“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.” Romans 13:8

Jesus taught that we should live, “not to be served–but to serve”. This is a lesson that it is very hard to learn. It is easy enough to utter sentimental platitudes about the nobleness of service–but no one can truly live after this heavenly pattern, until his being is saturated with divine grace.

“Serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13

There are countless opportunities for usefulness and helpfulness open to earnest Christians. Every day’s life is full of occasions where good may be done by simple deeds, or words of kindness. The value of these unpurposed things is very great. We may live all day and every day–so that each step of our path shall be brightened by loving service. The world needs our love continually. We meet no one from morning until night–whom we may not help in some little way at least. It is possible for us to make a good deal more than most of us do, of these opportunities for the service of love.

Every individual Christian is the center of a circle whose hearts he may touch with a blessing of love. He is a custodian of blessing which he is to impart to others. The noblest life, is the one that is given up most unselfishly to serving.

God has so ordered, that we cannot love and serve Him–and not also love and serve our fellow-men. Jesus made this very plain in His picture of the last judgment, when He said that He is hungry–in every hungry little one of His; that He is sick–in every least one of His who is sick; that in the stranger who comes to our door–He stands before us, waiting for the hospitality of love.

In serving His people–we are serving Him!
In neglecting His people–we neglect Him!

We cannot fulfill our duty of loving Christ and serving Him–while we ignore our fellow-men. He accepts no such service. If we say we love Him–He points to the needy, the hungry, the sick, the burdened ones, the suffering all about us, and says: “Show your love to My people. I do not need service now–but these need it. Serve them in My name. Look at each one of them–as if I were Myself the one in pain or need–and do for these, My brethren, just what you would do for Me if I were actually in their condition.”

To act selfishly toward a believer–is to act selfishly toward Christ. To neglect a believer who needs our help–is to neglect Christ Himself. To do good to any in Christ’s name–is to serve Christ Himself. We must look upon every believer–as if he were Christ.

We dare not pass by anyone carelessly. We know not to whom we may have a duty of love. We are always safe in assuming that we have an errand of love to everyone we meet. We need not announce our mission, and we must never display ostentation in the discharge of our duty of love. We need only to hold ourselves in readiness, with all of love’s humility, alacrity, and gentleness, to do whatever heart or hand may find to do in serving him. Our duty to him, may be nothing more than the showing of kindness in our manner, the giving of a hearty greeting, or the inspiration of a cheerful countenance. But however small the service may be which it is ours to render, it is a divine ministry!

No mere theoretical acknowledgment of this universal obligation will avail. Lofty sentiment is not enough; we must get the sentiment into practical life. We must bring our visions down out of ethereal mists–into something substantial and real. We must let the love of our heart, flow out in life, and act, and helpful ministry. In this world in which there is so much need, sorrow, and heart-hunger–loving service has a holy mission everywhere. If we would be Christlike, we must, like our Master, go about doing good. “I am among you–as the One who serves.” Luke 22:27

We can learn this divine lesson of service–by regarding every person we meet, as one to whom we are sent on an errand of love. This will put an end to all our supercilious pride and haughtiness. We shall no more set ourselves up on little pedestals of self-conceit, demanding homage from others. Rather, like our Master, we shall stand with basin and towel, ready to wash the feet of the lowliest.

(J. R. Miller, “Things to Live For” 1896)

Verse 1
Now why this fear and unbelief?
Has not the Father put to grief
His spotless Son for us?
And will the righteous Judge of men
Condemn me for that debt of sin
Now canceled at the cross?

Chorus
Jesus, all my trust is in Your blood
Jesus, You’ve rescued us
Through Your great love

Verse 2
Complete atonement You have made
And by Your death have fully paid
The debt Your people owed
No wrath remains for us to face
We’re sheltered by Your saving grace
And sprinkled with Your blood

Bridge
How sweet the sound of saving grace
How sweet the sound of saving grace
Christ died for me

Verse 3
Be still my soul and know this peace
The merits of your great high priest
Have bought your liberty
Rely then on His precious blood
Don’t fear your banishment from God
Since Jesus sets you free

HOW great the power and charm of a holy life! The world is replete with beauty. There is beauty in nature, beauty in art, beauty in countless forms; but there is no beauty like “the beauty of holiness.” The brightness which gleams through a good man’s life outshines the sun in its meridian splendor.

The world, too, is mighty in its forces. There is the power of intellect, of learning, and of genius, the power of wealth, of influence, and of rank; but there is no power so commanding and so effective as the power of holiness. The power it wields is omnipotent for the achievement of good. And a more precious and enduring legacy parental affluence and affection cannot bequeath to posterity, than the record of a life traced by the sanctifying influence of faith, the achievements of prayer, and the endowments of holiness. Such a life is a living demonstration of the Divinity of the Bible, and does more to confirm its veracity, and spread its truths through the world, than all that has ever been spoken or written on the evidences of Christianity.

How measureless the loss of such saints of God! To their family and friends, to the Church of Christ and the world, the withdrawal forever from earth of their living piety, fervent prayers, holy conversation, and consistent example, is a serious and far-reaching calamity. And yet they still live among us, not in our hearts and memories only, but in the undying influence of a holy life. “The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.” The grave hides them from sight, but not from memory. Neither the green turf nor the salt wave can bury the still surviving and still molding recollections of the holy dead.

In the embalmed remembrance of their graces, their prayers, and their actions, they still live to guide, stimulate, and cheer us in our homeward march. Nor do we cease to live with them. They remember and love us still. Bearing their friendships with them to the skies, purified, sublimated, and enlarged, they yet think of us, yearn over us, and pant to have us with them there, with a tenderness of interest, and an intensity of affection, such as they never felt on earth. For anything that we know, they still hover around our people, encompassing our path to the abodes of bliss. Angels are ministering agents to the heirs of salvation; and may we not suppose that many of the glorified spirits of “just men made perfect” are gifted with a like embassy? “They serve Him day and night in His temple;” and who will say that it may not enter essentially into that service for the Lord, to administer in some unknown way to their former companions in tribulation, and the expectant sharers of their glory?

But until we rejoin them in the home of the Father, we should think of them but to follow their holy example, to gather encouragement from their faith and patience, to learn lessons from their failings, and to take up and carry forward the work of the Lord, which dropped from their dying hands; until we, too, are summoned to rest from our labors, and receive our reward.

Communion Ideas from WorshipIdeas.com
“The tips in this special report will help you bring new life to your Communion services.” 

Podcast Episode 88: Interview w/ Jennie Lee Riddle from AllAboutWorship.com

How to Raise New Leaders on your Worship Team from churchleaderinsights.com
by Jason Hatley, Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and Founder of  WorshipLeaderInsights.com. 

Jonny Baker puts us in touch with some  gorgeous loops

Melissa Pirtle from worshipministry.com asks “Can An Instrument Prophesy?”

Q&A with Rick Muchow:  When Should You Remove Someone from the Worship Team? from churchleaders.com

Finally – don’t miss the best deal going on Fridays : 5$ Resources from Ligonier Ministries

Sinclair B. Ferguson

” I am struck by the lack of biblical literacy from virtually every voice in this discussion. Let me start with Christians. It seems that we have little sense about what politics does and does not achieve. My brothers and sisters, “we won” is not an appropriate response. Patting ourselves on the back is silly. Moving forward with anything less than continual proclamation of the gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ with the somber realization of the lostness we face is simply missing the point. Politics does not bring victory over sin, death, hell, and the grave – Jesus does. Laws do not change people’s hearts – the Spirit of Christ does. Elections will not bring this country to be a picture of God’s Kingdom – God the Father and his electing purposes will do so when he sends his Son to restore all things at the end of the age. Don’t get me wrong, we ought to vote in a way that reflects God’s Kingdom, and in doing so perhaps some will be confronted with the reality of God and his created order. But please don’t act like temporal laws in a temporal government will ever bring about the true spiritual change that’s needed to redeem hearts, minds, souls, and bodies for Christ.”

An excellent article from the Secundum Scripturas blog.

NC Amendment One and President Obama   by Matt Emerson

At the time it was installed in 1978, the organ was the largest mechanical action organ in the United States.  It was a massive instrument that thundered and whispered with power and beauty.

In 1998 after water and neglect had damaged the organ, there was a move to repair it and then:

“On December 2, 1998, twelve years of silence ended as the organ sounded once again during chapel amidst cheers from the student body. (Mr.) Tracy Russell, the new organist, accompanied the singing of the hymn that morning: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.

“I’m very thrilled to see it and hear it being used again,” Celestino said. “From the beginning,” when plans to make repairs were announced, “the reaction from the students has been very positive,” he said. In talking with students, he added, “some thought (the organ) was for visual benefit only, because they’d never heard it. It never dawned on them that it made music.” (Story Link)

Never dawned on them that it made music?  University, right?

Nine years later in 2007, pictures showed the organ hidden behind banners and a massive video projection screen. When I was there last February it was no where to be seen. Blue curtains and bland panels covered the space and the grand organ was said to have been dismantled, put into storage and put on sale.

Bill McConnell was chapel organist for the 1999-2000 school year while he was full-time Minister of Music at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Tulsa and teaching part-time at ORU. He says:

I don’t know that the instrument has been dismantled (it might have been, I just don’t know for sure). It just makes me very sad that funds were spent to build this magnificent instrument, it was allowed to deteriorate once and then restored, and then was allowed to deteriorate again. It is an incredibly poor example of stewardship to use funds for a project of this size and complexity that you haven’t made any plans to sustain.

Shame.

Such a stunning work both visually and acoustically traded in for what? Bands playing the song of the week.

The video below is a nice piece on a young man who discovered what an organ could offer and plays regularly at his church.