The Purpose of Worship | Hebrews 12:18-29 & Revelation 5 | Worship by the Book
This message is the final installment of Worship by the Book, our four-week study on the Regulative Principle of Worship. After three weeks on who commands worship, what it includes, and how it's offered, this week turns to why. Hebrews 12:18-29 sets the terrifying mountain of Sinai beside the welcome of Mount Zion, where Jesus stands as mediator of a new covenant. Revelation 5 then pulls back the curtain on the heavenly assembly, worshiping the Lamb who was slain. Together these passages show that worship is not something God's people invent or start. It is something we step into, an ongoing, eternal song already underway. The message considers what it means that worship shapes us not only as individuals but together as the people of God, and how each Lord's Day rehearses what we will do forever.
The Manner of Worship | John 4:19-26 | Worship by the Book
This message is the third in Worship by the Book, our study on the Regulative Principle of Worship. It looks at John 4:19-26, where Jesus tells the woman at the well that true worship will no longer be tied to a mountain or a temple, but will be worship "in spirit and truth." We consider what it means to worship in spirit, engaging God with our whole heart rather than merely going through the motions, and what it means to worship in truth, letting God's own revealed word shape how we approach him rather than sincerity alone. Through the golden calf and the account of Nadab and Abihu, we see that sincere worship can still be wrong worship, and that God has graciously told us both who he is and how he desires to be worshiped.
The Elements of Worship | Acts 2:42-47 & Colossians 3:16-17 | This Week’s Devotions
This week's devotions follow up on Sunday's message from Acts 2:42-47 and Colossians 3:16-17, the second study in our series Worship by the Book. Each day looks at a different piece of what God has actually given the church to gather around: the Word, the Table, the prayers, and singing. These aren't decorations added over the centuries, they're the substance of what makes worship worship. Take one devotion each day, read the passage slowly, and sit with the questions that follow.
The Elements of Worship | Acts 2:42-47 & Colossians 3:16-17 | Worship by the Book
Leave the yeast out of the bread and you don't get bread. Some things in a recipe are essential, and no amount of seasoning can make up for them. Worship works the same way. In Acts 2:42-47 and Colossians 3:16-17, Scripture shows what the early church devoted itself to when God's people gathered: the ministry of the Word, the breaking of bread, the prayers, and singing. God did not leave it to us to figure out what belongs in worship. He gave His church these ordinary means because this is how He meets with us, shapes us, and holds us together across time, distance, and differences. They are not decorations we can take or leave.
The God Who Commands Our Worship | Deuteronomy 12:29-32 & Leviticus 10:1-3 | This Week’s Devotions
This week's devotions follow up on Sunday's message from Deuteronomy 12:29-32 and Leviticus 10:1-3, the opening study in our series Worship by the Book. Each day walks through a different passage of Scripture, tracing the same question from a new angle: who has the right to decide how God is worshiped? From Israel poised at the edge of the Promised Land, to the second commandment, to Nadab and Abihu's unauthorized fire, to David's misstep with the ark, to Jesus confronting the Pharisees, these five days aren't meant to be rushed through. Take one each day, read the passage slowly, and sit with the questions that follow.
Three Reasons We Say a Prayer of Confession Each Week
Often people wonder the reasons behind some of the elements of worship that we do each week. Maybe you have wondered why we do a Prayer of Confession each week. In many cases the Prayer of Confession is the element of worship that is the first to go when a church trims something from their worship service. For me, the prayer of confession is one of the most important aspects of worship that we do each week and there are three primary reasons that I feel this way.