Bob Young Resources

WORSHIP AND PREACHING: DO WE REALLY KNOW HOW TO DO CHURCH?

[Note: you can link to previous blogs in this series: (April 20, April 27, May 4) .]

Recently, I was visiting with a friend. He shared an observation from an acquaintance outside the churches of Christ: “You guys have the best preaching around but you just don’t know how to do church.” I do not take that as a blanket affirmation that every sermon I preach is great, but I also believe that we in churches of Christ generally have very good preaching. We respect the word, we wrestle with the word, and in the struggle we learn and grow and apply the word of God to real life situations.

Of more interest to me is the second part of the statement—you just don’t know how to do church. When I shared this statement with a sister in Christ recently, she asked, “What do think that means?” Let me suggest some possible answers.

Most of our churches are stuck in a relatively unchangeable pattern of worship activities that can be little changed without major disruption. Those who have fresh ideas and applications are usually disempowered by our leadership models. Our church dynamics are flawed–we do most things for ourselves. We seem to have little awareness of how spiritual realities and activities might be designed to appeal to visitors. Many churches around us have sold out to attracting visitors with entertainment, stunts, and the spectacular. We must seek to discover how spiritual meaning is communicated to those unfamiliar with the word of God and spiritual realities. If we have great preaching, I would say it is mostly for us, and that we have little idea about how to preach the gospel in today’s post-modern world. We are embarrassed to offer the invitation, do not know what we want our hearers to do as a result of the sermon, and are equally embarrassed at times about God’s desire for a specific kind of response. We are not committed to using people according to their gifts.

We need to sharpen our understanding of the essential nature of baptism so that people do not delay until it is convenient. I believe we are more and more in churches of Christ baptizing for church membership rather than as a clear indication that salvation has come to another soul.

In most places, we need to work on making the worship experience meaningful and rich and spiritual. There is little reason to greet people well if they will leave disillusioned as a result of other aspects of their visit with us.

Life is not easy, but our compromised positions do not help us do church effectively, maintaining high commitment demands. I know I am idealistic, and it takes a long time to move a large ship, but sometimes when I visit in sister congregations, I feel as though I have stepped back in my spiritual life 20-25 years.

May God help us find fresh faith and vitality in our shared worship as we seek to shine as lights in a world of darkness.

Devotional study of the Bible “…is the spirit of eagerness which seeks the mind of God; it is the spirit of humility which listens to the voice of God; it is the spirit of adventure which pursues earnestly the will of God; it is the spirit of adoration which rests in the presence of God.”
–Merrill C. Tenney. Galatians: Charter of Christian Liberty. Eerdmans, 1950, pp. 207-8.

I received an email this week with the estimated cost for a little project in Latin American (Santa Maria del Real, Honduras).   There is a need for $750 to rebuild the wall in front of the church building.  Let me share some background quickly.

 After hurricane Mitch, we feared that the walls of the old building would collapse due to the ground water that was soaked up by the adobe.   I,  along with a group of students from Ohio Valley University, assisted in building a new building in 1999.  Fortunately, the old building survived and continued to be used as a classroom.  Later other groups I worked with added a small pila with restrooms, and a classroom behind the new building.  The old building remained at the front of the property, in poor repair but useful for storage, despite severe roof leaks.  About a year ago, the old building was taken down because of the potential danger of a collapse, leaving only the front wall standing.  That wall, part of the old building, served as part of the front wall for the church property.

With the recent rains, that wall has also begun to crumble and fall and is in danger of total collapse.  The portions that have already fallen present a security problem for the church.

We need only $750.  Jan and I have pledged to help, and at least one other person has also agreed to assist.  We need about $600 to complete this project.  Checks can be made payable to Main and Oklahoma Church of Christ and marked for “SMDR wall”.  The church website is on my ‘blogroll’ or you can email me for more information.  Pray also for this church.  Thank you for whatever you can do. 

Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? Had to give way in the last few days to a passing ambulance? I am amazed at the number of ambulances that go by my office on any given day. An ambulance tears around town with its siren blaring. It is always going to a crisis or leaving a crisis. It is built for emergencies.

Many people live the same way. They run their lives with the siren going. Every day is desperate and every moment a crisis–or preparation for one. Such a harried existence leaves no room for smelling the roses or enjoying sunsets. Even worse, it leaves no time for sharing friendships and building love.

Each day is an emergency, a crisis, or a matter of great urgency. Stress builds and strain overwhelms. We call it “living in the fast lane” as though we admire such a lifestyle. Students with complicated schedules, families with countless demands, and workers with keen competition–all face life with sirens blaring. One writer described the top stress factors in urban living as “traffic, travel, tie-ups, temper, time, taxes, and tensions.” Coping has become a national pastime.

Some people add to their personal problems by taking on the world’s problems. I read of a lady who became very disturbed when scientists announced that the sun was burning out and would one day cease to shine.

Many of the things you are tearing around to do will not get done despite your best efforts. Suppose you substituted a quiet walk around the block or time off to call a friend or time out to read a book? Suppose you wrote an encouraging note to someone who really needed it? Would your world fall apart? Or would it perhaps get back into perspective? “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

One of the great things God does for us, if we let Him, is make us realize how temporary some things are and how important it is to give our spirits the food they deserve and need.

[This article, along with several recent articles on a variety of subjects, is available on my Articles Index Page].

When you get to your wit’s end, you’ll find God lives there.

Whoever heard of a first-century church with a bell or a steeple? No one! The church did not assemble in specialized buildings and sacred spaces. The common practice was to assemble in homes. So where did the bells and steeples come from?

I just returned from Latin America. In the cities of Latin America, one hears the bells. The church bells ring regularly—almost constantly (or so it may seem at times). Bells remind the hearers to come to church. The church down the street from our house when I was growing up rang to bell to remind people that church was about to begin. When the church is isolated from the normal social patterns of the society, people must be reminded about church. Steeples provided housing for the bells. Now churches have steeples without bells. Why? Some churches wouldn’t be caught dead with a steeple. Why?

Steeples have a long history which is beyond this brief blog. The further removed the church becomes from the center of society, the more necessary the steeple. Let me observe that steeples make a positive contribution.

• Steeples cause us to lift our eyes skyward, heavenward. It is not accidental that steeples are tall, and seem to point to God.  The message: lift your eyes toward God.
• Steeples can help us to see our city.
• Steeples remind us of God, a tower of strength and power.
• Steeples represent the presence of God in a community.
• Steeples can make God more visible and memorable.
• Steeples may help people locate God.  Where is God?

Perhaps you will add to the list.

Just finished reading The Shack over the past weekend–Wow!  This 2007 book is a delight–but the real word to describe it is phenomenon.  Theology, narrative, novel, spiritual reality–all rolled into one.  It doesn’t qualify as superb writing according to the general standards of the literary guild, and there’s no reasonable explanation of the impact it has had on countless readers, but just over a year after it was first published as a paperback, it debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times trade paperback fiction best-seller list on June 8 and has stayed there ever since. It is No. 1 on Borders Group’s trade paperback fiction list, and at Barnes & Noble it has been No. 1 on the trade paperback list since the end of May.

 The Shack, a paperback novel by an unknown author, is about a grieving father who meets God in an unlikely place in unlikely forms.  An appealing story of redemption and God’s love, the book isn’t short on theology and explaining how and what God is up to in the world today.  In some ways, I found it a difficult read (because I kept comparing the message of the book and the Scriptures).

The author, William P. Young, a former office manager and hotel night clerk, has given us a surprise best seller.  He spent some time in seminary and theological training, thinking through some of the more difficult questions God brings into our lives.

Highly recommended, and worth the read.  Get it, and read it!