

## The Best of Worship Matters

By Bob Kauflin

The Best of Worship Matters

Published by Bob Kauflin at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Bob Kauflin

# ABOUT THIS BOOK

I started blogging at WorshipMatters.com in November of 2005. At that point I wasn't sure how long I'd keep going. But here it is eight years later and I'm still at it. A lot has changed in my life since that time. I've been blessed with numerous grandchildren, hosted six WorshipGod conferences, overseen the production of 23 Sovereign Grace albums, met many encouraging co-laborers for the gospel, and had the privilege of participating in a church plant. All of that might explain why I'm posting less frequently than I used to! What follows is a collection of what I think are some of the best posts from my blog. Some are directed toward leaders, others are for anyone. I hope this e-book, compiled by my friend Stephen Altrogge, gives you a greater passion to see the Savior glorified in your life and the lives of those around you. Thanks for reading all these years!

\- Bob Kauflin

# TABLE OF CONTENTS

AM I ASTONISHED?

CULTIVATING THANKFULNESS

SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR

SPIRITUAL DEMENTIA

GRACE FOR CHANGE

FINDING HOPE IN THE DEPTHS

IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 1

IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 2

IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 3

IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 4

IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 5

IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 6

IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 7

IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 8

MARY'S SONG

THE RIGHT KIND OF IMITATION

DELIGHTING IN GOD'S WORD

THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE ON EARTH

UNRESTRAINED WORSHIP

APPROACHING GOD

WHERE AM I LOOKING?

DO I LOVE GOD?

PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO MYSELF

RECEIVING CORRECTION AS A GIFT

LIVING BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ANOTHER

GRATEFUL FOR MERCY

UNMEASURED GRACE

THE NEVERS OF THE GOSPEL

KIDS, KINGS, AND CREEPING THINGS

PURSUING GOD'S ACTIVE PRESENCE

PASSION AND THE TRUTH

REST FOR YOUR SOUL

THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT

BEFORE THE AGES BEGAN

PLEASING GOD

AM I BEING STUPID?

HEARING TO SEE THE GLORY OF GOD

THE FEAR OF MAN, HOPELESSNESS, AND THE GOSPEL

UNITE MY HEART

WHAT CHRISTMAS IS AND IS NOT ALL ABOUT

SHOULD WORSHIP BE FUN?

FINDING MEANING AND PURPOSE

TEN REASONS TO EXPRESS MUSIC OPINIONS HUMBLY

WHEN GOD COMES TO CHURCH

A HYMN FOR ORDINARY CHRISTIANS

LEARNING TO SING IN THE SAME ROOM

REFLECTIONS ON TURNING FIFTY-FIVE

CAN SINGING ABOUT THE GOSPEL BECOME ROTE?

OPEN THE EYES OF MY (FACE) LORD

LEADING IN THE MIDST OF TRIALS

WHAT SHOULD WE SAY WHEN WE LEAD WORSHIP?

WHAT WE DO IN SECRET

HOW CREATIVE CAN WE BE WITH THE GOSPEL?

RECEIVING THE BATON FROM A PREVIOUS GENERATION

MUSIC: GIFT OR GOD?

WHAT I LEARNED FROM ARISTOTLE

JESUS AND THE SONGS WE SING

MARKETING, MANUFACTURING, AND MINIMIZING GOD'S PRESENCE

A SALUTE TO THE AVERAGE WORSHIP LEADER

SENTIMENTALIZING, SANITIZING, AND SPIRITUALIZING CHRISTMAS

HOW DO WE GROW IN PHYSICAL EXPRESSIVENESS IN WORSHIP? - Part 1

HOW DO WE GROW IN PHYSICAL EXPRESSIVENESS IN WORSHIP? - Part 2

HOW DO WE GROW IN PHYSICAL EXPRESSIVENESS IN WORSHIP? - Part 3

HOW DO WE MAKE ROOM FOR THE GIFT OF PROPHECY?

ENTERING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

ABOUT BOB KAUFLIN

# AM I ASTONISHED?

I've spent a good amount of time over the past few years using the book, _The Valley of Vision_ , as I meet with God in the morning. It's a collection of prayers from various Puritans, put together by Arthur Bennett. Apart from God's Word, it is the most helpful tool I've encountered for exposing the depth of my sin and the greater power and glories of the Gospel.

Here's one section from the prayer called "The Mover" that has affected me deeply:

O Lord, I am astonished at the difference

Between my receivings and my deservings,

Between the state I am now in and my past gracelessness,

Between the heaven I am bound for and the hell I merit.

Who made me to differ, but you?

For I was not more ready to receive Christ than were others;

I could not have begun to love you if you had not first loved me,

Or been willing unless you had first made me so.

O that such a crown should fit the head of such a sinner!

Such high advancement be for an unfruitful person!

Such joys for so vile a rebel!

When I sit down to meet with God, I'm not typically astonished at the difference between what I deserve and what I'm receiving. I'm more often wondering why I don't get MORE blessings, see MORE fruitfulness, and gain MORE credit for the things I do. I'm "astonished" that my dryer is making a noise again, that everyone doesn't think my ideas are brilliant, or that my one of my children questions my authority. I am so out of touch with reality!

However, my relationship with God is one place where astonishment is always appropriate. Because my life is hidden in Christ (Col. 3:3), I get nothing that I deserve, and everything that I don't – complete forgiveness, eternal life, communion with my heavenly Father, and the knowledge that every detail of my life is being used for God's glory and my good.

Lord, astonish my heart today. Make me amazed by grace, encouraged by unending mercy, and comforted in every trial, knowing that because of my Savior, I will never receive what I deserve.

#  CULTIVATING THANKFULNESS

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" (Ps. 100:4 ESV)

What does God value as we enter His presence? Gratefulness. Our culture puts a high value on being "real" as we come before God. Genuine. Vulnerable. Authentic. The Psalmists don't hesitate to tell God when life is a mess and they're struggling. (Check out Psalm 13, 42, and 88). But in a society where self-expression is often hailed as the ultimate virtue, I'm not sure that "being real" before God is my problem. Being thankful is. Why is God so concerned that we be grateful? There are a number of reasons. Here are two.

First, thankfulness makes God bigger in my eyes. "I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving." (Psa. 69:30, ESV) Gratefulness maximizes what God does and minimizes what I do. My friend, C.J. Mahaney, writes that "God is placing sticky-notes in our lives as daily reminders of His presence and provision." ( _Humility: True Greatness_ , p. 71) Am I aware of them? Did I notice how God provided for me yesterday? Am I rushing into my time with God with a laundry list of requests without noticing that He has already revealed his loving care and wise sovereignty in countless ways? Most importantly, am I overflowing with thankfulness that God has solved my greatest problem and met my greatest need through giving His own Son as a sacrifice for my sins? My present problems become smaller and God becomes bigger as I rejoice in what He's already done.

Second, thankfulness makes me aware of my need. One of my greatest challenges is overcoming the lie that I'm in control and can do things on my own. Expressing thanks to God reminds me that I need His grace in every aspect of my life – loving my wife, leading my children, ministering to others, providing financially, solving problems, experiencing fruitfulness, and a million other details. What do I have that I didn't receive? (1 Cor. 4:7) Nothing. So why am I not more grateful than I am? My self-sufficient pride blinds me to the reality of God's power and goodness at work in my life. A thankful heart opens my eyes.

Of course, thinking about how I need to be thankful doesn't make me a thankful person. I need both to cultivate and express it. That's why I want my first waking thoughts to be gratefulness to God for specific evidences of His grace, especially revealed in the Gospel. Gratitude sets the course for my day and helps me see the "big picture." And it's the way God wants me to come into his presence. "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1Th. 5:18, ESV)

# SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR

When asked how he's doing, my friend C.J. Mahaney often answers, "Better than I deserve." He's been responding that way for years, and it always reminds me that my sins far outweigh my trials. Yet God has dealt with my sins by punishing his own Son in my place. I will never know His righteous wrath. I will forever know the joy of His presence.

So why don't I have a more thankful attitude? I think my perspective is comprehensive, accurate, and authoritative. I think my complaining moves God.

I think I'm ultimately responsible for my destiny. I think I'm immediately responsible for my justification before God. I think I rule everything around me.

I think my wife, children, and friends should recognize that I rule everything around me. I think there are more important things to do than be thankful. I think...

Actually, the problem is that I don't think. I don't think about the fact that God chose not to spare His own Son so that I could be spared. (Rom. 8:32) I don't think about the reality that I owe every breath to a wise and sovereign Creator. I forget. I get distracted. I sin. And God forgives me again and again as I come to Him through the atoning sacrifice of His only Son.

So I remind myself again and again that we as Christians should be the most grateful people on the planet. If I am in Jesus, I have so much that heaven can give me no more. This modern hymn, by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, helps me remember.

My Heart is Filled With Thankfulness

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who bore my pain

Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace

And gave me life again

Who crushed my curse of sinfulness

And clothed me in His light

And wrote His law of righteousness

With power upon my heart

Today may your heart be filled with thankfulness for the glory of our matchless Savior.

# SPIRITUAL DEMENTIA

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! (Ps. 105:1-6 ESV)

Recently, we've been experiencing something of a mini-crisis in our home. My 85 year old mother-in-law, is suffering from dementia. Although she's been with us for over 7 years now she has completely forgotten that she's ever lived with us. As her mental state has slowly declined, my wife, Julie, has begun cooking all her meals, shopping for her, and consistently caring for her needs. In addition, I've been overseeing her finances and making sure her affairs are in order. Why do I mention this? She doesn't remember any of it. She sits for much of the day, confused, depressed, and at times, angry. "Where are all my things? Why can't I leave here? Why are you treating me so badly? Who are you?"

In reflecting on our situation, I realized how often we relate to God as though we have spiritual dementia. We wake up in the morning weighed down by responsibilities and forget how He cared for us yesterday. We remember the bills that are due but forget the countless ways He's provided for us in the past. Guilt, condemnation, and anxiety are crystal clear, but the forgiveness our Savior purchased at Calvary is a murky memory. So we complain. We fight depression. We get confused. We lash out in anger. "Why can't You change my life? Why are You treating me so badly? Who are You?"

How wisely the Psalmist exhorts us, "Make known his deeds...tell of all his wondrous works...,remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered." One of the primary problems the Israelites faced was simply forgetting who God was and what He had done. In the wilderness, Israel "soon forgot his works," and "forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt." (Ps. 106:13, 21) How much like us!

This is one of the reasons we repeatedly read God's Word, pray, sing, and gather with God's people. It's why meeting with God in the morning and filling our minds with His Word is so important. Like my mother-in-law, we struggle daily with the tendency to forget everything we know about God, and conclude that everything ultimately depends on us.

Remember the wondrous works of the Lord today. Remind others. And never forget that our God and Savior is much better than we'll ever remember or can ever imagine. His greatness truly is unsearchable. (Ps. 145:3)

# GRACE FOR CHANGE

"O Lord, My every sense, member, faculty, affection, Is a snare to me, I can scarce open my eyes but I envy those above me, Or despise those below."

So begins the prayer from _The Valley of Vision_ entitled "Self-Deprecation." In a culture where low self-esteem is the ultimate sin, it's refreshing to encounter confession that is so honest, so compelling, so familiar. Can you identify with this author's sad situation? He realizes that our temptations don't arise so much from things around us as things within us. A co-worker is honored and I wonder why nobody noticed my contribution. I silently applaud myself for buying a slightly-too-expensive gift for the family gift exchange. When asked for an opinion I'm ready with a critique, proving once again that I'm a smart, discerning individual. I go through the day with a vague sadness after realizing I wasn't invited to a friend's party. I struggle with envy that another parent's child is more developed, artistic, or obedient than mine. The only temptations I need are those that come with everyday life.

Later on, the writer laments: "Am I gifted? how I lust after applause! Am I unlearned? How I despise what I have not! Am I in authority? How prone to abuse my trust, make will my law, exclude others' enjoyments, serve my own interests and policy! Am I inferior? How much I grudge others' pre-eminence! Am I rich? How exalted I become! Thou knowest that all these are snares by my corruptions, and that my greatest snare is myself."

Just this past week a good friend told me about counsel a mutual friend had received. Without knowing the details of the situation I expressed my disagreement with the counsel and started mentally listing all the reasons I knew better. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit interrupted my thought process and reminded me that only Jesus should rightly be called the "Wonderful Counselor." Rather than walking humbly with my God, I was exalting my opinion over the counsel of those who actually knew the facts. As a result of the Spirit's work in my heart, I was able later on to confess my arrogance to my friend, as well as the friend whose counsel I had disagreed with.

How kind of our heavenly Father to provide a Gospel that not only ensures our forgiveness, but our change as well. God promises not only to justify us, but to sanctify and glorify us. (Heb. 10:14; Rom. 8:30) At the cross my sins were displayed, punishment was endured, full payment was made, forgiveness was obtained, and victory was assured. What hope we've been given in the midst of our sin! Therefore, I can acknowledge my deepest sinfulness, confident that God's power to make me like His Son will ultimately surpass sin's power to deceive me. The writer ends with this hopeful thought: "Keep me ever mindful of my natural state, But let me not forget my heavenly title, Or the grace that can deal with every sin." May it be so for each one of us today and every day.

# FINDING HOPE IN THE DEPTHS

I'm writing this after spending most of the last 24 hours in bed with the flu. I'll spare you the details, but it ended up affecting everyone except Chelsea. The family we invited over for dinner last night also succumbed. It was a little special "gift" we gave them...

What's been running through my mind at various points is the opening to Psalm 130: "Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!" I'm not sure what "depths" the Psalmist was going through, but I definitely feel like I've been there. No motivation, no strength, no desire to do anything but stay right there in bed.

But even when my physical pain is the worst, it's not my greatest problem. My sin is. "If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared." If God did not forgive us, we could not fear Him. We could not love, reverence, and honor Him. We would be without hope and without God. (Eph. 2:12) But because we have God's own promise that He will forgive all our iniquities, we can have hope, even in the bleakest circumstances.

Therefore, the Psalmist turns to his only source of comfort. "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning." I find it instructive that in the midst of his trial, the Psalmist wasn't first waiting for health, or deliverance, or provision. He was waiting for the Lord. He knew any help he would receive would be a result of God's intervention and kindness. Whatever our need is, ultimately God is the answer. So he concludes with an exhortation: "O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities."

Did the Psalmist's trial make him aware of his need for God? Or did his difficulties simply press out of him the fruit of his ongoing devotion to the Lord? Probably both. In either case, he has seen enough of God to encourage others. Hope in the Lord! He gives steadfast love and plentiful redemption! Once again, his focus returns to our greatest need – reconciliation to God. If God can forgive my countless acts of rebellion, pride, and selfishness, how can I doubt for a moment that he won't prove faithful in my present situation? Sickness can have a wonderfully clarifying effect, because our perspective is closest to reality whenever we feel our need the most. Without question, the greatest benefit of the past 24 hours is that I'm more aware of who I am even when I'm NOT sick – a helpless creature who depends on my Creator's sustaining power for every single breath. I've been reminded that physical health is not a right, but a gift. Sickness, persecution, confusion, and more, are designed to make me more aware of my need for grace, and God's abundant provision through the Gospel. And for that I will be eternally grateful.

# IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNING - Part 1

"So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images." (2 Kings 17:41a ESV)

What is our greatest hindrance in worshipping God? We could come up with a number of potential answers.

"Our worship leader isn't very experienced."

"The services are too planned/spontaneous."

"The band/orchestra/organist/guitarist sounds bad."

"There are too many new/old songs."

"Our church is too big/small."

Ignoring for a moment that all these statements refer to a meeting context, they reveal a profound misconception about the hindrances to true worship. Contrary to what we might think, our greatest problem doesn't lie outside us, but within our own hearts. It's the problem of idolatry.

The passage above from 2 Kings describes a situation that existed when Samaria was resettled by the king of Assyria. It's a situation which can potentially exist in our church services today. We can fear the Lord externally, engaging in what we perceive to be all the proper elements of worship – singing, giving, praying, kneeling, listening to God's Word, etc. – and be actively serving false gods in our hearts. God makes it clear in Exodus 20 that he will not tolerate any competition for the allegiance and affections of our hearts. "You shall have no other gods before me." That succinctly describes idolatry.

When someone mentions idolatry, we can picture some tribesman in New Guinea bowing down to statues of wood or metal, and think, "Thank God I don't struggle with THAT." Idols, however, are far more pervasive, insidious, and deceptive. Idolatry is attributing ultimate value, authority, or supremacy to any object other than God.

We foolishly think idols can provide for us what only God can give. They tempt us every day, all day. It's not surprising, then, that even young children deal with idols.

When one of my children was ten, one of her idols was "not taking showers." Otherwise known as the idols of control and pleasure. At one point she confessed to Julie and me that for three days she had only been _pretending_ to take a shower. (For some reason, most ten-year-olds find taking showers as appealing as scratching a chalk board for ten minutes.) I explained to her that not taking a shower was an idol for her. She thought that remaining dirty would bring her happiness. Instead it led to deceiving those she loves the most and dishonoring the God who created her for His glory. And it definitely didn't deliver on the happiness promise. Ultimately, idols never do.

# IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 2

I tried to come up with a shocking title for these posts to alert us to the difference between a "professed" God and "functional" god. That is, the God we say we believe in, and the god that actually governs our desires and actions.

Idolatry can be active in my heart even as I'm outwardly worshipping God. That's a sobering thought. Whenever I think I can't worship God unless "X" is present, I'm making a profound statement. If "X" is anything other than Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, I've moved into idolatrous territory. Idolatry is always evil, but the idols we pursue aren't necessarily evil things. They are evil for us because we value them over God.

Pages could be written on each of the potential idols I'm about to cover. Most, if not all of them, touch on areas that can and should be used with discernment to serve God's people as we gather to sing His praise. Some of them are more important then others. But all of them are meant to exalt God, not replace Him.

Music

Musical styles for congregational worship have caused quite a stir in recent years. Actually, they've been causing a stir for centuries, and for good reason. Music is a powerful medium that can affect us positively or negatively. However, the root of the division is often (though not always) people insisting they know what kind of music God likes. It hasn't helped that "new music proponents" are often arrogant, insensitive, selfish, and impatient. However, we can make an idol out of what's old and familiar as easily as we can make one out of what's new and creative. Music must be wisely chosen for its ability to serve both the lyrics and the congregation in order to truly honor God. But thinking that we need a certain type of music to truly engage with God is, at its root, idolatry.

Tradition

Every church, even those that claim to be non-traditional, has traditions. A tradition is simply something you've done more than once. Can traditions serve God's purposes in the church? Absolutely! Paul encourages the Thessalonians, "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter." (2Th. 2:15, ESV) But are our traditions today equal to Scripture in authority? Absolutely not! Every generation is responsible to examine whether or not the traditions they've inherited (or are seeking to establish) are biblical and truly help people exult in God's worthiness and works. The complementary idols of familiarity and comfort are often revealed in the words, "We've never done it that way before."

Creativity

Lest this list seem one-sided, NEWNESS can also be an idol. We're convinced that some fresh, different, never-been-done-before idea will make our congregational worship more effective. Or powerful. Or appealing. Maybe it's lighting...or a new stage set up...or a video clip...or candles...or banners...or "interactive artistic activity." Creativity is never our goal in worshipping God. It's simply a means to the end of displaying and seeing the glory of Christ more clearly. New forms or mediums of communication can give us a different perspective, causing the truth to have a greater impact on us. But if we walk away from a time of corporate worship more affected by our creativity than our Savior, or think that the Word of Christ is old news, God help us.

I'm aware what I'm writing may offend some. I pray that's not the case, although what we perceive as an "offense" might be the Spirit's conviction. It could just as well be my poor communication. But this I know: God is committed to receiving all the glory, honor, and praise each time we gather as His people, redeemed through His Son's atoning sacrifice. He will have no rivals. "I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols." (Is. 42:8, ESV) Each time we meet to worship the triune God, HE should be the all-consuming center of our attention and affections. His greatness and splendor should become bigger in our minds, hearts, and wills. His desires and commands should become more precious to us. Jesus Christ and His atoning work should be more glorious and amazing to us.

# IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 3

It's helpful to remember that the world, the devil, and our flesh actively oppose our desire to give God the glory He alone deserves. The real worship wars aren't about music styles, forms, and practices. They're secretly waged in our hearts, as idols try to rob us of our passion to exalt God above everything. If we aren't aware of those worship wars we'll have a difficult time understanding or experiencing worship that honors God, no matter what we're doing on the outside.

Speaking of experience, here are a couple more idols that can tempt us on Sunday mornings.

Experience

As I paged through a Christian magazine last year, I noticed one ad for a new worship CD mentioned "experience" six times. We all love "worship experiences" with God. Experiences aren't evil. But the concept of worship as an "experience" is fairly foreign to Scripture. I say "fairly" because there are times when worshipping God was definitely an experience! (2 Chron. 5:11-14; Acts 4:31; 1 Cor. 14:23-25)

However, the goal of gathering as God's people is not to feel something, but to see and remember something. That "something" is the Word, works, and worthiness of God, especially as He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6) If I pursue goose bumps or heightened emotion during a meeting, God becomes simply one of numerous options I can choose to seek them from. This doesn't minimize the importance of pursuing encounters with the living God characterized by profound emotion and awareness of the Holy Spirit's active presence. Scripture is filled with examples of longing for, pursuing, and delighting in God's presence (Ps. 84:1-2; 1 Chron 16:11; Ps. 16:11) But I become aware of God's nearness by dwelling on His nature, promises, and acts, not by pursuing an emotional fix.

Liturgy

Forms and practices are significant when we meet as God's people to worship Him. Everything must be done decently and in order. (1 Cor. 14:40) However, God has been vague (painfully so) in His Word regarding what that "order" actually looks like. How many songs do we sing and when do we sing them? What words should we use when we pray? When and how often should we celebrate the Lord's Supper? Christians throughout history have argued about and divided over such issues, claiming to offer a liturgy that was truly biblical. Liturgies can be helpful, but we must realize that there is no "liturgical perfectionism" we can achieve that will ever make our worship more acceptable to God than it already is in Jesus Christ.

The sad fruit of this idolatrous mentality is churches that have a form of godliness but lack true spiritual power. Our goal is to do in faith what magnifies God's glory in Christ most effectively and Scripturally. We can and should use biblical elements and proportions in corporate worship. But liturgies should serve us, not rule us. Since God has seen fit to allow freedom in form, so should we.

# IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 4

I want to continue addressing the topic of identifying the idols we may serve in our hearts even as we gather to worship God with His people. In previous entries we looked at music, tradition, creativity, experience, and liturgy. Here's one more (well really, two).

Biblical Knowledge

I hesitate to include "biblical knowledge" as a potential idol. The reason I do is that we can wrongly pursue a knowledge of doctrine that is distinct from a knowledge of God Himself. We have to acknowledge this possibility or we easily fall into the error of the Pharisees, who took more pride in their "rightness" than in their relationship with God. We too can be more impressed with the accurate theology in our songs than the fact that God has shown us mercy in Jesus Christ.

Doctrine and theology, humbly studied and applied, always lead us to fear, love, and worship God more, not less. For that reason, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for pursuing a knowledge of Scripture that didn't lead to Him. "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." (John 5:39-40, ESV) As we grow in our understanding of and love for God's Word, it should always produce a corresponding humility and godliness in us. How tragic that those who defend certain ways of worshipping God most vocally often disregard the humility God esteems most highly. (Is. 66:2)

Biblical Ignorance

On the other side of the coin, we can exalt our ignorance of Scripture as we worship God, claiming that "words get in the way of worship." When we don't intentionally value God's Word as the controlling influence and primary substance of our worship, other authorities rush in to fill its place. We are not more spiritual, nor closer to God, nor more mature if we think we don't need words to communicate with God. God has always placed His Word at the center of our communion with Him, whether that be through song, prayer, or preaching. Through God's Word we best come to know Who He is, who we are, and how we are to relate to Him. (Ex. 20; 1 Kings 8:9;Ex. 34:6-7; Josh 1:7-8; 2 Chron. 31:2-4; 34:29-33; Ps. 119; Ps. 19:7-11; Mt. 15:8; Acts 13:48-49; Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:13)

# IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 5

We can't help but notice the number of times God addresses idolatry in his Word. He hates it when we pursue, serve, or are emotionally drawn to other gods, which are not really gods at all. Idols enslave us (Ps. 106:36), put us to shame (Is. 45:16), and ultimately conform us to their image (Ps. 115:8).

But God's intention is that we be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). Like the Psalmist, we should hate idols. (Ps. 31:6). Too often, though, we find ourselves to be the idolaters. I want to share another idol that looms large when we worship God corporately. It particularly applies to musicians.

The Idol of Musical Excellence

Offering God our best has biblical precedent. (Ex. 23:19; Num 18:29-30) In today's culture, that "best" is often defined as music marked by skill, complexity, or even sophistication. So four-part harmonies edge out unison melodies, orchestras trump upright pianos, and full bands with choirs replace solo guitarists. We become more concerned with making corporate worship bigger, better, and more involved. We balk at the thought of someone without extensive musical training and study leading congregational worship. In the process, we lose sight of what makes our offering acceptable in the first place.

Reggie Kidd, in his book _With One Voice_ , pinpoints the problem: "In some churches the quest for 'excellence' is an idol, regardless of whether 'excellence' is defined by standards of so-called 'classical' culture or of 'pop' culture. Such 'excellentism' needs to be replaced with the quest to pursue the likeness of Christ crucified and him alone. As good as it gets this side of Christ's return, we're never going to get it completely right. There will always be a flat tenor, a broken guitar string, an overly loud organ, or a poorly placed hymn. But it's okay. The cross means it's covered." (p. 101-102)

Does that mean we don't need to be concerned about how we play, whether we're in tune, or what songs we use? Of course not. God commends musical excellence (Ps. 33:3; 1 Chron. 15:22; 2 Chron. 30:21-22). Years ago, my degree in piano performance taught me (painfully) something about the value of musical skill and excellence. But in congregational worship, excellence has a purpose – to focus people's attention on God's wondrous acts and attributes.

In corporate worship then, excellence has more to do with issues of edification and encouragement than simple musical standards. Pursuing excellence wisely means continuing to grow in my skill so that I won't distract those I'm seeking to serve. It means I might not play at all sometimes so that the congregation can hear their own voices clearly ringing out in praise to God. Musical excellence, defined rightly, is a worthy pursuit. But like all idols, it makes a terrible god.

# IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 6

Today I want to focus on the idol of RESULTS. I'm referring to the mindset that views worshipping God as a means to attain a more desirable end, like increased attendance, evangelism, mutual ministry, or individual experiences. "Results-worship" might underlie comments like these: "We stay away from certain biblical topics because people just don't like to hear them." "Livelier meetings keep the guests coming back." "It didn't seem like God was with us this morning because all we did was sing, share the Lord's Supper, and hear God's Word preached." "We make it a goal to have everyone receive a "touch from God" on Sunday morning."

Of course, it's right to want the church to grow, desire to see people saved, provide opportunities for mutual edification, and expect that people will encounter the living God in evidential ways when we meet. However, we want to do all those things so that more and more people will be able to see the surpassing greatness and glory of Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, it's a false dichotomy to ask whether meetings are for God or for us. They are for God in their end, they are for us in their effect. However, when we're talking about ultimate purposes, there's no question. Everything we do, we do so that the glory of God might be seen, magnified, and cherished. "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1Cor. 10:31 ESV) "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col. 3:17 ESV) "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Rom. 11:36 ESV)

John Piper has succinctly stated, "Missions exists because worship doesn't." ( _Let the Nations Be Glad_ , p. 11) That applies equally to everything else we do. Personal ministry exists because people don't honor God for His power and compassion. The church needs to grow so that more people might honor and love God for His mercy, grace, and truth. We want people to encounter the active presence of God's Spirit so that they might prize Him above every experience, feeling, or sensation. We want every Christian to know that God's steadfast love expressed in the substitutionary death of our Savior is better than life itself.

God's glory is the end of our worship and not simply a means to something else. In the midst of a culture that glorifies our pitiful accomplishments in countless ways, we gather each week to proclaim God's wondrous deeds and glory in his supreme value. He is "holy, holy, holy." There is no one, and nothing, like the Lord. If you're a leader in God's household, remember that no good can ultimately come from fixing your people's eyes on anything greater than the Savior Himself. The Lamb is the One we will be exalting above all else for all eternity. It's only right that we exalt Him above all else now.

# IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 7

Today, I'd like to talk about the idol of REPUTATION, especially as it's revealed in the lives of leaders. God commends a good reputation in Proverbs: "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold." (Prov. 22:1) That means God wants our lives characterized by virtues such as godliness, integrity, and faithfulness. However, I'm never to seek my good name at the expense of God's name. I must never be more concerned about my reputation than God's.

The idol of reputation is subtle. It's masquerades behind holy acts but reveals itself in unholy responses or thoughts. It's sad, sobering, and scary that I can use the act of worshiping God to try to make myself look better in people's eyes. I've done it countless times. Here are a few ways I've seen this idol express itself through the years...

"I wonder if anyone will notice that outstanding piano fill..."

"My voice is SO much better than hers."

"That was a GREAT song selection I made this morning!"

"What do you mean you want the singing time to be cut short by five minutes?!"

"Why don't they ask me to sing more?"

"I don't need to rehearse like everyone else."

"I could NEVER sing in the choir. I'm a soloist."

These are the more obvious self-exalting kind of thoughts. I've been guilty of all of them. However, the same root can manifest itself in anxiety and self-deprecation as well.

"I wonder if people will like the worship today."

"My stomach is tied up in knots before every meeting."

"Worship was just terrible this morning."

"Don't ask me to sing or play a solo."

These responses are often rooted in the fear that we won't get the credit and acclaim we crave. Because we're afraid we won't be honored, we make excuses, we aim low, we nurture unbelief, and give in to anxiety. In short, we fail to honor God. In both cases, our goal is the same – to improve what others think of us rather than what they think of our Savior.

While musicians and pastors are no more sinful than anyone else, we do have particular temptations that we need to be aware of. Since much of what leaders do takes place in front of people, we can be tempted to steal glory from God. That is what I mean by serving the idol of our reputation. Of course, non-leaders can serve the same idol. As we sing praises to God, we can wonder if we're singing in tune, if we look passionate (or contemplative) enough, or if the people around us are REALLY worshipping God.

Years ago, I was in England at a large Christian conference. During one seminar, we were led in corporate worship by a guitarist whom I thought was average in every respect. As he finished what I would have described as a sorry time of worship in song the elderly gentleman to my side turned my way. With a glowing smile, he asked, "That was simply lovely, wasn't it?" I wanted to say no, but the Holy Spirit caught my tongue before the answer slipped out.

What I realized was that only one of us had been worshipping God during that time, and it wasn't me. I was busy worshipping myself, exulting in my knowledge of worship, my experiences, my training, my background. Needless to say, God wasn't impressed. "But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." (Is. 66:2b ESV) May God grant us grace to truly seek His reputation above our own each time we meet to worship Him.

# IDOLATRY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS - Part 8

The last idol I want to speak to is the idol of RELEVANCE.

Churches can become irrelevant for any number of reasons. Spiritual pride can keep us from considering that non-Christian guests may not understand our highly developed "Christian-speak." Administrative incompetence might make it difficult for people to find us, or to enjoy being with us once they do (possibly due to crowded conditions, erratic temperature control, musty smells, etc.) A faulty understanding of what it means to be "in the world but not of the world" may result in a narrow interpretation of what external practices constitute godliness. Churches that don't use electricity are one example that comes to mind. Each of the churches I've described here would bring greater glory to God by becoming more "relevant."

However, the idol of relevance is rooted in the fear that people may not like us because we seem different from them. We want them to know we eat at the same restaurants, watch the same TV shows, listen to the same bands, laugh at the same jokes, and go to the same movies that they do. Our greatest fear is being perceived as out of touch.

Obviously, there are many times we'll engage in the same activities as non-Christians. It's one way that we maintain a conversation with and presence in the world. However, we're fighting a losing battle when relevance becomes our aim – to convince the world we're just like them. There are aspects of our culture that we clearly want to set ourselves apart from, simply because they contain so much that is opposed to glorying in Jesus Christ.

Martin Lloyd-Jones addressed the desire of preachers to be "relevant" in his book, _Preaching and Preachers_. His point is applicable to worship leaders as well.

"Our Lord attracted sinners because He was different. They drew near to Him because they felt that there was something different about Him. That poor sinful woman of whom we read in Luke 7 did not draw near to the Pharisees and wash their feet with her tears, and wipe them with the hair of her head. No, but she sensed something in our Lord – His purity, His holiness, His love – and so she drew near to Him. It was His essential difference that attracted her. And the world always expects us to be different. This idea that you are going to win people to the Christian faith by showing them that after all you are remarkably like them, is theologically and psychologically a profound blunder." (p. 140)

Jesus possessed an "essential difference" that people, both religious leaders and prostitutes, were aware of. That difference included a profound humility, an unshakeable joy, and a servant heart. Ultimately, it was a refusal to bow to the god of this world, and an unyielding commitment to love His Father and obey His will. (Jn. 2:24-25, 5:30) Jesus related to sinners because He had come to give His life as a ransom for them. He hung around the "low-lifes" of his day enough to be accused of engaging in their sins (Lk. 7:34), yet we never get the impression he attended parties to prove that he was just like everyone there.

I think the following description of the church in Acts succinctly communicates the distance that exists between the church and the world, and how God adds to His people in spite of it – or perhaps because of it. "None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women." (Acts 5:13-14 ESV)

What I believe every Christian pastor and leader needs to answer are questions like these:

  * Are people who visit our church more aware of how different we are or how similar we are to them?

  * Are the people in my church growing in their likeness to the values of Jesus Christ or the world?

  * Do the songs we sing and the references we make communicate the supreme treasure of God's Word or the godless pride of our age?

On a more personal note, as a leader I want to carefully watch my own intake. It's revealing to measure how much time I actually spend reading, studying, and observing the thoughts of non-Christians for the purpose of being "relevant." How much is necessary for me to enable meaningful contact with the world around me? That's a question I need to answer from the Lord's perspective, not mine or the world's.

I'm in the middle of reading Os Guiness' book _Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance_. It's an excellent read. I think this quote says what I'd like to say better than I ever could:

"By our breathless chase after relevance without a matching commitment to faithfulness, we have become not only unfaithful but irrelevant; by our determined efforts to redefine ourselves in ways that are more compelling to the modern world than are faithful to Christ, we have lost not only our identity but our authority and our relevance. Our crying need is to be faithful as well as relevant." (p. 15)

Father, by your grace make us faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ – in our words, our deeds, and our thoughts. And like the early church, we trust that more than ever believers will be added to the Lord.

# MARY'S SONG

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant." (Lk. 1:46-48a ESV)

I was raised as a Roman Catholic, and have long since dealt with an unbiblical exaltation of Mary's role in God's plan of salvation. She was not immaculately conceived, she was not perpetually sinless, and she is definitely not a co-mediator with Jesus. But recently I was freshly reminded of Mary's example in humbly submitting to God's plan for her life. And what a plan it was!

God sends an angel to tell a obscure young girl, maybe all of 13 years, that she is to bear the Savior of the world. How would you respond to such an announcement? (If you're a guy, think about Joseph...) Three lessons stand out to me in the verse referenced above. It's the first line from the Mary's prayer commonly referred to as "The Magnificat."

" **My soul magnifies the Lord."**

To magnify means to make something look bigger than it appears to our eyes. We use a telescope or a set of binoculars to magnify objects that are far away. Magnifying doesn't make those objects bigger, but helps us to see them as they truly are. Mary could have magnified a few other things when Gabriel broke the news to her. "Who's going to believe a thirteen year old girl who says she's pregnant by God? What will the neighbors think? How will I explain this to Joseph? Will he divorce me once he finds out? What will this mean for my future?" Mary could have magnified these and a thousand other fears. But instead of allowing her thoughts to drift to what she didn't know, she reflected on what she DID know. My God is good. He is kind. He is faithful to His promises. He is answering the prayers of His people. God is merciful.

How do I respond when I receive unexpected news? What do I magnify? My circumstances, anxieties and questions – or the Lord? "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Mary didn't simply accept God's will with a sense of dutiful determination. "Well, if someone has to bear the Messiah, it might as well be me." She was overjoyed that God had called her to this unique role in salvation history. But her joy was rooted not so much in her favored status as in God Himself.

" **My spirit rejoices in GOD my Savior."**

How often my joy springs from my position, or the way God seems to be using me. When either of those change, so does my attitude. Mary's joy was secure, grounded in the never changing faithful love of her God and Savior.

" **For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant."**

Mary had an exalted view of God, not herself. Her response is an example for us because she didn't consider herself special, unique, or in any way worthy of the honor that God had bestowed on her. She didn't think, "I must be some kind of woman for God to trust me with this assignment!" No, she understood that God using her was due to His mercy, not her competence.

Regarding this passage, one of the pastors at my church said, "God specializes in using humble ordinary people whose limitations and weaknesses make them ideal showcases for His greatness and glory." Ordinary, limited, and weak. I fit well into those categories.

And lest we think that God has changed whom He uses, Mary goes on to say, "His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation." (Lk. 1:50) If my life bears any fruit today, if I am able to overcome any difficulty, if I am able to find joy in the midst of trial – it is because God has looked upon my feeble frame and shown me mercy through His precious Son. May our proclamation today and every day be, "He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name." (Lk. 1:49)

# THE RIGHT KIND OF IMITATION

One leader who wrote me lives near a large internationally known church. Many of the musicians on the team want to imitate that church's sound and music style.

"How do I teach the music team to seek and recognize God's heart for us? How do I encourage them to pursue God's specific plan for us and help them see that this may not look like what we expect?" Here's what I'd want to say to this leader's group of musicians:

God's specific plan for every church is that we proclaim with our lives and our lips the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Pet. 2:9) At times that means we'll imitate others.

Imitation in itself isn't a bad thing. The writer to the Hebrews encourages us to imitate the faith of our leaders (Heb. 13:7). Paul encouraged the Philippians to put into practice, "...what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me." (Phil. 4:9) To others, he simply said, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1 Cor. 11:1) He encouraged the Thessalonians for imitating the churches of God in Judea. However, he wasn't speaking about a musical style. They were following the example of the Judean Christians in enduring suffering for the sake of the Gospel! (1 Thess. 2:13-14)

If imitation is to bear good fruit, we need to be imitating the right _things_ about the right _people_ for the right _reasons_.

In the case of leading congregational worship, there are definitely things we should imitate. It's right to imitate faithful preparation, humble leadership and wise planning. We should imitate a passion for God's Word, a commitment to the Gospel, and a love for God's church. We might also imitate the way someone listens for and responds to God's Spirit during the course of a meeting. Each time I see Matt Redman lead a group in praising God, I'm affected by the way he uses the space between songs. He repeats lines, sings new ones, or simply waits, all to make us more aware of what we're singing and the One we're singing to.

However, it's possible for us to imitate more external or shallow characteristics and think they'll have a profound impact on the way we lead. Vocal inflections, physical movements, clothing style, technical equipment, or musical sound all contribute to the quality of our leadership, but none of them constitutes substantive change. We can get all these areas right, and miss the more important issues of exalting the worth of God and the redemptive work of Christ.

We also need to imitate the right people. Are those we seek to emulate living lives worthy of the Gospel? Are they mature Christians? Is the effect of their leadership a greater passion for Jesus Christ and His Word, or simply more excitement about a style, a form, or an event? What impresses us more – their exuberant personality or their quiet faithfulness?

This leads to the third question – Why do I want to imitate another church? Am I affected by the way I can see Christ so clearly in them? Do I want to imitate their humble submission and devotion to God's Word? Am I impressed by the fruit of their ministry – people trusting in God, following Christ, and serving Him with gladness? Or do I simply want to be as successful, popular, and well-known as they are? Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference. But if we want to honor God, we'd need to know how to discern what's behind our desire to be like someone else.

I'm pretty certain God isn't that concerned whether or not we sound like the church across the street or the latest worship CD. What does concern Him is whether or not our meetings cause us to grow in loving Him, prizing the Gospel, obeying His word, and depending on His Spirit.

Our goal in gathering is to proclaim, exalt, and cherish all God is for us in Jesus Christ. Once we see that, we're free to imitate any number of music styles, liturgical forms, and technological tools to help us accomplish that goal. That's the right kind of imitation, and one that pleases God.

#  DELIGHTING IN GOD'S WORD

For the last few years I've made it a practice to begin each morning reading the five Psalms for the day. I multiply the day of the month times five and read that Psalm along with the preceding four Psalms. I read Psalm 119 on the last day of months that have 31 days.

I started reading the Psalms in earnest after realizing that this is the one book God gave us that shows in detail how we should relate to Him in praise, prayer, and petition. There are few books in Scripture that so profoundly teach us about God with such a broad range of emotional expression. Even more importantly, since my job is to lead people in worshipping God corporately, I want to be intimately acquainted with these words and the heart behind them.

So I opened up to Psalm 1 yesterday and read:

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." (Ps. 1:1-3 ESV)

I have two ways to live – trusting in the words, ways, and thoughts of man, or trusting in the words, ways, and thoughts of God. Derek Kidner writes that this Psalm is "a faithful doorkeeper, confronting those who would be in 'the congregation of the righteous' (vs. 5) with the basic choice that alone gives reality to worship; with the divine truth (vs. 2) that must inform it; and with the ultimate judgment that looms up beyond it. (vs. 5,6)" ( _Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries_ , Psalms 1-72, p. 47)

How often does "divine truth" inform my life? Not enough. Books and blogs I read, movies and TV shows I watch, conversations and interactions I have with others, all seek to inform my life. What they tell me may or may not line up with God's Word. But if I don't know well what Scripture actually contains I won't know the difference.

God couldn't be clearer about the benefits of knowing, loving, and following His Word, and the corresponding pain, havoc, and judgment that accompanies those who don't. But many times we're content with spending 5-10 minutes a day in the Bible, happy that we're at least doing something. While SOME time is certainly better than NONE, it's doubtful that it's going to make much of a difference in our thinking. And if our thinking doesn't change, neither will our lives. And if our lives don't change, how do people distinguish us from the wicked?

Psalm 1:2 says the righteous person does two things in relation to his Word: He delights in it and meditates on it. Psalm 119:97 says something similar: "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day."

Do I love God's Word? Do I look forward to reading it more than I might a good novel by my favorite author? Do I see time in the Bible as an opportunity to get to know my Savior and Creator better? Or do I see it as "moldy truth" that I eat only reluctantly? The attitude of delight marks the difference between the Christian who reads the Bible because they're "supposed to" and the one who reads because they can't be kept away.

But how do we nurture that kind of attitude and desire? It's simple. Meditate on God's Word. Feed on it, think long and hard about it, memorize it, apply it to different situations, study it, compare and contrast different passages, trace the use of one word through the Bible. Of course all of these begin with the simple act of reading it. Lots of it.

May God help us to increase our intake of and delight in God's Word so that we might bear much fruit for the glory of our Savior.

# THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE ON EARTH

"Serve the Lord with gladness." (Ps. 100a)

God cares whether or not there is joy in our hearts when we obey Him. He feels so strongly about this that in Deuteronomy He tells Israel they will be enslaved because "you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart." (Deut. 28:47) In Ps. 32:11 he commands us "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" Philippians 4:4 sounds the same note: "Rejoice in the Lord, always; again I will say, rejoice."

Obviously, these verses aren't referring to a superficial happiness that depends on the weather, stock market, or our team winning the Superbowl. Nor does the joy God commands cancel out other emotions like grief, surprise, or fear. We all experience various emotions, sometimes simultaneously. However, at the root of our lives God expects there to be a profound joy that is beyond the reach of our circumstances. I want to suggest three reasons why this is so.

Joy helps others see the superiority of following Christ.

When the Queen of Sheba saw the wisdom and prosperity of Solomon she exclaimed, "Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!" (1Kings 10:8, ESV) The joy of Solomon's servants reflected the quality of his rule. Harsh, demanding, miserly masters generally produce fearful, selfish, miserly subjects. What does my life say about the kind of Master I follow?

Joy energizes our serving.

My two sons, both married now, rarely felt motivated to take out the trash as they were growing up. Whenever we discussed why, they often cited laziness as the root issue. Laziness was definitely a factor, but I was never convinced it was the root. Devon and Jordan both played basketball, and neither one ever had a problem finding strength to spend hours refining their basketball skills. In fact, they actually looked forward to practices that left them dripping in sweat. We always find energy and discipline for the things we derive joy from. Bottom line – if we're happy serving God, it will be easier.

Joy is what we were made for.

God promises the redeemed that "everlasting joy shall be upon their heads" (Is. 51:11), and that heaven will be a place where all tears will be wiped away. (Rev. 21:4) We will enjoy pleasures at God's right hand forever, because in His presence there is fullness of joy. (Ps. 16:11) Since I was created for eternal joy in God, it only makes sense that joy would characterize my life now. But can this be true? Can I know joy even in a world filled with pain, tragedy, grief, poverty, and a thousand other hindrances to joy? Can I "serve the Lord with gladness" today, even if I'm in the midst of suffering, sin, and sorrow? Yes, but only if I anchor my joy not in the passing pleasures of this world, but in the ultimate reality of Jesus Christ. A million enemies seek to pull me away from my only true source of joy, but chief among them is my sin.

In a book I just added to my recommended books list, John Piper writes: "My indwelling sin stands in the way of my full satisfaction in God. It opposes and perverts my pursuit of God. It opposes by making other things look more desirable than God. And it perverts by making me think I am pursuing joy in God when, in fact, I am in love with his gifts." ( _When I Don't Desire God_ , p. 14)

Which do I love more – God's gifts or God Himself? My answer to that question will determine whether or not I will serve the Lord with gladness. God may withdraw His gifts. He will never withdraw His love from those He has redeemed in Jesus Christ. And for that reason, we can experience a joy that is deep, passionate, and eternal. May it be evident in our lives each day we have the joy of knowing and following the Savior of the world.

# UNRESTRAINED WORSHIP

"I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation." (Ps. 40:9-10 ESV)

In these two verses, David models praise that is enthusiastic, specific, and corporate. "I have told...I have not restrained...I have not hidden...I have spoken...I have not concealed." God has delivered David from the pit of destruction and put a new song in his mouth (Ps. 40:1-3). David is now committed to singing that song passionately. The impression here is that nothing is going to keep him from declaring what God has done. David isn't sitting around waiting for some worship experience to inspire him, move him, or impress him. He's already impressed. He doesn't need to be warmed up for worship. His heart is overflowing in verbal acclamations of praise and exaltation. He will not be restrained. But what is he so excited about declaring? "Deliverance...your deliverance...your faithfulness and your salvation...your steadfast love and your faithfulness."

What was David delivered from? We have no idea. But that enables us to apply the same truth in countless ways to our own situation. You probably don't have to look back very far to remember a trial, challenge, or difficulty that God mercifully brought you through. Maybe you found a sudden solution to a confusing relational issue. Perhaps God freed you from a besetting sin. Whatever the situation, it reflected God's faithfulness and steadfast love. And even if you remain in a season of difficulty, the salvation God has provided for us in the Savior makes Him worthy of our endless praises.

But the sweet psalmist of Israel isn't content to praise God by himself. He exalts God's deeds: "In the great congregation...the great congregation." This is one of the many times in the Psalms where it's evident that worshipping God is ultimately more than having a personal pipeline to Jesus. God wants to dwell in the midst of His people, not just me. One sign that God has truly worked in my life is the desire to proclaim His glory to and with others He has redeemed. "The great congregation" may not as sound as good as my iPod, but praise cannot remain solitary. "I will bless the Lord," will always lead us to, "Let us exalt His name together." (Ps. 34:1-3)

One day as I was meditating on this Psalm I suddenly saw why David would not "restrain his lips" from declaring God's greatness. It's in the next verse. "As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!" (Ps. 40:11 ESV) How amazing to consider that the God whose holiness should cause Him to pour out unrestrained wrath on my sin has chosen instead to pour out unrestrained mercy. Like the millions of gallons of water rushing relentlessly over Niagara Falls, God's kindness overwhelms my life each and every day. How can I keep silent?

# APPROACHING GOD

"O Father of Jesus, Help me to approach you with deepest reverence, not with presumption, Not with servile fear, but with holy boldness. You are beyond the grasp of my understanding, But not beyond that of my love."

My view of God tends to one of two extremes. Either I think of Him as familiar, approachable, and very much like me; or I imagine that He's distant, fearsome, and completely alien to me. These opening lines, from the prayer "The Love of Jesus" in _The Valley of Vision_ , succinctly capture the tension of worshipping the God who is both transcendent and immanent.

"O Father of Jesus."

I'm reminded from the start that while I am God's son through adoption, Jesus is God's Son eternally and unchangeably. We can only approach God through the work of the one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ. (1 Tim. 2:5). We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ, chosen in Christ, and adopted through Christ (Eph. 1:3-6). What a joy to address God as our Father because Jesus has made himself our brother. (Heb. 2:11)

**"Help me to approach you with deepest reverence, not with presumption."** Reverence is the proper response of the creature to the Creator. It's being aware that God is like no other and that He is infinitely superior to his creation. A synonym might be "fear of the Lord." Deepest reverence is the opposite of presumption, defined as "behavior or attitude that is boldly arrogant or offensive." Thesaurus.com lists brashness, forwardness, and nerve as synonyms. Presumption is revealed when I think I can say whatever I want to God, when I assume He doesn't really care about my sin, and when I relate to Him like a genie in the bottle, who should respond to my every wish.

" **Not with servile fear, but with holy boldness."**

Servile fear refers to the attitude a servant might have towards a cruel, harsh, demanding master. It's characterized by repulsion, anxiety, and unrelieved guilt. How different from the relationship our Savior has made possible through His once and for all sacrifice in our place! God now invites us to come to Him through the new and living way, opened up for us through the atoning death of His Son. (Heb. 10:19-22). There is no reason to hold back! We can approach God through Jesus Christ, "in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him." (Eph. 3:12) "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16) Feelings of doubt and condemnation, fears of rejection, and an awareness of guilt have all been dealt with authoritatively and finally at Calvary.

" **You are beyond the grasp of my understanding, but not beyond that of my love."**

God's blazing holiness should instantly consume us, but His tender mercies persistently draw us. How do we resolve this paradox? By always looking to and trusting in the finished work of the Savior, whose substitutionary sacrifice both satisfied God's perfect justice and displayed His lavish mercy. There will surely be times as we gather to worship God when we feel like we don't know Him. But we must never let what we don't understand about God keep us from loving Him for what we do know – "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son." And for that we will thank Him forever.

# WHERE AM I LOOKING?

"I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed." (Ps. 34:4-5)

After being married almost 30 years my wife has developed the ability to know what I'm thinking just by looking at my face.

Julie: "What's bothering you?"

Me: "Nothing."

Julie: "No, something's bothering you. What is it?"

Me: "How do you know something's bothering me?"

Julie: "You have that furrowed brow, low eyebrows, 'something's bothering me' face."

She's right every time. Of course, you don't have to be married for thirty years to be able to tell what's in someone's heart by looking at their face. When I'm singing God's praises (or playing an instrument) my face says a lot about what I'm thinking. If I'm wondering whether or not others like my voice I might appear concerned. If I'm an instrumentalist wondering if I'll play wrong notes I may look tense, or simply have a blank stare. If I'm focused on impressing others my face probably won't be responding to the truths I'm singing about.

However, if my heart is focused on trusting in and exalting my Savior, God says my face will be "radiant" – that is, "clearly emanating great joy, love, health." Sometimes those of us who lead God's people in praise do anything but inspire the congregation through our countenances. Rather than thinking we simply need to be more expressive, or "look like we're enjoying it," or "be an example," we need to ask ourselves, "Who am I looking to as I sing/play/speak?" Whatever I'm doing, if I'm looking to anyone but God to deliver me from all my fears, there's a good chance my countenance will be anything but radiant.

I pray it will be obvious to everyone around you each Sunday and every day, that your mind and heart are held captive by the lavish grace God has displayed to us through the atoning sacrifice of His Son.

# DO I LOVE GOD?

One of my historical heroes is the hymn writer Isaac Watts (1674-1748). Two years ago, my oldest daughter, Megan, surprised me with a 1798 copy of a book Watts had written on the priority of loving God from the heart.

Like most Puritans, Watts never lacked for words when it came to titles. He called his treatise _Discourses on the Love of God And It's Influences On All The Passions: With A Discovery of The Right Use and Abuse of Them in Matters of Religion. Also, A Devout Meditation Annexed To Each Discourse_.

I read through the book in a few days and was encouraged by the pastoral, biblical, and clear way he promoted the use of emotion in our faith and warned against its dangers. In one particular section he comments on the difference between simply knowing about God from reason and loving Him from our hearts.

"Suppose we had been left merely to the exercise of our reason and judgment, to inform us when it was proper to eat and drink, without having any such appetites as thirst and hunger: It is possible indeed, that life might have been maintained, but we should have been often ready to neglect the proper seasons of food, and nature would have been supported but in a feeble and languishing manner, without such regular and constant nourishment as we want, and that too without any sensible delight. But the keen appetites of hunger and thirst are implanted in our very natures, to awaken us to take our solid and liquid food, and that with constancy and natural pleasure. It is for the same end, that all the passions were wrought into our constitution by our great creator, that we might have some more vigorous principles than the mere power of reasoning to animate us to activity on all just and proper occasions."

"Suppose I was told that my house was a fire at midnight, and my cold reason informed me, that in a little time I and my goods might be consumed, it is probable I should think of using some method to save myself: But the passion of surprise and fear exerts itself in a moment, and hurries me out to make an immediate escape. Fear was wrought into human nature for such purposes as these. In such a fright we can always move mountains, and perform wonders, to the utmost limits of the strength of man, in order to save ourselves or our dear relatives from the flames. Cold reasoning, without passion, would have no sovereign and powerful effects."

"Thus it is in things of religion. A cold information that misery will be the consequence of sin, or even a rational conviction of the distant danger of hell, without the passion of fear, would never animate the man to cry out, with such importunate inquiries, "What shall I do to escape everlasting burnings?" It is this passion of fear that constrains him to fly for his life to the hope that is set before him in the gospel, and to make him escape as Lot did from Sodom, without looking back on the allurements or sin.

"I might give instances of the like kind in the affection of divine love. I may learn by reason that God is to be honored and obeyed, because he is my Creator and my Lord: I may be convinced of the Beauty of virtue, and the excellency of religion, and that all the precepts of it are reasonable; yet these precepts will carry but a feeble sway with them and have a very imperfect influence on my practice, in opposition to all my carnal interests and corrupt inclinations, if I have nothing to move me but the mere use of my reason, telling me it is a proper thing to obey the great God. This will not do the work if I have now affectionate love to God as a Father and a Savior.

"It is a knowledge and belief of the truth of the Gospel, joined with love to Christ my redeemer, that makes me zealous to fulfill every duty. Christianity itself is thus excellently described by the apostle, it is "faith working by love" (Gal 5:6). A mere knowledge of any person will not make us grow like him, but love hath an assimilating and transforming power: The divine affection of love will work perpetually within us, and never cease till it has made us like our beloved object, till it has made us holy as God is holy, and formed heaven within us."

May our knowledge of God always fuel our passion for God, and may our love for the Savior always motivate us to know Him better.

# PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO MYSELF

"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." (Col. 1:21-23)

Do you find your life is often an emotional roller coaster? Is your perspective dependent on the trials or blessings you're currently experiencing? That's not God's intention. He wants us to remain "stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel." How can we not shift from the hope of the Gospel? By preaching the Gospel to ourselves daily.

"Preaching the Gospel to yourself" is a phrase I first ran across in _The Discipline of Grace_ by Jerry Bridges, and have observed for years in the life of my good friend, C.J. Mahaney. C.J. has written persuasively, biblically, and practically on this topic in his new book, _Living the Cross Centered Life_. I'd recommend it to every Christian. He says:

"Reminding ourselves of the Gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish. If the gospel is the most vital news in the world, and if salvation by grace is the defining truth of our existence, we should create ways to immerse ourselves in these truths every day. No days off allowed."

Do you ever take a day off from the Gospel? Is it more precious to you than the day you were converted? It should be. But it's not uncommon for Christians to think that the Gospel is only for unbelievers, or new believers. We tend to mentally check out when a preacher starts to explain what Jesus' death on the cross means or when we sing a song about the Gospel. In doing so, we cut ourselves off from the foundation of our faith, the means of our strength, and the substance of our joy.

In his outstanding book _When I Don't Desire God_ , John Piper writes:

"Far too many Christians are passive in their fight for joy. They tell me about their condition of joylessness, and I ask about the kinds of strategies they have pursued to defeat this enemy, and they give the impression that they are a helpless victim: 'Joylessness is just there. What can I do?' Well, God does not mean for us to be passive. He means for us to fight the fight of faith- the fight for joy. And the central strategy is to preach the gospel to yourself." (p. 81)

Later on, he adds:

"Here in the cross is where every enemy of joy is overcome: divine wrath, as he becomes a curse for us; real guilt, as he becomes forgiveness for us; lawbreaking, as he becomes righteousness for us; estrangement from God, as he becomes reconciliation for us; slavery to Satan, as he becomes redemption for us; bondage to sin, as he becomes liberation for us; pangs of conscience, as we becomes cleansing for us; death, as the becomes the resurrection for us; hell, as he becomes eternal life for us." (p. 91)

Don't take a day off from preaching the Gospel to yourself. Let this be your first thought when you wake up, your last thought as you drift off to sleep, and in view throughout your day:

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." (1 Tim. 1:15) "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" (2 Cor. 9:15)

#  RECEIVING CORRECTION AS A GIFT

This comes from the prayer "Reproofs" in _The Valley of Vision_ :

Teach me how to take reproofs from friends,

Even though I think I do not deserve them;

Use them to make me tenderly afraid of sin,

More jealous over myself,

More concerned to keep heart and life unblameable.

Cause them to help me reflect on my want of spirituality,

To abhor myself, to look upon myself as unworthy,

And make them beneficial to my soul.

May all your people know how little, mean, and vile I am,

That they may see I am nothing, less than nothing,

To be accounted nothing,

That so they may pray for me aright,

And have not the least dependence upon me.

In His mercy, God often sends people into our lives who courageously, if not always kindly, give us some form of correction. One of the indicators of maturity is how quickly and joyfully we welcome that kind of input.

I often respond immediately with justifying or blame shifting words, explaining why I took a particular course of action or made a specific comment. I'm quick to speak and very slow to listen. I want this conversation to be finished as soon as possible. In my worst moments, I start to judge the person giving me input, imagining all kinds of reasons why their judgment is faulty. "They don't even know me...they haven't seen all the other times I've been right...how do they know what's in my heart?...they're MUCH more guilty than I am in this area...someone else made me do it...I was tired/hungry/distracted/unaware..." My list of excuses is lengthy, thorough, and compelling. At least in MY eyes.

But in God's eyes, every person who brings me a rebuke is His messenger, sent to help me conform me to the image of His Son. So why do I despise correction? It's simple. I don't believe what God has said about me in the cross. I think there must be some aspect of my life, however small or pitiful, that is praiseworthy, meritorious, and beyond inspection. Alfred Poirier, in his very helpful article, "The Cross and Criticism", provides this life-changing perspective:

"In light of God's judgment and justification of the sinner in the cross of Christ, we can begin to discover how to deal with any and all criticism. By agreeing with God's criticism of me in Christ's cross, I can face any criticism man may lay against me. In other words, no one can criticize me more than the cross has. And the most devastating criticism turns out to be the finest mercy. If you thus know yourself as having been crucified with Christ, then you can respond to any criticism, even mistaken or hostile criticism, without bitterness, defensiveness, or blame-shifting. Such responses typically exacerbate and intensify conflict, and lead to the rupture of relationships. You can learn to hear criticism as constructive and not condemnatory because God has justified you."

What a thought. We can receive criticism graciously because God, who knows our wickedness as no one else, has fully forgiven and justified us. We will never be brought into condemnation! (Rom. 8:1) So we can confidently pray with the Puritan in _The Valley of Vision_ :

Give me such vivacity in religion,

That I may be able to take all reproofs from other men as from your hands,

And glorify you for them from a sense of your beneficent love

And of my need to have my pride destroyed.

Oh, how we need to have our pride destroyed! What agents of God's care will we encounter this week? Will we recognize them as tools in God's hands, or view them as enemies to resist? How will we respond to input, feedback, and observations? May God help us to see each person who corrects us as a gift from his loving, wise, and sovereign hand, sent to make us more like His precious Son.

"Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it." (Psa. 141:5)

# LIVING BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ANOTHER

I find myself continually returning to the theme of preaching the gospel to ourselves. Perhaps that's because we so easily forget what is meant to be the mainspring of our lives – the relationship made possible with God through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

I've been thinking about where my motivation for godly living comes from. How do we remain motivated to pursue a life of holiness and fruitfulness, regardless of our circumstances?

Here's what happens to me. I'm doing well for a season. Quiet times are going great, I'm experiencing grace in resisting temptations, and seeing some fruit in my ministry. Then something, I'm not always sure what, takes place that shakes my "firm" footing. I wake up tired. My wife points out some sin in my life. Counsel I've given goes unheeded. I have a "hard" day. Whatever the reason, my zeal for God wanes. I'm not as motivated to pursue the things of God, and my spiritual life could be labeled as "borderline apathetic."

It's during these times that I usually pursue one of two courses. The first is based on the lie that this malaise will go away if I can just prove that I'm not that bad. So I commit myself to a stricter regimen of Bible study. I react defensively to criticism and start to point out the flaws I see in everyone around me. I try to encourage myself by searching for any evidence that I'm bearing fruit somewhere in my life, and remind myself of ways God has used me in the past. While God certainly wants us to be built up by studying His Word and seeing his grace at work in our lives, this is different. It's all a pitiful attempt to establish my own righteousness in the face of God's clear judgment against me at the cross.

Paul had a different way of living.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." (Phil. 3:7-11)

Paul says the primary goal of his life was to be found in Christ, boasting in the righteousness of the Savior rather than his own. It was the knowledge of this acceptance before God, obtained by faith, that motivated him to endure suffering, pursue godliness, and anticipate his own resurrection.

In his book, _The Gospel for Real Life_ , Jerry Bridges makes this insightful comment about where we find the motivation to live for God's glory:

"There is a direct correlation between faith in the righteousness of Christ and zeal in the cause of Christ. The more a person counts as loss his own righteousness and lays hold by faith the righteousness of Christ, the more he will be motivated to live and work for Christ. The same Christian activity can be either an expression of our own righteousness that we think earns favor with God, or it can be an expression of love and gratitude because we already have His favor through the righteousness of Christ." (p. 124)

In other words, if I find I'm discouraged I typically need to look no further than this: Am I trusting in my own works to encourage myself or am I looking to and meditating on the righteousness of Christ that has been given to me as a gift in the Gospel?

And let's not make the mistake of thinking that hearing this means we're benefiting from it. We need to take time daily to feed Gospel truths to our souls. John Owen writes in _The Glory of Christ_ :

"It is the neglect of meditation that keeps so many Christians in a feeble state, regardless of their privileges. They hear of these things and assent to the truth of them or at least they do not question them. But they never solemnly meditate on them." (p 34)

Take time today to meditate on the righteousness that has been given to you as a gift.

# GRATEFUL FOR MERCY

"But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'" (Luke 18:13)

I recently heard a sermon preached from Luke 18:9-14 on the Pharisee and the tax collector. It was wonderfully convicting and encouraging. The pastor highlighted many of the differences between the attitudes and actions of the two men. He pointed out that the Pharisee mentions God only once in his prayer, while he uses the pronoun "I" five times. His goal isn't to seek God but to impress Him. His prayer, rather than being an expression of dependence, is an exercise in self-exaltation. In contrast, the tax collector describes himself as "a sinner." Or more precisely, _the sinner_.

Who I'm comparing myself to when I pray makes all the difference. And typically I'm evaluating myself by the behavior of others, just like the Pharisee. If my focus is on those around me, I'm not looking for mercy, but worship. My prayer isn't, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner," but, "God, be rewarding to me, a better-than-average Christian," or, "God, be pleased with me, a generally superior Dad," or even, "God, be observant of me, an unusually faithful worship pastor."

I recently saw this self-righteous tendency in my life when I finished browsing through a magazine and saw others being praised, quoted, and receiving recognition. I walked away feeling slightly discouraged and didn't know why. Questions started to run through my mind. "Why wasn't I mentioned? Did they really think they were THAT good? Why isn't anyone pointing out their flaws?" This quickly drifted into self-pity. "I shouldn't even be doing this. Who do I think I am? No one ever notices what I do." It's painful even to write these words.

By God's grace, I recognized the source of my malaise and began to confess my need for a righteousness that is not my own. In my attempts to receive credit, I lost sight of my need for mercy. This parable speaks directly to my temptation. Jesus directed it to those, "...who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt." (Luke 18:9)

Jesus couldn't be clearer. He aims to free us from our seemingly endless attempts to justify ourselves in God's eyes on the basis of our own achievements. We come to Him by mercy, or we don't come at all.

"God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

What precious words, knowing that God Himself has provided that mercy through the atoning sacrifice of His only Son.

# UNMEASURED GRACE

"The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you." (1Cor. 16:23)

Grace. It's a term that's much easier to understand than experience. Actually, I'm not sure we understand it very well, either.

Do you have a malnourished view of grace? It's not too hard to tell. Do you live in a constant state of fear and discouragement that you aren't measuring up to God's standards? Do you wonder if God's forgiveness covers your worst sins? If so, you're failing to benefit from the unmerited acceptance God offers us through the grace of the cross. Or maybe you have the ill-informed perspective that being a Christian really isn't all that difficult. You think the Gospel of grace is great news for non-Christians but rarely think about it as a believer. Your successes tempt you to pride, while your failures produce discouragement. Both are rooted in self-sufficiency rather than humble dependence on God's grace.

God's grace truly is amazing. Many of the songs we sing focus on the awe-inspiring reality that God has fully and freely forgiven our many sins through the substitutionary sacrifice of the Son of God at Calvary. But grace includes even more! His grace extends far beyond that event, in both directions. It was God's grace that chose us in Christ to be His precious possession before we were even born. (Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9) God's grace gives us strength to turn from sin and walk in righteousness. (Titus 2:11-14) It is God's grace that will enable us to faithfully persevere until our last breath. (1 Cor. 1:4-9) And if that weren't enough, God tells us in Ephesians that in the coming ages He will, "...show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:7) Endless grace!

A number of years ago, while having a time with the Lord, the phrase "Grace unmeasured, vast and free" popped into my mind. I used is as a springboard to write a song in which I try to unpack some of the meaning contained in God's wondrous grace. I pray it's an encouragement to your soul.

Verse 1

Grace unmeasured, vast and free

That knew me from eternity

That called me out before my birth

To bring You glory on this earth

Grace amazing, pure and deep

That saw me in my misery

That took my curse and owned my blame

So I could bear your righteous name

Chorus

Grace

Paid for my sins and brought me to life

Grace

Clothes me with pow'r to do what is right

Grace

Will lead me to heav'n where I'll see Your face

And never cease to thank you for Your grace

Verse 2

Grace abounding, strong and true

That makes me long to be like You

That turns me from my selfish pride

To love the cross on which You died

Grace unending, all my days

You'll give me strength to run this race

And when my years on earth are through

The praise will all belong to You

If grace seems like a foreign concept to you, I'd highly recommend you buy and study two of Jerry Bridges' books, _Transforming Grace_ and _The Discipline of Grace_. Don't spend another day missing out on the glorious riches of grace in our Savior.

# THE NEVERS OF THE GOSPEL

After 33 years of being a Christian, I'm learning that many of my godly acts and thoughts are accompanied by a corresponding danger of imbalance or deception. That means that when I'm pursuing obedience in one way, I may also be pursuing idolatry in another.

Because I'm tempted to rest in my own righteousness before God, even after conversion, I consistently look for ways to restrict God's commands, commend my own performance, or trade one virtue for another. I've found this prayer from _The Valley of Vision_ particularly helpful in helping me to discern my self-atoning tendencies. I've divided it into three categories:

Using Truth Rightly

O Lord,

My I never fail to come to the knowledge of the truth,

Never rest in a system of doctrine, however scriptural,

That does not bring or further salvation,

Or teach me to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,

Or help me to live soberly, righteously, godly;

Relying on Grace

Never rely on my own convictions and resolutions,

But be strong in you and in your might;

Never cease to find your grace sufficient

In all my duties, trials, and conflicts;

Never forget to repair to you

In all my spiritual distresses and outward troubles,

In all the dissatisfactions experienced in creature comforts;

Never fail to retreat to him who is full of grace and truth,

The friend that loves at all times,

Who is touched with feelings of my infirmities,

And can do exceeding abundantly for me;

Worship as Life

Never confine my religion to extraordinary occasions,

But acknowledge you in all my ways;

Never limit my devotions to particular seasons

But be in your fear all the day long;

Never be godly only on the Sabbath or in your house,

But on every day abroad and at home;

Never make piety a dress but a habit,

Not only a habit but a nature,

Not only a nature but a life.

(From _The Valley of Vision_ , pg. 64)

May we pursue a relationship with God that is only possible through constant dependence on the merits, obedience, and satisfying death of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

# KIDS, KINGS, AND CREEPING THINGS

"Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord!" (Ps. 148:7-14)

Psalm 148 is a detailed unpacking of the command to "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!" (Ps. 150:6)

The first six verses deal with things "in the heights." Angels, stars, sun, and moon are all exhorted to praise God because He "commanded and they were created." The remainder of the Psalm demands that everything "from the earth" give glory to God.

What I find fascinating about this passage is that when it comes to praising God, there is a delightful disregard for status, maturity, or earthly prominence. God has certainly given humans a unique position in the created order. We carry the distinction of being the only ones who have been created "in the image of God." When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden they were responsible to lead creation in giving intelligent, willing praise to God for his steadfast love and kindness.

But in this Psalm human beings are included with all of creation as those who should rightfully give praise, honor, and worship to the Creator. And the order is humbling. God appropriately commands praise from those who in the world's eyes are exalted: kings, princes and rulers. But in the previous verse God invites the same response from beasts and creeping things. Right afterwards, he commands praise from maidens and children. What a diverse group! There are a few things I'm struck by as I reflect on this passage.

First, everything was created to bring glory to God. Nothing is excluded. No matter how exalted or seemingly insignificant, God created everything for his own pleasure and worship. The galaxies and microscopic particles that scientists are just discovering were all brought into being long ago to bring glory to their Creator. That means nothing is without purpose, nothing is without meaning. Everything is meant to direct our attention to the wisdom, kindness, and power of the God who created it.

Second, worship isn't about my value, but God's. God values our worship primarily because he is the object, not because we are the subjects. It's a crucial distinction. That's not to say that He doesn't take special delight in receiving the worship of those whom He has redeemed through the atoning sacrifice of His Son. He does. As vs. 14 says, we are the people who are "near to him." But worship is always God's gift of grace to us before it is our gift to Him. Worshipping God is simply the greatest privilege we will ever know.

Third, I think this infers something about the kinds of churches we should be seeking to build. It highlights the glory of the Gospel when international businessmen, political dignitaries, young girls, old men, and children worship God alongside each other. Multiple generations, various socioeconomic classes, and different races gather together to give praise to the only One who deserves it. That highlights the truth that it is God's glory and gifts that bring us together, not our own.

To "praise the Lord" is humbling and unifying. May it look that way in our lives and our churches.

#  PURSUING GOD'S ACTIVE PRESENCE

In 1971, the great 20th century preacher, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, brought these remarks to an annual Minister's conference:

"We must not be content until we have had some manifestation of the activity of God. We must concentrate on this. This is my plea, that we concentrate on this, because it is the great message of the Bible, so substantiated by the lessons of history. That is obviously today the only thing that gives us any hope as we face the future. And God seems to be saying that to us. 'Prove Me now. Try Me. Risk your everything on Me. Be fools for My sake. Cast yourselves utterly upon this belief.' Let us put it like this: Do we really believe that God can still act? That is the question; that is the ultimate challenge. Or have we, for theological or some other reasons, excluded the very possibility? Here is the crucial matter. Do we individually and personally really believe that God still acts, can act and will act – in individuals, in groups of individuals, in churches, localities, perhaps even in countries? Do we believe that He is as capable of doing that today as He was in ancient times – the Old Testament, the New Testament times, the book of Acts, Protestant Reformation, Puritans, Methodist Awakening, 1859, 1904-5? Do we really believe that He can still do it? You see, it is ultimately what you believe about God. If He is the great Jehovah – I am that I am, I am that I shall be, unchanged, unchanging, unchangeable, the everlasting and eternal God – well, He can still do it."

What does a manifestation of the activity of God look like? How do we know God is present to act? The most significant evidence of God's activity is conversion, when a defiant rebel is miraculously transformed into a forgiven lover of God through the Gospel and the power of the Spirit. Lavish generosity and humble servant-hood can also be evidences of God's activity. People who no longer live for their own glory but for the glory of the Savior display God's power at work. I'm among those who believe that the gifts of the Spirit described in various New Testament passages (1 Cor. 12, 14, Eph. 4, etc.), such as prophetic impressions and healing, continue to this day. They, too, are a sign that God is active in our midst.

However, I'm sobered and challenged by Lloyd-Jones' question: "Do we really believe that God can still act?" He is asking if we have faith for God to move among us in clear, distinct, and powerful ways. He is asking us to consider if we are settling for an "appearance of godliness, but denying its power?" (2 Tim. 3:5) At the end of the day are we placing more trust in God's activity or ours? I find that I can still approach congregational meetings in a way that expecting God's active presence is almost an afterthought. Maybe you've had the same experience.

Scripture explains God's presence in different ways. Psalm 139 and other passages teach that He is present everywhere at the same time. Quite a feat. But, there are many Scriptural examples of God making his presence known in a unique way. Some of these are expected, as when we gather to share the Lord's supper or sing His praise (1 Cor. 11:23-32;Eph. 5:18-20). Other times, God reveals his presence and activity in ways that are startling and affecting. In 1 Cor. 14:23-25 Paul seems to assume that will be a regular occurrence in our meetings if we are responding to the Spirit's leading. Unbelievers will fall down and proclaim, "God is really among you!"

How do we respond to Lloyd-Jones' penetrating question – "Do we really believe that God can still act?" – without falling into emotionalism or idolizing experience? How do we maintain a balance between celebrating God's presence among us and expectantly looking for his active presence? In our experience-saturated but God-deprived culture, it's an important question.

What about you? Where do you need to grow in faith for God's activity in your life and your church? How have you maintained a balance between celebrating God's promised presence through ordinary means and an expectation for his supernatural activity in unexpected ways? Let's be expectant.

# PASSION AND THE TRUTH

Christians are to be passionate about the truth, especially the Gospel. However, sometimes, our feelings can race ahead of our reason and obscure the portion of truth we're trying to communicate.

When I was in college, I was profoundly affected by being baptized in water. I was so affected that I tried to persuade everyone I talked to that they needed to be baptized as well. I'd disrupt campus Christian meetings with obnoxious questions about why baptism wasn't being emphasized. I tried to convince my Christian friends that they were living a sub-Christian life if they hadn't been baptized, and ended up baptizing about 6 people over months that followed. I was on a mission from God. Or so I thought.

I still think water baptism is important. There's no question that our Savior instituted baptism as an important act to be obeyed by his followers. However, I allowed my initial personal experience of it to determine the height of my passion when I spoke to others about it.

The same thing might happen when we're speaking of some experience we've had in a time of corporate worship. We're moved by a certain form, or practice, or setting, and equate being moved with doctrinal weight. It might be singing with a full band or singing with no instruments at all. It might be using a certain song, following a particular leader, or engaging in a specific physical movement. Three hundred years ago, Isaac Watts, the English hymn writer, addressed this tendency in his book _Discourses on the Love of God_ (unfortunately no longer in print).

"Some persons, as soon as they begin to find farther light dawning upon their minds, and are let into the knowledge of some doctrine or sentiment which they knew not before, immediately set their zeal to work: their zeal is all in a flame to propagate and promote this new lesson of truth, before their own hearts are well established in it upon solid reasoning, and before they have considered whether it be a doctrine of great importance, and whether it merit such a degree of zeal. How common a case is it among ministers of the gospel, to give a loose to their affections at the first glimpse of some pleasing opinion, or some fresh discovery of what they call truth? They help out the weakness of the proof by strength of their passions, and by the pleasure they take in the opinion they have embraced. This confirms their assent too soon, and they grow deaf to the arguments that are brought to oppose it. They construe every text in the scripture to support this doctrine, they bring in the prophets and apostles to maintain it. They fancy they see it in a thousand verses of their Bibles, and they pronounce all men heretics that dare maintain the contrary opinions. Their conduct in this matter is so vehement, as though every gleam of light were sufficient to determine their faith, because it happens to fire their affections; they grow so warm about it, as though every opinion in religion were fundamental; and so fiery is their zeal, as though every mistake deserved the severest censures."

While God intends us to be passionate about our faith, our emotions need to be regulated and energized by a steady feeding on God's Word. While all of God's truth is important, not every doctrine is equally important. I've found again and again that I tend to "help out the weakness of my proof with the strength of my passions" and "pronounce all men heretics that dare maintain the contrary opinions."

May God keep us from growing deaf to others, and speaking the loudest and longest when we have the least biblical support for our position.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. (Prov. 18:2)

# REST FOR YOUR SOUL

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30)

I recently meditated on these words of Jesus in my morning devotions. They are good news for any of us who ever feel stressed, stretched, anxious, weighed down, nervous, overtaxed, overloaded, or whatever word we use to describe ourselves when we don't think we can handle life. I think that's all of us.

After thanking His Father that he has hidden the truths of the kingdom from "the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children," Jesus describes a problem, a promise, and a path.

The problem is universal. We labor and are heavy laden. For whatever reason, life is becoming increasingly difficult. Sure, we're trying, but not making much progress. The kids still aren't obeying, your schedule is still jam-packed, the boss can't be pleased, everyone wants something from you, and no one notices your Herculean efforts to hold everything together.

In the midst of our struggles, Jesus promises rest for our souls. I don't think many people in our society experience the kind of rest Jesus promises, although everyone wants it. We pursue it in all the wrong places – sports, recreation, possessions, computers, TV, and movies – and end up as empty and troubled as when we began our search.

We can all identify with the problem, and are eager to enjoy the promised relief. However, few of us are willing to submit to the path Jesus lays out. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart."

In essence, Jesus says, "Become like me – gentle and humble." The road to inner peace involves acknowledging that the root of our turmoil and stress is not other people, but our demanding pride. We insist we can handle our problems on our own. We'll endure the stress if we can just get the credit. We avoid all blame and just hope this season, too, shall pass.

There's only one problem. If the situation changes, God will be faithful to provide another one that exposes our self-sufficiency. He doesn't want us to prove we can make it on our own, but that we are utterly dependent on Him. He won't give rest to those who seek it apart from the Savior.

So if you're feeling weighed down by life, take on the yoke of the Savior – gentleness and humility of heart. He is not only our best example for it, but our only source for it. Think of others more highly than yourself. Seek counsel and help from those around you. Serve the needs of others. Confess your sinful desire to impress. Acknowledge your weaknesses, and trust God for strength to complete your responsibilities with joy and faith.

And experience the Savior's easy yoke and light burden. It's his promise to those who realize they are but little children in the care of their gracious heavenly Father.

# THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

Our culture can tend to talk about the cross in a way that magnifies our worth to God rather than our sin against Him. I've seen or heard worship songs whose main point seems to be that God sent Jesus to die for us because He couldn't bear to live without us. While God's children are precious in his sight, our value should never be the end of our worship nor the source of our joy.

Of course, every human being has an intrinsic worth. We have been made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Like no other living creature, men and women have the distinct role of representing God to the rest of creation, administrating His rule and care. However, that image is now distorted, corrupted, and fallen through our rebellion against God. We have been tragically separated from the God who deserves our complete and utter devotion, obedience, and allegiance.

The cross is God's answer to the problem of our sin and separation. It surely demonstrates God's love toward us in an incomprehensibly profound way that should move us to tears. But God's love for us flows from the fact that He is love, not that we are lovable. He said the same to Israel:

"It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt (Deut. 7:7-8)."

One of the prayers in the _Valley of Vision_ says it like this (I've modernized the language):

Blessed Lord Jesus,

Before your cross I kneel and see the heinousness of my sin,

My iniquity that caused you to be 'made a curse,'

The evil that excites the severity of divine wrath.

Show me the enormity of my guilt by

The crown of thorns,

The pierced hands and feet,

The bruised body,

The dying cries.

Your blood is the blood of incarnate God,

Its worth infinite, its value beyond all thought.

Infinite must be the evil and guilt that demands such a price.

When I think that my sins alone required the death of God's own Son to enable me to have a relationship with God, it produces the right responses of grief, wonder, amazement, conviction, humility, gratefulness, holiness, and commitment to God's Kingdom. So, the prayer ends:

Yet your compassions yearn over me,

Your heart hastens to my rescue,

Your love endured my curse,

Your mercy bore my deserved stripes.

Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths of humiliation,

Bathed in your blood,

Tender of conscience,

Triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.

May you triumph gloriously today, knowing that the precious blood of Jesus Christ has paid for your sins – every one of them.

# FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:18-20).

In his very helpful book, _Father, Son, and Spirit_ , Bruce Ware writes:

"Many Christian people will one day stand before the Lord aware as never before that they spent too little time getting to know the depth and the wonder of who God really is—including his revelation of himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one God over all (p. 16)."

Dr. Ware goes on to say that "the doctrine of the Trinity is both central and necessary for the Christian faith to be what it is. Remove the Trinity, and the whole Christian faith disintegrates (p. 16)."

Growing up, I thought of the Trinity as a necessary, but relatively inconsequential doctrine. I knew it was important but wasn't quite sure why. "God in three persons, blessed Trinity," was about as far as I got in my thinking. Because it was incomprehensible I assigned it to the category of things I'd understand better after I died.

While I have no doubt I'll understand everything more clearly when I see the Lord, my attitude towards the doctrine of the Trinity has changed significantly in recent years. I want to know the God I worship. The fact that we can't know God completely doesn't mean we can't know him truly in ways He has revealed Himself to us.

In his high priestly prayer, Jesus stated that eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent (Jn. 17:3). The very nature of our faith involves knowing that God is one way and not another. He is one God, but three persons. This isn't a man-conceived doctrine but emerges from the life and worship of the New Testament and the early church. We worship the Father, Son, and Spirit Who exist fully, completely, equally, and simultaneously as the one true God.

One of the passages this emerges from is Ephesians 5:18-20, referenced above. Our singing to God is a result of being filled with the Spirit of God. But we sing in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, as though He Himself were singing through us. But as He sings through us, we find that we are also singing TO Him – "Making melody in your heart to the Lord." And all this is done with gratefulness in our hearts to the Father. We see here that worship is a gift to us before it is a response. God – as Father, Son, and Spirit – initiates, fills, enables, and receives our songs of praise and thanksgiving, allowing us to enter into the joy of the Godhead that has existed from all eternity.

How often we think of singing God's praise as a chore, or a duty, or a responsibility, or something that we need to work ourselves up for. Everything changes when we see it as God's gracious gift of Himself to us. How can we not take advantage of this amazing privilege by singing often, singing loud, and singing long for the glory of the triune God?

# BEFORE THE AGES BEGAN

"...who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began." (2Tim. 1:9)

Pastor and hymn-writer Samuel Stennett (1727-1795) wrote a poem called "The Harmony of Divine Perfections," in which he attempts to describe what took place "before the ages began." Here it is, with my comments. (You might want to read this slowly...)

When first the God of boundless grace disclosed His kind design;

To rescue our apostate race from misery, shame, and sin,

Quick through the realms of light and bliss, the joyful tidings ran;

Each heart exulted at the news, that God would dwell with man.

The heavens were thrilled that God found a way to undo the damage our first parents caused by defying God's rule.

Yet, 'midst their joys, they paused awhile, and asked, with strong surprise,

But how can injured justice smile, or look with pitying eyes?

Will the Almighty deign again to visit yonder world;

And hither bring rebellious men whence rebels once were hurled?

Their tears, and groans, and deep distress, aloud for mercy call;

But, ah, must truth and righteousness to mercy victims fall?

Does the dilemma sin caused ever fill us with "strong surprise?" How can justice smile at rebellion without doing damage to the very nature of what it means to be just? In God's economy, He can't forsake His eternal standards of truth and righteousness simply because we cry out for mercy. The reconciling of God's perfect holiness and perfect love at the cross will forever be one of the most glorious mysteries of our salvation.

So spoke the friends of God and man, delighted, yet surprised;

Eager to know the wondrous plan that wisdom had devised.

How often do I marvel at the beauty, power, and incomprehensible wisdom of God's design for salvation? Not often enough.

The Son of God attentive heard, and quickly thus replied,

"In Me let mercy be revered, and justice satisfied.

"Behold, My vital blood I pour a sacrifice to God;

Let angry justice now no more demand the sinner's blood."

Do you hear the Savior's submissive voice echoing through the ages to bring you hope, life, and freedom? Do you feel His particular love for you today? He demonstrated God's lavish mercy toward you, while at the same time giving you reason to worship God forever for His unswerving, unerring justice.

And he did this because of his "own purpose and grace." Although we can't know exactly how God worked out his plan to save us, we know it wasn't conceived in a board room, as God the Strategist mapped out the most efficient way to solve a messy problem. It was purposefully designed by a loving God – Father, Son, and Spirit – "before the ages began" to rescue us from His own consuming holiness. May our response be like the end of this poem:

He spoke, and heav'n's high arches rung

With shouts of loud applause;

He died, the friendly angels sung,

Nor cease their rapturous joys.

# PLEASING GOD

The fact that we can please God is a never ending source of amazement to me. Of course, when it comes to justification, nothing we do can please God sufficiently for him to accept us. But as his children, forgiven and reconciled through the atoning sacrifice of his Son, we can actually bring God pleasure through our grace-motivated, faith-empowered acts of obedience. Here are some Scriptures that fill out the picture.

Those outside of Christ cannot ultimately please God.

  * Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom. 8:8)

Jesus never failed at any moment to please his Father.

  * And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. (John 8:29)

Faith in God and his provision for us is the necessary foundation for those who want to please God.

  * And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Heb. 11:6)

More often than we think, seeking to please people and seeking to please God are in direct opposition to one another.

  * For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Gal. 1:10)

God is the one who enables us to please him.

  * For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13)

Paul prayed, and God desires, that we be fully pleasing to the Lord.

  * And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Col. 1:9-10)

We are to continually grow in our desire to please God.

  * Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. (1Th. 4:1)

Everything in us that pleases God is made so through His Son, Jesus Christ.

  * Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will ,working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21)

Are you aware of the possibility of pleasing or displeasing God through your thoughts, words, and actions today? Do you know that God has provided all the resources we need to live a life that pleases him through the merits of the Savior? Are you encouraged by the fact that we, along with all things, exist for the sole purpose of bringing God pleasure?

In the words made famous by Nike – just do it. Please God, that is. By his grace and for his glory.

# AM I BEING STUPID?

"Stupid" is a word that we discouraged our children from using as they were growing up. That was because they typically used it when they were fighting with a sibling or responding to a decision they weren't too happy about.

But God doesn't hesitate to use stupid to describe some of the ways we act. He tells us in Proverbs 12:1:

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."

God wants me to LOVE reproof and discipline, not run from it.

Why? I can think of a few reasons. Loving reproof makes me more aware of my need for God's grace in my life. Loving reproof helps me fight my inherent craving for self-exaltation. Loving reproof is a sign that I need others in the process of sanctification. Loving proof is a way of acknowledging I have blind spots and that I don't know EVERYTHING.

Here are a few ways I try to cultivate the love of discipline and reproof (and I still have a long way to go):

**Pray for reproof.** That's right. Ask God to bring people into your life who will point out where you're making mistakes, sinning, or could do things better.

**Expect reproof.** Be on the lookout for it. I find that when I'm surprised by critical feedback from others, it's usually because I'm looking for their praise.

**Ask others for input.** That's why we hand out evaluation forms at conferences. We read every one of them. They have been invaluable each year for making the next conference better. It's best to ask people for input when they have time enough to think about it and are convinced that you really want to hear it.

**Thank people for reproof.** It's rarely easy to reprove someone else. When a friend approaches me and says they want to share something with me (and I don't get the feeling it's encouragement), I want to make sure I thank them for caring enough to give me input, whether I agree with them at the moment or not.

**Ask questions about reproof.** Oftentimes, people don't say everything they're thinking. Ask them to elaborate, expand upon, or fill out what they're saying. It will help you hear it more clearly and respond more humbly.

**Thank God for reproof.** Every critic is a gift from God. God is the one who enables others to overcome their fears and tell us what we need to hear. What an evidence of God's kindness!

And that's what reproof from others is – an evidence of God's kindness. Of course, it's hard to see that when it's given thoughtlessly, angrily, sarcastically, judgmentally, or harshly. But I know that most of the feedback I receive from others is not as strong as I need to hear it, and comes from a heart that wants to serve. But even when given sinfully, reproofs remind us of our own blind spots and cast us upon the mercy of the Savior who covers all our sins, and who has provided the only means of our justification before God.

So let's not be stupid today.

# HEARING TO SEE THE GLORY OF GOD

Recently I was browsing through a copy of the Time book, _Eyewitness: 150 Years of Photojournalism_. Within moments I was reliving many significant events captured through the lens of the camera. I better understood the brutal tragedy of the Civil War, the jubilant celebration of victory at the end of WWII, the aching misery of the poor throughout the world, and the fragility of the human condition.

As it's been said, "a picture is worth a thousand words."

Do you ever wish the Bible was in pictures? Do you ever wonder what it would be like to watch a video of Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai, Jesus healing a blind man, or Peter addressing the crowds on the day of Pentecost? Have you ever thought it would be easier to believe in God, to trust Him, to worship Him, if we had actual footage of the stories we read in the Bible?

Apparently, God doesn't think so. In his infinite wisdom, God gave us the Word, both spoken and written, as the means of seeing his glory. John Piper writes in _When I Don't Desire God_ :

"The glory of God is the ultimate reality. The glory of God is more ultimate than the Word of God. And so seeing is more ultimate than hearing. Nevertheless the glory of God does not come to us in a saving way except through the Word of God. Therefore, seeing the glory does not happen except through hearing the gospel. Word corresponds to hearing, and glory corresponds to seeing. Ultimately God has spoken in order to reveal his glory for the enjoyment of his people. Therefore we must hear what he says in order to see what he reveals. The Bible does not speak of hearing the glory of God, but seeing it. Hearing is the means. Seeing is the goal. The aim of all our hearing of God's truth is the seeing of God's glory."

This means it's a good idea to ask what I'm looking for when I read or hear God's Word. Am I looking for rules for behavior or moral maxims? Do I still feel distant from God because I can't "see" Him? Do I think I'll get a greater understanding of God's glory by looking up at the stars or hiking through the mountains?

While the heavens are telling the glory of God (Ps. 19:1), God's Spirit wants to open our eyes to His glory through the words of Scripture, particularly as they describe and exalt the work of our great Savior. Am I grateful that God has given me spiritual eyes to see Him, that are able to discern far more than my physical eyes can appreciate?

Of course, there will come a day when God's people will see Him face to face. We'll look into the blazing eyes of the One who created and redeemed us for His glory. Who can imagine what we will feel, think, and sense then? One thing's for sure. Faith will become sight and we will see Him as He really is.

May all our hearing and reading of Scripture prepare our hearts for that moment.

# THE FEAR OF MAN, HOPELESSNESS, AND THE GOSPEL

I recently preached from Galatians 2:16 on "The Gospel and the Fear of Man". This is the passage where Paul confronts Peter for his hypocritical actions:

"For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party (Gal. 2:12)."

Paul points out that Peter's behavior was no longer in line with the truth of the Gospel, which says that no one will be justified as a result of obeying certain laws, but only through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. But Peter was more concerned about the approval that came from men than the approval that comes from God through Christ.

I shared that the same root that keep Peter from eating with non-Jews, the fear of man, had caused me to experience a "sin breakdown" a number of years ago. Back in the mid-90′s I went through a significant battle with hopelessness. I would wake every morning with this thought: "Your life is completely hopeless." My day went downhill from there. For about three years I experienced frequent panic attacks, itching and numbness, shortness of breath, and a hollow feeling in my chest.

There were a number of contributing factors but a major root was the fear of man. I "feared" that others wouldn't share the same high opinion I had of myself. I "feared" they would reject me, or think of me unfavorably. Those thoughts, repeated hundreds of times every day, led to bouts with anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.

One morning I was confessing to a pastor and good friend from another Sovereign Grace church that I felt hopeless all the time. He looked at me with compassionate boldness and said, "I don't think you're hopeless enough." At first I thought he was kidding; but then I realized he was completely serious. He went on. "If you were completely hopeless, you'd stop trusting in what you think you can do to change the situation, and starting trusting in what Jesus Christ has already done for you at the cross.

A light went on. I realized that I hadn't been embracing the fact that apart from Jesus, I truly do have no hope (Eph. 2:12). For months following that conversation, every time I would start to feel anxiety or hopelessness, I would say to myself, "I am a hopeless person. But Jesus Christ died for hopeless people." I began to see that my inability to live in the good of the Gospel was rooted in my desire to find hope in something I had done rather than in what my Savior had done. I wanted some kind of credit, some kind of recognition, some kind of acknowledgment that God knew what he was doing when he chose me to be his son.

Fortunately, the Gospel brings better news than that. My acceptance before God isn't rooted in _anything_ I've done or ever will do.

God communicates the same thing to the Israelites as they are about to enter the Promised Land:

"It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt (Deut. 7:7-8)."

What I've continued to learn is this: I never move on from my need for a Savior. The praise I seek from others will never substitute for the righteousness Christ has obtained for me before a holy God. In other words, the only approval that matters is impossible to earn, but is given to us as a gift in the Gospel.

I pray that your life will be increasingly filled with the joyful hope that comes from knowing Christ Jesus, who is and forever will be our only hope (1 Tim. 1:1).

# UNITE MY HEART

"There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.

All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name (Ps. 86:8-11)."

This psalm is a precious example of unwavering trust in God's character when I'm surrounded by enemies. The first seven verses contain no less than eight requests of God:

"Incline your ear. Answer me. Preserve my life. Save your servant. Be gracious. Gladden my soul. Give ear to my prayer. Listen to my plea."

Maybe you've been there, or find yourself there right now. Reduced to one word, your prayer is, "Help!" If this Psalm were set to modern music it might seem like one more example of man-centered lyrics that focus on what God can do for ME. A closer look reveals that the worshipper is intimately acquainted with God's character and deeds, and uses that knowledge as the basis for crying out to God.

The Lord is good and forgiving.

God abounds in steadfast love to all who call upon him.

God does great and wondrous things.

God has delivered my soul from the grave.

God has helped and comforted me.

The point is this: if God _isn't_ all these things, then I shouldn't expect him to deliver me. But he _is_ all these things and we can't forget. So, in the middle of his prayer, David remembers that God is supreme above all false gods. Idols don't respond to our prayers like God does. The nations owe their very existence to God and will eventually come and worship before him. God is great and does wondrous things. In other words, there is only one God.

David realizes that the idols of his heart are a greater threat than the enemies he faces. So he asks the Lord, "Teach me your way that I may walk in your truth." So many times when I'm in a fix, I want to teach God MY way. "Lord, I think it would be a good idea if that person would stop talking about me...God, now would be a great time to send me a check in the mail...Father, it would be great if you took away my chronic pain." Instead, David says to God, "Teach me your way." It's better to suffer and walk in God's truth, than avoid pain and live a lie.

David's then asks, "Unite my heart to fear your name." He knows he's prone to fear everything _but_ God. Failure. Looking bad in the eyes of others. The future. Being misunderstood. Being hurt.

Too often I fear many things at once.

When my heart fears God alone life gets so much simpler. I trust God is good enough to desire the best for me. I trust he is powerful enough to bring that good about. I trust he is wise enough to know the best way to accomplish his purposes in my life. I trust that no other "god" can thwart his perfect plans for me.

Ultimately, the Gospel unites my heart to fear God's name. For at the foot of the cross I see most clearly that the Lord is good and forgiving and abounding in steadfast love. I understand in a way that David never could that God has delivered my soul from the grave by sending his only Son to be my Savior.

May the challenges you face today and in the future only unite your heart to say with greater joy, "For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God."

# WHAT CHRISTMAS IS AND IS NOT ALL ABOUT

During my private worship this morning I was reading Mark Dever's commentary on the New Testament, _Promises Kept_ , transcribed from messages he's given at his church. This morning I happened to be reading his sermon on 1 Timothy. Providentially, it was a message he first gave on Dec. 19, 1999, so it contains numerous references to Christmas. I wanted to share some of his comments with you, along with my thoughts.

Christmas isn't about who's been "naughty or nice."

"The news we have to declare as Christians is not fundamentally about our law-keeping or our obedience. The glad tidings we bear are not for 'good people.' It is 'for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly, and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers, and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers' (1 Tim. 1:9b-10a NIV). I doubt you have received many Christmas cards like that. Yet have you realized this is who the Christmas message is for? The Christmas message is not for a bunch of well-dressed, respectable people who attend church to celebrate a cultural holiday. The Christmas message is a message that brings joy to people like father-killers and slave-traders!" (p. 345-346)

To truly find joy in Christmas, I have to acknowledge that Jesus didn't become a baby because I'm so good. He came because I'm so evil and needed a Savior. He didn't come to reward us for what we've done, but to save us from what we've done.

Christmas isn't merely about good feelings.

"A Christmas card theology of 'holiday cheer' or of angels with trumpets singing 'Peace on earth, good will toward men' is simply not good enough in a world that includes real tragedies like the Columbine High School shootings, the terrorist threat of nuclear weapons, or, truly, the contents of your heart and mine. If you regard evil only as what those 'bad people out there' do, you will not understand Jesus at all. You must understand this truth first: there is far more to the Christian gospel than celebrating the mean remnants of goodness that may remain in us" (p. 348).

The expressions of "Merry Christmas!" and "Happy Holidays!" that I've heard so often recently are in one sense a sign of common grace. Many people tend to be kinder and more thoughtful at Christmas time. However, to think that's all Christmas is about is to miss the point. We need more than a temporary respite from the real tragedies, problems, and fears that plague our lives. We need more than good feelings. We need a Savior. And Christmas tells us that he's come.

Christmas is only one part of a greater story.

"To think that Christmas is more about the stable in Bethlehem than about the cross in Jerusalem is to regard the acorn as more important than the oak...The Christmas message is not merely the fact that God became man by being born of the virgin Mary; the Christmas message is the reason for the Incarnation: 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'" (p. 353-354).

Jesus held by the wood.

Delivered and delivering,

Jesus held by the wood.

Witnesses on either side.

Mary silhouetted,

quietly gazing

with great feeling

on her son,

the sky dark above.

As at the beginning,

so at the end.

Jesus held by the wood.

Delivered and delivering,

Jesus held by the wood.

The scene of Christmas

and of Calvary,

of the cradle

and the cross.

(Mark Dever, p. 354-355)

While the mystery of God becoming man stretches the boundaries of our comprehension, his coming can't be separated from the reason he came. May the two stories – the cradle and the cross – always remain inseparable in our meetings, our relationships, and our hearts.

# SHOULD WORSHIP BE FUN?

More than once I've heard Christians claim that worship should be fun, or act like they had a responsibility to prove that Christians knew how to "party" in church. I've always been uncomfortable with that connection, so I started thinking about the place of "fun" in worship, if one even exists. I'd like to address this question by answering it as I posed it, and then considering two other ways it might be phrased.

_Should worship be fun_? If we take the exhaustive testimony of Scripture, the answer would have to be a resounding NO. "Fun" doesn't seem to characterize many of the scenes where people encounter God in the Bible. We're told to worship God with reverence and awe, for he is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28-29). To have "fun" should never be our primary motive as we gather. Our goal is to remember God's greatness, present our petitions before him, and thank him for his abundant mercies in Jesus Christ. Celebration should certainly be included in that, but there are also times when worshipping God can produce awe, tears of repentance, or a profound silence.

But let me rephrase the question. _Can worship be fun_? It depends on how we define "fun." I know some of you are incredulous I'm even entertaining this thought. But believe me, I'm not trying to be flippant. We worship a holy God. If "fun" is defined as a lighthearted activity with no purpose or meaning, strictly meant to amuse, then the answer to "can worship be fun?" must surely be no. When we worship God together we are not looking to be merely entertained or momentarily distracted from the cares of this world. Diversion is not the same as worship. Our joy and gladness are always grounded in and informed by God's character, nature, and acts.

However, when I looked up "fun" on my desktop dictionary, the first meaning was "enjoyable." If we're asking, "Can worshipping God be enjoyable?" then surely the answer must be yes. Isaiah 6 isn't the only chapter in Scripture that describes how we are to relate to God. There have been countless times that I've been leading worship or singing as part of the congregation and thought, "I love doing this!" Joy floods my soul, and I could legitimately say I'm having "fun!"

It may be similar to what the Israelites experienced in 2 Chronicles 30. They so enjoyed celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days that Hezekiah and the people spontaneously decided to keep the feast for another seven days (2 Chron. 30:22-23)! That must have been some celebration! On another occasion, Ezra and the priests told the people not to mourn or weep because that day was "holy to the Lord" and that the joy of the Lord was their strength (Neh. 8:9-10). Holiness and joy aren't necessarily exclusive.

When my children were growing up I wanted them to look forward to singing worship songs and not see a relationship with God as something that was only serious, sober, and solemn. After all, singing to God is meant to be pleasant (Ps. 135:3; Ps. 147:1). David danced before the Lord with all his might as he brought the ark back to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:12-15). The Psalmist was _glad_ when they said to him, "Let us go up to the house of the Lord" (Ps. 122:1). So yes, when defined as enjoyment and not seen as the only aspect of worship, worshipping God can be very "fun." People shouldn't find our meetings dull or dour. Smiles and even laughter should abound as we consider how kind, merciful, and gracious God has been to us (Ps. 126:2)!

But let me rephrase the question one more time, to broaden the application. "Should our fun be worship?" Well now the answer must surely be "yes." We're told in 1 Cor. 10:31 that whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we're to do it all for the glory of God. Rather than focusing on making our corporate worship fun maybe we should spend more time making sure our "fun" is worship.

Here are some questions that can lead us in that direction.

  * Do I choose a fun activity because there's nothing else to do, or because I believe it will in some way cause me to grow in my love for God?

  * When I play games, participate in sports, or pursue a hobby, does my attitude demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit?

  * When I go out with a group of friends, am I seeking just to have fun, or to glorify God through encouraging them, challenging sin, and serving them?

  * Do the activities I consider "fun" increase my affections for God or dilute them?

  * Do I view my free time as belonging to me or to God?

The fun this world offers is unsatisfying, deceptive, and temporary. Let's not idolize or fall for it. As Christians, we can enjoy fun activities without believing they're the root of our joy. The fun, joy, pleasure, and celebration we experience when we worship God is greater than the world will ever know, because the root is knowing we are completely forgiven through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our joy is in God himself. We'd be fools to look for it anywhere else.

# FINDING MEANING AND PURPOSE

Bruce Springsteen is on tour again. I've never been a Springsteen fan, but his music has affected millions. Recently, Scott Pelley interviewed Springsteen for the TV show 60 Minutes. His concert was described as "part circus, dance party, political rally, and big tent revival." Here's a portion of the interview, street language unedited.

"You have got to be, wild guess, worth somewhere north of 100 million dollars. Why are you still touring? You don't have to do this," Pelley remarks.

"What else would I do? You got any clues?" Springsteen asks. "Got any suggestions? I mean, am I going to garden? Why would you stop? I mean, you play the music and you know, grown men cry. And women dance. That's why you do it."

"It's good to be a rock star," Pelley says.

"I would say that yes it is," Springsteen says. "But the star thing I can live with. The music I can't live without. And that's how it lays out for me, you know. I got as big an ego and enjoy the attention. My son has a word, he calls it 'Attention Whore.' But you have to be one of those or else why would you be up in front of thousands of people, you know, shaking your butt. But at the same time, when it comes down to it, it's the way it makes you feel. I do it because of the way it makes me feel when I do it. It gives me meaning, it gives me purpose," Springsteen explains.

Hearing Springsteen talk about why he does what he does made me freshly aware of how different leading corporate worship is from being a rock star, even though at times the line can be blurred, both in our culture and in our hearts. Here are a few of the distinctions.

"The music I can't live without." I love music. I've been playing music for the last 46 years, and professionally for thirty five. Right now I have close to 40 days of music on my iTunes and iPod. But if I had to make a choice, I could live without music. It's Jesus I can't live without, in every sense of the word. Music is just one more of God's blessings, meant to direct our attention to the Giver and create fresh affection for the God who gives all good gifts (James 1:17).

"I...enjoy the attention...or else why would you be up in front of thousands of people?" Whether we're up in front of ten people or ten thousand, we can all crave the same thing – attention. We want to be the center of the world, even if for a few moments, thinking we deserve at least a portion of the glory that rightly belongs to God alone.

But there are other reasons we can want to be in front of people, and they have nothing to do with us. We can want to direct people's eyes to the matchless Savior, whose glory knows no bounds. Paul said it like this: "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal. 6:14).

All our musical skill, all our creative arrangements, all our technical prowess might impress people, but they certainly doesn't impress God. He's the one who gave us everything we have as well as the ability to develop it. Our goal in leading people is to communicate through our gestures, voices, bodies, and faces that Jesus Christ is a great Savior, and that God is worthy to be loved, trusted, and obeyed with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

"When it comes down to it, it's the way it makes you feel." Leading people to praise and encounter God can be a very fulfilling experience. I've cried, laughed for joy, shouted, stood in awe, and been overwhelmed with the sense of God's presence. But we don't lead worship because of the way it makes us feel. Our goal isn't to reach a musical high. We lead worship because Jesus has been given the name above all names and is worthy of worship. Ideally, we're already experiencing the peace, joy, and strength of the Holy Spirit as we step up to lead others, and want them to drink from the same fountain of Gospel grace that we've been enjoying.

"I do it because of the way it makes me feel when I do it. It gives me meaning, it gives me purpose." If the good feeling I have when I'm the center of attention is where I find my ultimate meaning and purpose, I have a very small world. God created us to find our meaning in Jesus Christ – his purposes, his plans, and his exaltation. The day will come when everything in heaven and earth will be subject to Jesus Christ for the ultimate glory of the Father (1 Cor. 15:28). Paul looked on all his gains and achievements as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord. He tells us that "Christ is our life" (Col. 3:4). Jesus himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn. 14:6). What gives us meaning and purpose is not what we do for God or for others, but what God has done for us in sending his Son to atone for our sins and deliver us from our sinful selves. He has freed us from being fixated on our own lives to be overwhelmed and undone by his goodness, greatness, and beauty.

We've benefited greatly from musical and technological advances of recent decades. And leading a band doesn't mean we have the same attitude as Bruce Springsteen. But we need to be clear on what role music plays in our worship and the place it holds in our hearts. We can't think and act like rock stars and exalt the crucified Messiah at the same time.

# TEN REASONS TO EXPRESS MUSICAL OPINIONS HUMBLY

I've been musing recently about how we express our musical opinions. Why do we feel so strongly about songs, bands, and styles? And why do we draw conclusions so quickly? Nope. Don't like it. That stinks. I can't stand that kind of music. You like that stuff? Is there anything wrong with raving about the music/artists we love and being swift to trash those we despise?

If we're Christians, yes. Let me suggest ten reasons why musical forbearance might be good for our souls.

**Being a self-appointed music critic is often just a sign of pride**.

Using outrageous or exaggerated words to put down certain songs, styles, or artists can be a symptom of selfishness, laziness, or arrogance. We don't want to spend time investigating whether or not our assessment is accurate because we're too busy sharing our opinions. (Prov. 18:2)

**Music doesn't define us**.

Why do we become offended when someone critiques our favorite song, group, or style of music? Because they're insulting "our" music, which means they're insulting us. That's idolatry. Music isn't our life — Christ is. (Col. 3:4).

Great songs don't always sound great the first time through.

Some songs require repeated listening to appreciate their value. Albums and songs often grow on us over time. Is all the best music always instantly accessible or appealing? I hope not.

The introduction to a song isn't the same thing as the song.

The first twenty seconds of a song usually doesn't represent the whole song. It just introduces it. Deciding we don't like a song from the start can keep us from hearing something we might truly enjoy or benefit from.

**Listening to music the masses have never heard of doesn't make us better.** Some of us derive a particular joy in finding and listening to obscure, undiscovered artists. As if being unknown was admirable in and of itself. Some bands are undiscovered because they're not very good. And if we do happen to discover a talented unknown band, it's an opportunity to serve others, not look down on them.

Listening to music that is massively popular doesn't make us better.

This is the opposite craving of the previous point. It's the mindset that says if the song or artist hasn't been on the radio, at the top of the charts, or on TV, it's not worth listening to.

Learning to appreciate unfamiliar music is one way to prefer others.

Why does everyone have to like the music I like? What might I learn about my friends by patiently seeking to understand why they like the music they do? (Phil. 2:4)

Learning to like other kinds of music can open my eyes to God's creativity.

In his book, _Music Through the Eyes of Faith_ , Harold Best addresses musical elitists. "Among all this stuff that needs aesthetic redeeming, there is also goodness, a whole lot of integrity and honesty, from which they themselves can learn." (p. 89) That means I can actually enjoy music that is less sophisticated than what I'd ordinarily listen to.

We may have to eat our words.

It's happened more than a few times. I mouth off about how bad a song is, and later on start to think it's actually pretty good. Or I tear up a song on my blog and later find myself talking to a person who loves it or the person who wrote it. Oops.

We might be missing an opportunity to be grateful for God's gifts.

Our tendency is to assume that God's gifts all look and sound the same. They don't. What would happen if the first time we heard a song we sought to be grateful rather than critical?

Let me be clear. No song is above evaluation and there are truly bad songs. We just might serve others and ourselves more effectively if we expressed our musical opinions with a little more grace.

# WHEN GOD COMES TO CHURCH

As 2008 turned over to 2009 I was in the midst of reading _When God Comes to Church_ by Ray Ortlund, Jr. I didn't want the year to get too far before I shared some great quotes from this book that came out in 2000. The first half of the book describes what God does to bring revival (comes down, reinvigorates, heals, pours out his Spirit, raises up, and restores).The second half describes what we can do to prepare the way (return, seek, humble ourselves). Each chapter is an expositional treatment of a specific Old Testament passage.

Ortlund begins with:

"Revival is a season in the life of the church when God causes the normal ministry of the gospel to surge forward with extraordinary spiritual power." (9)

Later he says:

"True revival is a firmly established biblical tradition. It deserves our acceptance as accredited, orthodox experience with impeccable biblical credentials and deep historical roots. It stands firm as a valid part of the ways of God with his people, to be cherished in the past and sought after for the present." (46)

As I read the book, I realized that I want that kind of revival to be my prayer and expectation for the rest of my life. I never want to settle into a "business as usual" attitude when I lead worship, or think that the fruit of what I do depends ultimately on my preparation, planning, gifts, or experience. If we're going to see any lasting change from our meetings, it must come from the presence of God in our midst.

Here are some quotes that stood out to me, along with my comments. I pray they're an encouragement to you.

Hindering the Blessing of the Spirit

"We cannot trigger a divine visitation on our churches, but it is our responsibility prayerfully to offer our Lord a church steeped in the gospel and tenderly responsive to his presence. His Spirit's blessing should not have to work against the logic and ethos we create." (17)

Does my church function with a logic or ethos that hinders the blessing of God's Spirit? Are we dependent on technology, manipulation, creativity, or our own giftings to effect change in people? Are we steeped in the gospel and tenderly responsive to his presence? Or do we emphasize what we do and barrel through our plan, hoping some good will come from it?

Settling Into Routine

"We can settle into a routine of activities at church and in our small groups and Bible studies, with little expectation of anything new. The familiar becomes the predictable, and everything from here on out will be more of the same. We dip our teaspoon into the vast ocean of the living God. Holding that teaspoon in our hand, we say, "This is God." We pour it out into our lives, and we say, 'This is the Christian Experience.'" (41)

Do our lives reflect the power, wonder, glory, love, and holiness of the living God? Do we downplay people's expectations of knowing Jesus Christ?

God Is Patient, Not Us

"We must not think of God as a cosmic miser, reluctantly parceling out meager blessings. Instead, we should think of ourselves as constantly hassling him with endless, rude entreaties. He is astonishingly patient and kind." (55)

How often to I assume that when God doesn't answer my prayers, the problem is with him, not me? How often do I miss the countless ways he has already poured out his blessings?

Methods Matter

"A repentant church understands that methods are never value-free but always reveal where our trust really lies." (75)

It's "risky" to trust fully and completely in God's promise to actively work through his appointed means – the preaching of his Word, the proclaiming of the gospel, and the fellowship of his people (Heb. 4:12;Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 11:26; Mt. 18:20).

The Proof That the Spirit Is With Us

"So what is the proof that the Spirit is being poured out on us? The voice of the church rings with prophetic clarity. The people of God are no longer passive, intimidated, unresponsive, uncertain. They are no longer preoccupied with self, convenience, comfort. They are no longer complaining, whining, griping. Instead, they become outspoken in God's praises and gospel truth, 'declaring the wonders of God' (Acts 2:11)." (87)

To turn us from self-exaltation to Christ-exaltation, from self-focus to Christ-focus, is a true mark of God's presence in our midst.

Active, But Not Alive

"The church is to be set apart by spirituality. Revival triggers a firm rejection of the foolish devices of carnality firing up the engine of the church and a joyous rediscovery of the awesome power of simple, biblical spirituality. The revival of a dead church occurs through spiritual awakening granted by God, not through our programs and devices. If a church is invigorated with other animating forces, it may be active but it is not alive." (120)

May God protect us from having the appearance of life in our churches and ministries – activities, programs, busyness, full schedules – and no true life, which can only come through the gospel and the power of God's Spirit.

What are You Expecting?

"God is not limited to our past experiences, our traditions, or what we think the church's next step should be. We must leave room for divine mystery, for surprise. God never acts out of character but he does exceed our expectations." (31)

What are you expecting God to do in and through your life this year? Are you anticipating that you might be surprised?

# A HYMN FOR ORDINARY CHRISTIANS

Our church as been trying to memorize one hymn a month for the past ten months. This month we're working on "Great is Thy Faithfulness". I had the opportunity to introduce the hymn yesterday morning and was moved by its history. Here's what I shared.

The story behind "Great is Thy Faithfulness" should encourage every Christian who thinks of their life as ordinary. There's no tragic story (think "It Is Well" by Horatio Spafford) associated with this hymn. It's just the fruit of a faithful man with a simple faith in a faithful God.

Thomas Chisholm, who sometimes described himself as "just an old shoe," was born in a Kentucky log cabin in 1866. He was converted when he was 27, became a pastor at 36, but had to retire one year later due to poor health. He spent the majority of the rest of his life as a life insurance agent in New Jersey. He died in 1960 at the age of 93. During his life he wrote over 1200 poems, most of which no one will ever hear.

But back in 1923, at the "beyond his prime" age of 57, Thomas Chisholm sent a few of his poems to William Runyan at the Hope Publishing Company. One of them was "Great is Thy Faithfulness", based on Lamentations 3:22-23.

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Runyan was particularly moved by "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and sought to set it to a melody that would reflect the response of wonder and gratefulness to God's faithfulness conveyed in the lyrics. Apparently, he succeeded.

The song quickly became a favorite at Moody Bible Institute, and later George Beverly Shea sang it at Billy Graham crusades. Now it's known all over the world and has been used to encourage millions of Christians to trust in a faithful God.

Pretty impressive spiritual fruit from a life insurance agent.

When Chisholm was 75, he wrote in a letter:

"My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness."

The hymn has three verses and a chorus. Verse 1 speaks of God's faithfulness revealed in his Word, and is adapted from James 1:17: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

Verse 2 tells us of God's faithfulness revealed in creation. The seasons, sun, moon, and stars all continue on their courses perfectly, orderly, quietly – guided by God's faithful hand, without any help from us.

Verse 3 reminds us of God's faithfulness revealed in our lives. He pardons all our sins, fills us with his peace, assures of his presence, gives us strength, hope, and blessings to numerous to count!

Whatever challenges, trials, or disappointments you might be facing right now, this hymn reminds us that God's promises are true, that he never changes, that his compassions never fail, and that his faithfulness to us in Christ Jesus is more than good—it's GREAT!

God doesn't need incredibly gifted or wildly famous people to proclaim those truths from his Word. Just faithful ones.

# LEARNING TO SING IN THE SAME ROOM

Psalm 78 is a maskil of Asaph, and one of 12 Psalms ascribed to Asaph. Whether Asaph actually wrote them or not, we can't be sure. But one thing we can be sure of is that his influence lasted for centuries.

Asaph ministered at the tabernacle as a Levite. When David recaptured the ark of the covenant and returned it to Jerusalem, Asaph was appointed by the other Levites "to raise sounds of joy" on the cymbals (1 Chron. 15:16). Later on, Asaph was elevated from cymbal player to chief musician. David commissioned him to be among those who ministered and worshiped regularly in the tent of meeting, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD (1 Chron. 16:5).

When David assembled other musicians for worship in the tent of meeting, he chose some who were the "sons of Asaph." The "sons of Asaph" could refer to Asaph's blood relatives or those he was mentoring. These "sons" were to serve the Lord by prophesying with lyres, harps and cymbals (1 Chron. 25:1-2).

Asaph and his sons served so faithfully under David that Solomon appointed them to serve at the dedication of the temple. It was there that "the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD." And they sang, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever" (2 Chron. 5:13). Side-by-side, Asaph faithfully taught, instructed, and ministered with his sons and others, who in turn did the same to their sons, who in turn taught their sons, and on down the line for generations.

About 100 years later, King Jehoshaphat prayed for protection against the invading armies and received a prophetic word given by Jahaziel, one of the sons of Asaph (2 Chron. 20:14). 140 years after that, during when Hezekiah was king, the sons of Asaph were among the Levites who cleansed and consecrated the temple so worship to God could be restored. (2 Chron. 29:12-15)

Eighty years later, after the great apostasy and the Book of the Law was found, King Josiah wanted to celebrate Passover again. The singers turned out to be descendents of Asaph (2 Chron. 35:15).

When the Israelites returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon, nearly 400 years after the dedication of the temple, Ezra records that numbered the exiles included 148 "singers: the sons of Aspah." And when the foundation of the temple was laid, once again it was the sons of Asaph who led the worship (Neh. 7:44; 11:17).

Asaph and his descendents were purposeful and intentional in passing on the practice and understanding of musical worship to future generations. And their focus was unmistakable: "God is good, for His steadfast love endures forever." They took seriously the command to proclaim that truth to coming generations.

How seriously do we take the command to tell the coming generations what we know of God and worshiping God?

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."

Enough thinking about ourselves and what kind of music we like to use to worship God. God wants us to have an eye on our children, our grandchildren, and even our great grandchildren. We have a message to proclaim: "God is good, for His steadfast love endures forever."

Let's not allow shortsightedness or selfish preferences keep us from proclaiming it together.

#  REFLECTIONS ON TURNING FIFTY-FIVE

Fifty-five.

A speed limit. Five years past half a century. LV. Double nickels.

And today, my age. I finally qualify for the 10% senior discount at Jiffy Lube.

I remember when 55 seemed really old. Right now it feels like the prime of life. What does a 55 year old worship leader think about? Here's a sample...

The years I have left for fruitful ministry are dwindling.

Used to be I never thought much about death. Now I think about it at least weekly. Life is short, and it keeps getting shorter. I estimate I have between 10-20 more years of fruitful ministry, Lord willing. Then again, I may not live to see 2011. A lot to accomplish before I'm done, though. Songs to write, messages to preach, albums to produce. Maybe another book or two. And then I get to see the face of my Redeemer. So I keep running the race.

Now's the time to influence the next generation.

These years aren't about me (were they ever?). I want to spend more time helping younger musicians and leaders grow in their godliness, gifts, and influence. I'm hoping to offer an study/internship next fall for a few guys, and in the mean time trying to spend more regular time with twenty-something potential leaders. I don't want to act like I have nothing to learn from the next generation, and I want to do everything I can to help them avoid some of the mistakes I've made. So I mentor.

Relationships and the local church matter.

It's never just about "my ministry." It's always about what part of the body I am, how I fit in with the rest of the body, and how I do my part to make the body function well. That means I make sure I have close friends at every stage of life who I'm walking out life with, who will encourage, counsel, challenge, support, correct, and pray for me. So I sink my roots deep in the church.

God has often used books (or sentences in those books) to change my life.

I can trace much of my thinking about life and worship to individual sentences in books I've read over the years, starting of course, with Scripture. Other books have included _Music Through the Eyes of Faith_ by Harold Best, _Desiring God_ by John Piper, _Engaging with God_ by David Peterson, and _Valley of Vision_. There are many more. If I get one perspective-altering thought from a book, that's time well invested. So I read.

Music can become boring—Jesus can't.

It's not the latest songs, creative arrangements, or unique sounds that make corporate worship amazing and awe-inspiring. It's a clear and compelling picture of Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world. As long as I have that understanding, leading songs will never become routine or banal, and my worship of God will never be dependent on musical innovation. So I value truth over tunes.

Worship leaders can be cool. Biblical worship can't be.

By nature, "cool" describes something that the world esteems as hip, desirable, elitist, and perhaps elusive. Biblical worship is very un-hip, hated by the world's value system, and a gracious gift from God to those he has redeemed. It involves magnifying the glory of Christ and minimizing our own glory. It means acknowledging our sinfulness before a holy God, expressing gratefulness for the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ for our sins, and responding in humble obedience to his commands. All very uncool activities. So, no need to worry that I'm twice as old as a lot of the people I lead corporate worship with.

Experience, planning, and skill are no substitute for the Holy Spirit.

Experiences have taught me a lot over the years. Planning ahead is a way of serving the people I lead. Skill is a vital component to leading worship effectively. But ultimately only God's Spirit can give people a knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). It doesn't matter whether I'm leading 5 people or 5,000, my need for God's empowering presence is the same. So I pray.

God isn't seeking worship leaders; he's seeking worshipers.

Since "worship leader" isn't even a biblical term I don't want to find my identity in being one. I'm happy to use my musical gifts to draw people's attention to the greatness of Christ, but there are plenty of other ways I can do that, too. Loving my wife, speaking kindly, being generous, sharing the gospel, caring for the poor, to name a few. In At the end of it all, the only ones worshiping God are bondservants (Rev. 22:3). So I seek to serve for the glory of God.

God only has redeemed sinners to work with.

None of the hype is to be believed. Everyone sins. There are no perfect leaders. No one except Jesus is worthy of emulation in every way. That includes me. When I was younger I thought I was a lot more godly than I think I am now. Maybe I've been backsliding all these years. Or maybe I just have a more realistic view of myself. And in spite of it all, God has mercifully given his Son to pay for all my sins, and graciously brought fruit through my life for his glory. Amazing grace.

I'm looking forward to whatever the Lord has in store for me in my remaining years, and want to say with Paul:

"It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death (Phil. 1:20)."

Whatever your age, I pray that's your desire too.

# CAN SINGING ABOUT THE GOSPEL BECOME ROTE?

One of the drums I will never tire of beating is this: All biblical worship is rooted in and made possible by the cross of Christ. In my experience, the contemporary church (and any church, for that matter) is always in danger of neglecting the gospel in its songs. I said it this way in my book, _Worship Matters_ :

"The gospel is not merely one of many possible themes we can touch on as we come to worship God. It is the central and foundational theme. All our worship originates and is brought into focus at the cross of Jesus Christ."

Glorying in Jesus Christ means glorying in his cross. That doesn't mean looking at some icon or two pieces of wood nailed together. Nor does it imply that every song we sing has the word cross in it. It has little to do with church gatherings that are more like a funeral than a celebration.

The cross stands for all that was accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. It focuses on his substitutionary death at Calvary but includes everything that gave meaning to that act. His preexistent state in glory. His incarnation. His life of perfect obedience. His suffering. His resurrection. His ascension. His present intercession and reign in glory. His triumphant return.

I will always plead that worship pastors lead gospel-centered worship that is characterized by:

  * An awareness that the cross/gospel should be referenced somewhere in the time of singing.

  * Viewing the gospel as our primary motivation for praising God.

  * Helping people understand that only Jesus enables us to approach God – not music, musicians, worship leaders, or particular worship songs.

  * Encouraging congregations to be most enthusiastic about the theme the Bible is the most enthusiastic about – the Lamb of God who was slain.

When the Gospel Loses Its Power

But over the years I've learned that this vital truth can be misapplied. We can practice gospel-centered corporate worship in a way that is more obligatory than faith-filled. What once magnified the glory of Christ becomes lifeless repetition. My friend, Jon Payne, shared some thoughts with me on this topic that I found helpful. He pointed out that a formulaic approach to gospel-centered worship can lead to some of the following problems:

  * Thinking every song should be exclusively about justification, boldness before the throne, or our sins being completely forgiven.

  * Thinking every song list should climax with a "gospel" song.

  * An inability to reference or articulate uniquely other aspects of the gospel – adoption, reconciliation, union with Christ, etc.

  * A scarcity of other themes in our songs such as the wisdom of God, the eternity of God, the power of God, the incarnation, the kingship of Christ, heaven.

  * Worshiping a doctrine rather than allowing that doctrine to lead us to a living Savior. We are not "crowning the gospel with many crowns."

  * Leading gospel-centered worship in a faithless way can lead to some bad fruit:

  * The gospel and the Savior lose glory in the eyes of bored worshipers.

  * People develop a limited view of God and his attributes.

  * People don't learn how to apply the gospel to other areas of life/Biblical themes.

  * The gospel becomes a crude, repetitive statement of facts rather than a lens through which we view all of life.

  * We think an explicit reference to the gospel makes our worship acceptable, rather than trust in a crucified and risen Savior.

  * Rather than expecting to encounter God because of the gospel people come expecting to repeat faithless facts.

It's our responsibility as leaders to make sure, as the Puritans said, that we always "labor to be affected by the cross." The gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest news the world has ever heard and our singing should show it.

What have you done to make sure that singing about Christ's redemptive work on the cross never becomes rote?

# OPEN THE EYES OF MY (FACE) LORD

Paul Baloche's song, "Open the Eyes of My Heart," has been sung by millions of Christians throughout the world. It's a song based on Ephesians 1, asking God to open our spiritual eyes that we might know him better.

But I wonder if those of us who lead congregational worship shouldn't be asking God to open our physical eyes, too. Why do leaders close their eyes so often? Not just for a few moments, but for 5, 10, even 15 minutes. I've seen leaders and vocalists keep their eyes shut from the first note we sing to the final "Amen" of the closing prayer.

There are definitely some good reasons to close our eyes. We want to shut out distractions. We want to focus completely on the words we're singing. Our hearts are deeply moved by God's mercy and we respond in humble adoration.

But are those the reasons we usually have in mind when we close our eyes? Are we even thinking about what we're doing? Or why we're doing it?

Maybe you're like me. Maybe you find yourself closing your eyes when you lead for one or more of these not-so-good reasons.

  * We want to look spiritual.

  * We think the Holy Spirit likes closed eyes more than opened eyes.

  * We don't want to look at the faces of people who seem apathetic, concerned, confused, or angry about what we're doing.

  * We're battling fear of man and the easiest thing to do is just pretend that no one else is around.

  * We don't want to see who walks out of the room.

  * We're discouraged by the dwindling number of people showing up on Sundays.

  * We're imagining that this is our own personal encounter with God.

  * We don't remember the words to the next verse.

  * We can't think of anything better to do.

Not to mention that worship leaders who shut their eyes sometimes look more like they're in pain than in God's presence.

Corporate worship has a horizontal aspect that glorifies God. We're to teach and admonish one another while we sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" (Col. 3:16). We're to "strive to excel in building up the church" (1 Cor. 14:12). At the same time we're singing with gratitude in our hearts to God and very aware that he's present with us. Both directions — horizontal and vertical — are important to consider if we want to benefit fully from our time together.

That's why I've come to think that more often than not, it's better for me to keep my eyes open when I'm leading people in singing God's praise. It's not that I don't ever close my eyes. I do. It's just that in recent years I'm becoming more aware of the good reasons to keep them my eyes open:

  * I can see how people are responding (or not responding) and adjust what I'm doing accordingly.

  * It's easier for me to communicate to people how the truths we're singing are affecting me when I look at them.

  * My heart is encouraged when I see people who seem to be genuinely engaging with God.

  * I can share the joy in Christ I'm experiencing by looking at the other musicians.

  * I can communicate directions more clearly to the team.

  * I'm more aware of what's happening around me.

  * I can see what I'm playing on the piano.

  * I can read the lyrics to the song.

Don't hear what I'm not saying. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to close our eyes when we're singing songs of praise to God. I just don't think Scripture says that has to be our default.

To put things in perspective, having our spiritual eyes opened is far more important than having our physical eyes opened. But maybe it would help us and those we lead if we did a little more of the second.

# LEADING IN THE MIDST OF TRIALS

I've been asked more than once how you can lead people in singing God's praise when you're going through your own personal trials. This past weekend I had the opportunity to find out first hand.

I was out of town last week and on Wednesday morning received a call from my son, Jordan. He and his wife, Tali, have three young boys. "Dad, do you have a few minutes?" he asked. I wasn't expecting what he said next. "We had to take Jack to the hospital last night. The doctors say he has cancer."

I had one of those moments when the world seems to stop and you wonder if this is really happening. Suddenly, the future looked very different.

Tests revealed that 2 year old Jack has leukemia. By God's grace, it's the "best" kind of leukemia to get, with a recovery rate of over 90%. Still, if everything goes well it will be at least three years until we're able to say that Jack is fully recovered. And there's always that 5-10% who never recover.

I was scheduled to lead the singing in our church this past Sunday morning and the songs had already been chosen. The focus was the Father's personal, particular, and passionate love for those he has chosen from before the foundations of the earth and adopted in Jesus Christ.

I guess I could have struggled with the apparent dichotomy between my circumstances and the songs we were singing. Or ignored what my family was going through altogether and pretended that nothing was wrong. Or complained about how hard life is sometimes.

By God's grace, I actually drew great comfort from God through the truths we sang. So after the first song, which is based on Psalm 150, I shared a few thoughts not only for the church, but for my own soul. This is what I shared...

__

In Scripture, God never gives us the command to praise him without giving us reasons to do so. In Psalm 150 we're told to praise God for his mighty deeds and his excellent greatness. We see the same thing in Psalm 103, where David tells us to bless the Lord and then gives us multiple reasons why. Here's what he says:

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever."

"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust."

As those who have reconciled to God through the atoning work of Jesus Christ, we have an infinite number of reasons to praise God. I don't know what you were thinking when you came in this morning, whether you've been wondering if God knows the trials you're facing, or is even aware of your existence. I do know that thoughts like that won't lead us to praise the Lord. But his Word tells us that "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust."

God isn't "out there somewhere." Because of Jesus we praise a loving Father who knows our frame, who knows the trials we're facing, and is working things out for our good and his glory. He is the God who will not deal with us according to our sins and has taken our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west. He is the one who heals all our diseases and redeems our life from the pit. How can we not praise him?

__

So here's the point. We don't lead others out of a vacuum or a sanitized form of Christianity that bears no resemblance to normal life. It's important that we take time to grieve, acknowledge pain, and confess our struggles. But when, not if, you find yourself leading out of weakness, challenges, and trials, don't minimize what's going on or succumb in despair to your burdens. Lift your eyes, even as you lift the eyes of others, to the Father whose compassions never fail and to the Savior whose mercies are new every morning.

Whether God changes our trials, or more importantly, changes us through our trials, we praise him now in joyful anticipation of the day he will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:4).

# WHAT SHOULD WE SAY WHEN WE LEAD WORSHIP?

What should we say when we lead worship? Here are four categories to consider...

Magnify

When we're leading corporate worship our first responsibility is to magnify the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. We're saying with David, "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!" (Ps. 34:3) When I use the word "magnify" I'm not referring to the way a microscope magnifies something very small, but to the way a telescope magnifies something very big that only _looks_ small to us.

Music may move people's emotions but it won't necessarily direct people to focus on the greatness of God in Christ. Our words can help them. People often come in to meetings distracted, thinking about everything but God, and viewing God as smaller than their problems. In addition, our minds are "prone to wander." As we passionately proclaim his Word, his works, and his worthiness, God becomes bigger in our eyes.

Apply

The second reason to say something is that we want to help people see why the truths we're singing should make a difference in their lives. That's a part of the "teaching and admonishing" Paul speaks of in Col. 3:16. We want to connect the truths of God's Word and the gospel to people's situations. What lies are they believing about God? What temptations do they face? What common experiences do they share? It can be as simple as taking one line from the song you just sang and explaining why it should make a significant difference in your life and outlook.

Specific application is usually better than broad. It's true that "Jesus paid it all." But it's usually more helpful to say something like:

"Some of us came in here this morning weighed down by our sins. It might be something we did yesterday, or ten years ago. But our condemnation is making us feel distant from God and unaware of his love. Listen again: "Jesus paid it all." That means if you've trusted in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sins, we can say with David in Psalm 103 'as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.' Your sins are no longer yours to bear! Jesus paid it all!"

Whenever we're seeking to apply what we're singing we want to seek to make our comments pastoral and persuasive. In others words, we're not just stating truth. We're seeking to care for people's souls. And we're not simply speaking in a disinterested way. We want to persuade those we're leading that what the truths we're singing, when accompanied by faith, are powerful tools in God's hands to renew our minds and hearts.

Clarify

In 1 Cor. 14:7-8 Paul says we're to make sure that people understand what's going on in a meeting. That brings us to the third reason to say something – clarity. Any liturgy done without understanding can turn into a lifeless ritual for those present. And contrary to popular belief, explaining things doesn't have to quench the Spirit. It can even be biblical. Take time to explain what people might not know or bring theological weight to words and actions that people might miss. Here are some questions you can answer:

  * Why did we sing the last song?

  * Why are we singing the next song?

  * Why are we doing something besides singing?

  * Why are we doing something other than what we normally do?

  * What just happened?

  * You can explain uncommon lyrics or phrases ("here I raise mine Ebeneezer"), as well as common ones (grace, mercy, glory). We can also clarify issues like:

  * Why don't we do this by ourselves at home?

  * Why do we sing?

  * What should we be doing with our bodies?

  * What are we learning about as a church?

Inspire

A fourth reason we might say something between songs is to inspire those we're leading (although it doesn't always have that effect). Seek to inspire faith in God, because without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6) Seek to inspire hope in God, because we are called to abound in hope (Rom. 15:13) Seek to inspire love for God, because loving God is the greatest commandment (Mt. 22:36-38)

# WHAT WE DO IN SECRET

This morning one of my devotional readings was Matthew 6. Three times these words caught my attention:

"And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Mt. 6:4, 5,18)

Jesus used that phrase when he was speaking about giving, praying, and fasting. It made me think more carefully about leading others in worshiping God.

I tend to think that the most important parts of my life are what everyone sees. Sunday mornings, conferences, public events. I spend a lot of time preparing for times when I'm in front of people. I have a tendency to think that those times must have greater significance than what I'm doing when no one's looking. Certainly God is watching more closely and more is accomplished for the kingdom when I'm leading huge crowds than when I'm by myself. Right?

Maybe.

As usual, Jesus cuts across the grain of my assumptions. What he said can revolutionize how I think about public ministry.

God thinks what I do when no one else is watching is pretty important.

Time alone can seem so inconsequential. That's why we can fill it so easily with seemingly harmless activities like Facebook, Twitter, video games, TV, movies, web surfing; or more overtly sinful activities like viewing pornography, nursing bitterness, or lusting after what we don't have. But God sees it all. Our heavenly Father sees what we do in secret. Meditating on that consistently is bound to lead to the fear of the Lord.

The rewards of eternity are better than the rewards of this life.

Countless millions spend their lives pursuing goals, possessions, and achievements that will vanish when they die. Jesus lets us in on a secret. The rewards to live for are the ones the Father will hand out on the last day. At that moment, the number of my blog readers, Facebook friends, Twitter followers, or fans will have zero effect on my status before God. So why are those things so important to me now?

Being rewarded by the Father is infinitely more important than being rewarded by people.

There's nothing inherently wrong with honoring others or being honored. In fact, God tells us to give honor to whom honor is due (Rom. 13:7). The problem comes when we live for and seek the praise of men rather than the praise of God (Jn. 5:41-44). When we act spiritually simply to impress others, we have all the reward we'll ever get. When, by God's grace in Christ, we hear "well done" on the last day, we'll realize in a moment the only evaluation that mattered.

Bottom line: if I gauge my maturity only by what I do when others can see me, I may be terribly deceived about my true state before God.

May we be faithful to help the people in our churches remember that our heavenly Father both sees and rewards – what we do in secret.

# HOW CREATIVE CAN WE BE WITH THE GOSPEL?

I recently had the opportunity to preach a message entitled: "The Functional Limits of Creativity: How Innovative Can We Be with the Gospel?" I love creativity, but think God has placed limits on its use in congregational meetings. Here are some of the things I shared.

Thoughts on Creativity

The Bible is filled with examples of creative individuals, including Bezalel (Ex. 35:30-35), and David, who brought a liturgical and musical revolution to temple worship. But God _isn't_ always impressed with our creativity (Ex. 32; Num. 3; 2 Sam. 6; 1 Sam. 10).

It can be helpful to think of creativity like water. When water is confined by household pipes, river banks, and ocean shorelines, it's a blessing. When it moves beyond those limits, it can wreak havoc.

In the church, creativity is not something we do, but a way we do something. To pursue creativity without concern for its function in the church confines us to always pursuing originality and newness, oblivious to the observation of Eccles. 1:9 that there is nothing new under the sun.

Three Purposes of Music in the Church and their Corresponding Limits

**1. To build up others – The Edification Limiter** (Eph. 5:18-19; 1 Cor. 12:4; 1 Cor. 14:12). The standard for the music we sing is not what benefits us, but others. This requires a knowledge of the people we're leading and an awareness of our tendency to favor our own preferences.

**2. To demonstrate our oneness in Christ – The Unity Limiter** (Rom. 15:5-7).

God has always intended singing to be a demonstration of the church's unity, not a cause for its division. We should be asking what kind of music best enables the people of God – from different generations, backgrounds, and socio-economic classes – to sing together, so that we might demonstrate in our singing how the gospel has reconciled us not only to God, but to each other.

**3. To enable the word of Christ to dwell in us richly – The Gospel Limiter** (Col. 3:16).

Music is one of the primary ways God means to deepen the effect of his gospel in our lives. Music helps us remember the gospel. It can stir up our passions for the gospel. It provides a means for us to express emotion about the gospel. It is meant to help us let the word of Christ, or the gospel, dwell in us richly.

It is too easy to assume the gospel. We have to fight to keep the gospel central and prominent in the midst of our creativity. Without the gospel, we have no relationship with God and our worship remains unacceptable (1 Cor. 2:2; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 6:14; Eph. 2:18; 1 Pet. 2:4-5).

Creativity can distract from the gospel, affecting its value.

Creativity can distort the gospel, affecting its content.

Creativity can demean the gospel, affecting its power.

The success of our meetings is not ultimately dependent on something creative we do (new lighting, layout, arrangements) but something God has already done. Creativity must not usurp the gospel of grace. God can use our creativity, but He doesn't need it.

Pursuing Creativity in a Way that Magnifies Christ.

How can we pursue creativity in a way that magnifies Jesus? We must know and treasure the immeasurable riches of grace found in Christ. We must value truth over tunes and Christ over creativity. We must trust the power of the proclaimed gospel. We must recognize that creative sometimes means old, simple, and familiar. We must cultivate and expose ourselves to creative thinking communities. We must value the sound of the congregation over the sound of any instruments. We must regularly examine the short and long term fruit of your music. We must never stop asking questions.

I ended by praying that God would give each of us wisdom to establish the proper pipes, banks, and shorelines to our creativity, so that after we have done our best to serve the church with our creative gifts, both believers and unbelievers would leave our meetings saying not, "What great creativity," but, "What a great Savior!"

# RECEIVING THE BATON FROM A PREVIOUS GENERATION

As I run the final laps of my race on this earth (however long the Lord allows that to be), one of my greatest joys and desires is to serve the next generation.

When I was in my twenties, I assumed, somewhat arrogantly, that my friends and I had better ideas than anyone who was older than we were. That covered everything from music styles to leadership practices to how to raise a family. Thirty years and many humbling experiences later, I'm aware that no generation starts in a vacuum.

Whether we know it or not, we're standing on the shoulders, wisdom, and experiences of those who have gone before us, and we should seek to learn as much as we can from them.

I realize that sounds a little self-serving coming from a guy in his mid-fifties. But many of the young leaders I've had the privilege of working with, especially in the areas of church music and worship, understand better than I ever did the importance of benefiting from the past while forging a new path into the future. And I thank God for them.

Last year I gave a message on transferring ministry responsibility to the next generation. In my preparation, I came across some principles for passing the baton in a relay race that are surprisingly relevant for young leaders.

The race is about the baton, not the runners.

A relay race is meaningless unless the baton is successfully passed from one runner to the next. A runner without a baton is running in vain.

For Christians, the "baton" is the gospel. As he neared the end of this life, Paul wrote to Timothy, "By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you" (2 Tim. 1:14). These are the words of a man who knows he will soon face death and is more aware than ever what must be passed on. "Guard the good deposit." Guard the good news that Jesus Christ has "abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (1:10). Of all that we receive from those who have gone before us, nothing is more important than the gospel.

When we're being mentored, we naturally hope to pick up ways of thinking, practices, and methodologies that are helpful. That's a good thing. When we spend a lot of time with someone, we might even develop similar vocal inflections, mannerisms, or a way of laughing. But whatever else you learn from those you're looking to, make sure you receive the gospel. Whoever your teachers and mentors might be, they aren't as important as the gospel they're proclaiming.

The point isn't to become the next Billy Graham, the next John Piper, or the next whoever. The point is to be faithful to the unchanging gospel: "Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). As you apply what you've learned from others to your life and ministry, make sure you don't miss what matters most.

A relay race involves more than one person.

In the often individualistic world of track and field, the relay is a unique race. It requires teamwork that other races don't. The runner who crosses the finish line is integrally dependent on those who have run before him.

Likewise, we need those who have gone before us. We're running the same race. Hebrews 11 is a clear reminder that we are but one piece of the glorious tapestry God is weaving together for His glory.

Having a relay mindset means being one of the faithful men Paul describes to Timothy (2 Tim. 2:2). What can keep you from being part of the relay team? Rarely interacting with those from another generation. Spending the majority of your time reflecting on the ideas of your peers. Criticizing any idea or practice that doesn't rate high on the relevance or coolness meter. Only reading books that were printed in the last decade — or worse, confining your reading to the blogosphere or Twitter.

Cultivating the humility that recognizes the need for voices older and wiser than your own isn't easy. But it's well worth the effort.

Runners must develop a mutual dependence and trust.

Relay runners spend hours together practicing their handoff. They study each other's habits, know each other's speeds, and understand each other's strengths and weaknesses.

While simply listening to teachings of more mature Christians will bear fruit, a secure transfer requires a bond of trust. That trust is developed through shared experiences, open-ended discussions, applying the gospel to sins and successes, and demonstrating a steadfast trust in God in the midst of disagreements and difficulties.

Work hard to find someone you can not only learn from, but share life with. Practice eagerly learning, humbly receiving, and faithfully implementing what you're learning, all the while trusting God's Holy Spirit to bring fruit through your labors. Make it easy for those who have run the race before you to pass on what they've learned.

After all, before too long, you'll be passing the baton to someone else.

# MUSIC: GIFT OR GOD?

Music is a very good gift. The 13,000 songs on my iTunes are testimony to that. My eyes have often welled up in tears as I've been affected by a lyric, a chord progression, or a musical texture. I've thanked God for the gift of music more times than I can remember.

Whenever I think about my love for music, I'm reminded of what Martin Luther said in a Foreword to a 1538 collection of chorale motets:

"I, Doctor Martin Luther, wish all lovers of the unshackled art of music grace and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! I truly desire that all Christians would love and regard as worthy the lovely gift of music, which is a precious, worthy, and costly treasure given to mankind by God...A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs."

While we may not want to emulate Luther's attitude, most of us will readily agree that music is a gift from God.

And that's the problem. Scripture tells us that gifts can often become gods. Good things can become idols.

In Numbers 21, the Israelites grumbled against God and it resulted in him sending poisonous serpents. When they confessed their sin and repented, God had Moses cast a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone who looked at the serpent would live. It was a good gift. But later on in 2 Kings 18 we read that Israel had been making offerings to the serpent, and even gave it a name – Nehushtan.

Good gifts can become gods.

Music turns from a gift to a god when we look to it for the joy, comfort, power & satisfaction only God can give. Here are 5 indicators that might be happening.

We choose to attend a church or a meeting based on the music rather than the preaching of the gospel and God's word.

Nowhere in the Bible are we told that the church is to gather around music. We gather around the crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ. We gather to hear God's Word in the Spirit's power. Eph. 2:13-14 says the blood of Christ unites us, not music.

We can't worship in song apart from a particular song, style, leader, or sound.

Anytime I say, I can't worship unless X happens, or X is present, unless X is the death of our Savior on the cross for our sins or the power of his Spirit, we are engaging in idolatry. At that moment, X is more important to us than God's command to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. That doesn't mean that there are no bad songs, lousy leaders, or inappropriate styles. But being discerning is different from being unable to worship God at all.

We think music leads us into or brings God's presence.

Here's what music can do. It can affect us emotionally. Create a mood. Soften our hearts so that we listen more intently. Help us hear words differently. Distract us from what's going on. Help us focus on what's going on. Help us remember words. And more.

Here's what music can't do. Make God more present. Bring God's presence down. Bring us into God's presence. Manipulate God. (Heb. 10:19-22;1 Tim. 2:5). There is only one mediator, and it's not a song, style, leader, or sound. It's Jesus Christ.

Poor musical performance leads us to sin against other band members or the musicians leading us.

We're hardly representing God's heart when we get angry, frustrated, or impatient with musicians who don't play up to our standards. God's standards are perfection, and they've been met in Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life in our place and died as our substitute, enduring the wrath of God in our place. ALL our offerings, no matter how well or poorly offered, are perfected through the once and for all offering of the Savior. We can strive for excellence to serve others, while extending to others the same grace we've received.

A love for music has replaced a love for the things of God.

It's possible to listen to music that's destroying your soul and be completely dull to it. To become enslaved by an idol and you feel like you're breaking free. In his confessions, Augustine said "For he loves thee too little who loves along with thee anything else that he does not love for thy sake." I have no doubt we love music. But do we love music for God's sake or for ours?

To sum up:

Music is useful, but not necessary.

Music is good. But Jesus is better.

Music is a gift, but not a god.

Music isn't my life. Christ is.

The gifts of God are meant to deepen our relationship with God and create fresh affection for him. Not replace him. May we enjoy and make music to the fullest of our abilities, all for the glory of the one who gave it to us to enjoy in the first place.

# WHAT I LEARNED FROM ARISTOTLE

Specifically, I haven't learned anything from Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) about leading congregational worship that I didn't learn first in Scripture. But in his day, Aristotle sought to help speakers be more persuasive by identifying three crucial areas to keep in mind. He called them logos, ethos, and pathos.

Briefly, _logos_ is seeking to persuade through truth. Aristotle was concerned that the speakers of his day, the sophists, focused too much on flowery language and not enough on actual content. _Ethos_ has to do with the character of the person speaking. Aristotle recognized that listeners tend to be influenced most by people whose character they trust. _Pathos_ refers to the ability to stir the emotions of your listeners. Important truths are often presented with no apparent response in the hearer. Airline attendants experience that every time they review the flight safety procedures before takeoff.

When I lead people to worship God in song I'm seeking to persuade them that Jesus is more worthy of worship than money, possessions, sex, power, relationships, or anything else we idolize. While our trust is ultimately in the Holy Spirit to do that work in people's hearts, the Spirit uses means. And three of those means are logos, ethos, and pathos.

Logos

A number of things can affect us emotionally when we're singing together: a cool guitar riff, a bombastic pipe organ, fresh arrangements, skillful musicianship, a dynamic choir, being with people we love, well-executed transitions, intentional lighting. But being moved emotionally isn't always the same thing as actually worshiping God. Worshiping God requires knowing God, which requires truth. That means that before I think about the arrangements, lighting, transitions, video clips, drum patterns, vocal harmonies, or a hundred other possible elements, I need to make sure that I'm seeking to communicate truth that is biblical, substantive, Christ-exalting, and understandable.

Logos obviously affects the lyrics of the songs I choose. Whether we're singing objective truths about God or responding to those truths, our words should be governed and fueled by God's Word. But logos also includes anything I say to the congregation or lead them in saying. Valuing logos means I won't assume everyone knows what we're singing about and I'll take time to explain words and actions. It means I won't think I've done my job simply because people are excited. I'll want to know why they're excited.

Ethos

It's unfortunate when someone is leading worship in song and you have a hard time believing they really mean what they're singing. It could be the plastered on smile. It might be the disconnected mumbling they do between songs. Maybe it's the lackluster way they read Scripture or hearing them shout out the same three Christianese phrases in every song. Whatever it is, no one's buying it.

Caring about ethos means I seek to build trust with the people I'm leading. If you lead a congregation on a regular basis it's easier for people to get to know you. But even in that context we can fail to build trust if we're superficial, take on a "worship leader persona" that's distinct from who we normally are, or live in a way that contradicts what we're singing. If I'm leading a group of people who don't know me well, valuing ethos means I'm personal, vulnerable, and clear. I don't hype my band, I don't start sweating profusely when things don't go as planned, and I communicate out of a desire to serve rather than impress.

Pathos

I'm frequently asked how to motivate a seemingly unaffected congregation. I say _seemingly_ because you can't always tell what's going on in someone's heart simply by what you see on the outside. But both Scripture and experience tell us that our emotions are generally reflected through our bodies. If you give attention to logos and ethos, people will typically be emotionally engaged. But I've found two other things helpful.

First, I have to be genuinely affected by the truths I'm singing and proclaiming. I have to be actually worshiping God while I'm leading others to do so, and it should be evident on my face and in my body. When I'm being led I've often been moved just by seeing how engaged and passionate the leader is. Second, we can engage people emotionally by making connections and drawing contrasts. Whenever I lead, I want to help people connect who God is and what He's done for us in Jesus with the circumstances they find themselves in. For example:

  * "Are you struggling with condemnation? Jesus purchased our full forgiveness and has overcome the accuser of the brethren."

  * "Do you worry about the future? We worship a God who is sovereign over all things, and even caused the "tragedy" of the cross to bring about our salvation."

  * "Are you battling lust, anger, or greed? Jesus has risen from the dead and has sent his Spirit who works in us to desire and to do the God's will."

We can also engage emotions by drawing contrasts. I might ask questions like, "What would happen if this wasn't true...if we didn't meet together...if we were still under the wrath of God...if Jesus hadn't risen?" Considering those questions often helps people to see why what we're proclaiming is so crucial.

Logos, ethos, pathos. Three means the Spirit uses to lead others into a greater love for God as we sing the praises of our Savior. Where can you grow?

# JESUS AND THE SONGS WE SING

Christians worship a triune God – Father, Son, and Spirit. All three person are equally God and equally worthy of worship. That's one of the many things that distinguish us from Buddhists, Muslims, and Mormons. But the three persons of the Trinity possess unique roles and relationships. We don't come to Jesus through the Father. The Spirit doesn't send Jesus. The Father didn't die for us.

One of the distinctions that exists in the Trinity is that both the Father and the Spirit share a desire to exalt the Son. Look at Phil. 2:9-11:

"Therefore God has highly exalted [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Jesus said, "When the Spirit of truth comes...He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-14).

In light of this reality, it's important for us to ask, "What difference does Jesus make in the songs we write, play, and sing when we gather as the church?"

Jesus is the leader of our songs. (Heb. 2:10-12)

This has at least three implications.

Our songs are made possible by Jesus.

The separation of the "Holy of Holies" from the rest of the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament made it clear that we can't approach God any way we want, any time we want. We have to find a way to approach God, the consuming fire (Heb. 12:29), without being consumed. Jesus is that way.

We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. (Heb. 10:19-22, emphasis added)

Our songs are made acceptable by Jesus.

[We] are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 2:5)

It's not the excellence of our songs that make our worship pleasing to God, but the excellence of Christ.

Our songs are made one by Jesus.

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. (Eph. 2:14)

We are a spiritual house, not a group of scattered bricks. We are united through our common Leader and Savior, not our common musical preferences.

Our "worship" isn't more acceptable to God because we hit all the right notes. The people we lead might appreciate it, but even our best playing and singing requires the death of Christ to make it worthy of God's holiness.

Music makes us one for a moment. Jesus makes us one for eternity.

Jesus is the content of our songs.

Col. 3:16 says we are to, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

That word of Christ is the word about Christ – who he is and what he's done. In other words, the gospel. If the word of Christ is to dwell in us richly as we sing, that means a significant portion of our lyrics should focus on the person and works of Jesus.

The person of Jesus (Heb. 1:1-4; Col. 1:15-19)

Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of God's nature. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He is fully God, fully man, King of kings, and Lord of lords. There is no one like him and we will never be bored considering him. Jesus is infinitely glorious simply to behold. Like a diamond that refracts a new shaft of light every time it's moved, in eternity we will never exhaust the facets of Christ's glory and beauty.

The works of Jesus

All thing were created through him and are being upheld by the power of his word. Jesus took on flesh, obeyed his Father perfectly, absorbed God's wrath in our place, arose, ascended to his Father, and is coming back to destroy death, mete out justice, and live with his bride forever!

The center of Christ's works is his death on the cross, where he became sin, endured God's wrath, and ransomed a people for his Father's glory. This is the heart of the gospel. (1 Cor. 2:2, Rev. 5:9)

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal. 6:14)

We need to incorporate God's Word into our singing in a way that makes Jesus appear more clearly and more glorious.

Jesus is the glory of our songs.

What's the best thing about leading people to worship God in song?

Our songs are the best when they glory in Jesus Christ. When they stir our hearts to honor and love him above all else. This is what's happening in heaven! Living creatures, elders, angels, all crying out:

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" (Rev. 5:12-13)

No one's saying, "This is great, but when's the band coming out? Where's Chris Tomlin?" Paul said in Phil. 1:21 his aim was that "Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:20-21) What does that mean to us? Practice your music. Get better at your music. Enjoy your music. But don't let music be your life. Jesus is better.

Jim Elliott, the 20th century missionary who died at 28, said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." What we have in Christ, we cannot lose. Let's give up the foolish pursuit of trying to find something better in our lights, arrangements, and riffs. The greatest, most transcendent, most powerful experiences here are just a whisper of what awaits us in the new heavens and the new earth when we Jesus face to face, when we see him as he really is. We haven't experienced the glory of seeing Jesus yet, and never will in this life. But one day, if we've trusted in the finished work of Christ, we will sit down to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and be with our Savior forever.

So let's fully enjoy the musical gifts God has given us now, recognizing that the best – seeing Jesus face to face - is still to come. In the mean time, I pray that Jesus will increasingly be the leader, content, and glory of our songs.

#  MARKETING, MANUFACTURING, AND MINIMIZING GOD'S PRESENCE

A few weeks ago a friend and I were glancing through a Christian magazine and noticed how often people referred to "God's presence." It's a hot topic these days.

In his kindness and mercy, God often reveals his active presence to us. By "active" presence I mean God's presence as distinct from his omnipresence and his promised presence, both of which we accept by faith. Whether we "feel" it or not, God is present when his Word is faithfully preached, when his people meet in Jesus' name, when we celebrate the Lord's supper, when we sing, and we were serve in his power (1 Tim. 6:13; 1 Cor. 5:4; Mt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 11:27-32; Acts 10:33; Eph. 5:18-19; 1 Pet. 4:10-11). At those times and others we can know that God is with us, empowering what we do.

But there are times when God makes his presence known more clearly, more tangibly. Like in 1 Cor. 14:25, when the secrets of a man's heart are revealed by prophetic words and he declares, "God is really among you" (1 Cor. 14:25). We experience it when our hearts are flooded with peace, or we are suddenly aware of God's greatness and majesty, or when someone is healed. It might come as well when God's preached Word pierces to our heart and we find ourselves weeping at the Holy Spirit's conviction or God's mercy in Christ. We think, "God is really here."

While God's active, or manifest, presence is to be treasured and even sought after (Ps. 27:4; Ps. 105:4), there are some unhelpful perspectives about God's presence we want to avoid.

We can't manufacture God's active presence.

Good intentions notwithstanding, no one can consistently and meaningfully "bring God's manifest presence" to a group of people. No musician, no pastor, no singer, no preacher, no leader – nobody. That's the work of the Holy Spirit and he functions on his own terms, not ours (John 3:8; 1 Cor. 12:11).

Of course, the Spirit uses means. When God's Word is preached in an engaging, faithful, Christ-exalting way, people will often experience a greater awareness of God's presence. When we sing biblical truths together God will often make his presence known among us in a tangible way. It's the rare Christian who hasn't at some time experienced the nearness of God at a Sunday meeting.

The richness of those experiences can tempt leaders to think our ultimate goal is helping people experience the presence of God. Well, yes and no. If "helping people" means doing everything I can to exalt the glory of Jesus in their minds, hearts, and wills through biblically informed words and actions, then yes. But if my goal is to have people "feel something," and if the measure of my success is the degree of emotional fervor in the room, I'll tend to use whatever means I can to produce that emotional response. I may start to believe my song, my leadership, my voice, my set list, or my playing will bring God's presence. And it's possible I'll begin to view every experience, regardless of its source, as the result of an encounter with God.

One year John Piper spoke at our WorshipGod conference. Before his message I told him that while the conference was going great, it was going to be even better because he was speaking. In inimitable Piper fashion, he challenged my perception that any man, even John Piper, could insure that "God was going to show up." To be clear, God did "show up" and we were greatly encouraged. But John's point is true – no man can guarantee the active presence of God. And we shouldn't try to manufacture it.

We can't market God's active presence.

Marketing God's presence refers to promoting my ministry, song, book, or concert on the basis of how consistently people experience God's presence as a result.

I recently received a promo for a Christian artist who said his ministry goal is to "take people into the presence of Jesus Christ where there, they are forever changed by His amazing love!" Actually, I can't take people into the presence of Christ. But I can proclaim the gospel that assures us we have been brought near to the Father through the finished atoning work of Christ (Heb. 10:19-22). I leave it to the Holy Spirit to apply that to people's hearts.

I've been invited to attend conferences, download songs, attend concerts, buy books, and listen to preachers who all claim they will bring me into God's presence – for a price. But we can't buy the presence of God. Simon the Magician realized that when he saw the disciples laying their hands on people with dramatic effect. He offered them cold cash, saying, "Give me this power." Peter rebuked him.

God's power, like God's presence, can't be bought or sold. God doesn't call us so much to be facilitators of his glory as faithful to the gospel. Our job isn't to create an "environment of excitement" but an environment of response to the true God through the gospel in the power of the Spirit.

If I want people to spend money for something related to my ministry, I want to be clear that it's for production costs, salaries, resources, and a commitment to be faithful to God's Word – not because it will bring them into the presence of God.

We don't want to minimize God's active presence.

God has always intended to dwell with his people. We see this with Adam and Eve in the garden, in God's command to the Israelites to build a tabernacle so that he might dwell among them (Ex. 25:8, 29:46), in Moses' plea that God's presence go with them (Ex. 33:15-16), in the building of the temple (2 Chron. 6:2), in the incarnation of Christ (Mt. 1:23), and in the final chapters of Revelation (Rev. 21:3-4).

It's a cause for continual wonder and amazement that the transcendent Creator of the universe would want to dwell among those he created. God's presence continues to be one of the distinguishing marks of the people of God.

But does that make any difference in real life? Time after time we meet together expecting nothing unusual, nothing out of the ordinary, as though it was just us, as though we were attending a Rotary Club meeting. We're satisfied if we simply execute our plans well and avoid train wrecks. We act as though the Holy Spirit only suggests thoughts for a meeting beforehand and never during. We'd be shocked if anyone in our meetings ever lifted their hands in wonder, shed tears of conviction, laughed for joy, or knelt down in awe. We just don't expect that kind of thing in church.

We should. When the church gathers, God himself is present with us to bless, to guide, to speak, to convict, to strengthen, to illumine, and to build up, all that we might more profoundly and consistently glorify Jesus Christ. We worship a risen Savior, not a dead historical figure.

Sundays are never "business as usual" because God is among us.

We are never merely "singing songs." We are proclaiming and meditating on life-transforming realities that God uses to change our perspective, fill us with fresh faith, and open our eyes to his immeasurable power. We are joining in with the myriads of saints and angels around the throne who unceasingly praise the Lamb and the one who sits on the throne (Heb. 12:22-24; Rev. 5:11-14).

We are never merely "hearing a sermon." God himself is speaking to us as his Word is faithfully, carefully, thoughtfully, and persuasively proclaimed. The Spirit of God is seeking to soften hearts, open eyes, reveal sin, and impart faith. God is present and working in our hearts.

We are never merely meeting with each other. We meet with God in the presence of God at his invitation to celebrate the gospel, enjoy the miracle of being his adopted children through Jesus Christ, and to be changed.

These three things lead us to ask: How do we do seek and expect God's presence without getting drawn into the pursuit of emotionalism and mere experience?

Six Suggestions

Cultivate an awareness of your desperate need for God's empowering presence.

We are to walk by the Spirit and be led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-18). If we don't have the Spirit of Christ, we don't belong to him (Rom. 8:9). Apart from Jesus we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). We worship by the Spirit of God and put no confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3). "Self-sufficiency" is a misnomer, and is a pure, complete, and very common delusion. That realization should make us more faithful to pray for God's blessing and to express gratefulness for God's aid.

Live with an expectation that God has promised to dwell in and among his people and is eager to manifest his presence to us.

Too often we perfunctorily pray for God to act and then approach our meetings with no anticipation that he will. Too often we're shocked when we or the people we serve are actually affected. Some of us are even tempted to look down on people who are regularly moved by experiences of God's presence rather than desiring more of the same in our own lives.

Don't let the pursuit of experience replace a pursuit of faithfulness to Scripture and the gospel.

It seems every generation is tempted to value and pursue experience over faithfulness. The perils are numerous. It can lead to equating elevated passions with encountering God, feeling disappointed if we're not emotionally or physically affected, making secondary means (technical skill, lights, videos, arrangements) primary in engaging people's minds and hearts, and being over-impressed with unusual manifestations.

If the people I lead get more excited about the latest "move of God" than the fact that Jesus Christ came to die for our sins and rise from the dead to reconcile us to God (the gospel), then we're responsible to lead them back to what is of first importance (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Likewise, if my congregation thinks "hearing from God" only means prophetic or spontaneous events, I need to help them treasure God's sufficient and authoritative Word more than gold (Ps. 19:10-11).

Respond humbly to what you believe to be the Spirit's promptings.

Often we fail to experience God's presence because we fail to respond to the Spirit's leadings. In 1 Cor. 14:24-25 if no one was prophesying the unbeliever wouldn't have his heart exposed. If I don't step out to pray for someone that just came to mind I may miss seeing God work in a powerful way.

Thank God for his promised presence more than you ask him for his experienced presence.

If God is truly with us when we gather, we should rejoice and be filled with faith! Both attitudes are undermined when we repeat/sing phrases like, "Come, Holy Spirit," or "Fire fall down," "Send the rain," or "Show us your glory," endlessly without corresponding expressions of confidence that He is indeed near as He has promised. If we only focus on our requests and longing, God in his mercy will often work in our hearts during that time, but it can also leave people confused, dissatisfied, or more impressed with our pursuit of God than God's pursuit of us.

Eagerly anticipate his unveiled presence.

No experience on earth will ever rival what we will experience in the age to come. That's why Peter encourages us to "set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). I don't want to set my hope fully on what's going to happen next Sunday or at some conference. I can be thankful for experiences of God's presence here without making them the goal or foundation of my relationship with Him. Our hope is knowing that one day we will see our Savior as he really is and will be transformed into his likeness (1 Jn. 3:2). And then we'll no longer be seeking his presence. We'll be in it forever. Praise God.

# A SALUTE TO THE AVERAGE WORSHIP LEADER

Today I want to salute the average worship leader.

Why? If YouTube videos and conference worship bands are any indicator, we're unintentionally (I trust) cultivating an understanding of musical worship and its leaders that draws more from rock concerts and Entertainment Tonight than biblical principles.

We can start thinking that the "best" corporate worship context is characterized by bright stage lights, a dimly lit congregation, Intellibeams, fog, high end musical gear, multiple screens, moving graphics, and loud volumes. We can start to think the ideal leader is good-looking, sings tenor, plays a cool instrument (usually guitar), sports hip hair, and writes songs. And by the way, the band members and vocalists should be near studio quality, if not actual studio musicians, and look pretty good themselves.

To be clear, I thank God for godly, good-looking, musically gifted, well known leaders who are simply seeking to be faithful and bring glory to Jesus. I know a number of them. And God is all for skill and excellence when we bring our musical offerings to him (Ps. 33:3; 1 Chron. 15:22). Technology isn't evil (although it inherently affects the message we're communicating).

A Concern

Overemphasizing or consistently focusing on technology, skill, and excellence can leave most us with a nagging feeling that our musicians, our leaders, our equipment, and our songs are never quite good enough. We resign ourselves to the thought that we'll never be as successful, used, or important as the people we see on YouTube and at conferences. Or we breathlessly pursue the trappings and externals of "modern worship," attaching biblical authority to very cultural practices.

That's why today I want to salute the average worship leader.

Are You an Average Leader?

By average I don't mean mediocre or lazy. Just normal. Because that's what most of those leading in churches today are. Normal. Maybe you can relate to some of these "average worship leader" characteristics:

  * Your musical training, if any, was years ago.

  * No one wants you to sing lead on an album, but you get the melody pretty much in tune.

  * Your vocal range is a little over an octave, but almost always lower than the recorded key.

  * You prepare and rehearse in the midst of a full time job and responsibilities at home.

  * You and some of the other musicians could do better with your dieting.

  * Sometimes it's hard to figure out the chords or strum pattern on a song.

  * Your sound system has been pieced together over the years and still works. Most of the time.

  * Your choices for lighting are ON or OFF.

  * Twice a year you lead surrounded by a set for "Phantom of the Opera" or some other school play.

  * You have good folks on your team who don't have a ton of time to practice or rehearse during the week.

  * The ages of your team members range from 14 to 56.

  * Some people in the church love what you do, some aren't crazy about what you do, and some aren't sure what you do.

  * You don't even try to keep up with the gazillion worship albums released every month.

Here's why I want to honor you. God sees your labors. And he says they're not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). "For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do" (Heb. 6:10).

God seems to favor doing his work through the weak and the few (1 Cor. 1:26-28; Judg. 7:2-8; Dt. 20:1-8; Mt. 15:32-28). That's why I think average worship leaders play a significant part in God's purposes to exalt his Son throughout the world.

Don't Forget

While there's never anything "average" about leading people to exalt the glories of Christ through music and the Word, we can always grow. So to encourage you and spur you on, here are a few thoughts:

  * It can't be said too frequently that while God can use technology, skill, and excellence, he doesn't require them.

  * What every leader has to offer people is the gospel, God's Word, and the Holy Spirit, working through redeemed sinners, i.e., us.

  * The same God who seems so present in a crowd of 10,000, is just as present in your church of 113.

  * The Holy Spirit doesn't need a dark room or dramatic lighting to reveal Christ to people. He's been using natural light quite effectively for thousands of years.

  * We're responsible for the resources we have, not the ones we don't have (2 Cor. 8:12).

  * Being average doesn't mean we can't get better through practice, evaluation, and hard work.

  * Being average doesn't give us freedom to uncharitably judge or fail to learn from those who have greater gifts and opportunities than we do.

  * Average musicians can be as self-sufficient as gifted ones, which should motivate us to pray consistently.

  * The goal of our labors is not success or popularity, but faithfulness.

So if you fall into the category of the average worship leader, I want to thank you for your labors and encourage you to keep growing. God is using you in more ways than you can imagine to build his church and bring glory to his Son.

And because Jesus is the perfect worship leader who paid for all our sins and failings through his substitutionary death on the cross, we can look forward to the day when every faithful leader, average or not, will stand before the Father and hear him say, "Well done."

#  SENTIMENTALIZING, SANITIZING, AND SPIRITUALIZING CHRISTMAS

It's difficult, if not impossible, to overstate the significance of the Incarnation.

Writers, philosophers, poets, and composers through the centuries have searched in vain for words that adequately capture the wonder, mystery, beauty, and power of Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us.

The miracle and meaning of the Incarnation can be so difficult to grasp that we can give up and start to view Christmas in ways that leave us impoverished and unimpressed with the real story. Even in the church our songs and reflections about Christmas can fail to leave people gasping in amazement or humbled in awe that God would come to dwell among us.

Sometimes we sentimentalize Christmas.

Sentimentalism is focusing on the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas that give us good feelings. Dazzling decorations, fresh baked sugar cookies, poinsettias, family get-togethers, gift shopping, twinkling lights, Christmas carols, cards from friends, tree-cutting expeditions, wrapping presents. Of course, all these Christmas traditions are an expression of common grace, for which we can joyfully thank God. My family has developed a few of our own over 30+ years and I look forward to them every year. But man-made traditions aren't the whole story, or even the main story of Christmas, and they fail to solve our deepest problems or fulfill our deepest needs.

Sometimes we sanitize Christmas.

We sanitize Christmas when we only present a picture-perfect, storybook rendition of what took place in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. The straw in the manger is fresh and clean. There's no umbilical cord to cut and no blood. It's a "silent night." The surroundings are strangely free from the pungent odor of manure. Joseph and Mary are calm, cool, and collected. Everyone gets a good night's sleep. There's no controversy or gossip surrounding the birth. It's a pleasant, appealing way to think about Christmas, but obscures the foulness, uncertainty, and sin that Jesus was born into. We forget that rather than coming for the put-together, well-to-do, and self-sufficient, Jesus identified with the rejected, the slandered, the helpless, and the poor.

Sometimes we spiritualize Christmas.

Spiritualizing Christmas is ignoring Christmas as earth-shattering history and using it simply to promote general virtues like brotherhood, peace, joy, generosity, and love. And tolerance, of course. Again, it's evidence of God's common grace and a reason to give thanks that our culture sets aside a time of year, however commercialized it might be, to celebrate and commend loving your neighbor. But the fruit of Christmas is impossible to achieve or sustain apart from the root. We understand what love is by looking not to ourselves and our good deeds, but by considering Jesus, who came into the world to lay down his life for us (1 John 3:16). Preaching or singing about peace without recognizing our need for the Prince of Peace, is a shallow peace indeed.

By this time, most of us have already made our choices about what Christmas means to us and how we're going to present it to others. But Christmas comes every year. And it's not too early to start thinking about next year.

More importantly, the glory of God becoming man was never meant to be marginalized to a few weeks. It means something cataclysmic every day.

Jesus, the eternal Son of God who before time was worshiped by countless angels, set aside his glory and entered the world through the birth canal of a young woman he had created.

He came not into a 21st century environment with trained doctors, sterilized instruments and fetal monitors, but into a 1st century cave filled with flies, animal excrement, and filth.

The fullness of deity took of residence in the body of a baby gasping for its first breath.

The one who spoke the universe into existence lay silent, unable to utter a word.

He came by choice and with the sole intention of redeeming a fallen and rebellious race through his perfect obedience, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection.

If we have the privilege of leading others in corporate worship at Christmas, let's be sure to help them understand why nothing is more wonderful about Christmas than Christ himself.

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,

Begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. (Nicene Creed)

The incorporeal and incorruptible and immaterial Word of God entered our world. In one sense, indeed, He was not far from it before, for no part of creation had ever been without Him Who, while ever abiding in union with the Father, yet fills all things that are. But now He entered the world in a new way, stooping to our level in His love and Self-revealing to us. (Athanasius, _On the Incarnation of the Word_ )

He deigns in flesh t'appear, widest extremes to join;

To bring our vileness near, and make us all divine:

And we the life of God shall know, for God is manifest below. (Charles Wesley)

The Son of God descended miraculously from heaven, yet without abandoning heaven; was pleased to be conceived miraculously in the Virgin's womb, to live on the earth, and hang upon the cross, and yet always filled the world as from the beginning. (John Calvin, _Institutes of the Christian Religion_ , II, xiii, 4)

See the eternal Son of God, immortal Son of Man,

Now dwelling in an earthly clod whom Heaven cannot contain!

Stand amazed, ye heavens, look at this! See the Lord of earth and skies

Low humbled to the dust He is, and in a manger lies! (Charles Wesley)

Herein is wisdom; when I was undone, with no will to return to him,

and no intellect to devise recovery, he came,

God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost

as man to die my death,

to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,

to work out a perfect righteousness for me. ( _The Valley of Vision_ )

Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die.

Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. (Charles Wesley)

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Jn. 1:14)

O come, let us adore him.

# HOW DO WE GROW IN PHYSICAL EXPRESSIVENESS IN WORSHIP? - Part 1

After the Together for the Gospel conference, I received a lengthy e-mail from a worship pastor in attendance who shared a current dilemma his pastoral team is facing. They have been "wrestling with how to best be obedient to Scripture in our corporate worship through song." His church contains people who are "naturally NOT very expressive AT ALL" during that time. So he asks:

"Exactly how, and how much should we encourage our people to follow the numerous commands throughout Scripture of bodily expression (as a natural outpouring of the heart)?"

First, I want to thank this pastor and his team for their humility in seeking to wrestle through this issue from a biblical perspective. His background and training have minimized physical expression, but he is realizing that although bodily expression in worship is not the MAIN issue, it can reflect an inward reality.

Responses to this question range from sober reverence – "do what you'd do in the presence of royalty" – to complete freedom – "do whatever God commands in Scripture." I think the answer is a little more nuanced than either of these extremes suggest. For that reason, I want to take a few posts to answer this question.

Here are my recommendations for how to lead your church into biblical physical expression. (I adapted these four points from Mark Alderton, a pastor in one of the Sovereign Grace Churches in Minnesota.)

Teach on the appropriateness of physical expression in worshiping God.

Worship of God was never meant to be mere intellectual engagement with biblical truths. Nor is it limited to an inner emotional response. God created our bodies to glorify him (1 Cor. 6:20). We aren't pursuing a Gnostic spirituality that downplays or negates the importance of the body in true spirituality (Rom. 12:1; Phil. 1:20). God commands us to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. That certainly includes the bodies he's given us.

Many of the words that we translate as "worship" in both Greek and Hebrew contain the idea of bodily movement. The two most prominent words – _histahawah_ in the Old Testament, and _proskynein_ in the Greek – connote the idea of bending over at the waist or bowing down as an expression of homage. In addition, physical expression is both commanded and spontaneously modeled in Scripture as a way of giving God glory. (Ex. 12:27; Job 1:20; Ps. 47:1; Ps. 95:6). Those expressions include clapping, singing, bowing, kneeling, lifting hands, shouting, playing instruments, dancing, and standing in awe (Ps. 47:1; Eph. 5:19;Ps. 95:6; Ps. 134:2; Ps. 33:1; Rev. 15:2; Ps. 149:3; Ps. 22:23).

Some have pointed out that the New Testament contains few references to physical expression other than kneeling, singing, and lifting hands (although this last one isn't emphasized too often). However, it's not readily apparent that the bodily responses commanded in the Old Testament have been superseded or fulfilled in Christ's high priestly work, or that we now obey them only in a "spiritualized" manner. ("I'm shouting in my heart.") Rather, we need to seek to apply these Scriptures in a way that truly honors God and edifies the church.

Teach that physical expression should flow from a heart that desires to bring God glory, and that outward expressions are not a sign one way or the other that someone is offering God acceptable worship.

God strongly rebukes those who think physical expression makes up for an idolatrous heart or disobedient life. Moving our church into greater physical expressiveness that's not rooted in a clear view of God's glory will hinder, not help, true worship.

One of the actions that supposedly signifies spirituality is lifting hands. Lifting hands can express a wide range of emotions and attitudes – dependence, gratefulness, expectation, reverence, or celebration. However, God condemned both the actions and motives of the Israelites through His prophet Isaiah.

"When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood." (Is. 1:15)

The hands we lift to worship God should be holy hands (1 Tim. 2:8), made so through our humble trust in the atoning work of the Savior.

In our culture singing has become almost synonymous with worship. But God turns a deaf ear to singing that isn't accompanied by righteous living.

"Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." (Amos 5:23-24)

I've known more than one person who was exuberant in corporate worship who lived in unrepentant sin. I've also known people who exhibit little physical expression on Sundays but have a thorough knowledge of Scripture, an exemplary life, and a profound love for the Savior. We never prove our devotion to God by external acts alone. God looks upon the heart (1 Sam. 16:7).

# HOW DO WE GROW IN PHYSICAL EXPRESSIVENESS IN WORSHIP? - Part 2

I've been talking about how to help a church grow in physical expression that draws attention to the greatness of God's glory in Christ. After teaching on the appropriateness of that expression in worshipping God and the importance of the heart, I'd move on to:

Address the different reasons people might be reserved in their expression and teach on preferring others.

Some Christians are simply unaware of what the Bible teaches about physical responses to God. They don't know that Scripture is filled with examples of exuberant, passionate worship (Psalm 150; Neh. 8:6; Rev. 5:11-14). Perhaps they've grown up in a church environment that elevated certain types of expressions and ignored others. Often simply understanding what the Bible says will bring about a greater freedom in expression.

Others restrict their responses to God because they're afraid of what others might think. They wonder if their image as a "respectable" Christian will be tarnished. They're concerned that people might think they're pursuing emotionalism. The Bible calls this the fear of man (Prov. 29:25). Our responses to God are based on His worthiness, not some image or reputation we may be trying to protect.

Some think it's hypocrisy to express honor towards God physically when they don't feel anything in their hearts. On the contrary, it's only hypocritical when we act a certain way to give others a false impression of our spirituality. A better response is to acknowledge our lack of desire for God as evidence of our innate sinfulness, and to begin to fill our minds with truths about His kindness, mercy, holiness, grace, and goodness, especially expressed to us in the Gospel. We then act in faith, trusting that God will give us a greater passion for Him.

Another reason our physical actions to God are tempered is theological presuppositions. I have good friends I respect deeply who love God passionately, know the Bible much better than I do, and are more reserved in their physical expressiveness. They believe our worship is to be characterized by an attitude of reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28), soberness and solemnity. It's true that reverence and awe are essential to biblical worship, but can't bowing down or lifting hands be a sign of that as well? Also, it's impossible to ignore the multitude of examples and commands in Scripture that emphasize celebration, passion, delight, and exuberance, all reflected through our bodies. The question to ask ourselves is this: Is there any physical expression of worship that God has given us in Scripture that I've never displayed? If so, why?

Finally, some think that worship is a matter of the heart, not the body. Actually, both are crucial. If I told my wife that I loved her in my heart, but never demonstrated it through physical actions, I doubt that she would believe me. We wouldn't have much of a marriage either.

In every church there will be varying degrees of physical expressiveness. While the focus of our bodily expression is God Himself, we are called in love to do what is edifying to others (1 Cor. 14:12; 13:1-8). That means I don't break into loud shouting and enthusiastic dancing just because I feel like it. I want people to see the glory and greatness of God, not my physical displays. I also don't assume that those who are physically expressive are seeking attention, hypocritical, or insensitive to others. Perhaps God wants me to learn from their unhindered and sincere expressiveness.

Our focus should be exalting God in a way that magnifies both His infinite holiness and His unfathomable grace which has brought us near to Him through Jesus Christ. Our culture, personality, or background doesn't ultimately determine what that looks like – God does. May our churches be filled with the kind of truth and expression that most clearly communicates to others the value of the One we worship.

Preach and sing the Word, works, and worth of God, centered on the Gospel, to raise the affections of people for God.

This might have made a better first point. We don't help people grow in God-glorifying expressiveness simply by explaining it or telling them to lift their hands. Teaching and encouragement may be necessary at times, but directing people's gaze toward God's glory in Christ is our ultimate motivation and goal.

Our bodies naturally reflect what affects us. I cringe when a glass of milk is about to be knocked over; I open my arms wide as my daughter runs to greet me; I jump up from the couch with my hands upraised when my team scores the winning goal; I gratefully applaud unselfish acts of service; I cry when a friend's child dies. Is the church the only place where our bodies can't express what our minds are comprehending and our hearts are feeling?

So our goal must be to help people hear, see, and understand the right things. What does this look like? As we sing "No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand," some might raise their hands to thank God that His plans to save us can not be thwarted. As we sing, "My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part but the whole, has been nailed to the cross and I bear it no more," some might kneel in grateful adoration that ALL their sins have been paid for. After singing, "Crown Him ye kings with many crowns for He is King of all!" we might hear joyful acclamations of praise to the omnipotent, sovereign, reigning Savior.

Even when my heart isn't affected by what I'm singing, expressing my devotion to God bodily can stir up affection in my heart. I raise my hands because God IS worthy to be exalted. I kneel because I AM completely dependent on God for mercy, sustenance, and wisdom. My feet move for joy because my greatest problem – my sin against the holy God – has been solved through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Of course, at the end of the day, I'd rather be sitting in the midst of a quiet congregation that is singing rich, doctrinal truths than be jumping around with a lively congregation that is belting out shallow, man-centered songs. But why not pursue both? God doesn't intend for us to have to choose. We can experience theological depth AND passionate expression.

Our physical expression should help people see the greatness of God's glory in Christ. It may feel uncomfortable at times. We may find ourselves on our knees, broken over our sin, while others sing on, seemingly unaffected. It will mean we have to make every effort to engage with GOD, and not simply our emotions. It will certainly mean that we'll never think any physical expression is adequate to fully express our amazement at God's mercy in drawing us to Himself through the Savior. It will look different at different times, in different churches, and in different cultures. But there's no question that we have to help those in our congregations understand that God is worthy of our deepest, strongest, and purest affections. And that our bodies should show it.

My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!

Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. (Ps. 108:1-4)

# HOW DO WE GROW IN PHYSICAL EXPRESSIVENESS IN WORSHIP? - Part 3

In response to the series I did on physical expressiveness in corporate worship, I received a follow-up question from the gentleman who originally asked the question. It was pretty extensive, but this was his closing query:

"Bottom, Bottom, Lowest of Bottom Lines: Am I exegetically, theologically, homiletically accurate when I say, "God COMMANDS us to CLAP our hands!"? Or should it be softened to "God ENCOURAGES us to express our love and worship to Him using our bodies?" And then let people do what they're comfortable with."

Great question. And I want to commend him for seeking to pinpoint as clearly as possible what God tells us in His Word and what He doesn't tell us.

In a set of unpublished notes from a course he has taught, Iain Duguid suggests that three possibilities exist when we are dealing with commands for corporate worship from the Old Testament.

  * It's a command that points forward to fulfillment in Jesus, so it no longer applies. Animal sacrifices would be the most obvious example.

  * It's a command that applies enduringly and universally to all of God's people and should be obeyed. For instance we are never to worship idols nor worship God in a merely external manner.

  * It's a command that reflects cultural and local practices given to ethnic Israel, which do not govern us directly but merely in "their general equity."

It would be a stretch to say that lifting hands, shouting, or dancing, for instance, have been fulfilled in Jesus. But does that mean they are commands that are always to be obeyed when we gather to exalt God? That would be a hard case to make as well. I know I used to think that if I wasn't jumping up and down at some point my worship of God was insincere or somehow inadequate. But, if that's true, does that mean senior saints, those who are paralyzed, and uncoordinated people are in sin? No.

So that leaves us with the third category – culturally related commands that need to be applied in our specific context. However, I think we can do better than simply tell people, "Interpret these Scriptural commands for physical expressiveness in way you feel comfortable with." That doesn't address those who don't show physical expression in worship due to laziness, selfishness, fear of man, or other idolatries. It also doesn't acknowledge that many different "cultures" may exist in our culture, and that the church in many ways is called to be counter-cultural.

This is an example of the danger of looking for specific rules and commands to follow in gathered worship to make sure we're doing everything "right." We too easily justify ourselves before God by what we do or don't do, and end up missing the weightier issue of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Rather than arguing whether a specific command applies to us at this specific moment, it's better to ask, "Do our minds, hearts, and bodies reflect the overall biblical case for how we are to respond to God?"

Clearly, in both Old and New Testaments, God expects our bodies to reflect our heart's desire to exalt his name and glory when we meet together. He gives us various ways that please him, one of the most prominent being singing. However shouting, dancing, lifting hands, bowing, kneeling are also physical expressions that can honor God when done from the heart in faith.

So, to someone who insisted that God doesn't "command" us to clap our hands so therefore we don't have to do it, I would ask the following questions:

  * Assuming that God want us to exalt Him with our bodies, what physical expressions of praise in Scripture do you think ARE appropriate in corporate worship? How do you distinguish between what's appropriate and what's not?

  * Do you think that all forms of physical expressiveness are natural, or that they can be learned?

  * Is there a possibility that your resistance to physical expression is more rooted in laziness, lack of understanding, or a craving for people's respect? How do you know?

  * Is singing appropriate for worshipping God? If so, why not shouting? (Ps. 71:23; 81:1)

  * Are there any physical expressions of worship modeled or commanded in the Bible that you've never engaged in? If so, why not?

I'm sure there are other questions that could be asked. Maybe you can suggest some. But I think these questions would be enough to get a meaningful conversation going, resulting in the individual examining his or heart more thoroughly to see where they might seek to exalt our Savior more sincerely, wholeheartedly, and passionately – which should be the main focus from start to finish.

# HOW DO WE MAKE ROOM FOR THE GIFT OF PROPHECY?

I received this question from Mark:

"While we are Southern Baptist, we are definitely reformed in our theology. We also do not believe that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased. When we were attending the Worship God conference , we were moved by those who shared from the prophecy mic. It was an incredible part of our worship to hear scripture, illustrations and such. Can you share with me how you introduced that to your church? Any guidance and input you could give would be great as we pray and seek God's leadership in introducing this to our people. There's no question that this is scriptural. But, we want to make sure we present this correctly so that our congregation will understand the purpose of adding this to our worship meetings."

I'm not sure that everyone reading this blog believes that "there's no question" that having a microphone for congregational participation is Scriptural. But, for the sake of space, I'll assume that you're at least open to the idea. Also, while the title of the this post focuses on prophecy, there are many ways that a congregation can meaningfully contribute to a Sunday meeting.

But let me begin by stressing that congregational participation is always subject to and led by elders who shepherd the flock, exercise oversight, and are over their congregations in the Lord (1 Pet. 5:2; 1 Thess. 5:12). One of the primary purposes in gathering is to hear and apply God's Word that is proclaimed by those he has raised up as pastor-teachers. But another important aspect is the ministry we bring to one another. Col. 3:16 says we're to teach and admonish one another. The nearly thirty "one anothers" of the New Testament indicate that meetings include more than a group listening to a single person. 1 Cor. 14, and especially v. 26 imply that various contributions from members of the church are God's intention.

How that's done depends on a number of factors, including the size of the church, the maturity of the people, and the church's history. In Mark's church, these are some of the ways I'd move ahead.

As with any change you want to make, begin by teaching what God's Word says.

Teach the church on the nature of the church and the place of mutual edification in the corporate meeting. David Peterson's _Engaging with God_ is a great resource. Teach on the variety and importance of the spiritual gifts. 1 Cor. 12-14 are obvious passages for that. A few books we've found helpful are Wayne Grudem's _The Gift of Prophecy_ , _Showing the Spirit_ by D.A. Carson, and Max Turner's _The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts_. Sam Storm's _The Beginner's Guide to the Spiritual Gifts_ is helpful as a simple and practical introduction to the nine gifts listed in 1 Cor. 12. Explain that you'd like to create opportunities for members of the church to serve other members through verbal contributions. Teach on the importance of spiritual leadership and orderliness in the Sunday gathering. Inviting members to contribute isn't abdicating your role to shepherd and lead the flock.

Provide a microphone for ministry from members of the church.

Spell out what kinds of contributions you're looking for. They might include Scripture readings, prayers, and prophetic impressions. Generally, they're spontaneous, but they can be written down beforehand as well. You can also invite people to come up and pray for a specific situation. Even though it may not be "prophecy" strictly speaking, it can lead to people becoming more familiar with contributing to the meeting. If you're in a very small church, a microphone might be unnecessary, but I'd still recommend having a place people can go to if they have something they'd like to share with the church. We have an on/off switch at this microphone so the sound engineer doesn't have to control it.

Station a pastor at the microphone to screen contributions before they're shared publicly.

We've found that having two pastors makes it easier to evaluate what's being shared, because there are times when you're not quite sure about what someone's bringing. This is one of the ways we obey the command to test prophecy (1 Thess. 5:20-21). At the start, I'd lean towards allowing more contributions than fewer. They may all not be "home runs" but people will be encouraged when God speaks to and through them.

I'd evaluate contributions in at least five areas: content, attitude, communication, length, and timing.

Is what they're sharing faithful to Scripture? Are they sharing to serve people, or to not-so-subtly communicate their own perspective to balance out someone else or correct the church? Can the person share their contribution effectively and with appropriate emotion? Is their contribution brief and to the point, or does it wander aimlessly or go on for a few minutes? Is what they want to share going to contribute to the flow of the meeting, or does it seem out of place, tangential, too late, or too early?

Personally thank and encourage anyone who comes with something to share, whether or not the church actually hears it.

If nothing else, thank them for being faithful to obey what they sensed was God encouraging them to share with the church. At the same time, follow up with anyone you think is wrongly motivated or lacks the gifting to share publicly. It's better to speak to them directly than try to address them in a veiled way through a sermon or general announcement.

Finally, encourage and train those who are particularly gifted.

I invited a group of men and women to study Grudem's _The Gift of Prophecy_ once a month for nine months. We're currently offering a four week class on the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts.

We don't have contributions from the congregation at every meeting, for different reasons. Sometimes what we've planned for the morning doesn't leave much space. Other times no one come to the microphone. But at those times, we're very aware that the Spirit is working in many other ways to display God's varied grace and to bring glory to the Savior (1 Pet. 4:10-11).

I trust this is helpful. It's difficult to get too specific without knowing the details of a particular church. But I think these principles could be applied profitably in most churches that want to encourage edifying verbal contributions from their congregations.

#  ENTERING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

My friend, West, left a question on another post. He was asking about comments I've made to the effect that it isn't a worship leader's responsibility to lead people into God's presence. Only Jesus can do that. West wrote:

"Heb. 9 through Heb. 10:1-22 call us to enter the Most Holy Place confidently. John Frame says "The Most Holy Place was opened to us at the death of Christ, when the veil of the temple was torn in two" ( _In Spirit and Truth_ , 27). If God is enthroned on and abides in the praises of his people, and if he is wherever 2 or 3 are gathered in his name, then it seems that there is an actual, spiritual experience of "entering into" the holy of holies when we gather and praise him. That being said, it seems that we as leaders in corporate worship have a kind of priestly duty to bring God's people into his presence, his Most Holy Place, like the Israelite musicians of old. I don't know. Am I just way off on this?"

I don't think anyone is "way off" to ask a question like this. Part of the reason there's so much confusion about worship and the presence of God is that we so often experience a new awareness of God's presence when we sing his praises. We often feel like we have "entered God's presence." What's going on?

First, in the Old Testament, the high priest entered the holy of holies once a year on behalf of Israel (Heb. 9:6-7). Jesus has now "entered once for all into the holy places." We shouldn't think of ourselves as "entering" them again because Jesus has entered them for us. Hebrews exhorts us to draw near to God with full assurance because we have entered the holy of holies through our union with Christ. In Christ, we are always in the heavenly places and are exhorted to "draw near." Of course, we can do that at any time, although there is a particular significance when we gather as the church to express our faith in the Gospel.

Second, the issue is _how_ we enter God's presence. The writer of Hebrews encourages his readers to put their faith in Christ's finished work, not to try to duplicate it. David Peterson, in _Engaging with God_ , says, "Fundamentally, then, drawing near to God means believing the gospel and making 'personal appropriation of salvation.'" (240). In one sense we have the "priestly duty" of reminding people of what God has said and done (Neh. 8:8). But we are not leading them into the Most Holy Place. Jesus has done that for us. Through faith in his finished work we now have the privilege of confidently drawing near to God.

D.A. Carson shares some very helpful thoughts in this topic. He's commenting on the thought that "worship leads us into the presence of God."

"Objectively, what brings us into the presence of God is the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. If we ascribe to worship (meaning, in this context, our corporate praise and adoration) something of this power, it will not be long before we think of such worship as being meritorious, or efficacious, or the like. The small corner of truth that such expressions hide (though this truth is poorly worded) is that when we come together and engage in the activities of corporate worship (including not only prayer and praise but the Lord's Supper and attentive listening to the Word...), we encourage one another, we edify one another, and so we often feel encouraged and edified. As a result, we are renewed in our awareness of God's love and God's truth, and we are encouraged to respond with adoration and action" ( _Worship by the Book_ , 50-51).

So as I'm standing in front of the church, leading them in songs, Scripture reading, and prayer, my goal is not to "lead them into God's presence," but to help them remember and celebrate what Christ has accomplished for them through his righteous life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection. As they place their faith and trust in the perfect high priest, they will most likely experience a fresh awareness of God's nearness. Their position in Christ hasn't changed. Their appreciation of it has. The church will be built up and God will be glorified.

Understanding this area really brings freedom to me as a worship leader. I don't have to try to pull off an impossible task. I don't have to be anxious about whether or not people will "make it." I simply have to present what Christ has done in a clear and compelling way to encourage people's faith. The Holy Spirit takes care of the rest.

# ABOUT BOB KAUFLIN

I currently have the privilege of serving as the Director of Sovereign Grace Music for Sovereign Grace Ministries. My main tasks include equipping pastors and musicians in the theology and practice of congregational worship, and overseeing albums produced by Sovereign Grace Music. I'm currently participating in a church plant to Louisville, KY, led by CJ Mahaney. Our first public meeting was Sept. 30, 2012.

I grew up as a Roman Catholic and planned to become a missionary priest in a third world country. Didn't happen. When I was a freshman in college, someone from Campus Crusade shared the Gospel with me and for the first time I realized that the death of Jesus on the cross paid for ALL my sins. I turned from my sin and put my complete trust in Jesus Christ to save me from God's wrath. After receiving a piano performance degree from Temple University in 1976, I traveled for 8 years with the contemporary Christian group GLAD, as a song writer, speaker, and arranger. I left the group in 1984, but continued writing and arranging for them until 2007. Our most well known recording is The A Cappella Project, released in 1988. I left GLAD in 1984 to pursue active involvement in the local church. I became a pastor in 1985 at Fairfax Covenant Church in Virginia, and in 1991 moved to help start what is now Crossway Community Church in Charlotte, NC. In 1997, I moved to Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland to serve in my present role as Director of Sovereign Grace Music. In June of 2012, I moved one more time ,this time to Louisville, KY with Sovereign Grace Ministries, and also to help plant Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville.

I had the joy of marrying my dearest friend, Julie, in August of 1976. We now have six children, four of whom are married, and thirteen grandchildren (although that number is always changing).
