The Blazing Center

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)

You always knew when a Pharisee was about to perform a good work. Trumpets blasted before they gave to the poor. They knelt on street corners before they prayed. They were loud and proud about their religion.

They wanted the world to know that they were serving God. They wanted the praise of men.

And they got their reward. People respected the Pharisees for their religious zeal. But that was all that they got. No reward from God. No honor from the only person who truly matters.

When I “practice righteousness” so that other people will give me praise, that’s all I get. The lame, unimportant, unsatisfying praise of others. When I lead worship, or serve a brother, or write a blog post, or give advice, or post a status update, purely for the compliments of people, that’s my reward.

Lord, help me serve you, for Your glory.

I am convicted and challenged by this short video. I hope you are too.

This is a sketch (emphasis on “sketch”), of a new song I’m working on. Listen to it. Share your thoughts.

It’s not enough to preach God, or even Christ. We must preach a bleeding Christ.

“Christ did not redeem and save poor souls by sitting in majesty on his heavenly throne, but by hanging on the shameful cross, under the tormenting hand of man’s fury and God’s just wrath. And therefore, the poor soul that would have pardon of sin, is directed to place its faith not only on Christ, but on a bleeding Christ, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:25). — William Gurnall

Christ is more than a teacher or an example of unselfishness to imitate. He is the sacrifice God provided to take away the sins of the world. He poured out his life blood to atone for our rebellion, and it is only Christ’s blood that can wash away sins and cleanse the guilty conscience.  Preach Christ crucified.

Preach a bleeding Christ.

photo by jurek d.

As you probably know, I am somewhat of an expert in the field of “manpoints”, having written several extensive and well researched articles (see here and here).

However, in an effort to further the field of manpoints and help men everywhere, I’ve compiled a manpoints scorecard. With this scorecard, you can easily determine your Manliness Quotient (MQ) and identify areas for further growth.

Ladies, please pass this along to the man in your life. No need to say thank you.

Each of the following statements has an associated point value attached to it. At the end of the scorecard, sum up your points to determine your MQ.

The Manpoints Scorecard

Your jeans are appropriately loose, with no prefabricated rips or patches. (+1 point)

Your jeans are so tight that you require a system of levers and pulleys to help you put them on each morning. (-1 point)

You attended a Josh Groban concert in an effort to serve your wife/girlfriend. (+1 point)

You were in the front row and reached out to touch Josh Groban’s hand. (-1 point)

You wear a fanny pack. (-1 point)

You wear a fanny pack which contains a pistol and ninja stars. (+1 point)

Your Bible is safely secured in a Precious Moments Bible cover and has a handle which allows you to carry it like a purse. (-1 point)

Your Bible is covered in pure, unadulterated cowhide. (+1 point)

You call your pajamas “jammies”. (-1 point)

You’re a bit fuzzy on the line between clothes for church and clothes for sleeping (+1 point)

You own at least three power tools. (+1 point)

You own three power tools: an electric razor, a screwdriver, and a pencil sharpener. (-1 point)

Your usual order at Starbucks is a “tall skinny vanilla latte, extra foam, two pumps of caramel, and two splenda”. (-1 point)

You can chew your coffee. (+1 point)

You’ve ever read a novel where the main plot line involved a young Amish girl hopelessly in love with a non-Amish man, and how they overcame all barriers on the path to marriage. (-1 point)

You occasionally smell like an Amish horse barn. (+1 point)

You don’t like competition, and arrange all games so that everyone ends up a winner. (-1 point)

You turn everything into a competition, including your daughter’s birthday party.

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Okay, how did you do? I would encourage to talk about your MQ with the guys in your accountability group, and ask for their help.

Now I need you help. What would you add to the Manpoints Scorecard?

Is there anything we can do to win someone in addition to sharing the gospel?

“Actions are noticed by men. Monica, St. Augustine’s famous mother, taught her neighbor gentlewomen when asked how she won her perverse husband. ‘Why’, she said, ‘I observed his mind, and pleased him in all things it didn’t matter. I was patient in his passions, gave him contentment in his diet and attendance, and so I made him first God’s, and then mine by degrees.’ These ways should be used by preachers and they would convert multitudes…. O let us do the works of true Christians, and approve ourselves to God and man!” — Samuel Ward

CJ Mahaney includes a similar strategy (among many other wise suggestions) for parents to win their children: “Bless your children with many gifts in many forms! …Study your children in order to discern what gifts would genuinely bless them and then purpose to surprise them as often as possible.”

The kindness of God leads to repentance.  I want to become a specialist in pleasant surprises.

Inspire me.  How have you pleasantly surprised your children/spouse/friends?  Share some ideas.

In regard to writing hymns, John Newton, said:

Perspicuity, simplicity, and ease should be chiefly attended to, and the imagery and coloring of poetry, if admitted at all, should be indulged very sparingly and with great judgment. (John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace)

Newton wanted his hymns to be understood by all manner of people, and so he shied away from imagery and poetry. I tend to agree with his advice.

What about you?

We’ve got two more winners in the 2010 Book Giveaway Extravaganza.

Kelly won The Kingdom of God by D. Martyn Lloyd Jones.

Danelle won Mighty Acts of God : A Family Bible Story Book

It’s not too late to enter. Get the details here!

This is the second part of an interview with Bob Kauflin. You can read the first part here.

What if I’m not really comfortable being expressive in worship. What if I don’t like raising my hands or clapping or shouting. Is that something I really need to be doing in worship?

True worship of God begins in the heart. But it’s inevitably revealed through our bodies. It may not look the same for every person, or for one individual at different times. But God intended us to glorify him with bodies. We aren’t Gnostics who think that the highest expression of spirituality is that which is totally disconnected from our physical bodies. Our bodies, along with our voices, should draw people’s attention to the reality, greatness, and goodness of the God we worship.

What that looks like will be affected by factors like the kind of church I’m in (traditional, formal, informal), my temperament (extrovert, introvert), and how I’ve been taught. But my ultimate concern shouldn’t be what makes me comfortable, but how I can use my body to persuade others that God truly is more precious and satisfying to me than anything else.

Why do we sing so much about the cross? Shouldn’t we be singing about other things?

I don’t assume that every church sings a lot about the cross and what was accomplished there. But they should. The substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross is the means by which can know we’re forgiven and reconciled to God. We wouldn’t even be worshipping God if Jesus hadn’t endured God’s wrath against our sin and purchased us for His Father’s glory (Rev. 5:9-10). Jesus’ death on the cross is also our means of access to God. (Heb. 10:19-22; Eph. 2:18).

Singing about the cross is also an effective way of preaching the gospel to ourselves. His atoning death addresses issues like condemnation, guilt, feeling distant from God, suffering, and a host of other things we can struggle with. Of course, an emphasis on the cross neither minimizes the need for Trinitarian worship (Eph. 3:18), or celebrating the risen Savior. But it’s significant that the hosts of heaven in Revelation never seem to get over worshipping Jesus as the Lamb who was slain. Should we?

BONUS QUESTION: Do you regret calling your only solo album “Heroic Piano”?

No. It’s a great title and I’m not even sure why you’re asking me the question. We wanted to communicate that this wasn’t some sleepy instrumental CD that sounds good in an elevator. “Heroic” captures that brilliantly. Don’t you think?

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Bob Kauflin has taught me more about worship than anyone else.

Which is why I asked Bob to answer a few questions about the what, why, and how of corporate worship. If you don’t know Bob, he is the director of worship for Sovereign Grace Ministries and also blogs at Worship Matters. Bob is a wise man, and worth listening to.

So without further ado, an interview with Bob Kauflin in three parts.

So often I come in on a Sunday morning and I don’t feel like singing. How would you encourage someone in my place?

When I don’t feel like singing it’s usually because I haven’t been thinking much about who God is and what He’s done for us in Christ. Some situation, relationship, or event seems more important to me than the fact that Jesus came into the world to save rebellious sinners and reconcile them to God, and that I’m one of them. How can I not want to sing about that!

So the first thing I’d do is confess my distraction to God. I can tell him that I haven’t been loving him with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then I’d receive his full and complete forgiveness through Christ. God doesn’t hold my sin against me. Jesus bore it on the cross. Then, I’d start to think about the words I’m singing and direct my thoughts towards the greatness and goodness of God. If for some reason the lyrics aren’t helping me, I’ll start rehearsing the basic truths of the gospel and the promises of God. Before too long, my perspective changes and I feel like singing again.

TO BE CONTINUED…