Call to Worship » Hymns

Time to Worship (February)

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:03:00 +0000

The blizzard of 2010 and various circumstances allowed us to worship at different places this past month. Most of it came in the form of family time and personal reading. But we did deal with a lot of sluggard/laziness during this time. Time just slipped away this month.

So this past Sonship meeting was good in which we continued Chapter 7 on Repentance. True repentance is often confused with fake repentance. Things like groveling, offering sacrifice, blame shifting, coming up with great insight on your sin… these things are not true repentance.

So what does true repentance look like? It is an acknowledgement of your sin, turning to God, asking for forgiveness for specific sins and also seeking help. There is a humility, there is joy, there is knowledge of your forgiveness in Christ and freedom in being no longer in the bondage of sin. There is freedom in knowing that you no longer have to justify or atone for yourself. Christ has done it.

There’s also community when we repent we recognize that we are sinners and that we are no better than other people. We humbly acknowledge that other people’s failings are due to their very definite need for Christ… and so we respond with GRACE. An unrepentant person doesn’t see this. An unrepentant person sees only the sin or failings or weakness of that person. The repentant person sees that it is Christ that the other person needs and calls and prays and leads the other person to Christ in order to restore.

With true repentance will come change, but it will be an internal change that will manifest itself outwardly. It is not the other way around. This all coincided with my re-listening to Tim Keller’s sermon series on the Prodigal Son. He mentioned another thing about true repentance that we see God as beauty rather than duty. My prayers will be more and more adoration for God rather than requests from God. We seek relationship with Him opposed to just his blessings.

Thank you Jesus. This is exactly what I (we) needed for such an extended period of laziness. Lord change me and mold me… to be a son.

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

Time to Worship (Mid November Update)

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:48:00 +0000

Because of certain circumstances, my wife and I have the opportunity to serve in the music ministry this coming week. I’m pretty nervous but think it would be fun since we haven’t really done anything like this since our old bible study days and even the children church days.

Singing in bible study is pretty straight-forward, you could sit down and everyone just looks at their paper to sing. Children’s church is also pretty relaxed, since the kids don’t really care about how they sound, they just like being loud.

I’m praying for grace… Also a time to enjoy with my wife as we minister together in this manner. It really has been a long time.

We have three hymns picked out:

Come thou fount
Solid Rock
Grace greater than our sin

Three hymns we have been practicing together and meditating on. Along with some bible reading… we have talked much about personal accountability, marriage, finances, work, future plans… stuff I think only God will bring us into greater unity and conformity to his will.

Thank you God for this opportunity.

End of June Update

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:35:00 +0000

Been pretty busy with family and friends visiting. We are currently in the book of Judges. After finishing Esther, we decided to go back and read the book of Judges.

Finished reading Samson’s story yesterday and finding a lot of things about God’s servants. Surprising to say the least.

Also listening to Steve Brown‘s lectures on “Grace and the Church” from RTS Virtual on iTunesU. It is a very good lecture. Steve refers to Jack Miller’s Sonship very often and talks about finding grace in Jesus especially in church and other parts of our lives where we do not act like grace exists.

we’ve been praying lately for our church, family and various situations going on in our families. I’m learning grace… for the very first time, again.

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

Time to Worship (Week 5 Sunday)

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Sunday worship was incredible. Pastor Chuck walked us through Heaven. In his sermon, he helped us to envision what we heaven would be like. In it he mentioned some hobby or thing we enjoyed and how we can spend hours on end doing… then he moved us one step closer saying that it is God that created that thing… and if God created it, how much more time would be enjoying him forever. He asked us to imagine a worship service that lasted 12 hours… and then imagined that the worship service took us around the galaxy. God is infinite and in him we can truly worship forever.

We began worship with a reading from Psalm 19, then sang three hymns that I’ve never sang before:

#20 God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand
#73 Our Great Savior

I praised God when I saw “Our Great Savior” in which its chorus went like this:

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

We continued with a reading of Psalm 139. We had been meditating on that chapter for the past week. What struck me was than when we are with God… his enemies are our enemies. Sometimes I want God to strike down my enemies… at least humble them. But the psalmist puts it in such a way that when we are united with God, when we are with Him, his enemies ARE going to be our enemies.

If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:19-24

Pastor Chuck preached on John 14:1-4 and took us on a journey to heaven.

We concluded with the benediction and doxology.

Time to Worship (Week 4 Thursday)

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:03:00 +0000

In preparation for our three month trek through the bible, we decided to read larger chunks of the word. Tonight we read in bed. This was our regular practice before the start of “church nights.” We would usually read scripture and then pray right before bed. So again, we continued the tradition. Our oldest daughter had her own book and read along but decided to play instead. Our youngest one was getting her feeding while we read.

Today we looked at the LORD’s discourse in Job 38-42. God humbles Job and any complaint that he had by asking and asking him questions that are way beyond his understanding. When our eyes are not on Christ, we do not fully understand the situation.

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:
“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
“Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
Do you have an arm like God’s,
and can your voice thunder like his?
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at every proud man and bring him low,
look at every proud man and humble him,
crush the wicked where they stand.
Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.

Then Job replied to the LORD :
“I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”

(Job 40:6-14; 42:1-6)

Indeed it was God himself that had quieted Job’s complaints. Job realized that after hearing God speak, he did not understand half as much as he thought he did… and so he shuts up and repents.

That is where I feel we are lately. Every time we look at the word, we have been convicted of one thing or another and must repent. But as we’ve been listening to some sermon/lectures… scripture is the Word of God… and when we listen to the word of God, we are in fact hearing God himself speak to us, just as Job had heard it. It is an awesome privilege to hear God speak to us…

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart

Time to Worship (Week 3 Thursday)

admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:49:00 +0000

We started in the middle of dinner. But included many interruptions from the little ones. We sang… Hallelujah What a Savior! and Blessed Assurance.

Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
“Full atonement!” can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die;
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

This was one of my favorite hymns a few years back and probably still is. I sang a version where they repeated a chorus of “hallelujah what a saviors” between each verse. Can’t seem to find that version anymore. But I re-discovered this by thumbing through the hymnal this morning… so we sang it during family worship time. This song highlights the sufferings of Christ, his life, death and exaltation… and his work to bring us into the kingdom. I like the progression.

We had a brief time of prayer and then reading of scripture. We read Romans 8:18-27 and looked at how Paul described future glory. Our sufferings in this life are but a momentary blip in comparison to the glory revealed in us. We need it today. Mommy was tired and so was I… this was a good reminder.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

We ended today with a brief discussion and some fussiness from the little one.

Time to Worship (Week 3 Monday)

admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:28:00 +0000

We had three guests over today so our church service started kinda late. First my sister came bearing gifts and then Jack Bauer took up the 9PM time slot with 24. But we did have church, it started around 10ish along with a friend from church.

We started with “How Great Thou Art“

When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

We continued reading from Revelation 2 where Christ is addressing sins within the church and how he calls them to repentence. After looking at the early church in Revelation, we considered our current situation and at our church. It was a call for corporate and individual repentence. The sins as mentioned to the different churches could very well apply to us today. We forget Christ and we forget our first love as mentioned yesterday. We also are led astray from false teachers and tempted with many things. What sins do our church need to repent of? How will this type of repentence look like (on the corporate and individual levels)?

Christ calls us to repent and to remain in him to the end. It is only with our union with Christ that we are able to endure to the end. We sang the second verse again. Remembering that it was the finished work of Christ on the cross that took away our sins and that is where our faith is in.

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

We prayed together and concluded with a benediction and doxology.

Time to Worship (Week 3 Sunday)

admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:38:00 +0000

This past week was crazy with family stuffs, friend stuffs, and more baby issues. My two year old daughter was bullying the other kids today at church and things just went downhill fast. Mommy was extremely tired from the previous day’s activities and so we had to go at it alone today for Sunday worship. This along with my parent’s lunch with my siblings and significant others. This really put a dampener to my day. More talk of weddings as well as having to deal with other issues.

So it was around 8PM that I was having my pity party (partly due to fatigue and I think mostly with my spiritual condition) that my wife told me to stop it. I asked her to pray for me and also with me. It was then that we began our worship service. We sang “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name” and ”A Mighty Fortress” and prayed. It was a good reminder of the greatness of our God and how he is our strength.

Verse 2 of A Mighty Fortress:

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

Is a good reminder that it is not in our strength that we confide, but it is in Jesus Christ. He is our strength… the author and perfecter of our faith and the one who we fully rest in.

We continued our reading of Revelation 2. We looked at the church of Ephesus and Smyrna.

To Ephesus he says: “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” And to Smyrna he says: “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life”

To Ephesus, they were commended for being doctrinally pure but they had forgotten their first love. We asked each other how it was like when we first became Christians, when we first experienced the love of Christ. It was sweet. We were on fire and read the scriptures, we thirsted and longed for it. But it was also within fellowship and we loved the people we were with as well. The commentaries said it could have been that they were not loving one another which meant they were not loving Christ. I think this is evident with our church and with us as individuals. The passage to Smyrna was really pertinent today as I felt down. It was a reminder that Christ has overcome this world and that this church will face persecution. It is only in having our eyes set on Christ will we be able to endure it.

We prayed for this coming week and for family and friends.

We concluded with Glory to God (chinese version).

Fellowship Saturday

admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:28:00 +0000

We had a wedding earlier today and a fellowship meeting in the evening. Only I was able to attend the fellowship, so our family church time didn’t happen until our car ride home.

Main points from the fellowship meeting was:

Whenever problems arise, they are the tip of the iceberg… there are underlying things that are not as clearly seen. The level directly below the problems are how we deal with problems and some of this requires skill. It includes communication, conflict resolution, etc. But if we only focus on this level we begin to manipulate others. This type of manipulation is bad…

The underlying level to all problems is worship… We are either worshipping God or something else. It’s when we worship something else that brings us conflicts. This stems within marriage or other relationships.

We looked at a few passages: Romans 8:28ff, Matthew 7:1-5

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

It is within this self-examination that helps us to be compassionate to others. Only Christ can remove the log from our eye and when we realize that, it requires Christ to remove the speck from our brother’s eye.

So the question was what were some logs in our eye? Even though my wife wasn’t there tonight, we did have brief time of worship in the car ride home.

We sang Amazing Grace again and went over the fellowship points as well as asked each other about the logs in our eyes.

Time to Worship (Week 2 Thursday)

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:46:00 +0000

We began with two hymns: Amazing Grace and The Old Rugged Cross.

We decided to read through Revelation. Today we read Revelation 1. And discussed Christ, his true and current state and how we are united with him. Oh, how often we forget we worship and risen and powerful God who has conquered sin and death. How often we live each day without this reality in front of us. Revelation 1:12-18

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and(AM) with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Again, we confessed our sins, brought our lives before God and asked Him to move in our relationships and in our lives.

We concluded with Glory to God.