft-stated commitment to the Freedom of Choice Act and his opposition to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act) frighten me for the future of life in our country. With one signature, Obama may wipe away three decades' worth of Pro-Life policies designed to protect the rights of the most helpless, voiceless class of Americans - the unborn. This is morally reprehensible and personally heartbreaking. So on behalf of millions of unborn Americans, I am saddened and frustrated.

On the other hand, last night was a terrific night for America. 150 years ago, American society didn't consider black men and women fully human, much less American citizens. Last night, we elected an African-American man the leader of our nation. I can't overstate the magnitude of this occasion. I rejoice with the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jesus of Nazareth at this enormous step toward racial harmony. Racism is an evil paralleled by few others, and last night marked a huge victory for the United States of America in the war against it.

Senator McCain's concession speech was a model of humility and grace in the midst of fervent contest. It was classy and elegant and right. Senator Obama's acceptance speech was solemn, grateful, powerful - in a word, inspiring.

So you see, in many ways November 4, 2008 was a great day for the United States of America, with many glorious victories. And yet, these victories are tainted by the ominous reality of the future of millions of unborn Americans. It falls to Christians across the nation to humbly and wholeheartedly support our President, and at the same time to pray fervently for God to change his heart (and his mind) toward the unborn.

America - I give you my deepest sympathies.

And many congratulations.

WorshipGod08

2008-08-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

I had the tremendous opportunity last week, along with my wife Lindsey, our senior pastor Tom Douthit, and our AMP Team director Jay Conder, to attend a worship conference in Gaithersburg, MD. The conference was hosted at Covenant Life Church, the flagship church of Sovereiegn Grace Ministries, and led by Sovereiegn Grace's Director of Worship Development, Bob Kauflin. Its theme was "Rediscovering the Psalms;" there were six main teaching sessions which included a generous amount of congregational singing, Scripture recitations, and powerful messages from the Psalms from the likes of Mark Dever, Thabiti Anyabwile, David Powlison, Craig Cabaniss, and Bob Kauflin. Thursday through Saturday, there were 45 seminars (each person chose five to attend) dealing with various aspects corporate worship. I'd like to share some things I gained.

I was refreshed. Throughout the conference, I was reminded of the tremendous power of the Gospel. We sang song after song celebrating God's redeeming work in Christ. We heard stirring messages from the Psalms about God's faithfulness and steadfast love. We were challenged in the seminars we attended to build our worship ministries around the central reality of the cross of Christ and its transforming power.

I was challenged. Both through the teaching and the example of other worship leaders, I was made aware of some growth opportunities (aka, weaknesses) in my own leadership. I was inspired to incorporate some spontaneity in our meetings, and to pursue emotional, as well as mental, engagement with God's truth in corporate worship. I was reminded of the tremendous need for personal purity in Christ-like character and passion in Godward emotion.

I was equipped. I was given substantial tools that I'm confident will assist me in many areas of my leadership. Some of these tools are practical things - such as how to arrange songs and use band instruments in a way that serves the song's lyrics. Some of these tools are spiritual things - such as ways to shepherd the volunteers in our worship ministry (pssst - that's you guys). Some of these tools are relational things - such as how a pastor and worship leader can (and should) successfully collaborate and serve the church together. (Tom and I attended this seminar together; we were both encouraged by the great relationship we enjoy, and challenged to nurture it.)

This is only my experience (and only a small part of it at that). Lindsey could share her own story of how she was benefitted by the conference, as I'm sure Tom and Jay could as well. I am grateful to BridgePoint for providing the support for us to attend the conference, and I pray, and trust, that the church will gain from the fruit of what we encountered in Gaithersburg.

Grace.

What Are You Proclaiming?

2008-04-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

I’m reading Bob Kauflin’s new (and utterly terrific) book about corporate worship, “Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God.” Kauflin is the author of a popular blog of the same name (http://www.worshipmatters.com/), dealing with a broad range of issues related to the corporate worship of the church.

In the book, Kauflin is unpacking, phrase by phrase, his definition of what a worship leader does. Perhaps at some point in the future we’ll go through this material together, but I want to focus your attention on a particular portion of it today.

One of the worship leader’s tasks is to “motivat[e] the gathered church to proclaim the gospel.” He defines proclamation as “declaring what’s true about God.” He suggests that one reason it’s necessary to proclaim truths about God and the gospel that we probably know already is that we tend to forget. We get wrapped up in the worries, fears, desires and busyness of life, and we need weekly reminders of God’s goodness, specifically of his mercy and love displayed in the cross of Christ.

He cites 1 Peter 2:9, where the apostle says that we have been saved “that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.” One purpose, and result, of our redemption is that we now proclaim God’s excellencies. Kauflin says that “we’re meant to fulfill this command both in our meetings and in our lives.” Then he writes these insightful words:

People come into our churches proclaiming all sorts of things with their words and actions. Through close-fisted giving, some are asserting how much their own personal wealth matters. Others, by their complaining, are declaring that personal comfort matters. Teens in the latest fashions may be proclaiming that being cool matters. Others confirm through their smiles or frowns that their musical preferences matter. But we want each of them to leave proclaiming this: The gospel of Jesus Christ matters.

I was struck and convicted by these words. Can you relate to this? Have you ever entered a corporate worship meeting proclaiming with your words and actions something other than the gospel of Jesus Christ? Kauflin’s given us a few examples here, but what are some other things we might proclaim? What might people be distracted by as they enter to encounter the living God with a community of believers? How can we get our gaze fixed once again upon the crucified Messiah and the fountainhead of blessing we find there?

Grace.

PC&D and the Trinity

2008-04-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm back. *gasps heard around the room*

I think I'm going to start writing more. (I say that every time I post, don't I?) Even if I don't have anything tremendously meaningful to say, I think it will be a good discipline for me to simply write. And perhaps it will give you something of a window into my weird mind.

At any rate, I actually have something to write about today. I ran across an article a couple days ago about the Christian music industry, with a particularly unsettling discovery (on my part) about the group Phillips, Craig, & Dean. It's gotten me thinking a bit.

Here's a link to the article, which includes the discovery I mentioned. The bottom line of the article is the suggestion that the CCM industry (Contemporary Christian Music), and what is "Christian music" and what is not, is driven more by business considerations - namely, what makes money - than by any spiritual or doctrinal standard. The evidence of this fact given in this particular article is the difference between Sufjan Stevens and Phillips, Craig & Dean.

You see, Sufjan Stevens is not a "Christian artist." His CD's have been produced by mainstream labels. His agents and promoters are CCM outsiders. And yet his orthodox Christian theology is immediately recognizable in his music (Countless other examples could be offered, but this is the one the writer of the article chose.). He even has a soulful rendition of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" (which you can check out at this link; don't pay any attention to the goofy animal pictures - just listen to the music.).

Phillips, Craig & Dean, on the other hand, as you probably know, are highly successful and prominent artists within the CCM family. Unless you live under an evangelical rock or you can't change your radio dial from KHCB, you've likely heard many of their songs, even if you didn't realize it ("Crucified with Christ;" "I Want to Be Just Like You;" "Mercy Came Running;" "You Are God Alone" (which, I should add, they didn't write), etc.). And now the discovery: They are modalists - which means they deny the doctrine of the Trinity. Each of the three men are pastors and music ministers in (different) Oneness Pentecostal churches, which teach that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit motifs are simply different "modes" in which the unipersonal God has revealed himself in various periods of history. In other words, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not three distinct persons comprising one unified Godhead - rather, they are each an alter ego (that's my term, not theirs) of the one person who is God.

This is deeply troubling to me. Of course you won't find the word "trinity" anywhere on the pages of holy Scripture, but its concept is nearly impossible to miss! Jesus prays to his Father. He says "I and the Father are one." He tells the disciples that after he goes to heaven he will send them "another Comforter, who is with you and will be in you." When he gives them the "Great Commission," he tells the disciples to baptize people "in the name (singular) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (plural)." In the event of Jesus' baptism, all three persons of the Trinity are seen performing separate tasks at the very same time. Is this unipersonal God of Oneness Pentecostals seriously delusional, or is something else happening here?

Add to this isolated issue the loads of sappy drivel that pass for Christian art these days, and I think we have a pretty substantial problem on our hands. After all, in one very real sense, this is the image of Christianity the world is receiving. Is this what we want to communicate? That we don't really care that much about what people believe, and the closest we can come to art is to imitate what non-Christian artists are doing?

I don't have good answers at the moment. Just those questions and concerns roaming about my mind. Perhaps some of you have thoughts to share. That's what the comments are for.

Grace.

How Sweet and Awful

2008-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some remarkable lyrics that we'll sing together in corporate worship this Sunday. They were written by the great Puritan hymn-writer, Isaac Watts. Let these words soak into your soul today and in the days to come.

How Sweet and Awful Is the Place

How sweet and awful is the place
With Christ within the doors
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores.

While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast
Each of us cry with thankful tongues,
"Lord, why was I a guest?"

"Why was I made to hear thy voice
and enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice
And rather starve than come?"

'Twas the same love that spread the feast
that sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste
and perished in our sin

Pity the nations, O our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send thy victorious Word abroad
and bring the strangers home.

We long to see thy churches full,
that all the chosen race
may with one voice and heart and soul
sing thy redeeming grace.

Amen, and grace.

A Seminary Buddy on Worship

2008-01-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a hugely long time since I posted anything. Apologies to any who may have been wondering if I'd ever write here again. If you're wondering if this is perhaps my long-awaited return to the blog, the answer to that wondering is yes... and no.
Yes, because I am here and writing. No, because the purpose of this post is to direct you to another. A seminary friend of mine named Russell Cravens has written some thought-provoking words about music in corporate worship that I thought were worth passing along. Here's a link to his blog, and below is the text of his article. I'll be back soon with my own thoughts, I promise.

Grace.
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Thoughts: Music in Worship

I like church. I like music. It is an important tool in church life to help Christians approach God with a solitary voice in worship. I have random thoughts about music in worship.
Here are few:

1. Worship, generally speaking, originally involved slaughtering animals (Leviticus). It was bloody and smelly. It required long waits in line before watching the worship leader (priest) take your best animal and kill it. It seems possible that we have lost an element of that in our worship today; that is, I wonder if our worship is way too easy and entirely too clean.

2. The greatest worship songs every written (Psalms) came out of struggle, despair, and a big view of the mysterious God. If a group of worshippers does not seem that they are worshipping, the last thing we need to focus on is “better songs” or a “better leader”. We need to pray more. We need to pray that our people are gripped by a big view of God (Go Here). Dare I say, we need to ask God to bring struggle to our people. I guarantee that the people that sing the loudest are those that have the greatest need (think: prisons, mission field, broken hearted).

Excursus: Worship Leaders! If people are not singing your songs, please do the following:

1. Ask a non-musician if they make sense. They may make sense to you, but if they don’t make sense to the average person then you should not use them to lead the average person in worship. Your songs can be cool and entertaining, but if they are not leading people in “spirit and truth” to worship God then you have become an entertainer. The church doesn’t need any more entertainers.

2. Check your theology. Your first responsibility as a worship leader is to be a theologian. Turn off your apple computer and pick up your Bible. Commit to some classes where someone spends the entire time telling you what God says in the Bible. It is not enough to listen to the preacher’s sermon, because it is filled with filler so that people don’t get lost or bored or annoyed by all the theology and doctrine. This requires that you read books that are hard to understand, were written hundreds of years ago, and will not interest your average worship leader who knows a few cords and everyone else’s songs.

3. Sing less. The remedy to songless Christians is not more songs. Songs will spring up among Christians when they stand speechless and wanting before Yahweh. They will not stand speechless and wanting before Yahweh until they feel deeply the gravitousness of their sin and the limitless nature of God’s love. This will not happen with your songs. It happens with the proclamation of the Scriptures. I am sorry that we have relied so heavily on you to make our people care about hearing from God.

A Document on a Door

2007-10-31T09:04:00.000-07:00

On October 31, 1517, a man named Martin Luther posted his “95 Theses” upon the doors of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. It could not be known how significant this document would shortly become, nor how pivotal this former Augustinian monk would be to the lives of Christians for centuries to come.

Yes, it’s been 490 years since the Protestant Reformation was begun with a document on a door. A document calling into question 95 beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church of the day. A document demanding a return to biblical orthodoxy and ministerial propriety. A document calling men and women to submit to the authority not of the Pope, but of the written word of the living God.

That written word had long since vanished from popular accessibility, available only to officials within the Catholic Church and to university professors from the same structure. Whatever they said was accepted as truth. Whatever interpretations, and abuses, made by church officials were blindly followed. Common people were beside themselves paying all they had to the church to buy their loved ones out of Purgatory, pleading with the pope for “letters of pardon,” fearing eternal condemnation for any number of offenses deemed by the Church to be unforgivable. Christians without access to the truth were thus abused and oppressed for centuries.

This is one reason that Luther’s document was so important. The reaction of the Church against it – having Luther excommunicated, and ultimately seeking his life – sent Luther into hiding at Wartburg Castle, where he began translating the Latin Bible into common German vernacular. Luther’s German version of the Bible, following in the footsteps of great translators like John Wycliffe and William Tyndale, carried on the work of spreading the word of God to common people. If you have a Bible on your shelf, or somewhere in your home, you owe a great debt of gratitude to Martin Luther.

Of course, ultimately the Reformation was not the work of Martin Luther, or any man. Luther, and the other leaders of the movement (e.g. – John Hus, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin), were simply tools in the hands of God to challenge the authority of the day and to boldly proclaim the solitary authority of the Bible.

So the question comes to us today – are we available to be used by God? I doubt Martin Luther expected to turn Western civilization upside down when he nailed his arguments to that church door. What might God do through you if you were to yield wholly to his word and confront the wisdom of the age?

Happy Reformation Day.

(To read lots of other great posts about the Reformation, visit www.challies.com.)

The Message of Joel Osteen

2007-10-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

Joel Osteen's new book, Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, hit shelves today. Thus, Osteen has been all over the news this week promoting it, including a feature on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday evening. The purpose of this post is not to deride Osteen as a human being, or to judge that he is not a believer. But I do feel a responsibility to warn anyone within my hearing, particularly those under my care as Pastor of Worship & Prayer, that the message Osteen preaches is not the Christian gospel.

I've read a number of good articles about Osteen this week, in response to his public appearances. There are good articles by Tim Challies, Michael Horton, and Michael Spencer. But the best, and most relevant to corporate worship, is by Bob Kauflin. I'm going to copy and paste his article below, and I encourage you to read through it. (The other links I provided in this paragraph are worth reading, too, but at least read the Kauflin one.)
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Sin and Sunday Morning

Joel Osteen was interviewed by Byron Pitts on 60 Minutes this past Sunday. I didn’t see the program but was able to watch it at CBS News Online. I recognize that the media can distort what someone actually says. But taken at face value, the interview was concerning. Here’s one portion from the transcript:
“You said ‘I like to see myself as a life coach, a motivator to help them experience the life of God that God has for them. People don’t like to be beat down and told ‘You’ve done wrong.’ What do you mean?” Pitts asks.
“Well, I think that most people already know what they’re doing wrong. And for me to get in here and just beat ‘em down and talk down to ‘em, I just don’t think that inspires anybody to rise higher. But I want to motivate. I wanna motivate every person to leave here to be a better father, a better husband, to break addictions to come up higher in their walk with the Lord,” Osteen says.
Later on in the interview, this exchange takes place:
“To become a better you, you must be positive towards yourself, develop better relationships, embrace the place where you are. Not one mention of God in that. Not one mention of Jesus Christ in that,” Pitts remarks.
“That’s just my message. There is scripture in there that backs it all up. But I feel like, Byron, I’m called to help people…how do we walk out the Christian life? How do we live it? And these are principles that can help you. I mean, there’s a lot better people qualified to say, ‘Here’s a book that’s going to explain the scriptures to you.’ I don’t think that’s my gifting,” Osteen says.
Every leader in the church of Christ is called to help people. But God has made it clear how we’re to do that. He hasn’t given us the liberty of devising our own message. God couldn’t be clearer about what our message is, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
“Christ died for our sins.” We have no better news, no more powerful news, and no other news to give to the people we serve. All change that takes place in our lives is rooted in the atoning work of the Savior. A few other relevant Scriptures come to mind such as Col. 2:6, Col. 3:1-4:1, and Col. 1:27-28. There are many more. We cannot “live out the Christian life” apart from an ongoing, deepening, clear dependence on Jesus Christ. Specifically, our problem is sin, and Jesus came to set us free from its penalty and power.
Yes, “people already know they’re doing wrong,” but they’re unclear on the extent, the significance, and the object of that wrong. We cannot become better fathers, husbands, or better anything apart from recognizing our guilt before God and our complete inability to change ourselves. Change begins by understanding that we stand condemned before a holy God and need to be reconciled to him through the substitutionary death of Christ. Change continues by standing firm in the Gospel we’ve received (1 Cor. 15:1-2). Paul Wells does a fine job addressing some of the modern misconceptions about the meaning of the cross of Christ. One of the problems he addresses is the attempt to offer people hope without addressing the problem of sin. He writes:
“Efforts to create a god who does not react to sin render God less than personal, and at the same time make a true understanding of his love for sinful man, in its breadth and depth, impossible. God’s love appears in its true light only in the context of man’s sin and misery, and his rebellion against God. God hates sin.”
As a worship leader, I can be tempted to use songs that make people “feel good” apart from acknowledging the sin that Jesus came to forgive and free them from. I can put together a better song list that will “lift people’s spirits” and give them a profound emotional experience without drawing any attention to how God hates their sin. But that ends up diminishing the glory of God’s love. He loves us freely and undeservedly. He loves us at the cost of his own Son. He loves us to change us. He loves us not because we’re so lovable, but because He is love.
I pray that Joel Osteen sees the importance of reminding people of the pervasive and deceptive sin that dwells in each one of us, and the powerful Gospel that sets us free. I pray that regardless of our gifting, every pastor and leader in the church would see that we are responsible to explain what the Scriptures mean. Most importantly, I pray that I never seek to offer people hope apart from the cross of Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:14 ).
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Grace.

Though I Didn't Understand, I Did Understand

2007-10-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

As you might know, several folks from BridgePoint have gone with a team from East-West Ministries to Russia to spend about 10 days ministering in several villages. Among these folks are Erik and Nickie Fruin, who are good friends. They each have gotten the chance every couple days to update their blog sites with some news about their trip, and it's been a blessing to keep up with them. Nickie shared something regarding corporate worship in a Russian church on Sunday morning that I found sweet and uplifting, and I thought I'd give you the chance to eaves drop.

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The next morning [Sunday] we arrived in Voronezh, and I liked the city immediately. It is not as busy and commercialized as Moscow, and the people seem more geniune and friendly. We quickly checked into our hotel so we could attend church service, and it was completely mindblowing for me. The second I walked into the church and heard the passionate and intense worship music being played for our Lord, I started to tear up. It was amazing that even though I didn't understand a word they sang, I really did understand what they were singing. He hears our praise and our worship no matter what the language.
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Her words resonated with me, because I have had similar experiences. Several years ago I had the opportunity to tour with a college brass group through South Korea, playing at schools and churches, and last summer I spent two weeks in Bulgaria as part of a "vision team" for mission work in that country. During each trip, I had the opportunity to join native believers for corporate worship, and it was always poignant and touching to be a part of a congregational expression of worship to God with people who I didn't understand, and who didn't understand me. As Nickie expressed above, though we did not know each other and could not readily communicate (save through an interpreter), we stood by the same grace and honored the same Savior. It also helped me to realize in a tangible way that God's love is much bigger than me and the bubble in which I live.

If you give it a thought, please pray for Erik and Nickie, as well as David Lee and David DeYoung (along with the rest of the East-West team), as they seek to magnify the gospel of Christ in a strange world, a long way from home.

But maybe not quite as far as we think.

Grace.

p.s. - Erik and Nickie's blog sites are www.erikfruin.blogspot.com and www.nickiefruin.blogspot.com.

Idolatry on Sunday Mornings, Part 2

2007-09-28T10:36:00.001-07:00

Hey gang.

Lindsey and I are on our way out the door for the First Love couples retreat. Since I won't get a chance to put anything up over the weekend, I wanted to go ahead and give you all the link to Part 2 of Bob Kauflin's "Idolatry on Sunday Morning" series, and to encourage you to take a few minutes to read and reflect on it.

Without further adieu, here's Idolatry on Sunday Morning, Part 2. (All you have to do is point and click. ;-) )

Grace with you all, and I'll look forward to being with you Sunday morning!

In Love with Jesus?

2007-09-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

Tim Challies (a blogger whose link you'll see on the righthand side of this blog) linked today to an article that I thought was very relevant to corporate worship, and very thoughtful. You may have heard me say before that we ought to avoid using romantic language in reference to our relationship to Christ, as though we are individually his lovers. John Stackhouse expands upon this idea in an insightful way, and I hope you'll be helped and challenged by it. (All of the italicized text below is quoted directly from Stackhouse's blog.)

One of the blights upon the hymnological landscape today is the continued presence of what we can fairly call the “love song to Jesus” genre. It’s been around as long as there has been Christian pop music–and even earlier, depending on what you make of sentimental gospel songs in the nineteenth century, eighteenth-century revivalist hymns, and especially a lot of the mystical poetry-cum-lyrics of certain medieval saints.
Today our congregation was asked to sing, “Jesus, I’m in love with you”–a line that shows up, in one permutation or another, in several songs that occur frequently in our worship leaders’ rotation.
Well, I didn’t sing it. It’s wrong, and I try not to sing wrong lyrics.
First, I’m not in love with Jesus. The locution “in love with” is one I reserve for one person only: my wife. I love my sons, I love my siblings and parents, I love my friends, I love my country, I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I love God. But I’m not “in love” with any of them. And I daresay most of the rest of us use this phrase in exactly the same, highly-restrictive way.
Second, it gives me the homoerotic creeps to declare that I am “in love with” another man. And I don’t apologize for saying so. A gender lens is interesting here, for a lot of men feel as I do (many have told me so), while many (not all) women seem to love telling Jesus that they are in love with him. I saw them, swaying with closed eyes and waving hands in the air this morning, singing exactly that. Maybe, indeed, they are in love with Jesus. But they shouldn’t be.
For the third point to make is a theological one. Jesus is not your boyfriend, not your fiancé, and not your eventual husband.
By God’s grace, Christians get to enjoy a wide range of relationships with Jesus. We are described in the New Testament variously as Jesus’ slaves, Jesus’ servants, Jesus co-workers, Jesus’ friends, and even Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Since the plural form of each of these is used, it is correct then for me to say, “I am Jesus’ slave, servant, co-worker,” etc.
But the New Testament never calls Christians Jesus’ fiancées or his brides. Instead, it is the Church collectively, and only the Church as a whole, that relates to Jesus this way–just as individual Israelites did not relate to Yhwh as so many spouses, but only the nation of Israel as nation was his beloved bride.
So I’m not singing to Jesus that I’m in love with him, because I’m not. I love him, and I aspire to loving him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. But I do not aspire to being in love with him, and I’m sure he understands.
I wish our worship leaders and songwriters did, too.

Grace.

Idolatry on Sunday Mornings

2007-09-15T11:40:00.001-07:00

Bob Kauflin is the Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries, and until just a few months ago served as a pastor and worship leader for SGM's flagship church, Covenant Life Church (where Joshua "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" Harris is currently senior pastor). He relinquished his position at CLC to devote himself full time to the worship ministry of Sovereign Grace. (*In case you're not aware, SGM produces some of the finest and most Gospel-centered contemporary worship music available. Several songs we sing at BridgePoint that come from this ministry are "In Christ Alone," "Before the Throne of God Above," "The Glories of Calvary," and "You Are the Way," which we recently introduced.)

Bob writes a blog entitled Worship Matters (which you'll see in the "good blogs" section on the right side of this blog), which I read regularly. It's directed specifically toward leaders of corporate worship, and I find the thoughts and biblical insights he offers immeasurably helpful to me as a leader, and as a worshiper.

Some time ago, he did an 8-part series called "Idolatry on Sunday Mornings." For the next 8 weeks, I will link you to one part of this series, as a way of calling our attention to the condition of our hearts when we gather for corporate worship. I hope you'll take the time to read the article, and that it will cause you to examine your heart for any idolatry that might be present there.

Here's Idolatry on Sunday Mornings, Part 1

Grace.

A God of Diversity

2007-09-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

Becky Steele made a terrific comment on the "view results" page of last week's poll. I'm not sure how many folks have viewed the results of the poll, and how many of those actually think to scroll down the page and read the comments, so I thought I'd make her contribution a little more visible. Here's an exerpt:

"Any song, good or bad, our preference or not, should be sung to God from our hearts, focusing on the words and meaning. I think we tend to get caught up in the external details and miss out on the internal benefits, most often failing to praise God in the process. Be engaged in all the types of styles because God is a God of diversity, and enjoys it all."

Amen.

And don't hesitate to continue to respond to yesterday's post about how to use this blog. You can comment on that post, this post, or email me.

Grace.

the goal of this blog

2007-09-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hey gang.

A question for you:

How can I best serve you through this blog? I realize that some may feel there can be no spiritual benefit gained from the internet, but I'm convinced that if we use this blog well, we can all be challenged and edified, and that God can receive glory. So what I want to know is, what are your thoughts and ideas about how I might use this blog to best accomplish those goals? What types of things might I include in it on a regular basis that might strengthen and encourage, challenge and inform, and generally help and serve you?

A few thoughts that I've had, for which I'd welcome your feedback, are:

- Personal reflections on corporate worship, music, the Gospel, and related issues

- Links to and reflections on articles and essays that I find helpful and/or challenging.

- Periodical Q & A, where anyone might submit a question about issues related to corporate worship, and I dedicate a blog post to responding to the question.

Do you have other ideas? We've already done a little poll, which was interesting, though, as was pointed out by a couple, it wasn't the most helpful format for what it was trying to accomplish. Do you think these types of polls might be helpful? What kinds of topics could they cover?

I'm open to suggestions.

Grace.

What Type of "Worship" Music is Your Favorite?

2007-09-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

What is the Power of God to Save?

2007-09-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am beginning my third year as a student at the Houston Park Place Campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and my fall courses have just started up. I am taking the second course in a 2-part New Testament survey class, and my 5th semester of Greek, in which we will translate and study the "Pastoral Epistles" (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus).

In New Testament today, Dr. Hamilton lectured through 1 Corinthians, and then he preached in chapel about 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. He summoned preachers - and, by extension, seminarians - to expound the Gospel of Christ, even though to the world it is "folly" and "a stumbling block." According to worldly standards, a Messiah, a promised ruler, who is executed as a common criminal looks weak and foolish. Unregenerate people are able to cognitively grasp the Gospel story enough to think that it is foolish. A fairy tale. A crutch for the weak. But they will not, of their own volition, believe and embrace this message of a crucified Christ.

And yet, it is this very message, foolish and weak in the world's eyes, that God uses to save sinners. "Since, in the wisdom of God the world did not know him through wisdom, it pleased God by the foolishness of what is preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor. 18:21; emphasis added). So the call for the Christian preacher - and youth pastor, and children's minister, and education director, and Sunday School teacher, and worship pastor - is to proclaim the Gospel message of this murdered Messiah - "a stumbling block to Jews, and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 18:23-24).

Here's the application for us as leaders in corporate worship: our calling is the very same. Our goal in every element of the church's worship gatherings is to proclaim this crucified Christ. In our songs, Scriptures, prayers, and congregational readings, we must expound the Gospel of a Messiah who was executed at the hands of wicked men (though, ultimately, at the hands of a wrathful God), and who was raised by the Spirit's power. Though the world sees this message as foolish and weak, it is the power of God to save those who believe.

Reflecting today on these verses has caused me to be committed all the more to Christ-exalting, Gospel-saturated, God-centered songs and liturgy in congregational worship. May we, as leaders in corporate worship and as members of the body of Christ, celebrate and marvel at the glories of this Gospel, and its power to save damned sinners like us, and may its power cause us to live life for the glory of our great God.

Grace.

Prepare Your Hearts

2007-09-01T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hey gang.

I hope you'll spend your Saturday evening not just having fun and enjoying your families (though I hope you're doing those things), but that you'll think toward preparing your hearts and minds for corporate worship tomorrow. Those of us who will be on stage leading the congregation, may we draw our minds to the mercy and justice of God revealed in the substitutionary death of Jesus for us. May this reflection cause us to marvel at his glory, and may that joy and wonder be evident in us as we call those gathered to do the same.

Those of you who will be among the congregation, may you savor the sweetness of God's redeemed people expressing gratitude to the Redeemer, and as we partake of communion, may we truly "proclaim the Lord's death till he comes."

Grace.

Welcome, Friends

2007-08-29T13:52:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the first ministry blog at BridgePoint Bible Church. Since it was born in my brain, and has just begun, I have no real prediction as to its scope or longevity. Of course, I hope that we'll find it a fun and meaningful way to connect and interact. Well, at least those of us with enough technological dexterity to maneuver a blog.

My plan is to fairly regularly post worship-/music- related thoughts and musings for your consideration. But no blog is successful without dialogue and interaction in the comments section, so I hope that you'll take advantage of that feature (For any web-challenged folks among us, simply click on the word "comments" underneath the post, and type your response into the text box it provides for you.). You can comment as a guest without having your own www.blogger.com profile, but if you're interested, it's free and easy to set up your own blog account.

This particular post will contain no real content with which you might interact, but I'd love to see your comments with this post so that I know you're here and ready to party.

Grace.