The Lord’s Supper

There is much diversity today concerning the Lord’s Supper, or Communion.  Really, there should not be.  The Bible teaching is plain.  If three different groups practice taking the Lord’s Supper in three different ways, they cannot all be doing it correctly.  Therefore, we need to carefully examine the Scriptures to see what God has told [...]

30-minute worship

While driving from Dallas to Austin recently, I saw a banner with that phrase on it — 30-minute worship. My reaction was, Really? So who’s this targeting? People who just can’t be bothered to give more than 30 minutes out of their busy life to Jesus on Sunday morning?
I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t respond to [...]

Instrumental Music in the Church

To some, this is a big question.  I, personally, love good music…or, at least, I love music that sounds good to me.  But, you know, the Lord has an idea of what He likes, also.  It is He Who decides what pleases Him, and what He want as part of our worship service.  For example, [...]

Is our worship too formal?

Editor’s note: This post by guest blogger Matthew Lee is a supplement to my June 15 post, Is our worship too casual? It’s our prayer that both of these posts will cause you to think more deeply about and search the Scriptures about, how we worship, why we worship, and most importantly, Who we worship.
A [...]

iPods, PDAs, and iPhones — Bring them to worship or leave them at home?

Tim Challies wrote last Saturday in a Crosswalk.com blog that he’s witnessing a disturbing trend: Christians coming to worship not with a traditional paper & ink Bible, but an electronic Bible on an iPod, smart phone, or other such device. He encourages his readers not only to not bring an electronic Bible to worship, but [...]

Is our worship too casual?

It’s 10 AM on Sunday morning. (Maybe your services don’t start at 10 AM, but humor me here.)
Worship is about to start. How will you know when it does?

The song/worship leader begins to sing a song.
Someone in the audience spontaneously begins to sing a song, and the congregation follows.
An elder gets up to make announcements, [...]

Name above all names

Jesus, name above all names;
Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord.
Emmanuel, God is with us;
Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.
song “Jesus, Name Above All Names”, by Nadia Hearn
© Copyright 1974 by Scripture in Song

Such a simple song, yet such a great feeling of humble devotion. How do you feel when you say the name of Jesus? Humble? Reverent? Unworthy? Thankful? [...]

Should We Fast Today?

It is not specifically commanded in the Scriptures that fasting is a part of the Christian life.  However, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave the apostles instructions on how to give, how to pray,  and how to fast.  It is written as if were of equal obligation (Matthew 6:16-18).  We know that giving [...]

“Church” Music in the Old Testament

As far as we can tell, David introduced  mechanical music into the temple some 400 years after the law was given on Sinai (Exodus 20:1-17).  The law forbade additions to it just as surely as Revelation forbids adding to the New Testament (Revelation 22:18-19). Deuteronomy 4:1-2 explicitly forbids adding to the words of the Old [...]

What about animal sacrifice?

Have you ever thought about that? Indeed, what about animal sacrifice? Why don’t we observe it today? Isn’t the God we serve, the God of the Israelites — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Don’t the same things please Him now that pleased Him in the days of the prophets? Yes, we do serve [...]