Sunday Setlist: 8/02/09

Archive - August, 2009

Following Forms

August 26, 2009 in Ponderings with 1 Comment

The thought occurred to me the other day as I was reading in Matthew 15, how often are we like the Pharisees as Jesus applied the words of Isaiah the prophet to them?

The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men.”

Isaiah 29:13 NIV

Following a form, but not the function.
Concerned with looks, but not substance.
Adhering to the letter, but not the spirit, of the commands of God.
Casting something in a “spiritual” light that really is in opposition to the revealed truth of God because we’ve convinced ourselves “God told me so.”

The Pharisees lived this way every day. Matthew 15:1-7 paints a clear picture for us.

Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”

Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you.

Matthew 15:1-6a NLT

We often chastise the Pharisees for not getting it or having the wrong focus, but how often do we find ourselves standing right next to them?

May each day be a day we worship, not according to traditions or forms, but with pure and transformed hearts that draw close to God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ in accordance with the revealed truth of God.

Awesome Video Deal!

August 20, 2009 in Creative Stuff, Media with 0 Comments

For August 20 and 21 (Thursday and Friday), Igniter Media is offering 50% off all downloadable videos. That’s right, 50% off ALL downloadable videos.

I’m a big fan of their stuff, and have used some of their stuff like “That’s My King,” “Together-Team Hoyt,” “99 Balloons,” and “Teamwork.” Their stuff is always well received and every time we’ve used one has helped to reinforce the truth of God for the congregation that day.

If you’ve never used their stuff, or have been waiting for the right price, don’t miss out on this offer. Check it out here. It ends on Friday, August 21. Enjoy!

“Worship demands purity”

August 20, 2009 in Ponderings with 0 Comments

“Worship demands purity. Over and over we have seen that the prerequisite to the privilege of entering God’s presence is the recognition of personal sinfulness and a willingness to abandon that sinfulness. A consuming desire to be pure and clean is the normal result of being with God. The closer we draw to God, the more overwhelmed we become with our sinfulness…

If the corporate worship in the church leaves people unchanged, the church is not really worshiping. If what goes on in the church service does not spur the saints to greater obedience, call it what you will, it isn’t worship. Worship always results in a transformation, and the church is edified by it.”

- John MacArthur, Jr.

Do you agree or disagree? How is participation in corporate worship transforming you? How is your church body being enlightened and uplifted (both together and individually) by the worship that you do corporately?

[Song] “Follow You” by Leeland

August 12, 2009 in Media, Songs with 1 Comment

I had the opportunity to hear many new songs while at the National Worship Leader Conference a few weeks ago. One of those songs was by the group Leeland from their new album releasing on August 25. It’s called “Follow You” and is a great song about allowing our worship to overflow into our daily life.

I heard them do it both in an acoustic version and a full-on rock version. Check out the video below of them doing it acoustically, and let me know what you think.

[Song Story] Praise the Father, Praise the Son

August 11, 2009 in Media, Songs with 0 Comments

I’ve been sharing some song stories this summer with my congregation, and wanted to focus on the new song, “Praise the Father, Praise the Son” that we sang for the first time on August 9. Check out what Chris Tomlin has to say about it, take a look at the lyrics, and watch the video to hear Chris Tomlin and Ed Cash (who co-wrote the song) talk about it. Allow this great song that focuses the heart and mind on the triune nature of God be a part of your worship expression.

Praise the Father, Praise the Son

“There are always those songs that you hold an extra special place for inside. This is one of those for me. Ed Cash and I wrote this song on the last night of recording my vocals for the record. All of the songs were already recorded, and we were happy with where we were. But I am always open to God possibly breathing another song along the way. On this night, Ed grabbed his guitar and told me he wanted to play this melody that he felt was special and that he had been using in some times of ministry with his church family. It kind of reminded me of how the Bible teaches that David would play, and it would bring peace and healing. Ed sang a few lyric ideas for the verse, and I immediately just began to sing out the chorus you hear on the record. It was one of the moments where you knew you were not in charge, and we both just sat there with tears in our eyes, stunned at what was happening. I do feel this song, in particular, is one that any church, with any style of worship can sing. It continues to be my heart to write songs that give voice to the generations now and the ones that are to come; and I sense this is one of those songs.” –Chris Tomlin

Praise The Father, Praise The Son

Written by Ed Cash and Chris Tomlin

O sovereign God, O matchless King
The saints adore, the angels sing
And fall before the throne of grace
To You belongs the highest praise

These sufferings, this passing tide
Under Your wings I will abide
And every enemy shall flee
You are my hope and victory

Praise the Father, Praise the Son
Praise the Spirit, Three in One
Clothed in power and in grace
The name above all other names

To the valley, for my soul
Thy great descent has made me whole
Your word my heart has welcomed home
Now peace like water ever flows

Yours is the kingdom
Yours is the power
Yours is the glory
Forever

Sunday Setlist: 8/09/09

August 9, 2009 in Sunday Setlist with 0 Comments

one title 1 Mathematically, one is a cardinal whole number. In computer programming, one combined with zeroes become a binary code. Relationally, the 1970′s band Three Dog Night wants you to believe that one is the loneliest number. It can also be a very selfish number of we are only looking out for “numero uno.”

Biblically, the number “one” is pregnant with meaning. The Scripture teaches that God is one. One captures the heart of Jesus’ prayer for the church (John 17). The apostle Paul urges believers to guard the unity of the church in Ephesians 4:3. The Spirit’s emphasis on “oneness” inspires Paul to rehearse all the other “ones” that should matter to us: there is only one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.

We are unpacking the concept of “One” laid out in Ephesians 4:4-6 over the next weeks. This week we dived into the triune nature of God, one of the core distinctives of Christianity – that God is one yet three. Our desire wasn’t to explain the concept away or to answer all the questions, but to help people grasp the mystery, be okay with it, and to realize that there is more to God than we often think. And that’s one of the awesome things about God that makes me glad He’s in control.

Weekend Report: 8/02/09

August 5, 2009 in Creative Stuff, Media with 1 Comment

Another edition of Weekend Report. Enjoy!

Weekend Report: 8/02/09 from Chris Gambill on Vimeo.

Yes, I know there is still a green fringe around her head and the audio isn’t the greatest. Probably need to look at securing a better camera…