During this summer, I have spent some time clearing out a worship spot at my house in the back of our woods. I must say, I really enjoyed doing it. I wanted a spot that I could go and spend time with God in solitude. I gathered old down trees to use for seating, found various pieces of old furniture to place back there, and Tiki Torches to help keep away bugs. In the middle I built a good-sized fire pit for bonfires. The other evening I went out to that spot to spend some time with God. My brother was with me and we were trying to light the fire. The pit had quite a bit of wood in it so if we ever got it lit, it would be a very big and nice fire. The problem was we couldn’t get the fire lit. Granted the top pieces were a little wet, but the rest of the pile was dry, so we didn’t think it would be much of a problem. We had pieces of cardboard to help start the fire, but it didn’t work. We lit some of the dry leaves in the midst of the sticks, but it didn’t work either. We even found some straw to light to help with the process, but all it did was burn. It didn’t stay lit and the fire died quickly. So finally after much frustration, we got the gasoline. Now, I realize this is not the smartest choice nor safest, but I wanted a fire! Luckily nothing bad happened! So we light a few more pieces of cardboard and paper just enough to keep it a flame for a few minutes. Then we doused the places we didn’t have lit with some gasoline so with the fire caught it, it would light up. The finally we applied the gasoline on the flames that were going and instantly, the fire went ablaze. We experienced the thrill of getting our fire lit and the fire was glorious…for about ten minutes. But soon, that gasoline had burnt away, the wood had never really caught a flame, and the fire died out again quickly. Now I realize that there are better ways to light a fire, and if I did some other things I could have probably got that fire going. However, I’m glad I tried to light the fire the way I did because God used it to teach me something.
When the fire began to die out again, I was getting kind of irritated. Then I felt God speak to my heart saying, “I need people who will tend and stir the fire, not just light it.” I immediately knew what God was saying to me. In order to keep a fire going, you have to constantly add fire to the pile, you have to stir the fire to keep the fire going, and you have to watch it. Gasoline is a nice help, but it is only a temporary fix. It only lasts for a moment. It looks glorious and the flames are huge, but they don’t have much life. God doesn’t need followers who will be like the gasoline. Who will become very passionate and devoted to God one day, and have a devotion to Him that dies at the end of the week. He wants followers who will fan the flames. Who will keep the fire going, even if that means taking longer steps in doing so. Followers who will spend the extra time in prayer, reading of His Word, and living out the life He calls His people to.
I think you would be very hard pressed to find a church, if you asked them, would not want to see people come to know Christ. I mean, that’s just a ludicrous thought. The Church may have many different denomination and beliefs of theology, but I don’t really think there are many people in the Church who do not want to see souls saved. In fact if there are any, I really think those people need to evaluate their life and see if the are in step with the Spirit. But all too often the Church tries to witness to the world with gasoline. With big and glorious displays of various ministries, emotional appeals, etc. Those of you who serve the Lord know exactly what I’m talking about. But those things don’t last. People who come to the Lord on those terms won’t last unless that fire is cultivated. Unless their flames are stirred and wood is added to the fire. If the Church and Christians want to set this world on fire, we first have to cultivate the fire in our own hearts, then also be willing to take the time to minister properly and effectively to help keep the fire lit the hearts of others as well. Jesus told His followers that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and they will be His witnesses. The Holy Spirit gives Christians the power to witness to others about Jesus powerfully. God is the source of that fire. I pray that believers everywhere will submit to the Holy Spirit and allow God move in their hearts. I also pray that Christians all over the world will fan into flame the gifts of God and take the steps necessary to keep that flame going. When the fire rises true and proud, the world around us will catch fire too. Don’t use the gasoline. Cultivate that fire.
“Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.” ~2 Timothy 1:6
“Fire must be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not go out.” ~Leviticus 6:13
She was a delicate, beautiful, slightly built young woman who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. After walking into my teaching studio in Tyler, Texas and shyly introducing herself as Sheron, she told me she was interested in her five year old son, Ali, beginning piano lessons. She seemed a bit unsure of herself, and I noticed she also had a two-year-old son who appeared to be very hyper-active with disciplinary challenges! I gladly enrolled her little boy in lessons and decided to take him myself, as I had a few openings.
Ali did fairly well when he practiced, but I don’t think piano was his main interest in life; probably, more than likely, it was his mom’s idea for him to come! As the weeks passed and he came to his half-hour lesson, I would visit briefly with Sheron and discuss her son’s progress, among other things. I learned that she was new to our country, having recently moved here from her native country of Iran. She had a degree in biophysics and after moving to the U.S. had met and married a fellow Iranian who owned several gas station/convenience stores in the area. She was always very pleasant to talk with and our friendship grew.
One day she confided to me that she was very lonely and did not seem able to make many friends in our country. I told her I would be her friend and that seemed to please her. I knew she had her hands full with two very active boys and I just tried to help her feel comfortable. The next time Sheron brought Ali to his lesson, she said to me, “I want to know about Jesus! I have been reading some and hearing about Him. Can you help me?” I excitedly shared my testimony of receiving Jesus as my personal Savior from sin and asked her if she had a Bible. She did not, and I told her I would get her one, which I promptly did. When I presented it to her the following week, she was very excited, telling me she was fluent in English and could easily read an English edition. She also began reading materials about the Gospel in her native Farsi language.
The next time she came I asked her if she would like to receive Jesus as her Savior. She eagerly said, “Yes!” and after explaining what conversion was all about, I led her in the sinner’s prayer and Sheron became a Christian! I asked if she had a church home and invited her to come to our church. She said she would try, but that her husband was a Muslim and did not like the Christian faith. She seemed a bit concerned about this fact, and I told her I would be her prayer partner and together we would pray for her husband. Then she shared with me the fact that she had suffered with severe back pain for some time; I prayed for her healing and she told me the pain left! The next week she was jubilant when she told me she had not suffered any more pain all week and that she was still rejoicing in her new-found salvation through the blood of Christ!
Not too long after this a young woman in her twenties, with a remarkable voice and to whom I had taught voice lessons when she was in high school, came back to refresh and sing again with me. During her first vocal lesson, she confided in me that she had recently converted to the “Wicca” faith, a variety of witchcraft, although she had been a Baptist when I had taught her years earlier. Although I was somewhat aghast and surprised, I simply told her I would pray for her. She knew how I believed and week after week at our lesson, she would still sing some Christian songs along with Broadway and operatic tunes she was working on. At times I would have a chance to witness to her of my faith, once again. One day, she came and told me about some heart-wrenching things in her life, and began to sob in anguish. As the tears streamed down her face, I said, “Michelle (not her real name), it’s time to come back! Jesus is waiting for you and you know you will never be happy until you surrender to Him!” She nodded in agreement, and prayed the sinner’s prayer with me. Great joy flooded her countenance and the next week when she returned for her lesson, she glowed with a peace that made her look almost like an entirely different person!
Both Sheron and Michelle moved out of my life, Ali discontinuing his lessons and Michelle moving away. I never saw either of them again, and perhaps I never will, but out of the thousands of people I have taught, I never forgot them! I know God used me in that little studio to help two young women come to Christ. Sometimes when I became discouraged about teaching kids who didn’t want to be there, or when it seemed that my work was in vain, I thought about them and others who had come for lessons, many pouring out their hearts and problems to me with tears streaming down their faces, often saying as they sang worship songs, “I don’t know why, but this just brings something out in me that makes the tears flow!” I would tell them this was the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
When you get discouraged or feel like giving up some days, just remember God can bring people into your life and down your path, even in the workplace! You don’t have to preach them a sermon; just be their friend and bring Jesus to them as He leads you! I found out through these experiences that “music really is worship”…being “salt and light” in a dark place!
My heart is broken as I watch the devastation and heartbreak on TV from what is now being called one of the worst tornadoes in history! I don’t know what it would be like to lose everything I had worked so hard for in just a matter of seconds. Of course, even more heartbreaking would be to lose one’s child in school, not knowing, as you kissed him or her goodbye in the morning, that you would never see them on this earth again! Of course, questions come to my mind: Why did God let this happen? Why do bad things happen to good people? Were these people more wicked than others to have such a catastrophe occur in their neighborhood?
I can answer the last question with an emphatic, “Absolutely not!” I lived in Shawnee, Oklahoma, which also suffered severe tornado damage a couple of days earlier, a lovely city located about 30 miles from Moore, the city virtually destroyed in the storm. My late husband and I pastored a church in Shawnee for two years and our youngest daughter was born there. Oklahoma people are by and large God-fearing, salt-of-the earth people and my feeling is if God were choosing somewhere to pour out his wrath, it would not be Oklahoma! Then, you may ask, why do catastrophes like this happen to seemingly good people?
Perhaps the answer can be found in the Word of God! In Job 1:1 God called Job a man who was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God and avoided evil”. Satan asked God if he could destroy Job, a very wealthy man, and God allowed him to bring about evil in his life on several fronts. Verse 19 tells us, “(His) sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead.” (ESV) His oxen used for plowing, camels used for transportation, and servants were also killed. Then Satan struck Job with severe boils over all of his body. Even so, Job 1:22 says that “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” (ESV)
We all know the story: In the end God restored back to Job twice as much as he had before, including 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, and 2,000 oxen and donkeys. He also had seven more sons and three more daughters and lived to be 140 years old!
Does God send tornadoes? The short answer is: No! But he allows some tragedies to occur on this earth because we know Satan and his evil presence is alive and well on Planet Earth! Jesus said, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45 (ESV) Jesus also told a gathered crowd, “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them:do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.“ Matthew 13:3, 4 (ESV) These passages point out that God’s principles and patterns, even regarding the weather, apply across the board, and that many times seemingly innocent people will fall victim to weather-related phenomena. This does not mean these people were more wicked, but rather that because of sin, this world is an imperfect place. Many times God’s hedge of protection is lifted from entire nations who do not put Him first by obeying His laws. It is only because of intercession on the part of godly people that He delays His judgment.
One of my favorite verses is Lamentations 3:22, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. Theyare new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.” (KJV) There is a wonderful hymn written from this passage called, “Great Is ThyFaithfulness” which I think should be sung in every church! So, in answer to the question, “Does God send tornadoes?”, the answer is “No, buthe allows them and other catastrophes and tragedies to take place in our imperfect world.” Someday He will set up His Kingdom, and in that New Earth during the Millennial reign of Christ, there will be no more horrible, violent events, either from the weather or from humans. Satan will be bound for 1,000 years and all will be peaceful. In the meantime, God has chosen to use the tragic events we humans all experience at one time or another to mold and make us into His likeness and bring out the character of Christ in us, if we let Him.
Let me close with a story: We all love the beautiful hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul”, but do you know how this hymn came to be written? An evangelist named Horatio Spafford wrote the song in 1873 after he experienced profound tragedy and sorrow in his own life. He was a successful attorney and Presbyterian church elder from Chicago who had a deep faith in God. Although he and his wife, Anna, and five children seemed to have a charmed life and beautiful home on Chicago’s north side, they were severely tested. In 1870 their only son, Horatio, Jr., died of scarlet fever. In October 1871 the “Great Chicago Fire” destroyed their vast real estate holdings near Lake Michigan. Still they trusted God! In 1873, Spafford decided to take his wife and four daughters to Europe to assist the great evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, and his song leader, Ira D. Sankey, who had written many songs. A business emergency kept him from accompanying his family, whom he sent on ahead on a steamer. He planned to join them in Europe a few weeks later. Tragically, on November 22, 1873, the steamer his wife and four daughters were on was struck by a British iron sailing ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. All four of his daughters were killed. Miraculously, his wife, Anna, who had lost consciousness, was picked up by a life boat as she floated in the middle of the ocean. A few days later, Spafford sailed to meet his wife in Europe. As the ship passed the place where his beloved daughters had drowned, he looked out at the sea and through tear-stained eyes, said aloud, “It is well with my soul.” Even though he could scarcely understand it at the time, and perhaps felt like Job of old, he was able to write the song that has gone down in history as one of the most beloved hymns of all time, “It Is Well With My Soul”! By the way, God gave him and his wife three more children.
Do we understand all of life’s tragedies? No! Does God work good through them? Yes! We can stand on Romans 8:28, “And we know that forthose who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” (ESV) My prayers are with the victims of the Oklahoma tragedy. I know many have already given testimony on national TV of the grace and mercy, as well as their love, of God! May He continue to help them through the days ahead. Let’s all hold them up in prayer!
In my last post, I detailed some apparent problems in church worship services today, seemingly contributing to many feeling they have no say in the type of music played and sung by worship teams and congregations. I received so many great comments on this topic by people of all ages, including worship leaders, who let me know they have grappled with these same issues, sometimes in utter frustration.
I think we can all agree that the whole purpose of worship is twofold: First of all, it is not about “me” but about “Him”, or His ” Worth-ship” if youwill. The term worship was derived from these two words originally, as a form of adoration to the King of Kings. Let us not forget this important point! The second reason for worship is that it allows us to enter into God’s presence in a special way as we “unclutter” our minds from the mundane and secular aspects of our lives, if even for a few minutes, directing our love, praise and thanksgiving to the One who redeemed us and gives us the blessings we enjoy each day! It is also something we do voluntarily, which is why our Father derives such pleasure from it.
So let me list a few points on the positive side to take us from “monotony, form and ritual” in music to entering into a new dimension of true meaning and appreciation for this important time! If you missed Part I of this post, please read it before continuing. These concepts and ideas are the result of much prayer in this area, as a worship leader myself. With that in mind, I want to address the worship leaders first:
1. Take time to pray and seek the mind of God through His Holy Spirit about the songs you are choosing for each service. Remember, no two services are alike, and many times God wants to move in different ways if we’ll allow the Holy Spirit to do so. In other words, don’t let any service get into a “rut” of, “Well, it worked fine last time; we’ll do it the same way today and every day!” Perhaps some services will have more lively songs; some more worshipful and slower in tempo, coinciding with the message the pastor feels led to bring (it is good to find out what God is saying to him about the service, as well) and who is in attendance. The Holy Spirit knows this ahead of time and as you pray, He will reveal to you which songs are right and which are not! I have seen this happen many times and know it is vital; lots of prayer is so important!
2. Be open to trying different styles of music, as long as the words are full of praise and adoration to the Lord. Testimonial songs, primarily about us and our experiences, are good in limited number, but let the majority be full of praise and worship, including scripture and perhaps words from the Psalms. If you think all the songs sound similar, perhaps they do! Try bringing in some “older” worship choruses and songs, even from the ’80′s and ’90′s, such as “As the Deer”, “Shout to the Lord”, “He Is Lord”, “We Exalt Thee”, and “Breathe“. Remember some of those songs? They are very anointed and seem to always bring the presence of the Lord into a service! It wouldn’t surprise me at all if you see some people with tears in their eyes and hands lifted in worship when you begin to sing some of these older songs. Don’t forget to incorporate a hymn or two every once in awhile, too! Many of these were written centuries ago by men and women of God who experienced deep feelings of gratitude to their Lord and it shows in the anointed praise and worship which ensues when they are sung properly. Remember “AmazingGrace”? Wow, how can a person improve on that? Try modulating up a half step on the last verse, “When we’ve been there 10,000 years….” and watch your congregational singing soar and “raise the roof!” I’ve seen it happen countless times! Remember to teach unfamiliar songs by using them a few times until everyone has a chance to learn them; it is easier to worship when a song is familiar!
3. Try utilizing some of your talented singers and musicians in the congregation (who may not be participating on the worship team) for special music! I was in one church that had an opera singer and a first chair violinist in the congregation, who rarely performed! I thought this was very sad. Remember, Paul tells the Church in I Corinthians 14:26…”when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath adoctrine…” (KJV) and so on. It appears that it is scriptural to let the various members of the Body of Christ contribute according to the talents and gifting God has given them. It’s not wrong to use gifted musicians in special music; it is actually quite scriptural and brings blessing to everyone!
4. Why not include a brief questionnaire in the bulletin asking your congregation to give feedback on what types of music they would like to seeemployed in the worship services, what some of their favorite hymns or songs are, and how they feel about various styles of worship? Let them give feedback (they don’t even need to sign them) and you can prayerfully read their responses to give you a much better idea of what your people want. You don’t necessarily have to change everything to please each person, but the ideas given may be beneficial in planning future worship services!
Now, to the rest of you who are worshipping from the pew!Pray for your worship leaders and music directors; pray for the instrumentalists and vocalists. When you come to church, prepare your heart ahead of time for worship and ask God to give you an understanding heart and right spirit directed towards Him. Think about the words of the songs as you sing; turn your eyes heavenward and choose to enter into God’s presence in worship, shutting out distractions about you. (One of my biggest gripes about some worship services is the amount of people coming and going, talking, even texting, in short not caring one bit about the worship. It is so distracting to me!) So, just shut your eyes and begin to worship in “spirit and in truth” and trust God to take care of the things that annoy you about certain songs. You may even find you begin to like some of those you thought were awful at first! Remember, even the old hymns were once new; many of them were simply words set to well-known “bar tunes” of the day! I wonder if they got flack for this at the time, too? In short, Satan will always try to bring division among those who choose to worship, including the musicians leading the worship, so let’s not give him any territory! We know God inhabits our praises and receives glory from our worship, so let’s make a choice to continue worshipping and entering into His presence. He loves to hear our praises
I’ve received so many comments regarding the lack of variety and inclusion of worshipful hymns and songs that truly glorify God in our churches, that I have decided to include parts of just a few of them so you might see what some readers are thinking. These have come as a result of several posts pertaining to the monotony, general lack of Biblical content, and “me” centered songs, rather than worshipful, melodious, Christ-centered ones. Here are a few examples:
“This is real frustration felt by so many of us “old-timers”….I for one really loved the old hymns, and they still evoke a myriad of emotions in me…the new worship choruses, not so much. Even so, the Holy Spirit speaks to hearts through music in spite of how it changes…all it takes is a receptive heart.”
“We have talked about taking ear plugs to church….”
“I struggle every week during worship with resentment at the worship team’s choice of songs. Almost all are unfamiliar, “unsingable” due to complexity or range, or simply focused on the worshiper instead of the Lord. And then the congregation applauds at the end of each song, which to me is praise for the singers, not the One being worshiped (it is not ‘clapping to the Lord’)….”
“The single largest problem the church faces today is having its priorities out of whack. Worship and glorification of the Lord must come first, everything else including evangelism comes after.”
OK, so is it just disgruntled old “fogies” who are upset because their hymns have been replaced with contemporary worship songs? Do these people really hate lively songs with a good beat, including bass, guitars and percussion, preferring old, stale, slow, quiet hymns of another era? Or could it just be, perhaps, that they would like something called “variety” in worship?
Recently my husband and I attended a live, on-stage performance of C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters“, in which his famous book is portrayed in monologue form. The late writer used allegory, symbolism and a hint of sarcasm to portray Satan and his demons at work on earth and especially in the church, among the saints who professed faith in Jesus Christ. Let me try a little of his brilliant technic (however, probably not quite as brilliantly and cleverly as his was)!
I recently went to a buffet (or smorgasbord, as the Swedes call it) to hopefully try a variety of foods for my palate. I was starved and looked forward to heaping my plate up with lots of goodies! To my horror, I discovered that every dish on the serving line was filled with “Cold Pea Salad” as the signs indicated. Now, I love “Cold Pea Salad” and started to take a heaping spoonful, but then I realized that the next spoonful and the next would be the same….my plate was soon full of “Cold Pea Salad”! When I asked the manager what this was all about, he smiled and told me very politely that the restaurant had tried serving “Cold Peaches” about ten years ago, but people got weary of them. So, about five years ago they switched entirely to “fish”; of course, the same thing happened, he said…people got very tired of fish before long! So, now they were serving what he was sure everyone loved, “Cold Pea Salad”! When I asked him if there was any chance of getting something else to eat, he promptly told me that a restaurant up the street was serving “Green Bean Salad” to all of its customers and I might like to try that one. I thanked him and left. On the way out, he shouted at me, “Oh, by the way, ma am, next Tuesday we’ll have a special menu; it will be ‘Chilled Pea Casserole’. You might want to come back for that!” Thankfully, I found a restaurant a few blocks away with a varied menu and enjoyed my meal!
Now, of course, you can see how ridiculous this is, but in many ways, it seems the Church has followed this line of thinking. When it observed the world coming out with a new style of music, it was not too far behind in following the trend, instead of setting it! If a survey showed that people of a certain age group (and this is certainly our target audience; who cares about the rest!) enjoy one kind of music, we shall bend over backward to please them, ignoring the cries of, “Can’t we have some variety? I like this kind of music, and the guy over there likes another. Can’t we sing both styles occasionally?”
I made a promise to myself and to my blog followers on my first post that I would not write a “negative rant” for a blog. I have tried to keep this promise! If I point out a “negative”, or a problem, for example, I would like to follow it up with a “positive”. That is why I am going to post Part Two of this blog next week with some possible solutions to this situation. I have prayed and asked the Lord to guide me in what I write and I feel that the Holy Spirit has given me some good ideas that may be a blessing and of some benefit to worship leaders and those in the congregation, as well. ‘Til next time, be blessed!
We’ve seen in the last few posts that God is pleased with many kinds of worship and music as long as He is glorified and worshipped in “spirit and in truth”. It is obvious that actual music, as in types of foods enjoyed, art, outdoor scenery, clothing, movies, books, or other activities, is very diverse and that there is no right or wrong kind of music! The primary goal is that the worshipper be brought into the presence of God through the words and beautiful melodies of the songs, some learned and even some spontaneous, all of which should glorify our great God and Creator of the Universe! As we brought out in a past post, praising God in song, word, dance, shouting, lifting of hands, on the instruments, and even bowing before Him in silence, are all very scriptural ways to worship! One way not mentioned is “being a spectator”!
Colossians 3:16 has long been one of my “theme” scriptures as a musician and teacher of music. It reads: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (KJV) I also love Psalm 33:3, particularly as a pianist: “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.” (ESV) I Corinthians 14:26 puts it this way, “What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.” (NIV) It is apparent that God’s plan for the Church was for each of us to participate in some way, not just sit as spectators while a small group does all of the “worshipping”. If we are not entering in, we may as well stay home! According to the above verses, we are to teach and admonish one another in the Body of Christ collectively with particular emphasis on “each of you” doing something. What then, you may ask, is the difference between a “psalm”, a “hymn” and a “spiritual song”?
I believe that psalms can be read or sung; they include David’s beautiful poetic praise to the Lord in the Old Testament and other scripture specifically set to music as total praise and adoration to the Lord! They are totally scriptural in that we are singing or speaking forth nothing but the Word of God. This is, in essence, our “confession of faith” or confession of the Word in a particular situation, which builds us up in our spirits and increases our faith in God for particular situations in our lives. Hymns, by contrast, may include scripture and can in essence present the whole Gospel message in a single anthem or song. However, they may also include some words of testimony and adoration coming from the composer’s pen that are not necessarily the exact words of scripture as are the psalms, although they contain the essence of the thought. Both of these are very scriptural and should be employed in our worship services! Spiritual songs may contain words of joyous testimony, words about our daily experiences in our Christian walk, upbeat utterances of praise or spontaneous praises to God not even written down on paper!
Here are three good ideas or criteria of what a song should include if it is to be considered for a worship team to sing. I was recently visiting with a pastor of a large church and he said these are the guidelines he gives his worship leaders:
1. Is the song meaningful, in that it glorifies God? Does this song bring Him glory in its words, musically and throughout its emphasis, reinforcing the teachings of Scripture and not contradicting what we believe to be true according to the Word of God?
2. Is it singable? Many songs being sung in churches today are totally “unsingable” for the average congregation. They are not pitched right and because of this some people do not know which octave they should sing the melody in! Many are too high or too low because they have been transcribed from the music of a band with very high-voiced males, which is not the range of the average singer. Sometimes the songs are very “wordy” and hard to learn; they are not in correct meter and thus, though they may sound good on an album, totally “unsingable” by the average amateur musician, who may not even read notes.
3. Is it memorable? Is the song one that sticks in your mind during the week and easy to remember? Studies have shown that songs containing simple, repetitive phrases and “musical hooks” are much more easily retained than complex musical patterns containing hard-to-remember phrases. Songs should contain rhyming words, meter and rhythm to be considered a strong, singable song. People worship more fully when they do not have to concentrate so deliberately on struggling with or learning the song, but just lose themselves in the essence and spirit of it! Once a new song is introduced, it should be sung and re-sung regularly until the congregation becomes familiar with it.
These are just a few thoughts on what makes a good song and what God has in mind for our worship experience, based on His Word. Obviously, if we enter into His Presence in worship, we will be abundantly blessed!
WOW! Mysteries – I love em!! – Well sometimes anyway – I must admit that the mysteries of the computer make me frustrated, angry and despairing!!
But other mysteries well that’s another matter; the mystery of creation; the universe; the gobsmacking splendour of the galaxy; the rainbows; the beauty of the sunrise; the stillness of star studded skies in the wilderness, all of these can leave me breathless with heaps of unanswered questions…
There is one mystery though that I will never get my head around – and I reckon it is the GREATEST mystery of all time!!
How God saved me is one HUGE mystery and one which I will eternally grateful for.
The plan of salvation is the mystery of mysteries and shows a love that is beyond our minds to comprehend.
God paid the price for my salvation – He took me to be His prize!! Me! that is a mystery that I cannot understand.
I had nothing; proud; deceitful; jealous; I could sin and feel no compunction; hear of my guilt and remain unhumbled. Then Jesus came!
He changed my life and where I was only ever out to make life better for me, whatever the cost, He made me realise that I was bound to sin; a slave to sin; I was in chains and didn’t realise it.
If we come to Jesus, we need to come bearing no gifts; there is nothing we can bring to Him; we owe everything to Him; how then can we bring anything to Him?
It is only through his grace that we can come anywhere near him at all.
Jesus is the King of the dependent: King of the despised; King of the weak; King of the left-outs and King of the hated!
Hated? – Yes Hated; we will be hated by others if we make a stand for Jesus. Left out? Yes certainly we will be left out; not part of the crowd; even despised.
The world at large will not take too kindly to us telling them about the only way to enrich their lives for eternity is to accept the invitation that Jesus brings; Why?
Because to come to Jesus we have to empty ourselves of all we have; we need to be totally dependent on Him bringing our sins; our past; our everything and laying them at the foot of the cross.
We need to leave behind the things of earth; and not place importance on the things that really don’t matter. That was one BIG lesson I had to learn – Jesus died for us just as we are.
When He died on the cross, He took my sins up there with Him; when He died so did I in a way; died to sin; I became bound to Jesus through His death when I accepted the gift of freedom that He offered me.
The old life I had is gone – Now I have to rely solely on Him.
I don’t know what mysteries lie ahead; have no idea, really what eternity will be like; death doesn’t scare me but it is a mystery – an amazing mystery and one where I can be assured of God’s amazing promises that where He is I will be also.
I have no idea what lies ahead of me; what trials; what tribulations; what joy; what pain – but I do know whatever happens, Jesus goes before me anyway.
There is nothing that I could possibly go through that he hasn’t been there before me; and that He has promised to be with me through everything that happens.
My life is bound up in Jesus – My whole life is in Him.
The very same power that resurrected Jesus; that rolled the stone away; that killed death, is the very same power that saved me and brought me to life with Him.
Jesus paid the price for you and me. His blood bought us life.
When we are weak, then we are strong; God can’t use us when we are proud, haughty and full of our own importance. We need to be totally broken in front of Him; totally dependent on Him; giving Him the glory in everything we do.
Glorifying God is when we see God as more important than anything else we are doing or what or who is in our lives.
It is only when we humble ourselves to the His will and let the Holy Spirit infill us will be be even remotely able to kneel before a Holy God.
We have to come to a point in our lives where we realise that can do nothing on our own; all power comes from God.
We can hold nothing back thinking that God can do so much and we can do the rest; we have nothing with which to come to God save his miraculous grace by which we are saved.
It is only when we come to that realisation that He will lift us up and see us through the sacrifice of Jesus; see us washed and clean; free of sin.
Well, that really is a loaded question, isn’t it? You may say, “how do we know what God likes?” There are so many styles of worship music to choose from, ranging all the way from classical to rap and everything in between! When it comes to worship, you may feel His presence while listening to a heavy metal song with a driving beat; or you may prefer some classic anthems of praise sung by an anointed choir. Some people like to stomp their feet and tap their toes to Southern Gospel; many people get it on to Black Gospel (one of my personal favorites!) because the sheer energy and rhythm of the song makes it virtually impossible not to clap, dance and move about! Of course, these same styles of music sung at a slower pace can cause a flood of emotions through the sheer beauty of the chords, bringing tears to our eyes and healing to our spirits.
How can this be, you ask? What is there about music that touches us so deeply? It’s simply because musical patterns have been scientifically created by the Great Musician, our wonderful God we serve! That is why some chords sound right together and others just don’t work. When you choose to go against the natural patterns He created, you have what is called “dissonance”. I believe Satan is the author of much discord in music, but that is another subject for another day. There is nothing more intrinsically “spiritual” about one type of musical pattern over another. Now, of course, putting words to the music can bring out emotions, but music itself is not “spiritual”. This is why musicians hundreds of years ago could take the common “bar tunes” of the day and put words of praise and worship magnifying God that we sing today as the “old hymns of the church”! The question then is: How is God blessed and moved by our worship of Him? What style does He appreciate? The Word says “He inhabits, or lives in, our praises” so it seems to me that music uplifting Him, of any genre, is first and foremost what He enjoys if our hearts are totally directed towards Him in our worship! The Word is replete with examples of worship pleasing to our Lord. If you would like to do a study on which forms of worship God encourages, the following passages will be helpful:
Shouts of praise: “Shout for joy to God, all the earth;” (Psalm 66:1, ESV); “So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting…” (I Chronicles 15:28, ESV) Singing: “Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!” (Psalm 47:6, ESV) Also check out I Chronicles 16:9 “Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!” (ESV); Psalm 66:4, Psalm 68:32, Psalm 96:1 (“Oh sing to the Lord a new song…”); Colossians 3:16, and on and on! There are literally hundreds of verses about singing in the Word of God. Tambourines and Lyres: ”They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.” (Job 21:12, ESV) Cymbals and Trumpets: “Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!” (Psalm 150:5, ESV); “The singers…were to sound bronze cymbals;” (I Chronicles 15:19 (ESV); “Heman and Jeduthun had trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for sacred song.” (I Chronicles 16:42, ESV); “Praise him with the sound of the trumpet” (Psalm 150:3, KJV). Making merry; rejoicing in song: “And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord, with songs….” (2 Samuel 6:5, ESV); “And David and all Israel were rejoicing before God with all their might, with song…” (I Chronicles 13:8, ESV) Playing and singing together: “Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings (how many fingers do you have…could this be clapping?). Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.” (Psalm 33:2 and 3, KJV) Clapping unto the Lord: “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” (Psalm 47:1, ESV) Stringed instruments and organs: “Praise him with stringed instruments and organs.” (Psalm 150:4, KJV) Dancing: “Praise him with the timbrel and dance:” (Psalm 150:4a, KJV); “Let them praise his name in the dance:” (Psalm 149:3, KJV)
Lifting of hands: “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.” (Psalm 134:2, KJV); “I desire then that in every place men should pray, lifting holy hands…” (I Timothy 2:8, ESV)
There are literally hundreds more verses on this subject of music and worship in both the Old and New Testaments. To answer the question: It is obvious that God likes many different styles of music for He created all music! All through the Word, we are told to worship with joy, loud praises, shouting, and thankfulness. Worship is to be a happy, exuberant experience! In a day and age where everything is specialized and carved out in little niches to try and please everybody (a literal impossibility!), perhaps we can depend on the Holy Spirit’s guidance to show what the music we employ to worship the King of the Universe in the corporate setting should sound like! I pray we will all worship Him “in spirit and in truth” as Jesus said that “true worshippers” would do in John 4:23,24. It’s time to stop going through the motionsand worship from our hearts!
Matthew 27:32-56: 32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”
41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lamasabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Jesus went through torture beyond any of our imaginations. He went through personal humiliation, physical pain, and spiritual anguish. The worst of all was probably the suffering that came in verse 46. He experienced separation from God. That is the ultimate consequence of sin. Separation. Spiritual death. I can’t even imagine what he went through at that moment. The weight of sin for everyone who ever lived, was living, and would live was upon him at that moment. That full amount of God’s wrath was on Jesus. Jesus had never sinned, but God made him to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). God’s Son, the Creator of the universe, was rejected by His creation and isolated from His Father. The separation had to be the worst suffering of all. The wrath of God was satisfied. Because of Jesus’ suffering, we are restored to a right relationship with God if we accept His FREE gift of salvation.
According to John’s account (John 19:30) of Christ’s death, what Jesus said in verse 50 was “It is finished.” These words mark the end of his suffering. It marks the completion of Jesus’ mission to restore us to a right relationship with the Father. At the time Jesus Christ died, the “curtain of the temple” was torn from top to bottom. This symbolizes that the way into God’s presence was now open. Because of what Jesus did, we have permanent access to God for all those who give their lives to Christ.
Just one person’s sin would’ve been enough to put Him on the cross. He would’ve done the exact same thing if you were the only person on earth. ”A cross, 3 nails, the weight of my sin, loneliness, pain and sorrow. That was on my Savior’s,”to do list”,for that day. I am the cause.”
“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.”- C.S. Lewis
“It was my sin that held him there. Until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life. I know that it is finished.”
Jesus did all of this out of love. When He was hanging on that cross He was thinking of you. He gave salvation to anyone who comes into contact with His saving and delivering power. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we don’t have to be separated from God anymore. We now can have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
I also want to say that through Jesus’ ministry he was rejected by the world. Many mocked him, laughed at him, called him a liar,etc. We, as Christians, can expect the same type of rejection. If Jesus is the center of your life, the world system will reject you. David Wilkerson says: “It is a very costly mercy that;s been shown to us. Jesus paid a price in the human flesh. It’s the same price we are going to pay. We have to pay the cost of total rejection. Society will never accept you if Jesus Christ is the cause and the meaning of your mercy and grace.”
You see, the cost of following Jesus is great. Some of us will be rejected, mocked, beaten, tortured, and even killed for our faith in Jesus Christ. Other religions will be accepted. Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism will be accepted. However, Christianity will never be accepted by the majority of society. Why? Because Christianity is the only true religion. The cost is great, but the reward is even greater- an eternity with Jesus!
Jesus tells us that the world will hate us. He tells us that we will be persecuted. Jesus went through considerable suffering so that we can have freedom from sin and death. Expect to face troubles on this earth, especially persecution. But take heart! Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).
The Greatest Story Ever, the Greatest Truth Ever does not stop here. There is more.
The Resurrection:
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
As I was looking through all four accounts of the Resurrection, I saw Luke gave the most descriptive telling so I decided you use his account. If you want proof of the Resurrection look at the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If Christ did not raise from the dead, there wouldn’t be that kind of demonstration of the Spirit’s power.
The Resurrection of Jesus is one of, if not the most central truths of the Gospel. If the Resurrection had not occurred, followers of Jesus would have no hope and their faith would be pointless. In fact Paul says, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). As Lecrae says, “That implies that our lives are built around Jesus being alive.” Because Christ conquered death, death no longer as power on those who are in Him either. We can enter Paradise with Jesus. Christianity is the only religion on earth that can say that their “main man” is alive! Enemies of God try to stop the message of the Resurrection because they know the effect that the message can have! They can NOT stop a miracle, however! Without the Resurrection my whole life (and every Christian’s) would be wasted. He is risen!
Once again the Greatest Story ever, the Greatest Truth ever does not end there. It is an ongoing thing. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit after a ascended into Heaven (Check out Acts chapter 2 for more details on that). Jesus is returning soon! Are you ready?
“Paul said if Christ ain’t resurrect then we wasted our lives Well that implies that our life’s built around Jesus being alive Everyday I’m living tryin show the world why Christ is more than everything you’ll ever try”- Lecrae
