Tag: Worship
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Thoughts of God
I appreciate Justin Taylor for causing me to consider two seeming conflicting perspectives from two 20th Century giants of the Christian faith: A.W. Tozer and C.S. Lewis: A. W. Tozer, from The Knowledge of the Holy: What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind…
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A Prayer for Christmas
All glory and honor to you, Living God. You made our world by your wisdom,and you sent your Wisdom into the world. You rule all things by your word,and you caused your Word to dwell among us. You filled heaven and earth with your glory,and you made the the very Radiance of your Glory to…
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Worship: The Center of Our Existence
“We worship God because God created us to worship him. Worship is at the center of our existence, at the heart of our reason for being. God created us to be his image – an image that would reflect his glory. In fact the whole creation was brought into existence to reflect divine glory. The…
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O Come All Ye Faithful: When Christmas Falls On Sunday
Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year. It happens every several years. Across the country churches are cancelling Sunday service; or, harkening back to the pandemic, some are pre-recording elements of a worship service to be consumed via streaming at the convenience of those who take the time to watch. (Is “watching” actually worshipping?…
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9 Reasons People Are Not Singing in Worship
Charles Spurgeon once quipped: “God is to be praised with the voice, and the heart should go therewith in holy exultation.” While Spurgeon is right, the problem is that in many congregations the people are not “praising God with the voice”. If the folks at Renewing Worship are to be believed, part of the reason is…
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Evangelistic Worship
by Tim Keller THE WORSHIP WARS One of the basic features of church life in the U.S. today is the proliferation of worship and music forms. This in turn has caused many severe conflicts both within individual congregations and whole denominations. Most books and articles about recent worship trends tend to fall into one of…
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Four Streams of Worship
Worship involves action and response. God’s Action: God graciously invites us into his presence. (Isaiah 55; Matthew 11.28) Our Response: We come reverently, aware of God’s holiness and significance; and we express humility by confessing our sins. (see Isaiah 6) God’s Action: God speaks the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation to us. Our Response: We…
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God-Centered Worship
by Robert Hartmann I recently listened to a preacher instructing other preachers on how to deliver God-centered sermons. The speaker pointed out that of the many things that people would like to hear in a sermon, and the many things that we think they should hear, a sermon is really achieving its purpose only when it…
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When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the one Nietzsche ridiculed as “God on the Cross.” In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples and stood…
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24 Tips for Preachers
My friend and once-upon-a-time informal mentor, Randy Nabors, has posted a score of tips for preachers on his blog, Randy’s Rag. I learned a lot from Randy just by hanging out and watching when I was a young pastor living and serving in the Chattanooga area. I post Randy’s Tips here because they are worthy…
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10 Principles for Worship
The highest calling and greatest privilege of all Christians is to love and worship God. In worship we encounter God with increasing awareness of who he is. In worship we together magnify God’s glory. The following are 10 principles, developed over a number of years, and influenced by a variety of sources, that not only express my philosophy of worship,…
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Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise
Surely one of the greatest problems of our times is that we have become so nonchalent about the Lord of the cosmos. Certainly if we were more immersed in God’s splendor we would find ourselves thoroughly “lost in wonder, love, and praise”. With all the amazing sights and sounds of our cyberspace world, however, many…
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There is a Fountain Filled With Blood
There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day; and there may I, though vile as he, wash all my…
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5 Songs for Good Friday
With Easter coming Sunday, the MOST Holy day on the Christian calendar, it is easy to overlook or undervalue Good Friday. But to do so deprives us of great opportunity to glory in the Cross. When I was a kid, I remember asking my mother one day: “Why do they call it Good Friday, if…
