After decades of drama, war, and turmoil, the great King David of Israel finally has peace. In 2 Samuel 22, he is so happy, and he breaks out in song to God. In today’s post, and the next two, we’ll observe how David crafts his song using chiastic structure (which I introduced in the previousContinue reading “One important reason we regularly gather for worship – 2 Samuel 22, Part 3”
Tag Archives: worship service
What does it mean to be “undignified” in worship? – 2 Samuel 6, Bonus Post
In 2 Samuel 6, David’s wife, Michal, confronts him, accusing him of “undignified” worship. David responds saying, “I will be even more undignified than this.” What is “undignified” worship? My opinion is that David is not suggesting that wild dancing is the only way to worship God when a group of Christians comes together forContinue reading “What does it mean to be “undignified” in worship? – 2 Samuel 6, Bonus Post”
God doesn’t really want us to go to church services – 1st Samuel 15, Part 5
I recently heard the story of a man is a follower of Jesus, but he allowed his life to go down a pathway that was not in line with the heart of God. This guy started drinking heavily. And it showed. You could drive by his house and over time you could see just fromContinue reading “God doesn’t really want us to go to church services – 1st Samuel 15, Part 5”
Is God concerned about how many people show up at worship services? – 1st Samuel 15, Part 3
King Saul is caught. He disobeyed God. But does he realize what he did? God asked Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites, but instead, Saul took the Amalekite king as a prisoner of war, and Saul allowed his men to keep a bunch of the Amalekite’s livestock. As we learned in the previous post, GodContinue reading “Is God concerned about how many people show up at worship services? – 1st Samuel 15, Part 3”
The problem with contemporary worship services – Study Scripture together, Part 4
The first Christians demonstrated communal Bible study. In Acts 2:42-47, the very first description of the very first church, we learn that the church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching. We read that they were together. The met in the temple courts and in homes. Add up those statements, and we can see how theContinue reading “The problem with contemporary worship services – Study Scripture together, Part 4”
How personal Bible study was created – Studying Scripture together, Part 3
Would it surprise you to learn that for most Christians across the two millennia of the history of the church, study of God’s written word was accomplished together with other Christians? We contemporary Christians are used to the idea of personal Bible study. Personal devotions. Reading the Bible by ourselves. Reading through the whole BibleContinue reading “How personal Bible study was created – Studying Scripture together, Part 3”
Some much needed perspective on how to worship the Lord – Psalm 96, Part 4
In Psalm 96, this psalm about perspective, the psalmist started with a repetitive phrase, “Sing to the Lord,” which we talked about here and here. And now later in his song, he returns to a repetition. Look at verses 7-8. “Ascribe…Ascribe…Ascribe to the Lord.” What does it mean to “ascribe”? “Ascribe is not a commonContinue reading “Some much needed perspective on how to worship the Lord – Psalm 96, Part 4”
The importance of new worship songs and a global perspective – Psalm 96, Part 2
Psalm 96 begins with the repeated words: “Sing to the Lord.” Three times we read that in verses 1 & 2. This is a reminder that there is just something about singing that is special. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a good singer, and even if you kinda just grunt the wordsContinue reading “The importance of new worship songs and a global perspective – Psalm 96, Part 2”
That time someone said, “You’re not ready” about my church’s worship service – John 4:1-26, Part 1
A few years ago, a community family visited Faith Church, and after that visit they told me they would not be returning because in their words, “You’re not ready.” They weren’t saying I personally wasn’t ready. They were saying that Faith Church wasn’t ready. Not ready? What were they saying? By declaring that Faith ChurchContinue reading “That time someone said, “You’re not ready” about my church’s worship service – John 4:1-26, Part 1″
Why we played the Silent Game in worship yesterday – Ezekiel 33:1-20, Part 1
Have you ever been with your kids or grandkids and played the Silent Game? It’s a contest to see who can be quiet the longest. No talking, no laughing, no noise of any kind. We parents and grandparents bring up the idea of the Silent Game usually because the kids are being noisy, and weContinue reading “Why we played the Silent Game in worship yesterday – Ezekiel 33:1-20, Part 1”
Engaging Scripture 