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| The
Pulpit and the Throne |
| Dr.
Sam L. Sasser |
The
demand in today's church world seems to be "see
God in action." Miracles clamor for conversational
headlines and that which is often the hardest to
explain draws the greater applause. The man who
simply longs for a revelation of God's person is
missed in the roar. Character qualities that have
been the product of change through the years are
bypassed by the anxious fleshly eye. Paul's prayer,
"That I may know him, and the power of his
resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death" (Philippians
3:10), finds mixed response in the closing years
of this twentieth century. Golden calves are still
the products of those who cannot wait for God's
will in God's time. Is it possible that we have
substituted "business" in the work of
God for "being in the will of God."
Underscoring
renewal in today's church is a fresh breathing
of God in the area of worship. Worship is a
vital key to personal change. It is the very
essence of maturation. It is "beholding
Him that we are changed" (II Corinthians
3:18).
The
Word of God is sent to reveal and illuminate
to us that which will please the heart of God.
Blessed, indeed, is the man who is willing to
obey God's desires according to the Word; for
he will receive that which the Word promises.
Scripture
says, ". . . Draw nigh to God and he will
draw nigh to you." (James 4:9) Worship
is the dominant way of drawing into divine embrace.
But "worship" has taken on so many
hues and colors in today's church that the richness
of God's desire in worship is often confused.
Worship has become "preliminaries"
and the art of praise is lost in the shadow
of "great preaching." The pulpit has
become the center of focus while the throne
stands negated and misunderstood by the many
churchmen of the hour.
In
many churches, planning for worship is a simple
operation of tradition. The pastor or an associate
will simply delete from last week's bulletin
the hymns and anthems sung, and scratch in
new ones. The elements of the worship service
are arranged under a fixed series of headings
(Adoration, Supplication, inspiration, Dedication,
etc.). The thought here is to give meaningful
progression to the service. The service alternates
between music and speech, standing and sitting,
listening and responding. The main attraction
is the delivering of the sermon, so all else
seeks to get the assemblage of believers ready
for the "morning ministry." The
one secure and rational aspect of this service
is its sheer predictability. The anthem always
precedes the sermon; the Doxology most usually
follows the offering; the responsive reading
normally comes after the first hymn and before
the prayer. The best way for those in attendance
to handle this type of approach is just to
sit until told what to do next. To alter this
sequence is to weaken the worshiper's one
secure link with it - predictability! The
weakness of such an approach is that it often
resists attempts on the part of worshipers
to become thoughtfully involved. To become
actively or creatively alive to the potential
of worship as a "life flow" in the
assembly is stymied.
Worship
is not simply human activity, but rather an
encounter with a living God. Many are missing
such an encounter today. The transition from
passive response conditioned by years of experience
with the "sing - talk - sing" approach
to alert thoughtful engagement in worship may
be slow and lengthy, but it is a worthy objective.
In
an ever increasing way an emphasis on great
pulpit ministry through the years has replaced
an emphasis on the "throne." Previous
mention has been made of the fact that worship
is often referred to as the "preliminaries,"
with the focus being given to the sermon.
Today's church service is centered around
the preaching of the Word. Everything else
from congregational singing and scripture
reading, to choir and special music preparation,
is done with the pastor's theme in mind. We
must refocus to see that while the ministry
of the Word of God is imperative, the ministry
we give to a holy God, from the deep inner
recessed of our hearts in sustained worship,
is even more imperative. This is not to say
that I seek to elevate "worship"
without "Word," but rather to return
the reader to the distinction of worship with
the Word, to clarify that our focus must be
on the throne before the pulpit.
An
inversion of the above-mentioned principle creates
demand for "giants in the pulpit."
An unhealthy competition of expertise in preaching
ministry is the result. Our attitude in this
regard can be altered only as we view the majesty
of God's person and reestablish the "throne"
as priority focus in the church service.
©
2005 ZionSong Ministries. All rights reserved.
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