Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

If you love your children; if you would bring down the blessing of heaven upon your families; if you would have your children make their houses the receptacles of religion when they set up in life for themselves; if you would have religion survive in this place, and be conveyed from age to age; if you would deliver your own souls—I beseech, I entreat, I charge you to begin and continue the worship of God in your families from this day to the close of your lives... Consider family religion not merely as a duty imposed by authority, but as your greatest privilege granted by divine grace.

From Donald Whitney's book Family Worship.

For a great resource to help you lead your family in worship, check out the Rizers—fun, original music that helps kids memorize Scripture. Listen to the Rizers here.

The Rizers

A band that sings Scripture verses in the form of upbeat, kid-friendly music. Check out The Rizers.

Matthew Henry:

If therefore our houses be houses of the Lord, we shall for that reason love home, reckoning our daily devotion the sweetest of our daily delights; and our family-worship the most valuable of our family-comforts...A church in the house will be a good legacy, nay, it will be a good inheritance, to be left to your children after you.

From Donald Whitney's book Family Worship.

For a great resource to help you lead your family in worship, check out the Rizers—fun, original music that helps kids memorize Scripture. Listen to the Rizers here.

The Rizers

A band that sings Scripture verses in the form of upbeat, kid-friendly music. Check out The Rizers.

C.H. Spurgeon:

I trust there are none here present, who profess to be followers of Christ who do not also practice prayer in their families. We may have no positive commandment for it, but we believe that it is so much in accord with the genius and spirit of the gospel, and that it is so commended by the example of the saints, that the neglect thereof is a strange inconsistency...

I agree with Matthew Henry when he says, "They that pray in the family do well; they that pray and read the Scriptures do better; but they that pray, and read, and sing do best of all." There is a completeness in that kind of family worship which is much to be desired.

From Donald Whitney's book Family Worship.

For a great resource to help you lead your family in worship, check out the Rizers—fun, original music that helps kids memorize Scripture. Listen to the Rizers here.

The Rizers

A band that sings Scripture verses in the form of upbeat, kid-friendly music. Check out The Rizers.

As I prepared to preach from Luke 5 recently, God impressed on me to look at the history of the Pharisees. You may have heard the part of their story where they challenged Jesus and felt they were above God, but the details of how the Pharisees came to power and prominence were a shocking challenge to my religious heart.

From Exile to Occupation

The story began 600 years before Luke 5. God’s people, the nation of Israel, had fallen into sin and false worship of other gods. God’s judgment came on them as they were invaded and carried into exile in Babylon. God’s people had to repent of their sin and figure out how to be his people in a foreign nation.

Seventy years later, Babylon was conquered by the empire of Persia. The new king allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and worship together. Under the leadership of Ezra, they rebuilt the temple, and under Nehemiah they rebuilt the city and a protective wall around it. The Persians did not allow them to appoint a king, so the priests, left to themselves, became the highest authority.

Persia was conquered by a Greek, Alexander the Great, a few hundred years later. The Greeks also left God’s people to themselves, but Greek culture was a force to be reckoned with. Bit by bit, year by year, the Jews began to take on more and more Greek language, literature, and, eventually, the worship of their many gods—including the construction of monuments to Greek gods in the Jewish Temple.

From Compromise to Revolt

The Jewish people were sharply divided among those who favored assimilation into Greek culture and those who held fast to God’s Law (the Scripture) and temple worship under the Law. This divide culminated in revolt as the traditional Jews took up arms against the Greek Jews in the Maccabean Revolt (165 B.C.). The more traditional Jews won and restored the temple and leadership under the High Priest.

It was out of this time of idolatry and conflict that a new movement began to rise up from within the Jews. They were disgusted by the compromise of so many of their brothers. Their movement was marked by two distinct values:

• They were known as the most expert and accurate expositors of Jewish Law; they were the Bible guys of their day in the midst of cultural compromise.
• They believed that God’s standards for purity were not just intended for the temple, but for all of life. In this they were also the worship guys of their day, saying, “This isn’t just about things you do in a certain building at a certain time of the week. It’s about all of life to God’s glory!”

You can probably guess what they were called: the Pharisees.

From Righteous to Religious

What happened? Their message could not be more familiar to us: “The Bible is the highest authority and you should live all of life to the glory of God!” How could something that started so right go so wrong—as we know it did by Jesus’ time?

Somewhere along the way, the Pharisees’ power and authority became an end in itself. Somewhere the leaders grew to love the sound of their own voices. Somewhere, at least in their own minds, their words became equal with God’s.

The reality is that becoming a Pharisee can happen to any of us. And if you think it could never happen to you, then maybe it already has.

If you would like to hear the whole sermon I preached on this, it's called "Gospel Heals, Religion Kills."

ESV Study Bible

The ESV Study Bible is our Bible of choice. To show how good the notes are, we’ve posted some free study notes on the Trinity. Read them here.

Martin Luther:

Abraham had in his tent a house of God and a church, just as today any godly and pious head of a household instructs his children in godliness. Therefore such a house is actually a school and church, and the head of the household is a bishop and priest in his house.

From Donald Whitney's book Family Worship.

For a great resource to help you lead your family in worship, check out the Rizers—fun, original music that helps kids memorize Scripture. Listen to the Rizers here.

The Rizers

A band that sings Scripture verses in the form of upbeat, kid-friendly music. Check out The Rizers.

We have all likely heard of the public ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. However, his private ministry in his home may be even more compelling as he gives a profound example of what it means to pastor your first church body—your family.

Spurgeon says:

“If we want to bring up a godly family, who shall be a seed to serve God when our heads are under the clods of the valley, let us seek to train them up in the fear of God by meeting together as a family for worship.”

Susannah, his wife, describes the nightly scene at their house:

“After the meal was over, an adjournment was made to the study for family worship, and it was at these seasons that my beloved’s prayers were remarkable for their tender childlikeness, their spiritual pathos and their intense devotion. He seemed to come as near to God as a little child to a loving father, and we were often moved to tears as he talked thus face to face with his Lord.”

A visitor tells of his evening in the Spurgeon home:

One of the most helpful hours of my visits to Westwood was the hour of family prayer. At six o’clock all the household gathered into the study for worship. Usually Mr. Spurgeon would himself lead the devotions. The portion read was invariably accompanied with exposition. How amazingly helpful those homely and gracious comments were. I remember, especially, his reading of the twenty-fourth of Luke: “Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.” How sweetly he talked upon having Jesus with us wherever we go. Not only to have Him draw near at special seasons but to go with us whatever labour we undertake...

...Then, how full of tender pleading, of serene confidence in God, of world-embracing sympathy were his prayers... His public prayers were an inspiration and benediction, but his prayers with the family were to me more wonderful still... Mr. Spurgeon, when bowed before God in family prayer, appeared a grander man even than when holding thousands spellbound by his oratory.

Spurgeon, despite a schedule that would crush most and physical ailments that would cause the rest us to tap out, maintained this time with family regardless of his circumstances or company. It was his great joy to do so. May it be the same with us.

Sources and Further Reading:

• Family Worship: In the Bible, in History & in Your Home by Donald S. Whitney
• C.H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography by C.H. Spurgeon, Susannah Spurgeon, and J. W. Harrald.
• Spurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore

For a great resource to help you lead your family in worship, check out the Rizers—fun, original music that helps kids memorize Scripture. Listen to the Rizers here.

The Rizers

A band that sings Scripture verses in the form of upbeat, kid-friendly music. Check out The Rizers.

In my previous post, I spoke of the importance of regular times of family worship. I have three daughters aged 5, 6, and 8, and I have failed as much as succeeded. Here are a few things I've learned:

1. Keep it short

I would recommend 15-30 minutes, as a general rule. If things are going well, you can always keep the conversation going, but the goal should be brevity. If you make a discussion too long, it will become tedious and can actually turn your kids away from God. This time should be an overflow of all the Scripture, prayer, and discussion going on in the rest of your lives—not the only place where it happens.

2. Read

Most importantly, family worship is a time for Scripture. Make sure to read small chunks, maybe only a verse or two, at a time and then unpack it together. You can go through a book of the Bible, pick a verse that applies to the day’s events, or choose something topical. The important thing here is connecting Scripture to life in a way that your kids can understand. For younger kids, the The Jesus Storybook Bible is pretty hard to beat.

3. Pray

Everyone should pray together. Thank God for what he has done and how he has provided. Take requests. Pray for each other. Pray for your city and specific lost people in your lives. Remember that you are building a rhythm, which is just as important as any specific prayer.

4. Sing

It doesn’t matter if you can play an instrument or your voice curdles milk—we should all sing songs to God. Scripture is full of song, and our families should be as well. Truth be told, you are probably more of the problem with this than your kids. Young kids naturally sing all the time without any self-consciousness. Get over your hang-ups and desire for perfection and just sing together. My girls and I are making family songbooks as a creative project, and they’re stoked.

5. Keep it regular

The sum is greater than the parts. You will have off days. You will miss days. You may even question your call to ministry. Whatever happens, just keep at it and God will make you equal to the task.

6. Older kids set the example

If your oldest kid is not engaged, your younger ones will follow. Challenge your oldest children to set the example for their siblings. Give them a bit of ownership and a role in how you structure these times, and it will be a huge help.

7. Limit TV

I’m not saying kill your television completely, but there is no doubt in my mind that excessive TV rots the attention span. If your kids, or you for that matter, can’t pay attention to anything for more than two minutes, then think about what other entertainment might be captivating your senses.

For a great resource to help you lead your family in worship, check out the Rizers—fun, original music that helps kids memorize Scripture. Listen to the Rizers here.

Red Letter Music

Music from the Mars Hill band Red Letter. Pay what you want and download the full album now from Re:Sound.

As a pastor who leads others in worship through song and teaching, there is an overwhelming temptation to value what happens in public over what happens in private. It’s so easy to value public gifts over private faithfulness, and what happens on a stage more than what goes on in your closest relationships. This is true in many areas, but one of the most troubling is the neglect of fathers in leading their families in regular times of family worship.

Your Family: Your First Ministry

Before anyone can qualify to lead others through preaching, teaching, or song, they have to first be able to lead their family. This responsibility falls first and foremost on fathers, who are charged by God to bring their children “up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). This is one of the foundational qualifications for leadership, “for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (1 Tim. 3:4–5) We are called to diligently teach our children both as a lifestyle and in specific times as we gather (Deut. 6:6–7).

The sad truth is that for many Christians, leaders or otherwise, this foundational time of fellowship and instruction simply never happens.

I was deeply convicted of my inadequacy in this area when I heard Don Whitney lecture from his excellent book Family Worship a few years ago. I was on autopilot with my family. My schedule was full and I felt very important to be so busy. I got up every day, went right into work mode, and returned every evening tired, spent, and looking to turn my brain off. I had everything backwards as I neglected my first and most important congregation—my family. I had no idea the opportunity I was missing; an opportunity to speak into my daughters’ young lives—not to mention the unequaled joy of seeing my kids grow in faith in Jesus.

There is nothing like walking in on my oldest daughter journaling her thoughts on the scripture we just read, or my youngest stating a profound observation when she appeared to only be dreaming of “My Little Ponies”—and I was missing it.

Lead Your Family

Leaders, make no mistake: if you neglect to lead your family in regular family worship, you have disqualified yourself to lead anyone else! If that is you, like it was me a few years ago, don’t throw in the towel. We serve a God of grace and new life. Repent of your neglect and start something new in your family today. Don’t wait! It’s not as hard as you might imagine, and even when it is hard, you are cultivating soil that will produce a harvest.

In my next post I will give you some practical ideas to get started.

One great resource to help you lead your family in worship is the music of The Rizers, the latest Re:Sound release. The Rizers have created an album of fun, original music that helps kids memorize Scripture. Check out the Rizers here.

The Rizers

A band that sings Scripture verses in the form of upbeat, kid-friendly music. Check out The Rizers.

What do record company executives do in their spare time? The question may conjure up images of excess and debauchery, but in one case the answer is a little different.

Scripture-Pop for Kids

Tyson Paoletti has helped run Tooth & Nail Records in Seattle for the better part of the last decade. He and songwriter, freelance designer, and friend Greg Lutze came up with the idea for an album of Scripture based, guitar-pop worship songs for kids. Both members of Mars Hill Church, they are artists and fathers trying to figure out ways to establish Scripture memory as a value in their families. What began as a series of jingles to help memorize Bible verses became a full-length album of music you can’t get out of your head, joined to lyrics of straight Scripture.

Listen to the Rizers:

Pay What You Want

Re:Sound exists to show music that is theologically unified, stylistically diverse and musically excellent. Today we make good on the stylistically diverse part of the equation. We are offering four songs from The Rizers’ first album for whatever you think they are worth. Check out these songs here and the whole album on iTunes. Also stay tuned in the coming weeks for lots more info on this project, family Scripture memory, and what it means to lead your family in worship in a regular basis.

You can get the full album from the Rizers here:

1. iTunes
2. Amazon MP3
3. Physical CD

The Rizers

A band that sings Scripture verses in the form of upbeat, kid-friendly music. Check out The Rizers.

When I came to Mars Hill Church over ten years ago, I had never owned an electric guitar or been in a real band. I was an acoustic guitar-playing, worship-leading youth group poster-child with hippie tendencies. This didn’t go over well when I showed up at Mars Hill. At that point Mars Hill was known for dim light, incense burning, and experimental rock bands. Virtually every musician was a new Christian who had been in many bands, worked in music professionally, and even toured.

A huge musical shift began for me. Instead of my previous diet of Dave Matthews, Bruce Cockburn, and Phil Keaggy, I started going to local shows and was drawn to the Seattle indie-rock scene. I got my first electric guitar, nerded out on amps and effects, and started a band. My acoustic guitar lived an isolated existence for the next 8 years.

Recently, this changed. Over the past year, I have led many small groups in song with just an acoustic: at staff meetings, for students in Re:Train, during community group training, for Acts 29 events, during family song nights, and on and on. During the reawakening of my acoustic guitar, I’ve learned a few things:

Turning Down the Effects Turns Up the Music

If a song can’t stand on its own with an acoustic guitar and a few voices raised together, it needs more work. Effects and instrumentation shouldn’t be used to cover up a poor song. If you can’t strip it all away, and still have substance that moves hearts to worship Jesus, then you’re relying too much on technology, tricks, and gear.

You Learn to Lead, Not Perform

Worship leaders exist to lead others in song; not to perform for them. If you can’t stand on your own and sing your guts out with just a guitar and lead others to do the same, then you need to grow as a leader. I’ve been leading worship for a while now, but leading more in small groups on acoustic has given me significantly more confidence and insight in how to lead others than leading with an electric.

Acoustic Lets You Try New Things

When it’s just you and your acoustic, you can be more sensitive to the people you are leading and, most importantly, the Holy Spirit. If you want to be able to “go with the Ghost” you have to practice and grow in your confidence just like anything else. This year I’ve seen spontaneous prayer, words of prophecy, healings, and rich times of fellowship with God—all in small groups raising their voices in song. Now, by God’s grace, these things are starting to make their way into our main services. Coincidence? I think not. We’re almost charismatics!

I’m still a fan of large bands and worship teams leading God’s people in fist pumping shouts of praise to our great God. But no matter how big your church, seek the opportunity to lead small groups of people in song—and don’t forget your acoustic!

For any questions or comments go to our Facebook group or follow me on Twitter.

Re:Sound

The musical arm of the Resurgence offers music that is theologically unified, stylistically diverse, and musically excellent. Find out more.