"The mature worshiper is easily edified." When hearing lackluster (even if biblical) preaching, immature worshipers will typically not listen to the message because they wish the messenger was more exciting. Conversely, mature worshipers eagerly receive the truth as it is proclaimed, even if it sounds like the preacher is reading a phone book.
- Steve Burchette
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
06 January 2012
09 September 2010
The Ongoing Need for the Gospel
Why should Christians worry so much about the gospel being present in church, if after all, worship is for the regenerate believers (as I believe it is)?
I have been listening to a sermon series by Tullian Tchividjian of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida the last few weeks. Pastor Tullian (who I've cited here several times before, here, here, here, and here) does a good job explaining exactly why the gospel is important in the church-
"One of the most important discoveries of my life has been that the Gospel is not just for non-Christians; it’s for Christians too. I used to think the Gospel was simply what non-Christians must believe in to be saved, while afterward we advance to deeper theological waters. But what I’ve come to understand is that once God saves us he doesn’t then move us beyond the Gospel. Rather he moves us deeper into the Gospel. The Gospel, in other words, is every bit as important for growing as a Christian as it is for becoming a Christian in the first place. The Gospel is the fuel that makes Christians go."
In one of the sermons, Tullian uses this analogy to make the point- A new believer is a bit like a new sailboat owner. He (or she) buys the boat, gets all the right equipment on board, takes lessons on how to operate the sailboat, studies the wind and current patterns, and all the other stuff necessary to safely and effectively operate a sailboat. Then the owner hops in the boat and promptly goes nowhere. The sails are hanging limp, and the boat does not move. What's missing? The wind is missing!
The gospel, says Tullian, is the fuel that makes Christians go. It is the wind that is missing in the sails to make the boat go. He points out Col. 1:6 as an example of the gospel being center for the Christian's growth. It goes back to Tullian's major point that every gospel command (imperative) is grounded in, or surrounded by, gospel proclamations (indicative). Even with all the right training and head knowledge about missions, or teaching Sunday School, serving in the children's ministry, serving the homeless, etc., without the gospel, the ministry is really pointless.
The gospel is critical to the unbeliever in justification, because it is the power unto salvation (Rom. 1:16) in that it saves us from the penalty of sin. But the gospel is also the power unto salvation for the believer as well, as it also saves from the power of sin. As Tullian says, "We are not justified by the gospel then sanctified by obedience, but the gospel is the way we grow (Gal.3:1-3) and are renewed (Col.1:6)."
What the church needs more than anything these days is not more seeker-sensitive worship styles nor more contemporary music. What the church needs is the gospel, delivered via expository (rather than topical) preaching of God's word.
The sermon series I listened to is called, "Jesus plus nothing equals everything." I highly recommend it (you can download it or listen online for free at the link in the previous sentence).
I have been listening to a sermon series by Tullian Tchividjian of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida the last few weeks. Pastor Tullian (who I've cited here several times before, here, here, here, and here) does a good job explaining exactly why the gospel is important in the church-
"One of the most important discoveries of my life has been that the Gospel is not just for non-Christians; it’s for Christians too. I used to think the Gospel was simply what non-Christians must believe in to be saved, while afterward we advance to deeper theological waters. But what I’ve come to understand is that once God saves us he doesn’t then move us beyond the Gospel. Rather he moves us deeper into the Gospel. The Gospel, in other words, is every bit as important for growing as a Christian as it is for becoming a Christian in the first place. The Gospel is the fuel that makes Christians go."
In one of the sermons, Tullian uses this analogy to make the point- A new believer is a bit like a new sailboat owner. He (or she) buys the boat, gets all the right equipment on board, takes lessons on how to operate the sailboat, studies the wind and current patterns, and all the other stuff necessary to safely and effectively operate a sailboat. Then the owner hops in the boat and promptly goes nowhere. The sails are hanging limp, and the boat does not move. What's missing? The wind is missing!
The gospel, says Tullian, is the fuel that makes Christians go. It is the wind that is missing in the sails to make the boat go. He points out Col. 1:6 as an example of the gospel being center for the Christian's growth. It goes back to Tullian's major point that every gospel command (imperative) is grounded in, or surrounded by, gospel proclamations (indicative). Even with all the right training and head knowledge about missions, or teaching Sunday School, serving in the children's ministry, serving the homeless, etc., without the gospel, the ministry is really pointless.
The gospel is critical to the unbeliever in justification, because it is the power unto salvation (Rom. 1:16) in that it saves us from the penalty of sin. But the gospel is also the power unto salvation for the believer as well, as it also saves from the power of sin. As Tullian says, "We are not justified by the gospel then sanctified by obedience, but the gospel is the way we grow (Gal.3:1-3) and are renewed (Col.1:6)."
What the church needs more than anything these days is not more seeker-sensitive worship styles nor more contemporary music. What the church needs is the gospel, delivered via expository (rather than topical) preaching of God's word.
The sermon series I listened to is called, "Jesus plus nothing equals everything." I highly recommend it (you can download it or listen online for free at the link in the previous sentence).
23 August 2010
Chronological Snobbery (and How to Fix It)
I remember the day, though not the date, when I heard my church was going to break into 'traditional' and 'contemporary' worship services. I was a member of a vibrant, growing church in the St. Louis area at the time, and was serving as a deacon. The change was announced to us at a deacons' meeting. I remember feeling that something wasn't quite right, but I was still a fairly young Christian at the time (at least, I was immature in my faith) and I didn't want to make waves, so I didn't ask any questions.
Boy were my gut feelings right.
The gospel-focused experts now call this divided approach to congregations, 'Chronological Snobbery'. Tullian Tchividjian (who I've blogged about before) posted a fascinating blog on this topic today. He says about his church, "For many years Coral Ridge had two very distinct worship services–one contemporary and one traditional. The result was the unintentional development of two different churches under one roof. It wasn’t healthy."
In every church I've been a part of that had divided the congregation by musical preference (age, in fact), I've seen the same signs of unhealthiness. (In fact, none of the churches I've joined since that first one have had anything other than this same chronological issue.) I've learned to call it 'age segregation' because the word 'snobbery' is insulting to people even when it is deserved, and even though it is a C. S. Lewis term. The age segregation causes a loss for both young and old, but most especially for the young. We are clearly instructed in scripture to ensure that the young and old are integrated in our churches (see Titus 2:3-5 for example). We throw this out when we age-segregate our congregations.
We also deny the power of the gospel when we do this. Tullian continues, "You see, when we separate people according to something as trivial as musical preferences, we evidence a fundamental failure to comprehend the heart of the gospel. We’re not only feeding toxic tribalism; we’re also saying the gospel can’t successfully bring these two different groups together. It’s a declaration of doubt about the unifying power of God’s gospel. Generational appeal in worship is an admission that the gospel is powerless to join together what man has separated."
Why would we as a church want to make such a powerful anti-gospel statement by feeding our own desires about music style? To avoid the chronological snobbery, we should look both ways, backwards, to the past to see the shoulders on which we stand, and around us now, to see the value in contemporary ways to worship and glorify God, so we can all as one look forward to the hope that is ours in Christ. We need to take the best of the old, the best of the new, and continue to worship and glorify God together as we proclaim the gospel to the nations; and we certainly need to not neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some, but to encourage each other, across all age groups (and any other false division we can think of), all the more as we see the Day approaching (Heb 10:24-25).
I encourage you to go read Tullian's blog in full.
Boy were my gut feelings right.
The gospel-focused experts now call this divided approach to congregations, 'Chronological Snobbery'. Tullian Tchividjian (who I've blogged about before) posted a fascinating blog on this topic today. He says about his church, "For many years Coral Ridge had two very distinct worship services–one contemporary and one traditional. The result was the unintentional development of two different churches under one roof. It wasn’t healthy."
In every church I've been a part of that had divided the congregation by musical preference (age, in fact), I've seen the same signs of unhealthiness. (In fact, none of the churches I've joined since that first one have had anything other than this same chronological issue.) I've learned to call it 'age segregation' because the word 'snobbery' is insulting to people even when it is deserved, and even though it is a C. S. Lewis term. The age segregation causes a loss for both young and old, but most especially for the young. We are clearly instructed in scripture to ensure that the young and old are integrated in our churches (see Titus 2:3-5 for example). We throw this out when we age-segregate our congregations.
We also deny the power of the gospel when we do this. Tullian continues, "You see, when we separate people according to something as trivial as musical preferences, we evidence a fundamental failure to comprehend the heart of the gospel. We’re not only feeding toxic tribalism; we’re also saying the gospel can’t successfully bring these two different groups together. It’s a declaration of doubt about the unifying power of God’s gospel. Generational appeal in worship is an admission that the gospel is powerless to join together what man has separated."
Why would we as a church want to make such a powerful anti-gospel statement by feeding our own desires about music style? To avoid the chronological snobbery, we should look both ways, backwards, to the past to see the shoulders on which we stand, and around us now, to see the value in contemporary ways to worship and glorify God, so we can all as one look forward to the hope that is ours in Christ. We need to take the best of the old, the best of the new, and continue to worship and glorify God together as we proclaim the gospel to the nations; and we certainly need to not neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some, but to encourage each other, across all age groups (and any other false division we can think of), all the more as we see the Day approaching (Heb 10:24-25).
I encourage you to go read Tullian's blog in full.
22 June 2010
Why 'Contemporary' as a Criterion is Not Helpful
"Why are there not signs outside churches that read: “Theologically Significant Worship,” or “Worship Appropriate to a Meeting between God and His Assembled People,” or “Worship That Is Literarily Apt and Thoughtful”? Why do the signs say “Contemporary Worship,” as though that criterion were itself worthy of promoting?"
That quote comes from the introduction to, "Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns" by T. David Gordon (can be found HERE).
It is an interesting thought...we put the term 'contemporary' on a lot of things without regard to what it means, and more importantly, what it doesn't mean. It's not just our music either. Historically, we used quite a few criteria for selecting our hymns, and in the same vein, our worship content. Gordon submits these criteria as historically important to the church-
> theologically orthodox lyrics
> theologically significant lyrics
> literarily apt and thoughful lyrics
> lyrics and music appropriate to a meeting between God and his people
> well-written music with regard to melody, harmony, rhythm, and form
> musical setting appropriate to the literary form
Then he says, appropriately, that only an arrogant generation could imagine that it could possibly replace and surpass (and render obsolete) all previous hymns with a new body of music. I agree.
We should seek to evaluate the worth of our music not with the label of 'new' or 'old' but with the consideration that it is gospel-centered and appropriate to the meeting of God and his people. Some contemporary music does these things well (consider, "In Christ Alone" for example). Some traditional music does not (consider, "The Savior is Waiting" as a classic example of B.A.D. traditional music). Even the idea of mixing contemporary music with traditional music (the so-called blended worship style) is a bad idea of the content is wishy-washy and not gospel-focused and God-glorifying (and yes, I have a problem with singing 'Jesus is your boyfriend' songs in worship...it is not God-glorifying but rather self-glorifying).
If you want to hear some good stuff, go HERE and listen to some samples of the T4G 08 conference music. I bought the CD, and I love it, along with my kids. That's how a worship service should sound.
That quote comes from the introduction to, "Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns" by T. David Gordon (can be found HERE).
It is an interesting thought...we put the term 'contemporary' on a lot of things without regard to what it means, and more importantly, what it doesn't mean. It's not just our music either. Historically, we used quite a few criteria for selecting our hymns, and in the same vein, our worship content. Gordon submits these criteria as historically important to the church-
> theologically orthodox lyrics
> theologically significant lyrics
> literarily apt and thoughful lyrics
> lyrics and music appropriate to a meeting between God and his people
> well-written music with regard to melody, harmony, rhythm, and form
> musical setting appropriate to the literary form
Then he says, appropriately, that only an arrogant generation could imagine that it could possibly replace and surpass (and render obsolete) all previous hymns with a new body of music. I agree.
We should seek to evaluate the worth of our music not with the label of 'new' or 'old' but with the consideration that it is gospel-centered and appropriate to the meeting of God and his people. Some contemporary music does these things well (consider, "In Christ Alone" for example). Some traditional music does not (consider, "The Savior is Waiting" as a classic example of B.A.D. traditional music). Even the idea of mixing contemporary music with traditional music (the so-called blended worship style) is a bad idea of the content is wishy-washy and not gospel-focused and God-glorifying (and yes, I have a problem with singing 'Jesus is your boyfriend' songs in worship...it is not God-glorifying but rather self-glorifying).
If you want to hear some good stuff, go HERE and listen to some samples of the T4G 08 conference music. I bought the CD, and I love it, along with my kids. That's how a worship service should sound.
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