Overview

"Mountains occupy a significant place in Scripture, often functioning as ""thin places"" of transcendence where God draws near and makes himself known to people who respond with worship. The overarching metaphor of God's presence can be traced through biblical history as we stop at seven mountains to provide an overview of the spiritual realities present in corporate worship. Paul Engle invites you to explore the biblical views and stories, in chronological order, from Sinai, Zion, Carmel, Gerizim, Hermon, Olives and then the heavenly Zion. By the time our trip is completed, you will have a fresh appreciation for the awesome privilege and rewards of coming into God's presence in God-centered assemblies."

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9781629955971

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A handbook for worshippers . . . a mountain map to teach them what it means to gather for worship and the impact that worship can have on their lives. -- Scott M. Gibson David E. Garland Chair of Preaching, Baylor University's Truett Seminary An imaginative journey through the Bible. . . . Because worship is central to Christian life, a book like this . . . is most welcome. Fresh breezes blow through its pages. -- David F. Wells Distinguished Senior Research Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Dr. Engle leads us on a mountain-climbing expedition that shows us how God calls us to worship. . . . We are shown the centrality of God in worship and how this can enhance our present earthly worship. -- Dominic A. Aquila President, New Geneva Theological Seminary Engle uses the stories of seven mountains in Scripture to remind us of the trinitarian God who is what worship is all about. -- Douglas J. Moo Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies, Wheaton College

"An imaginative journey through the Bible that is organized around visits to seven of its best-known mountains as a way of showing the true nature of worship. Because worship is central to Christian life, a book like this, in which the author has dug deeply into Scripture, is most welcome. Fresh breezes blow through its pages.--David F. Wells, Distinguished Senior Research Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Bible readers are mountain climbers, because the biblical authors and poets often invite us to meet the Lord in high places. Engle takes us to a series of summits and uses lively prose to recreate these high-elevation revelations. What is more, he demonstrates how these mountaintop experiences motivate and direct our worshipful response.--John A. Beck, Adjunct Faculty, Jerusalem University College; Author, Along the Road and The Holy Land for Christian Travelers Does your heart long for deep, meaningful worship? Do you wish that God himself had given us a blueprint for worship? When God Draws Near shows how he has done just that! Herein Dr. Paul E. Engle provides a biblical theology of worship from Genesis to Revelation, taking the reader from Eden to the heavenly Jerusalem. If you desire God-centered, soul-satisfying worship, this is your book!--Timothy K. Hoke, Acting Vice Chancellor, African Bible University Dr. Engle confronts the global crisis of man-centered worship and its tendency to dominate the evangelical church. He writes, ""The great divide in some quarters of the Christian community is not formal vs. informal or contemporary vs. traditional worship but God-centered vs. man-centered worship."" This book insightfully takes us on an exciting journey of redemptive-history ""mountaintops"" in order to reclaim God-centered, biblical worship and bring us Coram Deo!--Bob Penhearow, Founder and Senior Lecturer, Carey International University of Theology; Editor, Systematics for God's Glory Dr. Paul Engle is a master teacher. I have been the beneficiary of his teaching ministry many times. Paul provides compelling insights about the subject he treasures the most: the worship of our great God. I am grateful that he has chosen to make the profoundly insightful discoveries he has acquired through his extensive travels and studies accessible in book form.--Rev. Bernie Lawrence, Senior Associate Pastor, Christ Covenant Church, PCA, Matthews, NC Dr. Paul Engle provides a much-needed resource to the church in his book When God Draws Near. The book clearly unfolds not only who the covenant God is but also how he wants his people to worship him in his presence. I wish that this book had been available to me when I started out as a pastor forty years ago.--Bruce Cresswell, Associate Pastor of Senior Adults and Visitation, Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, North Carolina I first experienced and learned God-centered worship, as a seminarian, from my senior pastor and intern supervisor, Dr. Paul Engle. So you can imagine my personal delight to read his fresh, redemptive-historical tour of the mountain peaks of Old and New Testament worship. Theologically rich, engaging to read, and filled with unexpected implications, Paul's book will energize us as we weekly climb Mount Zion in the heavenly Jerusalem to join the myriad of angels and those who have gone before us in praising our ascended King Jesus.--Robert D. Jones, Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Author, Pursuing Peace and Uprooting Anger I guarantee that no one will be bored while reading Paul Engle's new book, When God Draws Near. Engle is a captivating tour guide who leads his readers through hiking expeditions to seven mountains that are featured prominently in Scripture--each mountaintop experience proving foundational to a biblical understanding of worship. Engle is also a riveting storyteller who weaves his firsthand accounts of climbing these mountains together with significant truths about worship. The result is an utterly fascinating and interesting read.--Rory Noland, Director, Heart of the Artist Ministries; Author, Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven If our chief purpose is to ""glorify God and enjoy him forever,"" then no other activity is as important to the believer's well-being as worship. In When God Draws Near, Paul Engle describes the biblical and theological terrain that shapes this spiritual landscape. Thoughtful and engaging, this book will transform your understanding of what it means to approach God.--John Koessler, Faculty Emeritus, Moody Bible Institute; Author, Practicing the Present In When God Draws Near, Engle focuses the heart of biblical worship on the presence of God dwelling with his people. In this accessible and creative book, which examines seven mountains from the Bible, he presents the crucial bookends of creation and consummation within a progressive, unfolding biblical theology of worship. His final two chapters, on the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion above, are especially moving and motivating for the church today as we participate in heavenly worship through Christ by faith. I heartily recommend When God Draws Near as a great resource for teachers and learners in the educational ministry of the local church.--Mark Dalbey, President and Associate Professor of Applied Theology, Covenant Theological Seminary This insightful and helpful book can serve as a handbook for worshippers--as a mountain map to teach them what it means to gather for worship and the impact that worship can have on their lives. Moving from Genesis to Revelation, Paul Engle takes readers on a biblical journey of mountaintop worship that enables them to see what God is doing in them and among them as they worship--as they meet the God of the universe and experience his presence.--Scott M. Gibson, Professor of Preaching and David E. Garland Chair of Preaching, Baylor University's Truett Seminary This is a timeless and refreshing mountain-climbing guide that provides an illuminating perspective on what worship is. John Muir once said, ""The mountains are calling, and I must go."" When God Draws Near: Exploring Worship from Seven Summits summons us to delight in the vistas that worship creates by pondering what worship is.--Darwin K. Glassford, Executive Pastor, Harderwyk Ministries, Holland, Michigan Today's church is both divided and confused about worship. Our focus is too often on satisfying human needs rather than on offering praise to our eternal God. Paul Engle uses the stories of seven mountains in Scripture to remind us of the trinitarian God who is what worship is all about.--Douglas J. Moo, Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies, Wheaton College; Chair, Committee on Bible Translation What an intriguing and readable book on worship geography! Whether or not your worship this Lord's Day felt like a mountaintop experience, Paul Engle uses the mountains of the Bible to explain what happens when Christians gather for worship--and how we might do it better.--Michael Wittmer, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology and Director of the Center for Christian Worldview, Cornerstone University When God Draws Near is a fascinating study of worship that explains it through the lens of seven biblical mountains and applies it to the daily life of every Christian. My reading was rewarded with a steady flow of interesting biblical information that was enriched by the personal experiences the author gained while traveling in the Middle East and elsewhere. The author adds layer upon layer of insight into the images and theology of worship, filling the word worship with meaning and motivating the reader to delight in our calling to be worshippers. I heartily recommend the book.--Craig Brian Larson, Editor, The Preacher's Toolbox series; Blogger, Knowing God and His Ways Worship as a mountaintop experience--who knew? Worship is an event for believers, but it is too often misunderstood. A prevailing notion is that worship is about ""me""--a notion that emphasizes personalities and performance. A ""me""-centered worship service can easily turn into a therapeutic session. When God Draws Near provides a biblical and insightful corrective. Mountains are massive and imposing--intended to make us feel small but hopeful. Dr. Engle leads us on a mountain-climbing expedition that shows us how God calls us to worship on his holy mountain. From the garden to the New Jerusalem, we are shown the centrality of God in worship and how this can enhance our present earthly worship.--Dominic A. Aquila, President, New Geneva Theological Seminary Worship has been Paul Engle's lifelong pursuit--in his own spiritual life as well as through his teaching, preaching, and writing. When God Draws Near: Exploring Worship from Seven Summits gives us his own ""sermons on the mounts""--on peaks that are familiar to us from the Old and New Testaments. Each of the seven summits--Sinai, Zion, Carmel, Gerizim, Hermon, the Mount of Olives, and the heavenly Zion--offers a unique high vantage point from which we can view worship. Engle's own experiences climbing these mountains brings immediacy to his wise insights.--Lee Eclov, Senior Pastor, Village Church of Lincolnshire, Lake Forest, Illinois; Author, Feels Like Home"

An imaginative journey through the Bible. . . . Because worship is central to Christian life, a book like this . . . is most welcome. Fresh breezes blow through its pages. -- David F. Wells Distinguished Senior Research Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Engle uses the stories of seven mountains in Scripture to remind us of the trinitarian God who is what worship is all about. -- Douglas J. Moo Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies, Wheaton College A handbook for worshippers . . . a mountain map to teach them what it means to gather for worship and the impact that worship can have on their lives. -- Scott M. Gibson David E. Garland Chair of Preaching, Baylor University's Truett Seminary Dr. Engle leads us on a mountain-climbing expedition that shows us how God calls us to worship. . . . We are shown the centrality of God in worship and how this can enhance our present earthly worship. -- Dominic A. Aquila President, New Geneva Theological Seminary

Author Information

Paul E. Engle (MDiv, Wheaton College Graduate School; DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is an ordained minister who taught as a visiting instructor in the doctor of ministry and practical theology departments of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, New Geneva Theological Seminary, Knox Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Dallas Theological Seminary. He also teaches church leaders in the Philippines, Romania, Uganda, Cuba, and East Asia. He is the author of eight books, including The Baker Wedding Handbook.

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