Dr Paul Allen

In which a crusty old curmudgeon rants a little about annoying song leader banter. Don’t take this too seriously , except maybe do. 10. Are we ready to have fun this morning? The answer is, “Probably not.” When this is your welcome at the start of the music time, it tells me where your head’s at. Nobody goes to church to have a bad time, of course, and I’m sure plenty of people go to “have fun,” but is this the point of worship? Is “having fun” where you want hearts directed as you lead people to exalt God? No, it’s where you want hearts directed when you’re just trying to “crush your set” or “rock it out for Jesus” [see #5]. “Are we ready to have fun?” is just slightly worse than this next common opener: 9. How’s everybody feeling? If I wanted to stretch to justify this statement, I could say that what you’re asking the congregation to do is self-reflect on their spiritual condition and present their real, whole selves honestly and submissively to the glory of Christ as you lead them ...

Salvation in Christ is liberation, and the Christian life is one of liberty-Christ has set us free ( Gal. 5: 1; ct. John 8:32 , 36). Christ's liberating action is not basically social, political, or economic improvement, as is sometimes suggested today; it is liberation from the law as a means to salvation, from the power of sin, and from superstition. First, Christians have been set free from the law as a system of salvation. Being justified by faith in Christ, they are no longer under God's law , but under His grace (Rom. 3:19; 6:14, 15; Gal. 3:23-25). Their standing with God (the "peace" and "access" of Rom. 5: 1, 2) is assured because they have been accepted and adopted in Christ. It does not, nor ever will, depend on what they do, nor will it ever be imperiled by what they fail to do. They live, not by being perfect, but by being forgiven. Although they are fallen, human beings think they can gain a right relationship with God through discipline...

Worshiping Jesus together with his church is an awesome privilege. God’s own voice sounds in the reading and preaching of his word. The community of the redeemed responds together in prayer and song. Pastors care for the souls of their flock through their preparation of the service and leadership from the front. Congregants offer, as an act of worship, their humble, but sacrificial, financial partnership in the mission of the church. Take a careful inventory, and you will find that most weeks this is the single most important hour of the week — and yet we are so prone to squander such a rich opportunity, sometimes even neglect it. Build a Sense of Expectancy We want to build a sense of expectancy, that we’re going to meet not only with each other, but also with God. That’s an amazing thing. There are no normal Sundays where we should simply go through the motions and expect very little. Rather, we should cultivate a sense of faith toward corporate worship which, develops over...

When I was growing up, I did not like going to church. For a young boy in a rural town, church was boring, long, and filled with old, stodgy people singing old, stodgy songs. I would have rather been playing and watching football. However, there was one Sunday out of every month in which I did look forward to church—the first Sunday. The first Sunday was communion Sunday. The mothers (older woman) of the church would dress in all white. The pastor would wear his white robe. The communion table, normally bare, would be draped in a white cloth under which was clearly the communionware containing the bread and the wine. I was impressed with the ceremony involved and the care taken in preparing the table. There was care in handling and distributing the elements. The deacons wore white gloves and the trays were passed between them with a deliberate orchestration of movements and reverence. I really enjoyed the anticipation and celebration of the Lord’s Table. Unfortunately, for all the...

Vertical is how we talk about godwardness, transcendence, holy moments, the reverent hush of the sanctuary. Horizontal describes handshakes, exhortations, brotherly affections, the cheerful chatter of the lobby. I am not altogether dissatisfied with these two words as a device to describe elements of corporate worship. But at times I find myself at a complete loss how to divide certain activities in our services. Which kind of moment is passing the communion bread? Should singing to God build up my neighbor? Can I worship while greeting or ushering? These two planes intersect in these remarkable words from John: If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20) John writes his first letter to help readers increase confidence in their faith (1 John 5:13). He weaves together these simple and profound tests for Christian legitimacy. One of the tests is affecti...

An "atheist church" in North London is proving a big hit with non-believers. Does it feel a bit like a new religion? Not many sermons include the message that we are all going to die and there is no afterlife. But the Sunday Assembly is no ordinary church service . Launched last month, as a gathering for non-believers, it is, in the words of master of ceremonies Sanderson Jones, "part foot-stomping show, part atheist church, all celebration of life". A congregation of more than 300 crowded into the shell of a deconsecrated church to join the celebration on Sunday morning. Instead of hymns, the non-faithful get to their feet to sing along to Stevie Wonder and Queen songs. Continue reading the main story Order of service Theme of "wonder" Congregation sang Queen's Don't Stop Me Now , Superstition by Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone 's Ain't Got No Screen on altar showed photo of TV scientist Dr Brian Cox Reading by Dr Har...

We've Been Hurt: I can actually include myself in this one personally. Sometimes the hurtful act is specific, like when my youth leader threw a Bible at me for asking the wrong questions. Sometimes it's rhetorical, either from the pulpit, in a small group study or over a meal. Sometimes it's physical, taking the form of sexual abuse or the like. But millions claim a wound they can trace back to church that has never healed. Why? In part, because the church rarely seeks forgiveness. Adult Life/University and Church Don't Seem to Mix: There are the obvious things, like scheduling activities on Sunday mornings (hint: young people tend to go out on Saturday nights), but there's more to it. In college, and before that by our parents, we're taught to explore the world, broaden our horizons, think critically, question everything and figure out who we are as individuals. Though there's value in this, it's hyper-individualistic. But Church is more about c...

Jesus Wikipedia ) When it comes to discipleship , churchgoers struggle most with sharing Christ with non-Christians according to a recent study of church -going American Protestants. The study conducted by LifeWay Research found 80 percent of those who attend church one or more times a month, believe they have a personal responsibility to share their faith, but 61 percent have not told another person about how to become a Christian in the previous six months. These distressing results came from an extensive discipleship research project focused on measuringspiritual maturity in individuals. Overall, LifeWay Research found eight biblical attributes consistently evident in the lives of maturing believers. Of those eight, "Sharing Christ " has the lowest average score among Protestant church attendees. Three-quarters of churchgoers say they feel comfortable in their ability to effectively communicate thegospel, while 12 percent say they don't feel comfortabl...

Cathedral Cathédrale Strasbourg (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) View of GGWO Sunday morning church service from the AV/IT/WEB studio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Church service (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Most people don’t go to church anymore. And the minority who do regularly attend and appreciate weekly services fit a certain profile. They’re the church- inclined . This shrinking minority differs from the majority in several ways: Audience-Oriented. They appreciate a good presentation from the stage. They prefer to passively listen while the paid professionals on the stage do the work. Similar to theater-goers, they may judge the “performance” based on how well they are entertained or engaged. Anonymous. They often seek anonymity. They like being part of a faceless crowd. They don’t necessarily want to be noticed—or known. They appreciate churches that keep the spotlight on the performers on stage, that allow the audience to sit quietly in the dark, so to speak. Authority-...