Bryan Chapell

In Christ-Centered Worship, Bryan Chapell claims “where the gospel is honored, it shapes worship.” Chapell first establishes his case by historical observation, outlining the shape of the gospel common to pre-Trent Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and modern liturgies. He demonstrates how Christians of varying traditions have consistently agreed upon a “flow of liturgy [that] reflects the pattern of progress as the Gospel moves through the heart of the believer.” Having commenced his show more argument from history, Chapell then grounds his argument in Scripture. Though he admits the Bible contains no explicit mandate for the form of Christian worship, he highlights a consistent gospel pattern of worship running through both testaments.

While Chapell’s argument is formed in the context of liturgical worship traditions, his appeal to the gospel touches all worshippers. His breakdown of each worship component is a valuable aid for planning both liturgical and contemporary worship services alike.

Christian worship is often the subject of much debate and dissension. It is remarkable, then, to find that one, unchanging story has consistently framed Christian worship across the centuries: the story arch of the gospel. For Bryan Chapell, the reason is simple. Christians love Jesus. Christians do not have to be told to form worship services in the shape of the gospel, but “we cannot love him without extolling his greatness, confessing our weakness, seeking his goodness, thanking him for his grace, and living for his glory.” We cannot help but return his love according to the manner in which we received it. We cannot help but worship him in the shape of the gospel. For this reason, Christian worship has historically followed the flow of the gospel in the general order: Adoration, Confession, Assurance, Thanksgiving, Petition, Instruction, Charge and Blessing.

The Bible contains no mandates concerning the form of a Christian worship service. However, the Bible is full of gospel-shaped examples of worship. The prophet Isaiah is a perfect example of one who beheld God’s glory, was immediately moved to confess his sinfulness, received assurance of God’s restoring grace, was moved in turn to serve God and receive his instruction, and was sent out with a charge and blessing (Isa 6:1-13). It is a pattern of proto-gospel and response that can be found all across the Hebrew Bible, from Sinai to Solomon and on to the prophets. It is a pattern continued in the New Testament, whether in Paul’s epistles or John’s Apocalypse. Chapell’s point is not to divine a strict Christian liturgy from biblical proof texts, but he highlights the fact that biblical worship consistently follows the pattern of the gospel.

In this way, the Bible establishes both freedom and structure. Christians are afforded the freedom to worship God according to the form that best fits their varied circumstances. The Bible affords pastoral leadership broad discretion in determining the best means of worship presentation. And yet, Christians dare not worship in a manner that diminishes the gospel or any facet thereof. Christian worship is careful to proclaim the fullness of the gospel, as “to ignore essential elements of the gospel necessarily damages it.” Therefore, Christian worship proclaims the full range of gospel truth in the form most conducive to the immediate context of the local worshipping community.

By grouping the components of historic Christian worship and exploring the gospel essence of each in turn, I believe Chapell has provided the Church with powerful insight. As the core of evangelicalism shifts away from liturgical worship, many Christians find themselves in a tug of war. On one hand is the wisdom of ancient tradition. On the other hand is a form of worship with great “ability to connect with people.” The choice between ancient wisdom and contemporary authenticity feels like a no-win proposition. However, I believe Chapell’s approach holds the key for synthesizing the best of the liturgical and contemporary forms of worship.

Whereas many contemporary worshippers would balk at the mention of creeds, collects, antiphonal readings, and the like, they love to adore God. They know they are sinners, and they are moved to respond to God’s grace. They pray. They hunger for the Word. They seek a God-given sense of purpose and long for his presence to go with them out into the world. In short, they embrace every aspect of liturgical worship as Chapell has defined it! The terms Chapell has used to distill the essence of historic, gospel-shaped worship (Adoration, Confession, Assurance, Thanksgiving, Petition, Instruction, Charge and Blessing) are terms that all worshippers – liturgical and contemporary alike – can grasp enthusiastically. By parsing out worship in these terms, Chapell has cut through the “smells and bells” and helped the worship leader to translate the essence of gospel-shaped worship into his or her relevant context.

Of course, one worship component stands out against all others: confession. Every contemporary worship service is full of adoration and assurance. Christians never fail to pray prayers of thanksgiving and petition. The pastor always supplies a message from God’s Word. Even the most informal gathering closes with a word of benediction. Confession, however, is strange. Knowing that confession is the component most often neglected in the contemporary setting, I do wish Chapell had endeavored to provide a bit more practical advice for the practice of confession in contemporary worship. Perhaps confession can be incorporated into the song selections, though I wonder if this can be accomplished consistently every week. Perhaps it can be incorporated into a pastoral prayer each week, though I wonder if it touches the hearts of the worshippers adequately when it is never spoken by the congregation. Personally, I feel as though Chapell has not provided the answer for incorporating confession in a contemporary setting, but he has raised the right questions for further meditation and study.

When the apostle Paul determined to strip away every superfluous hint of human wisdom and simply convey the golden core of the Christian faith, he “decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). This, he said, was to ground the faith of his hearers in the power of God (1 Cor 2:5). According to Chapell’s survey of historic Christian worship, the Church got the memo. Down through the centuries and across cultural and denominational lines, the Church has stood in the power of God as she has shaped herself around the gospel of Christ. Gospel-shaped worship is the power of God to offer Jesus Christ as a present reality again and again. As cultures shift, worship styles and applications shift accordingly. And yet, Christ remains. Christ remains, and he calls his Church to proclaim his gospel afresh in the language of her hearers, that they too may know and respond to his love. show less

This was a refreshing read on multiple levels!

I've struggled lately to find books addressed explicitly toward Christians in the secular workplace, often finding more for those in ministry--or secular books with a "feel-good" nod to biblical principles that don't sufficiently flesh it out, or end up having questionable exegesis altogether. Enter this book, a welcome addition to the likes of Tod Bolsinger's Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change.

Chapell does a show more great job at reminding the reader that work for the glory of God will not always be "glamorous" according to the world's standards--but by God's standards, we can still work for His glory and shine His light ... something much more significant (on all levels) and long-lasting. In a world that tells us to "do you" and pursue our own preferences/desires, Chapell calls us back to verses such as Col. 3:23 and notes that "There's a higher priority than you in the workplace" (eARC loc. 594).

I've been reading a fair few books targeting self-care lately, and this one does wonders at addressing the topic as it relates to our careers, vocations, and working for God's glory. An excellent resource.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. show less

First sentence (from the introduction): Though it happened several years ago, I could take you to the precise location where a dear woman, who loved me and wanted to protect me, whispered a warning. As I passed her pew to greet early arrivers for the worship service, she caught my arm and pulled me down close enough that no one else could hear her say, "My friends say you don't believe that Jesus is coming back."

Bryan Chapell takes readers on a journey through four views of the 'end days' show more in his newest book. The views are Dispensational Premillennial (with a side dose of Progressive Dispensational Premillennial), Historic Premillennial, Amillennial, and Postmillennial. He shares what makes each unique and different. He references the history of these positions in the church throughout the centuries. Some views are relatively 'new' and others are more ancient. He gives an overview of each and mentions "famous" theologians/pastors who've held those views and are associated with those views. After walking readers through what makes each view different from one another--in an organized and logical way--he then shares what all views have in common. He focuses on things that unite believers instead of dividing them. Much of the book is spent on two issues: how do believers interpret Old Testament prophecy in regards to Israel and in regards to the church? where does Israel fit into God's future plans? Each of the four views (five views really) has answers on these points.

It's not fair, of course, to say it is spent on two issues...it's just that that is the root of all the other issues, topics, and subjects. Much time is spent on the rapture, the second coming, the millennial reign, judgment, new heavens and new earth, etc. But why the views differ comes back to the root issues--the Israel question, if you will.

It is meant to be an introduction to a subject. He is not trying to bring all the depth and substance. He wants to cover the basics of each in a reader-friendly way. To be honest, if he went into more depth I'm not sure I could have gone with him without drowning.

The book does offer discussion questions for each chapter and summaries. I definitely appreciated the "Digging Deeper" appendix.

One thing that I want to mention is that this was my first time hearing that there were three premillennial views to choose from. I'd never heard of progressive dispensationalism OR historic premillennialism.

This one has given me much to think about. show less

In Christ-Centered Preaching, Bryan Chapell (Chancellor of Covenant Seminary in St. Louis) provides a unique and important contribution to the study of preaching. In much the same manner as Robinson’s Biblical Preaching and Vines’ Power in the Pulpit, Chapell strives to recover the importance and beauty of the expository sermon for his readers. Expository preaching, “puts people in immediate contact with the power of the Word” (31). Chapell is quick to dispel any notion, however, show more that his is just another text on preaching.

In chapter one, the author reveals his theological cards when it comes to the preached Word and writes, “preaching accomplishes its spiritual purposes not because of the skills or the wisdom of the preacher but because of the power of the Scripture proclaimed” (26). The preacher, then, is responsible to present the Word, explain the Word, and make exhortations based upon the Word (86). “The efficacy of the truths in God’s message rather than any virtue in the messenger,” he writes, “transforms hearts” (26).

This conviction – that God is the active agent in the preaching event – is woven throughout the entire book, and comes to full fruition in Chapell’s instruction that every sermon must have Christ at its most foundational point. It is this aspect of his instruction on preaching – “to disclose where every text stands in relation to Christ” – that seems to be noticeably absent from other preaching textbooks (279).
Critique

One major contribution of his text is his instruction to discover the Fallen Condition Focus of a text during sermon preparation. The preacher must search for, “the human concern that caused the Holy Spirit to inspire this aspect of Scripture,” and once discovered, the preacher is given the key to discovering the importance of the passage in the lives of his congregation (48). Once he discovers the Fallen Condition Focus (FCF), the preacher can search for a contemporary parallel in the life of his hearers that helps them realize the modern-day application of the ancient text. This emphasis on the FCF provides a biblical means of discerning God’s intended application of a text, whereas other methods that instruct the preacher to study culture and keep abreast of current movies and books places the authority that governs application outside of Scripture.

Another major contribution of Chapell’s book is that it is noticeably theological in nature. Rather than follow a portion of a chapter of theology with seven chapters of exegetical method and six chapters of the importance of water for a healthy throat, Chapell finds a much healthier balance between theology and practice. He maintains great insight into sermon preparation, yet never loses sight of the goal, “to sweep listeners up into the glory and the power of the Spirit’s revelation” (139).

His greatest contribution to the conversation lies in the final chapters of the book. In these chapters, he lays out a case for redemptive preaching. Such preaching comes about when it “specifies an FCF indicated by a text and addresses this aspect of our fallenness with the grace revealed by the text” (270). Christ-centered preaching is not searching for Jesus behind every rock and crag in the text in the hope that he will appear if one only look hard enough. Nor is Christ-centered preaching the type of allegory that permeated the medieval period. Christ-centered preaching strives to reveal each passage’s relation to the work of Christ. Every text is either predictive of Christ’s work, preparation for Christ’s work, reflective of Christ’s work, or the result of Christ’s work (282). The duty of the preacher is to discern this relationship between written Word and living Word and communicate that to the congregation.

Chapell’s instruction as to discover the intended meaning and application of the text as it relates to the work of Christ Jesus provides the student with the means to follow Spurgeon’s “bee-line to the cross” without making assumptions and impositions upon the text that simply do not belong. That provision stands as the greatest highlight of this text, and the greatest gift of this book to this preacher. show less