Act of Worship

Act of Worship

By Jonathan Michael JonesReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
Download on the App Store

Act of Worship episodes

  • Being a Judah in a Joseph World

    My

    brother and I received a call to ministry at a young age. I remember once
    speaking with him about what we envisioned for our lives in ministry. We both
    discussed our hopes and dreams (e.g., playing music in front of hundreds and
    even thousands of people, preaching before large crowds and seeing God move
    mightily through the work to which he called us, and living within the context
    of a successful occupation). We both agreed that we desired to be used of God
    tremendously and we would go anywhere the Lord sent us; we were willing to do
    anything, but it became clear that it was not acceptable to us to do so unseen.

    Paul

    teaches that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance or
    irrevocable (Rom 11:29). Nonetheless, human nature holds a propensity to forget
    or even neglect such truth, especially when one’s call from the Lord goes
    unseen. Christians should take care in approaching tasks to which God has
    called them, for his plans are higher than the plans of humankind and his ways
    are unsearchable (Isa 55:8-9). The narrative in the final third of Genesis
    presents an often unseen and (assuredly) misunderstood focus, for the primary
    character, Joseph, does not hold the most important role. The aim here is for
    believers to perceive and understand their own task and calling as 1) for the
    glory of God alone rather than self and 2) meaningful despite the possibility
    of being unseen, rewarded, or praised.

    To

    properly comprehend Genesis 45, background of the book to such a point must be
    conveyed. Mindful of the fact that Joseph seemingly satiates the final fourteen
    chapters of the book of Genesis (chapters 37-50), a reader could
    straightforwardly miss the point of the story, which is precisely what occurs
    when believers make feeble attempts to turn the Bible into compartmentalized
    individual stories with the aim of moralistic therapeutic deism. One, for
    example, might interpret the story of Daniel refusing to eat anything but
    fruits and vegetables as a comprehensive approach to diet rather than a purpose
    for a specific time and a specific people and then proceed to imitate Daniel’s
    diet with a belief that it is the only appropriate diet for the people of God
    when such a viewpoint would be a gross misinterpretation. In the book of
    Genesis, Joseph takes considerable space because he is a tool to preserve the
    chosen seed, which ultimately would be Jesus.

    The Apostle Paul

    referred to Adam as a type of the one to come (Rom 5:14). The doctrine of
    original sin infers that through Adam, the human race has been infected with
    the disease of sin; we are, therefore, sinners by nature. Just as humankind is
    dead in sin through Adam, so also are we, the church, made alive through Jesus
    Christ. Adam then was a type of what was to come, but the abundantly apparent
    truth is that Jesus is better than original sin. The gospel centers around
    Christ and his fulfillment of the law and of the covenant God made with his
    people. From the beginning of the Bible, God told the serpent, “I will put
    enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will
    crush your head, and you will strike his heal” (Gen 3:15). This tells of the
    miraculous virgin birth that was to come, for Jesus had to be born of the Holy
    Spirit so as not to be conceived in sin. From the beginning of time, a promised
    seed was established to save God’s people in the covenant, and while Satan
    continued to try to thwart the line of seed, God continued it. Cain killed
    Abel, but the covenant continued because then Seth was born. Then in Genesis 5,
    there is a genealogy of ten generations from Seth to Noah so that the promised
    seed is preserved. Seth and Noah are both promised seeds but not the ultimate
    promised seed; they would preserve the promised seed that is to come. Noah has
    three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), and while the world is judged in a flood,
    they preserved the seed. Shem then preserves the seed later through Zerah who
    has a son named Abraham, the next link in the seed of promise. The problem,
    however, is that Abraham’s wife, Sarah, is beyond childbearing years so Abraham
    tries to manipulate the situation by having a child with his servant and
    Ishmael is born. However, Ishmael is not the promised seed and eventually Isaac
    is born and then Jacob and Esau. Esau, the older, would seem to be the promised
    seed, but it is, in fact, Jacob, the younger. Jacob then has twelve sons. We
    might think Jacob’s son, Joseph, is the promised seed, but the promised seed is
    Judah; Joseph merely preserves the seed. From Judah’s line eventually comes
    Jesse who bears a great son named David who is again a promised seed but not
    the ultimate promised seed. The covenant is then renewed with David in that his
    lineage will sit on the throne forever. Even David’s son, Solomon, is not the
    promised seed, but eventually through David’s line, the ultimate Savior of the
    world was born of a virgin to save his people in the covenant.[1]

    Thus, Joseph is merely a tool for the

    Lord to use in preserving the life of Judah, for without Joseph’s high position
    in the land of Egypt, his brothers might have perished in famine. Christians
    should understand that God’s plans involve the entirety of his people and there
    is no job or calling too small or insignificant for him. The primary character
    of the story (at least in relation to the covenant of the Lord)—the protagonist
    if you will—then is Judah, for Judah preserves the promised seed in Jesus
    Christ. Therefore, after nine chapters of focusing on Joseph, the account is
    brought to chapter 45 of Genesis.


    [1]

    Jonathan Michael Jones, “Using the Psalms to Develop Corporate Prayer in the
    First Baptist Church of Slaton, TX” (DWS thesis Robert E. Webber Institute for
    Worship Studies, 2018), 101-102.

    26 min
  • The Godly Lament

    The

    Apostle Paul instructs believers not to complain about anything (Phil 2:14-16).
    Nevertheless, an entire book, Lamentations, is devoted to the people of God
    complaining and for just reasons. Although no author is mentioned in the book,
    Lamentations is often attributed to the Prophet Jeremiah considering the dire
    struggles he encountered in captivity. Lamentations subsists in the context of
    God’s chosen people being disciplined for their own sin and rebellion.[1] It appeared as if God had
    abandoned the people of the promise when the reality was that his own people
    had abandoned him, for God does not move; people move.

    Lamentations

    3:19-26 highlights the characteristics of a Godly form of lament so while
    complaining for the sake of complaining and with a focus on self is wrong, a
    lament rooted in a desire for justice and with a focus on the Lord’s goodness
    is not only allowed but right. Here, a model of prayer (and indeed Christian
    worship) is expended by a man on behalf of God’s people.


    [1] It

    should be noted that although God is patient and understanding, he does not let
    rebellion go unpunished.

    18 min
  • Righteous Mourning over Evil

    News

    about the assassination of Charlie Kirk recently have fostered numerous
    responses of anger, confusion, and surprisingly even celebration by those who
    would reveal the evil in their own hearts. Whether or not one agrees with
    someone’s opinions and expressions, murder should never be a response and
    certainly should never be celebrated. The Prophet Amos spoke to the people of
    Israel in vivid visions and warnings, perhaps nowhere less than Amos 8. The
    Prophet begins the chapter by referencing visions of summer fruit (v. 2).[1] Through the prophet, God
    charges Israel with social injustice, commercial dishonesty, and indifference
    to holy days. Here, a sharp warning is given to God’s people regarding
    injustice, for God is just so anything that does not exhibit his own heart is
    evil.


    [1]

    The Hebrew words for “summer fruit” and “end” are similar and skillfully
    brought together (v. 2) for effect (i.e., the end has come for Israel).

    20 min
  • The Prayerful Plea of the Righteous

    Any

    faithful believer will testify to the fact that prayer works. In
    unfaithfulness, God is faithful, but it is the prayers of the righteous that
    are accepted by God and are a stalwart part of his plan for his people. Exodus
    32 offers the narrative of God’s people creating a golden calf, an idol, and
    worshiping it. God’s response was anger and seeming propensity to destroy his
    people who had turned from him. Moses, however, pleaded with God (prayed)
    causing God to relent. Did God, however, relent because of Moses’ plea, or was
    it already a part of his plan? A deeper look into the text confirms God’s
    sovereignty and plan to never abandon his people.

    22 min
  • How to Study and Interpret Scripture

    The art of biblical study and interpretation is a seemingly intimidating task, or at least it should be, as it is

    necessary and holds incredible implications regarding its rightness or
    wrongness. Said another way, one who holds the duty of interpretation,
    especially in teaching, is given a serious job and will be held accountable for
    what he or she presents to the body of Christ. I contend that the role of
    teaching is a noble but solemn one and have, therefore, adapted my own process
    of study and interpretation for anyone seeking to employ a tested-and-tried
    progression in the art of biblical interpretation. The steps I will examine
    have been utilized by myself and largely by many others who have endeavored to
    interpret Scripture. I will highlight an eight-step sequence of events that
    will confidently aid in one’s study of Scripture. While humanity is fallen and,
    thus, imperfect, the process offered here will help in ensuring that one who
    interprets Scripture holds a precise and accurate understanding of Scripture
    with little room for error.[1]


    [1]

    It should be noted that human understanding always holds the danger of
    misinterpretation. No teacher is perfect, but in trusting the one who is
    perfect (the Holy Spirit), he or she may eliminate the proclivity to mistakes.
    Even so, one who studies Scripture must be open to the guidance of the Holy
    Spirit and even the possibility of a shift in hermeneutics as God the Spirit
    guides him or her in study.

    26 min
  • Slaves to Christ

    Christianity has been marked for centuries by its radical

    commitment to the point of giving one’s life for his or her faith. Countless
    Christians have been persecuted and even martyred throughout the centuries and
    around the world, not the least recognizable of which are the New Testament
    Christians. Further, while the concept of Jesus Christ setting believers free
    from sin and the former way of life might seem appealing, following Christ also
    comes at a cost. Rather than slavery to sin, however, God’s people have become
    slaves to Christ. By the end of the second century, “Christianity was illegal,
    and believers throughout the Roman Empire faced the threat of imprisonment,
    torture, or death.”[1]

    The Apostle Paul employs the term, slave, in several

    of his New Testament letters, and it is implicit that Christians should
    understand not only the cost of serving Christ but also the matchless benefit.
    The shift from non-believer to believer is a change in the form of slavery—from
    slavery under the law to slavery in Christ (i.e., there is not an option that
    does not include a type of slavery). Paul, in his letter to the churches of
    Galatia, details life in the natural state as sinners and the disparate newfound
    life in Christ, which, although slavery, is slavery with Christ as the new
    owner and with his people as children and heirs to the promises of God. In
    Galatians 3:23-4:7, Paul offers an argument for the type of slavery that is
    life-changing and life-giving, for while the law’s temporal nature contains no
    salvific ability, faith in Christ affords permanent salvation for the people of
    God that nothing in addition to or apart from Jesus Christ could give.


    [1]

    John
    MacArthur, Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ
    (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010), 7.

    59 min
  • A Theological Discourse with Dispensationalism

    The amalgamation of concepts and ideas that comprise

    dispensationalism are surely considered in the various contentions with its
    theological framework, especially in discourse with covenant theology.
    Dispensationalism is a relatively new theological construct, not gaining
    legitimate and broad affirmation until the mid-nineteenth century.[1]
    Thomas Ice contends that dispensationalism is “a cluster of items joined
    together to form a system of thought.”[2] A
    variety of theological concepts, therefore, are combined to form the
    overarching contention of dispensationalism. This paper will provide a survey
    of dispensationalism’s theological framework as well as offer a discourse from
    the perspective of covenant theology. The broad arguments of dispensationalism
    will be examined, and theological dissentions with dispensationalism will be
    engaged.

    With the term

    dispensationalism coined by Phillip Mauro,[3] the
    construction of dispensationalism holds a variety of supports, not the least of
    which is its view on the literal interpretation of Scripture. Here I will
    provide an analysis of the overarching concepts within dispensationalism
    including interpretation of Scripture, the distinction between Israel and the
    church, and typical dispensational divisions. Moreover, this paper will offer a
    survey of notable dispensationalists in church history. Finally, this paper
    will give a theological critique of dispensationalism and dissent from the
    perspective of a covenant theology. Although dispensationalism has seemingly
    diminished in recent decades,[4] it is
    still a prominent part of eschatological theology among Western (and primarily
    American) evangelicals. Thus, the theological arguments offered by
    dispensationalists must be considered by all (American) Christians, for surely
    such arguments will be encountered.


    [1] Craig Bloomberg and Sung Wook Chung,

    A Case for Historic Premillenialism: An Alternative to “Left Behind”
    Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009), 14.

    [2] Thomas D. Ice, “What Is

    Dispensationalism?” Liberty University Article Archives 71: 1.

    [3] Phillip Mauro, The Gospel of the

    Kingdom: With an Examination of Modern Dispensationalism (Hamilton Brothers
    Publishing, 1928) 17.

    [4] “‘The Rise and Fall of

    Dispensationalism’—A Conversation with Daniel Hummel About Dispensationalism in
    America and in the Evangelical Mind,” interview by Albert Mohler, Albert Mohler
    blog, August 23, 2023, https://albertmohler.com/2023/08/23/daniel-hummel/#:~:text=Yeah%2C%20and%20it's%20a%20story,an%20Antichrist%20and%20everything%20else.

    43 min
  • More Than a Job: The Qualifications and Responsibilities of the Local Church Pastor

    A long-debated biblical

    topic is that of the biblical qualifications of a pastor. The role of a pastor
    exceeds occupation, for a pastor must be called, and where God calls one to
    serve him, he also qualifies such a person. This message will examine the biblical
    qualifications and broad responsibilities of a pastor and subsequently survey
    the notable duties of both teaching by way of expository preaching and
    counseling, as such are foundational to pastoral responsibilities.

    The

    biblical qualifications of a pastor are primarily found in Paul’s letters to
    both Timothy and Titus. Moreover, the specific responsibilities of a pastor are
    found and modeled throughout the scriptures with Jesus being the ultimate
    example of a good leader, as a pastor should strive to be. With special
    attention given to the ministry of the word and counseling, the pastor holds a
    myriad of obligations as a part of his calling that should not be taken for
    granted. By examining first the qualifications and second the responsibilities
    (with exceptional consideration given to expository preaching and counseling)
    of a pastor, one’s understanding of the immense position a pastor holds should
    be enhanced.

    1 hr 17 min
  • Theology of Worship Part 12: The Sacred Dialogue of Worship

    As we conclude this study on a concise theology of worship, I contend that worship may be summed as a sacred dialogue. In a dialogue, one party must initiate and another respond. In the sacred dialogue of worship, God initiates and the church responds. Jesus assures his followers that he chose them; they did not choose him (John 15:16). Lest God’s people believe they possessed any ability to choose him, consider the words of Paul.

    As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles (Rom 9:13-24)?

    Worship is a right but only in Christ. In other words, God’s people, by nature, do not deserve the opportunity to approach the Lord in worship, but in Christ, the church may do so.

    As worship is a dialogue, the church must take great care in ensuring active and right participation in the conversation that occurs between God and the church.  The dialogue persists in a communal and personal manner, through which the dialogue is also realized by God’s people. The sacred dialogue that is worship should be prioritized and ameliorated by the church as God’s people seek to attain right doxology.

    30 min
  • Theology of Worship Part 11: Jesus, the Mediator in Worship

    The centrality of Christ in worship has been discussed to this point, but

    the mediation of Christ should be given special attention. Jesus’ mediation is
    often considered in soteriological terms rather than in its necessity for
    Christian worship. Nonetheless, as Christ’s mediation is necessary in Christian
    life, it is also necessary in Christian worship, as worship is the overarching
    purpose of life.

    Christ mediates the practice of worship in his ever-present work. Jesus

    mediates before the Father in that he exists as the arbitrator between his
    people and the Father so that what the Father receives is transformed through
    Jesus as a pleasing offering. Without such transformation, God’s people could
    only offer filthy rags to God. In Christ, however, what is offered to triune
    God is good and right.

    Additionally, Jesus works with the Holy Spirit to radically transform the

    lives of his people. Jesus’ sending of the Holy Spirit is meant to testify to
    his own works and glory as God. Further, Jesus’ work testifies to the glory of
    the Father so that God’s work in the lives of his people is trinitarian in
    nature. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s people rightly worship God as what they
    offer to him is transfigured into the righteousness of Christ and the Father
    receives it as a blessing to him.

    Believers should realize the great need all people have for the mercy of

    God, which is abundant in Jesus Christ. Mercy is the greatest need any person
    has. In worship, God’s people exercise the copious grace given by God through
    Jesus and return a pleasing offering to him. Christ, therefore, mediates not
    only a new a better covenant but pleasing worship as the body of Christ
    exhibits God’s glory.

    34 min

About Act of Worship

From the publisher's feed

Dr. Jonathan Michael Jones' discussions of worship, theology, and culture