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Let the Nations Be Glad and Sing for Joy
There is a health update at the end of this message. ===================================== ARADHNA IS WORSHIP: The Institute for Christian Worship presents ARADHNA (worship music from North India) on September 29, 2009, in Louisville. http://tinyurl.com/AradhnaAtSBTS ===================================== With Aradhna visiting our campus next week, today's WORSHIP QUOTE is another that connects missions to what the Bible teaches us about Christian worship. This excerpt is from John Piper's book LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD. LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD AND SING FOR JOY The ultimate goal of God in all of history is to uphold and display his glory for the enjoyment of the redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. His goal is the gladness of his people, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Delight is a higher tribute than duty. The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy his glory forever. Since his glory is magnified most in the God-centered passions of his joyful people, God's self-exaltation and our jubilation are one. The greatest news in all the world is that God's ultimate aim to be glorified and man's aim to be satisfied are not at odds. WORSHIP—The goal of missions, therefore, is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. "The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands BE GLAD!" (Ps. 97:1). "Let the nations BE GLAD AND SING FOR JOY!" (Ps. 67:4). The missionary command to be happy in God is simply a command for the consummation of praise. Professed praise of God without pleasure in God is hypocrisy. Therefore, worship is the fuel and the goal of missions. Worship is the goal of missions because in missions we aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God's glory. It is the fuel of missions because we can't commend what we don't cherish. We can't call out, "Let the nations BE GLAD!" until we say, "I REJOICE in the Lord." Missions begins and ends in worship. — John Piper, LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD!: THE SUPREMACY OF GOD IN MISSIONS, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993, p. 231. ISBN: 0-8010-2613-X ======================================= ARADHNA IS WORSHIP (www.aradhnamusic.com) ======================================= If you live anywhere near Louisville, Kentucky, I hope you will consider joining us at the seminary on September 29 for a visit from Aradhna, a Christian worship band that performs music from North India and Nepal. It will be a full day, with worship leadership at chapel (10:00am), an 11:30am lecture, and an evening concert at 7:30pm (http://tinyurl.com/AradhnaAtSBTS). Please share this information widely. ======================================= ===================================== HEALTH UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST FOR CHIP STAM, RECOVERING CANCER PATIENT ===================================== Dear Praying Friends, There is a longer journal entry at www.caringbridge.com/visit/carlstam . The most recent PET/CT scan was on September 11, and we saw the doctor for the follow-up visit on Friday, September 18. TEST RESULTS: The vast majority of the Lymphoma is gone--perhaps all of it. There are two small (very small) areas of concern that showed up on the scans. Each is about one half inch in size. One is on a rib, and one is on a hard-to-access lymph node. These could be nothing, or they could be the beginning of trouble. The only thing to do is to watch them and study what they do. The doctors will step up the schedule for the next PET/CT scan; it will be in two months rather than three. Then they will know more, including whether there is a need for more treatment. This is not the news for which we have been hoping and praying. Nevertheless, it is much better to hear this realistic caution rather than a jolly report of some kind that fails to address the concern. I trust that you will join with us in praying for clarity in the report as they compare this scan with the next one. Pray, too, that the Lord will be gracious to allow my body to be cancer free when this season of tests is over. The Lord has been very faithful and continues to give us grace to be patient and know His peace. So, we trust our sovereign God in all of this--even in this difficult time of waiting. The uncertainty gives us a time of testing (double meaning intended, as in James 1:2-4). In the meantime, I am feeling about 85% myself. I am teaching a somewhat reduced schedule at the seminary and leading in a mostly normal fashion at our church. My hair fell out on June 10 when I was in the hospital (over three months ago). There is now a soft covering of fuzz—maybe 1/4 inch in length. This is a sure sign that the chemo drugs are still lingering in my system. I am not worried a bit about the hair situation. And, yes, I am still taking naps. We are so thankful for your friendship, interest, and faithful prayers to our merciful God. In His care, Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Ministries The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky www.wqotw.org www.sbts.edu/icw =========================== WORSHIP QUOTE OF THE WEEK: To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view a complete index of worship quotes, please visit http://www.wqotw.org. =========================== |