For a good confession three things are necessary: an examination of conscience, sorrow, and a determination to avoid sin.
02172 – Requirements for a Good Confession
read more
01439 – God’s People? Neglecting the Poor?
God's Word teaches a very hard, disturbing truth. Those who neglect the poor and the oppressed are really not God's people at all--no matter how frequently they practice their religious rituals or how orthodox are their creeds and confessions.
01401 – “I’ve Found Jesus!”
Some years have gone by, but I will never forget a young French girl who came to Calcutta. She looked so worried. She went to work in our home for dying destitutes. Then, after ten days, she came to see me. She hugged me and said, "I've found Jesus!" I asked where she...
01178 – Worship: The Church’s Offering to God
Every act of worship should be understood as part of the Church's offering to God. "Any action that does not meet with that qualification does not deserve to be a part of a worship experience." [C. Weldon Gaddy, The Gift of Worship] All the music, from prelude to...
00765 – Assistance Needed with Confession
Most people need assistance in making confessions. Culture conditions us to disguise our weaknesses, cover our faults, reject guilt, and remain silent about our sins. Worship demands a dramatic turn around from that—confession at all costs. Not surprisingly, help is...
00745 – We Need “Reverse Missions” in Our Worship
If the liturgy of the church in the United States is to continue to have spiritual vitality, then we must listen to new voices and incorporate them into the planning and presentation of the worship experience… The songs, prayers and confessions from the global...
00493 – Celebration: The Ultimate Definition of Worship
Almost everything about being a Christian can be faked. But there is one thing I’ve found that can’t be faked, and that’s laughter—free, childlike, infectious laughter. Going to church used to be such drudgery to me until I found out that drudgery was a sign that I...
00464 – Cheap Grace vs. Costly Grace
Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus...