Worship and the Movies

I was having a good Sunday morning the other week.  It wasn’t necessarily the weather or the newness of spring morning but I was looking forward to gathering with other Christians and entering into a time of worship and praise to my Lord.  I was anticipating meeting those who regularly attend church and was happily surprised when those who are usually late arrived early.  And as I settled in the pianist began playing the prelude to worship and I began to prepare my mind and heart for the morning service.  Then, as our custom is, a small bell was rung calling everyone to prepare for the worship service to begin.

But all this was overshadowed by loud conversations, children running in and out of the building, and a general cacophony of noise,  and I thought to myself, “Is this what preparing to worship is about?”

What is the purpose of the church gathering together on Sunday morning?  Is it like a theater production or a movie house where we can conduct our own business, enter into inane conversations and generally act noisily until the action starts?  Can we rush in (physically and mentally) at the last minute into the auditorium for the entertainment and the popcorn?  Is our fellowship more important than our worship?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Christian fellowship that can edify but should it not take place outside a time set aside to prepare for worship?  Can it not wait?  Are we so preoccupied with other things we fail to do the important thing?

Can we not set aside a few minutes for a quiet time of reflection without the chaos?  Can we not take our places in the assembly be seated and be quiet? Can we not gather ourselves and our children and indicate to others that we are expecting the Lord Jesus Christ to be in our assembly today and let us prepare ourselves for Him?

We indicate in our church bulletins that the time has been set aside for worship.  We are often reminded by our church elders that it is a time to prepare our hearts for worship.  Many of us intend to worship.  So why do we not prepare for worship?  I fear this looseness many exhibit in preparing to worship sets a poor example for not only our younger people and youth but those who visit as well and I believe it is offensive to God.  

Quieting our hearts and minds and failing to prepare to worship sets a poor example at best and at the worst we are creating an attitude that our worship is not all that important -  or at least as important as a movie theater.  

Removing Reason

Our Adult Sunday school class is currently viewing the DVD series “Resisting the Green Dragon”, subtitled; “A Biblical Response to One of the Greatest Deceptions of Our Day”.  The series is produced by the Cornwall Alliance and presents a Christian response to radical environmentalism.

One of the segments our class viewed was “Logos vs Mysticism: Environmentalism’s Flight from Reason” by lecturer Dr. Vishall Mangalwadi. 

Dr. Mangalwadi is from India and related his experience in living the gospel in that country.  His experiences with the mystical religions of India and the philosophy of extreme environmentalism lead him to conclude that extreme environmentalists practice a form of mysticism which substitutes reason with feelings or emotionalism which leads to worshipping creation rather than the Creator.  He reminds us that human beings are living in someone else’s creation.  In other words “we didn’t make that” -  to borrow a phrase from our current president.  He also stated that if you remove the Word of God from our decision making process there is no reason to not steal, covet, or murder.  Animals do all those things and if we are nothing more than animals we are free to act like animals.  His statement, “If you are a monkey you will do monkey-business” is the inevitable result.

He also stated that the western cultural view of celibacy as remaining unmarried differs from the eastern (or mystics) view of celibacy.  Celibacy to the mystic is not abstaining from sex but from marriage.  Therefore, religious leaders like Mahatma Gandhi can claim celibacy but have multiple paramour’s.  Much like our Hollywood celebrities who have almost en-mass adopted mysticism as their worldview.  Consequently, our culture’s adoption of mysticism leads to a breakdown of the sanctity of marriage and rampant promiscuity and other immoral acts.

Removing the Word of God from our culture removes Reason. 

The Cornwall Alliance was established in May, 2007, and has emerged as one of the most prominent voices in America and internationally on issues of religion and environment and consists of a coalition of clergy, theologians, religious leaders, scientists, academics, policy experts, and others committed to bringing a proper and balanced biblical view of stewardship to the critical issues of environment and development. You can visit their website HERE to order the DVD.

Posted by John R Ducommun

Sanctification

This year our church continues what we call our "Book Study" using materials supplied by Chapel Library of Pensacola, Florida, and consists of reading material and accompanying study guide.  Our current study is in J.C.Ryle's book "Holiness, Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots.  During my time of study I often utilize other material to help clarify or give me a greater understanding of the topic or that I find interesting.  This past week I read an article I felt compelling regarding the inevitability of sanctification in the Christian's life.  The article was written by Elisha Golotti, the wife of a pastor in Toronto, Canada. (You can view her blog site  HERE .)  Enjoy....

THE INEVITABILITY OF SANCTIFICATION

We know what abundant life looks like; we’ve seen in it others, we’ve tasted it ourselves. A striving life is a joy-filled life, and it is only when we pick up our cross and follow Him that heaviness lifts. We know that the grueling work of putting to death those sins which we so cherish is the pathway to freedom, to abundance. But still, we look within and there is much yet withered and lifeless. We doubt not that He has made us new in Christ, it’s just that sometimes the new bears such striking resemblance to the old.

In Toronto this has been the week when the color of life has changed. We have been watching closely, knowing it was coming. A few days ago buds were forming on the trees, and branches, though still brown, had subtly changed shape as bud concealed blossom. Every spring, though expectant, there is always the delight of one day waking up, looking out, and life has changed color.

What yesterday was barren is today fresh, green, flowering, altogether new.

I was commenting to a neighborhood friend that even though I always know spring is coming and the process has begun, it always seems so sudden when the landscape changes and, one day, the trees are adorned in flowering buds. “Well,” my friend mused, “it was never a question of if, it was always a question of when.”

My mind replayed her words. It was never a question of if, it was always a question of when.

For the tree planted, rooted, and alive, new life is never a question of if, it is always a question of when. New life is inevitable. Change is inevitable. It’s inevitable that spring will blossom no matter how long the winter has been.

Where there is life, where there are living roots, there will be growth.

We may grow weary. We may see patterns of sin that tempt us to lose hope. We may lift empty, calloused hands and cry with hollow voice, “When will you do this work in me? When will you give me the grace to live as I ought to live, to think as I ought to think, to love as I ought to love? When, Lord?”

His answer, startling clear: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

I’ve been made new in Christ. I’ve been planted by streams of living water. My roots are growing deep into God’s love. Because of all this, putting sin to death and growing in grace is not a question of if, it is a question of when.

The process of sanctification is one that can seem, at times, imperceptible. There are seasons--or sins--where the cold, gray of winter shuts out the warmth and light of the Son and all we know is the same bleak repetition of failure, of apathy, of sin.

What grace and tremendous hope is found in His promise to complete in us what He has begun. What grace to know that sanctification is inevitable and that, in Him, we will surely see change and growth and new life. 

And what grace, too, that He chose to fill this world with beautiful illustrations of His promise.

But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!” ~ Psalm 92

 

The Stockdale Paradox

Who has the worst chance of surviving a prisoner of war camp?

An optimist!

According to General Stockdale, who was held captive for eight years during the Vietnam War and tortured 22 times before finally making it home, it was mainly optimists who did not make it out alive.

He explains: “They were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”

In contrast to false optimism, Stockdale attributes his survival to realistic faith: “I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.” He concluded: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end–which you can never afford to lose–with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

 

But we can apply this principle to our spiritual lives and ministries too. Many Christians and churches seem to entertain unending optimism in “the next big thing” to make the “big breakthrough” in their lives and churches. The consequences are increasing numbers of disillusioned Christians and churches, some of whom are dying from broken hearts.

If we want to avoid this, let’s. . . . . (read the rest  HERE )



Originally posted on April 22, 2013 by David Murray

The Dogmatic Sarcophagus and JW's.

I noticed a photograph and short “blurb” in our local newspaper this past week identifying members of the local Jehovah’s Witness congregation performing a “dramatization about how Christian parents can communicate with their children more effectively”.  The inference is that JW’s are or belong to a Christian organization. Historical and orthodox evidence proves this to be not true.  Members of the Jehovah’s Witness organization are theologically Arian not Christian because of their denial of the Trinity and belief that the Lord Jesus Christ is not co-equal or “of one substance” with the Father.

A recent article on the Dogmatic Sarcophagus by Tim Challies provided insight into Arianism and a reminder of it’s deviation from historical Christianity and impact today.  As he concludes his article Challies writes,

“The Arian controversy was just one of many controversies that marked the early church and necessitated both councils and creeds. These creeds protected the church and its doctrine by their precise statements of biblical theology and by their strict warnings to those who would deviate from orthodoxy. Though the Nicene Creed was not the final word on Trinitarian theology, it remains a remarkably accurate declaration of what the Bible teaches about the Godhead.

The Dogmatic Sarcophagus has survived the centuries as a visual representation of those councils and creeds, of one of the unique tasks of the early church. We may take for granted the long, hard and prayerful labor of searching the Scriptures to determine what the Bible teaches about the relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but this box reminds us that we owe a large debt of gratitude to our Christian forebears. It calls us to be grateful for the Lord’s work through the men who labored at those ancient councils. We build upon their legacy.”

Read the entire article HERE.

The Alexamenos Graffito

To the left is a man raising his hand in adoration, in worship or prayer. To his side, rising above him, is a second man suspended from a cross..... What distinguishes him from any other crucified criminal is that while he has the body of a man, he has the head of a donkey. The inscription says, "Alexamenos sebetai theon," "Alexamenos worships his God."

Every Christian can attest that the call to follow Jesus is the call to bear shame and to face mockery, to be the butt of jokes, to be an object of scorn. This is a very different kind of suffering from those who faced the lions or the stake, but it is suffering still. In this ancient graffiti we see that what is true today has been true from the earliest days.

Read this very interesting article HERE at Tim Challies blogsite.

Need We Say More?