On Worship
Though we are 2,000 years past the founding of the New Testament church, we are seemingly still confused about how we ought to worship God. There are many competing philosophies of worship, many disagreements about everything from its purpose to its God-ordained elements and methods. We know we must worship, but we so often don’t know how.
It is for this reason that we continue to see so many new books on the subject and for this reason that we need to. This includes, most recently, H.B. Charles Jr.’s On Worship: A Short Guide to Understanding, Participating in, and Leading Corporate Worship. He confesses that, though he has previously written on preaching and pastoring, he found it surprisingly difficult to write on worship. “I believe I have a biblical philosophy of these [other] ministry subjects. After more than thirty years of experience in pastoring a church and preaching each week, I feel comfortable writing about those subjects. Who, truly, is competent to write about worship? And if writers feel confident that worship is a subject they have thoroughly mastered, should we be reading what they think?”
Though he does not claim to have thoroughly mastered the subject of worship, he has made a long and careful study of the matter and over many years of leading a church has attempted to refine his convictions along Reformed, Protestant lines. The result is On Worship which “is not a theological treatise, biblical study, or comprehensive handbook on worship.” Neither is it meant to be. It is instead “more like a compass than a road map” that “seeks to point you in the right direction.”
The book is comprised of thirty chapters that fall into three parts. The chapters are deliberately short and are not always entirely thematically sequential—perhaps a bit more like essays or blog posts that could be read in any order rather than having to be read one after the other.
The first section is dedicated to understanding worship not just as a brief time on Sunday mornings but as a whole-life pursuit that is meant to be the priority of every Christian. Worship that honors God depends upon worshipping in the ways he instructs us to, acknowledging his supremacy, depending upon his Word, and being filled with his Spirit. It requires us to be bound to the local church, to faithfully steward our entire lives, and to live with joy and generosity.
The second section is for those who participate in worship (which is to say, for every Christian). All Christians are to be committed to participating in public, corporate worship and all Christians are to carefully prepare themselves for such worship. The gathered church is to read the Word and pray together, to sing and to “amen,” to exercise their gifts and so build up and encourage one another and in that way to carry out the work of the ministry.
The third section is for those who are involved in leading worship. Here Charles writes about specific elements of a service like a call to worship and leading singing. He discusses the importance of racial diversity in the church and the ways churches can honor and integrate young people. He points out that in a society in which biblical knowledge is waning, we must explain everything and take for granted nothing.
In the end, the three sections and thirty chapters lead to a well-rounded and biblically-faithful understanding of why and how God calls us to worship him. It leaves room for different Christians to worship in ways consistent with their traditions and culture, yet also calls us to ensure that, no matter what, our worship is “shaped and governed by the Word of God. Sacred Scripture should be foundational to all that happens in our public and corporate worship assemblies. Beyond the foundation, however, God’s Word should explicitly structure our worship lives—privately and publicly.”
As is the case with all of Charles’ books, On Worship is filled with instructive quotes and punchy one-liners. It leans upon other useful worship resources and amplifies the voices of other helpful authors. His hope, he says, is to lift the reader’s gaze “beyond mundane, secondary, and worldly thoughts to the ultimate goals of true worship.” And that is a hope he realizes well. This is a book that will benefit every Christian, for whether or not we have been called to take a leadership role in worship, it most certainly falls to each one of us to understand it and participate in it.
-
Free Stuff Fridays (Ligonier Ministries)
This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, who also sponsored the blog this week.
Sometimes one word is all that stands between the truth and a lie, between life and death. In the Reformation, that word was sola, “alone.” Ligonier Ministries is offering the ebook edition of The Heart of the Reformation as a free download for Challies readers. With this 90-day devotional on the five solas, spend time reflecting on core biblical truths that display the reliability of God’s Word and the depths of His mercy. Ten Free Stuff Friday winners will receive the paperback edition.
Learn more about the book here.To Enter
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. When you enter, you agree to be placed on Ligonier Ministries’ email list. The winner will be notified by email. The giveaway closes on November 10, 2023. -
The Snows, The Deep Snows, the Awful Snows
You do not need to extensively in Christian history or Christian biography to spot the connection between sorrow and sanctification. Though it is certainly not always the case, very often the people who are particularly used by the Lord are the same people who endure suffering. De Witt Talmage makes this point well in a quote from one of his sermons.
Call the roll of all the eminently pious of all the ages and you will find them the sons and daughters of sorrow. The Maronites say that one characteristic of the cedar tree is that when the air is full of snow, and it begins to descend, the tree lifts its branches in a way better to receive the snow and bear up under it, and I know by much observation that the grandest cedars of Christian character lift higher their branches toward God, when the snows of trouble are coming. Lord Nelson’s coffin was made out of the masts of the ship L’Orient, in which he had fought so bravely, and your throne in heaven, oh, suffering child of God, will be built out of conquered earthly disasters.
What gave John Bunyan such a wondrous dream of the celestial city? The Bedford penitentiary.
What gave Richard Baxter such power to tell of The Saints’ Everlasting Rest, and give his immortal Call to the Unconverted? Physical disease which racked every nerve of his body.
What made George Whitefield so mighty in saving souls, bringing ten thousand to God when others brought a hundred? Persecution that caricatured and assailed him all up and down England, and dead vermin thrown in his face when he was preaching.
What mellowed and glorified Wilberforce’s Christian character? A financial misfortune that led him to write: “I know not why my life is spared so long, except it be to show that a man can be as happy without a fortune as with one.”
What gave John Milton such deep spiritual eyesight that he could see the battle of angels? Extinguishment of physical eyesight.
What is the highest observatory for studying the stars of hope and faith and spiritual promise? The believer’s sick-bed.
What proclaims the richest and most golden harvests that wave on all the hills of heavenly rapture? The snows, the deep snows, the awful snows of earthly calamity. And that thought is one of the treasures of the snow. -
Weekend A La Carte (November 18)
My thanks goes to Mitch Maher for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about Clarifying the Bible & Clarifying The Apostle Paul. Both are tremendous resources.
Today’s Kindle deals include Thomas Schreiner’s excellent title on the spiritual gifts as well as several other good books and commentaries. I also added a list of historical and general market titles that caught my eye.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Truth About Lies)
I’m Adopted
Malinda shares a sweet and vulnerable article on her adoption. “I still struggle with depressive cycles. At times, I still feel unwanted, unloved and discardable. At times, I’m triggered by events and people in my present that reinforce the trauma of my past. And yet, God is faithful. He continues to reveal places of hurt and anguish and there’s still weeping. But there’s also rejoicing. I’ve even come to the place of being able to rejoice in my earthly adoption—looking at it beyond “being lucky.” In the process of learning to see my earthly adoption as a gift, I’ve learned a few things.”
G. K. Beale on the Expected Universalization of the Old Testament Land Promises
TGC has a clarifying trio of articles here. “On the one-month anniversary of the war between Hamas and Israel, we asked three senior evangelical statesmen—G. K. Beale, Darrell Bock, and Gerald McDermott—to explain the depths of this biblical relationship between Israel and the land and to consider whether it continues to be relevant to the church in our time.” You can read the other entries here: Darrell Bock | Gerald McDermott
What Does John 10:10 Mean?
“Jesus’ mission statement in John 10:10 states, ‘I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ If your interpretation of ‘abundantly’ doesn’t go beyond fine dining, designer clothes, or a luxury car, then you are missing His point.” Tyler Kenney explains.
Peace Near the End of the Road
Andy writes very movingly about his wife’s final days. “Robyn’s disease has progressed significantly. She sleeps most of the day now. When she is awake she has very little energy. We have had to stop all visits as it’s been just too much for her. We don’t know how much longer she will be with us.”
Natural Landscape Photo Awards
There are some tremendously beautiful photos to admire in this list of competition winners.
Work Hard To Be Encouraged
“‘What’d you think of that sermon?’ An innocent question with zero ill intent, but one I’m trying to avoid.” It’s worth reading Jacob’s reasoning.
Flashback: Set Loose in a Mud Pit
When your heart is at peace, so too can be your hands, your feet, and your mouth. In times of difficulty, then, display in your outward demeanor the peace that rules within.God sometimes drives a very straight nail with a very poor hammer. —De Witt Talmage
