I posted this worship video by Kari Jobe a few weeks past but it’s worth re-posting here again. This is a great song filled with the majesty of our Alpha and Omega God! “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”(Rev. 1:8).

Worthy is the, Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to him who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat
[2X]

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be
to You the only wise King

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder
At the mention of your name
Jesus your name is power
Breath, and living water
Such a marvelous mystery
Yeah…

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You
[3X]

A good friend shares this commentary on Doctrine in Music

Lately, I’ve had things on my mind (about the spiritual decline of churches in America) that have really been bugging me. The discussion of spiritual decline could lead into many areas of contemporary churches, but in this particular article, I’ll be dealing mostly with worship songs, and the doctrines therein. And I realize that the following may appear as a ‘venting’ session to some of you, while most of you, hopefully, will see this as a call to orthodoxy.

I grew up in a Nazarene church, and we sang hymns at every service. But, about 12 years ago, I began attending a non-denominational church where we sang only praise and worship choruses. Initially, I really enjoyed the change. At that time, I considered the hymns to be boring, and the praise choruses brought a ‘freshness’ to worship that was completely new to me. But, over the years, I have come to realize just how theologically deficient most of the contemporary music is. I’ve noticed how little scripture, if any, is used in the lyrics, and that some churches are singing songs today, which have absolutely nothing to do with God or the bible!

Now, I realize that people have different preferences in worship styles, and that is fine. In fact, there are many different style preferences in the music department of my own church. Some of the people in my music department enjoy certain music styles that make me cringe. And, I’m sure my style preferences do the same for them. But, this is not an argument concerning style, but rather the content of the songs. If the content of your worship songs cannot be backed up by scripture, why are you singing them? If they are focused more on ourselves than on God, why allow them into His worship time?

Earlier this week, I visited with a minister here in the East Texas area who told me that we are in a ‘dispensation where scripture is no longer needed as the basis for our doctrine’, and that ‘we can sing any song we want as long as it is inspired.’ This is complete foolishness! Jeffrey Dahmer felt inspired, but that didn’t make his actions right. And, if we abandon the belief in sola-scriptura, and base our doctrine on things other than scripture (i.e. emotionalism, tradition, etc), then we might as well start going to Mass and follow the pope, because that is exactly what Catholicism is. This same minister claims to have the ability to determine which songs are ‘anointed,’ and which ones aren’t, and holds steadfast to the idea that all of the hymns of yesterday have lost their ‘anointing’ and have no place in modern worship. And, you guessed it, this person had no scriptural basis for that position when asked. But, then again, none was needed.

I’ve served as a worship leader for twelve years, and I’m getting to the point where I actually despise most of the modern music and lyrics, and find myself longing for a return en masse to the singing of biblical hymns. The main reason for this is that God deserves so much more than the modern lyrics offer. Now, I realize that occasionally I’ll come across a praise chorus or worship song that is biblically based and actually magnifies the holiness, sovereignty, power, and sacrifice of God (great example – ‘By His Wounds’ by Brian Littrell, Mac Powell, Mark Hall & Steven Curtis Chapman, but it doesn’t happen often.

To give an example of this, I’ve chosen two songs (one modern, and one hymn) for a comparison. This first song is ‘Sweep Me Away’ by Charlie Hall, and is being sung in many churches across America (predominately by the younger generation, and those who subscribe to emergent theology). Take a look at these repetitive lyrics and see if you can find any place where scripture is applied.

Suddenly I feel you holding me. Suddenly I feel you holding me
Suddenly I feel you holding me. Suddenly I feel you holding me
Suddenly I feel your hand in mind. Suddenly I feel your hand in mind
Suddenly I feel your hand in mind. Suddenly I feel your hand in mind
Suddenly I feel you leading me. Suddenly I feel you leading me
Suddenly I feel you leading me. Suddenly I feel you leading me
Suddenly I feel your heart in mine. Suddenly I feel your heart in mine
Suddenly I feel your heart in mine. Suddenly I feel your heart in mine
Sweep me away. Sweep me away
Sweep me away. Sweep me away

Did you find any scripture or doctrine? Nope. But, that doesn’t seem to bother most of the younger generation. Now, lets look at a well-known hymn that beautifully displays the greatness of God, and is basically sound doctrine set to music. This hymn is entitled ‘Crown Him With Many Crowns.’ Enjoy.

Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high,
Who died, eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of love, behold His hands and side,
Those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright.

Crown Him the Lord of Heaven, enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to Whom is given the wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns, as thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, for He is King of all.

Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night, their God, Redeemer, King.

Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.

It is very easy to see the difference in the two. The first song is a great depiction of the modern church era, which focuses more on emotionalism than sound doctrine, while the second song is sheer reverence and adoration. You see, today the church is embracing more of a me-centered (parody for illustration) worship, whereas the hymns portrayed a Christ-centered worship. Most of the modern choruses today focus on ‘what God can do for us,’ but the hymns seem to major on exaltation.

This self-serving mindset has even carried over into the Christian television networks, which feature the steady diet of prosperity preachers who teach only about ‘What can I get from God?’, rather than ‘How can I honor God and share His gospel with others?’ Rarely do these networks present messages about holiness, righteousness, sin, wrath, judgment, and repentance. This is (in my opinion) because people are overly concerned with self-gratification and striving to answer Osteen’s call to achieve their ‘best life now’… and it is shameful. But, that is a whole other message in itself.

The bible tells us in Psalm 96:4, that God is ‘Great and greatly to be praised.’ And, Psalm 66:2 exhorts us to ‘Make His praise glorious.’ He is worthy of so much more than we offer. And we have to remember that scripture shows us in the first two chapters of Malachi how worship (that doesn’t meet His standard) can be rejected. Friends, lets return to biblical theology, and sound doctrine, forsaking the narcissism that is so prevalent today.

Michael McGrath
http://www.streetreach.com

Listen to it here and read the lyrics below. I hope this song blesses and moves you like it does me.

Find Asleep In The Light on these Keith Green Albums:

	The Ultimate Collection, Compact Disc [CD] By Keith Green / Emi Cmg Distribution Rediscover Keith Green’s music for the first time. It’s been over 20 years since the tragic death of Keith Green. But the impact of his career lives on. Now for the first time, all of Keith Green’s greatest songs are available on one album. Share Keith Green’s passion for Christ by passing along his music and this 1 hour DVD (free with purchase) along to a new generation that is passionate about Christ.
	The Ministry Years, Volume 1, Compact Disc [CD] By Keith Green / Emi Cmg DistributionIntroducing the re-release of a classic! New liner notes and the electronic text of Green’s best-selling biography, No Compromise, accompany 38 songs from the pioneer of contemporary Christian music. Highlights include “Asleep in the Light” and “Thank You, Jesus.” Two-CD boxed set.
	No Compromise, Compact Disc [CD] By Keith Green / Emi Cmg Distribution

Asleep In The Light — Lyrics

Do you see, do you see,
All the people sinking down?
Don’t you care, don’t you care,
Are you gonna let them drown?
How can you be so numb,
Not to care if they come?
You close your eyes
And pretend the job’s done.

Oh bless me Lord, bless me Lord,
You know it’s all I ever hear.
No one aches, no one hurts,
No one even sheds one tear.
But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds,
And He cares for your needs.
And you just lay back
And keep soaking it in.

Oh can’t you see it’s such sin?
‘Cause He brings people to your door
And you turn them away
As you smile and say,
“God bless you be at peace.”
And all heaven just weeps
‘Cause Jesus came to your door
You’ve left Him out on the streets

Open up, open up,
And give yourself away.
You see the need, you hear the cries,
So how can you delay?
God’s calling, and you’re the one,
But like Jonah, you run.
He’s told you to speak,
But you keep holding it in.

Oh can’t you see it’s such a sin?
The world is sleeping in the dark,
That the church just can’t fight,
‘Cause it’s asleep, in the light.
How can you be so dead
When you’ve been so well fed?
Jesus rose from the grave,
And you you can’t even get out of bed!
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead,
Come on get out of your bed!

How can you be so numb,
Not to care if they come?
You close your eyes,
And pretend the job’s done.
You close your eyes,
And pretend the job’s done.
Don’t close your eyes,
Don’t pretend the job’s done.

Come away, come away, come away,
With Me my love.
Come away, from this mess,
Come away, with Me my love.

By: Keith Green

About a year ago I was listening to a CD from Jason Upton called Remember. The whole CD is awesome, but there is a song on it titled “We Are One In The Spirit“. As I was listening to that song, something occurred to me, our love for one another is a great evangelism tool. If the Holy Spirit truly resides in us, we have the capacity to love each other in a way the world has never seen. The world wants that kind of love so much. Many in the church do to. It is sadly missing in many, if not most churches today. I am talking about authentic, true, real love for one another. The kind of love expressed in John 15:12-15

Can you imagine all the other expressions of love we would have for one another if we where literally ready to die for our friends.

So, back to my original point, to the extent that Christians can truly express love for one another, they will draw the world to them. John 13:34-35 This is where love becomes a tool. As the world is drawn to us, we give them Jesus. We share, in love, the complete Gospel. That is, we share sin, judgment, death, eternity, repentance, hell, the blood, faith, love, grace, forgiveness, and heaven. We give the Law to the proud and self-righteous but we give Grace to the humble. In all this we should consider the direction Paul gives in Colossians 4:5-6

So, in your prayer time, ask God to fill you with love for one another that only he can give us. I know this is my prayer. This is the prayer I pray with my five and six year old boys.

Lord, give us love for one another like we have never had before. May this expression of love draw people to us that we may share You (Jesus) with them (the world)!

Here is the song from Jason Upton and the lyrics below as well. I pray this will move you as you listen.

[odeo="http://odeo.com/audio/11161233/view"]

We Are One In The Spirit

Written by Peter Scholte
Friday, 04 March 2005

We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord A
nd we pray that all unity
May one day be restored

And they’ll know we are Christians
By our love, By our love
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love

We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
And together we’ll spread the news
That God is in our land

We will work with each other
We will work side by side
We will work with each other
We will work side by side
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity
And save each man’s pride

All praise to the Father
From whom all things come
And all praise to Christ Jesus
His only son And all praise to the Spirit
Who makes us one

Make us one, Lord!

Make us one, Lord!

© copyright 1966 Peter Scholte