Showing posts with label True Worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label True Worship. Show all posts

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Thoughts for Thursday, January 4, 2018


"Never let your pastor lose his prayer book. It should be written in the hearts of his people. If you cannot preach, or give largely, or serve as an office bearer, you can, at least, pray without ceasing." - From Spurgeon's Sermon Notes






Recommended reading:


Thursday, May 5, 2016

Bible Reading for Thursday, May 5, 2016

There are many different websites that offer reading plans to read the Bible in a year. Here is a really good one:  Read the KJV Bible in One Year. For today, why don't you read along with me Chapters 8-10 in the book of Leviticus:

Special verse:

"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.  And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified . And Aaron held his peace." - Leviticus 10:1-3

Note: If you have a reading disability that makes it difficult or impossible to read along with me this year, please consider going to Biblegateway.com and listening to the Bible. This is a great site with many resources, one of which is an audio version of the Bible Daily.

Second note: Leviticus 10 (quoted above) speaks about how we are to worship God. Here is an excerpt from an old sermon by Rev. Paul Den Butter on this verse, as well as the following 2 verses:

"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." - John 4:24

"And if thou wilt make an alter of stone unto me, thou shalt not make it of hewn stone, for if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it." - Exodus 20:25

Rev. Den Butter says,

"...they have to be very careful that they do not make it (an alter of stone) of hewn stone. And they may not use any tool, any hammer or axe or whatever. They may not use any tool to beautify those stones. They must take simply the rock, the unadorned stones.

"'Ah, but then the alter is not nice, Then the alter is not beautiful. Then it is simply a primitive thing.'

"Well, that's what it may be in our estimation, but it's God's will, is it not? Whether it is a primitive thing or not, it is God's will that the alter will be built of rough stones and that no tool will be used.

"'Ya, but those stones are going to be much nicer if you use some chisel, and if you make some ornaments, some adornments on those stones. The alter is much more beautiful and much more serviceable in your worship service.'

"Ah, but the principle is not what I like, not what I think that is nice and beautiful, not what adorns my worship service, but the principle is what God has said!

"Not my taste determines, but God's command. God has the right to determine what it should be like. And this is a principle nearly almost forgotten. It was perfectly understood by our Reformers. They did not look for innovations, They did not look for all sorts of adornments in the church. Why do people today look for all sorts of things that beautify the worship service and make it more attractive? Why do we see vestments in all sorts of colors?

"I'm convinced it is simply to fill the aching void of the absence of reality. When the Church of Christ was most vigorous in its spiritual life, it had the most simple form of worship. When God converted most people, and when God's children were edified in the worship service, and when the Lord was present in the worship services, it may have been in a barn or in an open field, the worship as such was as simple as simple can be.

"But what do we see today? That in direct proportion to the loss of true spiritual life there is an increase in forms and ceremonies. And the forms and ceremonies are meant to fill the vacancies of true spiritual life. And so Satan is using tools to adorn our alters, but in the meantime he is polluting it. He's corrupting the worship.  And men are willing instruments in his hands."

Very strongly recommended reading:

A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship, by Dr. Michael Horton
  

Monday, April 25, 2016

Recommended Psalm for Monday, April 25, 2016

O God, How Good Thou Art, based on Psalm 73.

Here are the words to this [paraphrased] Psalm:

O God, how good Thou art
To all the pure of heart,
Though life seems vain.
Burdened with anxious care,
I groped in dark despair,
Till in Thy house of prayer,
All was made plain.
Ever, O Lord, with Thee,
All shall be well with me,
Held by Thy hand.
And Thou wilt guide my feet
By Thine own counsel sweet,
Till I, for glory meet,
In glory stand.
In earth or Heaven above
Who is there that I love
Compared with Thee?
My heart may faint with fears,
But God my strength appears,
And will to endless years
My portion be.
O it is good that I
May still to God draw nigh,
As oft before.
The Lord Jehovah blessed,
My refuge and my rest,
Shall be in praised confessed
Forevermore.
Source: cyberhymnal.org

You may be more familiar with the following wonderful hymn (sung to the same tune):
 My Faith Looks Up to Thee

Recommended reading:

Previously recommended Psalms:

Recommended Psalm for Saturday, April 23, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Thursday, April 21, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Monday, April 18, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Saturday, April 16, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Friday, April 15, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Thursday, April 14, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Monday, April 11, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Saturday, April 9, 2016
Recommended Psalm for Friday, April 8, 2016

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Recommended Psalm for Saturday, April 9, 2016

Within Thy Temple, Lord  Based on Psalm 48:

Here are the words:

1 Within your temple, Lord,
we on your mercies dwell;
far as your name is known,
there does your praise excel:
your praises sound through ev'ry land,
and right your scepter shall command.


2 Let Zion's mount rejoice,
let Judah's daughters praise
the Lord with cheerful voice,
for judgment he displays;
go round the walls on Zion's mount,
go round her splendors to recount.


3 The tow'rs of Zion tell,
her palaces survey,
mark all her bulwarks well,
and to your children say:
"This God forever shall abide,
ev'n unto death, our God and guide."
Source: Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #373

You may be more familiar with the wonderful hymn Crown Him With Many Crown (sung to the same tune).

Recommended reading:

Psalter Hymnal
A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship, by Dr. Michael Horton
Some Thoughts on True Worship

Previously recommended Psalms:


Recommended Psalm for Friday, April 8, 2016

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Recommended Sermon for Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Jesus Rejects the 31 Flavors View of Worship: True Worship is Authorized by God, by Greg Price


Here is an excerpt from a sermon I heard over 30 years ago by Rev. Paul Den Butter. The text of his sermon was John 4:24 and Exodus 20:25:

"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." - John 4:24

"And if thou wilt make an alter of stone unto me, thou shalt not make it of hewn stone, for if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it." - Exodus 20:25

I think this sermon was preached around 1980. Anyway, that is around the time I wrote the following excerpts down in my diary:

"...they have to be very careful that they do not make it (an alter of stone) of hewn stone. And they may not use any tool, any hammer or axe or whatever. They may not use any tool to beautify those stones. They must take simply the rock, the unadorned stones.

"'Ah, but then the alter is not nice, Then the alter is not beautiful. Then it is simply a primitive thing.'

"Well, that's what it may be in our estimation, but it's God's will, is it not? Whether it is a primitive thing or not, it is God's will that the alter will be built of rough stones and that no tool will be used.

"'Ya, but those stones are going to be much nicer if you use some chisel, and if you make some ornaments, some adornments on those stones. The alter is much more beautiful and much more serviceable in your worship service.'

"Ah, but the principle is not what I like, not what I think that is nice and beautiful, not what adorns my worship service, but the principle is what God has said!

"Not my taste determines, but God's command. God has the right to determine what it should be like. And this is a principle nearly almost forgotten. It was perfectly understood by our Reformers. They did not look for innovations, They did not look for all sorts of adornments in the church. Why do people today look for all sorts of things that beautify the worship service and make it more attractive? Why do we see vestments in all sorts of colors?

"I'm convinced it is simply to fill the aching void of the absence of reality. When the Church of Christ was most vigorous in its spiritual life, it had the most simple form of worship. When God converted most people, and when God's children were edified in the worship service, and when the Lord was present in the worship services, it may have been in a barn or in an open field, the worship as such was as simple as simple can be.

"But what do we see today? That in direct proportion to the loss of true spiritual life there is an increase in forms and ceremonies. And the forms and ceremonies are meant to fill the vacancies of true spiritual life. And so Satan is using tools to adorn our alters, but in the meantime he is polluting it. He's corrupting the worship.  And men are willing instruments in his hands."


Recommended reading:


A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God - Centered Worship, by Dr. Michael Horton

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

True Worship is "Worshp In Spirit And In Truth" - John 4:24

The Bible says: "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." - Colossians 3:16

I like to think of these three categories of Christian songs in this way:

Psalms are paraphrases of the Psalms set to music:

 Psalm 48,  Psalm 103,  Psalm 72, Psalm 51, Psalm 148, Psalm 32, Psalm 27, Psalm 125, Psalm 9, Psalm 90, and Psalm 1Psalm 145.

Hymns are, generally speaking, what you find in a hymn book of say 100 years ago:

  There's Power in the Blood (Medley), Be Thou My Vision, O Perfect Love,  His Name is Wonderful,  Great is Thy FaithfulnessImmortal, Invisible, Holy, Holy, HolyAmazing Grace, The Old Rugged Cross, At The CrossAt The Cross (Medley),My Jesus I Love Thee, Standing on the Promises, Day of Judgment, Day of Wonders, Just As I Am, Crown Him with Many Crowns, The Church is One Foundation, Guide Me O Thou Great JehovahI Know Not Why God's Wondrous GraceLittle Drummer BoyHow Deep The Father's Love For Us, Jesus Shall ReignWhen I Survey the Wondrous Cross, What A Friend We Have in Jesus, Battle Hymn of the Republic (English) (Korean?)   How Great Thou Art, For All the Saints, Silent Night (English), Silent Night (German), Tell Me the Old Old StoryHe Arose (sung in English and, I think, Japanese!)The Great Judgment Morning, This Is My Father's World, Joy to the World, I Love to Tell the Story, It Is Well With My Soul, I Must Tell Jesus, Savior Again, To Thy Dear Name We Raise, Like a  River Glorious, Tell Me The Story of Jesus, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say,  By The Sea of CrystalHe Leadeth Me, Have Thine Own Way, Lord, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing (sung in Lakota, a Native American language), Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart, O  Holy Night (Sung in Navajo, a Native American Language).

And Spiritual songs refer to much of what we call today, Contemporary Christian Music:

Please Search the Book AgainBecause He LivesMy God and I,  Meeting in the AirThere'll Be Joy in the Morning On That DayThere is Coming a Day, Awesome God, Above All Powers, He's Alive, Mary Did You Know?, Are You Washed in the Blood of The Lamb & I'll Fly AwayThey Baptized Jesse Taylor, Plenty of Room in the Family, If That Isn't Love, El Shaddai, He Giveth More Grace, It Is No Secret, This Old House, There is a Redeemer, This World is Not My Home, Lord I Lift Your Name on High, Days of ElijahAnd the Gift Goes On, Alabare A Mi Senor (Spanish), Please Don't Send Me to Africa, My God Is RealI Saw the Light, and Jesus Take the Wheel (See my post Why Jesus Didn't Take the Wheel!).

I don't know what the Apostle Paul would think of the way I categorized Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs, but I have a feeling he would say "That's close enough!" I'd like to recommend to you one of the best books I've read on Worship and Christian music:

A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God - Centered Worship, by Dr. Michael Horton




Thursday, December 19, 2013

What Would Jesus Think of Singing "Highway to Hell" in Church?

I was thinking about doing a blog post on the rock group AC/DC's song Highway to Hell, and I came across an article about a "praise and worship band" that sang that song in church (See: Highway to Hell and the Regulative Principle). 

Reading this article, and watching the video of this performance in God's house, gave me the creeps. It reminded me of a time when I was in church and the organist decided to play a short intro to one of Black Sabbath's songs. Or another time when a praise and worship band played George Harrison's My Sweet Lord in church (with out the references to Hari Krishna, of course!).

But the song, Highway to Hell, does have some truth behind its godless lyrics. For example, the title is just mirroing what our Lord Jesus says in Matthew 7:13,14:

"Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to death, and many there be that go therein, because straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it."

So right off the bat, the title of this song deserves our kudos - the way to hell is a highway, and unfortunately many people are traveling on it.  In addition to the title of this song, some of the lyrics also have a ring of truth to them. For example: "Hey mama, look at me, I'm on my way to the promised land."This is totally scriptural. If you are on the Highway to Hell, and you don't repent and turn to our Lord Jesus Christ in faith, you will get to your destination - hell! That is a promise! The Bible says: "It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment!" (Hebrews 9:27).

Recommended videos:

They Sold Their Souls for Rock and Roll, Part 12, 3, 4 (or you can purchase this 10 hour video by going to Good Fight Ministries)

Recommended reading for those traveling down the Highway to Hell (my posts):

Heaven Has A Floor, and Hell Has a Clock
The Roman Road to Salvation

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Is There Such a Thing as a "Christian" Heavy Metal Band?

'Christian Singer in Grammy-Nominated Heavy Metal Band Accused of Trying to Hire a Hit Man to Murder Estranged Wife - The Blaze

Excerpt from this article:

"The lead singer of Grammy-nominated heavy metal band “As I Lay Dying” was arrested Tuesday in California after he tried to hire an undercover detective to kill his estranged wife, authorities say."
------------------------------------------------

When it comes to Christian music, I think what God is most interested in is what is in our hearts. I'm sure there will be a lot of people who sang nothing but "Amazing Grace" and "The Old Rugged Cross" who will go to hell, while many who sang more modern music (but with a pure heart!) will go to heaven. 

Personally, I like the old hymns best (although I do like the song by Superchick, Cross That Line!; see their You Tube Video on background of that song: Superchicks Talk About 'Cross That Line')


Recommended reading & Listening (my post):

Franklin Graham's Rock the River Abomination, by Pastor Ralph Ovadal
More Thoughts on True Worship

Sunday, May 5, 2013

More Thoughts on True Worship

The Bible says: "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." - Colossians 3:16

I like to think of these three categories of Christian songs in this way:

Psalms are paraphrases of the Psalms set to music:

 Psalm 48,  Psalm 103,  Psalm 72, Psalm 51, Psalm 148, Psalm 32, Psalm 27, Psalm 125, Psalm 9, Psalm 90, and Psalm 1Psalm 145.

Hymns are, generally speaking, what you find in a hymn book of say 100 years ago:

  There's Power in the Blood (Medley), Be Thou My Vision, O Perfect Love,  His Name is Wonderful,  Great is Thy FaithfulnessImmortal, Invisible, Holy, Holy, HolyAmazing Grace, The Old Rugged Cross, At The CrossAt The Cross (Medley),My Jesus I Love Thee, Standing on the Promises, Day of Judgment, Day of Wonders, Just As I Am, Crown Him with Many Crowns, The Church is One Foundation, Guide Me O Thou Great JehovahI Know Not Why God's Wondrous GraceLittle Drummer BoyHow Deep The Father's Love For Us, Jesus Shall ReignWhen I Survey the Wondrous Cross, What A Friend We Have in Jesus, Battle Hymn of the Republic (English) (Korean?)   How Great Thou Art, For All the Saints, Silent Night (English), Silent Night (German), Tell Me the Old Old StoryHe Arose (sung in English and, I think, Japanese!)The Great Judgment Morning, This Is My Father's World, Joy to the World, I Love to Tell the Story, It Is Well With My Soul, I Must Tell Jesus, Savior Again, To Thy Dear Name We Raise, Like a  River Glorious, Tell Me The Story of Jesus, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say,  By The Sea of CrystalHe Leadeth Me, Have Thine Own Way, Lord, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing (sung in Lakota, a Native American language), Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart, O  Holy Night (Sung in Navajo, a Native American Language).

And Spiritual songs refer to much of what we call today, Contemporary Christian Music:

Please Search the Book AgainBecause He LivesMy God and I,  Meeting in the AirThere'll Be Joy in the Morning On That DayThere is Coming a Day, Awesome God, Above All Powers, He's Alive, Mary Did You Know?, Are You Washed in the Blood of The Lamb & I'll Fly AwayThey Baptized Jesse Taylor, Plenty of Room in the Family, If That Isn't Love, El Shaddai, He Giveth More Grace, It Is No Secret, This Old House, There is a Redeemer, This World is Not My Home, Lord I Lift Your Name on High, Days of ElijahAnd the Gift Goes On, Alabare A Mi Senor (Spanish), Please Don't Send Me to Africa, My God Is RealI Saw the Light, and Jesus Take the Wheel (See my post Why Jesus Didn't Take the Wheel!).

I don't know what the Apostle Paul would think of the way I categorized Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs, but I have a feeling he would say "That's close enough!" I'd like to recommend to you one of the best books I've read on Worship and Christian music:

A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God - Centered Worship, by Dr. Michael Horton




Saturday, November 24, 2012

Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns

Why don't you take a few minutes - 29 minutes to be exact - and listen to this thought provoking message by Pastor Kevin Swanson:

Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns

And after you listen to that, you may want to check out my post:

Some Thoughts on True Worship

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Christianity Declining

Yesterday I did a post to this blog titled, Young Americans Dumping Religion at an Alarming Rate.  This morning I listened to a sermon by Pastor Trevor Hammack on a similar topic. The title of his sermon is Christianity Declining, and his text is Leviticus 10.

Pastor Hammack starts off his sermon by warning that it will be controversial (it is) and that most people will not agree with everything he has to say (I didn't).  But aside from having some very good things to say, I found it interesting that Pastor Hammack would choose Leviticus 10 for his text. Specifically, Leviticus 10:1-3 says:

"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therin and put incense theron, and offered up strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come neigh unto me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aron held his peace."

I think pastor Hammack picked a good text for this sermon.  People are getting tired of all the gimmicks the church is using to try to draw people in. This is the basic thrust (as I understood it) of Pastor Hammack's message. 

Someone once said: "It can be exalting to belong to a church that is five hundred years behind the times and sublimely indifferent to fashion; it is mortifying to belong to a church that is five minutes behind the times, huffing and puffing to catch up." That is where most churches are today. (See my recent post, The Southern Baptist Convention: A Cauldron of Compromise and Corruption?)

But I was first exposed to this story in Leviticus 10 in a sermon I heard over 30 years ago by Pastor Paul Den Butter. The text for that sermon was John 4:24 ("God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth"), and his topic was True Worship.

In this sermon Pastor Den Butter refers to this passage in Leviticus, and applies it to our worship today. God did not allow the sons of Aron to worship him in any way they please. And he is not pleased with the church today when they try to follow in the sons of Aron's footsteps.

For excerpts from that sermon, see my post, Some Thoughts on True Worship.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Some Thoughts on True Worship

In a recent post I was critical of Contemporary Christian Musician, Carrie Underwood for kissing a 12 year old boy on the lips (and for previously coming out in favor of same sex marriage). You can read this post by clicking on The Brave New World of Contemporary Christian Musicians.

It has been said that any  fool can criticize, and most fools do. What the world needs is not people who stand on a soap box and look down on others, but people who can humbly point to a better way. To that extent I want to offer two things which I think will make our (and now I'm speaking to born again Christians) worship more acceptable to the Lord Jesus.

The first is the book by Dr. Michael Horton, called A Better Way - Rediscovering the Drama of God Centered Worship.

And the second is an excerpt from a sermon I heard over 30 years ago by Rev. Paul Den Butter. The text of his sermon was John 4:24 and Exodus 20:25:

"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." - John 4:24

"And if thou wilt make an alter of stone unto me, thou shalt not make it of hewn stone, for if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it." - Exodus 20:25

I think this sermon was preached around 1980. Anyway, that is around the time I wrote the following excerpts down in my diary:

"...they have to be very careful that they do not make it (an alter of stone) of hewn stone. And they may not use any tool, any hammer or axe or whatever. They may not use any tool to beautify those stones. They must take simply the rock, the unadorned stones.

"'Ah, but then the alter is not nice, Then the alter is not beautiful. Then it is simply a primitive thing.'

"Well, that's what it may be in our estimation, but it's God's will, is it not? Whether it is a primitive thing or not, it is God's will that the alter will be built of rough stones and that no tool will be used.

"'Ya, but those stones are going to be much nicer if you use some chisel, and if you make some ornaments, some adornments on those stones. The alter is much more beautiful and much more serviceable in your worship service.'

"Ah, but the principle is not what I like, not what I think that is nice and beautiful, not what adorns my worship service, but the principle is what God has said!

"Not my taste determines, but God's command. God has the right to determine what it should be like. And this is a principle nearly almost forgotten. It was perfectly understood by our Reformers. They did not look for innovations, They did not look for all sorts of adornments in the church. Why do people today look for all sorts of things that beautify the worship service and make it more attractive? Why do we see vestments in all sorts of colors?

"I'm convinced it is simply to fill the aching void of the absence of reality. When the Church of Christ was most vigorous in its spiritual life, it had the most simple form of worship. When God converted most people, and when God's children were edified in the worship service, and when the Lord was present in the worship services, it may have been in a barn or in an open field, the worship as such was as simple as simple can be.

"But what do we see today? That in direct proportion to the loss of true spiritual life there is an increase in forms and ceremonies. And the forms and ceremonies are meant to fill the vacancies of true spiritual life. And so Satan is using tools to adorn our alters, but in the meantime he is polluting it. He's corrupting the worship.  And men are willing instruments in his hands."

Very strongly recommended reading:

A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship, by Dr. Michael Horton

How I Found Christ?

 How I Found Christ? by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)