This is the on preaching podcast with H.B. Charles Jr.

The podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.

Good day and thanks for listening to the podcast.

In this episode, I want to talk to you about the public reading of scripture.

When I am visiting churches or observing churches online, there are several underrated elements of worship that I look to, look for to get a sense of congregational health and strength

and direction. Sure, I'm listening to the preaching.

I want to see and hear if the preaching is text driven, biblically fateful, doctrinally sound,

but there are other elements that I am also paying

attention to to get a general sense of the church that I am visiting or observing. One of those is

corporate singing. The Bible in the new testament just when it brings up singing it

typically tells us to be singing to one another indeed our singing first of all is to the

lord we are to sing praise to his high and holy name and bless him for all that he has done

for us in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But passages like Ephesians 5 and

Colossians 3 in their references to singing indicate a second audience if you will we are to be singing to

one another to build one another up in the faith so i think it's important that to healthy churches

will be singing together lifting their voices to the Lord in grateful praise through song.

I have nothing against worship leaders and music bands and praise teams and choirs.

We have them all at our church where I serve.

But no praise team, no worship worship leader no choir is to do the congregations praising

for them that the church as a body of believers should be lifting up their voices together

in praise to God the second thing I'm paying attention to is

is pastoral prayer. There are some churches that basically have no meaningful time of prayer.

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