WORSHIP NOTES Volume 21, No. 3 (March 2026) The Hebrew word hesed is used 248 times in the Old Testament; about half of those occurrences are in Psalms, and 26 times in Ps 136 alone (as part of a repeated refrain). Obviously a very important word, it is usually rendered (depending on the translation) as “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness” or “mercy.” hesed combines the idea of love and loyalty. It […]
HESED: A CRUCIAL OLD TESTAMENT CONCEPT Read More »
WORSHIP NOTES Volume 21, No. 2 (February 2026) THE OLD WAY The tabernacle (and later the temple) was the physical and spiritual center of the nation and its worship life. The tabernacle was to stand in the centre of the camp and provide the means by which all of life was to be related to God. . . .In concrete form it expressed the truth that human beings could not
WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO . . . GOD DID Read More »
WORSHIP NOTESVolume 21, No. 1 (January 2026) Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace;and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11) Rejoice . . . . . . may your worship be full of joy and satisfaction in the greatness and goodness of God. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but
FINALLY, BRETHREN . . . (aspirations for our corporate worship from 2 Corinthians 13:11) Read More »
WORSHIP NOTES Volume 20, No. 12 (December 2025) Here is the third of the three keynote Bible lessons I gave at the conference. COMMISSION Introduction Jesus said to them again,“Peace be with you.As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21) We are the sent ones!God proclaims through Christ to us—we are sent to proclaim. Sing to the LORD, all the earth!Tell of His
COMMISSION (Day 3 of NPWC 2025) Read More »
WORSHIP NOTESVolume 20, No. 11 (November 2025) Here is the second of the three keynote Bible lessons I gave at the conference. CELEBRATION Sing to the LORD, all the earth!Tell of his salvation from day to day. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;bring an offering and come before him!Worship the LORD in the
CELEBRATION (Day 2 of NPWC 2025) Read More »
WORSHIP NOTESVolume 20, No. 10 (October 2025) This remarkable event was sponsored by a remarkable ministry, Sacrifice InterChurch Trust, which celebrated its 25 years of ministry at the conference. This organization has gained a lot of respect across denominational lines and been a tremendous unifying force for the body of Christ in that country. They have also ministered to different people groups across Bangladesh. All of this was reflected in
PROCLAMATION (Day 1 of NPWC 2025) Read More »
WORSHIP NOTESVolume 20, No. 9 (September 2025) When many of us think about worship in the Old Testament, our minds go first to the Tabernacle/Temple and its sacrifices, rituals, ceremonies, and festivals—the external trappings of worship under the Mosaic Covenant. However, these externals are actually of secondary importance when it comes to the worship that God desires from his people under the Old Covenant (and New Covenant!). He is looking
It’s What Inside that Counts! Read More »
WORSHIP NOTES Volume 20, No. 8 ( August 2025) Throughout the Bible, the indicatives of grace always precede the imperatives of law and obligation. (James B. Torrance, Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace, 70) Divine indicatives give rise to divine imperatives. This is the Bible’s underlying grammar. Grace, in this sense, always gives rise to obligation, duty, and law. (Sinclair Ferguson, The Whole Christ, 168) In the Bible, the form
Indicatives before Imperatives Read More »
