A long time ago, I was a worship leader who played in meetings and services week after week, month after month. Until, of course I burned out! Many of my readers will know of my Dark Night of the Soul, when I left behind me all things Church for fifteen years. And on each occasion that I burned out, I came closer and closer to never going back into leading – or even into Church; each time, that Dark Night beckoned. Eventually, it turned out to be exactly what I needed, but on this particular occasion the ‘only’ real thing was that I never wanted to ever hear again any of the Songs of Heaven.
Except for this one. ‘All I Desire’, from the Hosanna! Music album ‘Almighty‘. Despite everything, this one song just played over and over again in my spirit – and I didn’t mind, despite it being a Song of Heaven:
‘Oh Lord, my God, all I desire is You’.
And, you know, that was exactly what the Spirit was speaking to my heart at that time. I needed to put aside all the works, all the leading, all the action, all the ‘being indispensible’, and just concentrate on my heart’s Desire – all I really needed was Him. So, in His usual complete genius, He gave me the one song that could save my sanity, by putting my focus back on the One to Whom I owe everything.
As usual, it had taken a big crash for me to learn my lesson – if indeed I did. But anyway, here is the song. If you’re blown away by life’s pressures, or especially by ministry pressures, remember your first Love; remember that He is all you really desire, and that all the resulting works and deeds flow from Him and back to Him. Let it be effortless. let it flow from your life in the Spirit, and not from any compulsion.
Hold your ‘ministry’ lightly;
but hold on to Him tightly
(I can’t believe I just wrote that, and I apologise. Too trite for my normal style, and I don’t like ‘Christian catch-phrases’ – but I feel perhaps it’s there for for someone!) 😉
So here it is: ‘All I Desire’, written and led by Rich Gomez.
Sing it. Mean it.
O Lord, my God All I desire is You O Lord, my God All I desire is You
More precious than silver More costly than gold No riches on the earth compare with You
And what can this world offer when all I desire is You
Anything and everything that you think prevented you from approaching God has been dealt with by Jesus on the Cross.
You are now free to live your life free of any worry that God doesn’t like you, that God will never forgive you, that God cannot love you the way you are, that you’re all on your own, that maybe after you die you’ll go to that terrible place you’ve heard of that’s called ‘hell’.
No more of that. Jesus loves you and He wants to walk alongside you, and bring the presence of the Kingdom into your life in all its power, peace, love and joy!
That’s the Gospel.
It’s not about obeying Rules; it’s not about obeying the Law.
It’s not about Law at all, in fact. It’s about faith. Faith in Jesus Christ.
You see, the Law, for example in the Ten Commandments, was only ever given in order to show us our sinfulness, that is, our tendency towards doing things that will harm us, and/or harm others (Romans 3:20).
But Jesus took all that sinfulness into Himself on the Cross and destroyed it. (Rom 6:6)
Humanity’s natural tendency is to try to please God by obeying Rules; we call this ‘legalism’. Jesus said in Mark 7:6-7 (quoting Isaiah 29:13),
“These people honour me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain;their teachings are merely human rules.”
This dependence on our own works – the ‘human rules’ that Jesus mentions – is completely futile, as we will see below. But in Jesus, a new way to please God has been given: the way of Grace. Here’s what Paul says in Romans 3:21-22:
“Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the Law. For the Law merely brings awareness of sin. But now, apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been revealed… And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe”
Did you see that? No-one will be justified by the Law (in other words, the Law makes no-one righteous), but now, apart from Law, our righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe! (See also Gal 2:16). That is all that is required! And it’s all God’s free gift, through His Grace, that is, Hisfavour and His approval, that even though we may not deserve it, He gives us it anyway!
Righteousness comes, by faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. And it comes from God, not from us!
Jesus came to set us free from the Law of sin and death. Jesus did not come to change the Law, but to fulfil it. Every Law we were supposed to keep, that we have broken, He has fulfilled on our behalf, and this is what makes us free. There is no longer any need for us to believe that we have to ‘do’ certain things in order to please God, because it’s all been done!
When Jesus came, He chided the Pharisees for making up loads of layers of laws for people to keep (Mt 23:4). It’s the same today. Legalists just like modern-day Pharisees love to add layer upon layer of Rules and Laws – Moses’s law, Jesus’s law, Paul’s law, Peter’s law. They say that Jesus only came to give us more Rules, oh look at the Sermon on the Mount, look at the Beatitudes! Then after Jesus comes Paul, apparently saying things like ‘Do not get drunk on wine’, Don’t this, Don’t that. Legalists love this sort of thing. So that even though Jesus has already made it completely unnecessary to obey religious Rules once and for all, still even then they persist in trying to add on these layers of Rules in order to try to please God through their own works, which, as we have seen, is futile. These Rules are drawn from an incorrect application of Scriptures portraying events even later than those in the Gospels, and of course the Legalists look for more Rules to follow, find passages they think are Rules, and add those new Rules to the list they already follow, and that’s no way to live! (And of course the Rules are there only as part of a complete misunderstanding of Grace….)
I’d like to ask them what they think they can add to Jesus’s already completed work?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All we have to do is to accept what Jesus has done for us. ‘Surely’, some may say, ‘there’s more to it than that? Surely there is something we have to do?’ No. Nothing at all. What you do is simply to have faith in Christ; simply to believe in Him. What this looks like is that you let Jesus live in you, to let Him live His Life out through yours, to let Him lead you by His Spirit. This is real freedom. This is the Freedom in the Spirit!
So I will say to you along with St. Paul, “Therefore do not let anyone judge youby what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day” (Col 2:16) [Emphasis mine] – or by what clothes you wear, what games you play, what sort of music you listen to, what books you read, whether or not you go to the cinema (that’s the movies for our American friends!), what sexuality you have (which is none of their business anyway), whom you marry – anything! Your walk with Jesus has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else; it’s none of their business! (Jn 21:22)
Let me tell you something. Today’s Pharisees will do all this and more, but they will claim that they are not Pharisees because they do ‘lift a finger to help’ – and they’ll claim that they are trying to help you towards ‘holiness’. But Jesus has already given us everything that we need for life and godliness. Everything! (2Pet1:3) No, what they are actually doing is to judge you, clothe it in pseudo-‘love’, and tell you they’re only noseying into your life because it’s ‘for your own good’; so that they can keep you away from ‘sin’. But Jesus already does that by His Spirit – so, to reiterate, do not let anyone judge you by [anything]. You are free in Christ to be whom He made you to be, free from others’ opinions, free from others’ influence.
This is your freedom. Live in it!
Let me leave you with one final Scripture: Micah 6:8. Jesus has set us free to live like this:
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8
I’ve written before on the subject of singing in ‘tongues’; singing in another, unknown, language as the Spirit gives the words. It’s beautiful, moving, and very, very special.
Today I want to give you a really special worship track from the tape ‘Oil of Gladness’; you can find the whole tape on my ‘Vintage Worship Tapes‘ website.
When I used to lead worship in my old church in Leeds, sometimes I would be inspired just to play spontaneously, even sometimes to sing the words prophetically (like the chap in this example). This could happen either out of the blue, or after the end of a song, but it’s always gorgeous. In some ways, prophetic piano playing is like singing in ‘tongues’ as it’s spontaneous, not pre-planned; when it’s done ‘live’ it’s always fresh, always new, and it’s not usually playing any recognised tune – although sometimes I might be playing prophetically and realise that I am actually leading into another song, in which case I will roll with it and lead into that song.
So anyway, in the track I am sharing today, they’ve just finished singing a song (I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live) and the pianist, David Matthew, carries on spontaneously into a lovely prophetic piano piece, later backed with his band, and the congregation join in gradually as they realise what’s happening. As I say about this track on on my webpage on Vintage Worship Tapes,
“…yes it may only be a four-or-five-chord vamp but there are almost words in that music; I have loved that piece for nigh on thirty years and still it speaks new things to me; it really is prophetic piano playing.”
This was the first prophetic piano solo I’d ever heard, and I found that it inspired me to similar things in my own worship leading.
Have a listen and see what you think. Let the Spirit soak you with the worship in this timeless piece:
The worship was recorded at Church House in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in 1978. The piano that David was playing was a Steinway grand, which is why I have used a picture of a Steinway in the header image for this post.
It is such a comfort to me to know that, no matter what happens, It Is Well With My Soul. No matter what happens, my life is ‘…hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3). This means that my life in Christ is now so bound up within the Godhead that it is safe forever. That’s some statement! And it’s true for everyone who simply puts their trust in Jesus, whether they realise the reality of that truth or not. If you’re one of those people, then be encouraged and take in that simple but marvellous truth: It Is Well with Your Soul! Yes, with your soul! Let it soak into your entire being, and never let go of it – because it’s true and it’s real!
If you’re not one of those people? You too can have the assurance and say with me, “It is Well with my Soul”, if you simply decide to trust in Jesus. Have a think about that.
And so, I wanted to share with you today one of my favourite Christian hymns, ‘It Is Well With My Soul’, by Horatio G Spafford.
About 25 years ago, Hosanna! Music published a cassette tape called ‘Eternal God’, with worship led by Don Moen, on which ‘It is Well With My Soul’ was featured. It was the first time I ever heard it and I loved it straight away. So, here is the song from that tape:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain:) It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul), It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. (Refrain)
And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)
Horatio Spafford’s moving story, of a life full of tragedy and yet also full of service to Father, can be found here and here. You might read that story and think, whether you are already a believer or not, ‘How can someone go through all that and still believe in a loving God?’ And you would have my agreement – except that, because of the Grace of God, I believe that all believers are given the grace to carry on in faith under such circumstances.
I can testify to this in my own life; even as I write this, my wife and soul-mate Fiona has been fighting a particularly nasty cancer for the last two and a half years. Her survival through to this point in time is nothing short of miraculous. She refers to herself as a ‘walking miracle’, and with good reason too. And God has been close to us the whole time. Despite the circumstances, we still believe. This is real stuff, in real life – a real God drawing near to the brokenhearted, just as He promised He would do (Ps 34:18) And of course, it is well with her soul, too; whatever our lot, we can say that.
Along with Horatio Spafford, then, we can testify with full joy and assurance:
It is well with my soul!
Begin today to declare this awesome truth to yourself and for yourself. Let it make a difference! Wow!
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain:) It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul), It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. (Refrain)
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain)
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pain shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. (Refrain)
And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)
At the end of the main track on this page, Don and his band play another song, ‘I Will Come To You’. Here is that beautiful song in its entirety, from the Hosanna!Music CD, ‘Eternal God, 1991:
I will come to You, You have the words of life I will come to You, You are the door I will come to You, You are the Light of Life I will come to You, For You are Lord
You have laid down Your life to forgive my sin And You’ve made a way for me to be born again By Your stripes I am healed,
I spent fifteen years staying out of Church life, partly because of all the hurt I’d received there. And when I returned, although I felt like I’d come home at last, still my Church isn’t perfect. But it’s home, imperfections or not.
Ever been hurt by Church people? Never want to go back? Heard about people who’ve been badly hurt by Church things?
Then read this excellent article by John Pavlovitz. It will give you fresh perspective.
“How can I regain trust in the Church again?”– Lisa
Every day I meet people like Lisa; people in various stages of the collateral damage of religion.Either the wounds are fresh and they are in acute trauma, or the scars are now well-hardened by time and they’re navigating life post-injury—and often post-church.They’re not sure where to go from here, but they’re pretty sure they can’t go back: restless souls orphaned from the place they used to call home.
Maybe you’re there.
Maybe you understand the twisted irony of that spot.
After years of disappointment and bruising and heartache, you finally extracted yourself from organized religion (or were violently expelled from it) and yet you still feel yourself at times longing for it.
You’re pulled toward faith community yet equally terrified of it.You’re hurting and grieving yet still seeking, and you’re wondering how you can ever trust the Church again.
It’s quite simple:You can’t.
The Church is not to be trusted.
It is after all, formed of people who are just as flawed, failing, selfish, petty, insecure, and inconsistent as you are.Those people are prone to perpetuating gossip and to betraying confidences and to inflicting injury and to all manner of terrible things—and to claiming Christ in the process.The Church is absolutely overflowing with liars, hypocrites, frauds, and bullies.
Honestly it’s a lousy system—and yet this is the best we have.
The Church has no other choice but to be fashioned from the stunningly imperfect stuff of humanity, and so it will always be an unpredictable, painful, potentially explosive spot for our souls to stand in.
Yes, you certainly may find a local faith community that is healthier, more organizational sound, or better at caring for you than where you’d been before.You can and should look for a place where leaders lead with wisdom, humility, and accountability.You should search for a place where compassion and forgiveness and equality are championed by its people; where Christlikeness is aspired to.You can and should look for a place with a theology that is not caustic or mean-spirited.You should seek a community that in as many ways as possible, reflects what you believe to be the character of God.These things are all quitefind-able.
But ultimately, that church andtheChurch will let you down because it isyou.
It is made of the same rickety, unstable material that you are, and you know how often you miss the mark and drop the ball and screw things up.You know your own tendencies toward pride and lust and vanity and greed, and so the fact that you encounter these things in the Church shouldn’t be a surprise or a deal breaker, but confirmation that perfection simply isn’t part of the deal.
People ask me why I’m still a pastor, why I stay in the Church given all the horrible stuff I’ve seen in organized Christianity and all the damage it has done to me and to people I love.Some days I’m not at all sure.
I guess I stay because I realize it would only be a myth to believe that I could actually leave.
No matter where I am geographically on a given Sunday and no matter what I call it, I will still be living while striving to hear the voice of God and to follow its lead.And I will still be trying to do that while connected in deep relationship with other flawed people who are doing the same.And this will make us the Church and we will still hurt one another, despite our greatest desire not to.So I try and make it a little less hurtful and a little more loving if I can.
If you never expect the wrong things to hold you up, they can never let you down.
No, I can’t fully trust the Church because it like me, is not fully trustworthy.
Icantrust God though.
While I’m here, that will have to be enough.
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There are some worship songs that simply stick in your heart, no matter how many years have passed since you first heard it. All Honour is one of those songs; it never fails to send tingles down my spine. I first heard it when my friend Chris came back from Australia, having experienced a real move of God out there (as I described in this article). All Honour was for me the song that reminded me most of that time in my life. God was working in power (as He still is!) and there’s nothing wrong with remembering with fondness such times, so long as you keep focused on the present time as well! Another such song was ‘Stand in Awe‘, which I have also put in my blog.
Here is the version of All Honour that Chris brought back with him; it’s the one I consider to be the definitive version, by Christian City Church, Sydney, Australia. The song has been very competently covered by Ron Kenoly and Hosanna Music on their album ‘Lift Him Up‘, but to me, this one, led by Christine Pringle of CCC Sydney, is definitive and best.
Listen and enjoy. Find Him as you listen!
All honour, all glory, all power to You All honour, all glory, all power to You
Holy Father, we worship You Precious Jesus our Saviour Holy Spirit, we wait on You Holy Spirit, we wait on You Holy Spirit, we wait on You For fire
However, “…this list is easy. I think we can all imagine loving all of these. But it’s another thing to say the word “love” when you are talking about society’s “monsters”. We’re talking about terrorists, murderers, rapists, kidnappers, pedophiles, extortionists, drug kingpins. All of them. Can you simply answer “love them” in the answer to who they are? Can you accept them, sins and all? I tell you what, Jesus could, and does. Unconditionally. When he said “love your enemies” he was definitely including them too. If we are all connected, none of us is “OK” until every last bit humanity, including our lowest and most disgusting members have been redeemed. They are all part of us, like it or not. And they are cherished by God in the most undeserved and profound way. Like it or not.”
So true. A link to this last paragraph, posted on Facebook by by one Tim Wilcox, is included below.
Here’s a brilliant worship track from Ron Kenoly’s 1992 Hosanna Music album ‘Lift Him Up’, the video of which I have previously featured on my blog.
Once again, let me encourage you to listen to this track, and particularly enjoy the anointed instrumentals from Justo Almario (flute) and Alex Acuña (percussion), culminating in Abraham Laboriel’s stunning bass solo at about 4:15 minutes.
Enjoy and be blessed!
Blessing and honor, glory and power
Be unto the Ancient of Days
From every nation, all of creation
Bow before the Ancient of DaysEvery tongue in heaven and earth shall declare your glory
Every knee shall bow at your throne in worship
You will be exalted O God and your kingdom
Shall not pass away, O Ancient of DaysBlessing and honor, glory and power
Be unto the Ancient of Days
From every nation, all of creation
Bow before the Ancient of DaysEvery tongue in heaven and earth shall declare your glory
Every knee shall bow at your throne in worship
You will be exalted O God and Your kingdom
Shall not pass away, O Ancient of Days
O Ancient of DaysYour kingdom shall reign over all the earth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
For none can compare to your matchless worth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
Every tongue in heaven and earth shall declare Your glory
Every knee shall bow at Your throne in worship
You will be exalted O God and Your kingdom
Shall not pass away, O Ancient of Days
Your kingdom shall reign over all the earth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
For none can compare to your matchless worth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
This is an absolutely superb article on ‘Escape to Reality’, by Paul Ellis, not specifically about tithing, but more about the issues surrounding ‘should/should not’.
Two quotes from this article that especially stand out for me are these:
“For starters, stop using the word ‘should’ “
“On the subject of giving, let each be convinced in his own mind. But let me leave you with this: A law-preacher will compel you to give using the carrots (“give and God will bless you”) and sticks (“stop robbing God”) of Malachi 3. Such a message insults Jesus who made us eternally unpunishable and through whom we have received every blessing. Don’t listen to it.”
Here is the article in full:
For years people have been asking me for my response to the tithing question. “Should you tithe?” Here are two responses:
You should tithe
You should not tithe
Since both responses are expressed as commands, and we are not under law, I care for neither.
“Paul, you’re being tricky. Please address the issue.” Okay, check out two statements below. Which do you agree with?
I tithe regularly, therefore I’m spiritual
I never tithe, therefore I’m spiritual
You will find both views debated on social media, but both sides are in error because each is boasting in what they are doing or not doing. There’s pride on both sides.
My friend Richie Lewis recently preached on the “Subtlety of Self.” The subtlety of self is manifested in the pride we take on whatever positions we hold. “I… therefore…” glorifies the flesh.
Let me give you an example that grace-lovers will recognize.
Formerly I was bound up with rules and rituals, but now I’m free from all that. I don’t work (Christ has done it all), I don’t tithe (Christ is my tithe), I don’t go to church (I am the church), therefore I am spiritually superior to others who have not seen the light.
What’s wrong with the statement above? It’s arrogant and unChristlike, is what’s wrong. It has the prideful stench of self all over it.
The problem is not what you’re doing or not doing; the problem is you’re identifying your self as your source. Because you have it all figured out, you’re better off. Hooray for you!
The subtlety of self
The works-occupied legalist glories in what she does, while the lazy grace-lover glories in what he doesn’t do, and both miss the mark. Again, it’s not what you’re doing or not doing that matters, it’s why you’re doing it (or not doing it). Any time self is the source of your joy or standing you are walking in the flesh. You are not walking by faith.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Gal 5:6)
I hooked you with tithing but in Paul’s day the issue was circumcision. On one side there were law-lovers who said, “You should be circumcised” and on the other were grace-lovers who said, “You shouldn’t be.” According to Paul, both sides missed the mark:
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything… (Gal 6:15a)
Substitute circumcision for tithing or church attendance or whatever issue you’re debating and the point remains the same. The thing is not the thing. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
So when people ask me, “Should you tithe?” I get agitated. It’s a bad question because it inspires you to draw on your knowledge, your understanding, and your clever ability to figure things out. Proceed this way and any answer you come up with will likely be a dead work.
So what should I do?
For starters, stop using the word should. All things are lawful, so don’t ask me to should on you. On the subject of giving, let each be convinced in his own mind. But let me leave you with this: A law-preacher will compel you to give using the carrots (“give and God will bless you”) and sticks (“stop robbing God”) of Malachi 3. Such a message insults Jesus who made us eternally unpunishable and through whom we have received every blessing. Don’t listen to it.
And don’t listen to the grace-grump who turns non-tithing into an angry cause. “We were lied to!” Tithing has become an offensive issue to some. I appreciate you may have been exploited, ripped off, and abused, but if you are offended, you’re not free. You need to give it to Christ and put your ego back in the grave.
To paraphrase Paul, in Christ Jesus neither tithing nor non-tithing has any value. If you want to tithe, then tithe, and if you don’t, then don’t. But whatever you choose, don’t brag about your choice, and don’t hammer those who choose differently. The one who boasts about his non-tithing is just as confused as the one who tithes-to-be-blessed.
Giving is where the rubber of our faith meets the hard road of need. It’s a subject we need to talk about more than we do. But it’s also a subject where we need to beware the subtlety of the self. When we talk about money let our conversations carry the fragrance of Christ rather than the aroma of arrogance.
Grace and peace to you.
Click the logo below to see the original article, where there are also links to other articles in the series:
About 25 years ago, as I have said before, my dear friend Chris came back from several months’ working in Australia, and he brought back with him a whole bunch of great new songs from Christian City Church, Sydney, where he and his family had been worshipping while they were out there. One of the best ones, for me, was ‘Stand in Awe’; a real belter of a song with great lyrics, dynamics and a simple but haunting chord structure. Here we go: Stand in Awe by Phil Pringle, led by Christine Pringle and recorded live at Christian City Church, Sydney, Australia:
Stand in awe before Me Careful to bring the glory to God Stretching forth holy hands Bowing down in reverence to God Place your feet in my sanctuary Lift your voice to the skies!
Glory to the Lamb of God Glory to the Lamb of God Glory to the Lamb of God Sing anthems of praise! Sing anthems of praise!
