All-in-All Great Savior

Excerpt from Kevin DeYoung post:  Don't Call It a Comeback:  Interviews, Part 4

Tullian Tchividjian, Senior Pastor, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). Tullian is married to Kim and they have 3 children. Tullian writes the chapter titled, “Worship: It’s a Big Deal.”

What does it mean to have a gospel-fueled worship service?

A gospel-fueled worship service is a service where God serves the gospel to sinners in need of rescue—which includes, of course, both Christians and non-Christians. It’s a service where “the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:6) comes through prayer and preaching, sacrament and singing. As it does, we’re given the faith, hope, and love we need to be good news people in a bad news world.

The result of a gospel-fueled worship service is the exposure of both the idols of our culture and the idols of our hearts. The faithful exposition of our true Savior in every element of worship will painfully, yet liberatingly, reveal all the pseudo-saviors we trust in culturally and personally. It will disclose the subtle ways in which we as individuals and as a culture depend on lesser things than Jesus to provide the security, acceptance, identity, protection, affection, meaning, and satisfaction that all of us long for but that only Christ can supply. The praising, praying, and preaching in such a service should constantly show just how relevant and necessary Jesus is.

A gospel-fueled worship service will continually remind us that while we’re all great sinners, Christ is an all-in-all great Savior.