On Not Broadcasting a Worship Service (Lloyd-Jones)

Sometime during the 1960s D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached in the United States at a church that broadcasted the evening service on the radio. You can find this story in chapter 13 of Preaching & Preachers. At the end of his story about preaching at this worship service, Lloyd-Jones gave his opinion on broadcasting a service…

Conscience, Prayer, and Public Worship (Gurnall)

In his lengthy discussion of prayer based on Ephesians 6:18, William Gurnall connected it (prayer) to conscience and public worship. Habitually joining with other believers for Lord's Day worship is a duty of the Christian. So is prayer - public and private. Here's how Gurnall weaves these together. I've edited it for readability. Make conscience…

Women, Worship, and Hair Curls!?

Charlotte D'mornay (d. 1606) was a follower of Christ during the tumultuous religious period in late 16th century France. As a Protestant, she was being hunted for her faith during the St. Bartholomew's massacre. She barely escaped by boat and finally made it to Montauban (Southern France). In 1576 she married Philip, a devoted Christian…

Depersonalizing the Holy Spirit, Modalism, and Worship (Horton)

Michael Horton's recent book on the Holy Spirit is quite helpful in many ways. I was re-reading the opening chapter this morning and the following paragraphs were a good reminder for me. Here they are: Even in broader Christian piety, there is a tendency to treat the Holy Spirit as a force or source of…

Nearness to God and Public Worship (Nye)

There are times in the Christian life when it seems like God is far away, when it doesn't feel like the Lord is near. We know Jesus promised to be with us always, but sometimes it just doesn't seem that way. To be sure, God's people throughout history have experienced this. More than a few…