Latest in R.C. Sproul
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Analyzing Unanswered Prayer
from R.C. Sproul Mar 21, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
Our prayers are sometimes not answered because we pray in vague generalities. When all our prayers are either vague or universal in their scope, it is difficult to experience the exhilaration that goes with clear and obvious answers to prayer. If we ask God to “bless everyone in the world” or “forgive everyone in town,” it would be difficult to see the prayer answered in any concrete way. Not that it is wrong to have a large scope of interest in prayer, but if all prayer is given to such generality, then no prayer will have specific and concrete application. Keep Reading -
Eliminating Unrealistic Expectations
from R.C. Sproul Mar 20, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
Sometimes we all feel as if our prayers lack the power to penetrate our ceilings. It seems as though our petitions fall on deaf ears and God remains unmoved or unconcerned about our passionate pleading. Why do these feelings haunt us? Keep Reading -
Stunting Worship
from R.C. Sproul Mar 14, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
The visual impact of the furnishings and the buildings of both the Old Testament tabernacle and temple was awesome. The eyes were dazzled with a sense of the splendor of God. Sound was vital to Old Testament worship. The choral compositions of the Psalms were moving to the Spirit. They were accompanied by the full harmony and rhythm supplied by the harp, the lyre, the flute, and trumpets. The piano and the organ are marvelous instruments, but they cannot produce the sounds that the other instruments provide. Hymns and choral anthems are greatly enhanced when they are supported with greater orchestration. Keep Reading -
Becoming a Worshiper of God
from R.C. Sproul Mar 13, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
“Church is boring”—this is the most oft-stated reason why people stay away from church. It raises some important questions. How is it possible that an encounter with a majestic, awesome, living God could ever be considered boring by anyone? God is not dull. If worship is boring to us, it is not because God is boring. Sermons can be boring and liturgies can be boring, but God simply cannot be boring. The problem, I think, is with the setting, the style, and the content of our worship. Keep Reading -
Seeking a Reformation of Worship
from R.C. Sproul Mar 07, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
When Israel’s prophets denounced the corruption of Israelite worship, they sought reform, not revolution. Though they vehemently criticized liturgicalism, they never attacked the liturgy. Though they railed against externalism and formalism, they never sought to remove the externals and forms God had instituted. Keep Reading -
Emulating the Model of Worship
from R.C. Sproul Mar 06, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
God instituted the model of worship found in the Old Testament. The worship of Israel was formal and liturgical. Solemn rites were central to the experience. The setting of temple worship was anything but casual. The meeting place had an ambiance of the solemn and the holy. The ritual was designed for drama. The literature and music were high and majestic. God inspired the content of songs (the Psalms). The finest craftsmen, who were filled by the Holy Spirit, fashioned the articles of art. God designed the vestments of the priests “for glory and for beauty” (Ex. 28:2). Keep Reading -
Invading the Human Soul
from R.C. Sproul Feb 28, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
Biblical worship invades the human soul. It is the soul that too often has been banished from modern worship. We are a people preoccupied with self-image, self-esteem, and self-gratification. Yet in all this we don’t even know what a “self” is. Keep Reading -
Surveying the Crisis of Worship
from R.C. Sproul Feb 27, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
There is a crisis of worship in our land. People are staying away from church in droves. One survey indicated that the two chief reasons people drop out of church are that it is boring and irrelevant. Keep Reading -
A Special Tour of Dr. Sproul’s Study
from Karisa Schlehr Feb 23, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
Homerun kings, ballroom dancing, Bavinck, and tender moments with James Boice -- all that and more in this special tour of R.C. Sproul's study. Dr. Sproul will be participating in the 2010 Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Learn more or register today. Keep Reading -
Examining Calvin’s Rules of Prayer (Part 2)
from R.C. Sproul Feb 21, 2010 Category: R.C. Sproul
John Calvin’s third rule of prayer was that we must always pray with genuine feeling. Prayer is a matter of passion: “Many repeat prayers in a perfunctory manner from a set form, as if they were performing a task to God . . . They perform the duty from custom, because their minds are meanwhile cold, and they ponder not what they ask.” Keep Reading
