Restoring Kingdom Builders

If you could plan four worship services – using anyone throughout church history – what would they look like?

Last time, I mentioned which venues, musicians, and vocalists I’d select, along with the hymns and praise songs.

Today, I’m choosing the performance songs, readings, and preachers.

Next, I’m choosing various artists to sing one performance song at each venue.

Bono and the boys from U2 will sing “Magnificent.”

Bob Dylan will sing “When He Returns.”

Twila Paris will sing “How Beautiful.”

Chuck Girard will sing “Little Pilgrim.”

During communion, we’ll have readings from these Christian books, which have meant so much to me over the years:

*Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

*The Cross of Christ by John Stott

*Knowing God by J. I. Packer

*Loving God by Chuck Colson

The preachers?

They have to be biblically accurate, Christ-centered, passionate, and touch both the head and the heart.

That certainly narrows the field considerably.  My selections:

*Charles Spurgeon.  He is still widely read today, 177 years after his birth.  I read from the collection of Spurgeon’s writings Beside Still Waters: Words of Comfort for the Soul every day.  He was stout and smoked cigars, but Spurgeon loved Jesus, and everybody knew it.  He could have you laughing one minute and weeping the next.  Since I’m unaware of any recordings of Spurgeon preaching (he died in 1892), my guess is that many believers would flock to hear the Prince of Preachers just one time.  By the way, you can buy many of his best writings on Kindle for next-to-nothing.

*Charles Colson.  In 1986, I attended the Congress on Biblical Exposition in my hometown of Anaheim.  It was an all-star cavalcade of preachers: John Stott, Chuck Swindoll, Howard Hendricks, Stuart Briscoe, Stephen Olford, J. I. Packer, and many others.  It was the first time I had ever heard Colson speak, and he blew me away.  The man is fearless, a true prophet of Jesus Christ, who proclaims the truth with confidence and wisdom.  Time after time, when the mainstream media wants a leading evangelical Christian to comment on a news story, they select the wrong people.  If they just went to Colson every time …

*Bill Hybels.  It’s been fashionable to criticize Willow Creek recently, not for their message, but for their methodology.  In typical fashion, no one has been more honest about his church’s shortcomings than Hybels.  Bill is humble, wise, strong, and a master communicator.  More than anyone else, I’ve patterned my preaching style after his.  Years ago, I used to write my message and then listen to his tapes because if I heard him preach first, I’d want to steal everything he said.  A pastor friend introduced me to him one time, and he seemed genuinely interested in me – a rarity among Christian leaders.  God bless you, Bill.  What a treat it would be to hear you preach among all these great preachers …

*Dr. Curtis Mitchell.  Dr. Mitchell taught Bible at Biola for many years.  I had six classes with him, and while my grades fluctuated, he taught me more about the Bible than anyone ever has.  Whenever I heard that he’d be preaching somewhere in Southern California, I’d try and hear him speak.  Mentored by J. Vernon McGee (whom he brought to class one day as a guest lecturer), Dr. Mitchell eventually became an interim pastor at Nutwood Street Baptist in Garden Grove (where I ended up on staff several years later).  When he preached for an hour, it seemed like a minute.  He wasn’t great interpersonally (Kim’s dad invited me to join him and Dr. Mitchell for dinner one night, and he seemed uncomfortable), but he was both convincing and humorous in the pulpit.

How about this for a service lineup?

“Magnificent” – U2

“My Glorious”

Welcome and Invocation – Johnny Cash

“Holy, Holy, Holy”

Reading from The Cross of Christ by John Stott

Communion

“At the Cross/When I Survey”

Prayer

Message – Charles Spurgeon

Offering

“There is a Redeemer”

Benediction

Well, that’s my lineup.

Want to try constructing one yourself?

Go ahead – dream a little!