Pastor John discusses leading a church out of casual culture and shares five steps for preachers. The importance of internal reverence and gradual change is highlighted. Appeals to pastors on preaching include emphasizing the authority of the Bible, magnifying the glory of God, and conveying the seriousness of sin and the greatness of God's grace. Exalting Christ and teaching the miracle of conversion are explored to enhance reverence in church gatherings.
The church should focus on cultivating heartfelt reverence and awe in congregational worship instead of creating external rules or trying to out-entertain the world.
Cultural changes such as aligning dress codes, music, and other factors with the reverence of worship can shape the atmosphere and create an eagerness to encounter God in His Word.
Deep dives
Encouraging Reverence and Awe in Worship
The podcast explores the importance of cultivating reverence and awe in congregational worship and suggests that the issue with casual worship is not merely about sipping coffee but rather a lack of internal heartfelt reverence. The speaker argues against creating external rules to solve the problem and instead emphasizes the need to awaken internal reverence. To lead the church towards a more reverent worship experience, the podcast suggests five appeals to pastors with regard to preaching: rivet the people's attention on the Bible, make the glory of God the dominant reality, highlight the ugliness of sin and God's wrath, exalt Christ's majesty and suffering, and teach people the miracle of their own conversion. Through these appeals, the goal is to create a congregation that is self-consciously under the authority of the Bible and deeply satisfied by encountering God in worship.
Moving Towards Reverent Sunday Gatherings
In this episode, the podcast acknowledges that cultivating reverence goes beyond preaching and discusses other cultural changes that can shape the reverence of Sunday gatherings. It emphasizes that the church should not try to out-entertain the world, but rather offer something infinitely better. The podcast highlights the need to help people recognize what they are longing for and to show them the profound value of encountering God. It suggests that dress codes, music, announcements, and other factors should align with the reverence and seriousness of worship. These changes aim to create an atmosphere where the main reality is God, His greatness, and the worthiness of His grace, ultimately leading to an eagerness to encounter God in His Word and making coffee sipping in the sanctuary seem out of place.