The heart of the biblical understanding of idolatry, argues Gregory Beale, is that we take on the characteristics of what we worship. Employing Isaiah 6 as his interpretive lens, Beale demonstrates that this understanding of idolatry permeates the whole canon, from Genesis to Revelation. Beale concludes with an application of the biblical notion of idolatry to the challenges of contemporary life.

Many churchgoers assume that worship is inherently boring, something we need to make exciting. But as Jonathan Landry Cruse shows, churchgoing only seems monotonous and mundane because our eyes are blinded to the supernatural wonder that is taking place all around us. In this book, Cruse helps us perceive the significance of worship and guides us through the spiritual actions of a worship service. Once you recognize how God is doing something to us and for us and through us in each element of the service, Lord’s Day worship will become the highlight of your week! Table of Contents: Foreword by Michael S. Horton Part 1: Introduction 1. What Happens When We Worship? Part 2: A Brief Theology of Worship 2. The Most Important Thing We Will Ever Do 3. We Are Being Shaped 4. We Meet with God 5. God Renews His Covenant 6. We Submit to God’s Agenda 7. We Commune with the Saints Part 3: The Parts of the Service 8. God Calls Us 9. The Verdict Is Pronounced 10. Jesus Gets Up to Preach 11. God Feasts with Us 12. We Get a New Name 13. We Sing a New Song Part 4: Conclusion 14. Extraordinarily ordinary Worship 15. Preparing for Worship

“What is at stake is authenticity. . . . Sooner or later Christians tire of public meetings that are profoundly inauthentic, regardless of how well (or poorly) arranged, directed, performed. We long to meet, corporately, with the living and majestic God and to offer him the praise that is his due.”—D. A. CarsonWorship is a hot topic, but the ways that Christians from different traditions view it vary greatly. What is worship? More important, what does it look like in action, both in our corporate gatherings and in our daily lives? These concerns—the blending of principle and practice—are what Worship by the Book addresses.Cutting through cultural clichés, D. A. Carson, Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes, and Timothy Keller explore, respectively:· Worship Under the Word· Following in Cranmer’s Footsteps· Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom· Reformed Worship in the Global City “This is not a comprehensive theology of worship,” writes Carson. “Still less is it a sociological analysis of current trends or a minister’s manual chockfull of ‘how to’ instructions.” Rather, this book offers pastors, other congregational leaders, and seminary students a thought-provoking biblical theology of worship, followed by a look at how three very different traditions of churchmanship might move from this theological base to a better understanding of corporate worship. Running the gamut from biblical theology to historical assessment all the way to sample service sheets, Worship by the Book shows how local churches in diverse traditions can foster corporate worship that is God-honoring, Word-revering, heartfelt, and historically and culturally informed.

You are what you love. But you might not love what you think. In this book, award-winning author James K. A. Smith shows that who and what we worship fundamentally shape our hearts. And while we desire to shape culture, we are not often aware of how culture shapes us. We might not realize the ways our hearts are being taught to love rival gods instead of the One for whom we were made. Smith helps readers recognize the formative power of culture and the transformative possibilities of Christian practices. He explains that worship is the "imagination station" that incubates our loves and longings so that our cultural endeavors are indexed toward God and his kingdom. This is why the church and worshiping in a local community of believers should be the hub and heart of Christian formation and discipleship. Following the publication of his influential work Desiring the Kingdom, Smith received numerous requests from pastors and leaders for a more accessible version of that book's content. No mere abridgment, this new book draws on years of Smith's popular presentations on the ideas in Desiring the Kingdom to offer a fresh, bottom-up rearticulation. The author creatively uses film, literature, and music illustrations to engage readers and includes new material on marriage, family, youth ministry, and faith and work. He also suggests individual and communal practices for shaping the Christian life.

"The question I am asking in this book—Do we worship the same God?—is already being addressed.…No simple, single answer has emerged. Yet the interplay of responses has been thoughtful and generous, indicating that, at least for right now, the discussion itself is more important than the answer." —from the Introduction Are you a Catholic curious to learn more about Islam? What exactly do Muslims believe? How do those beliefs differ from your own? What do Muslims believe about Jesus? Mary? Satan? Creation? The Holy Spirit? Do we worship the same God? In Do We Worship the Same God? Comparing the Bible and the Qur'an, George Dardess, a Christian expert on Islam, provides a wealth of information about the teachings of both Christianity and Islam to help readers themselves discern if Christians and Muslims worship the same God. He gives a brief introduction to the history of Islam, draws parallels between Jesus and the prophet Muhammad, and compares what the Bible and the Qur'an (the holy book of Islam) teach about creation, Satan, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, prayer, the Jihad, judgment, heaven and hell, and more. In clear and easy-to-understand language, Dardess guides readers who want to engage in dialogue with Muslims on how to answer the question "Do we worship the same God?"—a question of increasing importance since September 11. Chapters end with guided discussion questions.

Something is missing from our worship today. We are a people with faith but without fruit. We worship with our minds but not with our lives. We sing with our lips but not with our hearts. We've traded knowing God for inconsequently knowing about God. You Are What You Worship is not about worshiping with a song; it's about worshiping with your whole life. It's about beholding the Creator and becoming the creature you were made to be. This is a call for all who wish to follow Jesus and live out their true purpose. It's a call to worship both in spirit and in truth, to value what God values, and to worship as God desires to be worshiped.

Why do you lead worship? Often the motives are mixed. You find yourself wanting to point people to Jesus but also feeling a desire to be noticed and praised, to make yourself the center of attention. Stephen Miller is the worship pastor for a large church of young, energetic Christians. He and his band record albums and lead worship for conferences all over the country. He knows the temptation to make himself the show, to pursue fame, to seek the applause of other people. And he has learned to want nothing to do with it. In this book, Miller exhorts his fellow worship leaders to make Jesus the center of all their efforts. He teaches how to do this with Scripture, teaching, prayer, story, and song. In all, Miller’s call for worship leaders is to lead worship, whole-hearted and whole-minded exalting of God, rather than making a spectacle out of it. Worship Leaders, We’re Not Rock Stars will encourage and challenge worship leaders by clarifying their purpose and identity, and by doing so will bless those they lead.