Confident Prayer (Philippians 1)
The relationship between Paul and the Philippian Christians is a model for all congregations. Paul and the Christians in Philippi recognized the deep work of God in each other, prayed passionately for each other, and fervently desired to see God-glorifying fruitfulness in each other.
October 19, 2010
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9 min read
Writing a Congregational Worship Statement (Bible Study)
This Bible study looks at and goes through the steps to creating a worship statement. It suggests that a properly authorized group of leaders decide and articulate the worship values of a congregation.
October 19, 2010
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6 min read
Participants in Worship: Seen and Unseen (Bible Study)
Remember that you are getting a view of the throne room of heaven. Notice the throne, the One on it, the crowd around it, and the nature of the worship they are bringing.
October 19, 2010
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6 min read
Issues in Worship Renewal (I) (Bible Study)
The theme of worship is very prominent in the Scriptures. Many of the references are calls to worship in which God's children are told that worship is their joy and their privilege. But many other passages indicate that the worship life of the church requires constant assessment. It can get off course and need to be redirected; it can face new opportunities and need new forms; and it can benefit from new insights and experiences.
October 19, 2010
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7 min read
Responding in Praise and Thanks (Bible Study)
In corporate worship we are expected to give a response to what God has said and done. So we talk about the "service of response" of a worship liturgy, and it always follows the proclamation of God's word in the sermon. When God has spoken his word of hope and grace, it is unthinkable that we would leave church without a response. The dialogue of worship always includes the assumption that God waits for some response to his word.
October 19, 2010
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9 min read
Proclaiming the Word (Bible Study)
This Bible study lesson explores how to proclaim the Word of God.
October 19, 2010
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6 min read
Coop's Column - Glorify the Lord with Me
Modernity has a kind of airy weightlessness, a lack of seriousness and significance. So, when it comes to the matter of “setting their minds on things eternal”—that is, of paying any heed to the world beyond sight and sound—most contemporary people are pretty breezy and airy.
September 17, 2010
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3 min read
Coop's Column - A Heart-Stoppingly Grand Invitation
In his Word God declares that it is he, the Almighty Maker of heaven and earth, who welcomes his creatures into his presence and invites them to worship him.
August 30, 2010
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2 min read
Coop's Column - Jesus Yes-Church Yes!
In the Western hemisphere, especially in Europe and considerable sections of North America, vigorous contempt toward and sleepy disregard of the Christian church are widespread and increasing at an ever-accelerating rate.
August 23, 2010
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2 min read
Coop's Column - Simply Fellow Strugglers
My years as chaplain among college students have convinced me that many young people suffer from what I call the "immortality virus": "Death-accidents, illness, and weakness, too-can, and sometimes do, happen to others. But it won't -read: cannot- happen to me." Or so they foolishly imagine.
August 16, 2010
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2 min read
Coop's Column - God Everlasting!
Learning what it means to be human involves learning to locate one’s place in the grander scheme of things—to figure out where one “fits.”
August 2, 2010
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3 min read
Coop's Column - There I Have Pledged to Set My Foot, Too
"Being alive is very difficult. Human beings are very complicated. I know. I've spent my whole life being one, and I still can't totally figure it out." So commented one elderly gentleman as he looked back over the seemingly haphazard trajectory of his life's course of events.
July 26, 2010
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3 min read
