I Am Not Alone

Soon we will be learning a new song called "I Am Not Alone" by Kari Jobe.  It's one that I'm pretty excited about for several reasons.  Lately we have learned several songs that are upbeat and a declaration of our faith in Jesus and what He has done.  For example, "He Has Won" is one of my favorite songs that we do. It declares that Jesus has ultimate victory over death, hell and the grave. But, "I Am Not Alone" is a bit different than what we have recently learned.  First of all, it's nice and mellow.  No screaming electric guitars, no house-shaking drums or crazy synthesizer solos.  It's just a nice, piano led arrangement that's intimate and easy to listen to.  Secondly, the words are so important and remind us so well that we have someone who fights for us, who watches over and protects us and who goes before us.  Here is the chorus:

I am not alone, I am not alone

You will go before me, You will never leave me

Simple, right?  But it's so nice to be reminded through song.  Also here is verse 1:

When I walk through deep waters

I know that You will be with me

When I'm standing in the fire I will not be overcome

Through the valley of the shadow I will not fear

Again, it's not extremely deep and we know these things to be true, but they're good to hear.  This particular verse reminds me of Joshua 1:5:  "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.  Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.  I will not leave you or forsake you."  What an awesome thought!  The fact that God promises to be with us just as was He was with Moses is amazing!  Moses, who through the power of God parted the waters to deliver the Israelite's from Egypt and who God instructed to set a bronze serpent on a pole so that people might be healed, had God go before him in the very same way that we do.  Talk about a promise!

This song can speak to people in many different ways, but to me, it speaks of God's promise and His faithfulness to us.  To others, this song may come in a time where healing is needed, or a time when a reminder of God's friendship is needed.  I am excited to introduce it to our congregation in May, but until then here is the video to "I Am Not Alone". Enjoy!

Peace!

Justin

Christ Is Risen

“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling over death by death.  Come awake.  Come awake!  Come and rise up from the grave”.  These powerful lyrics are from one of my favorite songs by Matt Maher that shares the title of this blog.  Christ is most certainly risen, and that fact is never more apparent than during the Passover and Easter holidays as we celebrate His death and resurrection.  Matt goes onto deliver what I believe to be some of the most empowering words within the Bible as proclaimed in Hosea 13:14 and then reiterated and redefined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:55:  

“Oh Death, where is your sting?”

      In Hosea, God’s prophet is delivering His message to Israel and Judah as a warning for the coming judgement and ultimate fall of the Samarian kingdom due to their turning away and worship of pagan gods.  In this case, God is bringing the sting of death as He has removed His compassion from the people of Israel due to their unfaithfulness.  Now you might be wondering how I find this to be an empowering statement, it is empowering in how Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians.  When Paul quotes the passage, he is in the process of defending the resurrection as there were some in the church of Corinth who believed in Christ’s resurrection, but not the resurrection of the believers.  Paul reassures us that not only was Christ’s resurrection valid, but our resurrection, without question, is certain.  The song then proclaims:

“Oh Hell, where is your victory?”

      One day, whether we are raptured or raised from the dead, we will be changed from corruptible mortals and will be clothed with incorruptible immortality.  We will awaken and we will rise up from our graves and obtain the victory that has been promised throughout scripture.  “Oh Church, come stand in the light.  Our God is not dead, He’s alive!  He’s alive!”  Yes, Christ died on the cross.  Yes, Christ was placed in the grave.  Yes, Christ descended into Hell.  However, after 3 days He trampled death and He arose from the grave victoriously, just as He had promised. 

      This Easter, I pray that you will be encouraged by our risen Savior.  And just as the song states, “no burden great can hold you down”.  We have the hope and power of Christ in us to persevere and endure anything that we face in this world.  On top of that, He has taken the sting out of death so that those who believe in Him will be able to claim the same victory.  Also, if you haven’t already heard this song, I urge you to check it out and listen to the lyrics as I am sure that the Spirit will empower you with them.

Scott

The Young Ones

I was trying to figure out how old I was when I joined the praise team the other day and it made me think about how many young people we have leading worship and working in the church in general now! I joined the Wednesday Night praise team when I was twelve and then joined the regular praise team when I was fifteen. At the time, I think there were only one or two more people under the age of twenty in the praise team. We have added on quite a few more young people in the past couple of years and that greatly encourages me... 

As most of you know, music is my thing. Like a sport or dance or even academics may be other people’s things, well, music is mine. I have always loved to sing and play instruments. It’s what I enjoy. I am grateful that we utilize young people in every aspect at our church and especially in the praise team. It has given me an outlet to do what I love (whether it be singing or playing an instrument) every week. That makes our church stick out. It used to shock people when I would tell them that I was in my church praise team. Around here having young people participate in anything church-wise seems a bit odd. I’m glad we chose to branch out. I love to look onstage and back at the sound area and even see the little guys doing the ushering on Sunday mornings. 

Now that I am getting older it does my heart good to see young people having the opportunity to learn and learn from people who love the Lord. It’s a beautiful thing! So thank you for allowing me to take part and not making me sit and watch the adults do everything. I know that sometimes it can be harder to keep things on track with a bunch of young people, (I have been a contributor to that, I’m sure:)) but I can see that it’s paying off by the looks of admiration and inspiration on the faces of the younger kids when they watch the older ones going about their specific jobs. I pray that upcoming generations will be full of young people who started working and participating in their churches at a young age and will continue to do so throughout their lives, teaching their children to do the same. We’ve got a great thing going at MPBC! All the glory to God! 

“Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity.” ~1 Timothy 4:12

Kandace 

Even So Come

As I was trying to decide on what I was going to write for the

blog this week, I had the thought: What better subject to write on, than one of the things that has affected me the most in my life, music. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to play music in many places, but most importantly, in church.

When I first began playing in the Praise Team, about a year and a half ago, I was not as close to the Lord. I worried more about whether I was going to mess up, instead of completely focusing on Him. During this past year, I have grown so close to the Lord through music. I learned to feel the music, and to be the song. Once I realized how God was speaking to me through song, my focus quickly faded from the crowd, to my Savior.

One of the songs that affect me the most is, “Even So Come.” The powerful lyrics state:

“Like a bride waiting for her groom, we’ll be a church

Ready for you, every heart longing for our king,

We sing, even so come, Lord Jesus come”

Every time I play/sing this song, new and different emotions flow through me. It has such powerful words, and musicality. The song is a reminder that even through all of our daily hardships/struggles of life, we need to always be ready for Him, and live and worship everyday as if it were our last.

Blessings,

Madison

The Healing Hands of God

I am going to be perfectly honest.  I had absolutely no idea what I was going to write about for this blog. But after much mental deliberation, one topic kept springing back into my head.  I really feel God calling me to share this story:

This past year was not the best.  In fact, it was very difficult.  I went through a trial in my life that made everything hard to bear.  I was perplexed and I searched for answers even though I hadn’t the slightest idea as to how I would find them.  I was very down, and to be honest, I allowed it to take away my joy.  Notice, how I said I was very down.  Yep, I learned how to conquer this issue thru Christ, rather than it being the other way around.  I am so incredibly grateful for people who never fail to extend that extra bit of kindness and for a heavenly Father who is so kind and good!  God used this thing I viewed as a catastrophe to draw me into Him and to make me much stronger, emotionally and spiritually!

Do you want to know how He did it?  He did it through my worship.  Without even knowing it, I was being restored through my worship.  He helped me overcome my burdens with something that was a part of my everyday life. And do you want to know the most wonderful part?  My joy was restored! (I’m proud to say I’ve had it back for a while now;))  Music and worship are the best parts of my life, but now; they are dearer to my heart than ever before!   I remember praying so hard that God would alleviate my burden by sending me something I could use for His glory!  Looking back, what I needed was right there in front of me. (Literally my instruments were right in front of me.)  I look forward to Sundays so much because I can just get lost in the worship.  See, that’s how I found my peace in the midst of mass confusion. When I get lost in worship, I find myself in God’s presence.  If you’ve ever experienced it, you also know that there is no logical way to describe it.  It brings you profound joy, but also peace…It humbles you.

God works so mysteriously, but I couldn’t be more thankful for how He worked in my heart.  I believe that music was meant for worshiping God, and that He can use our worship in ways that specifically blesses us.  I consider the peace found in worship to be a blessing; that is why I love music so much!  If we pour ourselves out in total worship to Him, and we humble ourselves before Him, He can and will heal us!  Think of worship as a way to bless God and find something like “Holy Help.”  1 Chronicles 16:29 says “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness!”  When we worship Him wholeheartedly, our focus shifts from ourselves and our circumstances to Jesus!... Just to Jesus!  And that is the type of healing you will not find anywhere else.  God’s own hands can heal our souls, if only we ask. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For, everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”  ~Matt. 7:7-8

Maddie

He Has Won

With this week’s blog post, I want to introduce a new song to everyone that we will be learning at church next month.  It’s called “He Has Won” by Vertical Church Band.  With Easter quickly approaching, I believe it will be a wonderful song of triumph and celebration of Jesus’ victory over death and the grave.  The lyrics of the chorus are:

He has won

Death is swallowed up in victory

Through the Son

The grave has lost its sting and its grip over me

Yes, He has won

Jesus is victorious and because of that, we are victorious as well.  But as I really started learning this song, the words of the 1st verse have come to mean the most to me.

To all who are the tired and the heavy laden

Hope has come

To all who feel the weight of the broken spirit

Hope has come

I don’t know about you, but there have definitely been times recently where I have felt tired, heavy laden, and have had a broken spirit (just ask anyone involved with this year’s Passion Play).  But when I feel that way I just need to go to Jesus and He will give me rest, peace, and hope.  As Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”. 

So, I hope you like the song and I look forward to singing boldly that He (Jesus) has won!

Here’s the video:

Worship Big!

Brad

I Think I'm Getting Old!

Well this is it, the week that many people dread; I’m turning the BIG Five O!  It’s no big deal. I still have my hair, my teeth, and most of my mental faculties (some might say I have never been right).   I really mean it when I say it’s no big deal!  The older I get the older “Old” gets, so in my mind I’m not there yet.  I use to tell people that when I had to start wearing diapers that it was time for the good Lord to call me home, now I just say if I can’t change my own diapers it time to go home. 

Life really is a blessing and if we are living then we are getting older.  My father passed away when he was 39 years old so I have already lived 11 more years than he did.  I tell people that I’m not afraid of dying, it’s the “getting dead” that worries me this comes from Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor thing to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!”  As a Christian death is nothing to be scared of.   Last year during this week I buried a dear friend of mine who was killed in a car accident and he was 49 so I am excited that I have made it to 50. 

Getting older is a blessing from God and there are many references to this in the bible.  Deuteronomy 5:33 says “Follow the whole instruction the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess”, 1 Kings 3:14 says “If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments just as your father David did, I will give you a long life”.  These verses do not mean that you are guaranteed a long life if you live for the Lord but they just affirm that old life is a blessing from God. 

As I am getting older I am starting to question when is it time to “retire” from the Praise Team here at MPBC?   I don’t believe that the bible describes for us a Christian retirement plan (except for the Levites who served in that capacity until 50 and then became mentors). So, I am not planning to stop serving the Lord, but I’m not sure that I should still be in the praise team when I’m 70.  Hopefully, I have a few years to make that decision.  I still enjoy leading in worship, so for now, I still feel I can serve in this capacity. 

The bible indicates that there are some good things that come with age.  Titus 2:2-3 states “Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance”.  I pray that this verse will be lived out in my life for as long as the Lord will grant me breath and my challenge to you is that you will enjoy life and serve the Lord with the talents that he has given you. 

Geoff