Sunday Song Set 2013_0428

Sunday Song Set 2013_0428

Running
Our God
How Great Is Our God
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
God Is Able

Our team usually has a quick break somewhere in the middle. Sometimes this break becomes a point of ministry (prayer, teaching, etc...). It also gives those in the foyer a chance to come in to the main sanctuary without disturbing other people.

Of course the set is also designed to flow from one song to the next with no breaks and can be easily sung by the congregation in about 20 minutes mol.

Note: God Is Able will most likely be used as an alter call type song near the end of the worship service after the pastor's message.

The videos are in the same order as the set list.



Song Series: White Flag

White Flag

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. - Galatians 2:20

Go to Africa.

That's what we often fear God will ask us to do if we surrender. May-be  we don't really believe that He wants what's best for us. Now, we'd never say that out loud, but really, isn't that kind of how we feel? So, we settle for good enough. Consequently this settling spills over into our daily walk with Christ (which is what surrender is really all about) and the next thing we know we've become the very person we never intended to be. We become a  "Casual Christian".

Casual Christian is just another term for lukewarm, and we all know how God feels about that! (Revelation 3:15-16)

So, what to do...what to do? Hmmmm...Oh, I know!

JUST BE REAL. "Repent and return to God performing deeds appropriate to repentance." (Acts 26:20) No-one's looking for perfection, not even God, but He is looking for a heart that's really His (2 Chronicles 16:9).

God knows you and He chose you anyway to be His child. So, buck up little trooper! (Romans 5:8)

Trust Him,  and then walk with Him right where you're at. God's love is unfailing. He will teach you how to walk in His way. (Psalm 143:8)

Surrender doesn't mean defeat. Surrender means victory - Christ wins through you; all for His glory. (Galatians 2:20)

When we give up "good enough" we win God's best.

White Flag song story on New Song Cafe

Chris Tomlin ministering at Passion Atlanta Live

When we give up "good enough" we win God's best.

Song Series: Victor's Crown

The Victor's Crown

Read: Matthew 27:28-30

And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” - Matthew 27:29

The finished work of Christ came after His crown of thorns. Ironically, this painful act of mockery became a symbol of victory.


I have a miniature crown of thorns that rests on the top left frame of my bedroom mirror. Every morning when I look at my reflection I am reminded of Christ's victory over my past sins, failures, and regrets, as well as, my glorious future with Him. I am encouraged to walk worthy of His calling me to follow Him and to turn my back on all that was (yesterday) pressing on in view of all that's yet to be (eternity).


Christ followers, like everyone else, may have painful life memories, but the huge difference is that Jesus' finished work on the cross turns those thorny wreaths into crowns of victory.


Walk in faith and victory; Pain is a finite process not the final product.

Darlene Zschech, Victor's Crown song story

Live recording of Victor's Crown

Pain is a finite process not the final product

Song Series: Say So

Say So

Read: Psalm 107

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary – Psalm 107:2

No one keeps good news to themselves; they share it!

17-month-old Charlotte was playing in the backyard of her family's Australian home, the family’s Doberman pinscher, Khan, began to snarl. A king brown snake (the third most venomous kind in the world) was under the house within striking distance. Khan tried to nudge the toddler away, but when she didn’t budge, the dog lifted the toddler by her diaper and tossed her several feet behind him, just as the snake lunged and bit his paw—instead of her. After receiving antivenin, the dog made a full recovery and was hailed "Khan the Wonder Dog" by his owners.

Now, what do you suppose is the first thing Charlotte’s mom and dad talk about when people come over for coffee?

Psalm 107 is a study of rejoicing  in rescue. We read about the people of Israel going through the wilderness, hungry, thirsty, and hopeless until they cried to the LORD (Yah-weh: the self-Existent or Eternal one; Jewish national name for God) and He delivered them from their trouble. (Psalm 107:4-6).

There were those who were being held captive, miserable and in utter despair because they had turned their back on God.  Yet, He hadn’t turned His back on them. As a matter of fact, he used their time of trouble to humble their heart so that they’d come back to Him (Psalm 107:10-13).

We see people paying the penalty for their foolish and sinful choices. Their bodies racked with pain, their minds anguished in shame, so eaten up with the apparent irreparable damage they brought upon themselves that the very thought of food made them nauseous. “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble and He saved them from their distresses.” (Psalm 107:19).

All of these rescue stories were to be seen as real reasons to rejoice. Reasons to share what God had done in the lives of common people who simply and humbly come to Him for help when life seems hopeless.

The fact is that the most introverted among us don’t keep good news a secret. When we know, we say so.

So, say so!

 

Say So

by Israel Houghton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai46WQaqvKE

 

 

 

Quiet Time: I Looked for Sorrow and Found Hope

I Looked for Sorrow and Found Hope


Read: Hebrews 10:32-39

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. – Hebrews 10:35

This verse brought me comfort after the elementary school tragedy yesterday, in Connecticut, Friday, December 14, 2012.

My daughter, Candice, keeps her large study bible on my book shelf in the extra bedroom. After a long and restless night, I wanted to hear what God had to say about sorrow. So, I grabbed Candice’s “Application” study bible. As I flipped through the pages I unexpectedly came across the passage in Hebrews.

So, although I never located the application for “sorrow” I did find one for hope.

“Faith means resting on what Christ has done for us in the past, but it also means trusting Him for what He will do for us in the present and in the future.” – Application study bible notes

Quiet Time: Dig Deeper

Dig Deeper

Job 26:13-14


13 “By His breath the heavens are cleared;

His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.

14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;

And how faint a word we hear of Him!

But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”



I had a professor in college who insisted we study nothing but poetry in his class. No classic novels, no inspiring biographies, and certainly nothing written prior to the nineteenth century! My first essay garnered a low “C” grade and I soon discovered from fellow classmates that my grade was high.

So, I decided to find out what the prof wanted since obviously none of us students knew. I began by first keeping copious notes listing everything that he thought was important with the piece of poetry we were studying. Next, I highlighted every passage that he chose to camp on and wrote his key words and phrases regarding these passages in the margins. Finally, when the day came for the class to write another essay, I made sure to include the professor’s thoughts, I parroted his key words and phrases, and quoted the highlighted passages within the body of my essay. The result? I never received a grade lower than a “B” for the remainder of the class.

Of course my fellow students wanted to know how I turned things around. So, during one of our mid-class bathroom breaks I called them all together. “Listen”, I said, “This guy doesn’t care what you think. He wants you to know what he thinks. And, he wants to know, that you know. So give him what he wants and you’ll get what you need to pass the class.”

Like poetry, the bible can be tough to understand. But, that fact shouldn’t keep us from digging deeper. And it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to find out what others have discovered when we’re not sure about a passage. There are so many commentaries and bible helps available these days that there is no excuse for any of us being tripped up or confused. And, sometimes, we may find that it’s OK to simply say, “I don’t know what that means.”

The point is this: Dig deeper. Your Professor wants you to know what He knows.

Song Series: O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

Song Series: O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go


Sometimes I worry that I’m not being all that God wants me to be. Sometimes I wonder if I’m as fruitful as I “should” be and I feel the need to be more - do more for Jesus.

But, then, I remember that it is God Who is at work in me both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13) and that Jesus tells me to simply abide in Him (John 15:5) and He will use me to bear fruit for Him as He sees fit. In other words, the best fruit I can produce on my own is fake fruit. It's good for looks but not much more.

I like what one pastor says on the topic of abiding and fruit bearing, he says, “You know who wants fruit a lot more than you do? God does. And you can't do one thing to get it.” The great news about abiding (remaining) in Christ is that He will not let us go until we grow. Simply submit to His embrace and trust that He is at work in you.

George Matheson, best known for the hymn, “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go,” wrote another song titled “Ignored Blessings,” in which he looks back to “the road gone by.” It was by looking back he could see that his heavenly Father had led him all the way.

O Father of light and leading,

From the top of each rising hill

Let me cast my eye on the road gone by

To mark the steps of Thy will. —Matheson

Jesus will not let us go until we grow



Quiet Time: Delightful

Delightful


Read: Psalm 37

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:9

Last week our worship team focused on Psalm 34:9 and wanting what God wants us to have when He wants us to have it. Continuing along that theme I see that God wants us to find our delight (pleasure, happiness) in who He is: His character, attributes, words, deeds, and yes, His, desires and designs for our lives.

Like a child who finds pleasure in pleasing his parent, we too must develop our relationship with Jesus to the point that we are always looking for ways to please Him. When He becomes our passion, God the Father will so position our mind, will, and emotions through the power of the Holy Spirit, that the very desire of our hearts will change to that which pleases God. This in turn will fill us with the joy of the Lord and His desires will become ours (Nehemiah 8:10).

This fact I know: God will never refuse His children, that which He wants them to possess.

Here's a take away for our team: The bible says to let the joyful sing praises (James 5:13b). If we are to effectively lead praise and worship with His people, we must be joy filled.

We will never experience or express true joy until we find our enjoyment (delight) in Him; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Here's a link titled "Cat and Dog Theology" that helped me wrap my mind around the concept of delighting in God:  http://www.operationworld.org/files/Cat%20&%20Dog%20Theology%20sample.pdf

Here's a link to the ministry's website for Cat and Dog Theology: http://www.catndogtheology.com/

Quiet Time: I Will

I Will


Read: Psalm 101

I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.

3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;I hate the work of those who fall away;It shall not fasten its grip on me. – Psalm 101: 2b-3

I love the part in the movie “Fireproof” where the main character trashes his computer with a baseball bat. He so wanted to turn his back on the bad stuff that he allowed into his home through the computer, that he took drastic measures to insure it got out and stayed out. I suppose just about everyone has had something that they kicked out of their life at one time or another. The psalmist had a better approach.

Between verses 1 and 5 he says “I will” at least seven times. He was committed to keeping the bad stuff out before it had a chance to get in.

That’s a good move, don’t you think?

Quiet Time: No Want

No Want

Read: Psalm 34:8-14

O fear the LORD, you His saints;

For to those who fear Him there is no want. – Psalm 34:9

I know God is in control but I’m not sure that I always like it.

You see, the thing is, I want what I want when I want it, but God often seems disinterested in my wants or my time table. He seems intent on my trusting Him – sloooooooooowly, steadily. It’s almost as if God is trying to get me to stop trying. You know what I mean, right? Like He wants me to get to the point where I want what He wants when He wants it.

I read a biography titled George Muller of Bristol. Muller was a real prayer warrior and was mightily used of God to help thousands of orphans in Great Britain during the 1800s. Muller knew what it meant to fear God and not fear want. Psalm 34:9 was one of his favorite bible verses and he often taught that, “He who would work with God must first wait on Him and wait for Him.”

I don’t think the book is in print any more (mine is an antique)

Here’s a link if you want to read more about George: More stuff about George

Prayer: God change me. I want to want what You want in my life when You want it.