Our Strength: Gospel Preaching and Traditional Biblical Worship

Anyone searching for a new church home knows how frustrating it can be. Generally speaking, the poles of opportunity are two. On one hand, there are churches with traditional worship, or at least offering one service with more traditional worship. Too often, however, these churches are liberal or neo-orthodox in their approach to the Bible and the gospel.

On the other hand, in more conservative churches, contemporary worship is standard. Even conservative Presbyterian churches and denominations yield to the urgings of the culture to adopt contemporary worship standards. Individuals and families having an aversion to so-called contemporary worship and also seeking solid Bible teaching have few places to turn.

As a result, many individuals and families settle for church situations where they are less than comfortable. To find traditional worship, they listen to liberal and neo-orthodox teaching week after week. To find solid teaching they are subjected to contemporary and culturally anchored worship each week. Obviously there are exceptions in this picture. That a large number of people deeply appreciate these exceptions should catch our attention.

In God's providence, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America maintains a biblical standard in both worship and teaching. Our churches fit nicely into this little populated gap and void left by the church at large. One of the great strengths of the Reformed Presbyterian Church is in the area of worship. We ought to play to this strength. We should do so because we continue to follow biblical standards long ago jettisoned by other Reformed and Presbyterian bodies. We should do so because, as mentioned above, there are many souls wandering the ecclesiastical landscape looking for what we have to offer.

Far from being defensive or ashamed of our standards of worship we should capitalize on these standards as a God given strength. Rather than seeking to change our standards and join the multitudes who abandoned them decades ago, we should seek to improve our worship to the glory of God before a watching world.

One of the basic tenants of sound leadership is to play to your strengths. You should not spend valuable time always attempting to improve upon your weaknesses. Improve upon your strengths. Apply your efforts in the areas of your strengths. Where you are weak, delegate. Allow others to use their strengths to compensate for your weaknesses.

The analogy is not complete. However, it still holds. Another Reformed and Presbyterian church and sister denomination was once known as the little church with the big voice. The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America can have such a testimony. Liberal and neo-orthodox churches abound. They glory in their own strength. Let them do so. Many conservative, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches embrace contemporary worship to exploit perceived opportunities. Let them do so. The strength of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America is in the combination too many shun, traditional biblical worship and biblical gospel preaching.

Do we sometimes poorly represent our Lord in our worship? Surely this is the case. Yet, a cappella psalmody is one of our strengths. Biblical preaching is another. Can we become better at what we do? Undoubtedly. Let's turn our attention to really improving these strengths. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart" (Colossians 3:23). Let's become really excellent in the areas of these God given gifts. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). Let's realize, providentially, God is giving us the opportunity to glorify Him by bringing to many people what they are actually seeking, a solid combination of traditional biblical worship and biblical gospel preaching.