So far I have written about the importance of prayer, singing, and Scripture in a worship service. Now I want to move on to the fourth element: the Lord’s Supper. But before I do that I want to mention the importance of baptism as well. Baptism is the first of two sacraments (also called ordinances), […]
Elements of Congregational Worship: Scripture
The third major element of congregational worship is the reading and teaching of Scripture. Scripture makes it clear that it is inspired by God (God-breathed) and is very useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. That way the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). And […]
Elements of Congregational Worship: Singing
Last time I wrote about the importance prayer in a worship service. Today I want to write about the second important element in congregational worship: singing. 2) Singing James Montgomery Boice observes, “There are many kinds of worship, just as there are many styles of music. But it is no accident that biblical worship, in […]
Elements of Congregational Worship: Prayer
In one of Paul’s recent blogs he answered the question, “What is the church.” If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to move on over there and check it out! In his post, he narrowed down the actions of the church to three broad categories… upward, inward, and outward. Upward relates to worshipping God, […]
What is the Church?
What is the Church and What is it Supposed to Do? There are a lot of churches and a lot of churches that do a lot of different things. So, first, and fundamentally, what is a church and what is it supposed to do biblically? What are the essentials? The “have to’s”? Until we understand […]
I am a Child of God
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” ~1 John 3:1 “In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has […]
Can I Call A Homosexual, Brother?
Ramblings on homosexuality and new identity in Christ… Biblically, homosexuality and (the less chastised and perhaps more prevalent) pornographic masturbation are sins. Christians, that are truly Christians, have their identity not in that they are a masturbator or homosexual but that they are in Christ. We were once many things; drug addicts, pornographic masturbators, homosexuals, […]
My Favorite Books of 2013
I once heard a pastor say, “Do you want know where you will be in five or ten years? Look at the books you are reading and the friends you hang out with.” I suppose that is a little simplistic, but it stuck with me all these years later. Books really do have some powerful […]
Breaking that habit
“Habits are not designed to be ‘broken’ as the world believes. Instead, according to God’s Truth, habits must be replaced. Poor habits must be and can be replaced by good habits. It is not sufficient for the cigarette smoker to simply ‘break the habit’ after ‘detoxing’ from the physical dependence of nicotine. You must replace […]
Ephesians 1:1-6
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ […]