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Potent Corporate Worship

by Ben Zornes · Sep 5, 2022

Corporate worship is an embodied activity. Our body isn’t a flatbed-trailer whose only purpose is to move our brain around from place to place.

This is why we stand, and sit, and kneel throughout various portions of our service. It’s why we apply actual water to actual bodies in baptism; and why we eat real bread & wine with real mouths in the Supper. We sing with actual voice boxes. We raise our hands in the Doxology, and extend them to give & receive the Benediction. We shout our assent in our Amens. We pass the bread & wine to each other. These are various elements that should put us in mind that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Standing and sitting at various parts of our service is part of the choreography, not just indifferent actions. If done well, this choreography adds to the luster of the glory of our worship. Partaking together. Loud joint Amens. The rustle of jointly rising or kneeling. We are one body, with many members, acting as one to offer the praise our Lord is worthy of.

Think of a massive flock of birds, and how as they fly together, their murmuration makes mesmerizing shapes, swirls, and patterns. Thousands of individual birds swaying & flowing & spinning as one. They do so out of creaturely obedience. As saints in the image of God, our worship together should be choreographed with regenerate grace & glory. Your singing, standing, kneeling, amen-ing, eating, drinking, and hand-lifting is both individual & corporate, single & concerted, personal & collaborative.

Know your dance steps. Know your part of this enacted drama that is our service of worship to the King of glory. And offer it all in evangelical faith, with a heart made new, with renewed minds, and with redeemed bodies which are the dwelling place of God Almighty.

The Word chastens us for failing to prize the Lord above all things. Our idolatry knows no bounds, and we find ourselves worshipping and serving all manner of cheap gods. We put little thought to the dance steps of our corporate worship of the Living God; while throwing ourselves helter-skelter into the chaotic dance of self-absorption, self-expression, and selfish gratification. May we never offer strange fire of self-centered worship. By the Spirit, may we be strengthened in the work of worshipping God according to His Word from hearts which sprang to life in the first place from the implanted Word. Our worship is too often anemic because it is drawn from the poisoned well of vain imagination. Our prayer should be that the Lord would make our worship potent as we offer it in accordance with Scripture and in sincere faith, with joy in Christ alongside our fellow saints from every nation, tribe, and tongue.

An Act of Defiance

by Ben Zornes · Nov 2, 2021

This loaf & wine which we partake is an act of defiance. Towards God it is, of course, an act of obedience. But obeying God is often at odds with obedience to man. In our convoluted & rebellious times, this meal is the ultimate counter culture.

They say, “Is there really a God who has come down in our midst?” They mock and scoff, “How could God become a man?” So we lift high this meal which the Incarnate Christ instructed us to faithfully keep, and eat it in defiance of their unbelief. We are like Daniel. We fling open the windows, and pray to our God despite the raging of earth’s princes. Let them see, and let them believe.

They demand that we wrap our faces in shame & fear. “Desist,” they urge. They claim our gathering together is unloving & harmful. While they give hormone blockers to kindergartners, and butcher unborn babies. So we gather around this table, along with our children and grandparents, to defy their fear & folly, as well as their infanticide. By faith, we recognize that in this covenant meal, God promises His blessings to a thousand generations. They are rendering themselves barren, fruitless, and will die in their sins unless they come.

They insist that at the the sound of their Pride parades, we must fall down & pay obeisance to the ever-evolving rainbow flag of sexual perversion. They threaten us with the fire of their fury. Yet, we fear God more than man, He is a consuming fire. They can only cancel Youtube Channels; God can destroy both body & soul in hell (Mt. 10:26). God calls us to come, so we dare not neglect His command just to suit the vanity of their kinks.

Rage as they might, we won’t relent from breaking this loaf & pouring this wine.

So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ…

Odds & Ends I Like Online

by Ben Zornes · Apr 19, 2021

I wanted to highlight a few resources I have found helpful, and commend them to you, my reader. You have gripped your seats with white knuckled worry as you’ve read my posts, wondering, “What hornets nest will he whack this time?” Here is your reward. A grab bag of apps/sites and other resources which I’ve found immensely helpful on a variety of fronts. In full disclosure, a few of these are referral links; that means if you like these as much as I do and purchase the app, you get a discount/promotional rate, and I get a few nickels to keep the lights on here.

With all those formalities out of the way…let us proceed.

YNAB

My momma always joked that my money burned holes in my pockets. However, while seeking to be both generous, frugal, and provide for my children and children’s children, my wife and I hunted for various budgeting systems. We tried envelopes, but found that that made online shopping difficult. We tried a few other apps (i.e. Albert, Mint, etc.). Last year we tried the free trial for YNAB (You Need A Budget), and after the trial expired gladly paid the annual subscription to their software. It has been, hands down, our most responsible year financially. We’ve kept to our budget much better, been enabled to save more and give more than ever before. I’d highly recommend gifting this to young married couples, or folks who’ve gotten into bad financial habits who are willing to do some hard work to get back in the black. The basic principle is that you enter the amount of money you have right now (not what you expect to come in in a few weeks); you then put that money in your “funds”, and then you can link your various accounts or manually enter transactions. If you stay under budget, the money rolls over (in that same fund) to the next month. So we always budgeted $100/mo for gas. But after a few months using YNAB, we realized we were only using about $60-70/mo. This meant we could either reduce our budgeted amount, or let that spare $30 roll-over and pay for future months’ expenses. In other words, you break the paycheck to paycheck cycle.

BLB

As far as Bible software goes, I started using Blue Letter Bible 10+ years ago, and while I’ve dabbled in other programs, I’ve come to use BLB for most of my study/sermon prep. They’ve only improved their desktop and mobile interface. My favorite feature in the app is that you can set the text to autoscroll. This helps with daily Bible reading, because it helps you read quickly, and forces you to not get bogged down in rabbit trails that should be saved for when you have the time to delve into the text. All the original languages and various translations are there. I really appreciate that it doesn’t have many bells and whistles; it keeps the text front and center. It’s free, but I’m sure BLB would appreciate the occasional donation to give some peanuts to the gerbils that power their app and website.

BibleMemory

This was a really great discovery, as years ago I had adopted the “one-letter” Bible memory method. You basically memorize a verse/passage by just using the first letter of each word. See if you can read this one: “I t b G c t h a t e.” Easy peasy, right? Genesis 1:1. Well, the Bible Memory App uses that principle to help you memorize verses. Once you’ve mastered a verse, it automatically sends you a notification at set intervals so you can review it. As you master a verse, the period between reviews gets further apart. I found this really useful in prepping for my ordination exam, as I was able to really solidify various texts that I wanted to cite in case of being asked to prove some difficult doctrine from Scripture. This link will get you a discount on the paid version of the app, but there is a free version that is quite useful as well. The free version doesn’t allow you to create your own “sets” of verses, you just have to use “pre-made” sets.

Spreeder

Lastly, Spreeder is a really useful tool for getting used to speed reading. It also helps to read lengthy texts available in the public domain. For instance, you can copy any text into the browser app (linked below), set how many WPM it flashes, the size/color of the font, and then press play…and…away it goes. I was able to train myself to go from 300WPM to 600WPM. Quite useful for becoming a faster reader, and then allowing you to read any text you can copy/paste online quickly (i.e. articles, public domain books, congressional bills etc.)

No Chaos Village

by Ben Zornes · Mar 14, 2020

Say there was a small village where everyone thought they were the chief. Orders would be always given but never obeyed, and it would inevitably become like a WWE Smackdown. Everyone would want their way, but no one would ever really get what they wanted. The village would become known as Chaos Village.

There is a true King of the World: Jesus. This King gives authority to His brothers and sisters to rule over the territory Heâ€™s given each of them. That territory is your body. A sinful manâ€™s body is like Chaos Village. His head and heart and belly and brain are always in a selfish war.

But the Spirit of King Jesus grants us the grace of ruling well the territory Heâ€™s given us. So be a good king or queen of your body, thoughts, and things. Use it all with wise purpose. Keep a peaceful, well-ordered kingdom. Jesus is the King of everything, and He has made you Kings and Queens under Him. So make sure your body is a â€œNo Chaos Village.â€

Time to Start Rockin’ the Protestant Doctrine of the Civil Magistrate

by Ben Zornes · Oct 27, 2016

Perhaps one thing thatÂ this election season has revealedÂ about the American Church, is our sad neglect of the Doctrine of the Civil Magistrate. We all seem to admit that electing our leaders is important, but some (like John MacArthur) have tried to then, in the next breath, minimize the importance of it and suck the air out of any sort of civic effort.

What we are seeing before us is what happens when Christians abdicate our calling to shapeÂ andÂ create culture, and instead pursue mere power and influence. The goal ought not to be simply to elect folks with “R’s” next to their name; but rather elect men who acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ overÂ all things and submit to the Scriptures as the highest authorityÂ for mankind. The Magistrate, as Calvin and many other Christian writers of times gone by, called it has a high and holy calling; and our neglect of Scriptural teaching on the role and purpose of the governing authorities has brought about the hot mess we find ourselves embroiled in.

Calvin, in his last chapter of the Institutes magnificently presents to us the Doctrine of the Civil Magistrate, and when I recently read through the Institutes I was deeply struck by how insightful, even prophetic, his statements on Civil Government are. First, we must agree that God has in fact appointed the Civil Magistrate. This means, that we are not to view earthly governments as somehow outside of the scope and authority of God’s Word and Law; in fact, if ever there was a realm of authority thatÂ needs the bridle of the Scripture, it is politics! We easily affirm that the Bible should be the authority for individual Christians, families,and churches, but we hesitate to affirm it as the standard to which the Magistrate should submit and subscribe to.

Scripture teaches, in numerous places (Dan. 2:21), that God ordainsÂ the rising and falling of kings. This is notÂ some extra realm where God’s hands are tied and he’s incapable of doing anything. We aren’t taught to hunker down and hope for the best in regards to the peace of our cities, states, or nations. We are taught toÂ discipleÂ nations.Â This means that as the Gospel shapes a culture, that its rulers must also come to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of mankind. Otherwise, the government will assume that it is god and savior.

We hold our pastors & elders to a high standard, for they are ministers of God. According to Calvin, and the historic protestant teachingÂ on the magistrate, we should think of Pastors and Politicians in much the same way. Into the hands of the elders is given the rule of the Church, under the headship of Jesus Christ; woe to them if they preach not the Gospel and teach the faithful teachings of Scripture (1 Cor. 9:16). God has ordained andÂ appointed the elders to task of administering the word and sacrament and the care of the flock of Christ.Â But, in a like manner, He has committed to the Civil Magistrate the task of wielding the sword of justice and protecting and preserving the peace; thus, woe unto them if they fail to acknowledge their calling as under the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ. Calvin puts it wonderfully:

This consideration ought to be constantly present to the minds of magistrates, since it is fitted to furnish a strong stimulus to the discharge of duty, and also afford singular consolation, smoothing the difficulties of their office, which are certainly numerous and weighty. What zeal for integrity, prudence, meekness, continence, and innocence, ought to sway those who know that they have been appointed ministers of the divine justice! How will they dare to admit iniquity to their tribunal, when they are told that it is the throne of the living God? How will they venture to pronounce an unjust sentence with that mouth which they understand to be an ordained organ of divine truth? With what conscience will they subscribe impious decrees with that hand which they know has been appointed to write the acts of God? In a word, if they remember that they are the vicegerents of God, it behoves them to watch with all care, diligence, and industry, that they may in themselves exhibit a kind of image of the Divine Providence, guardianship, goodness, benevolence, and justice. And let them constantly keep the additional thought in view, that if a curse is pronounced on him that â€œdoeth the work of the Lord deceitfully,â€ a much heavier curse must lie on him who deals deceitfully in a righteous calling. <fn>(Book IV, Chapter 20, Section 6)</fn>

Notice the stress he places on the “ordination” of the magistrate/prince, and the heavy calling that is placed upon the ruler byÂ God.Â We show that we’ve been far more influenced by our secular culture when we think that our leaders are simply appointed by human democracy; this is false doctrine in practice. Calvin again:

We say, therefore, that they are the ordained guardians and vindicatorsÂ of public innocence, modesty, honour, and tranquillity, so that it should be their only study to provide for the common peace and safety.Â <fn>(Book IV, Chapter 20, Section 9)</fn>

To very many it seems that among Christians the office of magistrate is superfluous, because they cannot piously implore his aid, inasmuch as they are forbidden to take revenge, cite before a judge, or go to law. But when Paul, on the contrary, clearly declares that he is the minister of God to us for good (Rom. 13:4), we thereby understand that he was so ordained of God, that, being defended by his hand and aid against the dishonesty and injustice of wicked men, we may live quiet and secure.Â <fn>(Book IV, Chapter 20, Section 17)</fn>

This reality that the rulers have been appointed and ordained by God should cause them to tremble. Calvin drives this point home and stresses that ourÂ elected officials are in fact “ambassadors of God”, and this carries with it a great curse if they pollute their earthly tribunalÂ of justice, and a great blessing if they dispatch their office with the understanding that they are merely servants of God:

This admonition ought justly to have the greatest effect upon them; for if they sin in any respect, not only is injury done to the men whom they wickedly torment, but they also insult God himself, whose sacred tribunals they pollute. On the other hand, they have an admirable source of comfort when they reflect that they are not engaged in profane occupations, unbefitting a servant of God, but in a most sacred office, inasmuch as they are the ambassadors of God.Â <fn>(Book IV, Chapter 20, Section 6)</fn>

Finally, Calvin goes so far as to say, that this office is the most sacred & honorable in mortal life:

With regard to the function of magistrates, the Lord has not only declared that he approves and is pleased with it, but, moreover, has strongly recommended it to us by the very honourable titles which he has conferred upon it. […]Â Wherefore no man can doubt that civil authority is, in the sight of God, not only sacred and lawful, but the most sacred, and by far the most honourable, of all stations in mortal life.Â <fn>(Book IV, Chapter 20, Section 4)</fn>

We need not think in a sacred/secular divide, and try to leave “politics” to the devil. In fact, if we are to be thoroughly biblical, this is a doctrine we must start rockin’ and rollin’ with. This doctrine demands the amps to be cranked up to 11, and taught boldly from our pulpits. The “state”Â has the tendency to become an unrestrained beast if it is not kept in check by the faithful teaching of its proper role in the ordering of our nation. More should be said on this…which I hope to get to soon.

In Defense of the History Major

by Ben Zornes · Jun 8, 2016

I Might Be a Joke, But My MajorÂ Isn’t

As the joke my brother tells goes, “how do you get a history major off your doorstep? Pay him for the pizza!” He is currently pursuing a lucrative career in business management & administration, and, back in the day, I chose to be aÂ history major; which is certainly a less lucrative enterprise.

I heard on the radio aÂ few months back that many school are electing to replace history class with courses that are more sensory and will actuallyÂ prepare students for a life in the globalist & tech driven economy of the 21st century. As the thinking goes, no one can provide a curriculum that presents a cohesive history of past events, and it is always going to be lopsided (after all those who write the history textbooks control the perception of what happened).

But, as a history major, I would very much resent the idea of a wholesale disposal of historic instruction. I think vocationalÂ preparation is of great importance and would highly encourage a return to a master/apprentice model. And I suppose I might add that I would also very much like a dissolution of the entire behemoth of the Department of Education. The DMV should be enough of a reminder that government has noÂ business overseeing the education of our children, nor do they have much skill in it. [Read more…] about In Defense of the History Major

30 Years Together

by Ben Zornes · Jun 7, 2016

Dear Mom & Dad,

Today marks the 30th anniversary of your wedding vows. What a ride life has taken you on; the twists and turns in the plot of your story make Dickens, Austen, and Tolkien look like they were writing â€œSee Dick Runâ€ books. Ups & downs. Riches & poverty (but mostly poverty). Good times & bad.

Through it all, together.

Together is a good word isnâ€™t it?

It speaks at once of the unity and diversity that makes Christian marriage so glorious. It denotes that there are different & separateÂ entities, but somehow united. As Christians we know that the one who does the uniting isnâ€™t a priest, magistrate, or even the couple; but rather â€œWhat therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder (Mk. 10:9).â€

Iâ€™ve been there for a large portion of those 30 years. Four years into my own marriage, myÂ appreciation, respect, and admiration for your faithfulness to each other has only been augmented and deepened. Neither of you have been perfect, but together you both gave meâ€“and my brothers and sistersâ€“the nearest picture of Godâ€™s perfect plan for mankind.

A husband and wife in marriage reminds us of the Eden lost andâ€“for the New Testament ageâ€“the promised Eden to come; we see two separate entities joined in one happy state. Heaven & earth, God & man, (though still distinct) were once perfectly united. The fall bungled that. But in Christ, God and man are reunited, the Kingdom of Heaven is permeating earth and will do so until it covers the earth as water covers the sea.

Dad, thanks for going to work every day, to provide for us, clothing and feeding us by the long hours at a desk; planning lesson outlines, meeting with troubled teens, or leading those crazy youth all-nighters! Or even further back, rising when it was still dark to shine your boots to serve our country. In more recent years, thank you for sticking to it, even when dreams fell apart, the path got hard to make out, sickness hampered progress, and youthful energy began its decline.

Mom, thanks for seeing the folly of government run education and determining to raise your children to know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. Your patience with me alone is deserving of a presidential medal of honor, not to mention the other kiddos that you are still homeschooling! Crazy! Your doggedness for truth and honor have made me the man I am; and inspired many souls to seek more fervently after the Lord Jesus.

Your 30 years together have blessed hundreds if not thousands of lives. Now, especially through your children and grandchildren, that tally will only continue to grow exponentially. A hundredÂ years from now there will be little children with the last name Zornes, who will trace their lineage to your faithfulness. Because you have been loyal to follow Godâ€™s Word in raising your children, there is His promise to bless your children, and childrenâ€™s children.

Those Zornes, a century from now, willâ€“by Godâ€™s graceâ€“go to church, worship God, read their Bibles, and then when they are grown,Â start godly families of their own; and, again, all because Amy was the only girl who could return Tomâ€™s volleyball serve!

Iâ€™ve watched you both face the trials and remain unflinching. Iâ€™ve watched as the trials have grown larger, harder, more subtle even, and still youâ€™ve stayed together; counting Godâ€™s Word of greater authority than your own convenience, feelings, or comfort. Youâ€™ve stared down cancer, financial trials, the buzz-saw of church politics, a rascally son like me, and job uncertainty with faith in the Lord.

You may have wobbled and wavered, teetered and tottered, but here you are with 30 years of loyal love and a godly heritage to show for your selflessness, and sacrifice. Even sinful mistakes have, by grace alone, been used by God to correct, warn, and instruct our whole family. Like John Newton said in his fine hymn, Begone Unbelief:

Since all that I meet shall work for my good,
The bitter is sweet, the medicine is food;
Though painful at present, wilt cease before long,
And then, O! how pleasant, the conquerorâ€™s song!

As Iâ€™ve reflected on how to thank you, a memory came to my mind. We were on vacation in Southern Colorado (the trip that was Scoobyâ€™s last). We needed a night in a hotel, but Iâ€™m sure that the budget was tight (as it usually was). I remember that we stopped at a payphone (kids, that was a thing in 90s), probably to find a nearby vet (Scooby was in a bad way).

One or both of you just made a statement to the effect that God would provide for us and our needs, and then dad went to the payphone to make his call. When he came back, he was grinning from ear to ear; he had found four $20 bills sitting in the phonebook â€¦ enough for a night at Motel 6! It is a thousand moments like thatâ€“all of us together, mom & dad trusting God to take care of usâ€“that have made me into the man I am, inspired me to become an even better one, and given me a model for what I want my little family to be.

Your togetherness has not only made me, it also shaped me…and most of the godly attributes in my life are directly because of the grace given to me through witnessing the faithful marriage of my parents. I got to sit on the front seat of two imperfect people, showing me the perfect picture ofÂ Christ and the Church; and largelyÂ by your love & togetherness, I came to love Christ and His Church

If the first 30 years together have been this good, just think what the next chapter holds?!

With Love,

Your Son

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