Church

Yesterday, my wife and I spent a fun-filled (fuń fild adj. full of or tending to induce stress and exhaustion) day shopping. I came home, having had my fill of fun for a good, long time, more grateful than ever that my home address is eighty miles away from the nearest shopping mall and that segment of the population that enjoys living near them. We even went to Wal-Mart, which I avoid as diligently as possible. Anyway, we got the job done and returned home late last evening, our net worth substantially reduced.

I made a stop at Wal-Mart’s “inspirational” book section. The only real Bible they had was a fake leather NKJV. The rest were NLT and the like, ranging from cutesy Precious Moments junk to the Refuel and Revolve biblezine abominations. They did have a KJV New Testament on CD read by James Earl Jones, which would be cool—probably too cool, actually. That was the best of the selection. Other attempts at inspiration were offerings from Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Billy Graham, Gary Smalley, Frank Peretti, and the like.

I wasn’t really surprised. After all, why should Wal-Mart be any better than the average Christian book store? What really did surprise me a little was that, among all those “inspirational” books, I found absolutely nothing of any real value at all. It was all junk. I left the inspirational section uninspired. I don’t blame Wal-Mart, though. Wal-Mart is not a Christian retailer. Wal-Mart does not stock its shelves with truth in mind. It is not concerned with the souls of its customers.

Wal-Mart just wants your money, and that is not a pejorative statement. That is why retailers exist. But what strategy do they use to get your money? They stock what you want, “you” being the generic customer, and in this case, the Christian customer. That is why Wal-Mart’s shelves are stocked with very few KJVs and NKJVs, and no NASBs or ESVs. That is why Wal-Mart stocks Warren and Osteen, and not MacArthur or Piper. Wal-Mart sells what the market demands, and the market demands ice cream rather than prime rib. And the market can’t even discern good ice cream from bad. It can’t even tell when the ice cream is laced with cyanide.

Wal-Mart doesn’t stock the truth because the church isn’t buying it.

The dashing young fellow on the left is Steve Weaver, which regular readers of our On the Web links should know. I want to draw your attention to a series he has just begun called How I Prepare an Expository Sermon. “OK,” you ask, “why do I care how he prepares his sermons? I’m not a pastor. I don’t preach. I don’t care how General Motors or Ford builds cars as long as they build good ones. I don’t need to know where the nuts and bolts go.” Well, you need to know, and here are a few reasons why:

Some day you may be in the position, as I have, to interview pastors for your church. Believe me, asking if he believes in expository preaching is not enough. I have had prospective pastors say they always preach expositionally who demonstrated that they had no clue what “expository” means. Then there are those who really do know what it is, but don’t know how. You need to know the difference between wannabes and the real thing.

If you have a pastor who is giving you solid Biblical exposition, you need to know how much work goes into the finished product. That thirty minutes to an hour you get on Sunday morning represents many hours of diligent study during the week, and years of study and training behind that. You need to know why your pastor doesn’t have time for all the superfluous programs and activities you might like to see. You may only see him for a couple of hours a week, but he is working hard, and very likely putting in longer hours than you do at your job, and he is doing it for you. You need to understand and appreciate that. Your pastor needs you to understand and appreciate that.

Those are just a couple of reasons why you should care how an expository sermon is prepared. I have saved the most important reason for last:

The way an expository sermon is produced is the way you should study the Bible. The goal of the expositor is to understand what the text means, that is, exactly what God is saying through it. You most likely are not able to study in the original languages, but you can read Bible dictionaries and commentaries, and you can learn important principals such as context. Do you want to be a Berean? This is how it is done.

Update: The links to the entire series can be found here: How I Prepare An Expository Sermon: The Series.

Could you worship without music? Could you worship through the reading and preaching — or just the reading — of God‘s Word? Would you feel the real presence of God without the sensory experience that music provides? If not, is it possible that the feelings that music provoke in you have nothing to do with worship, and only reflect your own narcissism?

Could you worship as the Israelites did in Nehemiah 8?

And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. 2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. 4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. 9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. 11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. 12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. 13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. 14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: 15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. 16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. 18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

Summary: the people listened to the reading and preaching of the Word — for eight days! — “and there was very great gladness” and “great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.”

Would you have been glad? Would there have been “great mirth”? Or would you have just been tired and bored?

That‘s all I have to say. This post has just been an introduction to an article by Greg Gilbert that you ought to read: Against Music. I already linked to it in the sidebar, but it deserves special mention here; so go read it.

Update: Greg has added a follow-up post: Some More Thoughts on Music.

Originally posted April 4, 2006.

As previously announced, I’m amputating the earliest half-or-so of the blog and republishing any part of it that seems worth saving. I doubt if this post actually qualifies as “worth saving,” but you know how poets are — imposing all manner of atrocious verse on whomever will listen.

This isn’t actually the first song I’ve written, or even the first of this kind. It’s just the first I’ve inflicted on the public. It doesn’t have a title. I’m sure you can think of something to call it.

Sing to the tune of Hooked on a Feeling. Pretend you’re David Hasselhoff.

Words that are so simple
Don’t require no thought
Stir up my emotions
With pathos fraught

      Yeah, I sing them
      Over many times
      All I ask is
      That the verses rhyme

   I-I, I’m hooked on a feeling
   I’m high on believing
   That this is worshipping

The second verse is kind of
Like the other one
Mindless repetition
Can be pretty fun

I just love this feeling
Flooding over me
Yeah, it’s warm and fuzzy
It’s kind of dreamy

      When I stand here
      Hands up in the air
      With my eyes closed
      I ain’t got a care

   I-I, I’m hooked on a feeling
   I’m high on believing
   That this is worshipping

      When I stand here
      Hands up in the air
      With my eyes closed
      I ain’t got a care

   I-I, I’m hooked on a feeling
   I’m high on believing
   That this is worshipping

   I-I, I’m hooked on a feeling
   I’m high on believing
   That this is worshipping

   I’m hooked on a feeling
   I’m hooked on a feeling
   I’m hooked on a feeling*

* Repeat until you just can’t stand it anymore.