Jon Owens
listen here
Don't wanna go back Lord
to the way I used to live
the way I used to live
I won't go back Lord
to the way I used to be
before you rescue me..
I will not stop
til' every tribe and nation
bows before You..
I will not stop
til' they see your glory
see your glory..
Your fire burns within me..
burns within me with your fire..
Your fire burns within me
burns within me with your fire..
Lift up your eyes to see
The glory of the Lord is on the earth
Arise.. Arise.. Arise..
Arise generation
No longer forsaken..
Arise.. Arise.. Arise..
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Here I Am To Worship (Light Of The World)
Here I Am To Worship (Light Of The World)
Worship
Author: Tim Hughes
Scripture References: 1 John 4:19
Verse Text: “We love because He first loved us.”
‘Light of the World, You stepped down into darkness. Opened my eyes let me see. Beauty that made this heart adore You. Hope of a life spent with You.’
Whenever we worship it always comes out of a response. In 1 John 4:19 it says, “We love because he first loved us.” We can only worship God when we see what it is that God has first done for us. As Richard Foster put it, “Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father”
When Jesus walked the earth, people responded to Him because in some way he’d touched them and revealed something of his heart for them. Whether it was the healing of a blind man, the raising of the dead, the loving of the unlovable or simply the offer of friendship, Jesus revealed His love and power to us on earth. For those who encountered Jesus and whose eyes had been opened, their response was to acknowledge Him as Lord. As the centurion at the foot of the cross said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39)
‘King of all days, Oh so highly exalted. Glorious in Heaven above.
Humbly You came to the earth You created. All for love’s sake became poor.’
Despite this however, sometimes it can be so easy to lose the wonder of it all. We can get so familiar with the story of the cross and the very fact that Jesus gave up everything to walk on the earth, that we lose the mystery. As G.K. Chesterton said, “Sometimes our religion is ‘more a theory than a love affair.’” When we really think about it, the life of Jesus is totally amazing. He was in very nature God enjoying all the glory and splendor of Heaven. Yet so that we could receive His mercy and know eternal life, He humbled Himself and made Himself nothing. He even became obedient to death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-11) That is truly amazing!
So here I am to worship, here I am to bow down.
Here I am to say that You’re my God.
You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy.
Altogether wonderful to me.
When we take time to really consider the sacrifice Jesus took upon himself for our sake, and allow the mystery of it to sink in to our hearts, the response will be worship. Like the sinful lady who poured out a years wages worth of perfume over Jesus’ feet, because of the new hope she had of spending a life with Him in eternity, so too will we want to pour out our hearts in worship. Maybe we need to return once again to consider the cost of Jesus’ life and remind ourselves of the wonder of it all.
listen here
Song Title: Here I am to Worship
Artist: Hillsongs Various Artists
Verse I : D – A – Em D – A - G
D A
Light of the world
Em
You stepped down into darkness
D A
Open my eyes
G
Let me see
Verse II :
D A
Beauty that make
Em
This heart adore you
D A
Hope Father love
G pause
Spent with you
Chorus:
D
Here I am to worship
A/C#
Here I am to bow down
Bm G
Here I am to say that you're my God
D
You're altogether lovely
A/C#
Altogether worthy
Bm G D A G
Altogether wonderful to me
Verse III :
D A
King of all days
Em
Oh so highly exalted
D A G
Glorious in heaven above
Verse IV:
D A
Humbly You came
Em
To the earth You’ve created
D A
All for love sake
G
Became poor
Chorus:
D
Here I am to worship
A/C#
Here I am to bow down
Bm G
Here I am to say that you're my God
D
You're altogether lovely
A/C#
Altogether worthy
Bm G
Altogether wonderful to me
Coda:
A D G
I’ll never know how much it cost
A D G
To see my sins upon that Cross
A D G
I’ll never know how much it cost
A D G
To see my sins upon that Cross
D A
Call upon the name of the Lord
Bm G
And be saved
D A
Call upon the name of the Lord
Bm G
And be saved
Chorus:
D
Here I am to worship
A/C#
Here I am to bow down
Bm G
Here I am to say that you're my God
D
You're altogether lovely
A/C#
Altogether worthy
Bm G
Altogether wonderful to me
Worship
Author: Tim Hughes
Scripture References: 1 John 4:19
Verse Text: “We love because He first loved us.”
‘Light of the World, You stepped down into darkness. Opened my eyes let me see. Beauty that made this heart adore You. Hope of a life spent with You.’
Whenever we worship it always comes out of a response. In 1 John 4:19 it says, “We love because he first loved us.” We can only worship God when we see what it is that God has first done for us. As Richard Foster put it, “Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father”
When Jesus walked the earth, people responded to Him because in some way he’d touched them and revealed something of his heart for them. Whether it was the healing of a blind man, the raising of the dead, the loving of the unlovable or simply the offer of friendship, Jesus revealed His love and power to us on earth. For those who encountered Jesus and whose eyes had been opened, their response was to acknowledge Him as Lord. As the centurion at the foot of the cross said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39)
‘King of all days, Oh so highly exalted. Glorious in Heaven above.
Humbly You came to the earth You created. All for love’s sake became poor.’
Despite this however, sometimes it can be so easy to lose the wonder of it all. We can get so familiar with the story of the cross and the very fact that Jesus gave up everything to walk on the earth, that we lose the mystery. As G.K. Chesterton said, “Sometimes our religion is ‘more a theory than a love affair.’” When we really think about it, the life of Jesus is totally amazing. He was in very nature God enjoying all the glory and splendor of Heaven. Yet so that we could receive His mercy and know eternal life, He humbled Himself and made Himself nothing. He even became obedient to death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-11) That is truly amazing!
So here I am to worship, here I am to bow down.
Here I am to say that You’re my God.
You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy.
Altogether wonderful to me.
When we take time to really consider the sacrifice Jesus took upon himself for our sake, and allow the mystery of it to sink in to our hearts, the response will be worship. Like the sinful lady who poured out a years wages worth of perfume over Jesus’ feet, because of the new hope she had of spending a life with Him in eternity, so too will we want to pour out our hearts in worship. Maybe we need to return once again to consider the cost of Jesus’ life and remind ourselves of the wonder of it all.
listen here
Song Title: Here I am to Worship
Artist: Hillsongs Various Artists
Verse I : D – A – Em D – A - G
D A
Light of the world
Em
You stepped down into darkness
D A
Open my eyes
G
Let me see
Verse II :
D A
Beauty that make
Em
This heart adore you
D A
Hope Father love
G pause
Spent with you
Chorus:
D
Here I am to worship
A/C#
Here I am to bow down
Bm G
Here I am to say that you're my God
D
You're altogether lovely
A/C#
Altogether worthy
Bm G D A G
Altogether wonderful to me
Verse III :
D A
King of all days
Em
Oh so highly exalted
D A G
Glorious in heaven above
Verse IV:
D A
Humbly You came
Em
To the earth You’ve created
D A
All for love sake
G
Became poor
Chorus:
D
Here I am to worship
A/C#
Here I am to bow down
Bm G
Here I am to say that you're my God
D
You're altogether lovely
A/C#
Altogether worthy
Bm G
Altogether wonderful to me
Coda:
A D G
I’ll never know how much it cost
A D G
To see my sins upon that Cross
A D G
I’ll never know how much it cost
A D G
To see my sins upon that Cross
D A
Call upon the name of the Lord
Bm G
And be saved
D A
Call upon the name of the Lord
Bm G
And be saved
Chorus:
D
Here I am to worship
A/C#
Here I am to bow down
Bm G
Here I am to say that you're my God
D
You're altogether lovely
A/C#
Altogether worthy
Bm G
Altogether wonderful to me
Who Am I
listen here
by Casting Crowns
Intro: G C Em D (2x)
G D Em
Who am I? That the Lord of all the earth,
D C D
Would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt,
G D Em
Who am I? That the bright and morning star,
D C G
Would choose to light the way, of my ever wondering heart,
C D
Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done,
C D
Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are
CHORUS
G D Em D C
I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow
D C
A wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind
G D Em D C
Still You hear me when I'm calling, Lord, You catch me when I'm falling,
D C
And you've told me who I am, I am Yours.
G C Em D
Who am I? That the eyes that see my sin,
Would look on me with love, and watch me rise again
Who am i? That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain, and calm the sorm in me
Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are
CHORUS
When I Think About The Lord
listen here
James Huey
Key: A
Verse 1:
A E/G#
When I think about the Lord
F#m F#
How He saved me, How he raised me
D F#m
How He filled me with the Holy Ghost
D Esus E
How He healed me to the utter-most
PreChorus:
A E/G#
When I think about the Lord
F#m F#
How He picked me up and turned me around
Bm G Esus
How He set my feet, on solid ground
Chorus:
A
It makes me wanna shout;
E/G# F#m
"Hallelujah, thank you Jesus,
F# Bm
Lord you're worthy of all the glory
G Esus
and all the honor, and all the praise!"
A
It makes me wanna shout;
E/G# F#m
"Hallelujah, thank you Jesus,
F# Bm
Lord you're worthy of all the glory
F#m D E
and all the honor, and all the praise!"
Only A God Like You
listen here
Tommy Walker
Key: G
Verse:
G5 Dsus
for the praises of man
Em C2
i will never ever stand
G5 Dsus
for the kingdoms of this world
C2
ill never give my heart away
Dsus D
or shout my praise
G5 Dsus
my allegiance and devotion
Em C2
my hearts desire and all emotion
G5
go to serve the man who died upon that tree
Dsus C2
Chorus:
G5 D
only a God like you
Em
could be worthy of my praise
C2
and all my hope and faith
G5 D
to only the king of all kings
Em
do i bow my knee and sing
C2
give my everything
Em Am Em
to only my maker, my father, my savior,
C2 Em C2 Em
redeemer, restorer, rebuilder, rewarder,
C2 Dsus
to only a God like you
G5
do i give my praise
TAG:
G5 Dsus
Em
C2
G5
Dsus
Em C2
G5 Dsus
Em C2
G5 Dsus
C2
Dsus
Bridge:
G5 Dsus
Em
C2
Coda:
Em Am Em
C2 Em C2 Em
C2 Dsus
G5
Tommy Walker
Key: G
Verse:
G5 Dsus
for the praises of man
Em C2
i will never ever stand
G5 Dsus
for the kingdoms of this world
C2
ill never give my heart away
Dsus D
or shout my praise
G5 Dsus
my allegiance and devotion
Em C2
my hearts desire and all emotion
G5
go to serve the man who died upon that tree
Dsus C2
Chorus:
G5 D
only a God like you
Em
could be worthy of my praise
C2
and all my hope and faith
G5 D
to only the king of all kings
Em
do i bow my knee and sing
C2
give my everything
Em Am Em
to only my maker, my father, my savior,
C2 Em C2 Em
redeemer, restorer, rebuilder, rewarder,
C2 Dsus
to only a God like you
G5
do i give my praise
TAG:
G5 Dsus
Em
C2
G5
Dsus
Em C2
G5 Dsus
Em C2
G5 Dsus
C2
Dsus
Bridge:
G5 Dsus
Em
C2
Coda:
Em Am Em
C2 Em C2 Em
C2 Dsus
G5
Sunday, December 2, 2007
The Solid Rock
listen here
Edward Mote, William Batchelder Bradbury
Key: G
Verse 1:
E C#m F#m B
My hope is built on nothing less,
A F#m A B E
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
E C#m F#m B
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
A F#m A B E
But wholly lean on Jesus' Name.
Chorus:
E A
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
E C#m F#m B
All other ground is sinking sand,
A F#m B E
All other ground is sinking sand.
Verse 2:
When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
Verse 3:
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
Verse 4:
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Edward Mote, William Batchelder Bradbury
Key: G
Verse 1:
E C#m F#m B
My hope is built on nothing less,
A F#m A B E
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
E C#m F#m B
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
A F#m A B E
But wholly lean on Jesus' Name.
Chorus:
E A
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
E C#m F#m B
All other ground is sinking sand,
A F#m B E
All other ground is sinking sand.
Verse 2:
When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
Verse 3:
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
Verse 4:
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
My Passion
listen here
key F
I
E B/D# D A/C#
You alone are my passion for living
E B/D# D A/C#
song of my soul, desire of my heart
F#m F#m+M7 F#m7 B/D#
You alone are my passion I treasure
C#m E7/G# Asus-A
I love You for all that You are
II
E/G# A
To the ends of the earth I will follow
E/G# A-Am
There's nothing that I will not do
E B/D# D A/C#
You alone are my reason for living
C D E
Jesus my passion is You
A B E
Jesus my passion is You..
Repeat I and II
Chorus:
E D E/G# A
My Life, my Love, my God
E D E/G# A
You are My Life, my Love, my God
E D E/G# A
My Life, my Love, my God (choir: Oh Jesus You are my Passion, My Passion, My Passion)
E D E/G# A
You are My Life, my Love, my God (choir: Oh Jesus You are my Passion, My Passion, My Passion)
II
E/G# A
To the ends of the earth I will follow
E/G# A-Am
There's nothing that I will not do
E B/D# D A/C#
You alone are my reason for living
C D E
Jesus my passion is You
A B E
Jesus my passion is You..
Chorus:
E D E/G# A
My Life, my Love, my God
E D E/G# A
You are My Life, my Love, my God
E D E/G# A
My Life, my Love, my God (choir: Oh Jesus You are my Passion, My Passion, My Passion)
E D E/G# A
You are My Life, my Love, my God (choir: Oh Jesus You are my Passion, My Passion, My Passion)
key F
I
E B/D# D A/C#
You alone are my passion for living
E B/D# D A/C#
song of my soul, desire of my heart
F#m F#m+M7 F#m7 B/D#
You alone are my passion I treasure
C#m E7/G# Asus-A
I love You for all that You are
II
E/G# A
To the ends of the earth I will follow
E/G# A-Am
There's nothing that I will not do
E B/D# D A/C#
You alone are my reason for living
C D E
Jesus my passion is You
A B E
Jesus my passion is You..
Repeat I and II
Chorus:
E D E/G# A
My Life, my Love, my God
E D E/G# A
You are My Life, my Love, my God
E D E/G# A
My Life, my Love, my God (choir: Oh Jesus You are my Passion, My Passion, My Passion)
E D E/G# A
You are My Life, my Love, my God (choir: Oh Jesus You are my Passion, My Passion, My Passion)
II
E/G# A
To the ends of the earth I will follow
E/G# A-Am
There's nothing that I will not do
E B/D# D A/C#
You alone are my reason for living
C D E
Jesus my passion is You
A B E
Jesus my passion is You..
Chorus:
E D E/G# A
My Life, my Love, my God
E D E/G# A
You are My Life, my Love, my God
E D E/G# A
My Life, my Love, my God (choir: Oh Jesus You are my Passion, My Passion, My Passion)
E D E/G# A
You are My Life, my Love, my God (choir: Oh Jesus You are my Passion, My Passion, My Passion)
Alabaster Jar
Zach Neese, Walker Beach
listen here
Key: G
Intro:
G D/F# Em C
Verse 1:
G
This alabaster jar
D/F#
is all I have of worth
Em7
I break it at Your feet, Lord
C
It's less than You deserve
G
You're far more beautiful
D/F#
More precious than the oil
Em7
The sum of my desires
C
and the fullness of my joy!
PreChorus:
Em7
Like You spilled Your blood,
C Em7
I spill my heart as an offering
D
to my King
Chorus:
G D/F#
Here I am, take me
Em7 C
As an offering
G D/F# Em7
Here I am, giving every heartbeat
C G
For Your glory take me
Verse 2:
The time that I have left
is all I have of worth
I lay it at Your feet, Lord
It's less than You deserve
And though I've little strength
And though my days are few,
You gave Your life for me
So, I will live my life for You
Bridge:
G
Worthy, Worthy
D
You are worthy
Em7 C
Worthy is the Lord (repeat as desired) (sing simultaenous with Chorus)
listen here
Key: G
Intro:
G D/F# Em C
Verse 1:
G
This alabaster jar
D/F#
is all I have of worth
Em7
I break it at Your feet, Lord
C
It's less than You deserve
G
You're far more beautiful
D/F#
More precious than the oil
Em7
The sum of my desires
C
and the fullness of my joy!
PreChorus:
Em7
Like You spilled Your blood,
C Em7
I spill my heart as an offering
D
to my King
Chorus:
G D/F#
Here I am, take me
Em7 C
As an offering
G D/F# Em7
Here I am, giving every heartbeat
C G
For Your glory take me
Verse 2:
The time that I have left
is all I have of worth
I lay it at Your feet, Lord
It's less than You deserve
And though I've little strength
And though my days are few,
You gave Your life for me
So, I will live my life for You
Bridge:
G
Worthy, Worthy
D
You are worthy
Em7 C
Worthy is the Lord (repeat as desired) (sing simultaenous with Chorus)
Breathe by Michael W. Smith
listen here
G C
This is the air I breathe
G C
This is the air I breathe
G D Em D C Em D
Your holy presence living in me
G C
This is my daily bread
G C
This is my daily bread
G D Em D C Em D
Your very word spoken to me
G D Em D C
D
And I, Im desperate for you
G D Em D C
D
And I, Im lost without you
Mighty To Save
Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding
listen here
Key: A
Intro (only lead and drums for a bit): X2
D2 A F#m E
Verse I(no bass):
D2 A
everyone needs compassion
F#m
a Love thats never failing
E
let mercy fall on me
D A
everyone needs forgiveness
F#m
the kindness of a savior
E
the hope of nations
D E D E
CHORUS I(just rhythm guitar):
A E
savior, he can move the mountains
D A
my God is mighty to save
F#m E
he is mighty to save
A E
forever, author of salvation
D A
he rose and conquered the grave
F#m E
Jesus conquered the grave
D A F#m E
Verse II:
D A
so take me as you find me
F#m
all my fears abandoned
E
and fill my life again
D A
I give my life to follow
F#m
everything i believe in
E
now i surrender
D E D E
Chorus II:
A E
savior, he can move the mountains
D A
my God is mighty to save
F#m E
he is mighty to save
A E
forever, author of salvation
D A
he rose and conquered the grave
F#m E
Jesus conquered the grave
D A E (and quickly) F#m X2
Bridge:
D A E F#m
Shine your light and let the whole world see singing,
D A E F#m
for the glory of the risen king, Jesus X2
listen here
Key: A
Intro (only lead and drums for a bit): X2
D2 A F#m E
Verse I(no bass):
D2 A
everyone needs compassion
F#m
a Love thats never failing
E
let mercy fall on me
D A
everyone needs forgiveness
F#m
the kindness of a savior
E
the hope of nations
D E D E
CHORUS I(just rhythm guitar):
A E
savior, he can move the mountains
D A
my God is mighty to save
F#m E
he is mighty to save
A E
forever, author of salvation
D A
he rose and conquered the grave
F#m E
Jesus conquered the grave
D A F#m E
Verse II:
D A
so take me as you find me
F#m
all my fears abandoned
E
and fill my life again
D A
I give my life to follow
F#m
everything i believe in
E
now i surrender
D E D E
Chorus II:
A E
savior, he can move the mountains
D A
my God is mighty to save
F#m E
he is mighty to save
A E
forever, author of salvation
D A
he rose and conquered the grave
F#m E
Jesus conquered the grave
D A E (and quickly) F#m X2
Bridge:
D A E F#m
Shine your light and let the whole world see singing,
D A E F#m
for the glory of the risen king, Jesus X2
From The Inside Out
Joel Houston
listen here
Key: C
Intro:
F C G (4x)
Verse 1:
F
A thousand times I’ve failed
C G
Still Your mercy remains
F
And should I stumble again
C G
I’m caught in Your grace
Am
Everlasting
F C G
Your light will shine when all else fades
Am
Never ending
F C G
Your glory goes beyond all fame
Verse 2:
F
Your will above all else
C G
My purpose remains
F
The art of losing myself
C G
In bringing You praise
Am
Everlasting
F C G
Your light will shine when all else fades
Am
Never ending
F C G
Your glory goes beyond all fame
Chorus 1:
F C
In my heart and my soul
Am
Lord I give You control
G
Consume me from the inside out
F Am
Lord let justice and praise
G
Become my embrace
Dm
To love You from the inside out
Chorus 2:
Am
Everlasting
F C G
Your light will shine when all else fades
Am
Never ending
F C G
Your glory goes beyond all fame
C F
And the cry of my heart
G Am
Is to bring You praise
F G
From the inside out
F G
Lord my soul cries out
Other:
F C Am G F Am G Dm
Saturday, December 1, 2007
WHAT ABOUT ME?
by Kate Simmonds
A worship team of any worth lays its foundations in values such as unity, excellence, servanthood, and meeting with God! We have learned that these things grow out of relationship - with God and with each other. We all want to use our giftings to serve God and the church. However, sometimes opportunities don't present themselves as we might have hoped. We can start looking at other people and think, 'I could do that. Why do they get to do that and not me?' We're really saying, 'I think I should be doing that instead of them - what about me??'
What's gone wrong?
When this happens, we are forgetting that God has got a plan for each person's life, including works that only they can do (Ephesians 2:10). We are coveting the plan for someone else's life, instead of seeking God for our own. We are implying that God has messed up in some way or we feel wronged and rejected by those in authority. It's heavy duty stuff and it is very painful but we must deal with it.
These feelings are probably born of frustration and a sense that there is nothing but closed doors around you. 'Hope deferred makes the heart sick' (Proverbs 13:12). This would be less likely to occur in an environment where you feel in the heart of a team, where you know you have a role and are working with others toward common goals. But it still could happen even then because that is the nature of sin, especially pride and jealousy. And we need to remember that sometimes God closes doors because He wants us to know what's in our own hearts.
When we become so focused on ourselves and 'our ministry', we're losing the plot! We are forgetting that first and foremost we are here to make God's name known (not ours), to bring Him glory and to see His kingdom built and flourishing in the earth. We're also losing sight of the fact that "just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Romans 12:4). We are to be a team, and although we have different things to do, no one member of the team is more important.
How do we handle it?
- be ruthless, repent every time you think like this, and fight to keep your heart pure. "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Phillipians 2:1-3).
- keep your heart right with God - express faith, read the Bible aloud and pray it back to God. 'Lean not on your own understanding' but trust God for your future (Proverbs 3:5-6). Put team and unity first - otherwise there's no blessing. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! For there the Lord bestows His blessing" (Psalm 133:1,3).
- keep your heart right with other people - bless what God is doing in other people, pray for them and for God to use them, be a friend and someone who loves and encourages others. Be like David, don't 'touch the Lord's anointed' (1 Samuel 24:5-6). Our unity has a powerful message: Jesus' prayer for all believers in John 17:23: "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved me."
- answer these questions: is God sovereign? Is God in control? Does God hold your life in His hands? Are God's ways perfect? Does He work all things for good? Does God have a different perspective on this situation than you? Do you want all that God's prepared just for you? Is God trustworthy? Is God faithful? The answer to all these questions is 'Yes!' Are we going to praise Him for all of that? Yes!! The 'lamenting' psalms always reach a 'yet will I praise Him' conclusion - so can we. Cherish what Hillsong worship leader Darlene Zschech calls 'the silent years', knowing that God is working on your heart and character in preparation for all that He has for you.
- finally, be a worshipper, be satisfied in God. "I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You. On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63: 2-8). Remember: "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do - do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Copyright Kate Simmonds 2002
Source: www.katesimmonds.com
A worship team of any worth lays its foundations in values such as unity, excellence, servanthood, and meeting with God! We have learned that these things grow out of relationship - with God and with each other. We all want to use our giftings to serve God and the church. However, sometimes opportunities don't present themselves as we might have hoped. We can start looking at other people and think, 'I could do that. Why do they get to do that and not me?' We're really saying, 'I think I should be doing that instead of them - what about me??'
What's gone wrong?
When this happens, we are forgetting that God has got a plan for each person's life, including works that only they can do (Ephesians 2:10). We are coveting the plan for someone else's life, instead of seeking God for our own. We are implying that God has messed up in some way or we feel wronged and rejected by those in authority. It's heavy duty stuff and it is very painful but we must deal with it.
These feelings are probably born of frustration and a sense that there is nothing but closed doors around you. 'Hope deferred makes the heart sick' (Proverbs 13:12). This would be less likely to occur in an environment where you feel in the heart of a team, where you know you have a role and are working with others toward common goals. But it still could happen even then because that is the nature of sin, especially pride and jealousy. And we need to remember that sometimes God closes doors because He wants us to know what's in our own hearts.
When we become so focused on ourselves and 'our ministry', we're losing the plot! We are forgetting that first and foremost we are here to make God's name known (not ours), to bring Him glory and to see His kingdom built and flourishing in the earth. We're also losing sight of the fact that "just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Romans 12:4). We are to be a team, and although we have different things to do, no one member of the team is more important.
How do we handle it?
- be ruthless, repent every time you think like this, and fight to keep your heart pure. "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Phillipians 2:1-3).
- keep your heart right with God - express faith, read the Bible aloud and pray it back to God. 'Lean not on your own understanding' but trust God for your future (Proverbs 3:5-6). Put team and unity first - otherwise there's no blessing. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! For there the Lord bestows His blessing" (Psalm 133:1,3).
- keep your heart right with other people - bless what God is doing in other people, pray for them and for God to use them, be a friend and someone who loves and encourages others. Be like David, don't 'touch the Lord's anointed' (1 Samuel 24:5-6). Our unity has a powerful message: Jesus' prayer for all believers in John 17:23: "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved me."
- answer these questions: is God sovereign? Is God in control? Does God hold your life in His hands? Are God's ways perfect? Does He work all things for good? Does God have a different perspective on this situation than you? Do you want all that God's prepared just for you? Is God trustworthy? Is God faithful? The answer to all these questions is 'Yes!' Are we going to praise Him for all of that? Yes!! The 'lamenting' psalms always reach a 'yet will I praise Him' conclusion - so can we. Cherish what Hillsong worship leader Darlene Zschech calls 'the silent years', knowing that God is working on your heart and character in preparation for all that He has for you.
- finally, be a worshipper, be satisfied in God. "I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You. On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63: 2-8). Remember: "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do - do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Copyright Kate Simmonds 2002
Source: www.katesimmonds.com
The Role Of The Worship Singer
Kate Simmonds
"Sing to the Lord, you saints of His; praise His holy name" (Ps 30:4)
"How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! Sing praises to God, sing praises" (Ps 47:2,6)
"I will sing of Your strength … for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble" (Ps 59:16)
"I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations" (Ps 89:1)
"I will sing of Your love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing praise" (Ps 101:1)
"Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything" (Eph 5:19-20)
As God's people, these verses remind us we are all instructed to sing out our worship to God. As musicians, it is such a privilege to sing in worship - whether as a worship leader or backing vocalist - and to help lead people into God's presence and even encourage or inspire others to worship. As both a worship leader and a singer, I'd like to share a few things I've learned over the years about musicianship and character.
Musicianship
- make sure you can sing in tune, and harmonise well: I'm not the world's greatest harmoniser - but once I've learnt it, it's in there! If you're not confident, work with the other singers to be clear who's singing what
- take care of your voice. Don't be out late Saturday night, drink lots of water, and get enough sleep. Warm up your voice each time, and practice; little and often is best
- develop a good repertoire, and know the words to many songs by heart. Ask worship leaders you sing with regularly for a list of songs they use. You are so much freer without your eyes glued to a lyric sheet!
- be alert, and learn to anticipate what's coming next. You are not 'lost' in worship and oblivious to everything around you. You are worshipping, though. It is possible to be aware of the worship leader, of where the congregation is 'at', and still enter fully into worship at the same time! It gets easier with experience. If you haven't heard the worship leader call anything, look and catch the signal to the band. You only need look when a decision needs to be made - at the end of the chorus, for example. Also be alert to help the worship leader if they need you, bringing music forward and so on
- listen to what's happening in both the worship and music dynamics, and sense when it's good to join in or step back. Check what the worship leader is happy for you to do, or work out specific places for harmony with the other singers. Consider the sound of the whole band, that means blending with the other singers, not standing out as the soloist. It's not a performance, it's a team effort - enjoy it!
- handle the soundcheck 'professionally'. In your foldback you probably just need your voice, keys and are able to hear the worship leader. A lot of rehearsal time can be wasted if people don't know how to soundcheck properly, so if you're unsure, ask someone who knows
Character
This is where the rubber hits the road for all worship musicians. There are a lot of gifted people out there, and in secular music people will forgive any kind of behaviour from those that are extremely talented. Obviously it's not to be like that in church or more importantly, for God. What makes you stand out here is attitude - what's in your heart.
- I love to work with great musicians but on my worship team, first and foremost I want worshippers. People who are the same in the congregation, in the prayer meeting, as well as on the platform; they love to meet with God. They love the secret place with God - they don't need an 'audience'
- have a servant heart. If you want to serve in this ministry, don't just do it when you feel like it or it suits you. We all get asked at the last minute sometimes, we all have busy weeks … count it your privilege! The flip side is not to have a 'what about me' attitude if you're not asked - see the 'What about me' notes for more on this. Be a team player
- place your security in God and not in what you do or don't do. Your identity is in God and not in your abilities. It is very important to think like a team, which is a process - it takes time to develop friendships and feel genuinely secure with each other. But do make that your goal - you will get so much more out of it if you come with an attitude of 'together we are going to lead people into God's presence and give Him glory and meet with Him' than if you are feeling 'this is my big opportunity for everyone to finally know what a brilliant singer I am'… Know your gift is exactly that - a gift - and it's not just a gift to you, it's a gift to the worship team, to the church. Be a good steward of it - don't take it for granted, practice so you can be as good as you can be. Don't in any way feel threatened or rejected by the size of your role. If you're singing two lines in harmony at the end of the second chorus, "be faithful with little", enter into the worship with everything you've got and bring your bit of colour to the whole painting. To continue the analogy, develop a 'big picture' mentality! Matt Redman's song, 'Heart of worship' is so brilliant: "It's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus"
- be able to express worship without being inhibited, but at the same time without drawing attention to yourself. Singers who never smile and seem rooted to the spot are not an inspiration to worship. Experience helps, but just be more focused on God and worshipping Him than being too aware of yourself. We can enhance the worship, but be careful not to distract - don't over-ad-lib which can seem 'show-offy', or let your voice be too 'dominant' in corporate times of singing freely
- aim to grow in singing prophetically. Know the Word of God and aim to bring timely things of depth and weight that are consistent with the progression and flow of worship
- be positive, encouraging and supportive. It's very discouraging for a worship leader to say 'We're doing to do such-and-such' song, and the singers or band respond with 'I don't like one, it's too high' or similar (whingy) comments. Please have a bigger perspective than that! If you think someone led worship sensitively, or sang or played well, tell them. "Encourage one another daily" (Hebrews 3:13). Be fun to be around but know when to be professional. That means have a laugh, by all means, (it is supposed to be fun) but know when to stop talking, pay attention and listen
To sum up, we are positive, supportive servants, who are genuinely worshipful, secure in God and who we are in God, 'professional', with a clear understanding of our role, we're alert, well-prepared and we have a 'worship sensibility'. We're not there to promote ourselves but to honour and glorify God, and what we do, we do it excellently. We are team players, who love God, who love to worship, who have the Word of God (and whole songbooks!) in our hearts, and who genuinely love to see people meet with God and to see God being praised. Not much then! But go for it and give God your very best.
Source: www.katesimmonds.com
"Sing to the Lord, you saints of His; praise His holy name" (Ps 30:4)
"How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! Sing praises to God, sing praises" (Ps 47:2,6)
"I will sing of Your strength … for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble" (Ps 59:16)
"I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations" (Ps 89:1)
"I will sing of Your love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing praise" (Ps 101:1)
"Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything" (Eph 5:19-20)
As God's people, these verses remind us we are all instructed to sing out our worship to God. As musicians, it is such a privilege to sing in worship - whether as a worship leader or backing vocalist - and to help lead people into God's presence and even encourage or inspire others to worship. As both a worship leader and a singer, I'd like to share a few things I've learned over the years about musicianship and character.
Musicianship
- make sure you can sing in tune, and harmonise well: I'm not the world's greatest harmoniser - but once I've learnt it, it's in there! If you're not confident, work with the other singers to be clear who's singing what
- take care of your voice. Don't be out late Saturday night, drink lots of water, and get enough sleep. Warm up your voice each time, and practice; little and often is best
- develop a good repertoire, and know the words to many songs by heart. Ask worship leaders you sing with regularly for a list of songs they use. You are so much freer without your eyes glued to a lyric sheet!
- be alert, and learn to anticipate what's coming next. You are not 'lost' in worship and oblivious to everything around you. You are worshipping, though. It is possible to be aware of the worship leader, of where the congregation is 'at', and still enter fully into worship at the same time! It gets easier with experience. If you haven't heard the worship leader call anything, look and catch the signal to the band. You only need look when a decision needs to be made - at the end of the chorus, for example. Also be alert to help the worship leader if they need you, bringing music forward and so on
- listen to what's happening in both the worship and music dynamics, and sense when it's good to join in or step back. Check what the worship leader is happy for you to do, or work out specific places for harmony with the other singers. Consider the sound of the whole band, that means blending with the other singers, not standing out as the soloist. It's not a performance, it's a team effort - enjoy it!
- handle the soundcheck 'professionally'. In your foldback you probably just need your voice, keys and are able to hear the worship leader. A lot of rehearsal time can be wasted if people don't know how to soundcheck properly, so if you're unsure, ask someone who knows
Character
This is where the rubber hits the road for all worship musicians. There are a lot of gifted people out there, and in secular music people will forgive any kind of behaviour from those that are extremely talented. Obviously it's not to be like that in church or more importantly, for God. What makes you stand out here is attitude - what's in your heart.
- I love to work with great musicians but on my worship team, first and foremost I want worshippers. People who are the same in the congregation, in the prayer meeting, as well as on the platform; they love to meet with God. They love the secret place with God - they don't need an 'audience'
- have a servant heart. If you want to serve in this ministry, don't just do it when you feel like it or it suits you. We all get asked at the last minute sometimes, we all have busy weeks … count it your privilege! The flip side is not to have a 'what about me' attitude if you're not asked - see the 'What about me' notes for more on this. Be a team player
- place your security in God and not in what you do or don't do. Your identity is in God and not in your abilities. It is very important to think like a team, which is a process - it takes time to develop friendships and feel genuinely secure with each other. But do make that your goal - you will get so much more out of it if you come with an attitude of 'together we are going to lead people into God's presence and give Him glory and meet with Him' than if you are feeling 'this is my big opportunity for everyone to finally know what a brilliant singer I am'… Know your gift is exactly that - a gift - and it's not just a gift to you, it's a gift to the worship team, to the church. Be a good steward of it - don't take it for granted, practice so you can be as good as you can be. Don't in any way feel threatened or rejected by the size of your role. If you're singing two lines in harmony at the end of the second chorus, "be faithful with little", enter into the worship with everything you've got and bring your bit of colour to the whole painting. To continue the analogy, develop a 'big picture' mentality! Matt Redman's song, 'Heart of worship' is so brilliant: "It's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus"
- be able to express worship without being inhibited, but at the same time without drawing attention to yourself. Singers who never smile and seem rooted to the spot are not an inspiration to worship. Experience helps, but just be more focused on God and worshipping Him than being too aware of yourself. We can enhance the worship, but be careful not to distract - don't over-ad-lib which can seem 'show-offy', or let your voice be too 'dominant' in corporate times of singing freely
- aim to grow in singing prophetically. Know the Word of God and aim to bring timely things of depth and weight that are consistent with the progression and flow of worship
- be positive, encouraging and supportive. It's very discouraging for a worship leader to say 'We're doing to do such-and-such' song, and the singers or band respond with 'I don't like one, it's too high' or similar (whingy) comments. Please have a bigger perspective than that! If you think someone led worship sensitively, or sang or played well, tell them. "Encourage one another daily" (Hebrews 3:13). Be fun to be around but know when to be professional. That means have a laugh, by all means, (it is supposed to be fun) but know when to stop talking, pay attention and listen
To sum up, we are positive, supportive servants, who are genuinely worshipful, secure in God and who we are in God, 'professional', with a clear understanding of our role, we're alert, well-prepared and we have a 'worship sensibility'. We're not there to promote ourselves but to honour and glorify God, and what we do, we do it excellently. We are team players, who love God, who love to worship, who have the Word of God (and whole songbooks!) in our hearts, and who genuinely love to see people meet with God and to see God being praised. Not much then! But go for it and give God your very best.
Source: www.katesimmonds.com
Worship vs. Performance
Charlie Hall
Worship is the exalting of God and the humbling or decreasing of myself. To lead others in a corporate song means that I lead them to exalt God and lay themselves aside. I help them rise past me, the worship team and even the song and meet with God himself. My problem is this: the world has taught me to strive to be loved by doing things or performing so people like me. This doesn't fit the true meaning of leading worship. If I were leading worship from a desire of people liking me, I am not decreasing, I am increasing and even more I am not exalting God, I am performing.
Performance draws attention to yourself. Worship draws attention to God. A performer shines a spotlight on their own skills and capabilities. A worshipper draws attention to God's beautiful attributes. I am not saying performers and performances are wrong. I am saying that you cannot perform a worship song.
I have learned to battle this some in my heart and mind by realizing I am accepted, I am the beloved of God, and He is in love with me. He is the one I want people to worship, the one who has set me free and is in love with me. As you lead worship, lead from the truth that you are the beloved, and then lead people to decrease, and exalt God.
Lord, help us desire you getting your glory as much as you desire to get your glory.
Source: www.charliehall.com
Worship is the exalting of God and the humbling or decreasing of myself. To lead others in a corporate song means that I lead them to exalt God and lay themselves aside. I help them rise past me, the worship team and even the song and meet with God himself. My problem is this: the world has taught me to strive to be loved by doing things or performing so people like me. This doesn't fit the true meaning of leading worship. If I were leading worship from a desire of people liking me, I am not decreasing, I am increasing and even more I am not exalting God, I am performing.
Performance draws attention to yourself. Worship draws attention to God. A performer shines a spotlight on their own skills and capabilities. A worshipper draws attention to God's beautiful attributes. I am not saying performers and performances are wrong. I am saying that you cannot perform a worship song.
I have learned to battle this some in my heart and mind by realizing I am accepted, I am the beloved of God, and He is in love with me. He is the one I want people to worship, the one who has set me free and is in love with me. As you lead worship, lead from the truth that you are the beloved, and then lead people to decrease, and exalt God.
Lord, help us desire you getting your glory as much as you desire to get your glory.
Source: www.charliehall.com
Where Passion And Music Meet
David Ruis
Sometimes in the worship community, there can be a strong focus on musical excellence. Could you elaborate on that?
David Ruis: There must be a pairing between technical excellence and passion that happens. You can't, for the sake of passion, blow off technical excellence. But when technical excellence lacks passion something doesn’t resonate well.
Look at the great historical example of Mozart and his counterpart, Antonio Salieri, in the movie, Amadeus. I know it’s a bit Hollywood, but here you have Mozart. He had technical ability, but what brought him to impact the popular culture of his day was his passion. Salieri, who some historians say was technically superior to Mozart, was uptight, stressed, competitive, and was so consumed by technical excellence that his zest for life and passion didn't fill his music. Which one of these men do we know about today? We know about Mozart.
If we care about what God is looking for, He takes high value in it. In John 4, you’ve got Jesus and the woman at the well reflecting on worship. She's unlocking a longing in her life and a desire to meet with God. She’s confused about what she's been told. Her ancestors told her you go to the mountain. The Jews said to go to the temple. She’s wondering, “Where can I go to find God?” Christ answers, “A time is coming and is now here when you will worship the Father.” The Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Since God is spirit, those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
“Spirit and truth” refer to something a whole lot deeper than emotions and doctrine, to the deepest part of our being. That is why only those who've been touched by the blood of Christ can truly worship God, because outside of Christ, our spirit is dead. We’re dead in trespasses and sin. It's the Spirit of God that quickens us, makes us alive through the redemption of the blood of Christ. There was a whole part that was separate and cut off from God that is now awakened, and it from that place we worship.
Paul says, "I pray with my mind. I pray with my spirit. I sing with my mind. I sing with my spirit." The place of the spirit is a place of deep life and real passion but it's not esoteric spirituality, or mysticism. It's not theological knowledge or doctrinal purity. Christ is looking for honesty, and complete vulnerability, and that's where passion comes from. Passion is not just good for us; He’s actually looking for it.
Source: www.vineyardmusic.com
Sometimes in the worship community, there can be a strong focus on musical excellence. Could you elaborate on that?
David Ruis: There must be a pairing between technical excellence and passion that happens. You can't, for the sake of passion, blow off technical excellence. But when technical excellence lacks passion something doesn’t resonate well.
Look at the great historical example of Mozart and his counterpart, Antonio Salieri, in the movie, Amadeus. I know it’s a bit Hollywood, but here you have Mozart. He had technical ability, but what brought him to impact the popular culture of his day was his passion. Salieri, who some historians say was technically superior to Mozart, was uptight, stressed, competitive, and was so consumed by technical excellence that his zest for life and passion didn't fill his music. Which one of these men do we know about today? We know about Mozart.
If we care about what God is looking for, He takes high value in it. In John 4, you’ve got Jesus and the woman at the well reflecting on worship. She's unlocking a longing in her life and a desire to meet with God. She’s confused about what she's been told. Her ancestors told her you go to the mountain. The Jews said to go to the temple. She’s wondering, “Where can I go to find God?” Christ answers, “A time is coming and is now here when you will worship the Father.” The Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Since God is spirit, those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
“Spirit and truth” refer to something a whole lot deeper than emotions and doctrine, to the deepest part of our being. That is why only those who've been touched by the blood of Christ can truly worship God, because outside of Christ, our spirit is dead. We’re dead in trespasses and sin. It's the Spirit of God that quickens us, makes us alive through the redemption of the blood of Christ. There was a whole part that was separate and cut off from God that is now awakened, and it from that place we worship.
Paul says, "I pray with my mind. I pray with my spirit. I sing with my mind. I sing with my spirit." The place of the spirit is a place of deep life and real passion but it's not esoteric spirituality, or mysticism. It's not theological knowledge or doctrinal purity. Christ is looking for honesty, and complete vulnerability, and that's where passion comes from. Passion is not just good for us; He’s actually looking for it.
Source: www.vineyardmusic.com
Why We Worship
Carl Tuttle
This paper is written to describe our experience of worshipping God. A definition of worship is given and a scriptural basis is set forth as a foundation. The reason behind our worship, our methodology, and the results of our worship are also discussed. Finally, some insights on how to enter into worship are given.
While worship is an everyday lifestyle of service to God as well as ministering to Him in song, the primary emphasis here is upon our gathering together as believers in a small or large group to worship through songs of praise and hear God speak to us and move among us in any way he desires. His promise to us is that when we gather together in His name, He comes into our midst.
For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst of them. (Mt. 18:20).
What Worship Is
Worship is the experience of lifting our voices toward God and drawing near to Him through songs of praise, adoration, and intimacy in order to touch Him and to be touched by Him. This is a very scriptural concept as set forth in the Psalms.
Come let us sing for joy to the Lord. Let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. (Ps. 95:1-7).
This scripture shows that worship is more than a theology or a practice. It is an experience whereby we actually approach and enter into Gods presence in a manifest way. The focus of worship is to touch Gods heart and to be in His presence.
Why We Worship
Deep inside we desire and need to meet with God. We have a hunger for more of God and want to experience an intimate relationship of love with Him. We worship because it best brings about the fulfillment of these things. The most important thing to us is to know God through relationship. Worship is therefore our highest priority because it facilitates this.
There is no life for us in much of what traditional Christianity offers us. Apart form Gods presence, the system and structure of the church including its Bible studies, singing, teaching, programs, and traditions of outward righteousness are only forms without Gods presence and power. We need to turn from lifeless forms and begin to draw near to God and kiss His heart through the experience of worship. This will satisfy the deep need within us to bless our God and to experience His presence. As a result, the presence of God will cause all that we do in the Kingdom of God to be birthed forth with life and effectiveness.
How We Worship
We come together in one accord to, celebrate, praise, exalt, and adore our God with songs and instruments. We begin with celebration and flow from song to song toward intimacy of worship with our God. A worship leader uses appropriate instruments and songs to accomplish this and takes as much time as is needed to worship God. Our present methodology is what best facilitates worship as far as we know at this time. As we draw close to God and grow in our relationship with Him, our understanding of worship will deepen and our methodology will progress. This will maintain freshness in our worship.
What Happens When We Worship
The primary emphasis of our worship is to magnify, bless, and lift up Jesus as an end in itself. But as a natural result of worship, God comes through the presence of the Holy Spirit and ministers to us. As we worship, we come into the presence of God. Through His presence, we are touched by His compassion and love, we are cleansed through repentance of His blood, we are changed as He does a work of brokenness in us, we are blessed and empowered, we are released from bondage and pressures, we are made whole. Through the numinous of God, these supernatural things occur. As a result of His presence, the Word of God may be internalized and effective ministry one to another may also occur. Worship is a real experience where we touch Him and are touched.
To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God. -William Temple
When we kiss the heart of God in worship, we are healed, inspired, motivated, directed, and integrated into reality from Gods perspective. - Steve Robbins
How We Can Begin To Enter Into Worship
As we begin to approach God in a fresh way and enter into worship, there are some principles we can apply to facilitate a meaningful and whole-hearted experience. We must first be in a place where we are comfortable with the style of worship and can freely and openly participate. If worship is occurring and the Holy Spirit comes among the people then many will naturally be drawn into His presence. If we come to our God recognizing our deep lack before Him and respond to Him with openness and a sincere desire for more of Him, then we especially place ourselves in a position to receive. To the degree that we will admit our own need for God and be vulnerable before Him, we open ourselves to His supernatural ministry.
O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your loving kindness is better than life; my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. - Psalm 63:1-8
As we come together and actually begin to worship, an important principle is that of receptivity. Steve Robbins says to first, dial down and open yourself up to the ministry of the Holy Spirit as you focus on Jesus Christ. This will make you receptive. As our desire to bless and experience God is communicated to Him through worship, the Holy Spirit comes to us. We need to be afraid to open up without reservation to god in this way for He promises to give us what is good. If we ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit then he will come and touch us.
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! - Lk. 1:9-13
It is also important for us to be genuine as we worship. It is unfruitful to manufacture or work up something. Our sincerity and honesty before God and others will keep us properly focused as we worship. Steve Robbins identifies this as the principle of reality. Be genuine. Humble your heart before God, forsake anything hardening your heart to the ministry of Gods Spirit, and lovingly respond to God in a way that reflects honesty and harmony in the inner and outer man. Reality honors the balance of not being distracted by others in your responsiveness to God, and not being distracted by others in your expressiveness towards God. Your discernment on how to negotiate this balance will develop as healing takes place in your heart. Remember, though, Godconsciousness should be a priority over self-consciousness.
Another principle is that of release. We need to let the outer man reflect genuine responsiveness of the inner man. This will increase our interaction with the presence of God and will bring wholeness to the total person. Just as suppressed emotions degenerate the personality, so spiritual suppression deflates the spirit. Worship and praise is a glorious release of the inner being.
Source: Excerpted from Let Your Glory Fall Syllabus
This paper is written to describe our experience of worshipping God. A definition of worship is given and a scriptural basis is set forth as a foundation. The reason behind our worship, our methodology, and the results of our worship are also discussed. Finally, some insights on how to enter into worship are given.
While worship is an everyday lifestyle of service to God as well as ministering to Him in song, the primary emphasis here is upon our gathering together as believers in a small or large group to worship through songs of praise and hear God speak to us and move among us in any way he desires. His promise to us is that when we gather together in His name, He comes into our midst.
For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst of them. (Mt. 18:20).
What Worship Is
Worship is the experience of lifting our voices toward God and drawing near to Him through songs of praise, adoration, and intimacy in order to touch Him and to be touched by Him. This is a very scriptural concept as set forth in the Psalms.
Come let us sing for joy to the Lord. Let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. (Ps. 95:1-7).
This scripture shows that worship is more than a theology or a practice. It is an experience whereby we actually approach and enter into Gods presence in a manifest way. The focus of worship is to touch Gods heart and to be in His presence.
Why We Worship
Deep inside we desire and need to meet with God. We have a hunger for more of God and want to experience an intimate relationship of love with Him. We worship because it best brings about the fulfillment of these things. The most important thing to us is to know God through relationship. Worship is therefore our highest priority because it facilitates this.
There is no life for us in much of what traditional Christianity offers us. Apart form Gods presence, the system and structure of the church including its Bible studies, singing, teaching, programs, and traditions of outward righteousness are only forms without Gods presence and power. We need to turn from lifeless forms and begin to draw near to God and kiss His heart through the experience of worship. This will satisfy the deep need within us to bless our God and to experience His presence. As a result, the presence of God will cause all that we do in the Kingdom of God to be birthed forth with life and effectiveness.
How We Worship
We come together in one accord to, celebrate, praise, exalt, and adore our God with songs and instruments. We begin with celebration and flow from song to song toward intimacy of worship with our God. A worship leader uses appropriate instruments and songs to accomplish this and takes as much time as is needed to worship God. Our present methodology is what best facilitates worship as far as we know at this time. As we draw close to God and grow in our relationship with Him, our understanding of worship will deepen and our methodology will progress. This will maintain freshness in our worship.
What Happens When We Worship
The primary emphasis of our worship is to magnify, bless, and lift up Jesus as an end in itself. But as a natural result of worship, God comes through the presence of the Holy Spirit and ministers to us. As we worship, we come into the presence of God. Through His presence, we are touched by His compassion and love, we are cleansed through repentance of His blood, we are changed as He does a work of brokenness in us, we are blessed and empowered, we are released from bondage and pressures, we are made whole. Through the numinous of God, these supernatural things occur. As a result of His presence, the Word of God may be internalized and effective ministry one to another may also occur. Worship is a real experience where we touch Him and are touched.
To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God. -William Temple
When we kiss the heart of God in worship, we are healed, inspired, motivated, directed, and integrated into reality from Gods perspective. - Steve Robbins
How We Can Begin To Enter Into Worship
As we begin to approach God in a fresh way and enter into worship, there are some principles we can apply to facilitate a meaningful and whole-hearted experience. We must first be in a place where we are comfortable with the style of worship and can freely and openly participate. If worship is occurring and the Holy Spirit comes among the people then many will naturally be drawn into His presence. If we come to our God recognizing our deep lack before Him and respond to Him with openness and a sincere desire for more of Him, then we especially place ourselves in a position to receive. To the degree that we will admit our own need for God and be vulnerable before Him, we open ourselves to His supernatural ministry.
O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your loving kindness is better than life; my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. - Psalm 63:1-8
As we come together and actually begin to worship, an important principle is that of receptivity. Steve Robbins says to first, dial down and open yourself up to the ministry of the Holy Spirit as you focus on Jesus Christ. This will make you receptive. As our desire to bless and experience God is communicated to Him through worship, the Holy Spirit comes to us. We need to be afraid to open up without reservation to god in this way for He promises to give us what is good. If we ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit then he will come and touch us.
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! - Lk. 1:9-13
It is also important for us to be genuine as we worship. It is unfruitful to manufacture or work up something. Our sincerity and honesty before God and others will keep us properly focused as we worship. Steve Robbins identifies this as the principle of reality. Be genuine. Humble your heart before God, forsake anything hardening your heart to the ministry of Gods Spirit, and lovingly respond to God in a way that reflects honesty and harmony in the inner and outer man. Reality honors the balance of not being distracted by others in your responsiveness to God, and not being distracted by others in your expressiveness towards God. Your discernment on how to negotiate this balance will develop as healing takes place in your heart. Remember, though, Godconsciousness should be a priority over self-consciousness.
Another principle is that of release. We need to let the outer man reflect genuine responsiveness of the inner man. This will increase our interaction with the presence of God and will bring wholeness to the total person. Just as suppressed emotions degenerate the personality, so spiritual suppression deflates the spirit. Worship and praise is a glorious release of the inner being.
Source: Excerpted from Let Your Glory Fall Syllabus
Pastors vs. Musicians
Mike Pilavachi
An extract taken from Christian Musician Magazine on the harmony between control & creativity.
Mike Pilavachi discusses the tension between a musician's creativity and a pastor's control.
Creativity, in its truest sense, is the activity of the Holy Spirit. So Christian musicians should have a head start on anyone else because they have the Holy Spirit's creativity. And yet in the church we struggle with giving expression to creativity. The church is possibly the most conservative institution on the face of the earth. I'm not speaking politically or socially, but in the sense that we just don't like change. As for pastors , speaking as a pastor, sometimes creativity threatens us because we are not in control of the creativity. The whole thing about creativity is that we're not meant to be in control. So there's this whole "war" between the pastors and the musicians. Pastors think of musicians as undisciplined, egocentric, out to do their own thing. And musicians feel as though pastors are controlling, demanding, and that they never encourage them. And in disputes between pastors and musicians it's always the musicians that come out worse. The pastor's got the clout.
One of the things that I've been so sad to see all over the world is musicians on the fringe of the church carrying so much pain. For many musicians church has become the most uncomfortable place to be. Then as pastors, we wonder why some musicians get into trouble and fall into sin. And we say, "Ah, you see? Everything I said about him turned out to be true." Actually we've driven them to the edge. There's something in them that knows that their creativity is given by God, and they can't really worship God unless they use their creative gifts. And yet when they do, we tend to marginalize it. We also don't allow musicians to make mistakes.
Now, I work with Matt Redman, and I was his youth pastor when he was thirteen years old, so we've sort of grown up together. I remember when he started developing his musical gifts and leading worship. I remember that we talked about learning to be spontaneous musically in the worship setting. So he tried it a few times, and it didn't go well in the beginning. He crash-landed. And I'd go up to him afterwards and say, "Matt you did this wrong, you did that wrong." "Matt, you must not do that." "What on earth were you thinking when you did that?" He took it for ages, and then one day, he turned to me, and really quietly he said, "Mike, I don't thrive under criticism." And it just stopped me. Of course he doesn't thrive under criticism. No one does. Another time, when he'd tried to be spontaneous and it didn't really work, I said to him, "Matt, maybe we shouldn't try this spontaneous thing too much." Matt said, "But Mike, you were the one who told me to try it. If I'm ever going to get it right, if I'm ever going to learn how to do that, we've got to accept that at the beginning I'm going to get it wrong. And it was like, "Of course!" I wish that as pastors we gave our musicians more freedom to make mistakes. If only we could love them unconditionally, then we'd have the right to speak into their lives, because they'd know that we're doing it because we love them, and not because we want to control them.
I want to encourage musicians and worship leaders: I know that the church has hurt you. Don't give up on the church. The church needs you. God wants you as part of his church. For all its faults it's his church, and we'd be the poorer without you. We need musicians to hang in there, and to slwly help pastors to let go and trust. Perhaps you should actually say to your pastors, "I want to be under your authority. I want you to let me know when I've made a mistake, but tell me kindly, and encourage me too." As someone who loves worship, I'd love to see more musicians using their gifts in worship in the context of the church. We've got bands like Deliriou5? Who are using their gifts to bring worship to the streets, as it were. That's important, but we also need those who bring worship to the temple.
In the Old Testament, they took such great care with the musicians and the instruments and created great worship. And in the history of the church for the first few centuries, the church was at the forefront of new music. The Gregorian chants, for example, were cutting edge, chart-topping music in their day. But we just stuck with that. Luther and Wesley took the tunes from the songs being sung in the bars and put Christian words to them. General William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army, was doing very innovative music for his times. Much of the church has held on to those traditions. And sometimes , those things can become a stumbling block to allowing us to be creative today. Every move of the Holy Spirit in the history of the church has included fresh creativity in music and in worship. I want to encourage - and it's already starting - more and more pastors and leaders to recognize that there's something of God in the creativity of their musicians, and to make space for it.
Source: www.heartofworship.com
An extract taken from Christian Musician Magazine on the harmony between control & creativity.
Mike Pilavachi discusses the tension between a musician's creativity and a pastor's control.
Creativity, in its truest sense, is the activity of the Holy Spirit. So Christian musicians should have a head start on anyone else because they have the Holy Spirit's creativity. And yet in the church we struggle with giving expression to creativity. The church is possibly the most conservative institution on the face of the earth. I'm not speaking politically or socially, but in the sense that we just don't like change. As for pastors , speaking as a pastor, sometimes creativity threatens us because we are not in control of the creativity. The whole thing about creativity is that we're not meant to be in control. So there's this whole "war" between the pastors and the musicians. Pastors think of musicians as undisciplined, egocentric, out to do their own thing. And musicians feel as though pastors are controlling, demanding, and that they never encourage them. And in disputes between pastors and musicians it's always the musicians that come out worse. The pastor's got the clout.
One of the things that I've been so sad to see all over the world is musicians on the fringe of the church carrying so much pain. For many musicians church has become the most uncomfortable place to be. Then as pastors, we wonder why some musicians get into trouble and fall into sin. And we say, "Ah, you see? Everything I said about him turned out to be true." Actually we've driven them to the edge. There's something in them that knows that their creativity is given by God, and they can't really worship God unless they use their creative gifts. And yet when they do, we tend to marginalize it. We also don't allow musicians to make mistakes.
Now, I work with Matt Redman, and I was his youth pastor when he was thirteen years old, so we've sort of grown up together. I remember when he started developing his musical gifts and leading worship. I remember that we talked about learning to be spontaneous musically in the worship setting. So he tried it a few times, and it didn't go well in the beginning. He crash-landed. And I'd go up to him afterwards and say, "Matt you did this wrong, you did that wrong." "Matt, you must not do that." "What on earth were you thinking when you did that?" He took it for ages, and then one day, he turned to me, and really quietly he said, "Mike, I don't thrive under criticism." And it just stopped me. Of course he doesn't thrive under criticism. No one does. Another time, when he'd tried to be spontaneous and it didn't really work, I said to him, "Matt, maybe we shouldn't try this spontaneous thing too much." Matt said, "But Mike, you were the one who told me to try it. If I'm ever going to get it right, if I'm ever going to learn how to do that, we've got to accept that at the beginning I'm going to get it wrong. And it was like, "Of course!" I wish that as pastors we gave our musicians more freedom to make mistakes. If only we could love them unconditionally, then we'd have the right to speak into their lives, because they'd know that we're doing it because we love them, and not because we want to control them.
I want to encourage musicians and worship leaders: I know that the church has hurt you. Don't give up on the church. The church needs you. God wants you as part of his church. For all its faults it's his church, and we'd be the poorer without you. We need musicians to hang in there, and to slwly help pastors to let go and trust. Perhaps you should actually say to your pastors, "I want to be under your authority. I want you to let me know when I've made a mistake, but tell me kindly, and encourage me too." As someone who loves worship, I'd love to see more musicians using their gifts in worship in the context of the church. We've got bands like Deliriou5? Who are using their gifts to bring worship to the streets, as it were. That's important, but we also need those who bring worship to the temple.
In the Old Testament, they took such great care with the musicians and the instruments and created great worship. And in the history of the church for the first few centuries, the church was at the forefront of new music. The Gregorian chants, for example, were cutting edge, chart-topping music in their day. But we just stuck with that. Luther and Wesley took the tunes from the songs being sung in the bars and put Christian words to them. General William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army, was doing very innovative music for his times. Much of the church has held on to those traditions. And sometimes , those things can become a stumbling block to allowing us to be creative today. Every move of the Holy Spirit in the history of the church has included fresh creativity in music and in worship. I want to encourage - and it's already starting - more and more pastors and leaders to recognize that there's something of God in the creativity of their musicians, and to make space for it.
Source: www.heartofworship.com
Finding My Place Of Rest
Dawn Critchley
Even serving God in a place that serves the body of Christ in renewal it is still possible to get dry. We certainly hadn’t planned for our hearts to grow cold, but last year Rob and I noticed it happening gradually over a number of months when life had become busy and we had become so caught up in ‘the doing’ that we had forgotten to just ‘be’ in His presence. Hebrews 3:11-19 says that a hardened heart cannot enter into God’s rest, so we knew that in order to find the rest we were looking for, we would need our hearts to be softened first. The question was how?
It was on New Year’s Eve, that universal time of reflection, when Rob and I took a very thorough look at where we were and decided that we needed to make some life changing resolutions. “What is wrong Lord? What is it that is missing in our lives?” we asked. He answered by calling us to learn to abide in His presence.
We took hold of Jesus’ promise that if we would come to Him weary and heavy laden, He would give us rest. We also asked God to stir a new hunger in our hearts to spend time getting to know Him again. The response we got was almost instant, as if He had been waiting, sitting on the edge of His throne, saying, “I thought you would never ask.”
A GOD SPACE
The following day was a wonderful beginning for us. One of the first things that we felt we needed to do was to dedicate a place in our home to spending time with the Lord. We have called it our “God space”. We employed some creativity in making it a calm, relaxing spot, the kind of place where you would sit and visit with a welcome friend. We could tell immediately that God was pleased, and He started meeting us there. We’ve also taught our children to love our “God space,” and we have had some very precious “family God times” there.
We initially felt that we needed to just soak in God’s presence in order to soften our hearts again rather than striving after Him with an agenda or even a prayer list. Instead of trying to flex our “mighty man of God” prayer muscles, we decided to wait in His presence. Our mornings began with listening to worship music. We allowed the Holy Spirit to wash over us letting the words and music refresh us.
We also discovered the value of putting our love for one another into action by soaking each other in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to come and fill the other with more of Him. As our hearts began to soften more each day, the atmosphere in our home began to change, and it transformed our relationship with our children.
The prayer in that song, “Draw Me After You,” was being answered, and we found ourselves longing for our mornings with Him. Our “God times” would set the tempo for our days. Consequently, we have been able to handle the pressures and stresses of life much more easily because we have been learning to fall back into the Father’s arms and rest in Him.
Our desire is to remain there. Hebrews 4:10 says that if we want to enter into God’s rest, it means resting from works. Rob and I took a thorough look at our lives to determine what works we needed to give up. God-given responsibilities and good works can become an area where we strive to find God’s approval and fall out of rest. We need to see what our Father is doing, to hear what He is asking of us and focus obediently on doing only those things. This has meant that we have had to learn to say “no” even to seemingly good activities so that we don’t miss God’s best for us. It is much easier to hear Him from a place of rest then a place of striving. He promises that if we abide in the Vine who is Jesus and do what we see the Father doing, then we will be fruitful (John 15). Why strive when it only brings weariness and stress with little or no fruit? What a relief it has been for us to learn that we can rest and yet be fruitful. I’m learning that “One handful of rest is better than two fists full of labour and striving.”(Ecclesiates 4:6)
How To Enter God’s Rest
How then, do we remain in a place of rest when life seems to press down on us from all sides? If we make our choices based on God’s values, we are off to a good start. He loves intimacy and has designed us to be intimate with Him. We must seize the time to let Him stengthen us with His reassuring love. When the tyranny of the urgent and unbearable weighs in on us, we must remind ourselves that our right response is to fall back into Him and allow our hearts to trust and confide in Him. Like King David, even in the face of adversity we must value waiting on the Lord and inquiring after His counsel. Rob and I are learning to give up control and trust Him with circumstances daily and are enjoying greater fruitfulness and rest as a result. Our work is more focused and inspired.
In a day when the number of burned-out and stressed-out servants of God is on the rise, the Father is calling us to a better way. He is still saying, “Cease striving and know that I am God,” Isn’t it time for all of His beloved children to find rest in Him?
Source: www.wildox.ca
Even serving God in a place that serves the body of Christ in renewal it is still possible to get dry. We certainly hadn’t planned for our hearts to grow cold, but last year Rob and I noticed it happening gradually over a number of months when life had become busy and we had become so caught up in ‘the doing’ that we had forgotten to just ‘be’ in His presence. Hebrews 3:11-19 says that a hardened heart cannot enter into God’s rest, so we knew that in order to find the rest we were looking for, we would need our hearts to be softened first. The question was how?
It was on New Year’s Eve, that universal time of reflection, when Rob and I took a very thorough look at where we were and decided that we needed to make some life changing resolutions. “What is wrong Lord? What is it that is missing in our lives?” we asked. He answered by calling us to learn to abide in His presence.
We took hold of Jesus’ promise that if we would come to Him weary and heavy laden, He would give us rest. We also asked God to stir a new hunger in our hearts to spend time getting to know Him again. The response we got was almost instant, as if He had been waiting, sitting on the edge of His throne, saying, “I thought you would never ask.”
A GOD SPACE
The following day was a wonderful beginning for us. One of the first things that we felt we needed to do was to dedicate a place in our home to spending time with the Lord. We have called it our “God space”. We employed some creativity in making it a calm, relaxing spot, the kind of place where you would sit and visit with a welcome friend. We could tell immediately that God was pleased, and He started meeting us there. We’ve also taught our children to love our “God space,” and we have had some very precious “family God times” there.
We initially felt that we needed to just soak in God’s presence in order to soften our hearts again rather than striving after Him with an agenda or even a prayer list. Instead of trying to flex our “mighty man of God” prayer muscles, we decided to wait in His presence. Our mornings began with listening to worship music. We allowed the Holy Spirit to wash over us letting the words and music refresh us.
We also discovered the value of putting our love for one another into action by soaking each other in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to come and fill the other with more of Him. As our hearts began to soften more each day, the atmosphere in our home began to change, and it transformed our relationship with our children.
The prayer in that song, “Draw Me After You,” was being answered, and we found ourselves longing for our mornings with Him. Our “God times” would set the tempo for our days. Consequently, we have been able to handle the pressures and stresses of life much more easily because we have been learning to fall back into the Father’s arms and rest in Him.
Our desire is to remain there. Hebrews 4:10 says that if we want to enter into God’s rest, it means resting from works. Rob and I took a thorough look at our lives to determine what works we needed to give up. God-given responsibilities and good works can become an area where we strive to find God’s approval and fall out of rest. We need to see what our Father is doing, to hear what He is asking of us and focus obediently on doing only those things. This has meant that we have had to learn to say “no” even to seemingly good activities so that we don’t miss God’s best for us. It is much easier to hear Him from a place of rest then a place of striving. He promises that if we abide in the Vine who is Jesus and do what we see the Father doing, then we will be fruitful (John 15). Why strive when it only brings weariness and stress with little or no fruit? What a relief it has been for us to learn that we can rest and yet be fruitful. I’m learning that “One handful of rest is better than two fists full of labour and striving.”(Ecclesiates 4:6)
How To Enter God’s Rest
How then, do we remain in a place of rest when life seems to press down on us from all sides? If we make our choices based on God’s values, we are off to a good start. He loves intimacy and has designed us to be intimate with Him. We must seize the time to let Him stengthen us with His reassuring love. When the tyranny of the urgent and unbearable weighs in on us, we must remind ourselves that our right response is to fall back into Him and allow our hearts to trust and confide in Him. Like King David, even in the face of adversity we must value waiting on the Lord and inquiring after His counsel. Rob and I are learning to give up control and trust Him with circumstances daily and are enjoying greater fruitfulness and rest as a result. Our work is more focused and inspired.
In a day when the number of burned-out and stressed-out servants of God is on the rise, the Father is calling us to a better way. He is still saying, “Cease striving and know that I am God,” Isn’t it time for all of His beloved children to find rest in Him?
Source: www.wildox.ca
Shout To The Lord
Darlene Zschech
listen here
Key: A
A E F#m E D
My Jesus, my Savior, Lord there is none like You.
A D A
All of my days, I want to praise
F#m G D E
The wonders of Your mighty love.
A E F#m E D
My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength,
A D A
Let every breath, all that I am
F#m G D E
Never cease to worship You.
A F#m D E
Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing:
A F#m D E
Power and majesty, praise to the King.
F#m D
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
E F#m E
At the sound of Your name.
A F#m D E
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
A F#m D E
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand.
F#m D E A
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
listen here
Key: A
A E F#m E D
My Jesus, my Savior, Lord there is none like You.
A D A
All of my days, I want to praise
F#m G D E
The wonders of Your mighty love.
A E F#m E D
My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength,
A D A
Let every breath, all that I am
F#m G D E
Never cease to worship You.
A F#m D E
Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing:
A F#m D E
Power and majesty, praise to the King.
F#m D
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
E F#m E
At the sound of Your name.
A F#m D E
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
A F#m D E
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand.
F#m D E A
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
Forever (Hillsong)
Hillsong
listen here
D
I'll worship at your throne, whisper my own love song
G Bm A
With all my heart I'll sing for You my Dad and King
D
I'll live for all my days, to put a smile on Your face
G Bm A
And when we finally meet, it'll be for eternity
Em Bm A Em
And oh, how wide You open up Your arms when I need Your love
Bm A C
And how far You would come if ever I was lost
G A C
You say that all You feel for me is undying love
Em D G
That You showed me through the cross
D G
I'll worship You my God, I'll worship You my God
Bm A
I love You, I love You
D G Bm A
Forever I will sing, forever I will be with You, be with You
listen here
D
I'll worship at your throne, whisper my own love song
G Bm A
With all my heart I'll sing for You my Dad and King
D
I'll live for all my days, to put a smile on Your face
G Bm A
And when we finally meet, it'll be for eternity
Em Bm A Em
And oh, how wide You open up Your arms when I need Your love
Bm A C
And how far You would come if ever I was lost
G A C
You say that all You feel for me is undying love
Em D G
That You showed me through the cross
D G
I'll worship You my God, I'll worship You my God
Bm A
I love You, I love You
D G Bm A
Forever I will sing, forever I will be with You, be with You
Take It All
Marty Sampson, Matt Crocker, Scott Ligertwood
listen here
Key: B
Verse 1:
B
Searching the world
B
The lost will be found
B
In freedom we live
B
As one we cry out
B
You carried the cross
B
You died and rose again
B
My God
B
I’ll only ever give my all
Verse 2:
B
You sent Your Son
B
From heaven to earth
B
You delivered us all
B
It’s eternally heard
B
I searched for truth
B G#m
And all I found was You
B
My God
B E
I’ll only ever give my all
Chorus:
B F#
Jesus we’re livin' for Your Name
G#m E
We’ll never be ashamed of You
B F#
Our praise and all we are today
C#m
Take take take it all
C#m
Take take take it all (repeat)
Other:
B
(bass & electric)
Bridge:
C#m G#m
Running to the One
F# E
Who heals the blind
C#m G#m F#
Following the shining light
C#m
In Your hands
G#m F# E
The power to save the world
B
My life
Coda:
C#m
Take, take, take it all.
C#m
Take, take, take it all.
F#
Take, take, take it all.
listen here
Key: B
Verse 1:
B
Searching the world
B
The lost will be found
B
In freedom we live
B
As one we cry out
B
You carried the cross
B
You died and rose again
B
My God
B
I’ll only ever give my all
Verse 2:
B
You sent Your Son
B
From heaven to earth
B
You delivered us all
B
It’s eternally heard
B
I searched for truth
B G#m
And all I found was You
B
My God
B E
I’ll only ever give my all
Chorus:
B F#
Jesus we’re livin' for Your Name
G#m E
We’ll never be ashamed of You
B F#
Our praise and all we are today
C#m
Take take take it all
C#m
Take take take it all (repeat)
Other:
B
(bass & electric)
Bridge:
C#m G#m
Running to the One
F# E
Who heals the blind
C#m G#m F#
Following the shining light
C#m
In Your hands
G#m F# E
The power to save the world
B
My life
Coda:
C#m
Take, take, take it all.
C#m
Take, take, take it all.
F#
Take, take, take it all.
SALAMAT PANGINOON
Rommel Guevarra
listen here
INTRO: E-G#m-F#M-B
E G#m F#m
SALAMAT PANGINOON
B E
SALAMAT SA ARAW NA ITO
E G#m
KAY GANDA NG UMAGA
F#m
BUONG ARAW KAYO
B E
ANG AKING KASAMA
G F#m G F#m
HALLELUJAH HALLELUJAH
G F#m G F#m
HALLELUJAH HALLELUJAH
G B-B7
HALLELUJAH
listen here
INTRO: E-G#m-F#M-B
E G#m F#m
SALAMAT PANGINOON
B E
SALAMAT SA ARAW NA ITO
E G#m
KAY GANDA NG UMAGA
F#m
BUONG ARAW KAYO
B E
ANG AKING KASAMA
G F#m G F#m
HALLELUJAH HALLELUJAH
G F#m G F#m
HALLELUJAH HALLELUJAH
G B-B7
HALLELUJAH
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