Act of Worship

              Of the term, sacramental, a variety of thoughts enter the minds of believers. While, for some, sacramental might be linked to salvific grace, the nature of the word’s Latin roots suggests sacredness. Glenn Packiam’s 2019 publication,   Blessed, Broken, Given , illuminates the concept of sacramental life in Christ. In Je...

Dr. Jonathan Michael Jones discusses his new musical setting of Revelation 4

I do not discredit either or find either full-time vocational ministry or bi-vocational ministry more admirable than the other. Both manifestations of ministry are noble and worthy tasks. The purpose of my words today, nevertheless, is to discuss the benefits of bi-vocational ministry. I personally wish more ministers were bi-vocational for the reasons I will give. Not only that, I also wish that...

I am less dogmatic about my Calvinistic beliefs than I used to be. Nonetheless, I am as devoted to the doctrines of grace as ever. Perhaps, the reason so many new Calvinists are annoyingly devout to such a doctrine is because it is wonderful news, not bad news. I used to be someone who saw Calvinism as bad news until I understood it. Certainly, it is a secondary issue, i.e. not necessary for salva...

            There seems to be an avoidance of any biblical topic which might be considered negative even when Scripture plainly discusses such a matter. One such topic I will discuss is the toiling aspect of the Christian faith, for indeed, Christianity is a faith with which to toil and one worthy of toiling. I think that our subconscious mind...

            I considered presenting the following material around Martin Luther King (MLK) Day in January but chose instead to wait because I did not want to overshadow, to my listeners, the great social-justice work Dr. King accomplished. Today, however, I will discuss the false gospel which MLK preached citing specific examples and even ques...

            Rachel Hollis has seemingly taken the Christian book world by storm and (somewhat) rightfully so. I recently read both of her books. Her talent, confidence, and intelligence are undeniable. Pastors who have not heard of Hollis or who do not think that she has made her way into their churches are sadly oblivious. Hollis certainly pr...

            Covenant theology is a common part of reformed thinking. The topic, however, can be convoluted and far-reaching. At the foundation, many might simply assume covenant theology to center around the various covenants of the Bible, e.g. the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, the Davidic covenant, or even the new covenant. Covenan...

            As a Christian and as a minister, I have found a common struggle with the functionality of the church regarding how to handle biblical truth, i.e. should the church handle God and his work as obligatory truth irrespective of how it makes us look to an onlooking world or merely as practical motivation for moral living? Questions lik...

As we approach Ash Wednesday, my aim today is to discuss what the church might gain from observing the season of lent. Lent is not solely Catholic as many would assume, for there are many Protestant traditions who observe the season. It is also not insincere simply because it is tradition as others might assume. I have spoken often of the fact that sincerity has little to do with ritual or spontan...

As we approach Ash Wednesday, my aim today is to discuss what the church might gain from observing the season of lent. Lent is not solely Catholic as many would assume, for there are many Protestant traditions who observe the season. It is also not insincere simply because it is tradition as others might assume. I have spoken often of the fact that sincerity has little to do with ritual or spontan...

            In our current societal discourse in many facets, e.g. political, theological, cultural, etc., the church should be an agent of unity rather than disunity. Often, the opposite is true; yet, God calls us to primarily exemplify the unity of Christ among each other but also to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Jesus’ comma...

            Perhaps you are like me and have heard a phrase like the following at some point in your life and perhaps even recently: I know many non-believers (or non-Christians) who are more “Christian” [1] than most Christians. While I understand the sentiment behind such a statement, it is simply not true. Without negating the responsibilit...

            One of the most polarizing topics in Christian theology is that of election, foreknowledge, and predestination. Having wrestled with this important but difficult doctrine (the doctrine of sovereign grace) in my early twenties, I have made several conclusions on the matter; yet, I remain open to other perspectives. Nothing, however,...

            The recent legislative actions in the state of New York recently have caused me to reflect quite a bit. I have always been a staunch opponent of abortion; the recent, legislation in New York, however, has provided a time and place for me to speak about the topic even more. We, as a society, have already committed the largest mass m...

The few weeks prior to Christmas are often spent celebrating the birth of Christ. The birth of Christ is vital to remember and right to celebrate. Nonetheless, the Advent, e.g. his second and first comings, are often neglected. I often lament the neglect of Advent during the month of December. More than a personal matter, I believe it is a matter of remembering and living within the reality of the...

Mike Breen recently posted a blog centering around why the missional movement will fail. I was shocked upon first reading these words; yet, the author makes the point that radical disciple-making is the church’s call above going. Breen says: We took 30 days and examined the Twitter conversations happening. We discovered there are between 100-150 times as many people talking about mission as there...

God exists as triune: three persons yet one God. We often speak of the Trinity in mere passing terms; God, however, has revealed himself in Scripture and in his work through threefold persons: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Sadly, the most neglected and misunderstood person of the godhead is the Holy Spirit including in charismatic contexts where the Holy Spirit might seemingly be given an o...

            Selfishness has crept its way into the church over the years and has become detrimental to the point that Western culture has adopted a false gospel: a gospel that makes humankind the center and the point rather than God. I remember a conversation with a friend years ago in which I suggested that God is primarily about his own glor...

Nearly every minister who is involved in the worship leadership in any capacity has or will come across the issue of what to do with children during gatherings. Various churches employ disparate measures with their children including but not limited to having separate children’s worship services, having special children’s messages during corporate worship, or simply allowing them to worship with e...

In a consumerist society, the Christian subculture has most certainly been affected. I confess, as a minister, that it is difficult to keep society from affecting at least some of the practices of the church, though often, we should strive for such a goal. One of the effects of consumerism (I think) is the neglect of congregational participation in worship. Recently, I visited a local church and n...

A growing concept, in recent decades, is that of vertical worship, i.e. worship occurs solely as a dialogue between God and individual worshiping. I do not deny that worship is vertical; nonetheless, it is not solely vertical, for there is also a horizontal aspect. By horizontal, I do not mean that God’s people worship each other or other earthly things; contrarily, I mean that the church corporat...

             The ethos of the modern church, particularly in western society, seemingly involves a catering to the culture for a plurality of underlying reasons. The strong belief in the use of vernacular language stemming from the Reformation era has drastically changed in its purpose. Where Reformers desired for communities of God’s people to possess the abilit...

One of the seemingly most despised moments during a weekly worship gathering is the greeting time. I have personally observed the woes of many who are opposed to greeting one another during corporate worship and, in fact, used to be one of those people. Yet, my heart and mind began to change on the issue when I realized the underpinning on which such an act is built, namely the kiss of peace. Paul...

Recent personal discussions and observations of Eucharistic practices have made it abundantly clear to me that the vitality of the Lord’s Supper must be recovered in the church. I believe most local churches’ view of the Lord’s Table has veered so far off course that a track toward recovery is necessary. Not only do Pew and Barna statistics reveal a lack of deep spirituality in the church, but my...