10.24.07
Posted in Church Events, Teaching, Theology, In The News... at 4:19 pm by Pastor Bill
Since I’ve been posting about the lack of new music that truly glorifies God and exalts Christ, I thought I need to mention it when a truly worshipful album comes along. This selection actually came out in 2005 so it is not ‘new’, except when compared to the dates of the hymns written in most of our hymnbooks. I heard the artist and her husband when I attended a pastor’s conference at Alistair Begg’s church in Cleveland Ohio several years ago. They provided the worship music for the event and I was so impressed that I bought the album. It is entitled ‘Hymns for the life of the church’, and the singers are Kristyn Getty, Margaret Becker, and Joanne Hogg. The tunes are reverently paced (meaning without a rocking beat…making it more appropriate for church singing IMHO), but the lyrics tell the heart of the songs (as with all music). Here are the lyrics to a few that are especially impacting to me.
Let’s start off with ‘The Power of the Cross’, a hymn that takes us to the event of the crucifixion, and reminds us what was accomplished there, and why, and for whom.
Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.
CHORUS:
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev’ry bitter thought,
Ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
“Finished!” the vict’ry cry.
Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.
FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
No Christian should be able to read or sing this without being humbled and grateful to our Loving God, who gave His son for us, rebels and arrogant though we are. Another hymn from the album is titled “Beneath the cross of Jesus“, and again forces us to consider what are the consequences of our sin…what it cost the Savior to redeem us to glory, and also shows us the magnitude of our God’s love.
Beneath the cross of Jesus
I find a place to stand,
And wonder at such mercy
That calls me as I am;
For hands that should discard me
Hold wounds which tell me, “Come.”
Beneath the cross of Jesus
My unworthy soul is won.
Beneath the cross of Jesus
His family is my own—
Once strangers chasing selfish dreams,
Now one through grace alone.
How could I now dishonor
The ones that You have loved?
Beneath the cross of Jesus
See the children called by God.
Beneath the cross of Jesus—
The path before the crown—
We follow in His footsteps
Where promised hope is found.
How great the joy before us
To be His perfect bride;
Beneath the cross of Jesus
We will gladly live our lives.
This hymn also reminds us of our responsibility to love and serve our fellow believers (Romans 14-15) because of the matchless grace that has been imparted to us who have received the saving work of Christ. A final hymn that we will look at is “Across the Lands“, which reveals to us the worldwide work of God on earth, the mission and the success of our suffering yet victorious Savior.
You’re the Word of God the Father
From before the world began.
Ev’ry star and ev’ry planet
Has been fashioned by Your hand.
All creation holds together
By the power of Your voice.
Let the skies declare Your glory;
Let the land and seas rejoice!
CHORUS
You’re the Author of creation;
You’re the Lord of ev’ry man;
And Your cry of love rings out across the lands.
Yet You left the gaze of angels,
Came to seek and save the lost,
And exchanged the joy of heaven
For the anguish of a cross.
With a prayer You fed the hungry;
With a word You calmed the sea;
Yet how silently You suffered
That the guilty may go free!
With a shout You rose victorious,
Wresting vict’ry from the grave,
And ascended into heaven,
Leading captives in Your way.
Now You stand before the Father,
Interceding for Your own;
From each tribe and tongue and nation,
You are leading sinners home!
What are my standards for good worshipful music? 1) Biblically accurate lyrics. 2) Lyrics that are properly reverent and worshipful towards God. 3) Themes that glorify God, exalt Christ and thank the Holy Spirit. Themes that cause us to look up with wonder and amazement to the King of Kings, and to look down in humility in the realization that we are unworthy of our Savior’s sacrifice. 4) Themes that cause my heart to soar with gratitude and agreement with what God has revealed about Himself in His Word.
With those as a few of my standards, there is not much being produced today that measures up. I encourage you to seek out good music, and use it as a tool to lift your heart, mind and life in service to your Lord and King!
SING ON!
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10.16.07
Posted in Biblical Reflections, Theology, Controversy at 9:05 pm by Pastor Bill
I want to introduce you to a unique journey through the 13 letters (epistles) written by Paul which are in the New Testament of the Bible. The form of journey is musical. The purpose of this music is for edification of believers. The musicians explain it this way…”The lyrics in this album are an attempt to bring God’s Word to life. This is a resource to help you learn, not to replace your study of God’s perfect word (2 Timothy 3:16). Each artist has carefully crafted their song based on intense and thorough Bible study and believe that Scripture is the absolute truth. They encourage each of you to faithfully study the Word with humility in a community of believers, relying on the Holy Spirit to bring change to your heart.”
Oh yeah, as per the previous post, the genre of this album is hip-hop. If that offends you, continue surfing…if you don’t stumble over it, read on or listen to the album and be blessed by God.
Since Paul’s letters start with Romans, and I am currently preaching through Romans on Sunday mornings, it was awesome to see how they treated it on the album. They did a great job (as with all the tracks) of walking you through the teaching and application of the letter. If you learn the lyrics to the song, you now know the theme of the book, it’s major characters, and all the relevant themes of the book. It’s like having a concordance or commentary in your head.
Showing that their heart is for the church, for Christ’s followers and their growth, there is a continual reminder throughout the album that God’s Word is our source of life, our source of God’s wisdom and guidance through life along with the Holy Spirit’s leading. At the end of the Romans track, the artist encourages us to get some good Bible commentaries to help us in our understanding of the scriptures. And then he recommends commentaries by John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, and James Montgomery Boyce. How awesome to think that a rapper off the street reads and enjoys the men that have mentored so many of us in our study of the word, and encourages all of us to follow suit.
The only other track that I will comment on is the one for First Corinthians. The artist did it in a very creative and impactful way. He tells us the story of a guy named Corey, who acted like he was still in a gang. He tells us about all the hangups and distractions in Corey’s life, and then goes on to tell us that Corey is not a guy, but a body of believers in Corinth. Very impactful and compelling.
Well, I have to mention just one more…the remix for Galatians…”Get Loose”…reminding us to pursue the Spirit and live out our liberty in Christ…Awesome!
p.s. I just noticed in their lyrics on the album cover, they give credit for the first verse of ‘Colossians’ to D.A.Carson! Woo-hoo! He’s my man. I hope you can check out some of his writings…’The gagging of God’, ‘Exegetical Fallacies’, and ‘From Sabbath to Lord’s Day’, along with all of his N.T. commentaries. Too cool that the rappers are checking his stuff out! God bless!
Oh yeah, the music is not the only focus of this album. If you read the lyrics on the CD sleeve, they list the chapter and verse for each line of the song, to let you connect it with the scriptures that inspired it. They have also put together a Bible study course available on their website, designed to get you into the Word and to profit spiritually from it. Awesome!
The album is produced by Reach records, and the website for the corresponding Bible studies is www.reachrecords.com. The curriculum is currently under development and should be available soon.
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10.12.07
Posted in Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 8:45 pm by Pastor Bill
I’m going to try to treat this subject with honesty, and with compassion for fellow believers who may disagree with my viewpoints about music, and it’s acceptance by God.
The exploded stereotype for ME…is “Christian hip-hop music”! Now I know that I’ve turned off a lot of you already…you say “There is no such thing as ‘Christian’ hip-hop or rap music…the 2 are incompatable!”. Now, why am I bringing this subject up for discussion?
First, I am not advocating this style of music for church worship. Our church will not be swinging to a rap beat on Sunday morning. Second, I am not switching all of my listening to hip-hop, it is not my preferred style of music. Third, I want to make you aware of the differences in depth of theology and message in contemporary music styles. I have for quite a while been dissatisfied with what is being offered in the CCM arena. Most of the lyrics (the vital part of music to me) of the songs played on ‘Christian’ radio stations are so ‘fluffy’, ‘mindless’ or ‘unbiblical’ that I can’t endure them.
What a shock I received when a great friend of mine loaned me his hip-hop CD’s and told me to take a listen. Although I don’t normally listen to that style of music, when I listened to what the artists were saying, I was blown away. I’ve NEVER heard theology or truth proclaimed so clearly, accurately and passionately in any other form of modern hymns or praise music! If you won’t ’stumble’ over the ’style’ of music, I challenge you to listen to some of the artists that are believers and who are using their music as a platform to Glorify God and encourage and challenge believers to grow into Christlikeness and to live-out a true faith in Christ.
The approach I will take in this series is to spotlight a particular artist, and give you a sampling of their message. I hope it causes you to examine this form of music by these artists based on what they communicate. Keep in mind, I do NOT endorse the secular brand of hip-hop, rap or any other form of music that does not glorify God.
The first album I will review is “Rewind”, by Flame…produced by Cross Movement Records.
The theme of the album seems to come from the track titled “Give us the Truth!” This is their cry for pastors and teachers to return to the truth of God’s Word, and to stop with all the craziness and hypocrisy that comes from the pulpits of our churches. Their call is for believers to immerse themselves in the Word, and to learn to discern truth from error by knowing the God of the Word, and His ways, made clear to us through Jesus. It is a desire for true, genuine discipleship, self denial, and wholehearted living for Jesus! Awesome!
Track #2…”No Silence”. This is his testimony that in spite of ‘persecution’ from the rest of the music industry, they will continue to preach Jesus on their albums and concerts. Why would he endure ridicule for living and singing of Jesus? The last line of the song tells us, “The price that was paid, the nights in the grave, and the resurrection is our reflection, to not be afraid. So let’s go.”
Track #3…”Uh-Oh”. The last verse says it all…”So in conclusion I offer this album to God, while at the same time I offer this album to y’all. And that may mean that I go out like Peter and Paul, for preaching Jesus to the point where I’m socially martyred. But my rewards and my treasures will never be stowed on this earth, but in a place where they can never be stole…In heaven where I know the saints most definitely go, cause our inheritance is imperishable and incorruptible. (is this a shock…to hear this truth of God on a rap CD?) And as I wait I pray with fervency, cause the world and the church are in a human emergency…see it’s a war and I done stepped into it, and I’m on the team of the rescue unit, for the following people… 1) Ones who caught up in false doctrine 2) Non-believers ignoring the sin problem 3) And new saints, so while my mic is on, all I’ve got is truth and a warning…’The real Truth is coming out!’”.
Track #5…”Rewind”…deals with the contrast between what the Bible says and what the televangelists are spouting. He demonstrates how one preacher misuses Isaiah 53 to guarantee all believers health and wealth. Some lines in the song are “Is that in the Bible…that God’s people shouldn’t suffer…that we all should be rich?” What is so cool is that on this hip-hop track, the artist goes on to explain what Isaiah 53 is really about…putting these false preachers to shame. The truth and theology from this artist is better than what is heard from most pulpits on any given Sunday!
Track #7…”We need you”… a song thanking God for salvation, deliverance from the bondage and curse of sin, for the fruit of the spirit, and our need for daily reliance upon Christ…and the blessing of deliverance from the wrath and judgment of God. (Try catching a CCM song with those realities!)
Track #9 (you preachers will love this one)…”Context“... Imagine this, a rap song dealing with the need for believers to interpret scripture within the proper context. The chorus reads “With this skill , this should keep you from heresy and keep you from going though theological therapy, The words of God will change your life…if you keep that text in it’s context!” (This is sound advice that many preachers do not heed…too bad it takes a rap artist to challenge them with it!) In this little rap ‘ditty’ he presents the need for proper…sit down now…hermenutics, exegesis, bible commentaries and concordances, avoiding eisegesis. What does he say about eisegesis? “A text could never mean what it never meant before to it’s original readers or authors…so if you run into a difficult passage and you know the bible never contradicts itself, then turn the pages to a parallel passage and just let the scriptures interpret itself!. (All this from a lowly rapper from the hood!)
Track #10…”War of the minds”…this is an incredibly touching examination of God’s role in the lives of those who suffer from depression and the like. It’s not a fluffy…’cheer up, God loves you’ ditty, but a heartfelt questioning and appreciation of those who suffer. He mentions depression, mentally ill, sexually abused, schizophrenia, anxiety, bi-polar…those who are seeking relief through clinical and medical therapy…and that all of those bound by these ailments must ultimately look to God- our healer from suffering, knowing that He sees and cares. (There’s nothing like this on the CCM charts that I’ve ever heard!)
Track #11…”Give us the Truth!”…a raw, truthful look into the artist’s journey from superficial Christianity, into a self-centered life, finally rescued by Christ into a genuine faith and relationship. He talks about his adventures in bible college, and back at his non-discerning home church, to his doubting his own salvation. How did God work to bring him into the truth…in His words…”I met this girl named Beth who told me about a church home, first I visited, became a member, and then it was on! Then the pastor gave me a stack of books, now I’m back with rap and hooks, took a summer and spent 300 DOLLARS on tapes and books and learned from these biblical scholars, now I’m back and I’m walking in light…living my life…glorifying Jesus Christ!” (now before you blast the rappers, when was the last time you spent 300 dollars on sound biblical materials and devoted your time to studying them and the bible to increase your knowledge and faith and lifestyle for Christ?????)
Track #12 (another one for you preachers)…”The Godhead”… dealing with trinitarian theology. The artist covers “dynamic monarchiasm, modalistic monarchiasm, and finally the hypostatic union”! Get your head around these theologies! And from a rapper? Awesome teaching and challenges here!
Track #14…”Racial diversity”…he hits on the need for our churches to reflect our communities diverse makeup….”have you visited Hyde park baptist lately”?
Track #15…”To my heart”… a very humorous and cutting conversation between the author and his heart, in which he proclaims to his heart…”I’ll never trust you again”. Too much truth here…sometimes it hurts!
Track #18…”Sola Scriptura”…for all you R.C.Sproul fans! This track is about the necessity for realizing that Scripture is our only authority, based on 2 Timothy 3:16.
Track #21…”We preach Christ”… another great challenging message, closing with the solemn reminder…”Seek Jesus now, you can know him as savior…see him later- you’ll know him as Judge.”
I hope this post will cause you to reexamine your stereotypes, and if so inclined, to listen to these lyrics and be blessed and challenged. I will present another artist in another post.
God bless! Pastor Bill ><>
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06.29.07
Posted in Biblical Reflections, Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 5:06 pm by Pastor Bill
I read an excellent article about Hollywood’s complaining that Christians aren’t coming out to support their ‘Christian’ family oriented movies, like the recent “Evan Almighty”. You can view the article here. The author gave many of his ideas on why these movies aren’t supported by Christians. I would like to add a few of my own observations and ideas on this topic.
Although each movie must be based on its own merits or ‘de-merits’, it is clear that Hollywood doesn’t really understand Christians, nor do they respect us. They only see us as a means to increase their profit margin. That is the wrong basis on which to produce ‘Christian’ movies. A reason why I had no interest in seeing ‘Evan Almighty’, is because it is associated with their earlier movie, ‘Bruce Almighty’, which was full of incredibly blasphemous statements and actions which were antithetical to Biblical Christianity. Even the titles of these 2 ‘almighty’ productions smacks of blasphemy…there is none who is almighty except God himself. Even if the intent of the film was to show that Bruce and Evan aren’t almighty, the title implies otherwise and that is an affront to all honest believers.
Did I go to watch ‘Evan Almighty’? No, because what I saw on the commercial for the movie was enough to convince me that it would be a total waste of time, and would be disrespectful to God. I know I sound like a ’stick-in-the-mud’ prudish fundamentalist here, but there is a shocking and shameful loss of respect in our ‘Christian’ community today for God himself, and it has a deadening effect on God’s spiritual work among us. We have lost the proper sense of awe and fear of God. In the comercial for the movie, I saw the main actor who represents Moses, walk out of his house naked. Great Christian values there!
Other clues that Hollywood, in not understanding the Christian faith, produces ‘Christian’-themed movies that actually misrepresent Christianity and the Biblical message? 1) portraying conservative politicians as fighting against the will of God, by trying to destroy the environment. I obviously don’t vouch for all conservative politicians, but many of them are Christian and serve God in their positions. 2) The inane statements that ‘God is in everything’ is contrary to Scripture, but is the belief of non-Christian pagan pantheists, and is their grounds for the importance of ’saving the environment’, on which they place a higher value than human souls and life. Hollywood constantly portrays ‘Christians’ as being pantheists, and as being more absorbed with all the new-age spiritualism instead of the clear Biblical message that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, through faith and by God’s grace. I don’t want to see “christian’-movies which misrepresent the beliefs of Christians! 3) The major theme of this movie is that ‘God is not primarily concerned with sin, salvation and redemption, but with encouraging us to perform random acts of kindness’. Come on! This is a total distortion of God himself and His interests. Yes God does want humans to be kind to each other (and to animals) but His primary major ‘concern’ is with the salvation of sinners (all of humanity). The death of Christ on the cross and His resurrection is not an act of random kindness, but is the determined plan of God to rescue us from sin and death. When they totally misrepresent the Christian message, why are they surprised when Christians won’t run to support their misguided and misleading productions?
Sorry Hollywood, true Christians will never support your flimsy excuses for Christian entertainment. You don’t know our message. You don’t respect our Savior. You blaspheme our God. You continually bash us in all of your other movies.
Please, start the show without us.
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05.16.07
Posted in Biblical Reflections, All, Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 2:18 pm by Pastor Bill
So many people in our world are confused about gender and the ‘proper’ roles and responsibilities of men and women. Some see great differences between the sexes, but the trend in our day is to deny any distinctions or differences of roles, labeling them as a product of society or culture.
What does God say about this? Does the Bible indicate that God has established various responsibilities and roles to male and female? He certainly does, from Genesis to Revelation, but unfortunately many well-meaning but “issue driven” religious people have ignored or distorted the scriptures to develop an egalitarian perspective on the sexes.
Fortunately, there is a great website dedicated to clearly explaining what the scriptures truly express on our God given roles and responsibilities. You can access them by clicking here or from the links section on the right of this page. They are the ‘Council on Biblical manhood and womanhood”. These godly men and women have waded through the issues and rightly apply scripture to the society in which we live today.
Make no mistake, these are not simple issues. We are constantly bombarded by the media and our culture to accept any and all forms of sexual expression. Our children are taught in school that there are no proper roles for men and women, and that there are no ’standard’ forms of families or relationships. We are told by sociologists and psychiatrists that our gender is not determined by our physical makeup, but by what we choose to be.
I encourage you to check out this excellent website that lovingly presents the Biblical model that God has established. I also encourage you to carefully examine the Bible passages that are used to present various view on these issues, and pray that God, by His Holy Spirit will give you wisdom and insight to comprehend how He has formed us and how He desires us to live in the relationships and roles that please Him.
God bless you in your journey!
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04.24.07
Posted in All, Teaching, Theology, In The News... at 3:25 pm by Pastor Bill
There often seems to be a resistance to biblical instruction in the current Christian community. It’s almost as if all we need is salvation and we’ll take it ourselves from here. Hopefully you are persuaded that all believers in Christ need ongoing training, mentoring and spiritual nourishment.
We can be spiritually trained from many sources…preaching, Bible studies, Christian and theological books, great disciplers and mentors in the faith. Christian radio can be used to increase our knowledge and usefulness for God and His kingdom. Christian schools, institutes and seminaries are great tools to train us for the work of living out our Christian life in our world.
One question that frequently arises is, ‘How do I know if this is a good source of information that will not lead me astray?”. And this is an important question, that if ignored can lead to learning false doctrine or being confused about what the Bible really teaches.
That is why I am glad to have come across an extremely reliable, valuable resource that I’d like to point you to. It is a free program on the internet, called “Biblical Training”. I can’t express how impressed I am with the quality and value of this ministry. It’s free…did I mention that?… and it is top notch in it’s content. There are lessons for introducing someone to Christianity all the way up to seminary level classes, all taught by Biblical experts, who submit to the word of God, value and know it thoroughly, and have a heart and capacity to communicate it excellently.
I encourage you to check out www.biblicaltraining.org by clicking on the link, and give yourself the gift of increasing your knowledge of God’s word and it’s application to your life! We will also add a link to their site on our sidebar, I encourage you to bookmark it for your own use.
Their lessons are downloadable in mp3 format and will play on your computers music program or you can put them into your mp3 player to listen whenever you are on the go. I thank God for these Christians and their desire to educate all believers without cost or obligation. May God bless them for their sacrificial service to the body of Christ, and bless you as you spend time in the Word of God, to know, love and serve Him with everything that you have!
Blessings, Pastor Rillo
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03.28.07
Posted in Biblical Reflections, All, Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 6:16 pm by Pastor Bill
This is the season when Christians all around the world remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. The idea of the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the thrust and power of the Apostles sermons. Peter and Paul constantly forced their hearers to deal with the truth and implications of Jesus’ resurrection and subsequent functions of reigning and judging over all of mankind.
Our society, as well as that of Jesus’ day, holds little regard for the claims of resurrection and life after death. But this is still our message, that our Savior lives and reigns, and that eternal life comes only through faith in our risen Lord. To get an idea of our generation’s rebellion against the message of the Bible, read this article from the London Times which reports the Popes pronouncement that Hell is real, but also hit the link below the article to read the vitriolic comments by responders to the article…it is sad and disturbing to see how Satan continues to deceive and mislead people away from the truth.
For those of us who truly know God through His Son, the resurrection of Christ is our foundation for hope, our inspiration for the future, our message of eternal life for all who will come and receive the free gift of salvation.
Rejoice in the knowledge of your salvation and future glorification! “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” 1 Cor.15:45,49 (ESV) “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Rev.1:17b-18 (ESV)
HE LIVES!
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01.23.07
Posted in Biblical Reflections, All, Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 8:40 pm by Pastor Bill
Please let me begin by stating that I am not coming down on other preachers from a ‘holier than thou’ position, or trying to be legalistic about this. But I have some honest questions, and a lack of understanding how profanity used in the course of a sermon can be God honoring and an example of godly self-control that we pastors are supposed to model to the flock.
You may be aware of John Piper’s use of the phrase ’sometimes God kicks our a**’ in one of his conferences recently. He has issued a ‘kinda’ apology for it, which you can read here…but this is not the first time he has cursed from the pulpit. He mentions his tendency to do that in his apology letter. So why has it suddenly become ‘hip’ or ‘cool’ to use profanity from the pulpit to try to make your point? Does profanity exude the image of being ‘with it’ or ‘relational’ to our generation?
There is another preacher of old that I have been enjoying reading and listening to lately, Len Ravenhill. His sermons are fiery and confrontational to pastors and believers that have become worldly and left their first love. He calls us back to revival and total commitment to our Lord and Savior. But just recently in a great sermon on Psalm 51, while confronting the false belief that we can live any way we like and still expect to be welcomed warmly by our savior, he told the audience to ‘go to hell’. I’m not sure if he was saying that this would be the natural consequence of a false profession, or if he was pronouncing a curse on those deceived hearers. It was a shock to me to hear him say that but he definitely was not doing it to play up to the crowd, like Piper admits he was.
Why am I making a big deal out of this? I ask myself the trite question…’what would Jesus do?’. And if his words in the scriptures are any indication, along with his personal example, I believe that if I were to resort to this kind of coarse language, at home, in front of my children or coworkers, or in the pulpit, I would be shaming Him and hurting the testimony of His church.
Ephesians 5:4 ‘let there be no filthiness or foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving…’
Tell me, what do YOU think??????
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10.31.06
Posted in Church Events, Theology at 9:39 pm by Pastor Bill
Yes, worship…but what it is really? We speak all the time of worshiping God, but do we know what we’re talking about. Well, worship is the topic of our next preaching series for Sunday mornings. We plan to begin this series on Sunday, November 12th. We are currently preaching through Paul’s letter to the Romans, making it partway through chapter 8 until we stop for this new series.
How much of our worship is Biblically mandated or illustrated, and how much of it is personal preference. Is preaching worship, or only the music? Can we be led into worship or do we bring it with us? Do we need to have a certain ‘feeling’ before we can worship? Can we come to worship God ‘just the way we are’, or is there preparation required to worship? We need to know the difference if we hope to be God honoring and Christ pleasing in our worship. Our series will examine ‘True Biblical Worship of the One True God’, Biblical patterns of worship in the Old Testament and New Testament, and will be used to guide us into true worship that our God will be pleased with.
As usual, we will be recording our sermons and will have them available on CD’s or MP3’s for your convenience…just contact the church to ask for a set. If you are in cincinnati, you can join us each Sunday morning at 11:00 am for our worship services, we are the Hyde Park Baptist Church, 3460 michigan avenue, cincinnati, oh, 45208. We will save you a seat!
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09.20.06
Posted in Biblical Reflections, All, Theology at 6:10 pm by Pastor Bill
As I looked at the date of my last post, I was amazed to see that over 2 weeks had passed, instead of the few days that it seemed it should have been. What happened during those last couple of weeks? A family vacation, pre-vacation planning and hecticness (is that a word?) and several hospital visits to some of our church members who have had phyiscal problems lately. The last few weeks were a blur, not to mention that it is Autumn already, and I wonder where the first 8 months of the year went. Life has a penchant for passing us by all too quickly. Perhaps that is what the Psalmist meant when he wrote “So teach us to number our days, that we might apply our hearts to wisdom.”..Psalm 90:12. The writer of Ecclesiastes bemoaned the fact that too often our life passes by without our accomplishing anything lasting or meaningful. Too many people spend all their time working for and accumulating things that they will soon die and leave to someone else. What has your life profited you? What has your life accomplished for the glory of God? What have you done that will last after you die and be an eternal benefit to others?
Ecclesiastes gives us the truth that in living for the here and now, we waste our lives and endanger our souls. The only life that lasts is one that is lived to the glory of God, one that is spent not for our own goals and dreams, but lived to serve Christ. The only way we can serve him is to be first saved by him, saved from sin and eternal death.
It is good to go to funerals and spend time walking through graveyards, reading the dates on the tombstones. It reminds us that soon we will be where they are, no longer among the living. Our destiny is determined by whether we choose Christ, or self.
Take some time to meditate upon your mortality before life passes you by, and evaluate what and who you are living for. Jesus asks you, “what will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”. How will YOU answer Him?
If you have questions about your spiritual relationship with God, please email me at hpbcrillo (at) yahoo (dot) com. I would love to spend some time sharing what God has told us about himself and about our need in His word.
JESUS…DON’T LEAVE THIS WORLD WITHOUT HIM!