What the church needs is to have faith that worship, as God has given it to us, is reverent enough and relevant enough to make lasting change in our world and in our own lives. Rather than going and digging newer, shallower wells to satisfy our spiritual thirsts, perhaps what we need to do is delve deeper in that deep well of refreshing biblical worship that God has dug for us already. Our Lord, in His incredible kindness, has given us a means of spiritual satisfaction that doesn’t require us to go to wild extremes.

In the 21st century evangelical landscape, there are two opposing errors concerning worship that grow out of the same root problem. One error is the attempt to be hyper-relevant. Those who succumb to this temptation seek a worship “experience” tailored to the fads of the day. They will be greeted by a charismatic speaker in casual dress who will inspire them with a non-threatening talk that is chockfull of personal anecdotes (and virtually devoid of any mention of sin, faith, or repentance). Following this, the lights will dim, as emotive music blankets the room with lyrics that speak more of a person’s experience of God than of God himself. This, as Charles Spurgeon once said, is simply “amusing goats,” which inevitably distracts from the church’s feeding of Christ’s sheep (John 21:17).
Standing opposite of this is the equally erroneous attempt to be hyper-reverent. Ordinarily, those who flock to these churches are fleeing the vapidity of “relevant” churches and looking for something more. They yearn for something serious, historic, even counter-cultural. When they walk through the doors, they are immediately taken by the sounds and smells, the ornate clerical vestments, and the (perceived) antiquity of the many rites, ceremonies, and feast days observed by the church.
On the surface, these two approaches to worship look very different, yet the reason for gravitating to either is usually the same. Fundamentally, what the searcher is longing for is something extraordinary, an escape from the suffocating ordinariness of their everyday lives. Only once they find that missing piece will they be able to experience the vital and vibrant Christianity that has evaded them thus far.
Relevant Reverence
Those who visit my own church might suspect that we lean to the side of hyper-reverence. After all, we sing out of the Red Trinity Hymnal, recite creeds, and I have even been known to quote a Puritan or two. But I often explain that our intention is to occupy the perfect middle. Why? Because true reverence is perennially relevant.
That which is new, exciting, and different today will become old, stale, and commonplace within a decade (if that long). Cold, hollow ritualism will produce cold, hollow Christians at best. Spurgeon said that a baby is content to play with a rattle for a time, but when the pangs of hunger seize its belly nothing less than its mother’s milk will satisfy. The same is true of Christian worship. Instead of offering our preferred rattle in Lord’s Day worship, the church must serve a substantial meal that will truly satisfy the spiritual hunger of those gathered.
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Numbers also reminds us of the pervasiveness of sin and our need for a savior. It can be frustrating to read a book like Numbers because we just want the people to behave and the heroes to act like heroes. But they often do not. The only consistent hero in Numbers is Yahweh, God himself. Everyone else fails or shows themselves to be flawed. How we need to come to God in humility, asking for grace to live in God’s world without making a fool of ourselves! Numbers helps us in these ways and many more. 

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, [24] The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” – Numbers 6:22–27 (ESV)
The worst thing about the Book of Numbers is its name. Those who expect a divine spreadsheet will be disappointed because the book contains much more than that. Numbers contains stories of plagues, miracles, espionage, political intrigue, divination, war, talking animals, and angels. And that is only a start. Far from being a book devoted to lists of names and tabulations, Numbers continues the story of the people of Israel’s exodus from Egypt and narrates the rest of Israel’s time in the wilderness.
This series continues to work through the books of the Bible, landing now at Numbers. An unsuspecting reader coming off of Exodus may expect Numbers to be a generally happy book, narrating how the people of Israel followed the freshly revealed glory of Yahweh into the Promised Land. But Numbers does not do that. Instead, we find in Numbers the story of how an entire generation failed to enter the Promised Land because of disobedience.
The Big Idea of Numbers
I have taught that the big idea of Numbers is that Yahweh is his people’s guide to the promised land. Although the passage cited above does not explicitly address Yahweh’s guidance of the people, it does address his intention and disposition toward his people. It also addresses Yahweh’s guidance and leadership of the people as a whole as he directs their way to Canaan.
The blessing Yahweh commanded the priests to pronounce upon the people represents a distillation of the hope of God’s people at all times and in every place. There is no greater hope than to see the face of God. It is shorthand for the entire experience of being fully in communion with God.
An Outline of Numbers
Numbers can be divided into three main sections according to the people’s location. The story picks up where Exodus leaves off at Mount Sinai, then tracks the people in the wilderness while the first generation dies off, and ends with the journey to Moab as the next generation finally prepares to enter the Promised Land.
Chapters 1-10 cover less than a year’s worth of time while the people are getting organized and ready to depart Mount Sinai. In this section, the people are divided and arranged in camps to prepare for their move. More instructions are given to the priests and Levites with various jobs assigned and various offerings made. The time at Sinai ends with the people celebrating Passover and departing from Sinai under the direction of Yahweh.
Chapters 10-20 cover the people’s journey to and stay around Kadesh Barnea. This is a span of about 38 years. Many interesting things happen during these years. Yahweh strikes down many in a great plague after raining quail on them (ch. 11). Aaron and Miriam find themselves in trouble for questioning Moses’ leadership (ch. 12). Spies are sent into Canaan to scope it out, only to return and recommend that the people not try to take it.
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As Fall fades into Winter about 38 presbyteries have given their advice and consent concerning some or all of the twelve Items sent down from the 49th General Assembly (2022) in Birmingham, AL. To change the Book of Church Order, an amendment is run through a three-part process.
First, it must pass the General Assembly by a simple majority. Then, it must pass 2/3 of the 88 presbyteries, or 59, by a simple majority. Finally, it must pass the following General Assembly by a simple majority. This article reports on how the twelve Items are faring across the presbyteries of the PCA. These are unofficial results compiled from presbyters throughout the PCA; the official results will be published by the Stated Clerk’s office before the 50th General Assembly, which will meet in Memphis, TN.
Item 1 (Overture 15)
Item 1 was perhaps the most controversial overture to come out of the 49th General Assembly. This amendment was drafted to address the ongoing controversy in the PCA concerning the Revoice Movement. While Items 4 and 5 seek to do something similar, proponents of this amendment argue that it would put an end to the 5-year conversation concerning the nature of biblical sexuality. For those who support this amendment, it communicates a clear and simple rejection of any Side-B movement in the PCA. Opponents argue that this amendment is redundant (given the consensus behind Items 4 and 5) and that it could unduly jeopardize the witness of the PCA to the world. The amendment states:
BCO 7-4. Men who describe themselves as homosexual, even those who describe themselves as homosexual and claim to practice celibacy by refraining from homosexual conduct, are disqualified from holding office in the Presbyterian Church in America.
This amendment passed the Assembly by a vote of 1167-978 (54%-36%). Many wondered, after the Assembly, if Overture 15 would be “Dead on Arrival” to the presbyteries. This has not been the case. Overture 15 has exceeded expectations across the presbyteries. So much so, that it tracks well with last year’s vote on Overture 23. So far, 24 presbyteries have voted in favor and 12 presbyteries against it. Of the remaining 52 presbyteries, 35 or 67% of them must vote in the affirmative for it to be considered at the 50th General Assembly. Overture 15 did not die in the Fall and will be watched closely as presbyteries vote in their January-April meetings.
Item 4 and Item 5 (Overture 29 and Overture 31)
Items 4 (O29) and Item 5 (O31) were perhaps some of the least controversial amendments to pass last year’s Assembly and resemble a consensus regarding the issue of biblical sexuality in the PCA. Overture 29 states:
BCO 16-4. Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America must be above reproach in their walk and Christlike in their character. While office bearers will see spiritual perfection only in glory, they will continue in this life to confess and to mortify remaining sins in light of God’s work of progressive sanctification. Therefore, to be qualified for office, they must affirm the sinfulness of fallen desires, the reality and hope of progressive sanctification, and be committed to the pursuit of Spirit-empowered victory over their sinful temptations, inclinations, and actions.
Item 4 passed the assembly by a vote of 1922-200 (91%-9%) and Item 5 passed the Assembly in an omnibus vote of 2062-33 (98%-2%). These amendments have sailed through the presbyteries. So far, 36 presbyteries have voted in for item 4 and 1 presbytery is against it. Likewise, 36 presbyteries are for item 5 and 2 presbyteries are against it. Overall, the raw tallies reveal that these amendments are supported by over 90% of the Elders in the PCA. Given the present trajectories, Commissioners at the next General Assembly will likely have the opportunity to consider both Items 4 and 5 for final ratification.
Item 7 (Overture 8)
Item 7 is an amendment that seeks to fix a major issue in the Book of Church Order (BCO) concerninghow the General Assembly can assume original jurisdiction over a presbytery in a case of doctrinal or public scandal. Proponents of the amendment argue that this solution is far superior to the current language of BCO 33-1 and BCO 34-1. They reason that by changing the language from “fails to act” to “fails to indict” clarifies when the Assembly could assume original jurisdiction of a case. They also argue that by raising the number of presbyteries needed to require the GA to assume jurisdiction to 10%, and by placing the burden of the cost for the investigation on either the petitioning presbytery or presbytery of the minister, this would prevent the provision from being abused.
Some opponents argue that the 10% threshold is too high basically rendering the provision useless. Other opponents claim the threshold is too low resulting in overburdening the Standing Judicial Commission. However, all the opponents agree that amending BCO 33-1 would overburden small presbyteries, especially that with less than 10 churches; under the provision if amended only one Session would would be needed to require a presbytery to assume original jurisdiction over a case. Both proponents and opponents of this provision agree that BCO 34-1 is broken in its current state, but the solution is less clear than the problem. The amendment states:
BCO 33-1. Process against a church member shall be entered before the Session of the church to which such member belongs. However, if the Session does not indict in either doctrinal cases or instances of public scandal and the Sessions of at least ten percent (10%) of churches in the same Presbytery request the Presbytery of which the church is a member to assume original jurisdiction for a case of process, the Presbytery shall do so. The Presbytery may assess the costs thereof equitably among the parties, including the petitioning Sessions and the Session of the church member.
BCO 34-1. Process against a minister shall be entered before the Presbytery of which he is a member. However, if the Presbytery does not indict in either doctrinal cases or instances of public scandal and at least ten percent (10%) of Presbyteries request the General Assembly to assume original jurisdiction for a case of process, the General Assembly shall do so. The General Assembly may assess the costs thereof equitably among the parties, including the petitioning Presbyteries and the Presbytery of the minister.
Item 7 passed the Assembly by a vote of 1245-521 (70%-30%) and defeated a minority report. Since the Assembly, Overture 8 has struggled to maintain its momentum. So far, 20 presbyteries are for it and 15 presbyteries are against it. This amendment needs to pass in 39 of the remaining 53 presbyteries to be considered at the next General Assembly. While not impossible, this amendment faces a tough road ahead in the Winter and Spring.
The Remaining Items
The rest of the Items before the presbyteries have received little pushback. These Items (2-3; 6; 9-12) have been seemingly uncontroversial. While some presbyteries have voted against some of these amendments, they remain widely affirmed by the presbyteries that have voted thus far. Given the non-controversial nature of these amendments, the 50th General Assembly will likely consider these items for final ratification.
There are 55 presbyteries yet to consider some or all of the Items sent down from the 49th General Assembly. To follow these votes on these amendments this spreadsheet will be regularly updated.
Scott Edburg is a Minister in the PCA and is Assistant Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tuscumbia, Ala.
Map Credit: Steve O’Brien

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