New songs for modern missional worship, rich in Christian teaching and contextualized in modern culture. Contemporary hymns, psalms, songs of lament and praise written by members of the Louisville, KY-based Sojourn Community.
“Worship in the New Testament church is not simply practice for some later heavenly experience of genione worship …
” … it actually is worship in the presence of God, though we do not now see him with our physical eyes, nor do we see the angels gathered around his throne or the spirits of believers who have gone before and are now worshiping in God’s presence … we must also believe it to be actually true that we ourselves come to that place and join our voices with those already worshiping in heaven whenever we come to God in worship.”
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology
Grudem typed these words in light of Hebrews 12:18-24:
“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire: to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of the righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
Notice the Bible writer doesn’t just say, “Someday when you die and go to heaven, you will come to the City of God.” He says to everyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, we have come! It’s true that we don’t see it with our natural eyes. It’s true that we’ll only experience it fully when this life is over. But again and again the Bible says that if you have trusted Christ for your salvation, you have now been accepted into this mystical kingdom. You are now seated with Christ in heavenly places, (Ephesians 2:5-7) and you are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses,” people of God whose bodies have long since died, whom God promised to make perfect “together with us” (Hebrew 11:13-40; 12:1).
Remember that there is more than what you see. Entering into Christian worship means you’re entering into a life lived before the throne of God, on the holy mountain, together with angels and the saints of all the ages, and the King, the Savior, the Hero and Lord of all the universe, Jesus Christ.
You might be at home, you might be in your church building, you might be at work or school. You might be in a city that is new to you, in a crime-ridden part of town, a ship in the ocean, the wilderness or a place where no one else worships God. But if you worship God, there is one thing that is just as real as your physical surroundings, and much stronger. Something that cannot be destroyed, that death is powerless to touch, that sin cannot find and that will exist forever: you have come to the City of God.