A New Ancient Practice

Whether it's good or bad or just right, it's what we've got: an hour. Sunday morning when we gather together as Indian Hills Baptist Church, we have one hour. What elements should find their way into that hour? For many it is their only corporate experience of our covenant community, and even for others, it's the primary expression of our identity. What we place in the liturgy of that hour expresses what we as a people deem to be of most importance.

Call to worship from the Psalms. Song. Offering. Lord's Supper. Sermon. Prayer. All crucial.

For at least half of this year we are adding another element. It'll only take a minute or so of that hour, but I feel it's very important. Our men will be reading through our confession, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. After taking some men through it last semester at the local CLD center during the class "Baptist History & Polity," I came to a greater respect of our denomination's confession.

Still, when you have only 60 minutes, every one of them counts. Is this a worthy use of a few of those precious minutes? I have a few motivating factors.

A few months ago I had a discussion with my DMin director about a paper I'd written. I'd used the classic and Reformed confessions extensively in the paper, and somehow our phone discussion of the paper turned to liturgy. He was surprised that we did not integrate our own denomination's confession into our liturgy. I honestly hadn't thought about it much, but I started to that day.

In addition, I had opportunity to read through Carl Trueman's "Creedal Imperative." Dr. Trueman put into words a lot of what I've been working through as a pastor. I was reminded of the importance of our common confession and what a safeguard that is for our little faith family. One of our men is in the process of being called to pastor I.H.B.C.'s mission church. I loaned him this book.

Also, we have no idea what will happen in the future. As I pray for the underground Church around the world, I often take time to think through what we're giving Christ's people during this hour. Is it substantial and helpful enough to get them through if they are never able to step into this gathering again for some reason? How can we impart some basic doctrinal strategies that will help them read the Scriptures on their own? This ancient practice of confession reading seems to meet this need.

Finally, I am aware of the fact that my children (and all of I.H.B.C.'s children and grandchildren) are in the room that one hour. What's most important? I don't want the next generation of I.H.B.C. (or wherever God takes them) to be like most Protestants nowadays...they can't tell you what they believe, despite having grown up in the Church. We know from experience that you don't necessarily have to preach a "children's sermon" (though I have no objections to it) for children to absorb what is spoken. For our men to read through our confession is another way of submitting ourselves to the Holy Spirit to be used as a means of teaching all the generations as they meet together for that one hour. Oh, Holy Spirit of God, please use this means to give us a framework for more effectively encountering You in Your Word!

Well, we start this Sunday. One of our men, just after the offering, will read the first article of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000.

“The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, Who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.”

I appreciate many of the elements of this article (especially, as a Reformed Baptist, the covenant theology inherent in the last sentence). My favorite, though, is that the Scriptures are "the true center of Christian union." Just to have that read out loud among the gathered Church is good enough reason to try this really ancient practice that is new to us (reading our confession in the meeting).

May it be, Church, that we take the time during the months of this "experiment" to hear our common confession, seriously considering this "standard of sound words" (2 Timothy 1:13) and "that form of teaching to which you were committed" (Romans 6:17), not as a replacement for the authority and needful spiritual food of Scripture, but as a further means to sharpen our reading, meditation, and application of it to our lives as His Church.

The Psalms in Our Liturgy

I am deeply convinced of the need for the Church to have a regular continual diet of the Psalms. “And they continued in the Apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and prayers” (Acts 2:42, Geneva Bible). I believe these “prayers” to be the Psalms. We see an example a few chapters later, where the Church prays “with one accord” (4:24), then proceeds to quote from Psalm 2. This was how they prayed together; they had a common song/prayer book, inspired of God the Holy Spirit. The Psalter is God’s means of providing believers with emotional training, teaching us to grieve, rejoice, give thanks, and even have anger in light of His glorious, holy character.

On this, the first day of the year and the first day of the month, let me share a plan for regular Psalm reading taught me by my pastor years ago. Read the Psalm number corresponding to the date, and keep adding 30 to that number until you run out of Psalms (keep Psalm 119 until the 31 and read only that Psalm on that day). For example, today is January 1. So I read Psalm 1,31,61,91,121. This simple plan will take you on a monthly journey through the entire Psalter.

I leave you with a few meditations of thankfulness on the Psalter from today’s readings.

“Blessed is the man that doth not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night. For he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, that will bring forth her fruits in due season: whose leaf shall not fade: so whatsoever he shall do, shall prosper. The wicked are no so, but as the chaff, which the wind driveth away. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, not sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous” (Psalm 1).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “...be fulfilled with the Spirit, speaking unto yourselves in Psalms” (Ephesians 5:18,19).

“How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee! And done to them that trust in Thee, even before the sons of men! Thou dost hide them privily in Thy presence from the pride of men: Thou keepest them secretly in Thy Tabernacle from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord: for He hath showed His marvelous kindness toward me in a strong city” (Psalm 31:19-21).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you plenteously in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing your own selves, in Psalms” (Colossians 3:16).

“I will dwell in Thy Tabernacle forever, and my trust shall be under the covering of Thy wings. Selah. For Thou, O God, hast heard my desires; Thou hast given an heritage unto those that fear Thy Name...so will I always sing praise unto Thy Name, in performing daily my vows” (Psalm 61:4,5,8).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “What is to be done then, brethren? When ye come together, according as every one of you hath a Psalm...let all things be done unto edifying” (1 Corinthians 14:26).

“Who so dwelleth in the secret of the most High, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say unto the Lord, O my hope, and my fortress: He is my God, in Him will I trust” (Psalm 91:1,2).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “And He said unto them, ‘These are the words, which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all must be fulfilled which are written of Me in...the Psalms.’ Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44,45).

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence my help shall come. Mine help cometh from the Lord, which hath made the heaven and the earth. He will not suffer thy foot to slip: for He that keepeth thee, will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel, will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shadow at thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall keep thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in from henceforth and forever” (Psalm 121).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing [ψαλλέτω, “Psalm-sing”]” (James 5:13).