In our day, the evangelical church in America is experiencing a blitzkrieg (lightening war) against biblical worship. The explosive shells of pragmatism, innovation, and amusement are slowly demolishing the church's understanding of both the nature and practice of Lord's Day worship. The chief strategist behind this bombardment is, of course, Satan himself, knowing that a successful assault on the theological foundations of Christian worship will bring remarkable confusion and injury to the citizens of God's kingdom (e.g., 2 Kings 21:9; 1 Cor. 10:1-22; 11:17-34). Readers of Modern Reformation will know that our own congregations in the Reformed and confessional heritage are not impervious to this attack. On the contrary, our churches are very much in the line of fire. We have also experienced setbacks in the battle, unwittingly trading in our culturally unfashionable spiritual armor for the more chic apparel of this world. In order to fight off the devil's attacks and recover a theology of worship that conforms to Scripture, it is important that we grasp the relationship between worship and the kingdom of God.
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1 [ Back ] The Westminster Confession of Faith, XXI.i.
2 [ Back ] Cornelius P. Venema, Christ and the Future (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2008), 58.
Rev. Dr. Jon D. Payne is minister at Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Douglasville, Georgia.
Issue: "Zion" Nov./Dec. 2009 Vol. 18 No. 6 Page number(s): 32-35
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