A good, needed word from Josh Harris about how to come to church:
1. Come Eager to sing to him, fellowship with other Christians, hear his word.
2. Come Expectant that he will speak, change us and refresh us.
3. Come Early —not walking in late, but in our seats and ready to go [when the service starts].
Eager, Expectant, and Early from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.
Guest post by: Eric Schumacher
At Reformed Praise, David Ward is half-way through a series of posts on “What the Bible Has to Say About Singing” from Colossians 3:16.
In his third post, David highlights the fact that “Singing is a COMMUNITY Activity.” He writes:
As we sing to one another, encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ with the precious truths of God’s works and ways, we bring glory to God. He has designed singing as a wonderful way for those who are strong in the gospel to encourage those who are weak as they give witness with their lips and body to the reality and power of what they are singing about. Even as a song leader, I have had many mornings where I was inwardly struggling to believe and appropriate the gospel. God often uses the sound and the posture of the congregation to help get my attention off of myself and my individual spiritual walk and be encouraged at His work amongst our entire congregation.
Read the rest here.
Tony Kummer recently interviewed Jason Houser from Seeds Family Worship-a group of musicians that create Bible saturated worship resources for families. In this conversation, they talk about how their music can help families in your church. Then Jason offers some tips for family worship.
We use the Seeds CD’s at home and at church. In fact, we even named our Wednesday night ministry SEEDS! We love this ministry and encourage you to check it out.
My friend, Eric Schumacher, in collaboration with David Ward (and others) through the ministry of Reformed Praise, just released their latest album, Merciful to Me. It was co-produced by David Ward and Steve Cook (of Sovereign Grace Music). It contains the vocals of Devon Kauflin, Shannon Harris, Jake Armerding, Lucia Newell, and others, as well as a host of great instrumentalists from around the country. The 13 tracks are an eclectic mix of styles, including bluegrass, pop, classic jazz, driving rock, and orchestral arrangements.
This album is rich in the deep realities of the gospel. I especially enjoyed the song, There is No Sin That I Have Done. I found myself literally stopping and resting in the finished work of Christ. My Worship Pastor, Benjamin Brainard, also reviewed the album and gave this recommendation:
This CD has been encouraging to my soul and is filled with lyrics that enjoy the full realm of the Christian life. I think of Sovereign Grace, Sandra McCracken, Fernando Ortega, Indelible grace, Red Mountain Church, CD’s when I hear this. Some songs are meant for contemplation, and others for congregational worship. I do enjoy the stylistic variance throughout the CD. If you want a CD to worship to, or to be encouraged by, compliment your collection with this one.
So, we miss out on some great things God intends for us to enjoy when we separate in worship according to musical tastes. The idea to do this comes, not from the Bible, but from American consumerism and we adopt this practice to our own peril.
As my friend Steven Phillips rightly says, we ought to use the best music, prayers, and traditions of our Christian past, so that our worship is guided and enriched by our fathers in the faith. In doing this we demonstrate that our Christian faith reaches back thousands of years. And we ought also to use the best new songs and styles – to “sing a new song to the Lord” as the Psalms say – so that we can demonstrate that the grace of God is ever new. God’s saving power is available now, in the present day, to all who call on Him in faith.
By musically blending things in this way we exercise love toward those who resonate with different musical tastes than us. We recognize that our worship service is a shared time and a shared space, so that if a particular song or style doesn’t inspire us, we can still look across the sanctuary and give thanks from our hearts for the diversity of people who are here. The gospel of Jesus Christ invites us to look across the aisle and say, “Though this song or style may not appeal to me, I see that God is using it to move you. I love you in Christ and I’m glad you’re here.”
(HT: Z)
Family Worship at PCPC from PCPC Video on Vimeo.
(HT: Jared Kennedy)
As we think about all the types of people we preach to on Sundays, don’t forget the children. They may be the biggest group of unreached people in your church…and I guarantee when you get on their level, the adults will be tracking right there with you.
Spurgeon once said:
…He is no preacher who does not care for the children. There should be at least a part of every sermon and service that will suit the little ones. It is an error which permits us to forget this.
~ Charles Spurgeon, Spiritual Parenting, 15.
[Our] Community Groups are made up of three spheres, “Communion,” “Community” and “Mission.” We first saw this diagram in Hugh Halter and Matt Smay’s book The Tangible Kingdom, and it made a lot of sense to us. Halter and Smay define “communion” as our connection with God; worship, both personal and corporate. Community is life together and mission is being focused outward, on others. Our Community Groups aim to be the intersection of all three, the “sweet spot.” It is when all three of these spheres intersect, that Halter and Smay say the kingdom becomes “tangible” for people.
Community Groups are meant to be a context in which we can aim for the intersection of each sphere, where communion, community and mission so inform our lives that the kingdom becomes tangible. This means that they are not just small-group bible studies. They are that, but they are more. They are not just social gatherings. They are that, but they are more. They are not just service projects. They are that, but they are more. Community Groups at Church of the Cross are small families of learning, serving missionaries where we learn to live everyday life with Gospel intentionality.
Recently I’ve been listening to Tenth Avenue North’s album, Over and Underneath. I love it. It’s one of the most earthy and honest albums I’ve heard in awhile. I found myself identifying with their brokenness and earnest desire to experience the love of Christ. These guys get the gospel! Here’s why they did this record:
“[These] carefully penned psalms are coming from a group of individuals who don’t have it all together, who desperately want to know truth, and who aren’t afraid to admit that they struggle to believe it … our hope is that amidst all the words, notes and musical mayhem, you would encounter Christ. Encounter him. Not just hear about him, not just sing about him, but truly, sincerely encounter him.” If you don’t have this album, I encourage you to get it and pre-order their new album, The Light Meets the Dark (listen to individual track downloads here).
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