Worship
Anyone for Easter Eggs?
A reader of this blog has raised the question: “Do independent churches make too little of Easter?” On my way to church last Sunday I passed several children carrying palm branches to church for the Palm Sunday service. The sight of them was the first time I even thought of this special day in the [...]
An Underwater Gospel
We have lived in Cairns now for almost 5 years. In that time I have dropped off many a visitor to the Cairns Marina for a day out ‘on the reef’. It was only a couple of months ago that I not only dropped off a mission team for such an excursion, but parked the [...]
Musically Challenged
Is music moral? In other words can music be either moral or immoral? That is the question that a lot of us have asked ourselves. Some of us may believe music is amoral and others believe it to be moral and even within these 2 categories we can have various shades of stances. This is [...]
Church Music Training
Last weekend I attended a training seminar on church music, provided through a local Bible institute. Over fifty people attended from various independent churches, including a couple from Melbourne. The topics included the Bible’s emphases on music in the church, musicianship, audio / visual / technical support, and leading church music for congregation, choir, and [...]
It depends….
Thanks for your thoughtful responses to my last post on altar calls. The consensus is – “it depends.” So my next question is – it depends on what? Let’s talk about the factors determining methodology when the Bible is silent. How does your personal experience influence your methodology? Many of you referenced personal spiritual growth [...]
Altar Calls: Yes or No?
Let’s discuss the use of altar calls in church services. For the purpose of this blog post, an altar call is an event that takes place after preaching. It involves an invitation from the preacher to come to the front of the church in response to the message. FOR Faith demands a response. In Scripture, [...]
Pray The Word
For some of us, it’s easier to talk with God spontaneously during the day: a request here, a thank-you there. To pray anywhere and anytime is an amazing blessing of knowing God. But momentary talks with God are not enough. Imagine a father who comes home and chats for a moment, then leaves. Even if [...]
Soul-Stirring Music
Have you ever experienced this? You’re in church, singing with the congregation, and suddenly a line from the text becomes highlighted in your mind. You’re arrested by its truth. The music flows on while your heart is stirred up toward God. You feel a lump in your throat and your eyes well up. You may [...]
Enjoying Communion
I feel especially blessed to have attended church from childhood! But one risk of growing up in church is that you can become mentally mechanical during the church service. Communion time is one example. I think many Christians acknowledge the significance of Communion but often feel “in a rut” during Communion. So it’s helpful to rethink what is taking place as you participate.
A Missionary Melody
My pastor, Steven Mock, preached on Psalm 96 on Sunday. He called this Psalm “a missionary melody.” “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” There were three key points that Steven made from the text: 1. Mission starts with worship (v. 1) Mission is about maturing disciples of Jesus [...]
Why The Gospel Is Good News
I’m reading John Piper’s God Is The Gospel, where he asks: “Why is the Gospel good news?” The reason this must be asked is that there are seemingly biblical answers that totally ignore the gift of God himself. A person may answer, “Being forgiven is good news because I don’t want to go to hell.” [...]
Why Men Hate Going To Church
Why Men Hate Going To Church. David Murrow. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005. 248pp. I was required to read this book and I opened it with curiosity, as I often interact with guys who have no interest in church. The short answer is that the book was frustrating but did provide a handful of practical suggestions [...]
