Message Notes

LIFE IS LITURGY (4)

JULY 27, 2025 | STEVE PIXLER

Psalm 118:19–24 (ESV): 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.

22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is THE DAY that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

SEIZE THE DAY (CARPE DIEM)

Creation shows how God “made the day.” He first created time: “In the beginning.” God shaped the first day he made into evening and morning. He then created the sun, moon and stars on the fourth day to rule the night and day and to be for “times and seasons, days and years.”

Yet, before time, God framed “the times.” He predestined “the seasons.” Before there was temporal time, there was eternal time. Before there was mundane time, there was meta-time. Before there was chronos, there was kairos. Indeed, God created “time” to become the manifestation of “the times.” (The ages.)

Hebrews 11:3 (NRSV): 3 By faith we understand that the worlds (aionas, the ages, eons, epochs of time) were prepared (framed) by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11 (ESV) 1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: (List of times…) 11 He has made everything beautiful IN ITS TIME. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Time was created to be the stage upon which God’s eternal purpose would be played out. Just as space and matter were created to become Word made flesh, just so the day that the Lord made was created to manifest “the fullness of time.” God created time to manifest his eternal purpose.

God then brought humans into partnership with him so that earth–time could harnessed and aligned with heaven–time. God created the day (evening and morning) so that he could bring human history into alignment with divine destiny.

This is how God redeems time.

When God placed Adam in the garden, the first earthly temple, God formed liturgy, which is worship-shaped-time, to redeem time. God taught humans about morning and evening sacrifices to establish the motions and rhythms of worship that would sanctify time and devote our temporal days to God’s eternal purpose. God taught humans about what Paul calls “the oikonomia of the pleroma of the kairos” — “the administration of the fulness of the times” (Ephesians 1:10).

God taught Israel how to redeem time. Redeeming the time began each day with morning and evening sacrifices. The sanctified days formed the sanctified week, with the Holy Sabbath as its goal. The sanctified weeks flowed into sanctified months, which formed the building blocks of the lunar, liturgical Hebrew calendar. The months became years, the years were grouped into sevens (sabbath years), and seven sevens became the Jubilee. The Jubilees became centuries and centuries became millennia—all shaped by the divine day.

Then, when Christ came and fulfilled the Mosaic economy (oikonomia),  the early Christians reframed time around the Christ story. No longer was liturgical time arranged around the sun, moon and stars—now time was arranged around Christ. (Galatians 4:8-11) The cruciform Daily Office flowed into the Liturgy of the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, echoing Christ’s resurrection, and then the weeks flowed out into the yearly rhythms of the gospel story: Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and Ordinary Time. All this was done with the understanding that this is how God redeems time. Indeed, all of human history was divided into “Before Christ” and “Anno Domini, the Year of Our Lord.”

Yet, all the epochs of time hang on “THE DAY.” The day is the building block of the ages, and time cannot be harnessed until the day is devoted. Life is shaped by whatever we do daily. Our lifetime is made up of our days. “So teach us to number our days,” the psalmist prayed. (Psalm 90:12)

So—if we may put it precisely—God’s eternal purpose is manifest in THE DAILY. Daily, priestly, household-ly worship is the matrix through which heaven flows into earth. This is the day the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it!

Morning and evening prayer is God’s strategy for filling the earth with his glory. When we pray, we act as human portals for the presence of God, and when the presence of God flows through us, the glory of God fills the earth.

→ Malachi 1:11 (ESV): For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in EVERY PLACE incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

When we pray, the words of our mouth become a Spirit–river flowing out of the temple of our body into the wilderness of the world around us. When we devote morning and evening to priestly prayer, we devote our days. And when we devote our days, we devote our lives.

→  Acts 2:42; 46 (ESV): And they DEVOTED themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 46 And day by day (DAILY), attending THE TEMPLE together and breaking bread in their homes (FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE), they received their food with glad and generous hearts.

The secret sauce of the early church was “THE DAILY.”

God created morning and evening worship to be the hinges of our day, the fulcrums of prayer that bend chronos into alignment with kairos. Morning and evening prayers punctuate time, puncturing the veil between heaven and earth and forming portals through which the kingdom comes. Morning and evening prayers are the first fruits of time that sanctify the whole day, morning and evening, to the Lord.

When we devote the morning and evening to God in prayer, we invite divine appointments. When we choose to “rejoice and be glad” in “the day that the Lord has made,” then we summon divine rendezvous. We make space in the mundane for the miraculous.

This is how we SEIZE THE DAY. We take hold of the morning in prayer and devote the daylight hours to the Lord. Then, at night, we take hold of the evening in prayer and we devote the nighttime hours to the Lord.

It seems so simple, yet it is the mechanism by which God redeems time and aligns our days with his eternal purpose. When we pray morning and evening, eternity breaks in upon time and shapes human history. When we pray, we stand as priests between heaven and earth, eternity and destiny, past and future, and we mediate the eternal into the temporal. We infuse time with eternal significance. Through us, kairos irrupts into chronos, and time is redeemed.

This is how we make our day the day the Lord has made!

LIFE IS LITURGY (3)

JULY 20, 2025 | STEVE PIXLER


Malachi 1:11 (ESV): For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in EVERY PLACE incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

1 Timothy 2:1–3, 8 (ESV): 1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a PEACEFUL (SHALOM) and QUIET (TRANQUIL) life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

8 I desire then that in EVERY PLACE the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.

Ephesians 6:10–20 (ESV): 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer  and supplication.

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:10–20, ESV)

Acts 2:42; 46 (ESV): And they DEVOTED themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

46 And day by day (DAILY), attending THE TEMPLE together and breaking bread in their homes (FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE), they received their food with glad and generous hearts.

 

LIFE IS LITURGY (2)

JULY 13, 2025 | STEVE PIXLER

INTRO:

“You were created to be a priest of my presence, and your life is liturgy.”

— Define liturgy (leitourgos / leitourgeo): Liturgy means “order of worship,” but it carries both the idea of “priestly” and “habitual.”

— Life is liturgy by default or by design. It’s the way God designed the cosmos. Humans are creatures of habit. (Genesis 1:14-19)

— We are what we worship, and we worship what we serve. Thus, what we serve is what we become. We become whatever we do daily.

— We must DISCIPLE THE DAILY! And when we disciple the daily, we disciple the world. DISCIPLESHIP = DOMINION

THE BIG PICTURE:

Malachi 1:11 (ESV): For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in EVERY PLACE incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

  1. From the rising to the setting of the sun: A twin metaphor for “the whole world” and “the whole day.” Implicit in this statement is the idea that what we do daily (morning and evening sacrifices) disciples the world.

  2. The discipling of the world happens through the decentralization and multiplication of priestly ministry (liturgy). The multiplication of daily, priestly ministry is the key to the coming of the kingdom!

DAILY OFFERINGS IN THE EARLY CHURCH:

The Malachi promise that “in EVERY PLACE incense will be offered to my name” was fulfilled when the veil was torn in the temple, releasing the pent up Presence of God, and when the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. At Pentecost, the living Presence of God was multiplied in believers as the living temple of God.

The Day of Pentecost inaugurated a shift from THE TEMPLE to THE HOUSEHOLD, and the daily offering of incense was fulfilled in the morning and evening prayers of THE DISCIPLES' DAILY DEVOTION.

Acts 2:42; 46 (ESV): And they DEVOTED themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

46 And day by day (DAILY), attending THE TEMPLE together and breaking bread in their homes (FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE), they received their food with glad and generous hearts.

The worship of the early Christians described in this passage show three powerful principles:

  1. IT WAS DAILY

  2. IT WAS PRIESTLY

  3. IT WAS HOUSEHOLD-LY

The DAILY, PRIESTLY, HOUSEHOLD-LY ministry was “the ministry of the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15) that started at home and flowed out into their metrons (assigned area of influence” – 2 Corinthians 10:13, 15). It was a DAILY, PRIESTLY rhythm of morning and evening sacrifices that became the New Covenant fulfillment of “incense in every place.” And it started at home!

The ministry of the saints is the priesthood of all believers, and it was transferred by the outpoured Holy Spirit through the torn veil of the temple into the hearts and homes of all believers. The worship of the true and living God was recentered and restored to KINGOM HOUSEHOLDS (oikos) that were aligned to and authorized by THE APOSTLES in Solomon’s Portico at the temple.

Believers were taught by the apostles in Solomon’s Portico, and then they took home what they heard and “DEVOTED themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” under the oversight (eventually) of elders and deacons who governed the house churches.

The secret sauce of the early church was HOUSE CHURCHES!

Believers recovered the forfeited authority of the kingdom oikos, and priestly worship was reattached to the home. The restored authority of fathers/mothers in the family/household became the basis for the extension of the ekklesia into their homes. Because they understood kingdom authority, they were able to host apostle/elder/deacon governed house churches in their homes without fracturing the body of Christ.

First century believers understood, then, that the “big church” gathering is all about THE MINISTRY OF THE MULTITUDE (calling all people to worship publicly) and THE MINISTRY OF THE FIVEFOLD (Ephesians 4) equipping believers beyond Sunday for “the work of their ministry,” THE MINISTRY OF THE SAINTS in their metron.

(This is what we have called “3D EKKLESIA.”)

CONCLUSION

“You were created to be a priest of my presence, and your life is liturgy.”

How do we put this into action? Here’s how:

  1. THE DAILY: We harness the power of habit and become intentional about our daily liturgy. We “redeem the time” (Ephesians 5:16).

  2. THE PRIESTLY: We learn how to “praise, pray and prophesy” every morning and evening as a daily, priestly, household-ly liturgy.

  3. THE HOUSEHOLD-LY: We consciously and deliberately recover by the grace of God the kingdom–oikos authority that belongs to our house. We see our homes as “the seat of government” for our metron. We administrate (oikonomos) the government of our home and family life under the authority and for the glory of King Jesus.

INVITATION

Today, Holy Spirit invites us to:

  1. Recognize that we are called to be king–priests.

  2. Recognize that our household is our seat of government, our palace–temple.

  3. Make a decision and take action to practice morning & evening sacrifices DAILY.

LIFE IS LITURGY (1)

JULY 6, 2025 | STEVE PIXLER

Malachi 1:11 (ESV): For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in EVERY PLACE incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV): And they DEVOTED themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

46 And day by day (DAILY), attending THE TEMPLE together and breaking bread in their homes (FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE), they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people.

And the Lord added to their number day by day (DAILY) those who were being saved.

The early church was born in an upper room in the temple, but the temple was slated for destruction after Christ fulfilled its ministry, its sacrifices and priesthood, at the cross—which meant that the priestly ministry of the temple was being shifted into house churches. (Acts 2:42-47)

  1. DAILY

  2. IN THE TEMPLE

  3. AND FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE

The priestly ministry (leitourgeo) of the temple has become the ministry of the saints, the priesthood of all believers, and it is meant to be done at home and in the world. And it is meant to be done DAILY. (The weekly pattern of “Lord’s Day” corporate worship arises soon after.)

So here are the three ideas I am after today:

  1. The priestly ministry of the temple was shifting away from the soon-to-be-destroyed physical temple in Jerusalem to all believers in Christ. We are the living temple of God!

  2. The priestly ministry of all believers is the ministry of the saints, and it is restored to the household: the ministry of the saints starts at home! Then, the ministry of the saints extends from our household into our work, our neighborhood, our community, our world. The household (oikos) is a kingdom embassy, the seat of government for your kingdom metron. The family is refamiliated and repatriated (Ephesians 3) and becomes the model, mediation and manifestation in the earth of the heavenly CHRIST–CHURCH relationship. (Ephesians 5) The secret sauce of the self-replicating kingdom is that it is decentralized away from the temple and into our households. Though we still gather in large groups for weekly public worship and fivefold impartation, the goal of all large gatherings is to channel kingdom authority into our households as the home-base for our kingdom metrons.

  3. The priestly ministry of the saints done in the household must be done DAILY. It is only through the rhythms of morning and evening sacrifices (praise/prayer/prophecy) that our time is redeemed and our generations are discipled. Our LIFE IS LITURGY by default or by design, so when we align the rhythms of life on earth with the heavenly temple, we sanctify our TIME/SPACE/MATTER and manifest the kingdom "on earth as it IS in heaven."

CONCLUSION

What must we do?

  1. Recognize that we are called to be king–priests.

  2. Recognize that our household is our seat of government, our palace–temple.

  3. Make a decision and take action to practice morning & evening sacrifices DAILY.

INVITATION

Who is ready to be anointed as a God–called king–priest?

You will never find your purpose in life apart from worship—apart from “liturgy.” Your life is liturgy whether you know it or not, so it is time to intentionally and strategically redeem your time and live your life as a priest of the Most High God.

RESOURCES

Daily Lectionary App: https://www.chpublishing.co.uk/app/lectionary

Lectio365: https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/

The Daily Office: https://www.dailyoffice2019.com

ESV Daily Office Reading Plan: https://www.esv.org/subscription/

Example of background music: https://youtu.be/Xx1MjhzKcYw?si=SZNTSpbXDp3Z2BOg

Submit your favorite! stevepixler@gmail.com