New Covenant Presbyterian Church Pastor's Note

New Covenant Presbyterian Church, Summit, MS
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New Covenant is a Reformed, Confessional Presbyterian church located in Southwest Mississippi.

  1. 03/23/2023

    Preaching is the Pinnacle of the Worship Mountain

    Listen To This Post The preached Word is the apex of Christian worship. Since the Scriptures speak of Christ from beginning to end, the aim of preaching is to display Jesus’ glory in every passage (Luke 24:27). This type of preaching, strengthens and comforts God’s people, conforming them to Christ’s image by the Holy Spirit. Paul commanded Timothy to “preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:1). Christ ordained that faith should come “from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Jesus was primarily a preacher and taught that his kingdom spread through preaching (cf. Mark 1:14-15, 4:1-20). Therefore, God ordains that preaching should occupy a special place in the lives of his people. Through preaching, Christ calls lost sheep to himself and strengthens those already in the pasture (John 18:37). Preparing and preaching sermons takes diligent, prayerful preparation. Therefore, ministers must devote themselves to studying, explaining and applying the Scriptures. The minister must digest the Word for himself before he feeds it to others. Puritan John Owen said unless the preacher “finds the power of it in his own heart, he cannot have any ground of confidence that it will have power in the hearts of others.” I once sat under a minister who downloaded his sermon outlines. In other words, he let someone else do the sermon preparation for him. He didn’t take the time to digest the food he expected his congregation to feed upon. It showed that this congregation was poorly fed by their supposed shepherd. There’s another side to preaching that needs effort and growth: listening. For some, the sermon is “nap time.” However, listening to a sermon is a spiritual exercise and an act of worship. If the minister opens and explains Scripture, then you must receive it as God’s Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Listening well means preparing, receiving, and practicing. Here are some pointers to help you listen to sermons better. First, prepare with prayer. When the service is about to start, quietly take your seat and spend a moment in prayer for yourself, the congregation and the minister. Ask Christ to give you a longing for the pure milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:1-2). Second, take notes and review what the minister says about the Scripture passage (Acts 17:11). Ask your pastor follow-up questions if there’s something you didn’t understand. This encourages your minister because it lets him know you are listening, and will help him improve his delivery over time. Third, after the sermon, meditate on the Word and hide it in your heart so that you’ll bear fruit from each sermon (Luke 8:15, James 1:25). Lastly, help your children listen well, too! When they are old enough to understand, don’t allow them to fall asleep on your shoulder. And, review the sermon content around your lunch table after worship. You understand preaching rightly when you see it as an aspect of worship in which both minister and congregation are active. There are no passive parts of worship. As you worship Christ during the preaching portion of the service, set your heart to rejoice in what he says to you! The post Preaching is the Pinnacle of the Worship Mountain appeared first on New Covenant Presbyterian Church.

    4 min

  2. 03/16/2023

    Delighting the Heart of God with the Gift of Song

    Listen To This Post In his wisdom, God enabled men to sing. He also gave us ears to hear and appreciate good music. Therefore, when we sing together in corporate worship, we are exalting God using a gift he created and giving audible expression to his infinite wisdom. We love music and so does God. He delights in his children’s praise, and invites – even commands – all men to sing to him in places like Psalm 100:1: “Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” Because God commands it, singing is appropriate to corporate worship.   This reminds us that worship through song is an act of obedience to the Lord. This gives singing perspective. We might ask, “If singing is an act of obedience, how does God want us to sing?” Here, is an order of priority for selecting Christian music: words, voices, delivery. Words are the priority of Christian music. Jesus taught the woman at the well that we must worship God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). The worship God accepts must be according to the truth. This means our songs must profess sound doctrine. This is why, for centuries, godly people have sung, along with hymns, the Psalms. Singing the Psalms uses God’s words to express every season of human experience. Words are also important because music teaches. I think every child learns the ABCs by using the Alphabet Song. Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16). When we sing, we are worshiping God and teaching one another. As we teach and admonish, we don’t just want our fellow believers to feel better, we want them to think better as they “dwell” on the “word of Christ.” Right emotions follow right thinking. Second, we should prioritize voices. God created one instrument to express true words: the human voice. I think this is why the Psalms mention vocal worship far more frequently than they do instrumental worship. Consider how stirring it is when a room full of folks sing the final line of “It Is Well” with no instruments. Those words reverberate from our worship halls and swell our hearts with joy. Finally, we must give attention to the delivery of our music. Here are some simple guidelines to think about. Songs should be easily singable by all. Instruments in worship must support, not overshadow, the voices. With instruments, less is usually more. Worship melodies should give the right expression to the sung words. Songs of praise should rejoice and laments should mourn. Lastly, our songs ought to be well-paced and not “draggy.” Behind our Savior, we are marching to Zion, not crawling. Christian folk are singing folk. If you struggle to sing in worship, look for resources to help you improve. If you don’t sing in worship, you should repent and ask the Lord’s forgiveness for disobeying his command. Music is a wonderful gift God has given us for his glory. Let’s use it wisely. The post Delighting the Heart of God with the Gift of Song appeared first on New Covenant Presbyterian Church.

    5 min

  3. 03/08/2023

    Offering Public Prayer as an Act of Worship

    Listen To This Post “And when you pray,” Jesus once said, “you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others” (Matthew 6:5).[1] He went on, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret’ (Matthew 6:6). Jesus taught his disciples that motive matters when it comes to righteous works. God sees our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). He knows when you and I do good works for man’s praise rather than for his. In light of Jesus’ counsel to pray in secret, I was once asked if public prayer is sinful. Do you break Jesus’ command when you pray with and for your family?  In our corporate worship services, we offer many prayers. Sometimes the minister prays and other times we pray together. Should we stop doing that? Should we stop holding mid-week prayer services? If you’ve ever wondered about this, you may find Jesus’ instruction in the Lord’s Prayer helpful (Matthew 6:9-13). He said, “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” (Matthew 6:9). The Lord’s model prayer begins: “Our Father.” When I pray by myself, I never address God by saying, “Our Father.” Instead, I might say, “My father.” Jesus’ model prayer also includes these phrases: “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts…” (Matthew 6:11-12). By including the terms “us” and “our” in this prayer, Jesus is teaching us to pray with and for other people. It is only in the company of two or more people that we’d use the terms “us” and “our.” You can find a beautiful corporate prayer in 1 Kings 8. There we read, “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, and said…” (1 Kings 8:22). For several minutes, Solomon prayed aloud in everyone’s presence.  Speaking of corporate worship, Paul wrote, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling…” (1 Timothy 2:8). What a joy when many different godly men stand before the church and offer prayer! Some men are afraid to pray in public, lacking confidence. Here’s some simple advice to men who are fearful: consider writing your prayer down. If it is ok to sing written hymns, and read written sermons, it is ok to read prepared prayers. Also, think about what the old Virginia preacher, Samuel Miller, advises for public prayer: use the language of Scripture, have an order (Adoration-Confession-Thanksgiving-Supplication, perhaps), don’t give too much detail, don’t be wordy or pray too long. Don’t preach in your prayer. Use a mixture of God’s names instead of the same thing all the time. Fill your prayer with hopeful, confident language. Pray for the spread of the Gospel. And, offer your prayer in a humble, tender, reverent spirit.[2] [1] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references from the English Standard Version. [2] Adapted from Miller, Samuel. Thoughts on Public Prayer. Harrisonburg: Sprinkle Publications, 1985. The post Offering Public Prayer as an Act of Worship appeared first on New Covenant Presbyterian Church.

    4 min

  4. 03/01/2023

    Sitting At Jesus’ Feet in Corporate Worship

    Listen To This Post The Proverbs give great advice about how to balance listening and speaking. In the New Testament, James wrote, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak…” (James 1:19).[1] Plus, your mama advises, “You have two ears and one mouth!” If we incorporate this principle in corporate worship, which will have the greater proportion: singing or Scripture reading? It’s obvious, isn’t it? The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to, “…devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture…” (1 Timothy 4:13). Because the church of Jesus Christ is a “pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:16), her ministers must give themselves to the reading and proclamation of that truth. The reading of Scripture turned King Josiah’s heart to the Lord (2 Kings 22:11). When a remnant of Israel returned to Jerusalem after the exile, Ezra the scribe stood before the people and “read from (the Law)…from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:3). When Jesus stayed in the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha, Martha busied herself “with much serving” (Luke 10:39). But Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” (Luke 10:39). Martha commanded Jesus to tell Mary to get up and help. That’s just like siblings, isn’t it? But Jesus said, “Mary has chosen the good portion” (Luke 10:42). Jesus commended Mary for choosing to listen to him rather than fretfully trying to serve him. Think of the number of imminent men converted under the reading of Scripture. We think of Charles Spurgeon and J.C. Ryle. Jonathan Edwards noted, upon reading 1 Timothy 1:17, “there came into my soul, and was as it were diffused through it, a sense of the glory of the Divine Being, a new sense, quite different from any thing I ever experienced before.”[2]  In a 2013 article, Dr. Carl Trueman wrote about attending worship at a liberal Anglican Church. A Muslim woman was also in the congregation. Although the preaching was liberal (and empty), the worship service still included lots of Scripture reading. Dr. Trueman noted, “Yet here is the irony: in this liberal Anglican chapel, the hijabi experienced an hour long service in which most of the time was spent occupied with words drawn directly from scripture. She heard more of the Bible read, said, sung and prayed than in any Protestant evangelical church of which I am aware – than any church, in other words, which actually claims to take the word of God seriously and place it at the centre of its life.”[3] If we truly believe Scripture is the life-giving Word of God, why don’t more Protestant churches read it to their congregations? Why is not our worship centered around hearing from the living God rather than making ourselves heard? As Christians, we need to sing less and listen more! Let’s make worship a Mary moment not a Martha one, and invite the congregation to sit and listen to Jesus speak. [1] Unless otherwise noted, Scripture references from English Standard Version. [2] Murray, Iain H., Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2000. [3] Trueman, Carl. “What the Hijabi Witnessed (And What She Didn’t).” Blog. Reformation21, August 26, 2013. Accessed May 13, 2021. https://www.reformation21.org/articles/what-the-hijabi-witnessed-and-what-she-didnt.php. The post Sitting At Jesus’ Feet in Corporate Worship appeared first on New Covenant Presbyterian Church.

    4 min

  5. 02/08/2023

    True Corporate Worship Must Emphasize the Unity of the Body

    Listen To This Post In the last few decades, an odd practice developed in corporate worship: churches started turning out the lights. This tactic began in the early 20th Century when progressive pastors started “experimenting with the potential upsides of affecting people’s emotions with lighting.” That means congregations reduced worship to an emotional sensation and utilized lighting as a means to manipulate said sensation. This is why preaching and prayers now require background music. These are those who have “an appearance of godliness, but [deny] its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). It feels spiritual, humanly speaking, but lacks the actual Spirit. Lighting is also turned down because worship has become intensely individualistic. In the dark, you don’t have to look at anyone and no one can look at you. You could actually attend worship and no one at the church ever know about it. But corporate worship, by definition, is not about the individual. Nehemiah 8-9 join Leviticus 10 and Hebrews 12 as significant to our development of a theology of worship. In verse 1, the people of Israel are described as gathering “as one man into the square before the Water Gate” (Nehemiah 8:1). When the people gathered before the Lord for corporate worship, they did so “as one man.” That moment focused on the individual as part of the body. Together, God’s people stood, listened, answered, said “Amen”, lifted their hands, bowed their heads, and worshiped (Nehemiah 8:6). This was important because God’s covenant promises to his people are corporate promises. They are given “to you and to your children after you” (Genesis 9:8, 17:9, Acts 2:39). When we gather for worship on the Lord’s Day, we join together to renew covenant with the Lord. We are reflecting on his promises to us as individuals who are part of a body. By the work of his Holy Spirit, he has knit us together as the body of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:4-7). This is the syllable upon which we must place the accent. Paul explained this in Galatians 3:24-29. When he wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28), he is expressing a covenantal reality. The promises of the covenant, in and through Jesus Christ, have nothing to do with your station in life. God didn’t choose the wise and the rich to be heirs of the promises (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). At Babel, God, in judgment, divided humanity (Genesis 11:1-9). In mercy, he is binding us together again through the work of his Spirit. This was powerfully demonstrated at Pentecost, and is the meaning behind the gift of languages (Acts 2:5-11). When you gather for corporate worship, you must reflect on this aspect of your activity. You are in one room, with people from all walks of life who give glory to Christ as the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). Together, we confess his glory, confess our sins, sing, pray, and lift high the work of Jesus Christ who is the very foundation of our worship. The post True Corporate Worship Must Emphasize the Unity of the Body appeared first on New Covenant Presbyterian Church.

    4 min

  6. 02/01/2023

    Delighting in the Christian Work of Corporate Worship

    Listen To This Post If we learn anything from Nadab and Abihu (see last week’s article), it’s that God despises worship which is not according to His Word. Over the next few articles, we’ll consider what Psalm 100 teaches us about worship. The psalmist begins with a call to worship, “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!” (Psalm 100:1). Worship is an obligation for all men. It originates in God’s command, not man’s imagination. This is because God made all men, and we are his subjects. Remember, God can command whatsoever he pleases. What a wonder that he commands our love and worship! Next, the psalm teaches us the what and how of worship. “Serve the LORD with gladness!” (Psalm 100:2). The Hebrew term “serve” describes the work of a slave or hired servant. Worship, therefore, is work performed for the glory of God. As one writer states, “You ought to approach worship as you would any serious job. You need to think about it, study it, and train yourself to do it with skill.” Some wrestle with making worship more “participatory.” What they mean is they want more people to lead. However, since worship is work, all of worship is an exercise in which the whole congregation participates. You are never passive in worship. This includes during prayer and preaching. When someone leads in prayer, listen attentively and provide your hearty “Amen” at the conclusion. During the sermon, you ought to be engaged, body and soul. Take notes if you need help paying attention. And, consider all the ways you can apply the truths the minister explains from Scripture. As you participate in worship, you must do so gladly, with joy. This requires some arranging of the affections doesn’t it? We don’t always arrive to worship in the best mood. Maybe you fussed with your spouse or children while getting ready that day. Perhaps you received a hard diagnosis that week. How can worship still be joyful? Consider verse 2. “Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:2). When you set your mind and heart on the Lord’s worship, you transcend the pains of life by remembering you enter his presence. This is both a joyous and fearful thing. We immediately remember we don’t deserve to enter God’s presence. He is holy and we are sinful. God receives us into his presence because of the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Through faith alone in Christ alone, God credits the righteousness of Jesus Christ to your account. God’s people enter into his presence washed in the blood of Christ. What, then, is the natural response? To sing! Men, especially, need exhortation in this area. Many consider themselves too “macho” to sing. I get it. A lot of contemporary worship music is effeminate. However, not to worship through singing is an act of disobedience. Dear brothers, as God’s appointed leaders, you ought to have the strongest voices in the congregation.Christian, you begin to understand worship when you see it as obedient work offered in the presence of God through Jesus Christ. It is a duty of delight! The post Delighting in the Christian Work of Corporate Worship appeared first on New Covenant Presbyterian Church.

    4 min

  7. 01/25/2023

    The Scriptures, Not Sincerity, Are Key to Honoring Christ in Worship

    Listen To This Post “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church.”[1] That’s how John Piper begins his book, “Let the Nations Be Glad.” It’s a shocking statement if you’ve always thought the main thing the church does is outreach. But Dr. Piper goes on, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. “ Worship is the church’s primary purpose because it is man’s primary purpose. God made man a spiritual, worshiping being (Genesis 1:26-28). He created the universe as a theater to display his glory and made mankind to observe that glory and magnify him for it. When Adam sinned, he caused man to inherit a corrupt nature. All men still worship, but, by nature, we worship false gods. As John Calvin put it, the sinful human heart is an idol factory. And the idol every man loves the most is himself. Christ commanded his followers to deny themselves. When we obey this command, we are killing the primary enemy against the one true God, namely, our flesh. When we worship Christ, it’s a powerful temptation to think that whatever pleases us must please him. If I enjoy interpretive dance, neon lights, and little Suzy’s solo, surely Jesus must. Approaching worship this way is self-centered, not Christ-centered. As God sanctifies us, he aligns our affections with his, but we are never free to depart from the clear testimony of his Word. His Word becomes our delight (Psalm 119:14). Leviticus 10 illustrates this point. Two of Aaron’s sons, Nabab and Abihu, “offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded” (Leviticus 10:1). When they did this, “fire came out from the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD” (Leviticus 10:2). Because these two men sought to worship God in a way he did not command, God took their lives. Why? God explained, “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified” (Leviticus 10:3). Someone might say, “But that’s the Old Testament!” Well, when you turn over to Hebrews 12, the writer says, “…let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29). What consuming fire do you think he’s reflecting on, here? He isn’t referring to the believer’s internal zeal, but the consuming fire of Leviticus 10:1 that killed Nadab and Abihu. The principle that informed the church’s worship under the Old Covenant continues to inform our worship under the New Covenant. We must approach God with reverence for his holiness, only offering in worship the things he authorizes in Scripture. Therefore, you can tell what a church believes about Scripture’s authority by looking at its worship. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). This is what the church does when it incorporates unbiblical elements of worship. When worship conforms to Scripture, Christ is exalted in the church. When Christ is exalted in the church, he strengthens believers and draws men to himself. [1] John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Books, 1993), 11. The post The Scriptures, Not Sincerity, Are Key to Honoring Christ in Worship appeared first on New Covenant Presbyterian Church.

    4 min

  8. 01/18/2023

    A Call to the Church to Return to True Worship

    Listen To This Post Do you remember how much effort you put into planning your wedding? For some, the plan was simple. You went down to the courthouse, filled out your application, affirmed all the justice of the peace’s questions, and walked out husband and wife. For others, the plan was more elaborate. You decided on a church wedding, spent hours at the bridal shoppe choosing a dress, and gave your father a coronary when he learned how much a cake (made of just flour, milk and eggs mind you) would cost. In both cases, you had a purpose in mind. In the former case, you wanted something simple and easy. In the latter, you wanted all the atmosphere of elegance. The point is you took time to think it through. I’ve asked about your wedding plans because I want to ask if you’ve put the same amount of thought into your worship plans. Have you? Before all our effort was poured into defending orthodox Christianity against the onslaught of the sexual revolution, we debated worship. We waxed eloquent about worship “style” and engaged in the “worship wars.” Some churches, unwisely in my opinion, instituted “traditional” and “contemporary” worship services so they could cater to the tastes of their congregants. My point is, like planning a wedding, we were giving thought to proper worship. As I observe the practices of the church, I’m concerned that churches have stopped thinking about worship. It really does seem as though we’ve entered an era in which “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). That seems to be the premise of offering different worship styles, doesn’t it? Isn’t it to offer the people what they want? During the time of the judges in Israel, one particular condition is pointed out again and again: “there was no king” (Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25). Is there a king in the Western church today? Yes, there is. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only king and head of the church (Matthew 28:18, 1 Corinthians 15:25). Scripture also describes him as the church’s husband (Ephesians 5:22-33). The purpose of both metaphors, king and husband, is to describe our relationship to Christ. He gives the orders and makes the laws. We obey them. Is the Western church doing that? If you glance at the worship practices, I think we can the answer, in general, is no. We’ve departed from the Scriptures and begun to do whatever we please, whether there is any assurance our practices please Christ. I point out the problem so we can begin to prescribe a solution. God created you and me for worship. Gathering to God through Christ to praise him in the power of the Spirit is the sum and substance of our existence. Over the next few weeks of articles, I will lay out for you a case for biblical worship. We’ll consider topics like who may lead in worship, what practices are appropriate for worship, and how can we know if our worship is acceptable to God. Let’s remember, “the Father is seeking” true worshipers “to worship him” (John 4:23). Pray he will make us such worshipers. The post A Call to the Church to Return to True Worship appeared first on New Covenant Presbyterian Church.

    4 min
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New Covenant is a Reformed, Confessional Presbyterian church located in Southwest Mississippi.

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