Released in the UK July 2008
Released in the US September 2008
Trade paperback | 144 Pages
9781845503734 • £6.99 $10.99
BISAC – REL012120
Lifesong
Bible–centered worship for the Emerging Generation
Oliver Claassen
Do we think about worship?
In the ‘emerging’ generation ‘worship’ is something to do with style, rather than substance. A matter of live–and–let–live choice.
But pure worship is declaring with our words and lives that God is more important to us than anything else – that he is our deepest desire and that he is worth more than anything else we hold dear. God alone is worthy of worship because he alone is righteous.
Louie Giglio points out that worship is simply about value. Our worship is a response to what we value most. If we consider that a person, a thing, or an experience is what matters most then we are willing to sacrifice in order to get it. Worship is coming before the ‘throne’ of what is of ultimate value to us.
In the Old Testament the priests would build an altar on which to offer the sacrifices to the One whom they worshipped. In order to find your altar of worship just follow the trail of how you use your time, energy, money and affections. The more time you spend before that throne, the more your life will reflect what or whom you worship.
It is time to re–engineer what we value most so that worship is something that truly honors God. Some values we hold dear will have to be cast aside, some new ideas adopted, still others will need to be strengthened.
Oliver Claassen
Prior to his passing on to glory following a six year battle with cancer, Dr. Oliver Claassen was the Senior Pastor of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Cape Coral, Florida.
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Christian Focus
The great value of this work on worship is its rooting in Scripture, its powerful and sustained focus on the glorious person and work of Christ, and the demonstration of the relevance of worship to all of life... May the Lord be pleased to use this book in His worldwide church to recapture the heart and dynamic of a God-centered worship where God's redeemed creatures glory in His worthship and every sphere of life pulsates with worship.
Vernon Light
Principal, The Bible Institute of the Eastern Cape, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
"To contextualize God's Word lovingly without compromising its truth requires great skill and a gospel heart. Dr. Oliver Claassen has both. Dr. Claassen helps a much larger audience understand the difference between worshipping worship and worshipping God. Both the style and content of this book reflect the heart of a man passionate about God's glory, and pastorally committed to leading God's people into a more faithful and engaging experience of God's worship in line with the truth of the gospel."
Scotty Ward Smith
Founding Pastor, Christ Community Church, Franklin, Tennessee
Outstanding! Oliver brings clarity to one of the most misunderstood subjects of my 20 years in student ministry. He looks at what the Bible actually says about God's desire for and from His worshippers. This is written for those of us who want more than a superficial discussion of what worship is and is not; but without the lingo only theologians can understand. All over the country I am asked about worship, now I will point them to this book. Thanks Oliver.
"This is not just a ‘how to' book on worship for today's generation. Dr. Claassen draws on his considerable knowledge of the issues surrounding biblical worship today and combines this with an obvious love and concern for God's glory to inspire the reader to worship in a way that is Gospel-powered, Christ-centered, God-honoring and life-transforming. The author reveals his pastoral heart and cross-cultural missions' background by writing in a style that is accessible to ‘the emerging generation' and applicable to the reader's situation, wherever that may be. The reader will be convicted of the importance of worship, educated in the biblical principles of worship and challenged by the all-embracing nature of biblical worship."