An Art-Full Church

Click the link below for an excellent article on the relationship between the arts and the church by Luann Jennings, director of Church and Art Network and former director of Arts Ministries at Redeemer Presbyterian  (Pastor Tim Keller) in Manhattan, NY.

An Art-Full Church

Hope for the Church

Reading the following quote from Tim Keller reminded me what others have previously said about the Church.


"If you try to put the Church to death, it leads to resurrection."
- Tim Keller (1950 - )


"The blood of the martyrs is the seed [of the Church]."
-Tertullian (ca 160-220 A.D.) see side bar


"...I will build my Church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." - Jesus (Mat 16:18 NLT)

Steps to Designing the "Simple Church"

Thom Rainer

Following is my outline of the main points of the last section of the book Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger where they describe the steps to becoming a simple church.

BECOMING SIMPLE
A. Design a simple process (CLARITY)

1. Design a simple ministry process for your church on paper - do not build your process (first) around any existing ministries.
2. Study about discipleship in the Bible and narrow your definition down to a few key points. Disciples at our church are: ________________, _______________, ______________, and ___________________. The fewer the points the better.
3. Place them in sequential order to identify HOW people progress through spiritual transformation. Place them according to different levels of commitment. The first step should be the first level of commitment.

Ed Stetzer on the Missional Church

Josh Reich's summary of the highlights of Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer.

Studies show that the higher standards of biblical teaching, the longer people remain engaged. Today's seekers are seeking depth. They won’t interrupt a fine Sunday morning of sleeping in to attend a church that serves up shallowness, at least not for long.

Establishing a missional church means that you plant a church that’s part of the culture you’re seeking to reach.

Missional is the posture – the way in church we approach people in culture – but incarnational describes what’s actually happening.

International Arts Movement (IAM): Makoto Fujimura

Makoto Fujimura is an artist, writer, and speaker who is recognized worldwide as a cultural influencer by both faith-based and secular media. A Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts (2003-2009), Fujimura has contributed internationally as an advocate for the arts, speaking with decision makers and advising governmental policies on the arts. Fujimura’s work is exhibited at galleries around the world....

Vision of IAM
The world is not as it ought to be. We long for meaningful existence and involvement in our culture - to be part of a story greater than ourselves. But too often our reality is a broken and fragmented story in which dignity and value are stripped from humanity.

Art, as a universal language, can begin to address this dehumanization. The world needs artists and visionaries to lead the way in seeing beyond the trivial to the transcendent, bringing synthesis to fragmentation and hope to despair.

7 Reasons Why the Church Needs Artists | TonyMorganLive.com

7 Reasons Why the Church Needs Artists TonyMorganLive.com

Faith and the Arts

Faith and the Arts is an online platform dedicated to exploring the relationship between artistic practice, creativity and religious beliefs.

Faith and the Arts

Links | Art and Christianity Enquiry

Links on Art and Christianity Enquiry website

Art and Christianity Enquiry (ACE)

ACE claims to be

..."the leading UK organisation in the field of visual art and religion. ACE offers stimulating educational projects and publications, advice, information and skills."

See more on: Art and Christianity Enquiry (ACE)

The Church & The Arts

by Robert Cooper

THE FOLLOWING PAPER WAS GIVEN AS PART OF A WORKSHOP AT THE 1998 NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR LICENSED READERS IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Excerpt:

If your ministry is one of leading worship and teaching, you cannot afford to ignore the arts. For one thing, you would discount the experience of all the people who find creative activities valuable. For another, you would end up with a lop-sided theology in which words and concepts are given excessive value. As Neil Smith of the Community of Christ the King has written; "The arts are about revelation and are therefore a profound pathway to engagement with spiritual truth".

This paper gives some pointers towards the practical importance of creative activities. It then offers some reflection on the theological significance of the arts.

Read more. The Church and the Arts

Makoto Fujimura | Writings on Art and Faith

Makoto Fujimura Writings on Art and Faith

Arts: Making Church Artist-Friendly - Christianity Today magazine - ChristianityTodayLibrary.com

"Many times the church is blessed with creative people but doesn't have the right perspective to empower them," Fujimura says. I AM attempts to fill the gap. Artists meet together in cell groups to support, mentor, and disciple one another.

I AM also hosts events where Christianity can be explored through artistic expression. Says Fujimura, "If you're called to be an artist, you're called to be in the world but not of it. Therefore, you need accountability, you need prayer, you need groups that understand your creative side."

Read the entire article...

Arts: Making Church Artist-Friendly - Christianity Today magazine - ChristianityTodayLibrary.com

The Church and Postmodern Culture Conversation: Art and The Postmodern Church

by Daniel A. Siedell

As I was going about my business in New York and since my return home, I still believe the emerging church or the emergent movement is, to my mind, the only place that art and the aesthetic can be discussed and debated in an open manner. However, it will remain just that: discussion and debate unless it is accompanied by the sustenance of a robust sacramental and liturgical life. To put it crassly, the difficult, radical, and problematic discussions about art and the aesthetic have to take place at places like the PCA Village Church but for it to have any long-term impact, it has to be nourished by places like the Anglo-Catholic St. Thomas Episcopal Church. It is spanning the space between these two churches that is the challenge. (italics, bolding and links mine, DLS).

Work on Wilmington

This appears to be a group that organizes work/service projects in the Wilmington area for those who would like to volunteer for four hours at a time.

Work on Wilmington - About

Tim Keller: Churches Worldwide Need to Move into Cities | Christianpost.com

Quotes from Tim Keller's article on churches moving into cities...

“The people are moving into the cities faster than the church is,” Keller emphasized. “If you love what God loves then you will love the cities. If you want to go where the people are you've got to go into the cities.”

But churches that want to go into the cities need to be contextualized in order to be effective, he said. Just like how urban China is different than China and urban America is different than America, an urban church is different than a church in the countryside.

Reaching Artists: Artists' Concerns and Issues They Care About

Reaching out to artists with the Gospel includes knowing their particular concerns and issues they face. Following is a partial list to consider and study. Each has one or more links to an article.

Finances: Insurance and Legal

The Environment

Creative Rights

Stamina and Vocal Issues

Toxic Art-Making Materials

Exhibiting Their Work

Economic Recession

Health and Safety

Health Care:

• Where's the heart for the artists in health care reform?
• A guide to emergency health care for starving artists
• Programs allows artists to trade creative services for health care
• Why artists hate conservatives (mostly about health care, but also references artists' need decent housing, private education for their children, medical expenses, and retirement funds)

Dream Centers Invest in the Community Around Them

The 2010 Outreach 100 issue features an in-depth article on churches that have elevated the community around them. The five pastors we talked to include: Matthew Barnett (Angelus Temple/Los Angeles Dream Center); Dino Rizzo (Healing Place Church/Baton Rouge Dream Center); Greg Surratt (Seacoast Church/North Charleston Dream Center); Chris Hodges (Church of the Highlands/The Birmingham Dream Center) and Rick Bezet (New Life Church/Arkansas Dream Center). Below are more highlights from our conversations with these game-changing pastors.

On partnering with city organizations and other churches

Risks, Regrets and Revelations of Church Planters

Veteran church planters talk about starting a new church from scratch in an article from Outreach Magazine.

When sensing God’s unique call to plant a church, most pastors are full of dreams about the church and culture they want to cultivate. But even the loftiest dreams are not enough. The task of church planting requires seeking guidance from those who’ve been there. Outreach sat down with five veteran church planters—

Planting a church requires significant personal risks. What were some of your initial struggles and fears?

Bob Roberts: In terms of difficulty, I think church planting—on a scale of one to 10—is a 10. It’s a difficult thing to do in and of itself, but you’re not just planting a church. Most guys who do it are young, so you’re doing life, too—learning how to be a husband, how to be a dad, how to grow your church, how to be a person. For the first time, you’re really out there.

What's the Latest in Online Worship?

An article from Outreach Magazine about applications for online worship...

Fishing season was just two weeks away when the April 20 explosion rocked BP’s Deepwater Horizon offshore rig, and oil began rising from the floor of the Gulf. As the weeks dragged on and millions of gallons fouled the waters, the fishing industry was stranded, and coastal communities suffered.

Terri Goulette lives in one of those hard-hit areas—Houma, La.—where many families lost their livelihood in the wake of the spill. Moved by the need, she started looking for a way to help and to bring encouragement to the community. That’s when she thought of a backpack and school-supply drive. And she thought perhaps she could mobilize her “local church”—700 miles away in Central Florida.

Goulette is one of an estimated 2,000 people who join the services of Northland, A Church Distributed through webstream each week

John Piper on Balancing Evangelism and Social Justice

"Christians should care about ALL suffering, especially eternal suffering in hell."

Click here to see video of John Piper speaking on evangelism and social justice at the recent Lausanne Conference on Evangelism.

D.A. Carson on Balancing Justice and Evangelism

TGC turned to four leaders and asked:

How do Christians work for justice in the world and not undermine the centrality of evangelism?

(1) By doing evangelism. I know numerous groups that claim to be engaging in “holistic” ministry because they are helping the poor in Chicago or because they are digging wells in the Sahel, even though few if any of the workers have taken the time to explain to anyone who Jesus is and what he has done to reconcile us to God. Their ministry isn’t holistic; it’s halfistic, or quarteristic.

(2) By being careful not to malign believers of an earlier generation.

More Missional Ideas from Outreach Magazine

A list of ideas from the March/April 2010 issue...

1. Reaching 20-somethings
1. Do the church's leaders exhibit the fruit of the Spirit?
2. Is there a concern for justice and compassion in your community and world?
3. Are you involving emerging generations in key, influential leadership roles in the church?
4. Do people in the church see themselves as "missionaries" in their daily lives focusing on relationships rather than on events?
1. Small groups focus on how they can help care for and produce more healthy disciples who are on mission
2. Adult education focuses on how its classes can help equip and train disciples to be on mission in their world, etc
5. Do our leaders teach doctrines and truth - with humility?
6. Does our church's decision-making process revolve around mission and evangelism?
2. Health clinic - free or affordable health care to uninsured or underinsured
1. "when people see what we're doing they want to get involved with their time and money"
2. free physicals for local athletes, sliding-scale fee schedule for uninsured patients
3. Driving patients to and from appointments
4. Administration
5. Dental care
6. Vision care
3. Small groups committed to long term service
4. Work mentally challenged individuals in assisted-living home
5. Raking leaves for elderly
6. Cleaning up neighborhoods
7. Faith in Action Sunday - cancel services and perform community service projects
8. Home repairs and yard work for seniors
9. Build Habitat for Humanity homes
10. Help with group home for kids
11. Collect donated items for crisis pregnancy or hurricane victims
12. Learn about global poverty thru QuestforCompassion.org
13. Aid for the native American community
1. Supplies - donate blankets, meat, firewood, candles
2. Services - pedicures, haircuts, doctor house calls
3. Employment - opened soup kitchen to provide employment
14. Survey local leaders - mayor, police chief, community leaders re needs of community
15. Affordable, enriching children's programs - after school art program
16. Providing gaming systems such as Wii, Playstation 3, etc for youth
17. Disaster relief for those who can't go:
1. Organize a hands-on relief project people can do togehter and send donations the area in need
2. Find people in your area with ties to those in the affected area and ask what they need
3. Distribute seed money in increments of $5, $10 or more and challenge people to use the seed money to raise money for disaster relief
18. continue on pg 105

See more ideas at OutreachMagazine.com

Missional Ideas from Outreach Magazine

A list of ideas from the July/August 2010 Issue: Small Church America...

1. Survey the community to discover what people are struggling with
2. CommunityVision of America
3. ArlingtonAnswers.com
4. Home foreclosure alternatives
5. Homework help for youth
6. Shut down Sunday worship to go out and help in the community
7. Neighborhood beautification
8. Caring for the sick
9. Home makeovers for poor families
10. Car repair for single mothers and the elderly
11. Fast from fast food and donate the money saved to a local food bank
12. Group for persons with mood disorders (depression, bipolar), open to public
13. Connect with people within 10 miles of the church using Twitter
14. Firewood for the needy in winter
15. Kids drama/musical productions with casting open to public
16. Kids carnival
17. Archery and devotions through national Centershot Ministries
18. Sports through national ministry Upward Sports
19. Build wheelchair ramps for elderly - may be grants available thru AARP, states, etc
20. Food pantry for elderly - may be grants available
21. Clothing closet for elderly
22. Digging wells, clean drinking water overseas thru Living Water International
23. TYPES OF SMALL CHURCHES
1. Traditional small churches - resilient, nimble, sustainable, little or no debts, strong member loyalty, deep roots in community
2. Marketplace churches ("third place") - churches that operate coffee shops, consignment stores, art galleries, pubs, etc during business hours, and gather for worship on the weekends
3. Lifestyle churches - focus on a subculture in society such as bikers, surfers, cowboys, race drivers and pit crews, skateboarders, hip-hop lovers, etc.
4. Ethnic churches - focus on first generation U.S. immigrants
5. Multiethnic churches - focus on American-born ethnic groups of various kinds in order to bring them together
6. New church starts - new church start has no old guard saying, "We've never done it that way before," easy to replicate because began recently and small
7. Intentionally small churches - also called house, simple or organic churches, highly flexible, led by lay people, committed to fellowship, can meet anywhere
24. continue on pg 73

See more ideas at OutreachMagazine.com

Churches Reaching Men

In reading some articles in a recent Outreach magazine (May/June 2010), I found a few interesting quotes and ideas about reaching men in today's culture.

Kenny Luck says, "In the mind of the average man, the church is where you go to learn how to be nice...but nice won't cut it." "There's a reason a young boy puts on a Spiderman or Batman costume. He wants to grow up to be good - and dangerous." "I look at every man like a box of dynamite. It's not a question of whether a guy has power or not; it's a question of what kind of influence he will leave." "The most fundamental dream of a man's life - to be someone great doing great things..."

Ministry to men must 1) attract, 2) transform and 3) unleash a man with a powerful mission in the world.

Attraction can take many forms, but they must resemble masculine culture. Some examples of attraction events include: sporting events such as hunting, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, martial arts, shooting clay pigeons, blowing things up, iron man and other competetive events, worship services that resemble the masculine rituals of a football game, etc.

Transformation can take place through teaching that communicates to men includes images like the "Lion of Judah engaged in the great spiritual battle of the cosmos"... "sermons based on men in the Bible who were risk takers, giant killers, ark builders, and roof breakers," the "work of Christ who channeled the power of the universe through the cross of sacrifice for the redemption of others." It can also take place through graduated small groups with deepening levels of intimacy and transparency.

Finally, men must be unleashed in ministries that make a real difference in the world.

Zac Hicks on Exchanging Hip for Intergenerational Worship

Zac is thinking about worship at his EPC church in Denver, CO. See what he has to say. http://www.zachicks.com/blog/2010/10/11/worship-exchanging-hip-for-intergenerational.html

Notes on Secrets to Success from the United Methodist Church

Rev. Dr. Ken Priddy shared the results of a recent United Methodist study at Presbytery. Read more from Ken Priddy at http://kenpriddy.blogspot.com/.

Common factors in successful churches among United Methodists:

1. Small groups and programs for youth, children and adults
2. Active lay leaders
3. Inspirational pastors with lengthy pastorates
4. Mix of traditional and contemporary services

Hipster Christianity

Rev. Dr. Ken Priddy brought a new trend (or heresy?) to our attention at a recent Presbytery meeting. Check it out at http://www.hipsterchristianity.com/. Ken suggested that perhaps "cool" is the new idol. Read a complete chapter from a book analyzing this trend entitled Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide by clicking here http://www.hipsterchristianity.com/freeChapter/freeChapter.pdf.

Read more from Ken Priddy at http://kenpriddy.blogspot.com/

Notes from Mike Ashcraft on Church Planting

Notes from a recent meeting with Mike Ashcraft, pastor of Port City Community Church in Wilmington, NC. Not direct quotes, but a summary of our conversation about church planting.

1. The vision for founding of PC3: a church for people who are not sure about God

2. Must have a clear VISION

• everything flows from that
• say only things that are true
• be clear on your mission
• ask yourself, "what do you want to happen to those people?"
• ask, "who's mission is it? is it everyone's or just the pastor's?"
• know who you are
• when you reach a barrier: ask, "what's really happening here?"

3. A great church is known by the IMPACT it has on the community

• is it mobilizing people into ministry?
• staff should not be doing something a volunteer could be doing
• move from maintenance to mission
• not just volunteering but owning the ministry
• ask how you can leverage your influence for greater impact

Notes from Michael Frost on Mission as the Organizing Principle of the Church

Notes from YouTube video of Michael Frost at a recent Presbytery meeting.

Theme: "MISSION" should be the organizing priniciple of the church

• mission means "to be sent" - a movement outwards
• not something added on
• all other things should fall under mission - including worship, fellowship, discipleship, etc

1. We must see GOD differently as missio dei, the missioning God

• not, "come up to Zion," that is, expecting people to come to him on their own
• rather, an incarnational God who moves into people's lives, a missionary God
• God is going after people - in search of man
• God is in Babylon too
• the Father sends the Son and they send the Holy Spirit, the three send us (Jn 17), missio dei = the missioning God
• filled with the Spirit = sent into the world
• temple of God is our bodies
• Jesus shattered traditional views of Sabbath, etc; we must shatter traditional views of "church"

2. We must see CHURCH differently as participatio Christi, participating with what Jesus is doing in the world

Notes from "Missional Renaissance" by Reggie McNeal

Notes from Rev. Ken Priddy's summary of Reggie McNeal's presentation from his book Missional Renaissance at the summer General Assembly.

1. the church typically measures how many, how often, how much
2. three recent missional shifts
• from internal focus to external focus
• from program development to people development
• from church based leadership to kingdom leadership
3. should MEASURE COMMUNITY IMPACT - allocate resources to missional agenda
4. move from effective evangelism strategy to effective blessing strategy (through Abraham God would bless all the nations)
5. we should be asking ourselves, "HOW CAN WE BLESS OUR COMMUNITY?"  (Acts 2 - they enjoyed the favor of the people)

Read more from Ken Priddy at http://kenpriddy.blogspot.com/

Notes from Richard Pratt on Missional Applications of Being Created in God's Image

Notes from Rev. Ken Priddy's summary (fall Presbytery) of Dr. Richard Pratt's (RTS Orlando, Thirdmill.org) addresses at General Assembly this past summer.

1. Main theme - your value is in your creation in image of God

• we have value bc we are made in image of God
• don't have to compete with each other
• we are God's "self-portrait" (Eph 2:10)
• God expressed himself by creating people

2. Missional application

• people have great value bc of image of God
• why isn't the call getting out?
• bc we don't value people "out there"
• bc we aren't going/sent (Rom 10) to them, to let them hear
• we want the lost to come to us, but we must go to them

Read more from Ken Priddy at http://kenpriddy.blogspot.com/

Notes from "Confessions of a Short-Sighted Presbyter" by Nate Atwood

Address by Rev. Nate Atwood, Kempsville EPC, Virginia Beach, VA, at a recent EPC General Assembly and reiterated at a recent Presbytery.

Learning from one another - recent lessons learned from others at Presbytery meetings and conclusions drawn

• lesson 1- we gotta take risks
• lesson 2 - if we only fix what's inside the church we'll never reach the world
• lesson 3 - tongues is a sign for unbelievers, worship communication includes intentionally speaking to non-believers as well as believers
• conclusions - to learn from one another we must be together; we must keep multiplying churches to more easily be together; peer learning is the best learning

Missionary God Sends His Son, His Spirit and His People

It has been said that God is a missionary God. He has a mission  (missio dei) in the world. He sent his Son into the world, the Father and the Son sent the Spirit into the world, and the same Trinitarian God sends his people into the world to announce the coming of the kingdom.  Following are a few references in short (more to be added later). "Abram, go to the land that I will show you.." (Gen 12:1). Moses...sent out twelve men... (Num 13:3,17). Jesus sent out the twelve apostles... (Mat 10:5). The Lord chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them... (Luk 10:1). "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." (Joh 20:21). Jesus...told his disciples... "Go and make disciples..." (Mat 28:19).

Missional Shift for Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan from "Come and Hear" to "Go and Share"

I found this article on the Redeemer.com website re their recent shift to a more missional focus. Click the title above to see more articles from Pastor Tim Keller and Redeemer.

From “Come and See” To “Go and Share”

September 2010

by Tim Keller

Redeemer has had twenty great years in which the flow of our ministry could be characterized by the phrase “Come and See.” Come and listen to the teaching and music. Come and be in all the great programs, led by talented staff.

Now, however, we are entering a new season, that, God-willing, will last much longer than 20 years. Our ministry will now be “Go and Share.” Redeemer is going to try to systematically impart what theological and ministry wisdom we have to our people and empower them so that, instead of only inviting people in to hear teaching, they will in the power of the Spirit go out into their neighborhoods to love and winsomely share the Biblical gospel themselves.

Response to "L'Abri" by Edith Schaeffer

Written for Dr. Richard Horner, Church and the World, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, November 2003.

This book is the tale of the Schaeffers’ nearly forty-year endeavor to demonstrate, through their lives and work, that the God of the Bible existed in the twentieth century and that his word is true. They did this by opening their home to “give honest answers to honest questions” to seeking people and in doing so “by living on the basis of prayer,” trusting God to provide for all their needs. Edith Schaeffer, in her homespun manner, provides detailed and copious evidence of the hundreds and thousands of lives who were touched by their ministry beginning in Switzerland and extending nearly world-wide over the many years as they sought to fulfill the calling to provide spiritual (and physical) nourishment for the hungry persons that God sent to their door.

The Pastor's Family, Sloth, Jealousy, Competition, Sexual Lust, Ecclesiastical Politics, and Ministry Philosophy

by Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.

1. The pastor’s family, its importance, difficulties and witness. Practical ways I will minister to my family.

IMPORTANCE. The pastor’s most important human relationships are in his family. There his true identity is revealed and his sanctification is improved. If he is a tyrant at home, he will be a tyrant in the church. He may put up a good front for awhile with his congregation, but eventually, his true self will come out. Conversely, if he learns to serve his family as a loving shepherd - guiding, protecting, feeding - he will do the same with his flock.

Before I had children, I didn’t understand why some parents came late to meetings from time to time or didn’t show up at all. I expected them to be on time every time and had little patience with their seeming negligence.

However, after our two children came along, I began to understand from experience that kids get sick and have emergencies that cannot be prevented. I became more patient with the flock as a result. Similarly, God has used my wife to knock off some of the rough edges in my life. Because I can’t hide my true self from her, she points out my weaknesses and faults so that we can bring them to God in prayer for his sanctifying work.

Why the Word Became Flesh

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.

Introduction

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1.5). He came for no other purpose than to redeem those whom the Father has given Him. Hodge affirms this declaration when he says, “the only reason Christ came in the flesh was because of the fall…Christ came into the world voluntarily to save his people from their sins; to seek and save the lost.”[1] Christ’s coming into the world as not only God, but also Man, is of critical importance to anthropology and Christology. It was necessary for the Word, the second Person of the Trinity, to become man to fulfill God’s plan to redeem fallen humankind. A survey of some of the Christological and anthropological literature supports this premise and supplies several listings of the reasons Christ had to become a man.

Case Study: Women in Ministry

Written for Drs. Al Mawhinney and Reggie Kidd, Senior Seminar, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, May 2003.

The role of women in ministry is a significant issue in our day which deserves careful consideration in the churches. As a result of our discussion on this topic I realized that there are still quite a few issues that I need to consider on this subject. I had believed that the main issue for me (at least in my denomination) was whether I felt comfortable in a church with women elders or not. From what I have gathered so far, there do not appear to be any churches with women pastors, but there are a number who have opted for women ruling elders, especially in the western presbyteries. I believed, and still do, that Scripture supports a unity among men and women before God as persons created in his image (Gen. 1:27; Gal. 3:28), but assigns different functions under God.

Case Study: Right to Life - Abortion

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003. 

This case study deals with a pastor caught between two sides of the Right to Life - Abortion issue. One of his active elders came to him with a concern that the pastor spent too much time on the abortion issue in the church. In the same week, one of his active deacons came to him concerned that the pastor spent too little time on the abortion issue in the church. In both cases they reported that “a large segment of the congregation” was “very upset” about the pastor’s actions. Before Dr. Cannada explained more of the circumstances of the case, I suggested that the pastor begin by speaking with each man individually, then speak with any others who may be involved, and bring it before the elders and deacons if necessary. I also suggested a series of teachings on the abortion issue among the elders and deacons if warranted. However, according to Dr. Cannada, the second, third and fourth steps were not required in this case. Fortunately, the first meeting with each man revealed the problems. No other individuals in the church were apparently concerned with this issue. As a result, the pastor was obliged only to meet with the two individuals.

Response to "The Israel of God" by O.P. Robertson

Written for Dr. Richard Pratt, Prophets, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, April 2004.

Chapter 1: The Land

This chapter was helpful in summarizing a number of things I’ve heard in various classes about “the land,” and especially helpful in understanding the current controversy among Evangelicals regarding the promise of land to the Jews. Robertson points out that the promise of land to Abraham and his spiritual inheritance is the promise of a restored paradise after its loss in the fall under Adam. Abraham understood, even in his day, that since he did not inherit the physical land that the covenant promised him, that he was to look forward to a heavenly city and a heavenly land that he and those who followed him by faith would one day inherit in the restoration of the entire cosmos. The land he was promised, with identifiable borders between the Euphrates River and Egypt, then, was merely a shadow of the restored heavens and earth he and other believers would inherit when Christ comes in judgment and glory as full Messianic ruler of the restored cosmos. Abraham’s descendants were not wrong to inhabit the land that had been promised them, though they never did so to perfection, but they too, should have looked forward, as Abraham did, by faith to the possession of the restored cosmos under the rulership of the Messiah. The modern-day controversy over the restoration of the physical land of Israel to the Jews is put into perspective by this. Those who believe that one day the Jews will receive the land of Israel as their inheritance are misinformed.

Psalms to Memorize

by Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 8

Psalms by Subject

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.

Psalms of Lamentation:

• 130 – Out of the depths

• 102 – Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you

             o more appropriate than Ps 51 for public prayer

• 42 – Why are you so downcast, O my soul?

• 22 – Jesus on the cross

Psalms of Ordeal

• Psalm 26 – vindicate me O Lord, for I have led a blameless life

Psalms of Thanksgiving - votive


• 107 – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever

            o National thxgiving; recurring theme: I was in trouble, I cried to the Lord, he    answered me; now I’m here giving him thanks

• 116 – v9 – confession of the obligation – “that I may walk before the Lord”

Psalms of Thanksgiving – festal

• 24 – who may ascend the hill of the Lord?…lift up your heads O you gates

• 46 – God is our refuge and strength

• 47 – Clap your hands

• 48 – Great is the Lord

• 84 – How lovely is your dwelling place

Fast Day Psalms

• 120 – invocation for fast day

• 46 – processional for fast day

• all the lamentation psalms

• particularly 79, 80, 81

Sabbath Psalms

• 93-100

Passover Psalms

• 113-118

Royal Psalms

• 2, 72, 110

Daily Morning Psalms

• 145-150

Wisdom Psalms

• 1, 19, 34, 111-112, 119

________________________
Originally assembled for Hughes Oliphant Old's course "Leading in Prayer," Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, February 2003. 

Prayers in Scripture

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.

OLD TESTMENT

Hannah’s sorrowful vow to the Lord in exchange for a son

1 Samuel 1:11 And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

Hannah’s votive prayer of thanksgiving; may have been a standard form that Hannah used, not unique to her; seems not to exactly fit here situation (similar to  Mary’s Magnificat)

The Reformed Roots of "Leading in Prayer: A Workbook for Worship" by Hughes Old

by Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003. 


The prayers of the Lord’s Day in the Reformed tradition have been shaped by a number of writers since the 16th century. Hughes Oliphant Old’s Leading in Prayer has drawn together the principles and content of these prayers in a way that can be adapted to the modern worship service. This paper will examine several of these writers to discover the roots of Dr. Old’s pattern of prayer. In each section, I will begin with a summary of Old’s understanding of each particular type of prayer. This will be followed by how this type of prayer was understood or developed by other authors in the Reformed tradition such as John Calvin, William Perkins, the authors of The Westminster Directory, Matthew Henry, Samuel Miller and B. M. Palmer.^[FOOTNOTE]

Inerrancy of the Bible

Written for Dr. Frank James, History of Christianity II, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, May 2003.

Historical Background of the Debate

There seem to be two lines of thought on the how the debate over inerrancy began. Not surprisingly, the two views of history appear to be divided down the lines of the parties in the debate. Both sides accuse the other of starting it!

Open Theism

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.

Open theism, as propounded by Sanders, Rice, Pinnock and others seems to be a hearty attempt to make God more palatable for the modern mind and to solve some long standing theological mysteries. However, Frame, Piper, Ware and others show that this system of thought is, in the end, untenable according to Scripture and potentially dangerous to the church. An evaluation of these two systems will demonstrate the present author’s agreement with the latter view.

Old Testament Exegesis, Analysis of 2 Chronicles 15.1-19

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2002. 

Introduction

As Christians, we have received a measure of God’s blessing in our deliverance from sin and death by Christ on the cross. For some Christians, that is as far as they want to go. However, that is not God’s will for our lives. Scripture urges us to continue to press forward in a life of obedience. As we continue to seek to obey God’s will in our lives, he blesses us for the purpose of expanding His kingdom on earth. We have the high calling as co-participants in Christ’s rule and reign of the earth that will one day be fully completed. In 2 Chronicles 15.1-19, the Chronicler sought to convince his audience that a life of obedience to God is rewarded by God’s blessing.

Position Paper: Hebrews 6:4-6

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.

Theological and Pastoral Issues at Stake

The central theological and pastoral issue in Heb 6:4-6 seems to be whether true Christians can lose their salvation. This is an aspect of the doctrine of the application of redemption, the way in which the Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ to the lives of believers and unbelievers. Particularly, this refers to the perseverance of the saints. Historically, Wesleyan/Arminian theology has maintained that it is possible for Christians to lose their salvation because “election is conditional on man’s response, dependent on God’s foreknowledge of his faith and perseverance.”1^[1]

 Man has free will and can therefore resist God’s grace either before or subsequent to salvation. A Christian who turns his back on the faith can therefore be eternally lost. Calvinist/Reformed theology has maintained that true Christians will be sustained to the end by the power of God, not by human will. Those who persevere to the end of their earthly lives in faith prove that they are true Christians, and those who only appear to be saved but fall away never had saving faith.

Summary of Major Positions

Critique of PBS Documentary, “From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians”

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2002.

 The PBS Documentary, “From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians,” although demonstrating high production quality and detailed research into early Christianity, contains a number of misrepresentations and cannot conceal its writers’/producers’ presupposition that scripture does not speak authoritatively on matters of faith or history.

A Corporate Prayer for Christian Worship

Written for Dr. Steve Brown, Communication II, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, December 2003.

O God, you are the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, in his life, death and resurrection, reached out to us in love to pay the price for our sins. We glorify your name. We have sinned against you in our thoughts, our words and our deeds. We have forgotten you, we have ignored you, and we have deliberately disobeyed you. Forgive us our sins today and draw us near to yourself. We need you, and we love you.

We are gathered here in the name of your Son because he is the only true source of life, of truth, of healing for our souls. We are afraid of many things that are happening in our world. We fear attacks by terrorists, we fear losing our jobs, we fear that our families will break apart, we fear that we may never have a family of our own, we fear that we will not become all that you have called us to be. Calm our fears and give us your peace.

Study Guide for Chapter X: Baptism and the Lord's Supper in "Paul: An Outline of His Theology" by Herman Ridderbos

Written for Dr. Reggie Kidd, Acts and Pauline Epistles, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, May 2003.

Section 64: Different Definitions of Baptism (396-406)

I. Introduction

A. Paul nowhere gives a detailed treatment of the meaning of baptism, but presupposes an understanding of it

B. Yet a very important doctrinal element is implied through traditional formulations and descriptions

II. Baptism as a cleansing bath OR cleansing from sin

Interview With a Retired Pastor

An interview with Rev. Horace and wife Tennie Hilton of Wrightsville Beach, NC for Dr. Jim Coffield, Introduction to Counseling, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, October 2003.

I spent a couple of hours with a retired pastor and his wife this past week. We are on a first name basis, so I will refer to them as Horace and Tennie. Horace mentioned with pride that this year marks the fifty-fifth anniversary of his ordination. It is obvious that they both consider their years in the ministry well-spent in spite of some negative aspects, though they rarely focused their conversation on the negative. Horace retired from pastoral ministry at age sixty-five (he’s now eighty-two), but has continued preaching regularly in various pulpits during the intervening years. However, his health is failing now, so he is less able to get around. His first love is preaching, but he hated administration. He says that he developed clearer boundaries within his ministry in the later years, simply telling church leaders that they would have to find someone else to uphold the administrative end of things. Tennie learned a similar lesson. In the early days, she tried to involve herself in a variety of ministries all at the same time – women’s ministry, singing in the choir, serving in the nursery – but in later years, she realized that her energy was best spent one-on-one with people. She usually attended every service, so she adopted the strategy of sitting near the back so that she could slip out at the end of the service to greet people on the front porch when they came out. She said that that may be the only time she would see them and get to know them. They both noted that “people need a personal touch” from the pastor and his wife. The people need to know that you care about them. Horace made a practice of phone calling people on their birthday to wish them a "Happy Birthday," and he still calls many people today.

When I asked them about how they recovered from failures such as in their ministry in Knoxville, TN where they said things didn’t go very well,

Response to "The Healing Path" by Dan Allender

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.
I really wanted to like Allender since Dr. Coffield said he was one of his favorite authors. But I found him difficult to read – all the way to the end. Like [John] Eldredge, he uses parabolic, poetic language to express himself in prose. I’ve been reading so much theology, it seems I would enjoy a change of pace, but I didn’t. However, once I got past the elusive, non-concrete “desire,” the “embrace,” the “dream of hope,” the “dance of love,” and the “wildness of God.” I was finally able to understand the thrust of his theme. And it’s great!

God’s perspective on pain and suffering, says Allender, is different from ours. It is the rare person, he says, who anticipates pain, let alone embraces it on arrival. We must learn to live in this fallen world with God’s perspective “from above” while living here below. God would lead us on a healing journey through this evil world, but we often stray from the path, missing out on the redemption he has in store for us in this life. Healing, he says, is not “the resolution of the past,” rather, it is “the use of our past to draw us into deeper relationship with God…”

The Ethics of Killing and Letting Die

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2004. 

Introduction

Ethical questions regarding end-of-life care may seem to be a recent phenomenon based on late-breaking developments in biomedical technology. However, such cases have existed since the advent of Western medicine over two thousand years ago under Hippocrates (c.460-370 B. C.), the father of medicine. The ancient Hippocratic Oath attributed to him states in part, “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect.” Cases such as that of Terry Schiavo, a Florida woman forty years of age said by some to be in a “persistent vegetative state” for nearly fourteen years, are illustrative of this dilemma that has been faced by medical personnel, ethicists, legislators, courts, government leaders and society for millenia. Ms. Schiavo had no advanced directive to indicate her wishes and her family is currently in disagreement over whether her life should continue to be sustained through medical intervention via a feeding tube or allowed to die of starvation since there is said by some to be little hope of recovery. Persons like Terry Schiavo, Karen Ann Quinlan and Jack Kevorkian have become household names in recent years as this debate has reached the American public in the news. The ethical issues regarding euthanasia (Greek for “good death”) are complicated. Those in favor of euthanasia say that there is no moral distinction between killing and letting die, while those opposed to aspects of euthanasia say that there is a moral distinction between the two. The U. S. Supreme Court, in its rejection of challenges to the constitutionality of laws which prohibit physician-assisted suicide, cited this distinction in explicit terms, but did not explain or defend it. In contrast, the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals had previously stated that there was no distinction, reasoning that, if it were so, it would discriminate between those on life support who would be allowed to end their lives by removing such support, and those not connected to life support who would be denied similar access to death. Scripture indicates that killing of any kind apart from capital punishment, just war and self-defense are immoral, so it is important to make distinctions between modes of death both morally and legally.

From Fear to Freedom: A Testimony of Emotional Healing

by Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2009.

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls..." (Jer 6:16 NIV)

While we were living in Florida and attending seminary a number of years ago, I discovered something new and something old about myself and about God and his word. In the process, I discovered an ancient path on which to walk. I began the discovery in a counseling class during our counseling partner rotations. In a group of three, we took turns counseling, being counseled and observing one another. During that rotation as a counselee, I heard myself saying repeatedly that I was angry about this and angry about that, and it got my attention. A few weeks later I asked my professor about it. During the conversation he said some things that also got my attention. One of them was that fear is usually a signal to us that something needs to change. An even more striking statement was that he thought that it was fear behind my anger and that I was perhaps the most fearful person he had ever met. That certainly got my attention because he had been a counselor for some twenty years. We agreed that since he was my professor it would be better if he could set up some meetings with me and one of his colleagues to talk about it some more.

Knowledge of God and Ourselves (John Calvin)

1. Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.

Our Plans, God's Plans

In life, and on mission trips, maybe especially on mission trips, things don't always turn out as we've planned! For example, last night we were trying to get down to Brooklyn to the mid-week service at the famous Brooklyn Tabernacle. We had to change subway lines part-way there. We got off the first train just fine (not a small feat with a group of 28), then quickly jumped on a train across the ramp that had the right letter on it (R), but once we took off, David Tepper noticed that we were going in the wrong direction! It took us back where we started. Time for a do-over! So the SECOND time we made the line switch, we took our time and made sure we were on the right ramp for the right train going in the right direction! Fortunately, we made it to the church with time to spare and had a wonderful experience worshiping and praying with hundreds of brothers and sisters in Christ from Brooklyn, NY.

The Application of the Church’s Suffering to the Suffering of the World

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.

Introduction

It is common for Christians to ask in times of personal suffering questions such as, “Why me? What have I done to deserve this? Does God really love me if he is allowing this to happen to me? How long, O Lord?” Not only these, but perhaps a deeper question is asked by believers and unbelievers alike: “If there is a God and he is said to be good and all-powerful, then why does he allow suffering in the world?” This is the so-called problem of evil.[1] As human beings, we ask questions and seek answers in an effort to understand the causes of evil and suffering and the proper response for the individual, the family, and the community affected. As Christian leaders, we seek to help others understand their suffering and to respond properly to it. Popular stories of triumph and comfort in suffering such as that of Joni Eareckson Tada, who became a quadriplegic in a diving accident as a young person, and Horatio Spafford, the author of the beloved hymn “It is Well With My Soul,” who lost much of his family in a shipwreck at sea, encourage Christians to turn to the Lord and one another for comfort and strength in times of pain. Numerous books address the question of understanding the causes and meaning of suffering. Many address primarily how one might recover a sense of balance in life after suffering times of trial or pain. Many seem to treat the subject primarily in relation only to the person himself, how he might understand his own experience of suffering.[2] But I would suggest that this does not go far enough.

What the Scripture Says About Suffering

Daily Life in the Kingdom of Heaven: Part 1, Inner Preparation

I recently heard Dr. Richard Pratt (Reformed Theological Seminary, Third Millenium Ministries) speak on the advance of God's kingdom in the world in preparation for Christ's final return to rule and reign. Coincidentally, a few days later on a long plane trip, I read through the Gospel of Matthew and noticed how often Jesus and others spoke of the "kingdom of heaven." So I'd like to chronicle some of the thirty references and make comments on them to remind myself of the existence and nature of this kingdom and to encourage myself and others to look for it in our everyday existence and look forward to it on the day when Christ returns.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the narrative in Matthew is the phrase, "the kingdom of heaven is like." In these cases the writer uses simile to make his point clear to Jesus' followers. In other cases, the writer uses metaphor leaving the word "like" unspoken. In still other cases, a parable is used to convey the message. Let's look at the first instance of this phrase in the book of Matthew.

God's Sovereign Plans

God empowers evil people for a time, but only to accomplish His purposes. Then He takes away their power. For example, when Assyria's king threatened to invade Jerusalem, Isaiah reassured King Hezekiah with these words.

Music Ministry: Foundational Principles and Practical Applications at Myrtle Grove EPC

What should the arts ministry of MG look like in the 21st century and what should be its impact? I suggest three non-negotiables: 1) it should have its roots firmly in Scripture and be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit; 2) it should reflect the relational diversity and unity of the Trinity and the Body of Christ; and, 3) it should communicate in terms and forms that are understood by the culture it is trying to reach.

'Religion' is Not a Dirty Word

It's popular today for public speakers and authors to consistently assign a negative connotation to the words 'religion' or 'religious.' However, the historical and biblical connotations of these words do not accord with this popular notion.

Historically, the meaning of the word 'religion' is the same as 'faith' or 'belief system.'
According to the Simple English Wikipedia, "A religion is a set of beliefs that is held by a group of people... Other words that are used for 'religion' are 'faith' and 'belief system.'"

The Bible itself tells us there are true and false forms of religion. The apostle James wrote about both. In chapter one of his general epistle he wrote first about false religion in verse 26, "If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless."

Next, he contrasted that with what he called true or pure religion in verse 27, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."

The apostle Paul referred to false religion as well when he wrote, "For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant...holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power" (2Ti 3:2-5 NAU). 

Commentator Matthew Henry, perhaps, makes my point best when he writes in his commentary on this verse, "...people...make it [religion] a vain thing if they have only a form of godliness, and not the power." Henry seems to be saying that religion itself is not vain or false. Rather, people make it vain or false.

False religion often takes one of two forms, legalism or licentiousness (sometimes called antinomianism [anti - against, nomianism - law]. However, most often, the misuse of the word 'religion' or 'religious' refers to legalism. Note the definitions below.

Legalism, in Christian theology, is a sometimes-pejorative term referring to an over-emphasis on discipline of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of misguided rigour, pride, superficiality, the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God or emphasizing the letter of law over the spirit.

License, Licentiousness (or Antimomianism), on the other hand, is lacking legal or moral restraints; especially disregarding sexual restraints; or, marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness.

True Religion (faith) versus False Religion (legalism and license). True religion is faith in God's grace as the pre-eminent principle of redemption. Legalism is any view that obedience to law, not faith in God's grace, is the pre-eminent principle of redemption. Its opposite is antinomianism, or licentiousness, which is the view that believing in Jesus Christ is the only requirement for receiving eternal life.

In summary: Public speakers and authors, especially pastors and Christian speakers, should adhere to the historic and Biblical connotations for the words 'religion' and 'religious.' They should refrain from assigning them with a negative connotation without qualifying the form of religion to which they are referring. If they are referring to religious legalists they should say so. If they are referring to religious antinomians, they should say so. Otherwise, listeners and readers will become increasingly confused about the true meaning of these words.

The Apologetic Method and Presuppositional Apologetics

Written for Professor John Frame, Apologetics, Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando), December 2002.

Introduction

A presupposition is a belief or “basic commitment of the heart” which takes precedence over another belief and becomes a criterion for that other belief or commitment. Ron Nash writes that presuppositions are like a train running along a track with no switches to control it. Once the train is started down that track, its direction and destination is predetermined. Henry Van Til and John Frame refer to presuppositions as “colored glasses” through which we “see” everything. If our glasses are colored red we see everything with a red tint. If they are green, everything has a green tint. We can’t help but see things this way as long as we wear those glasses. Our most basic presuppositions take precedence over and “color” all other beliefs. John Calvin urges a particular ultimate presupposition - Scripture.

A Corporate Prayer for Christian Worship

Written for Rev. Larry Osborne, Communication Lab I, Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando), September 2002.

Our great and loving heavenly Father,

May your name be praised today above all people, nations, powers and authorities in heaven and in earth.

We pray that you would bring forth your peace, your justice, your righteousness, your mercy and your love among us gathered here, throughout this land, and in every nation on earth.

Four Reasons Preaching is a Supernatural Event

Written for Dr. Steve Brown, Communication II, Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando), 2003.

Preaching is a supernatural event for at least four reasons. First, preaching is the proclamation and application of Scripture which is God-breathed. Scripture itself tells us that it is metaphorically spoken out by God and therefore his own speech by which he effects his purpose in the world. “All Scripture is inspired by God (theopneustos - God-breathed) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). Scripture does not come from man, but rather through men from God by the Holy Spirit. “[F]or no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet 1:21). Therefore, God’s activity is evident in the text on which preaching is based. Preaching that is based on something other than Scripture will fail because it lacks God’s power found in his written Word. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).

The Problem Post-Moderns Have with Meaning and How a Preacher Can Speak to That Problem

Written at Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando), 2002-2004.

Post-moderns say two things about texts. First, they say that texts do not have meaning in themselves. Rather, the meaning of a text “emerges only as the interpreter enters into dialogue with the text.” Therefore, a text “has as many meanings as it has readers…” Similarly, reality is “read” differently by each person who experiences it. There is “no one meaning of the world, no transcendent center to reality as a whole.” Therefore, according to post-modernists, for a person such as a pastor to insist that a text has one meaning for every person is ridiculous. For a person to insist that understanding what the author meant is important is preposterous. For a person to insist that there is one transcendent reality is ludicrous. Second, post-modernists say that texts are used to manipulate.

Written and Oral Communications

Written and oral communications are alike and different in a number of ways. First, on the one hand, written communication is sometimes different from spoken communication. Spoken communication contains partial sentences, inflections, and nuances that are heard differently than when they are read silently. On the other hand, written sermons are sometimes similar to oral communication. Most people who can speak well, can learn to write well; most who can write well can learn to speak well. One who can organize his thoughts for one can do so for the other.

Second, on the one hand, written communication is sometimes more dangerous than oral communication. It is like leaving a “paper trail.” When something is written down, it can be traced back to the author for good or bad. If a passage is found incorrect or inflammatory, it can do harm to the author, his organization, or to others for many years to come. It is harder to retract a written statement. If a retraction is necessary it must be done in written form as well. When it is not written it can be denied or taken back more informally. On the other hand, written communication is sometimes less dangerous than oral communication. The author can think through what he is going to say more carefully during the writing process and therefore more easily protect himself from error.

Third, on the one hand, written communication is sometimes more satisfying than oral communication. Oral communication often receives little feedback, whereas, written communication, since it is longer lasting, can be responded to for generations. On the other hand, written communication is sometimes sometimes less satisfying than oral communication. There is a supernatural and person to person dynamic in preaching that is very rewarding, while there is no face to face element in written communication.

Fourth, on the one hand, written communication is sometimes more difficult than oral communication. It is a painstaking endeavor, especially for publication, to make sure that what is written is what is meant and only that. On the other hand, written communication is sometimes less difficult than oral communication. It is done in private, rather than in front of a group of people, so that when mistakes are made, they can be corrected without embarrassment.

The Practice of Private Prayer

Private prayer is a difficult occupation. Our communication with God is vital. Therefore, the devil aims to keep us from it in any way he can. Not only that, the world tells us that we are foolish to believe in and pray to an invisible God, and our flesh is weak and undisciplined. The most common form of distraction is busyness in life, work and ministry. Especially in church work, there is always more that can be done. The next sermon or newsletter article is always waiting to be written, someone always needs a visit or a phone call, the last Session meeting must be followed up and the next one prepared. There is so much to do and think about that it is very easy to justify skipping private prayer in order to “get on with God’s business.” We justify ourselves, thinking that doing God’s work is more important than communicating with the God of the work. Often it is because we believe we see more tangible results from work than from prayer, when in fact, prayer connects us with God, who is the source of any lasting result in our work. Martin Luther once told a friend that he had so much to do the next day he had to get up earlier to pray longer in order to accomplish all that he had to do. Therefore, we must make an appointment each day with God as part of our plan for the day or it will get pushed out of our schedule. Even five minutes a day is better than nothing. We must make an appointment until we can’t live without it.

A Prayer for the Opening of a Civic Gathering

Written for Dr. Steve Brown's course, Communication II, Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando), December 2003.

O God, we acknowledge today that you are our Creator and that you order the affairs of our individual lives, the life of our community, our nation and even the whole world. Your strong hand provides for us, guides us, protects and preserves us. Nothing happens without your knowledge, participation and permission.

Therefore, we ask that as we gather today, you would lead us as we consider, discuss and make decisions that affect our community. Guide our thoughts, temper our tongues, and bring us into unity over the matters before us. May the decisions we make serve the needs of the members of our community and serve as a model for other communities around us. May our community reflect your goodness, your grace, your righteousness, your compassion, your justice and your glory. Thank you for hearing our prayer. Amen.

A Corporate Prayer for Christian Worship

O God, you are the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, in his life, death and resurrection, reached out to us in love to pay the price for our sins. We glorify your name. We have sinned against you in our thoughts, our words and our deeds. We have forgotten you, we have ignored you, and we have deliberately disobeyed you. Forgive us our sins today and draw us near to yourself. We need you, and we love you.

We are gathered here in the name of your Son because he is the only true source of life, of truth, of healing for our souls. We are afraid of many things that are happening in our world. We fear attacks by terrorists, we fear losing our jobs, we fear that our families will break apart, we fear that we may never have a family of our own, we fear that we will not become all that you have called us to be. Calm our fears and give us your peace.

Give wisdom to those in authority over us that we might live in peace and freedom to proclaim the gospel in our community and throughout the world. Give wisdom to our church’s leaders that we might serve you faithfully and lovingly among your people. Help your people to live in unity and love with one another so that others might see Christ among us. Help us together to fulfill our calling to make disciples of all the nations, to minister to the poor and needy, and to stand up for righteousness wherever we are.

Lord, remember those among us who are sick, hurting, depressed, struggling with doubt, or lonely. Comfort the troubled. Strengthen the weak. Lift up those who are cast down. Give joy to the sorrowful.

O God, you are our deliverer and our salvation. We look forward with hope and joy to the coming of the fullness of your kingdom, when every tear will be wiped away and when Christ will reign forever and ever and we will reign with him as his glorious bride. Thank you for your matchless grace and mercy on our behalf. All glory be to you now and forever, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Worship: Scriptural Definitions and Practical Applications for Public and Private Worship

Following is a worship primer drawing from some of my favorite sources on the topic. See footnotes at the bottom of this article.

I. What is Worship?

A. The term ‘worship’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon weorthscipe which later developed into worthship, and then into worship. “It means, ‘to attribute worth’ to an object. To worship God is to ascribe to Him supreme worth, for He alone is worthy.” 1

B. A definition: “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His Holiness; the nourishment of mind by His Truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His Love; the surrender of the will to His purpose – and all this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for our self-centeredness.” -Archbishop William Temple

C. Biblical words for worship 2

Volume Levels and Song Selection in Worship

We recently made two changes to our 8:30am service on Sundays. We lowered the volume level, and we changed our song repertoire to include mostly classic songs. "Classic" songs are songs from previous generations including traditional hymns and worship choruses from the '80s and '90s. We did this for two reasons that resulted from a series of conversations between individuals who normally attend this service and the senior pastor. First, the people were saying that the volume was too loud. Second, the people were saying that the songs were mostly unfamiliar. The result, according to the pastor, was that the people were not entering into, or engaging in, authentic worship because of these hindrances.