Biblical Worship

C.J. Mahaney states in his book, Living the Cross-Centered Life (Multnomah, ISBN 9781590525784):

“If there’s anything in life that we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel.  And I don’t mean passionate only about sharing it with others.  I mean passionate in thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world.  Only one thing can be of first importance to each of us.  And only the gospel ought to be.”  (page 15)

I had the opportunity to visit Bull Street Baptist Church (www.bullstreet.org) last Sunday for Bible study and worship - a church that for 117 years has ministered to the community on a famous downtown street in Savannah, GA called Bull Street.  Calvin Fowler, pastor and Bill Gardner, associate pastor of worship and fine arts are doing a great job planning and leading Gospel-centered worship.  (Incidentally, they are both graduates of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, www.sbts.edu).

Throughout the service - Scripture readings, prayers, songs, the Lord’s Supper, and sermon - the Gospel had center stage.  Before the congregation took the Lord’s Supper, Pastor Fowler did a wonderful job of explaining the biblical basis of the Lord’s Supper - why we do this and who should take the Lord’s Supper.   The pastor’s sermon on Philippians 3:12-16 was also a gospel-centered verse by verse walk through the passage.  Congregational songs and solos during the Lord’s Supper all pointed to the cross.  There was a clear call for us to respond to the gospel.

I have attended Christian worship services where the gospel was unclear or sometimes not even mentioned.  It is almost as if church leaders or lay people think that the gospel is something that we experienced when we confessed Christ as Lord and Savior, but then we move on.  We not only need a worship service full of the gospel for lost people in the service, but we need it for the believers. 

As believers we build our lives on the gospel.  Our worship services should be centered around the gospel - our songs, our prayers, and our sermons.  One person has said that we never move on from the cross only into a more profound understanding of the cross. 

Pastors - keep your services full of the gospel.  Look for songs that point to the cross, that tell of our forgiveness from sins, and rejoice in Christ’s triumph over death and hell.  Pray prayers that reflect the gospel.  Preach messages that help us see that the gospel impacts every aspect of our lives.  Thanks Pastor Fowler and Gardner for a gospel-centered service.   

“For the word of the cross is folly to whose who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”  I Corinthians 1:18

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Boyce College Presents

The Heart of Worship Conference 2009

January 30-31, Friday evening - Saturday

On the campus of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY

A Conference for High School and Middle School Students who sing in choirs, play instruments in the worship band or help with sound and media.

Complete information available at:

www.boycecollege.com/heartofworship