Quotes from Bob Jones, Sr.
5 July, 2008 at 12:41 pm (Growth)
I read a few quotes recently by Bob Jones, Sr., and I thought you might profit from them.
Don’t Let Satan Discourage You
5 July, 2008 at 12:19 pm (Growth)
I just got this from Vision News.
Taken from the Pastor’s Pen on Satan’s Strategy Part 2
“It was advertised that the devil was going to put his tools up for sale. On the date of the sale, the tools were placed for public inspection; each tool being marked with its sale price. They were a treacherous lot of implements…Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Deceit, Lying, Pride, and so on.
Laid apart from the rest was a harmless looking tool, well-worn and priced very high. “What is the name of this tool?” asked one of the purchasers, pointing to it. “That is Discouragement”, replied the devil. “Why have you priced it so high?” “Because it is more useful to me than the others. I can pry open and get inside a man’s heart with that when I cannot get near him with my other tools. Once I get inside, I can make him do what I choose. It is badly worn because I use it on almost everyone, since very few people know that it belongs to me.”
The Purpose in our Singing
3 July, 2008 at 8:48 pm (Growth)
I got this video from Austin Gardner and thought it has some good points as well as tied into the message from last night on “Praise God with our Music and Song” from Nehemiah 12.
Men vs Praise and Worship
2 July, 2008 at 3:58 pm (Men)
Here are some things to think about. I am no expert on music and worship, but I thought this had some good points for us to ponder. It comes from here. Let me know what you think.
Men vs. Praise and Worship
The … church is in the midst of something called, “The Praise and Worship Movement,” or PWM for short. The pipe organ is out – the drum set is in. Even traditional churches have seen the writing on the wall and are grudgingly offering contemporary worship services featuring praise singing in an effort to attract the younger generation.
But there’s more to PWM than electric guitars. An effective praise set moves the congregation on an emotional level. It helps the body feel the very presence of Jesus.
Many would agree the PWM has breathed new life into the church. But even the healthiest movements have unexpected consequences. I believe PNW is having the unintended result of feminizing the worship experience – and making it harder for men to connect with God in church.
Many of today’s most popular praise and worship songs are feminine in nature. They envision God as a lover rather than a leader. A lot of these songs would be considered homoerotic if sung by a man to another man. What would you say if a man walked up to you and spoke the words of this popular praise song:
I can feel your presence here with me
Suddenly I’m lost within your beauty
Caught up in the wonder of your touch
Here in this moment, I surrender to your love
Men don’t call each other “beautiful.” Nor do they talk about being in love with each other. Yet every Sunday we invite men to express their love to a male God using language no man would dare say to another. Even at Christian men’s events the praise music is often feminine in nature.
At the center of the PWM is a new character: the worship pastor. No longer merely a song leader or choir director, the worship pastor’s job is to create an environment where people feel the presence of God. He is second in importance only to the teaching pastor.
As I travel the country I observe that most worship pastors are men. But most of these men haven’t a clue how to lead men in worship. As a result, women are worshipping robustly while most men stand for 20 minutes with their hands in their pockets, dutifully mouthing words that fail to resonate with their hearts.
How did our worship climate get this way? I’ve identified three politically-incorrect reasons:
1. The worship of God is no longer led by priests, but by musicians.
Priests led worship in the Old Testament. They represented a variety of personality types, including intellectual, left-brained men. But today, 99.9% of the worship pastors in America are musicians. Musicians are often right-brained, which makes them more sensitive and outwardly emotive than your average guy.
I’m not running down musicians: I’m one myself. And I know some musicians who are positively macho. But most musicians bring a certain softness – even flamboyance to their leadership.
Because all the worship pastors are musicians, music has become synonymous with worship. Most non-denominational Christians speak of the music set as “the worship time” and the sermon as “the teaching time.” By doing so, we have made singing the only way people express their love to God. This is a dangerous development, because we exclude non-musical types from making a meaningful contribution to worship.
2. Most worship pastors are unknowingly trying to generate a feminine response to a masculine God.
Here’s one of the great, unspoken assumptions of worship today: more emotional the response, the truer the worship. Great worship results in sensation, passion and good feelings. The worship leader’s job is to help the people generate a warm, gooey feeling in their hearts about Jesus. Tears are the best gauge of God’s presence.
In order to generate this emotional response, many worship leaders repeat slow, dreamlike choruses over and over. And over. Simple songs now run 7 or 8 minutes long. This repetitiveness lulls the congregation into what I call a “worship coma.” This technique is not unlike a common practice in Buddhism known as “mantra” or repeating a phrase over and over. Mantras permit the worshipper to empty his mind and create a feeling of peace and euphoria.
Whether passionate emotion equals true worship is not what I’m here to debate. I’m merely pointing out the fact that if ooey-gooey feelings are what we’re shooting for, worship will be much easier for women than men. Women are much less inhibited about showing emotion in public. They can access their emotions more easily than men. So a worship leader who’s trying to get the congregation to feel something will subconsciously target women, because gals are more likely to respond emotionally.
3. Worship pastors buy into “the guy-on-the-front-row fallacy”
Every church has one or two guys who are totally into musical worship. They usually sit up front. They are the first ones standing when the music begins, with hands outstretched, tears rolling down their cheeks. Worship leaders look out at these two guys and think, “The guys are totally into this. Look at Lenny and Steve!”
But due to the bright lights in their eyes, worship leaders can’t see the row-upon-row of men who are standing with knees locked, hands in pockets. They can’t feel the air going out of men’s spiritual balloons when choruses repeat a 6th and 7th time. Few can imagine the unprintable words that fly through a man’s head when the worship pastor says, “Let’s just lift that song to the Lord one more time.”
So what’s a worship leader to do?
Fortunately, men want to worship. Really. Here are some ideas:
1. Worship in non-musical ways. Tell a great story from battle. Show a video clip from a men’s picture to set up the worship of God. Have everyone take their keys out of their pockets and offer them to the Lord, as a symbol of giving Him everything. Worship is more than just singing!
2. Choose songs with masculine lyrics. Our hymnals are treasure chests of masculine expression: A Mighty Fortress, Onward Christian Soldiers, Rise Up O Men of God. But today it’s mainly love songs to Jesus. Please: balance these love songs with some real red meat. Mine the hymnal, or choose a modern song with a masculine feel such as In Christ Alone or God of Wonders.
3. Choose songs that are upbeat and fun to sing. This is what guys like. The slow, dreamy songs don’t turn the key for most guys.
4. Cut the worship-speak. Worship pastors are notorious for cranking out a lot of religious talk, such as “Isn’t God Awesome!” and “This is the day which the Lord has made, hallelujah!” Real men don’t talk like that. My rule of thumb: imagine yourself leading a group of cynical construction workers. Make sure your worship-speak would sound right to these guys.
5. Give men a destination in worship. What if you began your worship set like this: We’re going to take a big hill today in worship: the sin of pride. As we sing, you’re not just singing words, you’re pulling pride up by the roots. Let the lyrics of these songs melt your proud heart, and ask the Lord to humble you…” Now, if you set up a worship like that, men know what they’re out to accomplish. The worship set is no longer a seemingly random collection of songs. Instead, it’s a battle plan.
6. If you’re looking to hire a worship pastor, consider a non-musician. Hire a person with a gift for creative communication. Let him gather musicians. I know this sounds crazy, but I believe that the definition of worship will be greatly expanded in the coming century as the church recovers more of what it means to give glory to the King.
7. And finally, the big one: Keep songs short and non-repetitive! I know this goes against everything they say at Hillsong and the Passion Movement, but the men will love you for it!
I join the Psalmist in proclaiming, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.” I challenge worship leaders to help men connect with their maker.
A Very Refreshing Time
1 July, 2008 at 9:27 pm (Update)
Teri and I left our children off with two families on Sunday night, and was have spent the last couple days together as a couple. We are in Enniskillen right now and will be home tomorrow. We have really enjoyed relaxing, talking, and being together as a couple. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, and I really enjoy being with her. We are looking forward to seeing our kids tomorrow and to getting back into the work of the ministry, but it has been great to come apart for some refreshment.
For all of you husbands, let me encourage you to take you wife away for some time alone with you. She needs a break from the kids, and you need to get away from your work to focus on her. Just book a child-minder, spend some money on lodging and meals, and do it for the sake of your marriage! It will be well worth the investment, and your wife will really appreciate it.
I look forward to preaching tomorrow night. We will be looking at “Praise and Thanksgiving” from Nehemiah 12, God willing.
This Week at Northwest
30 June, 2008 at 1:00 pm (Announcements)
Here is what is going on at Northwest Baptist Church this week:
Wednesday, 2 July (7.30 PM) - Midweek Prayer Meeting and Bible Study
Thursday, 3 July (7.30 PM) - Church Visitation
Friday, 4 July (7.30 PM) - Youth Club (11s and up)
- Location: The Junction (8 Bishop St)
Saturday, 5 July (11.00 AM) - Community Outreach
Saturday, 5 July (7.00 - 8.30 PM) - Creation Science Presentation
- Location: The Junction, 8 Bishop St, City Centre, Derry/Londonderry
- Speaker: David Laverty, a member of our church.
- He will be presenting scientific evidences that supports a young earth and the Biblical account of creation.
Sunday, 6 July (11.30 AM) - ”Good News for Kids”
- Message on how to share the gospel with your children.
- The last in our series on ”Surviving Parenthood”
Sunday, 6 July (7.00 PM) - Guest Preacher: Evan Williams
- Bro. Williams, his wife Carmen, and his children will be with us.
- Evan and Carmen are missionaries that we support, who are on their way to Honduras as missionaries.
- You will be great encouraged by the presentation and the preaching, I am sure.
Monday, 7 July (7.00 PM) - Ladies’ Meeting
- Location: Everglades Hotel (Key Adams)
- Topic: “Lessons from the Life of Eve”
- Tea, coffee, fellowship, and Bible study!
Monday, 7 July (8-9 PM) - Men’s Football
- Location: St. Columb’s Leisure Center (Sythetic Pitch)
- Cost: 2 pounds/person
Update from Aaron
30 June, 2008 at 7:45 am (Prayer)
Here is an update from Bro. Aaron. Please be much in prayer for him. I cannot imagine how difficult this must be for him. His attitude in all of this is a great example to all of us.
Thanks to everyone for praying for me. I was checked into the hospital on Friday and here I still sit. At first they thought I had a Pleural Effussion (infection in the lung wall) then they thought I had a mucus buildup in my bronchial tube causing a Adalectasis (lung collapse). Today when the doctor performed the bronchoscopy they found the real cause: scare tissue from my surgery had blocked my main lung bronchial. So they have to cut it out surgically. I don’t know yet when they’ll do that. The doctor alluded to the idea that it would take me a month to have this surgery and recover from it.
So I at this very moment am in inner anguish. I soooooo wish to be back in North Africa in the work. I don’t cry much but my heart is crying. At the very same time I KNOW that my God is in EVERYTHING in my life. He knows me. He loves me. And he is doing that thing that will work together for His glory and my good.
What is helping me now is to read a book a friend gave me called, “A Path Not Lined With Roses”. It’s the auto-boigraphy of the life of Peter Rumachik and his family. Peter was a Pastor in Russia during the persecution. SOme of the stories of persecution is incredible. It is amazing what they went through for the cause of Christ. But so much more amazing than their persecution were their attitudes through it all. They continued witnessing, planting churches, and loving their persecutors. All in all he spent 20 years in prison while having a wife and kids. God is building people’s faith through extreme difficulties. Mine hasn’t even yet reached that off so many other. If you’re ever going through a rough time read this book and quit feeling sorry for yourself.
Saturday Night Update
28 June, 2008 at 8:09 pm (Update)
We had a great time at the youth fellowship last night. We appreciated the Randalls hosting the fellowship at their church. The food, fun, and fellowship was all fantactic! I was so pround of all the young people and especially the young people from our church who listened so well to the message and were taking notes. It was also great to see our good friends Ronnie and Marsha Smith there as well. The next youth fellowship will be in Ballyclare at Ballyclare Baptist Church on 26th July, from 4-7 PM. You can find out details here.
We did not do community outreach today because it was rainy quite hard, which is the first time in quite a while. We had a good time at our Personal Counselling Training this afternoon, talking about helping others to make decisions for Christ.
I hope you will join us tomorrow for the services. I am real excited about what God is doing to do. Tomorrow evening, we will be partaking of the Lord’s Supper together.
A Special Matter of Prayer
28 June, 2008 at 8:09 am (Prayer)
Please make this request from our friend, Bro. Aaron, a special matter of prayer.
No need for alarm but I do want to ask you all to be praying today. I have had a fever since Wednesday and had some tests run today. Doc says I have an infection OUTSIDE of my lung where they had performed the surgery last month. So I am being admitted to the hospital in about an hour. I don’t know exactly what they’ll do but we’ll see. We are trusting our Father as we always can.
Please pray most specifically that this problem will have a very quick solution. We are supposed to fly out next weekend to go back to Morocco. It would be quite a hassle and possible a great expense to have to move those tickets back. Besides that, I have been here waaaay to long and want to return to our field with all my heart. Please talk to God about that with me.
Headed to Portadown
27 June, 2008 at 12:52 pm (Update)
We are headed to Portadown in a just a few hours to a youth fellowship at Lighthouse Baptist Church. Pastor Don Randall and his church are hosting the fellowship. A few of the churches here in Northern Ireland try to have a youth fellowship for young people from various churches together together for fun, fellowship, and preaching. Pray for safety as we travel and for God to work as I preach.
