What is True Worship?

Emotion should be experienced in worship. Worship without emotion is not pleasing to God-Matthew 15:8 "‘This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me; However, the Word of God should drive our worship.

Two elements of true worship

Worship without truth is not true worship. Jesus made it clear that the Word of God is what sanctifies us, not an emotional experience-John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. When speaking with the woman at the well Jesus told us what the true elements of worship are, spirit (emotion) and truth-John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." So,no truth, no genuine worship. No spirit, no genuine worship.

The average worship experience

Yet in many churches, especially Seeker Driven and Charismatic churches, there is a much greater emphasis on experiencing God through music and ecstatic praise rather than through the preaching of the Word. The music and praise supposedly brings the presence of God so His people can experience Him. One of the phrases you might hear in these churches is "Lord, send your presence!" or, "Lord, we want to feel your presence in this place tonight!" This is said usually by the Worship Leader as the praise band begins to play a song that's void of any deep theological substance. Now don't get me wrong. I have no problem with contemporary worship, or raising hands in worship, as long as long as the music itself is not the main focus of service. The preaching of the Word is to be the whole reason we come to Church.

What did Jesus and the apostles think?

Jesus and the Apostles had a high view of Scripture. They taught the importance of sound doctrine:

John 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

What shows that one is a true disciple? Abiding in the Word.

John 8:51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Sanctification comes through knowing "truth," (doctrine) rather than experience.

Acts 2:42 The Fellowship of the Believers And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

The early church "devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching" (doctrine). Nothing here about ecstatic worship experiences.

Titus 1:9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Titus 2:1​ But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

1 Timothy 6:3-4 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

None of the apostles or early church fathers would have ever elevated experience over the teaching and preaching of the Word. Yet as time draws nearer and nearer to the return of Christ, the Word of God will become less and less important to "Christians" and personal experience will reign. I truly believe we are in the midst of a famine. Not a famine of food, but a famine of hearing the Word. Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord God,"when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,but of hearing the words of the Lord. When asking today's average Christian about Church, rarely will you hear them emphasize the preaching and teaching of the Word. This is because worship has become more about experience than hearing from God through the preaching of His Word.

Here is a short video by John MacArthur on what constitute true worship.

 

 

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5 Reasons Why Morality Won't Save You

Why is it that so many sermons, teachings, and even blog posts are about a moralistic Jesus that always did good deeds but wasn't concerned too much about doctrine. Why has doctrine become such a dirty word in our day? I even saw a blog post this morning called 5 Ways You Can Spot a Jesus Follower. According to this blogger Gandhi could have been a "Jesus follower". They forget that our Lord talked much about doctrine. He was concerned about truth. And the whole reason He came was to work for us, not have us work for Him. They focus specifically on the moral acts of Jesus not understanding that these acts were for us. These moral acts of Christ would one day be applied to all of God's elect by faith. So here are 5 reasons why morality won't save us.

1. All are born in Adam

1Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die.....
We all have two major problems. First, Adam’s sin is counted as our sin. As our Representative Adam was acting on our behalf. When he sinned we sinned. God counted his disobedience in the garden as our disobedience. This means that even if we never committed any sin of our own, we would not be innocent. Our Representative failed therefore we failed (Romans 5:12-14). Second, we inherited Adams nature. Because of this we are all born dead in our trespasses and sins. We are slave to sin and children of the devil. So to try to do good before a Holy God is futile. Our works are tainted with sin.

2. God demands perfect obedience to His Law

Matthew 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God does not grade on a curve. There are no second chances. His standard is perfection. James makes it clear that if we keep the whole Law and yet fail in just one point, we are guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10).
So if it were possible for you to go throughout your entire life loving God with all of your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself and then right at the end of your life have a covetous thought, everything good you have done up to that point will count as nothing. Failure to obey the Law at one point is failure to obey it at all points.

3. The Law was not given for the purpose of salvation

Romans 5:20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
The Law has no power to make us obey. As a matter of fact the more we try to obey it the harder it becomes to obey. This is because the purpose of the Law is to show us our sin and not to save us (Romans 3:20). Paul speaks about his struggle with obeying the Law even as a Christian. He says in verses 14 and 15 "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." At the end of the chapter he cries out "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Then he gives the answer, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" The Gospel is what fuels our obedience, not the Law.


4. Christ obeyed the Law for us

Just as Adam was the Representative of the entire human race, so Christ represented those He came to save. Adam was placed in the garden by God and given this one command: Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Adam broke God's Law and as a result plunged the entire human race into sin. Christ came as the New Adam (1Corinthians:15:45) and kept all of God's commands. He represented us by doing what none of us could ever do, keep the entire Law perfectly. This is freeing news! God has done for us what He demands from us, perfect obedience to his Law, and punishment for every time we broke His Law. Christ did both as our Substitute.

5. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone

God has provided for us in Christ something we could have never achieved for ourselves- perfect righteousness. This righteousness is outside of us. It is not something that comes from us. It is a gift given to us for free.
Romans 5:17 For if, because of one man 's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Any non Christian can do "good works." Morality will never save. Only the work of Christ on your behalf received by faith will save!

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The Gay Burger: A Celebration of Evil

Someone on Facebook shared this link yesterday. I was skeptical when I first saw it, but googled it and found other websites affirming its validity.

The Proud Whopper

Yep it's true. Burger King has decided to join the gay bandwagon and celebrate homosexuality by adding the "Proud Whopper to their menu. I can't say I'm not surprised because I was. I guess I shouldn't have been since it's just a matter of time before stuff like this will be going on everywhere. Now, some might say, "It was only sold at the Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco." But I'm telling you this is only the beginning. In my opinion Burger King has opened the door for other restaurants and businesses to act in similar ways.

Celebrating Sin

Folks, this is nothing more than a celebration of sin, what the Bible calls calling good evil and evil good-

Isaiah 5:20-21 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

Isaiah is pronouncing judgement on the nation of Israel for their idolatry. The word "woe" here is an oracle of judgement. Whenever an Old Testament prophet would pronounce judgement on a nation he would use this oracle of woe.

Judgement is coming

Judgement is promised for those who celebrate sin. This is what the "homosexual community" and those outside who embrace it are doing. When even those inside the church can call themselves "Christians" and yet at the same time live a gay lifestyle, all the while claiming that the lifestyle is blessed by God, the only thing that remains for our nation is judgement.

 

 

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Stupid Tweets: Jerry Savelle

Here is another stupid tweet from another Word of Faith heretic.

First Jesus came to set us free from the penalty and power of sin. Certainly sin is bondage: John 8:34 Jesus answered them, " Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

Those in bondage to sin cannot submit to God:Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God 's law; indeed, it cannot.

Jesus also came to set us free from the penalty of sin: Romans 3:23-25 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God 's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

But unfortunately this is not what Jerry is talking about when he talks about bondage. Jerry’s idea of bondage is a bondage of sickness, or poverty, negative circumstances, negative thinking etc. Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel proponents would have us believe that God does not want us to be in the bondage of sickness and poverty as you can see by the rest of the tweet.

 

 

Second, what is an "enjoyable' rewarding, and satisfying life" for the Christian? Is it freedom from worldly troubles? Jesus said we can expect troubles: John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

 

Is it freedom from suffering?

 

Paul makes it clear that the Christian will suffer: Romans 8:16-18 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 

How about freedom from poverty?

 

Although having wealth is not a sin many Christians during the time of the Apostles were slaves and the Apostles themselves were poor. When the Apostle Paul was speaking to the Corinthians about the generosity of the Macedonian Christians he said: 2 Corinthians 8:2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. Notice how he used joy and poverty in the same sentence. Their poverty was extreme and yet they had great joy!

The true "enjoying, rewarding, and satisfying life" for the Christian is found first in knowing that we have been forgiven, and second, knowing that we stand perfectly righteous before a Holy God.

Because Christ has absorbed in Himself on the cross all of the wrath that our sins deserve we are freely forgiven by God.

Because Christ kept all of the demands of God’s Law on our behalf (as our substitute) God freely imputed the righteousness of Christ to our account! We stand before God as those who have obeyed the entire Law of God perfectly because Christ obeyed in our place.

The Word of Faith, Prosperity message can never be rewarding or satisfying because because it's main focus is the here and now and rarely if ever speaks of eternity.

Here is a great article from CRI on the Word of Faith movement.

 

 

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This is Just Plain Ridiculous!Steven Long 5/19/13

Talk about using secular means to attract people to church: take a look at this absolutely ridiculous video below.



This is one of the major reasons why discernment is lacking among our young people. They desire to be entertained rather than be exhorted by the Word of God. When churches have to stoop to such means to attract a crowd something is desperately wrong. This video was done by North Point Church in Georgia. Just by looking at their info you can see why this church is the way it is. Their welcome page states,

North Point Ministries, Inc., was founded in 1995 with the vision of creating churches that un-churched people love to attend.

Having a church where the lost love to attend is an anomaly to Scripture. The Church is a place where God's people come together to worship Him, be edified, and take what they have learned in order to reach the lost around them. It is not about entertaining or trying to attract the unchurched. The reason why people are unchurched is because they hate God! There is no other reason. They don't seek after God and therefore need the world's entertainment to feel "safe and unjudged" when walking into a church.

I hope Danny and I will be able to do a podcast on this very soon. Stay tuned!

ContempervantSteven Long (1/20/13)

Just a little humor for your Lord's Day. This is video that mocks the modern day cool, relevant church scheme. While you'll probably get a good laugh out of this, it should be a sobering reminder of the danger that Evangelicalism is facing in our country. Enjoy.