Beyond Sunday Worship

Worship Podcast

Weekend Worship Songs

I am going to start posting our worship song setlist from the weekends here at APC. I hope this is simply a practical tool for you worship leaders to see what songs we are doing and how they are working.

This past weekend we had a very high-energy set with some spontaneous moments. It was a powerful time.

  • Let God Arise (Chris Tomlin)
  • My Savior Lives (NewLife Worship)
  • I Have Found (Kim Walker) – this was a new song for us. It’s a song that has an ‘immediate’ effect on people – easy to learn and very catchy. I love the simplicity of it and how it leads you to cry out for the glory of God. Great congregational prayer. Highly recommended.
  • All Who Are Thirsty (Brenton Brown) – An older song, but a great follow-up to ‘I Have Found’. It’s helpful to have a simple chorus that enables you to continue pressing into God’s heart in a service.

Are there any new songs you are doing?

Four Steps to Getting a Great Reward

We all love to get stuff. We love to be recognized. We love to be applauded for our performances and achievements. I mean, who wouldn’t? The Bible’s teaching on rewards is bit different than our culture portrays. Simply put, you won’t learn this anywhere but from God.

God says:

  1. Be poor
  2. Be hungry
  3. Weep
  4. Be hated

Before you stone me, let me explain what these four statements mean (taken from Luke 6:20-35). There is a ‘biblical’ way and a wrong way to interpret them. Underlying these statements (from Jesus Himself) is an underlying Biblical truth:

SEEK YOUR REWARDS IN HEAVEN

There is no innate virtue in poverty. There is, though, in humbly trusting Christ rather than your personal wealth. There is no innate virtue in starving yourself. There is, though, in seeking after righteousness and longing for the day when you will be truly satisfied in eternity. there is no innate virtue in weeping. There is, though, in recognizing the suffering you experience will not be forever and longing for the day when Christ will ‘wipe away every tear’. There is no innate virtue in being hated, especially for your own stupidity. There is, though, in being hated for your allegiance to Jesus Christ.

Do these things, and your reward will be great in Heaven. Looking forward to it.

Suffering? – Do It For Christ

Ever feel like you are in prison for no reason? Maybe you have been physically imprisoned for preaching Gospel, much like the Apostle Paul. But for most of us, I would say, there are setbacks that feel like spiritual prison – physical ailment, relational conflict, ministry opposition. Its an age-old question, “God, why would you allow this in my life?”

Paul found himself in many similar situations. Why would God allow somebody as gifted as Paul to face such opposition and even be imprisoned? Seems like a waste of a good resource, huh?

If you’ve ever read the New Testament, you’ll realize that Paul did not live an easy life. He was in and out of prison, sick in body, and faced persecution on all sides. Yet he is the man who says:

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me [imprisonment] has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ” (Philippians 1:12-13).

Paul’s imprisonment actually served to advance the Gospel because people knew He stood for Christ.

As a Christian, there is no inherent blessing in suffering. We don’t go looking for ways to fight , get sick, or be imprisoned just to be more righteous. That is called ridiculousness.

But the Apostle Paul also says this:

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have” (Philippians 1:29-30).

If you are a child of God, taking ground for the Kingdom, you are engaged in conflict. The enemy of your soul will oppose you. This is a privilege from God, not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer.

Expect it and rejoice. Never lose heart. Fight the good fight. God is with you. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

We are engaged in a war that has already been won.

Leader Lessons: Dominate or Empower?

Are you responsible for leading people? Do you have a heart to see others reach their full potential? Is there a cause on your heart that drives your every day? You are a leader, my friend. And how you handle that role means everything to those you lead.

In I Kings 12, Rehoboam inherited his father’s throne. He was approached by his people with a simple request to lighten the load of work. They were willing to serve Rehoboam, but the workload was unreasonable.

Rehoboam could have used his authority here to empower his people, but instead, he dominated them and spoke very harsh words. In the end, the Kingdom of Israel was divided.

As a leader, you have the influence to either empower or dominate those who follow you. It doesn’t mean you must compromise your goals to match everyone’s preference. It does mean you lead with compassion. To be a great leader, you must adopt these two realities:

  1. A driving passion for a certain cause
  2. Accomplishing it through real people (with feelings, limitations, insecurities, etc)

If you’re all about the cause and lead without compassion, you will dominate and alienate those who follow you. They will leave you. If you are all about the people and have no driving passion, you will simply have a social club.

You must have a cause that burns in your heart and yet lead in such a way that empowers others to accomplish it with you.

How do I empower, you may ask?

More to come…