Worshipping Well

#4 Scheduling Around the Church

Peace be with you!

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-5, ESV
Regarding the importance of our commitment to the church, Paul wrote to Timothy, “I am writing these things to you so that… you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15b
Because Scripture requires us to assemble together as the church of the living God, scheduling the Christian life around the assembly of the church must be of the highest priority to every Christian believer. We must be reminded by these passages of Scripture to build our schedules around the regular and established rhythms of God’s household (His people: not a building) as much as it is within our ability (not our choice) to do so.
As a new year approaches as of the writing of this encouragement to you, reconsider your commitment to the people of God’s household in the following areas: your attendance at corporate worship and regular participation in a community group of God’s people, your punctual arrival at these gatherings, and your practical preparation and planning for attending and participating in these gatherings. The regular participation in the activities of the local church is one of the greatest counter-cultural declarations about the lordship of Jesus Christ that a Christian can make to a watching world!
In The Church at the End of the 20th Century, Francis Schaeffer wrote, “The church is so often simply a mirror of the society around her, rather than a living demonstration of the Lordship of Christ.” A.W. Tozer’s writing, The Waning Authority of Christ in the Churches, declares, “If Christians were putting the same zeal into getting to heaven as they put into getting to the ball game, we would have a revival overnight.” These men remind us how slipping into secular scheduling priorities is a constant threat to the contemporary Christian believer.

This Week’s Suggestions for Preparing to Worship Well

1. Begin moving faithful attendance to Sunday worship gatherings and community groups with the Center Point Church family to the top of your scheduling priorities. Maybe it’s time to start saying no to some social events so that you can say yes to regular and meaningful participation in the life of your church family.
2. If you are a member of Center Point Church, one great way that you can “encourage one another” as stated in Hebrews 10, is to engage and converse with other members and congregants in the 15-20 minutes before worship begins. You lose that opportunity when you arrive at 9:30 (and later). Challenge to all CPC Members: begin considering yourself “late” to worship if you aren’t in the building by 9:15am. 15 minutes of intentional, weekly engagement with your brothers and sisters in Christ adds up to 12.5 hours of relational investment over the course of an average year, and all you have to do is be there at 9:15.
3. Ensure that your other choices of activities throughout the week will not infringe upon the quality of your preparation and participation in church worship and community group events. Also carefully consider how the activities of Saturday affect the quality of your participation in worship on Sunday and your ability to show up early so that you can also participate in meaningful engagement with your church family.

As always, worship well, Christian!

Pastor Brandon

Worshipping Well

#3 Praying for Your Pastors

Peace be with you!

Last time we were reminded to be prayerful in preparing ourselves to worship well each week leading up to our corporate worship events. We can also help our pastors by praying for them and their preparations to preach each week!

Gardiner Spring, writing over 200 years ago about this matter, said:
“If a people are looking for rich sermons from their minister, their prayers must supply him with the needed material; if they seek for faithful sermons, their prayers must urge him… If God’s people are going to expect powerful and successful sermons, their prayers must make him a blessing to the souls of men. Would they have him come to them in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace…? If so, their prayers must urge him to pray… It is in their own closets that the people of God most effectively challenge their beloved ministers to take heed to the ministry they have received from the Lord Jesus… When the churches cease to pray for ministers, ministers will no longer be a blessing to the churches.” From A Plea to Pray for Pastors (reprint, Hoschton, GA.: Shiloh Publications, 2000), 3-4, 7-8.

Praying with vigor and specificity for your pastors and church leaders is not a new concept. In fact there are several instances where biblical authors request prayer from their congregations. To the Thessalonians, Paul writes, “Brothers, pray for us.” 1 Thessalonians 5:25. And the author of Hebrews asks, “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.” Hebrews 13:18-19. In the letter to the Colossians, Paul writes, “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ…” Colossians 4:3a. Also in 2 Thessalonians 3:1a, Paul again writes, “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored…”

“A ministry may be a very thoughtful ministry without prayer; the preacher may secure fame and popularity without prayer; the whole machinery of the preacher’s life and work [and that of the church] may be run without the oil of prayer or without scarcely enough to grease one cog; but no ministry can be a spiritual one, securing holiness in the preacher and in his people, without prayer being made an evident and controlling force.” By E.M. Bounds in Power Through Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1972) 38-39.

This Week’s Suggestions for Preparing to Worship Well

1. Pray that your pastor will be given grace and illumination by the Holy Spirit to rightly divide His Word leading to proper understanding and right interpretation of the passage. 

2. Pray that the pastor may have insight into the needs of the congregation so that the application of the sermon will perfectly address the needs of those who will hear the sermon.

3. Pray that your pastor will have adequate time to prepare the sermon and be free from distractions in his preparation and preaching.

Worship well, Christian!

Pastor Brandon

Worshipping Well

#2 Praying for Corporate Worship

Peace be with you!
“It is plain throughout [Scripture] that the health of God’s people depends on their attentiveness
to his Word.” John Stott, Between Two Worlds

Did you know that the Bible gives more instruction on how to receive God’s truth properly than
it gives on how to proclaim it properly? To be sure, God is very concerned about how well
preachers preach and teachers teach, but we don’t often concern ourselves with how well
listeners should listen. Unless we come to worship ready, willing, and able to embrace the
preaching, teaching, and truth contained in the song lyrics we sing, even the best of such
elements of worship will fail to change our lives.

Jesus made a point to tell his audience, “Take care then how you hear”. (Luke 8:18, ESV) Fifteen
times the Gospel writers record Jesus’s exhortation, “To him who has ears, let him hear!” And in
Mark 4:3, Jesus starts his parable of the sower by saying, “Listen!”

Some research I read recently showed that most people do not prepare in any significant way for
worship. Fewer than half of the worshipers pray for their encounter with the Word presented in
worship. Even when the sermon passage for the next week is announced, only one in five people
will take the time to read it prior to coming to worship. Take heart! With a little encouragement,
and God’s empowerment, we can drastically improve in our preparation for worship!

As written in Luke 8:15, we want to be “those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest
and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” But how can we become that type of person? In
addition to what we learned last time, we can be a people who pray! Let us be a people who pray
to God and ask for a significant encounter each time we come to hear His Word. Let us be a
praying people whose expectations for worship become well aligned with God’s expectations for
our worship.

This Week’s Suggestion for Preparing to Worship Well

“People come to worship not knowing what they want. They go away having gained no spiritual
blessing. Why should they? They left their spiritual profit up to chance, having attended with no
preparation for their purpose.” Paraphrased from Charles Spurgeon, Sermon 420, Spurgeon’s
Sermons: Volume 7.

1. Read the upcoming passages that will be studied in worship before Sunday. Pray that God will
open your heart to His Word and His Word to your heart.

2. Pray and ask God for the Holy Spirit to reveal something significant to you from His Word
that He wants to become a part of who you should be in Christ Jesus.

3. Pray that God’s Word will be a great spiritual profit to you and our congregation.

Worship well, Christian!

Pastor Brandon

Worshipping Well

#1 Preparing for Corporate Worship

Peace be with you!

In the busyness of our lives, we can often find ourselves working diligently to accomplish a multitude of tasks, working many hours, not getting enough rest, attending many events, yet also losing sight of the purpose for our very existence in this life: to live for the glory of the Lord!

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing several encouraging, short writings about how God’s people can best prepare for worship, participate in worship, and reflect upon our worship throughout the week to help us remain “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” Hebrews 12:2, ESV.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “We are told we ought not to preach without preparation. Granted. But, we add, men ought not hear without preparation. Which, do you think, needs the most preparation, the sower or the ground? … It seems to me that there is more preparation needed by the ground than by the sower, more by the hearer than by the preacher.”

Jesus’s parable of the soils highlights the need for well-cultivated hearts. Like Jesus, we should emphasize the importance of coming to church as “those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” Luke 8:15, ESV. 

At Center Point Church, we preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible, with short breaks to highlight special times of the year that are important to God’s redemptive history, such as Advent (the story of Jesus’ incarnation and birth) and Passion Week (the events leading up to our Lord’s saving work on the cross at Calvary). Because of this approach to preaching, you can always be confident of what Scripture passage is coming up for the next week, thus giving you a week to read that passage several times, and prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart to receive His Word as you study and meditate upon it and for when you hear it preached in worship on Sunday. 

Also, each weekend before the next worship gathering, we publish the upcoming service order in the Bulletin in the Center Point Church app. The Bulletin can be found when you open the CPC app, click on Sunday Hub, then select Bulletin. There you will see the main Scripture references for our worship service, as well as the order of our service, including the songs we will sing to God in our worship. We do this to give you the most opportunity and encouragement to put your best effort and thought into the next Sunday’s Word and worship.

This Week’s Suggestion for Preparing to Worship Well

Richard Baxter said that we must “remember the Lord’s Day before it cometh, and prepare for it.”
1. Finish as many chores and errands as possible before Saturday evening so your mind is free from distraction.
2. Set aside Saturday evening for prayer, Scripture reading, and rest rather than entertainment or late activity.
3. Prepare clothes, Bibles, and offering ahead of time so Sunday morning begins peacefully.

Worship well, Christian!

Pastor Brandon

The Position of Deacon

The church has two Biblical offices, Elders and Deacons. The early church, in Acts chapter 6:1-7, had an issue that arose, and the solution was to appoint those that would serve the needs of the congregation. Biblical scholars agree that those appointed in Acts 6 show the pattern of the Diaconal office. Deacons are those that fulfill the qualifications of Acts 6, and as laid out in 1 Timothy 3:8-12. The primary function of the role of a deacon is to care for the physical and logistical needs of the congregation as they are appointed and assigned by the Elders, so that Elders can concentrate on their role as teachers, leaders, and shepherds.
As the needs of a congregation grow, so does the complexity of meeting those needs. We see in scripture that Deacons were appointed by the church to help fulfill the practical and logistical needs of a growing congregation, as the elders saw fit, and as the congregation approved. Deacons in the New Testament church were those that the congregation, and Elders, agreed were qualified to serve in their appointed capacity. The appointment of Deacons allows for the Elders of the congregation to, as Acts 6 says, “devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” A growing congregation needs both Biblical Elders, and Deacons, to care for the people.

An issue that can be found in many congregations is the underdevelopment of Elders, and the inflation of the role of a Deacon. In such congregations, Deacons fulfill the role of Elders by shepherding, setting direction, and teaching the congregation with an incorrect title, and therefore a different set of qualifications as outlined in scripture. This inflation of the office of Deacon to the position of an Elder or Overseer limits the functionality of both Biblical offices, as outlined in the New Testament. It does this by limiting the office of “Elder” to presumably the Lead pastor, when scripture portrays a plurality of Elders or overseers as the model for congregations, and by denying the church the practical and logistical office of Deacons.
 
Who can serve as a Deacon?
 
The qualifications for the role of Deacons as stated in the constitution of Center Point Church read as follows, “A Deacon candidate must be at least 22 years old, who has been a member in good standing of the church for at least one year. The candidate must exemplify the qualities of a Deacon as found in Acts 6:3 and I Timothy 3:8-13.” Furthermore, the constitution outlines the duties and responsibilities of Deacons as the following:

1. They are to be zealous to guard the unity of the spirit within the church in the bonds of peace.

2. They will care for the physical and practical ministry needs of the members. This will include, but not be limited to, bereavement, hospital visitation, etc. The spirit of servanthood should mark the ministry of Deacons and all who labor for the Lord at Center Point Church.

3. Deacons may also be appointed to serve over specific ministries assigned by the Elders. Their responsibilities would include the oversight of assigned ministry and the inculcation of that ministry into the church congregation.

Given the nature and role of Deacons, and considering Center Point Church has functioning qualified Elders as teachers and Shepherds, it is the position of Center Point Church, that those that fulfill the qualifications of Deacon outlined in scripture and our constitution can be appointed by the Elders and affirmed by the congregation. This applies to both qualified men and women.

It is the position of the Elders that women can serve as Deacons based on the following conclusions.

1. Paul refers to Phoebe as a Deacon in the book of Romans. In chapter 16 of Romans, verses 1-2 Paul refers to Phoebe as a Deacon “Servant.” We can conclude this because the word used in Greek is “diakonos” which is a male ending to a greek word, which would have been odd to use referring to a female. We can then conclude that Paul was ascribing to her an official title, rather than speaking to her character. Additionally she is referred to as a Deacon of a specific church, the church in Cenchrea, furthering the evidence of the title of her office.
   
   
2. There is nowhere in Scripture that forbids women to be Deacons. In 1 Timothy 2:12 Paul gives a regulation that men be teachers and those with authority over a congregation. Therefore Elders are uniquely charged with teaching, and giving oversight to the whole congregation. There is never a command within the New Testament to submit to Deacons, such language is specifically applied to Elders (1 Peter 5:5, Hebrews 13:17). Given that there is no such regulation that Paul gives over Deacons, as he does in 1 Timothy 2:12, we do not seek to limit what Scripture does not Limit.
   
   
3. In 1 Timothy 3, Paul refers to Women Deacons, and not the “Wives of Deacons.” Paul uses the same word in Greek eight other times in 1 Timothy, gynaikas, as used in 1 Timothy 3:11. It is arguable that every instance is better translated as “women” rather than “wives.” The first five instances (2:9,10,11,12,14) are clearly translated as “women” and are without dispute. To arrive at the conclusion that 3:11 is referring to “Deacon’s Wives” or “their wives” you must insert the possessive pronoun “their” into the translation, which is not present in the Greek. This coupled with the general syntax of the Greek paragraph concludes that Paul outlines the qualifications of male and female deacons. Furthermore, Paul does not give qualifications for Elders wives in the same passage. We can conclude that Paul had two lists in mind for qualification, one for Elders, and the second for Deacons, and the list for deacons included qualifications for both male and female Deacons.

Given the above stated conclusions, it is the opinion of the Elders, as seen in scripture and reflected in our church constitution, that both men and women can serve in the position of Deacon as appointed by Elders and affirmed by the congregation.