Part 2: What We Get out of Worship

Posted on June 5, 2013 by bornfun

June 5, 2013
9:00 AM

Once we’ve established that we come to the worship service first and foremost as a producer of praise, not a consumer, we can rightly consider what we ought to desire to get out of a worship service. The reality is that we all come wanting and needing, and God is aware of that, created us that way, and graciously longs to meet us there. Psalm 63 is a great model for us, showing us the “both-and” approach. I don’t think what we’re talking about here is a balance between giving and receiving, but a passionate desire for the full measure of both within the corporate worship service.

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
        my soul thirsts for you;
               my flesh faints for you,
        as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalms 63:1 ESV)

Perhaps most important to note is that the Psalmist’s approach here is very personal. This is a not a corporate Psalm written for a worship service. This is a window into the devotional life of King David, a page out of his journal. It is written during a time when he was homeless in a desert, fleeing from his enemies. God-breathed Scripture now, this psalm gives us a pattern of how God longs for us to relate to Him, not just in the worship service, but every day of the week! We are to seek and to thirst! Note that this psalm begins with an intense desire to receive, but then looks upward:

“So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
        beholding your power and glory.” (Psalms 63:2 ESV)

Now here’s a reference to David’s experience in the corporate worship service! We ought to come desiring to behold the power and glory of our God. This is referring back to David’s experience of the presence of God in the sanctuary. So should we always long to behold the presence of God, displayed with power and glory when we come to corporate worship. That display is most vividly seen in his steadfast love.

“Because your steadfast love is better than life,
       my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live;
       in your name I will lift up my hands.” (Psalms 63:3–4 ESV)

I think David is still recounting his ‘corporate worship’ experience in the sanctuary here. He resolves to give praise and blessing with his lips, with his hands lifted up in worship. David’s focus turns from receiving to giving. Why? Because God’s steadfast love is perhaps the greatest comfort and most satisfying portion for our needy souls. How much moreso ought it be for us now, this side of the cross? I do get a touch of sadness when we sing songs that talk about God’s love and never mention the most obvious display of that love. Jesus! Let’s not sing around the concept of God’s steadfast love and miss the bulls eye! “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11” (1 John 4:9–11 NIV)

What did David ultimately know he would get out of worship? Satisfaction for his soul!

“My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,” (Psalms 63:5 ESV)

There’s more to this Psalm, but here is the first point. What should we want to get out of the corporate worship experience with God?

  • Satisfaction for the spiritual hunger and thirst of our souls that comes from seeing God’s power and glory, tasting his steadfast love (better than life itself!), and responding by praising, blessing and lifting up our hands in his name, the name of Jesus!

bill-signature
Bill Born

Posted in Bill's Blog | Leave a comment

Best Message I’ve Heard on Christ and the Cross

Posted on May 29, 2013 by bornfun

May 29, 2013
8:02 AM

A little over a month ago I attended a conference called The Gospel Coalition with our Senior Pastor, Gary Inrig. I came praying that the Lord would speak to me as I drew near to him in worship, in his Word, and in fellowship. And he did. I thrived during this time with him, released from home & work responsibilities for a season. I tremendously enjoyed my time with Gary talking over meals, in between sessions and in our room. I am sad thinking that our time as partners in ministry at Trinity is coming to an end. At the same time I am deeply grateful for all that God has blessed me with through Gary – his teaching, his leadership and his friendship.

Each general session was inspiring, highlighting the robust expositional teaching of God’s Word, and boy was there great teaching! (Worth checking out here.) My heart was inspired by and awed at the revelation of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ, moved to action, my soul satisfied, yet inspired to hunger for more, my mind challenged, my hope stirred and my faith strengthened. Perhaps the best session was the teaching on Christ’s death by an older Irishman named Gary Millar. I have never heard such a stirring, complete and clear summary of the greatness of Christ, his purpose in giving his life on the cross, and our great need for what transpired there. It is a message that brings clarity and a compelling reason to believe! When Gary Millar finished speaking, I sat in stunned silence. Tim Keller said that a good sermon goes beyond teaching and can be measured when people stop taking notes. That certainly happened to me!

[custom-field key=”Vimeo”]

bill-signature
Bill Born

Posted in Evangelism, Spirituality | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What We Get Out of Worship

Posted on May 14, 2013 by bornfun

May 8, 2013
8:40 AM

A friend just sent me this tweet and asked if I thought it was too harsh:

“I didn’t get anything out of worship this morning.” “Well, we weren’t worshipping you.” –Chris Bowater

I replied that no, it was not too harsh. I think our American consumer mindset to both church and the worship service is dangerously selfish and sinful. We live in the “restaurant era” and tend to approach church like a restaurant when we ought to approach it like a family meal at home. I was thinking the other day about my kids around the dinner table. Their selfish appetites demand that the food given them be their favorite, or else they will fuss and refuse to eat. We have a little ditty that eventually helps them change their minds. “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit even if it’s not your favorite.” By the time they are four or five they start to get it. While my older kids still express their opinions about the food, most of the time they will eat it, be nourished and even be thankful to their mother who carefully and lovingly prepared it for them.

Now, think about coming to the worship service demanding that the worship music & preaching be our favorite style. If you think that’s bad enough, what if we consider that this meal (the worship service) isn’t primarily for us? Certainly there is edification for the believer that flows out of corporate worship experience. But I think we can all agree that corporate worship is an opportunity for us to praise God, especially the singing portion! We are producers of worship, not consumers of worship. It’s all about him and it’s all for him! It is an offering we bring to him. And when we come with that mindset and a determination to “give” him praise and “give” him our undivided attention, we will find that we are being edified, satisfied, and are overflowing with thanksgiving.

I do understand and acknowledge that true worshipers of God come to the worship service with a longing to encounter him. In the best sense, that’s what we want to “get out of worship.” Toward that end I pray and plan and lead. I always hope to facilitate a significant meeting with God for every desiring heart, and even for those who come without that desire. In fact I plan and pray with great passion toward that end. Where will you find the worship team right up to the moment before the service begins? Praying together that as we bring God praise in the corporate setting, that our hearts will be changed and that God will be glorified. Style and atmosphere matters and we pay attention to those details, hoping to draw people to worship God, but they don’t matter most. What matters most is what we bring and what we leave with having met with our Lord.

bill-signature
Bill Born

Posted in Church, Music, Spirituality, Worship | Leave a comment

Stuck!

Posted on April 8, 2013 by bornfun

Bornfun on the Beach1April 8, 2013
8:41 AM

“On Christ the solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand…” ~Edward Mote

I’m surrounded by thousands of folks who love Jesus, love the church and believe that the strong centrality of the gospel and God’s Word is of utmost importance for the glory of Christ and the growth of his Church. Things are about to kick off here in Orlando, Florida for the Gospel Coalition Conference. I have the privilege of being here with Gary Inrig who has played a huge role in my life over the past 17 years, bringing me to an understanding of the gospel and love for Christ and his church and his Word. I treasure all of the above and I come to this conference hungry and thirsty and ready to be filled!

Last week I experienced a very clear illustration of the gospel that I’d like to share. Unfortunately it was due to poor judgment on my part, but nevertheless, here it is. I took my family on vacation up to Pismo Beach to camp for 3 days. The first night we found out that our camping fees gave us access to drive out on the beach, the only beach in California that allows this. So we joyfully headed out after dinner in our Odyssey. It was amazing to drive within a few feet of the surf washing up on the sand. Julie got out and snapped a few photos. It was pure bliss for a while. Of course my personality demands “the whole experience” so I wanted to go all the way to the end. As I got further off the beaten track and unbeknownst to me, further up the beach because it was high tide, I noticed that I was beginning to lose traction. I panicked. There was no way to turn around and I knew if I stopped I wouldn’t be able to reverse. I had no choice but to stop as the car was barely creeping forward by this time. The front of the car sunk down to the frame. I was stuck. I prayed for wisdom in how to get unstuck, and I quickly remembered to let some air out of my tires. I used my floor mats to get some traction. Still I wasn’t very hopeful that I could go anywhere if I got unstuck. Perhaps I could move a little closer to the surf to get firmer sand. Bad idea! Now I was really stuck and I had literally buried the front end of my car in the sand. The surf was washing around my car as I stood there, heart pounding in my chest. I felt like a fool! At this moment I prayed to God for help. I did actually think of the gospel correlation at that moment as well, which is odd. I was powerless to do anything to get myself out of this situation. I needed a savior. A few minutes later they came in a white 4X4 truck with a towrope. Graciously they hooked onto my rear hitch and pulled me backwards, back to terra firma and turned me around so I could safely get home. Humbled, but deeply grateful I thanked them and I thanked the Lord for the rescue. I’ve recently read that the gospel story includes 4 parts, the Creation, the Fall, the Rescue, and the Restoration. Getting stuck correlates to the Fall, and we all must come to grips sometime that we are stuck in sin (the Bible says we are dead in our sins.) The good news, the defining moment of the gospel, is that we are made alive in Christ.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” (Ephesians 2:4–6 ESV)

We are saved when we by faith accept that there is nothing we can do on our own to rescue ourselves from God’s righteous judgment, his wrath concerning our sins. Dead people can’t do anything. God did it all in Christ on the cross for us. I am only saved when I believe in Christ and receive God’s gift of grace – simple as that. Thank you Lord for the rescue!

bill-signature
Bill Born

Posted in Evangelism, Spirituality | Leave a comment

The Sunrise

Posted on January 9, 2013 by bornfun

sunrise

The sunrise is a symbol for the hope I have for 2013. Last week after our band rehearsal on Wednesday I contacted my friend Zach and asked if he would film a sunrise to use on our stage screen during the song, Awakening. (And he did!) As we worshiped on Sunday morning, I started realizing that every song we sang had this theme of the sunrise/morning or light in it.*

The sunrise is a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness, and his mercies that are indeed new every morning. It has much symbolism, but to me it is a symbol of my hope that lies in knowing and following Jesus. Zachariah’s prophecy of Jesus’ coming says it this way. “[B]ecause of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”” (Luke 1:78–79 ESV) Jesus has visited us, and now he dwells in our hearts through faith. Our God is with us! Christ in me is the hope of glory! “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV) So as I worshiped on Sunday, my heart became full of hope and anticipation for us as a church, walking by faith and not by sight, trusting in and following Christ, disciples on mission making disciples.

I began my day at 4:45 AM with a prayer in my heart. All of my life I have been a ‘beep, beep, beep’ waker-upper, but I recently got an alarm clock app and gave a try at waking up to music. I made a playlist of the song-prayers that I wanted on my heart first thing in the morning. Sure enough, as soon as the music starts, my heart locks in with the lyric, a prayer to God to start the day. Take a moment and listen to this song that I awoke to on Sunday. This is Rend Collective Experiment’s Keep Me Near.

I resonate with every phrase in this song, but the one that stands out most to me is the ending of the chorus, “Breathe your desires in me.” My greatest desire is that I would passionately long for and pray for the things that the Lord desires, that his will would be my will. This is a great picture of what it means to be near to his heart. It is out of a personal nearness to the Lord that I must lead our congregation as we worship this year. “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;” (Psalms 73:28 NASB)

Trinity Worshipers, let this be our waking attitude each day, “Lord, breathe your desires in me. Keep near to your heart!” Let’s anticiapte all that he will do in and through us in 2013. May each sunrise be a reminder to us of these things.

*The references in our worship songs on 1/6/13  to morning, sunrise and light were unplanned; well, unplanned by me if you know what I mean.

At Your Name “At your name, the morning breaks in glory…”
Forever Reign “you are light, you are light when the darkness closes in”
Awakening “like the rising sun that shines, from the darkness comes a light”
Like Incense “so your Word is my joy and meditation from the rising to the setting of the sun,” “I will seek you in the morning …”
Overcome “you’re sending us out as light in this broken land”
You Are Good refers to Lamentations 3:22,23 that says the Lord’s mercies are new every morning

bill-signature
Bill Born

Posted in Church, Spirituality, Worship | 4 Comments

You Were Rich Beyond All Splendor

Posted on December 21, 2012 by bornfun

In 2008 we received a Christmas card that contained these poignant words from an old hymn I hadn’t heard before:

Thou who was rich beyond all splendor
All for loves sake, becamest poor
Throne for manger dids’t surrender
Sapphire courts for a stable floor

This poetry was inspired by 2 Corinthians 8:9 which over the years has become one of my favorite Christmas verses. “But you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” In fact, this statement has become the lens through which I view the entire Christmas story. When I look at the stable, the baby in the manger with his peasant parents, Joseph & Mary, surrounded by worshiping shepherds, I see the immeasurable wealth of the Almighty God being made poor so that I might become rich. This is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! This is so profound, giving me such a personal attachment to the story of Christmas! Elsewhere in the opening of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul recounts the riches that we have in Christ Jesus. He begins, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before for the foundation of the world … in love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ …” Paul goes on and on recounting the spiritual blessings that are ours because we are in Christ Jesus.

And so Christmas is a time that I consider the riches I have in Christ Jesus, namely that I was chosen by God before the foundation of the world, loved by him so much that he sent his Son Jesus, so that I could also become his adopted son. Christmas reminds me of my spiritual adoption! And not just me, but my BIG family too. John said, “But to all who did received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) “I bring you good news that will be for all the people,” the angel said. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10,11)  I love my Trinity Church family and the joy of worshiping together these precious Sundays of Christmas, delighting in the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus.

I wrote and asked our friends to send us a copy of the hymn. I have been trying for the past 4 years to rework it into modern English with a melody that comes from my heart of gratitude in praise to the Lord. I wanted to end it with a moment gathered together around the manger worshiping our Savior who is Christ the Lord. Here is a rough recording from when we did sang it together a few Sundays ago.

[button link=”http://worship.trinityonline.org/files/2012/12/Savior-King-We-Worship-You.mp3″ newwindow=”yes”] Savior King We Worship You[/button][clear]

bill-signature
Bill Born

Posted in Christmas, Music, Worship | Leave a comment

Jesus, Lord at Thy Birth

Posted on December 21, 2012 by bornfun

One complaint I hear from folks about corporate worship at Christmas is that most of the familiar carols are proclamation, telling the story about God rather than direct spoken praise to God. I too have felt that, and do intentionally look for newer Christmas songs that enable us to declare praise directly to God. Both however are valid expressions of worship, and I have found that mediation upon the profound theology expressed in these songs has drawn my heart to a deeper worship experience when I sing them. To study God (Theology) is to know him more, and nothing at Christmas is more profound to me than the identity of Christ, fully God & fully man. Think about this very familiar chorus, Silent Night. From verse 3:

Son of God, love’s pure light, radiant, beams from Thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord at Thy birth, Jesus Lord at Thy birth

I love to meditate on the fact that Jesus was born, Lord. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV) John 1, Colossians 1, and Philippians 2 all declare his identity as Lord. Taking pleasure in this very truth as we sing it, feeling a surge of faith, a spark of joy, and sharing like-mindedness and unity with the other worshippers – these are important aspects of worship. We don’t always have to be talking to God. The most important part of the worship service may be listening, letting the Almighty talk to us. Perhaps that’s something we can experience more often within the proclamation and exhortations of the familiar Christmas carols. Our talking back might simply be a whispered, “Thank you,” or “I believe.”

My favorite version of Silent Night is by David Crowder. It has a lovely twist at the end which is in retrospect quite profound. Nothing to watch here; just listen and enjoy!

bill-signature
Bill Born

Posted in Christmas, Music, Worship | Leave a comment

The Very Throne Room of Heaven Itself

Posted on December 12, 2012 by bornfun

My friend & long-time partner in worship ministry at Trinity, Jerry Flasschoen recently described the first chapter of John at a Christmas dinner. His description touched my heart. I asked him to write out what he said that I might share it with you. Enjoy!
bill-signature
Bill Born

A number of years ago, I had the privilege of touring in Europe.  One of the cities I visited was Cologne, Germany.  While there, I entered the cathedral. It was immense in size and at once I felt as if I had been pulled into the very presence of God.  A sense of quietness, awe, and wonder overcame me.  I was reminded again of God’s greatness and majesty.  I felt very small.  I was also reminded that God became man and died for me that I might know Him personally.  Joy filled my heart and I was thrilled that God chose not to remain mighty and distant but to humble Himself and take on human flesh for someone like me.

The apostle John creates this same sense of quietness, wonder, and awe in the first chapter of his gospel.  He gives us a window into the very throne room of heaven itself.  The Synoptic Gospels read like the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, the action on the highway, and in the crossroads of human commerce.  But in John one has turned into a quiet cathedral, where he is called upon to meditate upon the deep things of the Eternal Son of God – the Word made flesh!

As I quietly reflect on this season, my heart is filled with the joy and thankfulness for the Lord Jesus, who was born, crucified, and raised to life so that I, through His poverty, might become rich.  May the words of John 1:14 continue to quiet us and cause us to reflect on this truth with much joy, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

– Jerry Flasschoen

Posted in Christmas, Spirituality, Worship | Leave a comment

Glory to the new born King

Posted on December 5, 2012 by bornfun

Each Christmas season that I have been leading corporate worship at Trinity Church, has increased my joy, wonder and delight in Jesus! The more I behold Christ, the more I come to know him, love him and desire to worship him more fully. And so goal number 1 at Christmas is this: Behold the glory of the Lord. This happens when we meditate on the wonderful truths of who Jesus is and why he came for us. There is sweet and tasty fruit that results when we pause to take it all in, to remember, reread, and retell the familiar story. In fact, each year I find myself longing to pause more and more, to slow down the hectic pace of Christmas in order to increase the sacred enjoyment and observation of it. As a worshiper, I need to reflect on the profound phrases of the familiar carols that we are singing and then sing them with a greater passion that comes from a deeper heart connection. So pause with me and consider some great words penned by Charles Wesley in my favorite Christmas carol, Hark the Herald Angels Sing. From verse 2b:

Veiled in flesh the godhead see. Hail the incarnate deity. Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel. Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the new born King.

This captures the wonderful truth that, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 NIV) I love to ponder the first phrase, “veiled in flesh the godhead see.” How wonderful and mind boggling is the incarnation, Jesus, fully God and fully man, the Word become flesh! John goes on to say this profound statement, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” (John 1:18 NIV) As we behold the glory of Christ, we ought to do nothing less than glorify him by worshiping him.

My favorite recording is by Evan Wickham. Enjoy!
bill-signature
Bill Born

Posted in Christmas, Music, Worship | Leave a comment

Two Extraordinary Worship Albums

Posted on October 26, 2012 by bornfun

October 17, 2012
9:24 AM

Need a good recommendation for a couple of new worship albums? I’m very moved by both the lyrics and musical artistry of All Sons and Daughters in their newest EP, The Longing. This project joyfully and powerfully declares who God is, what he has done, and causes my heart to join them and respond to him with thanksgiving and with prayers from the depth of my soul. Soaring harmonies of worship leaders David Leonard and Leslie Jordan, declare passionate & wholehearted worship unto the Lord, with most songs climaxing in a chorus of singers joining in the praise. These songs are written for the people of God to experience the presence of God as they sing the praises of God. (Borrowing a phrase I recently heard from Matt Redman.) While the music has a modern folk/pop feel and the songs are new, there is a sense of antiquity, church music at its best. That’s because these songs are grounded in the eternal and enduring Word of God and work of God through his Son, Jesus.

Gungor continues to inspire with refreshing artistic creativity and excellence coupled with heart-engaging lyrics. Husband and wife team, Michael and Lisa Gungor join with a large and diverse group of musical friends to bring the listener a unique and powerful worship experience. They recently released a live-concert album, A Creation Liturgy. Less targeted toward the typical church congregation, yet personally worshipful, their music declares the wonderful story of God, through creation, the fall, and redemption, featuring creative combinations of instruments that help to engage the worshiper’s heart in worshiping the Lord. Packed with emotion, this live album gives you a taste of music that moves beyond the popular stream of stadium rock so popular in contemporary worship today. Due to that fact, it may stretch some outside their musical comfort level, but a devoted listen will engage the heart that longs to worship God.

bill-signature
Bill Born

Posted in Music, Worship | Leave a comment