Does God Still Speak Audibly?

During a recent Question and Answer night in our college ministry, one student wanted to know if we can expect God to speak to us with an audible voice. It’s a good question, and here is what I said.

Can we hear God’s voice audibly? The short answer is possibly, but…

Possibly

This is one of those questions that I simply don’t feel entitled to answer with a blanket yes or no. Is God able to communicate to us through a supernatural, disembodied voice? I see no reason why not. In fact, we have several examples of something very much like that in the Bible:

• In Exodus 3:14, Moses hears God’s voice speak to him from the burning bush.

• In 1 Samuel 3:4, God calls out to Samuel in an audible voice that Samuel mistakes for Eli.

• In 1 Kings 19:9-18, God speaks multiple times to Elijah as he hides in a cave.

• In Acts 9:4, Jesus speaks to Saul on the road to Damascus.

 In each of these cases, God speaks audibly and without a messenger.

But…

Though it is clearly within God’s power to communicate this way, there is a ‘but’ that follows. God CAN speak to us this way, BUT we should not rely on the hope of direct communication for the growth and validation of our faith. We have several reasons from Scripture why God may not speak audibly to us, and why we should continue to trust His Word anyway.

First, we do have a Word from God. Second Timothy 3:16 instructs us that “all Scripture is inspired by God.” Since we have this Word from God, we do not need to depend on an additional, audible Word from God in order to establish our faith.

Second, this Word is ALL the Word we need from God. Hebrews 1:2 tells us that “In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.” Additionally, 2 Peter 1:3 teaches us that in Jesus, God “has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” The Word we have from God is entirely sufficient for life and godliness.

Third, if God did speak to us audibly, He would certainly not contradict His Word. “God is not a man, that He might lie, or a son of man, that He might change His mind,” Numbers 23:19 tells us.

Given these reasons, we ought to seek to know God’s Word, given to us in the Bible. We should seek to know it intimately. God may speak to us audibly if He wishes, but He has spoken clearly already through this Word.

 If we will primarily seek to know God through His written Word, then…

• If God does not speak audibly, we will still grow in faith through the reading and understanding of His Word.

• If God does speak audibly, we will recognize His voice:

“The gatekeeper opens [the gate] for [the Shepherd], and the sheep hear His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out … My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:3, 27.

So could God speak to His people with an audible voice? Certainly He could. Should we expect it? In most cases, probably not. The best pastoral advice if you seek to hear from God is summed up by Justin Peters:

“Want to hear God speak to you? Read your Bible. Want to hear God speak to you audibly? Read it out loud!”

Can a Christian Experience Inner Trials?

Can a Christian experience “inner trials”?  

I was recently asked this question from one of the  students at Emmanuel Baptist Church’s weekly college gathering, Harbor.

I took this question to mean “Can a Christian experience turmoil or trials in their inner life? In other words, in their mental, emotional, or spiritual life?” And I think the answer biblically and experientially is ‘yes.’

James 1:2-3 exhorts us to consider it joy when we experience various trials. The word various tells us that we may experience trials in many different forms. I would not hesitate to include trials that come in the form of mental, emotional, or spiritual turmoil. When we experience trials like this, James calls us to endure, so that we may mature in our faith.

Trials in our inner lives come from three places:

The World – Romans 12:2 warns us that the spirit of our culture wants to press us into its mold. But we must resist this, and strive not to be conformed to this age.

The Flesh – Romans 7:14-25 talks about a law that works in the members of our body, waging war against what we know to be true, and leading us into sin. This means that sin has affected us in deep ways in our body, so that our desires, emotions, and other inner realities are primed to lead us towards sin and away from faith in Jesus.

The Devil – In Acts 5:3, Peter asks Ananias why he has listened to Satan, who has “filled his heart” to lie to the Holy Spirit. So our enemy, Satan, is willing and able to bring temptation right into our inner life.

God has not left us without help. Most immediately, when we place our faith in Jesus, we receive the gift of His Holy Spirit, so that the presence of the all-powerful, triune God is constantly with us. He is an ever-present help, as Psalm 46 teaches us. We can fight temptation and pursue endurance through inner trials in three specific ways.

We Take Every Thought Captive

Second Corinthians 10:5 teaches us to “take our thoughts captive” in order to obey Christ. Given what we have seen above, we take our thoughts captive to know where the thought comes from. Is this a thought that comes from God and from His word? Then this thought brings to me something good and godly. It helps me obey Christ. Is this a benign thought? “Almost time for lunch.” We have many thoughts that probably don’t have a deep spiritual aspect, for good or bad. Or is this a thought from the enemy? Is this a thought that tempts me to disobedience or mistrust of God? We can take every thought captive and determine, is this a good and helpful thought? If so, let me dwell on it. Or is this a tempting and dangerous thought? Let me dispel it right away.

We Renew Our Mind

Romans 12:2 warns us not to be conformed to this age, as we have seen, but it also gives us the alternative. We must seek to renew our minds. We do this by reading and meditating on God’s Word. We rely on His Word and His Spirit to help us “discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” As our mind is renewed, we receive the endurance we need to persevere through inner trials. And this perseverance strengthens and matures our faith.

We Put On Spiritual Armor

Ephesians 6:10-18 teaches us how to “stand against the schemes of the devil,” including his temptations and attacks in our inner life. God has given us spiritual protection in His truth, in His gospel, in our faith, and in our salvation. In all of these things, we take hold of them through prayer in His Spirit, and so we can endure through trials of many kinds.

Christians face trials in many ways. They don’t always come from difficult circumstances or external problems beyond our control. They may originate right in our mental, emotional, or spiritual life. They come from the influence of the world, our sinful flesh, and our enemy. In every case, God has not left us helpless, but calls us to honor Him by enduring trials of all kinds. Thankfully, we have everything we need to accomplish this and arrive at a mature faith.

The Martyrdom of Perpetua

Last Thursday, March 7, marks the day that some church traditions remember the violent martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas. Having been a Baptist all my life, I have not usually paid much attention to such days. But there is a great benefit in remembering the deaths of heroic and humble Christians throughout church history. You and I can take great encouragement from the example of Perpetua.

Perpetua was a young woman in the year 202 when the Roman emperor Severus began persecuting Christians throughout his empire. His violence reached Africa in 203 when Perpetua was arrested at Carthage with four other recent converts. We are fortunate to know the details of Perpetua’s life because her family had taught her to read and write, and she recorded the events surrounding her imprisonment and martyrdom in a diary.

In prison, Perpetua’s father came repeatedly to her and begged her to give up her faith. By all accounts, he cared for his daughter and did not want to see her suffer at the hands of the Romans. For him, it must have seemed so simple. Just disown your faith in Jesus, and you will not have to die! But hear the faith in Perpetua’s response: “Father, grieve not; nothing will happen but what pleases God; for we are not at our own disposal.” Another interaction shows her resolve and devotion to Jesus as well:

“Father, do you see this vase here?” Perpetua asked. “Could it be called by any other name than what it is?”

“No,” he replied.

“Well, neither can I be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.”

One reference regarding Perpetua’s martyrdom alongside others describes the day of their death as “the day of their triumph.” And certainly it was. Perpetua and the other four martyrs were brought to the amphitheater. There, they were released into the stadium where wild animals and gladiators were patrolling the grounds. Perpetua was attacked by a raging cow, while her fellow martyrs were set upon by a leopard. The animals proved too slow for the bloodthirsty crowd, who cheered for the martyrs to be put to death quickly by the sword. And so the remaining Christians were lined up in the middle of the grounds and slain.

Prior to her death, Perpetua recounts a vision in which she fought an Egyptian gladiator. In her vision, she conquers the gladiator and receives a reward, and hears the cheers of the crowds. As she awoke from the vision, she found that she “was not so much to combat with wild beasts as with the devils.”

I have been teaching through the book of Revelation with our young adults for several months. This book is meant to be a book that puts courage in the hearts of suffering Christians, and resolve in their spines. Christians who persevere through suffering, who are faithful to Jesus unto death, are pictured in chapter 15 as conquerors standing on a sea of glass. These conquerors sing a song of victory to the Lord. Perpetua died in the amphitheater a martyr. But she had a vision of victory in the amphitheater as a conqueror. In the book of Revelation we see that both of these things can be true.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say,

      The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God

      and the authority of his Christ have now come,

      because the accuser of our brothers and sisters,

      who accuses them before our God day and night,

      has been thrown down.

      They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb

      and by the word of their testimony;

      for they did not love their lives to the point of death.

      -Revelation 12:10-11

References:

The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints by Alban Butler

131 Christians Everyone Should Know

Time to Evangelize Our Evangelical Neighbors

Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research have partnered up every two years since 2014 to produce a survey that examines the theological beliefs of Americans. The survey presents respondents with a series of statements and asks them to indicate their agreement or disagreement. Given how often we hear narratives about how our culture is moving away from historic orthodox Christianity, it is helpful to have data on what Americans, and American evangelicals, actually say they believe. You can explore the findings for yourself here.

As you click through the various questions and results, you will quickly see just how divided Americans are on basic questions of Christian theology. For American adults as a whole, this may not be too surprising. We would not expect most non-Christians to have a firm grasp of Christian theology. However, many questions are nearly as divisive among evangelical Christians as they are among the general adult population. When evangelical Christians answered questions about the truthfulness of the Bible, the exclusivity of Jesus as the way to God, and even the divinity of Jesus, they revealed a wide misunderstanding of critical Christian doctrines.

Statement 16: “The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.”

Among American adults, more than half agree with this statement that the Bible is not literally true. Evangelicals answer much better, with over 70% disagreeing, and so affirming the Bible’s truthfulness. However, the percentage of evangelicals who deny the Bible’s truthfulness has grown from 15% in 2020 to 26% in 2022. So even though a strong majority of American evangelicals believe the Bible to be literally true, a growing minority are denying this historic doctrine of the Christian faith.

Strangely, 95% of evangelical responses indicated that “the Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches.” This discrepancy is likely because of the way respondents interpreted different statements. Perhaps some saw a distinction between “truth” and “accuracy.” At any rate, when presented with a statement about the truthfulness of the Bible, over a quarter of US evangelicals denied that the Bible was literally true.

Statement 3: “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”

A second core doctrine that is largely rejected is the truth that Jesus is the only way to a restored relationship with God (John 14:6). When presented with the above statement, two thirds of American adults agreed. But even more concerning, 56% of evangelical respondents also agreed. This means more than half of American evangelicals believe that God is not terribly concerned with whether His creatures worship Him in truth. Whether you come to God through Jesus, or through keeping the Old Testament Law, or through keeping the teachings of Mohammed, God apparently makes no distinction. The responses to this question reveal how deeply American cultural values of relativism and pluralism have taken root, even among Christians.

Statement 7: “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”

Finally, what did Americans and American evangelicals say they believe about God? In response to the above statement, 53% of adults agreed. More than half of evangelicals disagreed, but this is hardly comforting. Forty-three percent of evangelical respondents agreed with the statement that Jesus was not God. Yet, Jesus clearly and undeniably claimed to be God. In John 10:30, he says explicitly “I and the Father are one.” Another statement in the survey gives reason for concern that even among evangelicals who believe Jesus is God, they do not truly understand that claim. Namely, when presented with the statement “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God,” 73% of evangelicals agreed! John 1:3 makes clear that Jesus created “all things.” Jesus, being God, is Creator; He is not a created being. American evangelicals have in many cases drifted from historic Christian truths regarding the person of Jesus.

That so many American evangelicals would reject basic, historic Christian beliefs about the Bible, the exclusivity of Jesus, and even about the person of Jesus, may reveal a crisis of discipleship in the church. In our churches, we need to realize that simply believing in God is not the test of whether one is a Christian or not. Indeed, it never has been (James 2:19). This survey reveals that many American adults claim to be evangelical Christians without any understanding of historic Christian belief. With such a deep and wide misunderstanding of Christian thought, these are by and large Americans who need to hear and understand the Gospel. As we think about strategies for sharing the Gospel in our churches, we need to prepare ourselves to dig deeper in conversations about Jesus with our neighbors, even our supposedly Christian neighbors. We need to go deeper than simply whether they believe in God or have ever attended church. This moment in our history is an evangelistic opportunity. The 2022 State of Theology report makes clear, among other things, that it is time to evangelize even our evangelical neighbors.

What Songs Should We Sing in Church? Pt. 2

Last week, I shared about three questions that help me select and arrange music for our church family to sing together each week. For any song we might sing, I ask “Is it biblical? Is it pastoral? Is it missional?” I looked at the first question and walked through a case study here.

This week, I want to walk through the next two questions. We could call the first question, whether a song is biblical, a vertical question. It has everything to do with God and how He has revealed Himself in His Word. I start there because it is non-negotiable that the songs we sing accurately teach us about God. These next two questions operate together as horizontal questions. Once I have established that a song lines up with God’s Word, it is not a guarantee that it will be a helpful song to sing. I ask two more questions to establish if it is a helpful song for the people singing with us.

Pastoral Responsibility

On this horizontal plane, I first ask “Is this song pastoral?” Make no mistake, the selecting of songs and leading of corporate singing is a pastoral responsibility. The songs we sing teach us truths about God. The structure of our corporate gathering answers the question “how am I supposed to approach God?” Any worship leader needs to be aware that the role they fulfill is one that requires pastoral wisdom and care.

As I seek to answer this question (is this song pastoral?), I am looking inward towards our congregation. Whether or not a song is biblical is a question that can be answered objectively. But whether or not a song is pastoral will depend on the characteristics and make-up of a specific congregation. Different leaders and pastors will answer this question differently. This question helps me introduce new songs. I can ask questions like these:

• How does this song emphasize a particularly relevant truth about God for our church family?

• Perhaps this song introduces a well-known truth, but does it do so in a fresh way?

• How does this song lead us deeper in our discipleship of Jesus, in new ways?

This question also helps me know what songs we ought to continue singing frequently. For many years, churches have wrestled with the question of balancing new songs with old, praise songs with hymns. As a pastor, I do NOT want to select songs with the motivation of pleasing people. I ought to pursue the approval of God, not the approval of my congregation (Galatians 1:10). However, asking if a song is pastoral gives me room to consider what songs my church family likes. So, I pick songs our church family likes to sing, not out of a sinful heart bent towards people-pleasing, but out of a pastoral heart that seeks to honor the specific people God has given me to pastor. This is part of what it means to arrange a corporate worship service pastorally.  

Missional Opportunity

Choosing songs for the church to sing is not only a pastoral responsibility, it is a missional opportunity. Jesus commands us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). The songs we sing as a church family can absolutely be tools that serve this mission. This question looks outward at the community that surrounds our church family. For me, this means Weatherford, Oklahoma, and it might especially include students at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Again, this is a subjective question. Its answer will depend on your context. This question asks, “When a member of our community visits our church for the first time, what do they expect? What makes them feel welcome and comfortable? What engages them with the truth of God’s Word most effectively?” This might lead me to select a new song with an exciting melody, because it is more likely to engage someone who is not used to singing the songs we know well. I might consider what songs are popular because a guest might have heard it on Christian radio before they chose to visit our church (As long as that song passes the test of the first question – is it biblical?).

There is of course a temptation to craft our services entirely according to what makes ‘outsiders’ feel welcome and comfortable. This might lead us to completely scrap older songs with outdated language. This might even lead us to avoid certain passages of God’s Word because they might make a guest feel uncomfortable. We might gravitate towards preachers who are gifted public speakers regardless of their character qualifications. This is a dangerous path towards unfaithfulness as a church. But Paul gives instructions about church order in 1 Corinthians 14, and he explicitly considers the experience of an outsider (1 Cor 14:16). We ought to seek a balance between letting the watching world dictate how we worship (only God can do that), and worshiping in a way that is totally inaccessible to the watching world. Asking the question “Is this song missional?” helps me find this balance.

And balance is the right word to end on. These two questions, whether a song is pastoral and missional, operate on a spectrum between a look inward and a look outward. Some songs might be highly pastoral AND missional. Others might be highly pastoral, but not missional, or vis versa. Consider the song “Come Thou Fount,” as an example. This hymn is consistently mentioned by members of my church as one of their favorites. The second verse begins with the line “Here I raise my Ebenezar.” This song would be highly pastoral for my congregation. It stirs our hearts to worship God; it invites God to work in our lives; and we just like singing it. But it might not be highly missional, because an ‘outsider’ may wonder, “What is an Ebenezar? Do I have one? How do I raise it?”

So as I consider what songs to sing with our church family, I want to find a balance. I want to choose songs that engage our people pastorally, while also engaging guests missionally. This means finding a way to connect “Come Thou Fount” with a visitor, perhaps by explaining the language we use. Or it could mean pairing “Come Thou Fount” with a newer song that engages the visitor with a clear and inviting message from God’s Word.

The balance you strike will depend on your context. But whatever your context, you can choose more helpful songs for your church family by considering whether they are pastoral and missional. And if you are not a worship leader, perhaps you can now better appreciate the pastoral wisdom and care that your worship leader or pastor must show as they plan your church services each week.

What Songs Should We Sing in Church?

Three Questions.

Every week, I get to arrange 4-5 songs for our church to sing together in corporate worship. As I think about what words I will lead our church family to sing, I tend to ask myself three questions: Is this song biblical? Is this song pastoral? Is this song missional? This week and next week, I will take a look at why I ask these questions, and how they help me choose and arrange the songs we sing at Emmanuel Baptist Church.

St Basil the Great opens his theological discussion on the Holy Spirit by applauding the idea that “not one of the words that are applied to God in every use of speech should be left uninvestigated.” In short, what we say about God matters. A lot. And if what we say about God matters, then what we sing about God matters. Every song we sing together is worthy of careful investigation because the words we sing about God become the truths we believe about God. To the best of our ability, we want to get this right.  

This is why the first question I want to ask of any song we sing at Emmanuel is “Is this song biblical?” Do the lyrics to this song reflect biblical truth? Do we talk about God in ways supported by Scripture?

Jesus invites all people everywhere to worship Him in John 4; however, He insists that the Father wants people to worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). This verse is a guardrail for our times of worship as a church family, that every word we say about God, and every word we sing about God, would be in line with what God’s Word reveals about God.

The temptation to ignore this guardrail is real. Especially in the area of music, we can begin to allow ourselves leeway to sing untruths about God, simply because they come in the form of a popular or catchy song. But we should be careful that the words we sing are in line with truth about God.  

An interesting case study shows the way this first question helps me choose songs for our church. There are two songs that explore the unique qualities of Jesus using similar language. The first is “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. The second is “Jesus, You Alone” by Highlands Worship. When I consider these two songs and ask “Is this song biblical?”, I answer “yes” to the first, and “no” to the second. Why is that?  

The dividing line between these two songs runs through the doctrine of the Trinity. When we begin to wrap our minds around the Trinity, we are admittedly swimming in deep waters. But as theologians in the Church have wrestled with and clarified the biblical teaching of the Trinity, they have consistently upheld this truth, that “as Father and Son and Holy Spirit are inseparable, so do they work inseparably.” (Augustine, De Trinitae, 1.7). Theologians have called this truth the “inseparable operations” of the Trinity.

Southern Baptist Theologian James Leo Garrett, Jr explains this helpfully:

“The oneness or unity in the Three-in-Oneness of God also pertains to the work of the triune God. The work of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit can be identified and even differentiated, but the work of each is not exclusive. The work of each is in a sense the work of the Godhead. God the Father may be called Creator, but the Son and the Spirit are not excluded from the work of creation. God the Son may be called Redeemer, but the Father and the Spirit are not excluded from the work of redemption. The Holy Spirit may be called Sanctifier, but the Father and the Son are not excluded from the work of sanctification.” (Systematic Theology, 328)

So, when we come to a song that individualizes the work of Jesus, we ought to be careful that the truths we declare about Jesus do not take away from truths about God as God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Considering again the two songs above, “In Christ Alone” carefully describes the work of God the Son during His life and ministry on earth, and the implications that flow from it. “Jesus, You Alone,” on the other hand, unhelpfully confuses the work of God as Triune God and ascribes it to Jesus alone.

In “Jesus, You Alone,” the problem is most clear when we get to Verse 2:

You set the stars in the heavens

You set the world into motion

Oh, Jesus, You alone

You breathed Your life in creation

You walked among Your created

Oh, Jesus, You alone

We sing that Jesus alone set the stars in heaven, and set the world into motion, and breathed His life into creation. But can we really say that Jesus alone created all of this? I believe the biblical answer is no, we cannot. Why is this? Because when God created the world, He created the world as the Triune God. For this reason, we ought to speak of the work of creation as an act of God, or as an act of God as Trinity, but not as an act of Jesus alone.

Does Scripture support the idea that Jesus was active in creation? Certainly it does. Colossians 1:16 tells us:

For everything was created by him [Jesus],
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.

The problem lies not in attributing the work of creation to Jesus, but in attributing the work of creation to Jesus alone. This is a problem because the Bible also shows us that God the Father was active in creation, as well as God the Spirit.

In Genesis 1:1-2, we read:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

We see here God the Father present at Creation, as well as God the Spirit, hovering over the surface of the waters. Theologians have not hesitated to place Jesus here also, since God begins to create in verse 3 by the Word of His power. In light of Colossians 1:16, we can associate God’s Word with God the Son (See also, John 1).

Let us also consider Hebrews 1:2:

In these last days, he [God the Father] has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.

This verse gives us the appropriate way to speak of God’s action in creation. God the Father creates through God the Son.

I could say more, but this is the core problem with the song “Jesus, You Alone.” You might then ask, how does “In Christ Alone” avoid confusing the work of God as Triune God with the work of Jesus? Why does “In Christ Alone” pass the test of biblical truth when “Jesus, You Alone” falls short?

A close look at the lyrics of “In Christ Alone” shows us that the authors stick very closely to the earthly ministry of Christ. And this is the difference. Because as we understand (or try to understand) the doctrine of the Trinity, we do say with Augustine that the three persons in God work inseparably. But only Jesus takes on flesh (John 1:14). Only Jesus bears our sins in His body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). Only Jesus rose from the dead bodily (1 Corinthians 15). Yet God the Father was inseparably at work, planning this redemption (Acts 4:28). And God the Spirit was inseparably at work, even in the life of Jesus (Acts 10:38).  

Now, I have had theological discussions about worship songs before, and a frequent piece of pushback is to say “give the song a break,” “you’re overthinking this,” or “let’s allow for some artistic license.” But Jesus insists that God seeks worshippers who are careful to worship in Spirit and in truth. As we sing, the words we sing become the doctrines we believe. For that reason, we should carefully consider every song we sing, and whether it is training us in what is true.

2023 In Review: Favorite Books

Here are my favorite books I read in 2023:

1. Practicing Affirmation by Sam Crabtree

   This book addresses the question, “if only God is good, why and how should I affirm the good in others?” Perhaps not many of you have asked the question this book answers, but this is a terrific book to encourage and inspire you to be a top-notch affirmer to others in your life. I read it twice this year.

2. The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon

   I received some very strange looks this year every time I told someone I was reading a cookbook. This is a profound book about a mundane topic. Robert Farrar Capon sees much grace from God in the details of what we eat.

3. Talking About Race by Isaac Adams

   This was a fantastically creative book that gives down-to-earth help for those who want to think well about racial issues in our day.

4. The Wager by David Grann

   A fascinating look at a fascinating story. A shipwreck, a marooned crew, and accusations of mutiny. A great read from the author of Killers of the Flower Moon.

5. Worship and the Reality of God by John Jefferson Davis

   This was a thought-provoking look at the theology of the Lord’s Supper. Is it merely a memorial meal by which the church remembers the death of Jesus? Or is Jesus somehow present to us in the Lord’s Supper? I greatly appreciated the way John Jefferson Davis challenged my thinking in this book.

6. The Tiger by John Vaillant

   A gripping and well-told story about a killer tiger. What more needs to be said?

7. Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin

   Bob Kauflin is one of the most helpful voices out there when it comes to effectively pastoring God’s people through the songs we sing.

8. Here Are Your Gods by Christopher J. H. Wright

   Christopher J.H. Wright incisively writes against the idols of our culture, especially those national and political idols that are dominating our collective attention.

9. The Shining by Stephen King

   I can hardly articulate why I decided to read this one. A writer I follow on Twitter asked his followers what the scariest book they had read was, and nearly all of the top responses were “The Shining.” That inspired my curiosity, so I borrowed it from the library ASAP. Loved it, and read several more King novels in the next couple months. None topped The Shining though.

10. Jack by Marilynne Robinson

    Marilynne Robinson’s latest installment in her series revolving around the town of Gilead. As a pastor, I loved to get to know Jack better in this book. The first three books made Jack out to be one of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters in this story. His side of the story has been a long time coming.

2023 In Review: Top Songs

Every week at Emmanuel Baptist Church is a new opportunity to glory in the goodness of our God. It is a privilege to guide our church family as we sing songs that teach our minds the truths of God and thrill our hearts with His faithfulness. I think about many different considerations each week, and it is interesting to see what emerges at the end of a year of Sundays.

Here are just a few of the considerations that inform each week’s service:

• What is the theme of the sermon text?

• Are these songs biblical?

• Are these songs pastoral for our specific congregation?

• Are these songs missional in our specific context?

• How are we praising God for His character?

• How do these songs teach us the Gospel?

• How do these songs lead us away from sin, and towards Christ?

• What new songs do I want our congregation to learn?

Prayerfully considering questions like these helps me arrange 4-5 songs each week for our church to sing together. At the end of the year, here are the songs we sang the most:

EBC Top 10:

1. Christ Be Magnified – Cody Carnes

2. His Mercy is More – Matt Boswell

3. Build My Life – Housefires

4. Come Thou Fount – Robert Robinson

5. 10,000 Reasons – Matt Redman

6. Firm Foundation – Cody Carnes

7. Jesus Paid It All – Elvina Hall

8. King of Kings – Hillsong

9. Lord, I Need You – Matt Maher

10. Oh But God – Worship Initiative

Top Hymns

1. Come Thou Fount

2. Jesus Paid It All

3. Glorious Day (One Day)

4. How Firm a Foundation

5. How Great Thou Art

At EBC, we sang 112 songs total over the course of the year. Of these, 62 are recent contributions, and 10 are what I would call “modern hymns.” Fifty were taken from the rich tradition of Christian hymns. I never want us to lose sight of the songs that our church has been singing for generations. Our top song in 2023 was Christ Be Magnified. What an appropriate song to top the list! I pray that Jesus was magnified at Emmanuel Baptist Church in 2023, and that we continue to magnify him for decades ahead.