Beyond Sunday Worship

Worship Podcast

Young Adult Study Week 3 – "The Plot Thickens"

How should I respond when I face opposition?

  • Maintain Confidence in God (Nehemiah 2:19-20) – “Being nine feet tall is nothing if you aren’t a child of God.”
  • Ask God for Help (Nehemiah 4:1-6) – “Pray boldly. Pray often. Pray privately. Pray publicly. As you pray, know that God wants his mission to succeed in you more than you do.”
  • Take Reasonable Precautions (Nehemiah 4:7-14) – “When facing opposition, do everything you can to protect both yourself and the mission God has entrusted to you.”

The Offense of the Gospel

“The gospel, by telling us Jesus died for us, is also really insulting. It tells us that we are so wicked that only the death of the Son of God could save us. This offends the modern cult of self-expression and the popular belief in the innate goodness of humanity.”

– Timothy Keller, The Message of Romans (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2003), 2.

Where Are Your Eyes?

Consider this:

“Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated” (Psalm 36:1-2).

Why is there no fear of God?

Because his eyes are on himself.

What is the result?

The voice of transgression speaks loud and clear. Sin is not seen for what it is. Instead of hating sin, it is delighted in.

When the fear of God is set before our eyes we begin to see sin for what it is…and we hate it.

“God, may we fear and reverence your name. May our lives be lived out of a glorious vision of Christ.”


Current Listenings

The Boxer Rebellion “Union” – This is a fantastic album. There is a consistent sonic quality throughout this entire album that is contagious. While they don’t reinvent the wheel, they play their influences extremely well. Sigur Ros meets Arcade Fire meets Coldplay. You will love this.

Bon Iver “Blood Bank EP” – A rather weird EP. Not much here to return to. I loved his first album but this wanders a bit too much and does not engage.

Kristian Stanfill “Attention EP” – Definitely not the best worship music out there, but Kristian has some great energy. Production is a bit excessive here but I love the rendition of “Faithful”, which we’ve been recently singing at our church.

Kari Jobe “Kari Jobe” – A beautiful voice, great album. Surprised to hear her cover the recent scandal song, “Healer”. Still a great song.

Compassion Art – All the top Christian songwriters together in one room writing songs to raise money for the poorest of the poor. Check it out!

The National “Boxer” – This album is a recent inspiration to me. A sound that I’m not used to hearing. I love the baritone vocal and the crazy drums. A rock sound that does not overly rely on electric guitars.

The Listening “Transmission 1” – Can’t wait for the full length album. Outstanding. Enough said.