PRAYER IS EXPECTED…
In His teaching on the proper heart behind spiritual disciplines, Christ highlighted three which were commonly practiced in His day – giving, fasting, and prayer.  Each discipline is introduced with the adverb when (when you give [Matthew 6:2]; when you fast [Matthew 6:16]; when you pray [Matthew 6:5]).  The interpretation is that such disciplines are expected.  The application is to do it!

PRAYER IS A PRIVILEGE…
In His instruction on prayer, Christ begins with a direct address of “Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9)  Comprehend that.  We are privileged to directly communicate with the Great I AM, the Sovereign of the Universe, the Ancient of Days…God!  We do not need a priest.  We do not need a pastor.  We can talk to Him directly because of the work of Christ (Matthew 27:51).  I confess that I often jump right from my introductory “Father…” or “Lord…” without considering the magnitude of the privilege of prayer.  So, on this National Day of Prayer, pause as you begin your prayer and reflect on the magnitude of the privilege of not only being able to say His name but the assurance that He hears us (1 John 5:14)!

PRAYER IS MODELED…
There are so many passages – in both the narratives of the Gospels and Acts as well as the instruction of the Epistles – from which we could draw a model for prayer.  But where better to turn than the instruction of Christ Himself to His disciples in Matthew 6:9-15? Often, I hear people excuse their lack of prayer (and I know because I have done this myself!) by saying they don’t know how to pray.  Christ’s instruction lays out a simple but helpful acrostic – A C T S.

Christ begins His instruction with “Our Father…”  Of course, we are not limited to only directly addressing the Father (cf. John 14:13-14; Romans 8:26-27).  The point is that God must be the focus of our prayer…in a word, our prayers should be VERTICAL!  So often I want to run right to the horizontal realities which are driving me to pray in the first place.  As a great starting point, the “A” reminds us of this – Adoration.  I have found that when my prayers begin with Adoration, I am much less tempted to be “me-focused”, and there is a proper reverence and humility from which the rest of my prayer can flow.  Christ models this: “hallowed (make holy, sacred) be your name…your kingdom come…your will be done (vertical) on earth as it is in heaven (vertical).”

For the sake of the acrostic, let’s jump to verse 12 and highlight the need for “C” – personal Confession: “forgive us our debts.”  When is the last time you have considered the infinite debt you owe to the Father?  In the hustle and bustle of life, I often sail through the waters of my life on the breeze of a lack of spiritual introspection.  The concept of forgiveness (the canceling of a debt owed) is one that very rarely bubbles to the surface of our daily perspective.  We are often quick to lower our sights on those who have offended us and focus on their need to grovel or confess to us.  And, yet, every moment of every day should be lived in the constant awareness of the massive debt we have been forgiven – if we have in fact been transformed by Jesus Christ (cf. Colossians 3:13).  And just because we have been positionally justified does not dispel the fact that we must be constantly evaluating our own lives (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:5) and confessing sins (cf. 1 John 1:9).

Implied in this passage is the idea of the “T” - Thanksgiving.  The fact that we have a true Father (6:8) who will never fail us…One who is capable and zealous to provide for our daily needs (6:11)…and to forgive us (6:12)…and to keep us from temptation and evil (6:13) is truly something for which to be grateful.  (Not convinced? Notice that thanksgiving is to undergird our prayers during times of anxiety [Philippians 4:6] and is to be a way of life [Colossians 2:7].)

Finally, the “S” – Supplication (Matthew 6:12, 13).  These are the ever-popular requests!  We are all natural all-stars at requests!  Let me highlight one little nugget I learned during our study through Colossians.  When you make requests, what is your so that?  In Greek, clauses introduced with so that are typically referred to as “purpose clauses.”  So, what is this?  This is a reminder to evaluate the so that of your request.  When you pray for our Nation…what are you requesting and why?  When you pray for relief from sickness, do you rush to the desire for relief and miss an opportunity to learn from those moments of physical weakness?  When you pray for a job…when you pray for your finances…when you pray for the members of your small group…what is the purpose of your requests?

PRAYER LEADS TO RIGHT LIVING…
So, did you notice that the passage at the beginning of the previous section included Matthew 6:14-15?  Most don’t include this in the traditional “Lord’s Prayer.”  But, this is an important postscript.  You see, when we pray for forgiveness from God, we need to be living it out in our own lives.  And, I would submit to you that when our prayer life is consistent…when we are faithfully pursuing the A C T S principles of prayer…faithful and spiritually fruitful life will most assuredly follow.

HAPPY NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER!
As we reflect on the topic of prayer, Thursday, May 3rd, may we honor our Lord by a biblical approach to this vital spiritual discipline.  May we pray for our nation, its leaders, our economy, the upcoming elections, etc…with so thats which will be in keeping with God’s will for a people and for a nation.  After all, when we pray according to His will…He hears us (1 John 5:14)!

Because of this, I LOVE preaching.  I love listening to men who rightly divide God’s Word…who bring it to life…who explain it with such crystal clarity that it urges me to want to study it more…who challenge me to live out what it says!

So when James MacDonald asked the audience at Harvest University this week what should have been a simple question, I must have had a smugness (is that even a word???) on my face as I whispered the “right” answer.  Man, was I blown away when I realized that answer was NOT what he was looking for!  And, what is more, what was left after being blown away was obliterated when I realized he was biblically correct!

THE QUESTION
James delivered a message from John 1:12-19.  At one point, he paused and asked us, “Which is more important…preaching or worship?”  In a whisper, with a slight smile on my face (like the kid in Sunday school who always knows the answer!) I said, “Preaching!”

WRONG!

What???  That is heresy!  Nope.  That is biblical.

THE PROBLEM(S)
There are two fundamental problems with my thinking that influenced me:

First – there is the problem of defining worship as what we do while the band plays on Sunday morning.  I have even preached against such a limited view of the subject!  Worship is not an activity…it is a condition of the heart.  You see, we can sing…we can even raise our hands…we can even fall prostrate on the ground, faces planted and it not be worship.  Really?  Yes.  After all, the Old Testament provides example after example of an entire nation which participated in these activities.  Yet, time and time again, their activities were condemned as false worship because they did not reflect authentic, worshipful hearts (Psalm 51:16-17)!

Second – there is the problem of defining the end goal of preaching.  Once again, shame on me!  I have even been beating a nail that our people have probably grown tired of me beating – “Right Thinking Leads to Right Living!”  And, right living based on right thinking will more often than not be worshipful living!

THE SOLUTION
James said it well:  “The end goal of preaching is worship!”  That’s it!  I don’t preach the Gospel of John so that our people can be Gospel of John experts!  I don’t preach through the stretching theology of John 6 so that our people can now say they are part of some theological system club!  I preach so that our people can more authentically worship Christ in spirit and in truth.

THAT is why I should listen to James MacDonald, John MacArthur, John Piper, and on and on while I am mowing or exercising or driving in the car.  So that I can more authentically worship my God in EVERYTHING that I do (1 Corinthians 10:31)!

THAT is why I should do any activity which further equips me with right thinking that will lead to right living…to become a more authentic worshiper of my Lord.

SO…
The next time you are at Harvest Kansas City…the next time you open your Bible to read…the next time you turn on your iPod to listen to good preaching…take a mental warmup and remind yourself that the end goal of that activity is not the activity or the knowledge itself, it is WORSHIP!  And, may the worship that results be a sweet smelling fragrance to God and to those around us (2 Corinthians 2:14-17).

Scripture teaches numerous times that the children of God are to sing a new song.  In fact, Psalms declares six times that we are to praise the Lord by means of a new song.  I find it useful to examine the meaning of scripture’s calling us to this particular expression.

First, and on a surface level, I believe we are right in interpreting the statement in a literal sense.  We are to sing songs newly written for the sake of the church’s expression of praise to the Lord.  This accomplishes at least two things: One, in exercising their creative capacities, songwriters reflect an attribute of God, namely, His creativity.  The same creativity with which He wrought the sun and stars, feathers and leaves, and sunsets, oceans, mountains, fish, and all of creation is reflected in the composition of new material intended to call attention to His glorious character.  Two, the Old Testament word for new carries the connotation of fresh.  Singing new songs has a way of protecting us from engaging in rote liturgy and, to the contrary, promotes fresh perspectives that keep the church attuned to God’s ever-new and abundant mercies (Lamentations 3:23).  As a believer grows in his understanding of God’s greatness, new songs are to be a natural means of expressing the satisfaction in and appreciation of God, and, further, help promote, by means of worship, growth and unity in the church body.

Our being called to sing a new song by no means stops there.  New songs, in a biblical sense, flow only from new people.  Did you sing before you came to faith in Christ?…the answer is, almost certainly, “Yes”.  Did you sing hymns or choruses before your conversion?  I know I did.  Let me point out that these songs were neither new nor old based solely on the time they were written.  Songs are essentially old when flowing from the mouth, and heart, of the old self.  You see, what is subject to the Law isn’t new.  If the motivation to sing is compulsion by a legalistic view of the Lord, much less for selfish indulgence in the aesthetic pleasures offered by the world, the result is an old song.  The old covenant, the promises of which dealt with earthly ways and temporal benefits, induces an old song, and brings one to love, ultimately, the things of the world.  However, a new song is the expression of one who has come, under a new covenant, to love heavenly things…of the church, which loves Him who has made us new.

Finally, this love, which produces a new song from the lips is inherently accompanied by a new song of the life.  If one’s daily actions are not in tune with one’s declarations, the refrain is ultimately dissonant and, therefore, distasteful to the Lord.  Our conduct must be congruent with our confessions in order to produce true worship, and the power by which we produce this new song is ultimately found only in Christ, who, for the sake of honoring the Father and redeeming the church, became, Himself, the New Song.

The scriptural emphasis this week is:
John 6:41-59

The song set is:
Your Grace is Enough
Acquitted
Here I am to Worship
Let My Words be Few
Always
From the Inside Out

Click HERE for a playlist of the songs.

THANK YOU
This morning began early, and from the first smiling faces with their “jugs” of coffee to the last people walking out – a bit more tired than they were when they came in – you shined with the joy of Christ!

I remember a year ago doing this for the first time. Doing something the second time always includes risks… “it’ll do it on its own”… “I did my ‘time’ last year”… “man, that was early! Not doing that again”…

What a joy it was to not observe any of those excuses this year. From Laura Fischer to Meaghen Briley and their great teams of servants, this year was once again a great success and testimony to those who attended. We raised over $400 along with several shopping carts full of donations for Mission Southside.

Several families came because of fliers passed out in the neighborhoods. Thanks to all of our church family who participated in those events! Your labors were not in vain. Despite rain and cooler weather, the attendance was excellent. Children with smiling faces were everywhere in our facility for the egg hunt! Thank you to all the volunteers for being flexible and making the event such a success.

HAPPY EASTER!
What a joy it was to worship with so many of you last night as we reflected on why this weekend is a celebration. Friday night we explored the hidden “Easter Eggs of Good Friday.” In the midst of the sober reality of the cross…the mocking of Christ, being forsaken by His Father, and the intense suffering of the Savior unexpected majesty, fulfillment, and salvation burst through like rays of light in the midst of a storm.

If the story ended there, so would hope! Tomorrow, we will celebrate the “rest of the story.” And, in doing so, we will understand what true hope is.

I pray you celebrate this Easter as a child of God through Christ and that the reflections on the events we celebrate will result in the authentic worship the Father seeks. If you are in town, join us as we celebrate! If you are unable to join us, please pray for those who attend. May our worship be vertical…may seeds of the Gospel be planted…and may we experience a harvest of souls this Easter.

Happy Easter! You Are Loved!

Jeff

…the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.  And let them BE READY (emphasis mine) for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”
-Exodus 19:10-11

In beginning, let me give you a little background to the above verses.  God had just promised Israel that, if they would obey His voice and keep His covenant, He would set them apart as His special treasure (Exodus 19:5).  They would be elevated above all the earth’s people.  He would make them a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.  And, naturally, their response was…Absolutely!  Who would choose to forsake such a magnificent privilege?!…to be esteemed by the Lord of all, who exercised supreme reign over all creation.  The people responded, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (v8).  The Lord then revealed to Moses that He wanted to speak with His people personally, and that in preparation they should consecrate themselves (namely, dedicate themselves to the purposes of God), wash themselves and their clothes in order that they would be ceremonially clean, and “be ready” for their meeting with Yahweh on the third day.

As members of God’s church, He has come to each of us, at some point, with a similar invitation…As a member of the church you’re a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, My own special people, that you may proclaim my praises with both your mouth, and your life…will you obey? (1 Peter 2:9).  As children of God, we answered, much like the Israelites, “All the Lord has spoken we will do.”  This response is a condition necessary for true salvation as well as for true worship.
What does it mean, then, that we should be ready for meeting with God?  God, in exercising His sovereignty over creation, has chosen for Himself those He would call His own.  We have been made positionally clean before Him.  Yet, relationally, the responsibility remains that we must, in view of His promises, “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1).  We are privileged to enjoy the imminence of God.  He is near and chooses to relate intimately with His children.  However, we often become imbalanced in our view of God, losing sight of His transcendence.  He is omnipotent, righteous, wholly just, and He has called us to relate to Him in a way that is anything but casual, yet, often, we become so comfortable with God that we forget to approach Him in reverent fear.

The Israelites were commanded to wash themselves as an outward sign that they must be clean, and made new, in order to be in God’s presence.  Similarly, today we must prepare to worship God.  Christ has, by the cleansing power of His blood, made us fit to approach God…even boldly.  So I will ask, how is the church doing when it comes to our responsibility to prepare for worship?  What did you do to prepare for worship this past Sunday?  1) Did you prepare mentally?  God reminded the Israelites of His great works among them (Exodus 19:3-4).  Have you intentionally thought of God’s graces having been poured upon your life as motivation to worship Him?…He deserves to be worshiped for the ways He works in the lives of His people.  Have you spent time meditating on who He is?  2)  How did you prepare spiritually?  Did you spend your week practicing the disciplines the Bible teaches in order that we would be like Christ?  Did you confess your sins with the understanding that God doesn’t hear those who harbor iniquity in their hearts (Psalm 66:18)?  Have you prayed that God would transform our church from having met with Him?  3) Did you prepare physically?  I would imagine you showered and brushed your teeth, but did you make rest a priority so that you could focus your heart on the message of the singing and the sermon?  Have you committed to using your body as an instrument of worship that the greatness of God would be displayed among those who may be privileged to worship alongside you?

God has made it very clear that He desires to meet with us.  He has also made it clear that, in order to approach Him, we must be clean.  Praise God that it’s by Christ’s merit we are justified.  In response to His work, let us focus our lives on worshiping God, and let us come to worship having cleansed ourselves from all filthiness, that our worship would be pleasing to Him.

This week’s order is:
Hosanna Praise is Rising
Hosanna
Childrens Choir:
      Your Grace is Enough
      Mighty to Save
      In Christ Alone
Forever I Am
The Saving One

Click HERE for a playlist of the songs.
Forever I Am can be found in the player to the right.

Maybe you come to the realization that the bulk of the information you have been pouring into your brain is the world’s philosophy – its entertainment, its news, socializing with its people…  And you have that “aha!” moment when the Spirit convicts you that your affections are distracted.

Or maybe you have been suppressing sin… And, finally, the Spirit’s convicting influence penetrates your calloused heart.

Or maybe after analyzing your life you conclude that your spiritual disciplines – while not perfect – are consistent and strong…you are not harboring sin in your life…your affections are hungering and thirsting for Christ and His Word.  And, yet, life is hard…blessings seem to be few and far between…the majority of the news that comes before you is challenging and hard.

What Do You Pray For?
A few weeks ago, I was experiencing one of these dry times.  The problem was that I have been having bouts of this “dry” reality for quite some time.

When this occurs, I find my disciplines of prayer grow.  I am constantly praying.  Asking questions of God…wrestling with theology…making requests.  Making requests…

What are my requests?  What are your requests in times like these?  After all, Paul exhorts us to let our “requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)  But, what are the requests?

Mine were for relief…for God to give some blessings…for the parched land of my spiritual life to be watered.  Please, Lord!  Show me a glimmer of hope that circumstances are going to change!  That’s it!

So often that is the common denominator of my requests…change my circumstances!  Make me feel better.  Provide for my finances.  Make people like me.  And on and on…

What Should We Be Praying For?
So, my prayer and thinking was continuing as it often does – “Lord, change my circumstances. Restore my joy by changing my circumstances.”

In the midst of this dry time, I was listening to a sermon.  (QUICK RECOMMENDATION – we listen to so much music, news, sports talk…take some time to listen to some solid Bible teaching…you can download podcasts, phone apps…)

As I was listening, the pastor was talking about these seasons of life and prayer.  I have to admit, I was thinking, “Okay, I get it…heard it before.”  And then he said something that for me was radical – Pray not that God would change my circumstances…Rather pray that God would change me.

What Does This Look Like?
Many Christians would read this and say, “Duh?!?!” I would have.

But, when I processed what that really looks like…that is a weighty paradigm shift.  You see, such a prayer acknowledges that my circumstances may never change!  Who, in their right/logical mind would want to sign up for that?  But this is that to which God calls us.

I confess that I know this theology, but living it out can often be a nearly impossible task.

The only solution with which I have been able to conjure up is to grow in my affections for Christ – through an intentional, real, and heartfelt pursuit of Him.

Sounds simple, I know.

And, yes, it is simple to start down this road.  Maintaining it and being faithful in this pursuit can topple the most zealous spiritual sprinters.

I guess Helen Lemmel was on to something when she penned:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

May that fuel our prayer life and beyond…

Worship: Music & Much More
In the church, worship has been traditionally and inextricably interwoven with the idea of singing.  Though it’s not necessarily true of the American church in general, I will presume that we, at Harvest, have a general understanding that all of life is worship.  This is absolutely true, in that all our life is to point toward the worth-ship of Christ.  More narrowly defined, however, worship is focusing our attention wholly on God, responding internally with profound affection and appreciation for His character and attributes, and, in turn, expressing this openly before the Lord and others.  The Lord has established that what is hidden in our hearts is to be expressed through singing, clapping, dancing, shouting, raising hands, and playing instruments, among others.

However, it’s important that I point out here that the external expressions are never to be the end of the matter…they are a means to the end.  The ultimate purpose is that God is glorified through our worship, and this happens when our hearts are right before the Lord.

Worship: the De-Externalization thereof
The most common Old Testament word for worship is shachah, meaning literally “to bow down”, which occurs 170 times.  The Greek equivalent is proskuneo.  This word is used 25 times in the Gospels, 22 times in Revelation, but very few times in the epistles.  In fact, two of the three times it is used refer to future or past worship…not worship during the age of the church.  I take this to mean that when God dwelt in the temple (Old Testament), worship was carried out externally, through a literal physical act.  When Christ was present on the earth (Gospels), worship was expression.  When we will be present with Christ in Heaven (Revelation), again, worship is outward…because we will be with Him.  However, as pertains to the church, Christ’s body on the earth, the dwelling place of our Lord is in the temple of our hearts.  Therefore worship is purely internal.

This does not, however, negate the mandate that we give manifest expression to our hearts’ worship.  Today, I want to give you a few thoughts as to why I believe scripture teaches that believers are to use our bodies to express worship to God.

Expression: Externalization of the Internal
First, in having removed the necessity that we worship according to a specific institution (namely, the Law), at a specific locale (Jerusalem, John 4:19-21), and with specific rituals (the sacrificial system), we are free to worship among the nations.  In fact, one of the ways God chooses to bless the world is by the worship of the Church.  As we express publicly through worship our love for and devotion to God, He makes known His truth to those who may be witnesses.  Though it’s not to be our primary purpose for praising, God uses the authentic worship of His church as evangelism to non-believers, hence His freeing us from localized worship and calling us to proclaim His praise among the nations.  Though there are no longer specifically detailed directions indicating how expressions should be implemented in order to be pleasing to God, our desire should be to use our bodies so as to make God look as glorious as possible.

Second, expression cultivates sympathy, both among the facets of oneself and within the church body.  Concerning the self, we are created holistically, yet with many parts.  This is most evident in our bodies.  If someone has a severe headache, this affects his whole body, in that he may feel tired…he certainly wouldn’t feel normal, even apart from the headache.  Further, the headache would likely affect this person’s emotional condition, psychological well-being, and even his spiritual state.  This applies within the context of worship in that, in times that we may not feel inclined to worship inwardly, expressing the Lord’s worth outwardly as He has called us, with singing or other expressions, has a way of uniting holistically the multiple parts of our selves.  Concerning the church body, likewise we are united in the Spirit, yet consist of multiple parts.  When we give expression to our hearts’ appreciation of the Lord, the outward praise of one has the potential to draw others to similar expressions, in turn moving their hearts to worship more fully.  As we verbalize through songs the truths of scripture, an outward expression, our minds grow in our understanding of God’s character, thereby cultivating within the inner man a more profound heart of worship.

Biblical Foundations
Ephesians 5:19 teaches that we are to speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spritiual songs.  I believe that, although glorifying God with the heart is the ultimate purpose of worship, outward expression can bolster, even serve to bring about within the church the inward condition that truly honors God.  A secondary benefit, if you will, is that, when we worship wholeheartedly, our brothers and sisters are encouraged, challenged, convicted, provoked, sharpened, taught…let’s commit to loving God and one another through our times of corporate worship.

Below I’ve listed a few scriptures that speak of the importance of our worshiping openly before others (emphasis mine).

Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; declare among the peoples His deeds.  Psalm 9:11

Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O LORD, and I will sing praises to Your name.  Psalm 18:49

I will tell of Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the LORD, praise Him.  Psalm 22:22-23

My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.  Psalm 22:25

I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty throng.  Psalm 35:18

I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.  Psalm 57:9

Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him at the seat of the elders.  Psalm 107:32

I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations.  Psalm 108:3

With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; and in the midst of many I will praise Him.  Psalm 109:30

Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, in the company of the upright and in the assembly.  Psalm 111:1

Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.  Psalm 149:1

This week’s order is:
Happy Day
Glorified
Alive Forever Amen
How Great is Our God
10,000 Reasons
Breathe

Click HERE for a playlist of the songs.

This week’s scriptural emphasis is:
John 6:1-14

Following are Robert Dean’s thoughts concerning the song Forever I Am:

“On the surface, Forever I Am seems very simple, but the words contain many biblical truths I think are important. The first line of this song is taken from Psalm 139:14. To me, it means that we are created with a capacity to live in reverent fear of God, his awesome power and majesty, that we are incapable of understanding fully. We are wonderfully made, as the scriptures say, because we are the only beings on the earth that were made in the image of God, the creator. Being made in his image shows how much He loves each one of us, even in the midst of our transgressions against Him.

The next line of the song really speaks to me. I will never be able to fully understand why God loves me or why he chose to sacrifice His perfect Son for ME. I am reminded of the crucifixion of Christ, the excruciatingly painful, horrible way in which he allowed himself to be killed by US. This supreme sacrifice is even more astonishing when you realize that the Lamb whose blood was spilt was and is the only perfect, sinless being who has ever lived. To think that God loves me to point of allowing his Son to be bear my sins makes no sense, but I know it is the truth. In knowing I have been reconciled to God through Christ, I give praise!

Galations 3:14 says He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. The blood of Christ redeemed us, made us clean and blameless in the sight of God, and made it possible for all of mankind to have a personal relationship with God. The fact of the matter is that not one of us deserved this sacrifice, but it was given freely by Christ for us to the glory of the Father. When becoming a believer in Christ, we are cleansed and given a new life. What we do with this new life is the true testimony of our faith. However, once you become a member of the family of God, you are always a member. We use the term always very loosely, but I tell you truthfully, the always of God is forever. There will be no end to the new life we receive after death. Thus, I am His, forever, I am.

Verse 2 of the song speaks to the manner in which we are saved…”wondrously and marvelously saved”. We should be filled with awe and wonder at the redemption through Christ. Why did God choose to redeem mankind? We certainly don’t deserve it, we don’t cherish the horrible price that was paid for it. Yet, even while I was a sinner, Christ died for me so that I would no longer be lost in the wilderness of sin and impurity. Only through the mercy and grace of God, through Christ is this redemption made possible. Praise be to God for this marvelous sacrifice!! For without it, we would be lost for all of eternity.

I hope that I have been able to impart some of the incredible truths spoken through this song. It is a beautiful reminder of what God did for us through his Son Christ Jesus. I only hope I have been able to relay how important these truths have become to me in my personal walk with God. I strive to learn more and become more like him every day. I am so grateful that the leaders of my church body strive with intentionality to help me in this journey. All honor and glory to the most wonderful God!”

This week’s order is:
Bless His Name
Blessed Be Your Name
Forever I Am
Lord Most High
Christ is Risen
You are So Good to Me

Click HERE for a playlist of the songs.
Forever I Am can be found in the music player on the right.

Over the years, having grown up in the church and, further, having led worship for many, many services, I’ve sung hosannas to the Lord time and time again.  I’m sure many of you have done the same.  The problem is, we often sing words we’ve heard all our lives with little understanding of what they mean, and how they reflect the character of God, whom we desire to worship.

The word hosanna shows up three places in the New Testament…Matthew 21, Mark 11, and John 12.  Each of these is found in context of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  The people had long awaited the Messiah, and the cried out “Hosanna!” in recognition of Christ’s claim as King of the Jews.  The Hebrew word hoshiya na shows up in the Old Testament only once, in Psalm 118:25, where it’s translated “save now”.  This was a common phrase recited during the Feast of Tabernacles, with people crying out to God that He would send salvation…would be kind to His people in sending the Messiah, hence hoshiya na is followed is Psalm 118 by “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”.

However, over the years something has happened to the phrase.  Whereas at one time, people recited hosannas anticipating the day God would save His people, believers today are blessed to know the Messiah.  God has sent His salvation, and we no longer wait, as did God’s people under the Old Covenant.  Today, when we sing hosanna, we’re not simply making the request that God would send salvation.  Rather, we are, in effect, expressing, as beneficiaries of His saving work, “God, we praise You for Your salvation!  We ask for You to save those You have chosen, and worship You for those You have saved!”.  Hosanna to the Son of David! means, “He who has come from David’s seed is Himself King, is Messiah, and is our salvation!”.  Finally, in singing Hosanna in the highest!, we’re saying “Let all heaven join in our worship of the Savior!”.

Salvation belongs to our God.  For this, He is worthy of worship.  Having known this aspect of God’s character, we are blessed.  As we worship this week, let us seek to understand more fully the grace of our Lord, which heals our sins and which brings us to salvation.  He alone is worthy.  Hosanna!

This week’s order is:
Hosanna Praise is Rising
Your Grace is Enough
10,000 Reasons
Always
What a Savior
Enough

Click HERE for a playlist of the songs.

This week’s scriptural emphasis is:
John 5:1-16

Over the years I’ve written dozens, if not hundreds, of songs intended for corporate worship.  There are a couple ways in which songs come to be, both of which produce songs that I would believe to be God-honoring.  Sometimes, as a writer, I deliberately set out to compose a song knowing little of what I wish to write except that it be truth from God’s word that will help His people express our worship.  At other times, I’m reading scripture and am impacted such that I can do nothing other than write about the abundant grace of the Lord.  In regard to the song Forever I Am, it’s the latter.

Our Earthly Inheritance
When I read that the ways of my ancestors, and those ways which I have inherited, are futile, I’m prompted to ponder my helpless condition.  Whereas we were created to live in perfect fellowship with the Father, man in brazen rebellion chose sin over obedience and, tragically, this nature of futility is passed down perpetually from parent to child, rendering us innately incapable of accomplishing anything of true value.  In our culture of worldly indulgence, people are taught to become the best that we may buy the biggest, and are led to believe this is the path to happiness…after all, isn’t what “happens” to us the ultimate reality?…and don’t we all deserve “happiness” (please pardon my cynicism)?

We’ve Been Bought
It can, at times and even as a believer, be tempting to buy into such a view of life.  After all, we see and taste and touch other people and places and possessions on the physical plain every day.  We experience real life!…and the natural man may be tempted to think this is all there is, so why not?  Here’s why not.  That which is temporal, namely that which can be bought with silver and gold, will ultimately rot, along with the satisfaction people find in such things.  However, that which has been bought with the imperishable blood of Christ, having never been touched by the decaying effects of sin, will itself never fade.  You and I, and all believers, are no longer subject to the bondage of futile thinking and living, having been bought with Christ’s sacrifice, and are called to seek fully that which is above (Colossians 3:1-2).

Applications for Worship
So, how should this impact the perspectives of a worshiper?  Broadly, it’s imperative that we recognize Christ’s having bought us…we no longer belong to ourselves as we were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23).  Further, we must recognize the futility in that which we would of ourselves produce, and seek, as we live obediently to that which we know from scripture, to be empowered by the Spirit to accomplish that which is of value.  That Christ would sacrifice Himself for people like me, those who are dirty, defiant, and utterly futile in our ways, and, further, empower us to be used for His purposes is incredible.  When I come before the Lord, why would I do anything other than entrust all I am to Him, knowing that which I would bring of my own accord is useless, yet that surrendered fully to Him is rendered a glorious offering by Christ our High Priest.

Forever I Am
That is the thought behind this simple lyric:
I’ve been redeemed by the King of all Kings
With the blood of the Lamb
The life that You’ve given me humbly I bring
I’m Yours forever, I am

This week’s order is:
Our God Saves
Everlasting God
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Revelation Song
Forever I Am
The Saving One

Click HERE for a playlist of the songs.  Forever I Am can be found in the player to the right.

This week’s scriptural emphasis is:
John 4:43-54