In King Henry VIII’s devotional primer, Psalm 95 is called “a song stirring to the praise of God.” That is a fitting description of Psalm 95. We do not know the author or occasion of this psalm. Its message is clear, compelling, and convicting. It is a call to worship God, or else. The psalm divides into two sections.  Verses 1-7b is a call to worship the Lord.  Verses 7b-11 is a warning to non-worshipers.  Verses 1-7 bid us to “come” three times – using different Hebrew terms. Psalm 95 is called the “Venite,” the Latin word for “come.” Worship is our sacred duty. Yet this call to worship reads as a gracious invitation. It is a privilege to worship God. Psalm 95 is about how to worship God. It records seven acts of worship: singing, joyful noise, thanksgiving, songs...

A cathedral was known for its beautiful organ. Its music filled the surrounding valley. People came from all around to hear its melodic sounds. One day, the music stopped. The organ broke, and no one was able to repair it. Then, as suddenly as it stopped, the organ filled the valley with music again. People descended upon the cathedral to hear. When the old man finished playing, they asked, “How did you fix the organ? He answered, “I made it.”  What is broken in your life?  Denying the problem won’t help. Do-it-yourself efforts can’t repair it. Having that thing, going to that place, being...

The church needs a revival. I am not referring to a series of services with an evangelistic emphasis. I am talking about a sovereign and supernatural move of God that causes us to fall in love with Jesus again. Unbelievers need evangelism; believers need revival.  The church is a body, not a building. The church is a people, not a place.  The church is an organism, not an organization.   The church needs a revival because we who make up the church need a revival. The church today is preoccupied with reaching the culture. Much of our outreach and evangelism is unfruitful. We are ineffective because when the world looks at the church, they see the world. Worse, when the Lord looks at the church, he...

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth! - Psalm 134 Two Stanford University students struggled to pay their expenses. But they had a plan. They invited the Polish composer and pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski to perform a concert. He agreed to a $2,000 fee. The concert only raised $1,600. The young men gave it to him with an IOU for $400. Paderewski...