Order of Worship, Sunday 08/17/08

Welcome/Call to Worship

Majestic
The Wonderful Cross

Corporate Prayer:

O Father of Jesus,
You have given us Your Son
and commanded that we believe on Him.
May we flee to no other refuge,
wash in no other fountain,
build on no other foundation,
receive from no other fullness
and rest in no other relief.
Amen.

Before the Throne of God Above
Praise the Name of Jesus

**Dismissal of Children 5 and under**

My Lord, I Did Not Choose You

Message: The Surpassing Value of Christ (Philippians 1:12-26)

Offering

Blessed Be Your Name
O Praise Him (All This For A King)

Benediction/Dismissal

Announcements/Welcome/Call to Worship

Christ the Solid Rock
Amazing Grace/Grace Like Rain

Congregational Reading: The Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

My Lord I Did Not Choose You
He Is Exalted

**Dismissal of Children 5 and under**

Grace Greater Than All Our Sin

Message: Paul’s Confidence & Ours (Philippians 1:6)

Offering

My Lord I Did Not Choose You (refrain)
Forever

Benediction/Dismissal

In light of yesterday’s post about personal preference in worship style, doctrine and choosing a church, Gunny posted this video the other day that I just couldn’t help but pass along. I have not been this appalled in a LONG time:

Planting churches forces us to consider some issues we might not otherwise dwell on. For example, how much of what we look for in a church is truly biblical and how much is just personal preference, and how much personal preference is acceptable? After all, every church isn’t for everyone, so isn’t it fine for us to just admit that, on some level, we make these choices based on preference?

If you’ve been involved in “church life” for any extended period of time, you surely know that people are not casual about their preferences. We’ve all heard the horror stories of churches splitting over the color of carpet. Some of you may have actually lived through that. Yet most of us are willing to overlook matters like the color of the carpet, but don’t you dare sing too many “contemporary” songs, or “traditional hymns,” depending on which side of the argument you come from.

One of the things that breaks my heart in this discussion is that, for a good many people, the more theologically informed we become, the more picky we become, when I’ve come to believe it should be exactly the opposite. For many people, the more theology they understand and become convicted of, and as they begin to formulate positions, many of those positions become boundary markers of what their idea of church should be when in reality, there are godly men and women on the other side of that theological conviction who just as strongly believe otherwise. In other words, many of our theological convictions are simply strongly held personal preferences, just (hopefully), with Scriptural backing.

And yet, shouldn’t it be the case that as we become more theologically secure in our own positions that we understand that, for most of them, it truly is believers that we disagree with? As we become convinced of certain positions, should be picture of The Church become bigger instead of smaller. Yes, there are doctrines worth excluding over. If you don’t believe in the Trinity, you are not a Christian. If you believe baptism saves you, etc. But let’s be honest, for most of us, these are not the kinds of issues we are leaving or joining churches over.

Don’t get me wrong. I love to study theology as much as the next guy, but I worry that we are all so convinced that we are right that, soon, everyone else is wrong. All of the sudden, I’m no longer free to worship with brothers and sisters with differing opinions because its my duty to show them the error of their theological ways. Many of our theological convictions, as important as they are (and we should all have them), become dividing walls rather than tapestry threads. What I mean is that we take many theological convictions which are not essential, either to the faith or the church, and we use them to exclude people who are most likely believers while we could be coming together over the essentials, weaving together these various positions. The result is that the church often resembles a maze more than it does a beautifully woven tapestry.

I’m not saying we should be B’hai or Unitarian and that every believe is fine and dandy and that they’re all equal or part of the same belief. But should our view of the end-times really be used to exclude others (please note, I view the “Dispensationalism vs. Covenantal” discussion as being about much more than just the end-times and even then I worry we divide more than necessary)? Can we really not worship if a song was written after a particular year? Am I naïve to think that we truly can have unity in what is essential, liberty in what is non-essential and in all things charity? When is being “picky” no longer just being theologically careful but prideful? If the Gospel is faithfully and accurately being preached, if there is biblical polity (church structure; i.e., elders, deacons) and practice (of the sacraments, membership, discipline, etc.), is music style really a deciding factor? I thought we were supposed to consider others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4), not as potential converts for our preferences.

Just in case anyone starts to wonder who I’m writing about, I’m primarily targeting myself and the initial group at Church of the Cross. It’s only natural that a brand new church will take on some of the “preferences” of the planter and the initial members. And its also only natural that some people will visit, wanting to push their own preferences on to a new work. As a planter, I must prayerfully find that place of balance between standing firm for implementing the vision of this local church that God has given me and not pushing my own personal preferences too strongly. I must be comfortable, and even joyful when this new work takes on shades and hues that I had perhaps not initially intentioned, because, after all, it’s not my church but God’s. I am called to be a faithful under-shepherd to the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-4). After all, it’s Christ that I’ll have to answer to, especially for pursuing my own preferences. May I be found faithful.

• Read J.L. Dagg’s Manual of Church Order online
• Read Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever
• Read Brothers, We Are Not Professionals by John Piper
• Read The Church by Edmund Clowney

I don’t often post the texts from sermons, especially my own. They’re quite often too long and just don’t work at blog posts. However, I wanted to share with you the basic structure of a sermon I’ve preached twice now, creatively titled: “It’s All About Jesus.” Please forgive the length. Trust me, it works better as a sermon (at least I hope it does!):

Apparently, there’s a huge market of books for idiots and dummies. I’m not being mean, that’s what they’re called! I’m sure you’ve seen them: you take something technical and you put it in normal people terms. There’s a couple of ways to evaluate this: 1) lament the continued dumbing down of America, arguing American culture appeals to the lowest common denominator. Some point here to so-called study aids like Cliffs Notes that enable students to get by without actually reading a book!

But another way to evaluate this is a bit more positive: some things are honestly difficult to understand, especially if you’re not trained in certain jargon and technical terms and the people reading the for “idiots” and “dummies” seem to really be trying to understand an otherwise a difficult concept.

Either way, these books seek to take difficult and complex topics and boil them down, much like Cliff’s Notes do for works of literature. They center in on the main themes and characters in a way the “average” reader might otherwise miss. These books tend to draw from scholarly consensus and then distill that into palatable forms. But what if there is no scholarly consensus for a work?

The Bible is the most widely translated and best-selling book of all time. It is part of the cultural literacy of our world. Allusions to it appear in many of our favoriate movies, songs and works of literature. Polls continue to show that Americans generally say they believe the Bible, but it is rare if not impossible to find consensus about what the Bible actually says, much less what it means. It is rarer still to find people whose lives are demonstrably different because of the Bible. And the truth is that the Bible is probably more purchased than actually read. Mark Dever, citing pollster George Gallup:

Americans revere the Bible, but they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates. Four Americans in five believe the Bible is the literal or inspired Word of God, and yet only 4 in 10 could tell you that it was Jesus who gave the Sermon on the Mount and fewer than that can name the Four Gospels . . . The cycle of biblical illiteracy seems likely to continue – today’s teenagers know even less about the Bible than do adults. The celebration of Easter . . . is central to the faith, yet 3 teenagers in 10 – 30% of regular churchgoing teens – do not even know why Easter is celebrated.

So is there any way to know what the Bible is all about, especially when so few people actually read it and the ones who do don’t agree on a central theme? The Bible is made up of 66 different books written by around 40 different authors over 1,500 years. And yet, there is indeed an overarching theme, message and character to this collection; a theme that make is more than a collection but a coherent whole. At least this seems to be what Jesus Himself taught on at least two separate occasions:

John 5:39-40: You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Luke 24:25-27: And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Do you see the power of what Jesus is saying: the Bible, the whole Bible, Jesus says, is about Him. He tells the Pharisees, the religious leaders of His day that they don’t even understand how to read their Bibles (this would have just about the entire OT as we now it) because they refuse to see that they are all about Jesus. Then, after His resurrection, Jesus interprets for the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus just how it is that the OT is about Him. Jesus says the Bible is about Him. But how can this be? How can Jesus say that the whole Bible is about Him? Is He exaggerating? No, he’s not. The Bible opens telling us that In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. John 1 not only tells us that Jesus was there:

John 1:3: All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Colossians 1:16 says that all things were created through him and for him. The Bible begins with Jesus and ends with Jesus:

Revelation 22:20-21: He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

From the beginning to end, the Bible is about Jesus. This is perhaps a bit easier for us to accept when we’re considering the NT. We can see how the NT is about Jesus. After all, it begins with four different accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry that we call the Gospels. That sets the stage for everything else. But how can I say that the entire Bible, including the OT is about Jesus?

1) The Bible is About Jesus
Jesus in the OT

1) Prophetic Promises
i. Though bruised on the heel, Jesus crushed the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15)
ii. Jesus established the eternal throne of David (2 Samuel 7)
iii. Jesus fulfilled the Promised New Covenant in His blood (Jeremiah 31)
2) Christophonies
a. Jesus walks with Abraham
b. Jesus wrestles with Jacob
c. Jesus appeared to Moses
d. Jesus joined Daniel, Rack, Shack and Benny
e. Jesus called Isaiah into ministry (John 12:41)
f. THE Angel of the Lord in the OT
3) Types
a. Events, people, institutions that foreshadow Jesus
i. Jesus is the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45)
ii. Jesus is the prophet, priest, king
iii. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice (1 Cor 5:9, etc.)
iv. The temple, the presence of God on earth (John 1) – 1 Peter 5
There are “Like Ministries” that point to Jesus
b. Unlike the first Adam, Jesus is the last Adam who passed His test in the Garden
c. Jesus is the true and better Abel who, although He was innocent, was slain and whose blood cries out for acquittal
d. Jesus is the true and better Abraham, leaving His father’s home
e. Jesus is the true and better Isaac, carrying His own wood and laying down His own life to be sacrificed at the hand of His father
f. Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled with God in Gethsemane, and, though wounded and limping, walked away from his grave blessed
g. Jesus is the true and better Joseph who serves at the right hand of the king, extending forgiveness and provision to those who have betrayed Him, using His power to save us and bring reconciliation
h. Jesus is the true and better Moses, standing as a mediator between God and us bringing us the New Covenant
i. Jesus is the true and better Job, though innocent, suffered and was tormented by the devil so that God might be glorified while His dumb friends are of no encouragement or help
j. Jesus is the true and better David, slaying our giants of sin, satan and death, although in the eyes of this world, He was sure to face a crushing defeat at their hands
k. Jesus is the true and better Jonah, spending three days in the grave to save a multitude greater than Nineveh
l. Jesus is the true and better Boaz, redeeming his kinsmen, bringing them into community with God
m. Jesus is the true and better Nehemiah, who is building for us the New Jerusalem as our eternal home
n. Jesus is the true and better Hosea, marrying an unfaithful and whoring wife that He continues to pursue and love
4) Jesus is seen in OT events
a. In the Exodus, God liberates His people crushing His enemies
b. The Passover – unless you were covered by blood
c. The Day of Atonement – propitiation AND expiation (scapegoat)
i. Jesus cleanses from all unrighteousness
5) Titles for God
a. Daniel 7 – Son of Man – favorite title of self 80x
b. He is the suffering servant of Isaiah 53
c. The first and the last, the light, the rock, bridegroom, shepherd, redeemer, savior, Lord of glory

But let’s be clear, by saying that all of these things are ultimately about Jesus, we are not saying that they weren’t real, that they didn’t really happen, that these people didn’t really exist and these events take place. What we are saying is that God infused them with a deeper significance and used them to teach His people about Christ; Who is He is and what He came to do. Jesus is the interpretive key to understanding all of Scripture.

2) Everything is About Jesus

Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

He is before all things. He is chronologically before, He is preeminent, He is above, He is more important, He is more valuable; He is the pearl of great price. The is the source and the goal of all life, such that Paul can say:

1Corinthians 2:2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

In the NT, about 12 times, Paul says: “I want to remind you of something . . . “ Every time, he reminds them about Jesus – sometimes we forget.

Artist, He is the Altogether Lovely One
Builder, He is the Chief Cornerstone
Chef, He is the Bread of Life
Doctor, He is the Great Physician
Educator, He is the Master Teacher
Florist, He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley
Geologist, He is the Rock of Ages
Horticulturist, He is the True Vine
Intellectual, He is the Wisdom of God
Jeweler, he is the Head of the Church, the Pearl of Great Price
King, He is the Prince of Peace
Lawyer, He is the Judge of all the Earth
Manufacturer, He is the Creator of All things
Newsman, He is the Glad Tidings of Great Joy
Oculist, He is the Light of the World
Philanthropist, He is the Gift of God
Queen, He is the King of Kings
Rabbi, He is the Messiah
Scholar, He is the Truth
Theologian, He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith
Undertaker, He is the Resurrection and the Life
Visionary, He is the Revelation of God
Waiter, He is the One Who Came to Serve, Not to Be Served
X-Ray Technician, he is the Word of God Before Whom All Things Are Open and Naked
Youth, He is the Life
Zealot, He is the One Worthy of Presenting Your Body to as a Living Sacrifice

———————————————–
NOTE: the list of “like ministries” was adapted from Tim Keller and the “alphabet of praise” comes from Randy Patten.

If you were unable to attend, are interested or were there and can’t remember, here is the 07/27/08 order of worship:

Welcome/Call to Worship/Prayer
Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:15-20

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Come Lord Jesus Refrain
Not To Us
Nothing But the Blood
Jesus Paid It All
Message: “It’s All About Jesus” (selected texts)
You Are Jesus
Agnus Dei
Doxology

Benediction/Dismissal

As you know if you drop by here even only on occasion, I love music of all kinds. I used to love going to see/hear live music as well but having a family does a curious thing to your priorities (or at least it should); it changes them. I don’t get out to many concerts anymore and I’m actually quite OK with that. But Kristi and I like to try to expose the boys to new things, including live music so once in a while we take them to concerts This past Friday night, we took them to see the band Ever Stays Red.

It was not a large venue, nor was it terribly crowded. But there were enough people there that my “parent senses” kicked in and I kept a close watch on the boys, while letting them wander a bit, especially Miles, our oldest. Though we gave him some freedom to make his way all the way up to the stage and go sit down by himself, I had a close watch on him the entire time. I tracked his every move, making sure he was safe, didn’t have go to the bathroom, all those types of things. In short, I was watching out for him.

It was interesting to watch because, though he did wander a bit, once in a while, I would catch him peeking back to where Kristi and I were standing, just to get his bearings and make sure he was still being watched. As long as he could see us, he had a sense of security to expand his horizons a bit. Once, I even caught him walking backwards a bit, around some people to catch a glimpse of us.

All the while, we had the three youngest right by us. Owen, our second son actually sat down at my feet next to Eli, our youngest. But Owen sat quite close, somethings actually sitting on my foot, just at the tip, so that he could feel it and know that it was there, sometimes putting his hand on the top of my foot as he leaned back. Carson, our third boy, would sometimes stand and look around a bit, but after a bit of this, he would look up and simply raise his arms. He didn’t have to ask, and I probably could not have heard him above the music. It was simply understood; he had no questions: I would pick him up and hold him close.

Having children is one of the most sanctifying things that has ever happened to me. I am continually amazed at how simple things like that concert expand my view and deepen my understanding of God’s love. Sometimes I wander a bit, but I can only do so because I know that He is watching over me. He is my refuge and strength, a very present help (Psalm 46:1). Other times, I just need to be still knowing that He is near (Psalm 46:10). There is nowhere for me to go, I need to feel His presence. And still other times, I simply need to be held near, I need the safety of the strong tower (Proverbs 18:10) knowing that no one can snatch me from the hand (John 10:28) of my Abba Father (Romans 8:15).

• Visit the official Ever Stays Red website
• Read Knowing God by J.I. Packer
• Read The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D.A. Carson

BY GUEST AUTHOR: Jim

Due to the ever declining quality of music on FM rock radio, I no longer make it a part of my day. The other morning though, I did happen to catch a morning host on a rock station doing his comedic take on current news. The topic? Barack Obama’s recent announcement that he was leaving Trinity United Church of Christ because he viewed his association there as problematic for him and also for the church.

The radio host played an audio clip of Senator Obama’s press conference where he talked about having a place to “worship.” Upon hearing the word “worship” this host stopped the clip to comment on how strange it was for him to hear that word used. To paraphrase the host and his sidekick’s comments, he said, “This is not coming from a church-going guy, because I’m an atheist, but I’ve just gotta say that ‘worship’ is a weird word to use here. It bothers me that a presidential candidate is using that word in this day and age. Why can’t he just say he went to ‘commune’ or ‘gather’ with other people at church?” The sidekick chimed in to say, “Isn’t ‘worship’ something like bowing down to a stone idol?” To which the host replied, “Yes, exactly.”

I found it fascinating how the word “worship” stopped the show and carried such a powerful, bothersome connotation for this guy. He was even having a hard time putting a finger on exactly what he found so irksome.

I could engage him on that point to demonstrate that even an atheist bows to some god, somehow, but that’s not my purpose today. Instead, let’s consider if he’s stumbling onto something true, namely that there’s some part of Christian worship that is properly weird against the backdrop of our culture. I don’t know for sure, but my hunch is that “worship” sounded so weird to him because modern, educated people aren’t supposed to bring themselves to such a low position before any kind of god. For this particular atheist, people can “commune” all day long and have an inner spiritual experiences, but if they want to “worship”, that’s just plain weird.

I’m wondering today if we as Christians sometimes use the term “worship” in such a way that forgets the drama and power of the word, instead using “worship” to describe some other activity. Here are some examples that come to mind:

As a substitute for music

* “He plays drums on the worship team.”
* “I arrived to church late and missed the worship but at least I got there for the sermon.”

As a substitute for a church gathering or evangelistic meeting

* “Let’s have worship.”
* “To evangelize the lost, we have a time of worship just for non-believers.”

As a substitute for the service style

* “We offer contemporary worship or traditional worship.”
* “We want people to know how relevant and convenient we make worship.”

As a substitute for the genre or performance of Christian Contemporary Music

* “He’s one of the most popular worship artists touring today.”
* “Buy your ticket for the upcoming Worship Festival.”

Taken in the right light, some of those statements refer to actual Christian worship, but many of them betray a casual redefinition of worship as a mere community activity that we do for personal fulfillment or expression, not for God’s sake. If we’re just enjoying music, having inspirational experiences, or building community, then we’re probably not going to look so weird to those who don’t believe. After all, those activities aren’t much different than what you could find at your local pub or community center. However, worship takes on a whole new character, moving from ordinary to extraordinary if it includes a consciousness that:

1. God really, truly took on human flesh, died on a cross, spent three days in a tomb before rising again, and presently reigns as King.
2. God is infinitely deserving of our praise and delight.
3. God actually shows up at our worship services.
4. God’s law brings us low and reminds us of our heavy debt and fallenness.
5. God comes to declare to us that all the credit and glory for all good things belongs to Jesus Christ and that through him alone, those with faith are forgiven and adopted into the family of God.

If Christians worship and talk about worship in a way that reflects those realities, yet in accessible language, then we should expect one of two reactions from a watching world. Either they will say, “Whoa… God is really among you!” or more likely, “You people are weird!” That kind of worship is precisely what God has called us to. If non-Christian friends or neighbors visit our worship services and their only reaction is to say things like, “I was more comfortable than I thought I’d be,” or “I can really relate to the pastor. What a cool guy!” or “You have a really good band,” then this should tell us that an emergency assessment of our service is needed. It may a sign that we’ve inadvertently redefined worship to prove to the world how normal we are, when God has instead called us to appear weird.

• Read The Air I Breathe: Worship As a Way of Life by Louie Giglio
• Read Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God by Bob Kauflin and Paul Baloche

There has been particular interest of late to the color of ink with which some words in some Bibles are printed and the theology represented by said ink. Some rather prominent figures within modern Christendom, spearheaded by Tony Campolo, have taken to calling themselves “Red Letter Christians.” This, of course, is a reference to the fact that, since approximately 1899 or 1900, many publishers have taken to printing the words of Christ in red.

The ESV blog reports that “The idea of printing the words of Christ in red originated with Lous Klopsch, editor of Christian Herald magazine.” Rather than an attempt separate the words of Jesus from their immediate context, the move actually seems to be an attempt at respectful symbolism. Chronicling Klopsch’s journey, the ESV blog says:

When reading Jesus’ words, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20), he thought of printing all of Jesus’ words in red, the color of his blood.

Yet what might have started as respectful symbolism soon morphed into a specific teaching tool:

“Modern Christianity,” Klopsch wrote in an explanatory note in his red-letter Bible, “is striving zealously to draw nearer to the great Founder of the Faith. Setting aside mere human doctrines and theories regarding Him, it presses close to the Divine Presence, to gather from His own lips the definition of His mission to the world and His own revelation of the Father… The Red Letter Bible has been prepared and issued in the full conviction that it will meet the needs of the student, the worker, and the searchers after truth everywhere.

And as with many teachign toos that might initially be in and of themselves benign, this practice has been taken to the extreme. Tony Campolo recounts a meeting that included himself and Jim Wallis among others:

Because being evangelical is usually synonymous with being Republican in the popular mind, and calling ourselves “progressive” might be taken as a value judgment by those who do share our views, we decided not to call ourselves “progressive evangelicals.” We came up with a new name: Red-Letter Christians.

Campolo further explains:

By calling ourselves Red-Letter Christians, we are alluding to the fact that in several versions of the New Testament, the words of Jesus are printed in red. In adopting this name, we are saying that we are committed to living out the things that He said. Of course, the message in those red-lettered verses is radical, to say the least. If you don’t believe me, read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

The implication, of course, is that the “Republican Christians” whom Campolo and Wallis are so concerned about, are not “committed to living out the things” Jesus said, but that’s not really what troubles me. At least not in this post. People on both sides of the “conservative/liberal” aisle throw similar barbs at one another all the time. Sometimes they’re just a bit more veiled than either Campolo or Wallis care to be. In response to Campolo, D.A. Carson says:

These red letter Christians, he says, hold the same theological commitments as do other evangelicals, but they take the words of Jesus especially seriously (they devote themselves to the ‘red letters’ of some foolishly-printed Bibles) and end up being more concerned than are other Christians for the poor, the hungry, and those at war. Oh, rubbish: this is merely one more futile exercise in trying to find a ‘canon within the canon’ to bless my preferred brand of theology. That’s the first of two serious mistakes commonly practised by these red letter Christians.

The other is worse: their actual grasp of what the red letter words of Jesus are actually saying in context far too frequently leaves a great deal to be desired; more particularly, to read the words of Jesus and emphasize them apart from the narrative framework of each of the canonical gospels, in which the plot-line takes the reader to Jesus’s redeeming death and resurrection, not only has the result of down-playing Jesus’s death and resurrection, but regularly fails to see how the red-letter words of Jesus point to and unpack the significance of his impending crosswork.

I understand that Jesus is is the ultimate revelation of God, but that’s exactly the point. The entire Bible, from cover to cover, is about Jesus. But this current trend, for the sake of a political agenda (regardless of how they couch their language, lets be honest and just call it what it is), reduces the Person and Work of Jesus to some moral precepts. The Cross, and its centrality to all of Scripture is the point and only then can seek to even understand, much less apply the red-letters.

• Read the ESV blog’s piece on the origin of “Red Letter Bibles”
• Read Tony Campolo’s piece “What’s a Red-Letter Christian”
• Read D.A. Carson’s “Common Errors In Understanding the Kingdom”

The recent interview with Todd and Angie of The Agents of Future provoked a lot of great discussion, particularly in regards to local church communities and the way they worship. Much of that discussion reminded me of a set of principles we use at our church (Grace Community Church, Glen Rose, TX). This list was formulated by Gary Brumley, now Minister of Worship at Redeemer Church, Fort Worth and originally appeared at his blog, God-Centered Worship.

In light of many of the opinions regarding worship, I wanted to present these helpful principles. What follows is the document as Gary originally presented it on his blog. The only changes that have been made consist of formatting. The content is unchanged and appears as Gary intended:

By Gary Brumley

A few years ago I felt compelled to put on paper the values in worship that would both provide guidance to my church fellowship as well as serve as a teaching tool to help us grow and maintain harmony on the issue of corporate worship. Any worship leader knows, because worship is charged with so many cultural values that if wrongly understood (and man-centered in its orientation) it can be an explosive issue resulting in division among the church. God may that never again be so! The following ten principles are the result of my labor in the study of what the Bible says about God and our appropriate response to Him in worship. They have since become part of the ethos of Grace Community Church. I continue to hear people speaking of these principles on Sunday mornings around the coffee and donuts, in small group fellowships, and in various formal and informal settings. Here they are to share with you. I pray that they might serve you as well.

As a worshiping church we will seek to…

1. Be God-centered, understanding that God’s glory is His highest purpose in all things. We seek to make God central in our mind’s attention and our heart’s affections. We will seek to exalt Him by delighting in His glory (Isaiah 26:8; 48:9-11).

2. Worship in spirit and in truth. We understand worship to involve the Spirit-stirred affections of the heart, the devotion of the mind, and the submission of the will according to the truth of God (John 4:23-24).

• In spirit—worship that flows out of a new life in Christ (a new spirit given birth by the Holy Spirit) which involves our whole being – mind, heart, and will (Philippians 3:3; Ephesians 5:18-20; Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Romans 12:1-2).
• In truth, we will seek to be Bible-saturated and doctrinally sound, giving Scripture prominence in worship as the basis of our response. We will read Scripture publicly and corporately and sing songs that reflect the truth of Scripture. All music will be examined for doctrinal correctness.

3. Hold worship as our highest calling, understanding the supremacy of worship in the believer’s life and in the mission of the church. Worship is the fuel and goal of all other ministries at GCC. Worship is the purpose for which we evangelize and do missions and the purpose for which we encourage and build each other up in the faith. Worship is the eternal purpose of the Church (Revelation 14:6-7; Psalm 96:3).

4. Incorporate both revelation and response, understanding that all response in worship is based upon God’s revelation of Himself. As God reveals His power, we respond in wonder. As God reveals His holiness, we respond in confession and contrition. As God reveals His grace, we respond in humility. As God reveals His purpose, we respond in surrender and commitment. As God reveals His plans for our lives, we respond in prayer. As God reveals His goodness, we respond in thankfulness (Isaiah 6:1-12; Psalm 100:4-5).

5. Be congregational. The Greek word, “leitourgia,” (used to describe worship in the New Testament for worship) is made up of ergon = “work”; and laos = “of the people.” The literal meaning then, would be, “work of the people.” The early Church understood worship to be a communal event in light of the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer. Every believer freely and enthusiastically participated in worship before the Lord (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore, we will seek to be congregational rather than leader/performer-driven in worship. We believe that any worship service whereby a worship leader, musical ensemble, soloist, etc. is given prominence over a congregation’s expression is not biblical leitourgia.

6. Worship God both in His transcendence and His imminence, understanding that God is worthy to be worshiped as the great King upon His throne in Heaven, as well as the Savior who meets with His children intimately (Revelation 7:9-12; 3:20).

7. Blend contemporary and historical songs of worship. We will seek to mine from history the very best of hymnody and couple these with the most passionate new God-centered songs of worship from our generation (Matthew 13:52).

8. Lead by the principle of undistracting excellence. “We will try to sing and play and pray and preach in such a way that people’s attention will not be diverted from the substance by shoddy ministry nor by excessive finesse, elegance, or refinement. Natural, undistracting excellence will let the truth and beauty of God shine through. Sound system, music playing… all undistracting from the aim of thinking about God. Avoid the flair of words and chords that draw attention mainly to the performance and style and not the substance” (John Piper, from Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning: the Pursuit of God in Corporate Worship). We will seek excellence in all we do for the purpose of drawing attention to the supreme excellencies of God (Psalm 33:3; John 3:30).

9. Maintain a balance of form and freedom in worship.

10. Be continually growing in our biblical understanding and our practice of worship (Psalm 40:3; 98:1; 149:1).

• Read Engaging With God: A Biblical Theology of Worship by David Peterson
• Read Worship By the Book edited by Mark Ashton
• Read Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts by Harold Best

Gary Brumley graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1998, with a Bachelor of Vocal Music Education. He received his Master of Arts in Worship Studies degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in May of 2004. Gary also serves within the Redeemer Church Care Group ministry. He and his wife, Christi, married in December, 1995.