Joel Harris - We must be constant worshippers

Let’s be honest… nowadays, when someone mentions worship, most people think of music. You know, that time in the church service when everyone sings. Lots of Christian recording artists make “worship projects” with hit singles on them.
However, if we search God’s Word faithfully and look to mature Christians who possess wise insight, we will quickly see that worship is much more than songs. Worship is what we were created for, it’s what we’ll spend eternity doing, and it encompasses our hearts as well as our actions.
“Worship - whether an inner act of the heart, or an outward act of the body, or of the congregation collectively - is a magnifying of God. That is, it is an act that shows how magnificent He is. It is an act that reveals or expresses how great and glorious He is. Worship is all about consciously reflecting the worth or value of God.” - John Piper, Desiring God Ministries
From the beginning, worship has been an important aspect of the Rebelution. In the broadest sense, since everything we do as Christians is worship, all the hard things, both big and small, should be attempted for God’s glory. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
But in the more narrow sense, Rebelutionaries, including the Harris family, have always been passionate about singing God’s praise. We love worship as it’s defined by the Psalmist, “Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (Psalm 96:2-3)
Before The Rebelution, There Was Worship
In the summer of 2000, long before blogs, books and conference tours, Alex and Brett played keyboard and congas for a worship band that I formed in high school. They’ve been active members of the worship team at our church, and now as they head off to college on the East Coast, younger sister Sarah and younger brothers Isaac and James are stepping up to take their place.
Worship has always played a key role at the Rebelution conferences. From our very first conference in 2006, in Sacramento, CA, I‘ve led worship on my own or with a band accompanying me. We don’t include worship because teens like music. We don’t make room for it merely to bring variety to the day. We do it because it just wouldn’t seem right without it.
The reason Alex and Brett write blog posts and books, the reason our family travels across the country holding conferences, the reason the Rebelution even exists, is for the praise and glory of our Savior, Jesus Christ. But here’s the problem… because we are all prideful, sinful human beings, it’s very easy to lose sight of that.
We are far too quick to become focused on ourselves, focused on our accomplishments, focused on the task at hand, but forgetting the very reason for it all. That’s why it’s so important to open the day, and each session throughout the day, with singing. And that’s why it’s important for Rebelutionaries to be constant worshipers. It helps us keep the focus where it belongs.
Low Expectations in Worship
It also matters what we sing. It’s been established that our ungodly culture has low expectations for young people. But when it comes to worship, even the Christian community has low expectations for us. Worship songs targeted for kids, tweens, teens and young adults, have dumbed down the lyrical content because they think we’re too dumb to understand anything harder.
Sadly, in far too many cases this assumption is correct. Young people who don’t study their Bibles faithfully, who don’t read hard books, and who can’t sit through “grown-up” sermons, probably can’t comprehend the profound truths found in timeless hymns like And Can It Be That I Should Gain, or Rock of Ages.
Rebelutionaries, on the other hand, must not allow their worship to be dictated by low expectations, even if those expectations come from within the church. We should embrace songs that unpack rich doctrines like justification, atonement, sanctification, and assurance. We should love the old hymns, not for their cutting edge musical style, but for the wisdom and insight of godly Christians who penned those words centuries ago but were sinners who loved their Savior, just like us.
Why Not Just, Jesus Loves Me?
I realize this can seem counterintuitive. Wouldn’t the easiest and most efficient approach be to use simple songs which express love for God, or celebrate His love for us? Remember our motto, “do hard things”? It applies to this area as well.
When we exert ourselves, when we do the hard work of wrapping our mind around the glorious, profound, life-transforming truths of the Gospel, then the things we comprehend with our minds can spark deep affections in our hearts. We can tap into a joy in God, an amazement at sovereign grace, and a passion for His glory that would never have been possible under a diet of “worship lite”.
In the book Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin writes that “each of us has a battle raging within us over what we love most–God or something else.” He’s right. Worship is crucial, because every day there is a battle raging for our hearts. The enemy wants us to find our joy in the pleasures of sin and the distractions of this world. It’s vital that we fight back, for God makes it clear in His Word that if He doesn’t have our hearts, our outward service is wasted energy (Matthew 15:8-9).
We must fight for joy in God using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. One way we do that is through songs which drive biblical truth deep into our hearts, so we can draw upon it in the midst of the fray. If the words are faithful and God-centered, they will provide fuel for our faith. And if the music is skillfully crafted, it will move our souls and ignite new passion for the cause.
Worship Challenges for Rebelutionaries
So, here are a few challenges for you Rebelutionary worshipers:
1. Sing. Start each day out with a song. Don’t be so dependent on CDs or data projectors. Learn the lyrics of songs by heart so you can sing as you get dressed, sing in the shower, sing in the car.
2. Expand your music-listening horizons. Most of you are probably familiar with artists like Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, and Passion. They have put out a lot of great stuff, but I encourage you to branch out. A lot of songwriters are writing theologically sound, doctrinally rich modern-day hymns, or giving old forgotten hymns another lease on life by composing new music.
Sovereign Grace Music
Come Weary Saints
Valley of Vision
Songs for the Cross-Centered Life
Upward: The Bob Kauflin Hymns Project
Worship God Live
Keith & Kristyn Getty
In Christ Alone
Indelible Grace Music
Beams of Heaven
Wake Thy Slumbering Children
3. Engage in your local church. If you don’t play an instrument, learn to play guitar, piano or something else useful. If you can carry a tune, volunteer to sing. Be a positive influence in the place God has you right now. Get a copy of Bob Kauflin’s outstanding book, Worship Matters, and after you’ve finished reading it, loan it to your pastor or worship leader (or both)!
4. Do the hard work of writing excellent worship songs. We need more of what my dad calls “poet-theologians” — like Isaac Watts, Fanny Crosby, and Charles Wesley. If you need help, consult Paul Baloche’s comprehensive worship songwriting handbook, God Songs. If you can’t come up with any ideas, use the lyrics to some old public domain hymn. Don’t have access to a hymnal? Check out Cyber Hymnal.
. . . do all to the glory of God.

Bob Kauflin - Corporate Worship as Pastoral Care

My friend, Pete Williamson, posted this a couple of months ago, but seeing it fit the week, I wanted to bring it back...

Bob Kauflin is someone that I've been exposed to more recently through listening to Sovereign Grace material. Bob was at one point a member of the a capella group GLAD and has now been involved in pastoral ministry at several SGM churches. Most recently, he is the Director of Worship Development at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD (where Josh Harris pastors). I've found Bob's combination of experiences as a professional musician and a pastor really helpful in thinking through what worship - especially at the congregational level - should be about and look like.

Today's audio comes from a seminar Bob taught at SGM's Worship '06 conference.

Randy Alcorn - Living as if Heaven were your home

I loved this honest, heartfelt, biblical sermon from Randy Alcorn. He shared his story, he talked about Heaven and he really encouraged me. This is a must listen from a man who has spent his life studying and living for eternity. Here is the link!

Frances Chan - Holiness

This sermon by Frances Chan is sober and difficult to both preach and for many to hear. He takes the holiness of God to the very personal level and deals with sexual immorality. It is heartfelt and honest. Click here to listen!

Coming is a Conference near you...

I typed out a list of the upcoming conferences for the 2008-09 year... There sure are a lot of conferences, and I didn't get nearly all of them. It is amazing how many conferences there are in America and how much money are spent at them... I think conferences are important, but I just wonder what would happen if every pastor who went to a conference would agree to teach one in a third world country where the pastors can't afford conferences let alone Bibles...

September 22-24

Northwest Pastor’s Conference-Calvary Chapel

Warm Beach Camp, Stanwood, Washington

September 11 – 12

Bible Conference for Pastors

First Pres Church, Columbia SC

September 26-28

Desiring God National Conference

Minnesota

September 29-October 2

Hume Lake Pastor’s Conference

Hume, CA

October 6-7, 2008

Expositors Conference

Mobile, Alabama

October 6-9

Hume Lake Pastor’s Conference

Hume, CA

October 8-10

Catalyst

Atlanta, GA

October 20-23

Ligonier Ministries Pastor Conference

Lake Mary, Fl.

November 6-7

John 3:16

Woodstock, Georgia

November 13-15

Lead Now

Dallas, TX

November 17-20

Preach the Word

Riverside, California

February 2-4

Desiring God Pastor’s Conference

Minnesota, MN

February 6-10, 2009
Jacksonville Pastors Conference

Jacksonville, Florida

February 10-13, 2009
National Pastors Convention
San Diego

February 19-20, 2009

Creative Pastors Conference

Grapevine, TX

April 6-8, 2009

Sovereign Grace Pastor’s Conference

Gaithersburg, Maryland

March 2-4, 2009

Refresh Pastor’s Conference

Pigeon Forge, TN

March 4-8, 2009

Shepherd’s Conference

Sun Valley, California

May 6-9

Regent College Pastor’s Conference

Vancouver B.C.

May 11-13

Basics – Alistair Begg

Parkside Church, Cleveland, Ohio

May 18-21, 2009

Moody Pastor’s Conference

Chicago, Illinois

May 26-28, 2009

Banner of Truth Conference

Grantham, Penn

C.J. Mahaney - The Holiness of God

I listened to this sermon because of what my friend, Adrian Warnock wrote on his blog...

Here are his words: If you are an avid C. J. Mahaney listener, you may well have heard of a series of talks he did many years ago on people in the Bible who God killed. In which case, I've got a real treat in store for you! But first, let me set the context.

I would like to share with you a few sermons over the coming weeks or months that have impacted me so much that I still remember them. I am convinced that the gentle "drip drip" effect of being continually exposed to good teaching over many years is as important as the moments of great impact and decision. But, by the nature of things, we don't remember those sermons!

Some messages do consciously shape us, however, creating a moment of transaction between us and God. Often we remember how we felt when we heard them as if it were yesterday, even years afterwards. This is one such talk. I would love to hear from others about sermons they remember as having transformed them in a similar way.

To set the scene, I was still a young boy. I had somehow persuaded my parents to let me go into the adults' meeting in a tent at Downs Bible Week, an early Newfrontiers conference.

Mahaney was a phenomenon even back then. He was funny, engaging, easy to understand, and truly passionate. He was speaking about the holiness of God, and by honing in on the people God killed, certainly got my attention. This was a side of God I hadn't really given much attention to.

This talk was very well received. In fact, you could have cut the air with a knife that night because of the sense of the presence of God in the room. It was one of the very few times in my life when I caught something of the smell of revival. That night I experienced for the first time a sense of the weighty presence of God in all his holiness that both attracted and terrified me. I knew then that this was what a revival would feel like. If I had known how seldom I would experience the same sensation in the ensuing years, I would not have wanted to leave that tent. Sometimes today I cry out to God that he would reveal himself in such a way again. When we pray for revival, I'm not entirely sure we know what we are praying for.

Judging by the heavy sense of conviction in the room, many of us were totally undone that night. I know that for me, I would never be able to treat God as flippantly or irreverently again. That night kindled in me a healthy respect for God which has never left me. The Bible both commands us to fear God, and then tells us not to be afraid of him. Or, as Newton puts it:

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved.
One of my most enduring memories of that evening all those years ago was speaking to a member of our church who, with eyes brimming with tears, said that they felt they had just begun their Christian life all over again—if that were possible. There were many who felt the same way, wondering if they had ever been a Christian up until that point.

So, if are intrigued like I was when I read this from a guy I really respect like Adrian, I believe you will find it worth your time to listen!

Here is the link! I loved the sermon and I think you will love it!

Mark Driscoll - Worship: God Transforms

This is a great sermon to kick off this week about the worship that transforms a believer. Pastor Mark really gets to the heart of the issue about what worship is and then makes it incredibly applicable. Powerful, insightful, convicting and encouraging... This is the 11th part of their Doctrine Matters series. Here is the link to the video!