Product Description
Many Christians say that the “style” of worship depends on personal preference. At the same time, preference is often the deciding factor in choosing a church. After all, who wants to attend a church where the worship seems unexciting, unfamiliar, or downright weird?
But what if worship style were more than a matter of personal taste? In Trembling Joy, Pastor Ryan Speck answers that question by turning to the Scriptures, showing how God’s definition and description of worship should impact our own.
Pages: 282
Publication Date: November 2022
Topic: Worship
Endorsements
“Trembling Joy is much needed, not only as an answer to innovative worship practices in modern churches, but also as a challenge to those committed to practicing the Regulative Principle. Speck’s instruction on liturgy and posture is both valuable and relevant, and his biblical defense of the offering as an act of worship and the use of musical instruments displays a balanced approach to the subject. This book is biblically sound, well-researched, and easily accessible to all in the congregation. Pastors and elders in particular should read this book.”
— Joseph A. Pipa Jr., President Emeritus, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
“In this book, Ryan Speck has provided a thorough, well-organized, comprehensive case for worship as historically understood by the Reformed church. The friends of Reformed worship will be encouraged; the rest would do well to consider how their practice of worship might be strengthened by the content, forms, and methods that Speck advocates. I warmly commend his work for your consideration.”
— Terry L. Johnson, Senior Minister, Independent Presbyterian Church
“Worship has always stood at the heart of Reformed theology. We exist to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Salvation in Christ is the means by which God takes us towards this end. Because Christ died for a church, and not merely for individuals, public worship resembles most closely how we will glorify and enjoy God in heaven. This means that we should know as much as possible about how and why we should worship God together now. Ryan Speck fills a tremendous need in Reformed churches today by building a Reformed theology of worship from the ground up. In contrast to many other books on worship, which speak in generalities, Speck gives us concrete direction from Scripture regarding every part of the worship service. I pray earnestly that the Spirit would use this book to help all of us better glorify and enjoy God by worshiping him according to his Word and by knowing why we do so.”
— Ryan McGraw, Academic Dean and Morton H. Smith Professor of Systematic Theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
“One of the dangers we all face when dealing with the subject of worship is that personal preference and polemics have a tendency to distort the discussion. In this work Pastor Speck lays out the Reformed doctrine of worship in whole and in part, and carefully explains the biblical warrant for, and necessity of, each element. He does so with theological precision yet the work does not read like a textbook for divinity students. Rather it is a work that would be helpful for small group study or for a group of elders to work through in considering the worship of their own fellowship. It offers many points for discussion and would be of profit to any congregation. I would heartily recommend this book, and believe it will be of benefit to the Church at large and be used for the reformation of worship in the 21st century.
— Jeff Kingswood, Senior Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church (Woodstock, ON, Canada)
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: Worship Defined
Chapter 2: Corporate Worship Defined
Chapter 3: Biblically Regulating Worship
Chapter 4: The Necessity of Liturgy
Chapter 5: Necessary Distinctions
Chapter 6: The Call to Worship
Chapter 7: Corporate Singing
Chapter 8: Corporate Prayer
Chapter 9: Reading the Word
Chapter 10: Repentance and Pardon
Chapter 11: Monetary Offering
Chapter 12: The Primacy of Preaching
Chapter 13: Confession of Faith
Chapter 14: The Sacraments
Chapter 15: The Benediction
Chapter 16: Sequence of Elements
Appendix A: Exclusive Psalmody
Appendix B: Ecclesiastical Holy Days
Bibliography
About the Author
Ryan Speck is Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Columbia, MO.
