Knowledge or feeling, which makes for true worship?

Knowledge or feeling, which makes for true worship?

At Center Hill, we are committed to worship that is God centered not a time of entertainment that has a smattering of Christian verse and abandons us to simple good feelings or excitement.  We attempt each week to give our full attention in prayer, music, giving and preaching to the God of all praise.  Watch this short video from Alistair Begg, he speaks our heart. soli deo gloria!

Christmas responses

Christmas responses

How do you respond to the Christmas season? With anticipation, merriment, frustration or maybe even apathy? At CHCC, we have been looking at several different biblical characters and their responses to Christmas or in particular their response to Emmanuel, God with us, over the past couple of weeks. What has become very evident about the responses to the Messiah’s coming, found in the story of the first Christmas, has been that it reflects different attitudes about worship of the God of creation. We have looked at the Magnificat and found that Mary’s response was one of a humble servant who’s soul magnified the Lord. This from a teenager of 14 or 15. King Herod responded with hostility and the Jewish leaders with apathy. Apathy, which by the way, led to open hostility ending in our Savior’s murder three decades later. And this week we saw the joyful worship from the most unlikely persons, Gentile pagans, the Magi.   These astrologer magicians ascribed to our Savior the dignity, honor and worship due Him through joyful giving of their sacrificial gifts. It has been a great opportunity for us to evaluate our own responses to the Christ of Christmas. Have we found ourselves humbly submitting to the leading of a sovereign God in our lives and ‘rejoicing with exceeding great joy’ as we approach to worship the King of Kings. Or do we miss the Messiah even though He’s manifested Himself in our very midst and time. Never let it be said of us, as it was of the Jewish leaders, that we have responded with indifference. When confronted with the truth of the Messiah and the Good News that ‘God is with us’ we are forced to make a decision. Will we worship Him this Christmas or find ourselves missing the Messiah for our celebrating of the season? Soli Deo Gloria

Seriousness about God

Seriousness about God

Here at CHCC we are in the midst of a series of messages on worship from the book of Isaiah.  If one thing has gripped me in the preparation and preaching of this series it has been the seriousness of drawing near to God.  We see the warning from God Himself in drawing near with empty worship and the response of Isaiah being completely ‘undone’ when he drew near to the Holy in proper worship.  It has occurred to me in recent years, maybe recent decades, that our churches are not taking God seriously.  We have watered down our theology, lost our true sense of purpose in the local church and allowed entertainment to replace worship in the house of God.  John Piper has a wonderful ministry at Desiring God and a special feature in ‘Ask Pastor John’.  I have included a short video from that feature which I would encourage you to check out.  Piper has once again hit it on the head in his assessment of our desire today to be entertained at every turn which has found it’s way into our churches.  We need to get back to a proper theology of God and realize that God takes very serious His worship and His kingdom.  It’s not all a party. Breaking the addiction of entertainment

Prepare to worship

Prepare to worship

It has been a good week at CHCC.  We are receiving great comments about the new website and some helpful recommendations about it also.  Keep the comments and the e-mails coming. This week’s message will be from Isaiah 1 as we begin a short series on biblical worship.  The first couple of weeks will be on our own preparation to worship and what worship is.  The evangelical church must re-examine what true worship is and begin to conduct itself as worshippers of the true God in reverence, awe and respect and not as self seeking participants at a sporting or entertainment event. Worship services are not about us and how we feel during or afterward but about God and His glory and whether we have approached His presence as He has prescribed.  He will not share His glory nor His worship with anyone else and that includes you and me.  God hates false worship! But when we honor Him in praise, when He receives the glory from our singing and preaching, when the Father’s name is hallowed, then our worship time becomes our most treasured and meaningful moments of our lives.   The creation has fulfilled it’s purpose before it’s creator and it is most happy.  Let’s return to our purpose, to honor our creator together. It should be an exciting series.  Come WORSHIP with us at CHCC on Sunday morning at 9:30 am.