GPTG:
As I consider the need to preach both expositionally and evangelistically, I see both the importance of this and the difficulty that could be encountered in finding the balance. While our text does a very good job explaining this (almost making it sound like an easy, natural thing), I feel that it is an area lacking in churches today. We see churches who have gone to the extreme of catering their service for the non-believing seeker, and those that may appear to be an exclusive club.

GW:
In the wise words of Seth Lewis, "The Puritans have a lot of things right, and we just...don't." I was discussing the portion of the text which came after point five, "Fifth, the duties of God's worship must be full of strength, for they are not suitable to God otherwise, because God is a God infinite in power and glory Himself." He speaks of three aspects of strength which we must attend to. The portion about a strength of intention was so very convicting. How often do I allow other things and thoughts to invade my worship, prayer, and time in the Word? 

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Burroughs pg 91 - in those things where men are interested themselves, they will be very careful to have the best things.

Page 97 - the importance of staying focused during "duties"

Filial Fear, Strength of Affections, etc.

I was struck by JB's exhortation to put the fear of God in our worship. I was confused as he kept talking about it saying "not servile...but filial and reverential fear," but not defining it more than that. At the very end of this point, though, he defined it by it's opposite:

This fear and reverence is contrary to the slightness, vanity, the boldness and presumptuousness there is in the hearts of men and women when they are worshipping God. (p. 96)

 As he discussed the need for "strength of intentions," that is focusing on worship, I said to my soul, "My soul, this seems very hard." And then his point on "strength of affections" seemed to make the other parts more light and gladsome to bear. Yet he did not prescribe how this strength of affection should be roused. The temptation is to inflame our hearts with a hip guitar riff or a plaintive organ drone and not with the truth of the God revealed in Scripture.

Leading questions like "Are you scared of death?" or "Do you want happiness?" or "Would you like to know the meaning of your life?" are all well intentioned, and any of them may be used by God's Spirit to convict someone and lead to their conversion. But such questions can also be answered by a simple no....I do not care if my hearers are scared of death, wanting happiness, or searching for meaning in life; I know that they will die and stand before God to give an account of their lives. Furthermore, I know that they will fail in their attempt to justify themselves, and I know that God will therefore rightly condemn them to an eternal hell. (p. 134)

How many of the songs we use "lack the Biblical teaching stressed in Paul's words" versus songs that represent "the teaching office of the church?" (GPTG, 97)

As regards Burroughs' second case of conscience, I believe there is at least one occasion when one must refrain from a "holy duty" if he is not prepared. This is when receiving communion, as Paul specifically instructs in 1 Corinthians 11: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord" etc.. I can think of specific times when I've had to refrain from partaking in the Lord's Table, usually while I'm still on the platform providing music.

For all other occasions, however, I do think he makes a good point for making sure that you aren't leaving off a duty for the wrong reason. He warns, "consider that this is but a temptation" (71), and encourages with the words "though you cannot find your heart prepared as you desire, the very falling upon it will fit you for it" (74).

More about worship

Reading Give Praise to God is getting a little discouraging...statements like those on page 104 make today's churches seem hopeless in getting it right. How do we trust our leaders to get it right? Is there really any hope for church if everything Bible is being forgotten?

Worship rehearsals with carefully marked transitions and modulations are so very important in worship leading. Why does the author seem so against things like that? (108)

Gospel Worship:
Page 70. We are more concerned about not fulfilling our duty due to our lack of preparedness, then the actual sorrow that should be occurring for not actually being prepared. Wow.

Page 75. The greater you believe God to be, the more you will offer Him. What an incredible basis for our worship.

Burroughs and Preparation

This week I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Burroughs’s thoughts about preparing for worship. Please note that the page numbers are from the older edition of the text.  

Pg. 53: Burroughs explains the importance of drawing near to God. He quotes David in Ps. 73:28, “It is good for me to draw near to God.” Burroughs cites verse 27 as the reason why it is good to draw near, “For lo, they that are far from Thee shall perish.” When I first read this paragraph, I began to wonder if those he was speaking of were believers or unbelievers. However, I think I answered my own question when I read Burroughs’s statement:

There are some who seemed to be near to Thee heretofore, who were as the wife to the husband, but they are gone a-whoring from Thee. Base hypocrites, base apostates, they are gone a-whoring from Thee. Their hearts are carnal; they did not find that contentment and satisfaction in Thy worship as Thy saints do. Therefore, they are gone a-whoring from Thee; but it is good for me to draw near to Thee.

So often, my own heart is prone to wander, but may I always remember the beauty of the truth that it is good for me to draw near to God.

Pg. 57: When Burroughs mentions that God is coming, therefore we must prepare for worship, is he referring to God’s presence with us in worship, or is he making a reference to the second coming? Or Both?

Pg. 59: A beautiful, convicting truth I thought I’d share. Burroughs on preparing for worship:

“There must be preparation because our hearts are naturally, exceedingly unprepared for every good work. We are all naturally reprobate to every good work. The duties of God’s worship are high and spiritual and holy things, but by nature our hearts grovel in the dirt and we are carnal, sensual, drossy, dead, slight, sottish, and vain, altogether unfit to come into the presence of God. Oh, that we were but apprehensive and sensible of the unfitness of our hearts to come into God’s presence!

Honor and Preparation

JB does a great job revealing the "privilege" we have in drawing nigh to God. Do we realize the honor it is to be close to God?

Do we take time before worship to actually be ready to worship so that we don't "lose a great part of the time?"

Do we recognize and combat our hearts' natural unfitness to worship God as we prepare to worship?

What are five categories of things JB lists as "great hindrances of the worship of God?" (p. 55)

For September 12

GPTG:
How do we know that "public reading of Scripture" is to be a separate action from the reading of Scripture that occurs during the message?

What are your thoughts about churches who do communion every week?

What does "liturgical" mean? (69)

I think we mentioned that thinking this way was kind of stupid, but could following the regulative principle ever instill legalism in someone's heart?

GW:
Top of page 54, "They are the greatest things that concern you here in this world, for they are the homage that you tender up to the high God, and those things wherein God communicates Himself in His choice mercies."  What does this mean?

Duncan and God's Instructions for Worship

Duncan makes many memorable points in his explanation of God’s instructions for worship. One that made me think deeply was his explanation of the golden calf incident in Exodus 32-34. He explained that the overarching lesson found in this account is “that we cannot take the worship of God into our own hands” (p. 35). After recounting the story, he summarizes in this way:

The whole passage points [out] that how we worship is very important to God. Several application flow from this principle and its violation in the golden-calf event: (1) impatience with God’s timing is an enemy of faith; (2) we cannot choose our own mediator; (3) we cannot picture the true God as we wish or will; (4) we cannot worship the true God and something else; (5) we cannot worship the true God except in the way he commands….(p. 37)

He goes on to explain that we are often like the Israelites, taking the worship of God into our hands and thinking that we can improve on God’s plan for worship. However, this sort of attitude is so dangerous and, at best, can only end in a worship that is hollow. Oh, that we may carefully study the word of God and allow it to inform our worship rather than trying to do what we feel is best.

JE

What was significant about the account of the golden calf? Were they blatantly worshiping another god, or a man-made representation of the true God?

What were some points of emphasis from the story of the woman at the well?

(Regarding more the English language than the theology itself) What does Burroughs mean by "the acting of our graces upon God?" (p.34)