Hey stoners!
Gah sorry for the last min song list AGAIN!!! I need to be more accountable to send it out on Tues! I give myself too much excuses – procrastination is my enemy!
Pst Rach has requested for the last song to be “Give us your courage” by Tim Hughes. So I wanted to build the worship set along that line.
The whole concept starts with this – Hebrews 13:1-8
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
It starts of with the idea of giving out, loving one another as brothers, stranger and even prisoners. The whole idea of being a Christian is “centrifugal” remember? It’s about what God has given us so that we can give it out, grace, mercy, salvation(Not that we give that out but we can help someone come to that decision) love, forgiveness and so much more. It’s not about what we can “get” from God to make my life better but how I can give so that my God’s name is lift up.
Than it talks about sexual immorality and keeping our lives free from the love of money, two huge issues that have come against the Christian since the beginning of time and up till not has not let off steam, in our time it has gained even more momentum as the world focuses more on finances than fulfillment, careers more than family, things more than people. sexual pleasure more than intimacy (In knowing a person). The line blurs cause the cost of living keep going up and keeping up with the Jones is not just left to the few who want “face” but to the masses as media popularized the “standard” for living and anything under that is just unthinkable. Relationships are taken to the point of living as if you are already “married” just so you can “try” to see if you are compatible. People want all the perks of being married without the responsibility that come with it. And the Lord warns us again especially against these two areas cause He knows that we would be greatly tested most in these two areas.
The question is not so much about sexual lust or greed or lack of trust in God as it is a worship issue. Why do I say that? It’s not about what we should do or should not do as a christian but why we do what we do and why we don’t do what we don’t do. All of life is a worship to God – only question is which God? Is it Jehovah God or is it the God of money or the God of pleasure or the God of self? When we give in to greed or lust it is the same as saying that God you alone are not enough for me, that God rather than honor You, I want to honor myself and do what makes me feel good instead of doing what pleases You. At the heart of it all everything we do is worship to God, every act that we do, everything that we stand for.
Are we suppose to be prefect? Other than Jesus no other human is nor can anyone be. I came across this sentence by Ravi Zacharia someone whom I greatly admire, I don’t have the exact quote with me atm but it goes something like this “The Bible and all its laws and commandments it not a guide to show you how to be perfect, contrary to that it shows us how to in our imperfection and weakness still overcome”
The bible isn’t about making perfect people out of us, I and you know it won’t work even God knows it won’t work but in it we find strength to overcome the trials of this life whether it’s through the Holy Spirit, encouragement from the family of Christ or just plain applying the word of God into our lives. I belive it was John Piper that says this “The Mark of a Christian’s life is repentance” That through out our entire walk with Christ, it’s about turning away from sin and becoming more and more like Christ. We might be battling one sin now but in a couple of months we might be battle another and so on, what sets us apart is that we are quick to repent – that means to turn away from our sins and walk away from it. Not just ask for forgiveness but walking away from it and even if we do fail at the same thing again we continue to repent and look to God for forgiveness and strength to overcome every obstacle.
What I fear most as a Christian is that I become hardened to sin, that I allow sin to continue in my life, that I care not because I feel not, what was once sin which lead to conviction, from conviction to guilt, from guilt to indifference, from indifference to justification, and when we come to that point, we justify the sin till it not longer is a sin in our eyes but in God’s it’s never changed.
I am getting a bit long here so my point is, most if not all our sin is a worship issue, in sinning we are saying that God you are not enough to meet my needs, God you are not enough to fill my desires, God I don’t want You to be God, I want to be God of my life. The next part of the verse is the reassurance to this, that God promises to NEVER forsake nor leave us. That He is our helper in our time of need! Do you truly believe that? At the very core of our foundation in our walk with God we have to believe that. That God is faithful to His word, that our lives are a living sacrifice to God because we love and honor him. And if God is not in that position of honor and love in our lives than I truly question if we can call ourselves Christian.
The song “Give us your courage” has this line in it “For the truth of your word we will stand” I belive that is the heart of the song. The courage to stand for truth, for what is right, for what is Holy in God’s eyes. God would you give us the courage to stand for truth, would you give us the courage turn away from our sin and repent, would you give us the courage to make the right decision even though it might cost us. God would you give us the courage to lay our lives on the altar again and again and again and again and again and when we feel tired and discourage yet again as a living sacrifice to you because God you are worth it.
So the whole idea of the worship set is this – We need to count on God, We are His chosen people set part by Him and for Him, We are a people of faith that will sing out His praise loudly WITH our lives and we can do it only because He gives us the ability to do it.
So song list as follows
Counting on God – G
Chosen Generation – G
Sing Out – E – Jewel Leading
Give us your courage – E – Christy Leading
Bass: Malcolm
Drums: Alex
Keys: Christy
Vocals: Jewel/Angie
Proj: Elysia
Sound: Isaac T
So just stand by Oh Lord ya
