BOOK REVIEW - PRAYER: HOW PRAYING TOGETHER SHAPES THE CHURCH BY JOHN ONWUCHEKWA

 Is prayer primarily a part of one's personal walk with Christ? Or is corporate prayer an important part of the local church? If the latter, how can your church maximize prayer's potential?

I am a big fan of the 9Marks: Building Healthy Church's series. This is the sixth book I've read from that series, and it's one of my favorites. 

Author John Onwuchekwa does an excellent job with the topic. He introduces the need, goes to a pair of examples (the typically named The Lord's Prayer and Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane), and concludes with how corporate prayer impacts corporate worship, corporate care, and evangelism/missions.

I highly recommend this book to every church.

FAVORITE NON-FICTION OF 2021

 

Courtesy of Enclave Publishing

Yesterday, I shared my favorite fiction books of this year. Today, I'm dealing with non-fiction. I mentioned I had a goal of reading 12 such books, and came just short of doubling that target.

Since a lot of the fiction authors I read are friends on Facebook, and I don't want any to think I like another author better than them, I put the lists in alphabetic order by author. I usually don't have that situation with non-fiction writers, I am quicker to put them in order from my favorite and down. This year, I did some debating. Partly because I do know one of the authors on my list personally and that my wife has met another. And while there might be books I want to promote and have everybody read it, this year I'm hoping you will consider getting (or at least checking out and reading) all ten of these.

I mentioned earlier this week that I reread three non-fiction books. I debated considering them in my top ten list, and if i did, all three would be in the top ten. All three of them, by the way, made my list the first time I read them.  So I decided to leave them off the list. But which books are they? I'll gladly tell you. They're, in alphabetic order by title:

1. Getting to Know The Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction (2nd edition) by Bryan Litfin. (My previous listing may have been from the 1st edition.)
2. Living The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing by C.J. Mahaney.
   
3. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. 

So here is my list of non-fiction for this year:

1. Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers. 
   
2. Beyond Poverty: Multiplying Sustainable Community Development by Terry Dalrymple.
3. Calling on the Name of the Lord: A Biblical Theology of Prayer by J. Gary Millar (New Studies in Biblical Theology, No. 38).
   
4. Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice by Thaddeus J. Williams.
5. Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God's People by Matt Merker (9Marks: Building Healthy Churches).
   
6. The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ by Randy Singer.
7. Facing Snarls and Scowls: Preaching through Hostility, Apathy, and Adversity in Church Revitalization by Brian Croft and James B. Carroll.
8. Faith Seeking Freedom: Christian Libertarian Answers to Tough Questions by Dr. Norman Horn, Doug Stuart, Kerry Baldwin, and Dick Clark.
9. Voice of a Prophet: Who Speaks For God? by A.W. Tozer.
10. When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians by Todd Nettleton. 

You'll notice that unlike my fiction list, all I gave on this list is the title, author, and if applicable the series it's in. That's because in the case of nine of them, you can tell what the book is about with just the title and subtitle. The exception is #6, The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ, which has no subtitle. The book is written by attorney and pastor Randy Singer, and looks at key confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees.

If you want to know the order I placed them, yell, and I'll let you know. And if you've been a faithful follower of this blog and have been reading all the entries for at least the past four days, you'll know which one was number one.

Which books have you read and been blessed by? Which of these have you read? Which ones will be on the top of your reading list? And which one of these is written by an author that has shown up frequently on my favorite fiction lists?

SPECIAL MUSIC: AN IRRELEVANT ITEM FROM THE PAST WHERE IT BELONGS? OR AN UNTAPPED MINISTRY? CHURCH MUSIC PART 4 OF 4

 

The Lute Player by Orazio Gentileschi

 

"How is it then, Brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let everything be done for edification."  1 Corinthians 14:26

Let me start by saying that if you read only one of this four part series, PLEASE read this one. Should you take the time for two, I would add Part 3 as well.

In the previous installment of this series, I mentioned Matt Merker's excellent book Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God's People. As you'd expect, it talks about music. Towards the end, he mentions special music and says it doesn't really contribute to corporate worship and building the local body. I strongly disagree with him, though I also completely agree with what he's saying.

Merker points out that special music often ends up being entertainment. He has a point, and I can think of examples from the sublime to the ridiculous. The sublime was a special done a few months ago at the church I attend. The singer did a moving rendition of a song I was loved. Only problem - it was a song I wanted to sing along with! That selection was written to be a praise song, and I'd be surprised if there's a Sunday that a praise team somewhere in this country isn't singing. But I wasn't invited to sing - I was to listen to someone do my praising for me. The ridiculous? I heard of a person who did an instrumental of "Amazing Grace" to the tune of "House Of The Rising Sun."

I agree with the entertainment side of special music. But can special music be used to edify the church? Absolutely. And if Matt Merker were to hear my argument, he might agree with me.

The norm is that the special music is done by a singer. So if you can rival Sandi Patti or Steve Green in vocal prowess, you'll have a place. It also would help with popularity if you do a song everybody's familiar with and enjoy. But what if the special music person doesn't see it as a musical performance but as ministry potential?

One thought I've had for at least a quarter of a century - special music is ministry of the Word, a second sermon that happens to be about four minutes in length which is sung with instrumental accompaniment. 

Allow me to introduce a candidate for special music that's often overlooked. This would be the singer-songwriter. How would this change the dynamic, assuming it could? Simple - the writer writes songs with the intent and purpose to edify the congregation. 

Two suggestions I have to increase the effectiveness, and both require teamwork between the musician and the pastor. One is for the songwriter to find out what the theme of the sermon is. The second is for the pastor to "commission" the songwriter to write a song on a specific subject. In either case, the special music will be a continuation of the theme of the service.

Do I mean to alienate the non-writing singer? Of course not. There may be a song with background tracks that fits the theme of the service, maybe a song based on the Scripture passage that the pastor is teaching on. 

As a song-writer and as a person who has a heart of encouragement, I strongly desire to encourage songwriters, especially those who want to use their songs for teaching and exhortation as Paul suggests in Colossians 3:16.

Yes, I'm sure my idea is revolutionary. How many singer-songwriters would put edifying their local church over getting a recording contract? Would the congregations encourage songwriters to develop their talent and their ministry instead of hearing someone sing a song they're more familiar with? 

Let me close this be a challenge - what can you do to encourage those in your church, whether it be the pastors/ministerial staff, teachers, singers and songwriters and other artists, and those who need an edifying word?

WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF SINGING TOGETHER? - CHURCH MUSIC PART 3 OF 4

Young Martin Luther and carolers sing for Mrs. Cotta in Eisenach by Fernidand Pauwels

 

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and exhorting one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Colossians 3:16

I hope you haven't given up on this series after the first two installments. The first two reflected my thoughts on the issue of music in the church, and you may now know my preferences. The next two parts, however, will deal with items I feel strong about.

Let me ask a question. When we're singing together in church, who's our audience? Who are we singing to?

No brainer, right? Obviously we're singing to God, aren't we? 

Let me answer with some lyrics from hymns we may be familiar with -

• Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.
• What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.
• Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross, lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss.
• Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.
• Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild restless sea; day by day His sweet voice soundeth, saying Christian, follow me.

I gave you five songs, including some of the best known hymns. How many of these are being sung TO God?

Yes, these are sung to the glory of God. But should we be looking up and singing these songs to our Lord? 

Or should we be looking around and singing these songs to each other, and realize we need them sung to us?

Two books greatly influenced me on this subject. The first I read was

The Life of God in the Soul of the Church: The Root and Fruit of Spiritual Fellowship by Thabiti Anyabwile, where he made the excellent suggestion of singing to one another. And the hymns I mentioned are all ideal to sing to each other.

More recently (like last month), I read another excellent book on the subject of corporate worship, with the unexpected title

Corporate Worship

How the Church Gathers as God's People by Matt Merker. He does an excellent job of pointing out how we minister to each other in corporate worship. There may be a man in church who needs to be reminded that we need to Trust and Obey, or a lady  needing to be encouraged about the Friend We Have In Jesus, or a student facing challenges to their faith who needs to Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus, or a seeker who needs to hear about God's Amazing Grace.

Let me go back to my previous blogs in the series. The first touched on the so-called worship wars, where we debate on the style of the singing. The second looked at the instruments used. Are these important topics? Would they be as divisive if we looked at our church and realized that the edification of our fellow worshipers was the top priority? 

But keep in mind that it is congregational singing. I've visited churches and find the band (usually a band in these situations) singing a song I've never heard before, often with a catchy instrumental arrangement, maybe an upbeat tune I can clap along to. Often, they're nice enough to have the lyrics so I can follow along. But is this really involving the congregation?

You'll notice I started this blog with one of my favorite verses, Colossians 3:16. Like Ephesians 5:18, it mentions psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Both verses state we're to be speaking to one another with this music. Colossians adds two specific functions of the speaking - teaching and exhorting. 

I'm starting to get warmed up, but I'm going to wind this blog down. I have a lot to mention next week.

But until then, have you ever sang to encourage another believer? Have you ever been encouraged by the singing of a fellow worshiper or the congregation? 

Also, can you identify Martin Luther in the above painting? There are two that I could picture being the Reformer.

BOOK REVIEW: CORPORATE WORSHIP BY MATT MERKER

 

This is the third of the 9Marks books I've read, and thus far it's my favorite. Matt Merker does an excellent job of pointing out why Christians should gather. (The Greek word translated "church" is εκκλησία (ekklesia), which means "an assembly.") He then points out how the church worship service is not just a show but where we can encourage each other.

One thing I like about this book is the author is aware his readers may disagree about other issues, and in his notes tries to present opposing views, keeping his focus on encouraging corporate worship.

Too often, in Christian circles "worship" is synonymous with "music." Merker (who is a musician/songwriter) does deal with the singing in the service, but he views the whole service to be worship and singing is just one form of worship during the service.

Allow me to add one area where I disagree with what he says, though I agree with why he says it, and he may agree with my ideas on the subject, which deals with Special Music. In fact, starting next Sunday (October 3, 2021), I'll be doing a four part series on church music.

I highly recommend this book for all Christians, and especially for pastors/elders and music leaders, not just to read themselves but have discussion groups with the congregation about this book.

What ways can you think of to develop Christian community, especially during the Sunday morning worship service?