From Evanescent to Eternal

February Update: Visa Petition Approved!

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:59:00 -0800

Dear family & friends,

Thanks y'all for your kind prayers and thoughts over the past months. Vivian and I (Alex) cherish your friendship, wherever you may be.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, from coast to coast, we are together for the gospel, no matter where we are, knit into his church by our Holy Spirit. Thank you for reading our updates & we hope u'd let us know how u're doing too!

Praises:

Vivian's petition for I-129F fiancé visa for Alex has been approved!!! We received the official letter from USCIS this past Friday! We are so grateful and overwhelmed by God's mercy over this process so far. :).
Vivian is off probation at work! She's now an official full-time employee now at Asian Network :-) God has been so gracious in giving her the opportunity to expand her role at work the past month. Her role is now more focus on Care Transition, coordinating care for patients as they discharge from the hospital and either go home or into a skilled nursing facility.
I (Alex) was given the opportunity to administer the Lord's Supper this past month at Community Bible Church. He'll also be preaching 2 times in March!
Alex was able to surprise his family for "Family Day" (Feb.20) and spend a few days at home with his parents and sister, Jacqueline.

The Next Steps:

Now that the petition for the visa has been approved, our case has been mailed to National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire for review and processing. This should take anywhere from 2 - 4 weeks. Pray for a speedy and efficient processing time. Also pray for the mercy of the officer who will receive and handle our case.
After our case gets clear with the NVC, it will be forwarded to the US Embassy in Montreal, Canada. This should only take 3 - 5 business days. Pray for all the documents to be delivered safely to the Embassy.
Once the Embassy process our case, they will then send Alex a package which will include a list of items he will need to complete and paperwork to be submitted. It will also include details for Alex to schedule his interview at the Embassy. This typically takes 2 - 4 weeks.
- Pray for wisdom that we may complete the remaining paperwork correctly.
- Pray for Alex's diligence in completing all the items required by the Embassy.
- Pray for an earlier availability in scheduling Alex's interview.

Continue to Pray...

that come the end of March, Alex may finish strong in his internship at Community Bible Church.
that we may find joy and be content in whatever stage God has put us in.
that we will continue to wait upon the Lord during these next steps.
that we continue to remember His faithfulness, goodness and mercy to us!
for the health of our relationship as we are apart, that we may know how to better love and serve one another.

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,

vindicated by the Spirit,

seen by angels,

proclaimed among the nations,

believed on in the world,

taken up in glory.

(1 Timothy 3:14-16 ESV)

With brotherly affection in Christ,

Vivian & Alex

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Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons: A Book Review

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0800

I am convinced that there are men in our congregations who have never thought about becoming leaders in the church. Maybe it is because no one has asked them to serve in some teaching/leading capacity. Or maybe they have avoided it altogether because they are too busy. In the worse case scenario, they may have good reason to avoid taking upon themselves leadership in the church, seeing how their church's own leadership is nothing honorable or noble to aspire to. At the least, it could simply be that the church is run by a CEO at the top, with programs, structures, schedules, advertising, and a Board of Directors that resemble Starbucks more than a church.

This is why Thabiti Anyabwile's new book would be very helpful to church members, pastors, and churches. After reading through Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons, I find that the issues addressed and questions posed by Anyabwile confront us for such a time as this: when many evangelical churches all over our country are in decline and in desperate need of a restoration in biblical church government.

This short book is far from purely theoretical, but rather very practical. I shall refrain from summarizing it's content or a thorough review, but I shall mention a few areas of practical application.

You could take the questions in every chapter and use them for your Pastoral Search Interviews. Yes, rip them straight out of the book; you can do that! You can surely use this book in a Men's Ministry study to simply poke and prod the men in your church to man up, to think deeply about their spiritual maturity, to reflect personally about their own and callings in the ministry of the church. It is possible that some men have simply not thought anything of leadership in their church. Leading a ministry in the church, being an elder or deacon, these things may not have come up on their radar, since they may not have ever thought themselves to be gifted or qualified.

But what if we study 1 Timothy 3 and 4 with them, along with Anyabwile's book here? We can surely encourage and inspire such men for growth in biblical manhood. We can sow seeds of desire for church leadership. Or better yet, we could unveil before our own eyes a man who only lacked confidence in his abilities, who does have good and godly desires to humbly serve and lead others in the church, whose aspirations could rise from overseeing the home and farm, to the office of elder or deacon. Maybe all he needed was other men who could lead him along this path of spiritual growth and leadership nurturing. Maybe he always wished one his pastors would disciple him, and groom him up for ministry, like a Timothy hoping for a Paul to show him the ropes.

This being said, Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons is a book I highly recommend. It accomplishes the goal by being a concise resource that many churches need. It even includes Sample Elder Ordination Vows in the Appendix. I plan on using this very book in the coming months for a study with the men in our church. We have young guys who should be stirred on towards leadership in the church. And we have older guys who need to be steered that their gifts at home could be used for the church. In the midst of this pool of men who aspire to the office of elder, and men who have never desired to serve in any church office, we have great hope that our task of finding faithful elders and deacons is not in vain. For our church is founded upon Christ, the solid rock upon which we stand, the Lamb of God who was slain for our sins, the Chief Shepherd of our flock.

Available from Amazon: Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons (Ixmarks)

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Singalong Sundays: I Asked the Lord

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

My apologies for the hiatus that this "Singalong Sundays" has taken. The Christmas holidays was a busy one, along with a busy time post-Christmas. I've been trying to read more, and thus I have not been able to devote enough time to writing about hymns and worship songs.

Blogger Justin Taylor recently posted about John Newton and why God almost drove Newton to despair. Taylor posted this old hymn from Newton, titled, "I Asked the Lord". I remembered that I had this on the Indelible Grace live The Hymn Sing album and so I went back listened to the explanation-introduction of the hymn again, as well as the hymn itself. And boy... is it a convicting hymn that honestly addresses human struggles and despair.

Newton in the preface of the hymnbook, writing of the purpose of it was in part because of his friendship with hymnwriter William Cowper:

A desire of promoting the faith and comfort of sincere christians, though the principal, was not the only motive to this undertaking. It was likewise intended as a monument, to perpetuate the remembrance of an intimate and endeared friendship [that is, Cowper's friendship]. With this pleasing view I entered upon my part, which would have been smaller than it is, and the book would have appeared much sooner, and in a very different form, if the wise, though mysterious providence of GOD, had not seen fit to cross my wishes. We had not proceeded far upon our proposed plan, before my dear friend was prevented, by a long and affecting indisposition, from affording me any farther assistance. My grief and disappointment were great; I hung my harp upon the willows, and for some time thought myself determined to proceed no farther without him [Cowper].

Indeed, the path through struggle and despair is through faith in Christ, faith in our Lord that is often accompanied by heartache and tears.

Listen to Indelible Grace's introduction to this hymn:

11_Introduction_To_I_Asked_The_Lord_(Kevin_Twit).mp3 Listen on Posterous

And here's the hymn itself:

12_I_Asked_The_Lord_(Live_Feat._Emily_Deloach).mp3 Listen on Posterous

I Asked the Lord

John Newton.
Olney Hymns, Hymn 36, Prayer answered by crosses.
Lead Sheet / Chord Chart

1. I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith and love and every grace
Might more of His salvation know
And seek more earnestly His face

2. Twas He who taught me thus to pray
And He I trust has answered prayer
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair

3. I hoped that in some favored hour
At once He'd answer my request
And by His love's constraining power
Subdue my sins and give me rest

4. Instead of this He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart
And let the angry powers of Hell
Assault my soul in every part

5. Yea more with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Cast out my feelings, laid me low *

6. Lord why is this, I trembling cried
Wilt Thou pursue thy worm to death?
"Tis in this way" The Lord replied
"I answer prayer for grace and faith"

7. "These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free
And break thy schemes of earthly joy
That thou mayest seek thy all in me,
That thou mayest seek thy all in me."

*The last line of the original verse 5 reads, "Blasted my gourds, and laid me low." I reckon most of us do not understand the old English of God blasting my gourds, so the edit into "Cast out my feelings, laid me low" is helpful.

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Set List: Sunday February 12, 2012

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:46:00 -0800

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Chords/Lyrics)
And Can it Be (Chords/Lyrics)
There is a Fountain Filled With Blood (Chords/Lyrics)
My Hope is Built On Nothing Less (Chords/Lyrics)
It Is Well (Chords/Lyrics)
All I Have is Christ (Chords/Lyrics)

Reading 1: Spoken Word - “He is the Alpha and Omega…” (various Scriptures)

Reading 2: Spoken Word - “This Jesus still seeks…” (various Scriptures)

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From Vivian & Alex: Merry Christmas

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 06:36:37 -0800

One perfect star to touch the night,

With warmth and promise shinning bright.

One perfect light to reach the earth,

And show mankind the Christ Child's birth.

One perfect love to lead the way,

To peace and hope for us today.

One perfect sign for all to see--

One Savior for eternity.

Merry Christmas (Happy Boxing Day) & Happy New Years,

from Vivian & Alex

December Praises & Prayer items:

Vivian is able to spend 2 weeks in Toronto w/Alex for the Christmas/NYears holiday :)>
Alex has been serving as an Intern for his friend, Pastor Andrew Hall, at Community Bible Church Ilderton. He recently preached on Heb 1:1-4 (have a listen) for Advent. He'll continue doing so through the end of Feb/beginning of March. Pray for continued perseverance in his work for the church.
Vivian has been working diligently for the Lord at Asian Network Pacific Home Care & Hospice as a Patient Service Coordinator.
We are... waiting for approval from US Immigration for Alex's Fiancee Visa. Plz pray that approval comes quickly :).

http://www.sixsteps.org | twitter @sixsteps | facebook.com/alex.leung

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Opening a gift!

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:40:22 -0800

p31.mov Watch on Posterous

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Singalong Sundays: You Are My Treasure

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:56:00 -0800

Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:7 ESV)

This week's Singalong Sunday song is for those whose faith may be being refined through fire. It's a song that goes right at the heart of where our treasure is--where our heart is. Matt Hammitt's own experience of life's difficulties is a reminder that we are not alone with our struggles. There are other brothers (and sisters) in Christ around the world who share in our similar sufferings.

As difficult as those trials may be, we must remind ourselves of God's faithfulness in times of difficulties. That's it; that is all; that's the key. Persevere, my dear friends in the faith, and the Lord shall preserve you.

You Are My Treasure

Performed by Matt Hammitt (Album: Every Tear Falling).
Words and Music by Jason Ingram, Matt Hammitt.

1-05_You_Are_My_Treasure.m4a Listen on Posterous

Oh, I have a hope
I have a treasure
I have found the place
Where I have no need
For my earthly posessions
And my worries just fade away

And when sickness and death are at my door
Trying to steal from me
Oh, they cannot take what I've already laid down
At Jesus' feet

** You are my treasure; Your love lasts forever

And I have a peace
That I don't understand
When I know where I stand with you
And I already have everything that I need
And You're all that I have to lose

All my hope
All my hope
All my hope is You

Lead sheet below:

you_are_my_treasure_55668.pdf Download this file

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What Does "Everyone" Mean?

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:33:00 -0800

At the end of verse 9 the writer says, "By the grace of God [Christ] tasted death for everyone." The question here is whether "everyone" refers to every human without distinction, or whether it refers to everyone within a certain group. As when I say at staff lunch, "Is everyone present?" I don't mean everyone in the world. I mean everyone in the group I have in mind. What is the group that the writer has in mind: all of humanity without any distinction, or some other group?

Let's let him answer as we trace his thought in the next verses. Verse 10 is the support for verse 9: Christ tasted death for everyone "for it was fitting for him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings." In other words, immediately after saying that by the grace of God Christ tasted death for everyone, the writer explains that God's design in this suffering of Christ was to "bring many sons to glory." So verses 9 and 10 go together like this: Christ tasted death for everyone, because it seemed fitting to God that the way to lead his children to glory was through the suffering and death of Christ.

This means that the "everyone" of verse 9 probably refers to every one of the sonsbeing led to glory in verse 10. In other words the design of God—the aim and purpose of God—in sending Christ to die was particularly to lead his children from sin and death and hell to glory. He had a special eye to his own elect children. It's exactly what the gospel of John says in 11:52—that Jesus would die to "gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad." These "children of God" that Christ died to gather are the "sons" that God is leading to glory through the death of Christ in Hebrews 2:10.

You can see this in the next verses too. Verses 11 and 12:

For both He who sanctifies [i.e., Christ] and those who are sanctified [the sons he is leading to glory] are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying [in Psalm 22:22], "I WILL PROCLAIM THY NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING THY PRAISE."

In other words the sons that God is leading to glory through the death of Christ are now called Christ's brothers. It was for every one of these that Christ tasted death.

Verse 13 goes on now to call them, not only brothers, but in another sense children of Christ:

And again, "I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM" [Christ's own confession of faith in his Father along with his brothers]. And again, "BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME."

Notice, the sons that are being led to glory through the death of Christ are now called children that God has given to Christ. They don't just become children by choosing Christ. God sets his favor on them and brings them to Christ—gives them to Christ. And for every one of these he tastes death and leads them to glory. This is exactly the way Jesus spoke of his own disciples in the prayer of John 17:6: "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me." So the picture we have is a chosen people that the Father freely and graciously gives to the Son as his children.

Then notice how verses 14–15 connect the aim of Christ's incarnation and death with this chosen group of children:

Since then the children share in flesh and blood [in other words, since those whom the Father gave to the Son have a human nature], He Himself likewise also partook of the same [human nature], that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives [namely, every one of those children and brothers that God had given him to lead to glory by his death].

So here the reason given for the incarnation and the death of Jesus (in verse 14) is that the "children" share in flesh and blood. That's the reason Christ took on flesh and blood. And the "children," according to verse 13, are not humans in general, but children God has given to Jesus. And so the whole design and aim of the incarnation and death of Jesus was to lead the sons, the brothers, the children, whom God gave to Jesus, to glory.

--Excerpt from John Piper's sermon, For Whom Did Jesus Taste Death? (May 26, 1996).

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In What Sense Did Jesus Taste Death for a Person in Hell?

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 07:28:00 -0800

So, we go back to the problem: in what sense did Christ taste death for their sins? If they are still guilty for their sins and still suffer punishment for their sins, what happened on the cross for their sins? Perhaps someone would use an analogy. You might say, Christ purchased their ticket to heaven, and offered it to them freely, but they refused to take it, and that is why they went to hell. And you would be partly right: Christ does offer his forgiveness freely to all, and any who receive it as the treasure it is will be saved by the death of Jesus. But the problem with the analogy is that the purchase of the ticket to heaven is, in reality, the canceling of sins. But what we have seen is that those who refuse the ticket are punished for their sins, not just for refusing the ticket. And so what meaning does it have to say that their sins were canceled? Their sins are going to bring them to destruction and keep them from heaven; so their sins were not really canceled in the cross, and therefore the ticket was not purchased.

The ticket for heaven which Jesus obtained for me by his blood is the wiping out of all my sins, covering them, bearing them in his own body, so that they can never bring me to ruin—can never be brought up against me again—never. That's what happened when he died for me. Hebrews 10:14 says, "By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." Perfected before God for all time, by the offering his life! That's what it means that he died for me. Hebrews 9:28 says, "Christ also [was] offered once to bear the sins of many." He bore my sins. He really bore them (See Isaiah 53:4–6.) He really suffered for them. They cannot and they will not fall on my head in judgment.

If you say to me, then, that at the cross Christ only accomplished for me what he accomplished for those who will suffer hell for their sins, then you strip the death of Jesus of its actual effective accomplishment on my behalf, and leave me with what?—an atonement that has lost its precious assuring power that my sins were really covered and the curse was really lifted and the wrath of God was really removed. That's a high price to pay in order to say that Christ tasted death for everyone in the same way.

I don't think that the Bible commands us or, in fact, lets us say that Christ died for everybody in the same way. And the context of Hebrews 2:9 is a good place to show that the death of Christ had a special design or aim for God's chosen people that it did not have for others.

--Excerpt from John Piper's sermon, For Whom Did Jesus Taste Death? (May 26, 1996).

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What is the Meaning of Baptism?

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:23:00 -0800

A Baptist Perspective:

Baptism as a Symbol of Christ’s Saving Work

Meaning & Mode: Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer in Jesus Christ performed as the initiation of such a believer into the community of believers, the church. This baptism signifies the believer’s confidence that Christ’s work was complete for his forgiveness and justification, and indicates his desire for unity with the church, Christ’s community of the new covenant, purchased at the price of his blood.

No saving efficacy inheres in either the form or the matter of baptism. The person baptized has no scriptural warrant to believe that in baptism Christ’s saving activity is initiated, augmented or completed. In its symbolism, baptism sets forth the saving gospel of Christ both in its objective and subjective aspects: it pictures the historical event of the life of Christ, the believer’s conscientious testimony of faith, and his present experience of new life in Christ.[i]

Subjects: Believers’ baptism. From Matthew 28:18-20, we find that those who have believed in Jesus Christ should be immersed in water in obedience to Christ’s command. Jesus’ command is that only those, all of those, who have become believers should baptized following conversion to Christ (thus, “credobaptism”, from Latin, credo = “I believe”). This baptism should take place through their immersion in water. Biblically, baptism is not optional: it is the natural and most expressive concomitant to saving faith. Therefore, one must be baptized in order to be received as a member of the local church.[ii]

[i] Regeneration fulfills the ritual of circumcision. Nettles, Thomas J. "Baptist View: Baptism as a Symbol of Christ's Saving Work." In Understanding Four Views on Baptism, by John H. Armstrong and Paul E. Engle (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), 25-41.

[ii] “Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.” Article VII, Baptist Faith and Message, 2000 edition.

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Singalong Sundays: I Need Thee Every Hour

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:21:00 -0800

This week's Singalong Sunday features a hymn that address an issue that Christians both young and old struggle with.

And that issue is "need". How often do you need the Lord? Do you need him when your job is going well? Or do you only need him when you tireless try to find a job? Do you need the Lord when you're healthy? Or do you only need him when you are desperately in need of physical healing?

Through good times and bad, sickness and health, trial or temptation, we are reminded by this hymn that, I Need Thee Every Hour.

Our need for Christ and his gracious hand upon us should be daily, weekly, consistently. Maybe our New Year's resolution should be about desperately depending on God during our normal days. Jerry Bridges described this discipline of grace when he aptly wrote, “Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.”

May we grow in our need of God's grace, this hour and every hour of our lives.

I Need Thee Every Hour
Words by Annie Hawks; alt. by Kevin Twit; music by Kevin Twit.
Performed by Indelible Grace feat. Sarah Catherine Brooks Wheeler.
Chords | Lead Sheet

14_I_Need_Thee_Every_Hour_(Live_Feat._Sarah_Catherine_Brooks_Wheeler).mp3 Listen on Posterous

1. I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

Chorus: I need Thee, O I need Thee;
O I need Thee every hour;
I need you Lord, O bless me now,
My Savior, I come to Thee.

2. I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain
I need Thee every hour, teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill

(Repeat Chorus)

3. I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son

(Repeat Chorus)

Tag: I need Thee every hour,
I need Thee every hour,
I need Thee every hour,
I need Thee every hour.

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Sermon: The Unparalleled Story of Christmas (Hebrews 1:1-4)

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:25:51 -0800

This sermon, “The Unparalleled Story of Christmas” (Hebrews 1:1-4) , was originally preached on Sunday, December 4, 2011 at Community Bible Church in Ilderton, ON.

dec_4_2011_a_leung_-_ild_.mp3 Listen on Posterous

Outline:

The unparalleled story of Christmas is about how God speaks to us through His Son: God's ultimate messenger delivers to us His unrivaled message.

1. God's Ultimate Messenger

Jesus God's Son is superior in his proclamation, possessions, power, person, preservation.

2. God's Unrivaled Message

The Son provides His people a superior pardon, through his superior position as Savior & Lord.

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Singalong Sundays: Blessed Assurance

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:05:00 -0800

and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

(Hebrews 10:21-22 ESV)

This week's Singalong Sunday is from one of my favorite hymn writers, Fanny Crosby.

The story behind the writing of "Blessed Assurance" is simple, yet interesting:

One day Miss Crosby was in the home of her friend Mrs. Phoebe Knapp. In the Knapp home was installed what was believed to be the largest pipe organ ever placed in a private dwelling. However, on this particular day Mrs. Knapp called her guest over to the piano to listen to a new melody she had just composed. After playing the tune a few times she asked, 'What do you think the tune says?'

"Blessed assurance Jesus is mine", answered Fanny Crosby, and then, drawing from her vast storehouse of Scripture knowledge, continued with

Oh what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

In a very short time a new sacred song was born with words by Fanny Crosby and music by Phoebe Knapp.

Although written as far back as 1873, Blessed Assurance still remains a firm favorite with Christians everywhere!

08_Blessed_Assurance.mp3 Listen on Posterous

Blessed Assurance

Lyrics: Frances (Fanny) J. Crosby. Music: Phoebe P. Knapp.
Performed by Matt Boswell.

Sheet Music

1) Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

2) Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

3) Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

(Source: story behind the song)

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Singalong Sundays:O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:14:00 -0800

This week's Singalong Sunday is a hymn by George Matheson.

It was written on the evening of Matheson’s sister’s marriage. His whole family had went to the wedding and had left him alone. And he writes of something which had happened to him that caused immense mental anguish. There is a story of how years before, he had been engaged until his fiancé learned that he was going blind, and there was nothing the doctors could do, and she told him that she could not go through life with a blind man.

He went blind while studying for the ministry, and his sister had been the one who had taken care of him all these years, but now she is gone. He had been a brilliant student, some say that if he hadn’t went blind he could have been the leader of the church of Scotland in his day. He had written a learned work on German theology and then wrote “The Growth of The Spirit of Christianity.” Louis Benson says this was a brilliant book but with some major mistakes in it. When some critics pointed out the mistakes and charged him with being an inaccurate student he was heartbroken. One of his friends wrote, “When he saw that for the purposes of scholarship his blindness was a fatal hindrance, he withdrew from the field – not without pangs, but finally.”

So he turned to the pastoral ministry, and the Lord has richly blessed him, finally bringing him to a church where he regularly preached to over 1500 people each week. But he was only able to do this because of the care of his sister and now she was married and gone. Who will care for him, a blind man? Not only that, but his sister’s marriage brought fresh reminder of his own heartbreak, over his fiancé’s refusal to “go through life with a blind man.”

It is the midst of this circumstance and intense sadness that the Lord gives him this hymn – written he says in 5 minutes! Looking back over his life, he once wrote that his was “an obstructed life, a circumscribed life… but a life of quenchless hopefulness, a life which has beaten persistently against the cage of circumstance, and which even at the time of abandoned work has said not “Good night” but “Good morning.” How could he maintain quenchless hopefulness in the midst of such circumstances and trials? His hymn gives us a clue.

“I trace the rainbow in the rain, and feel the promise is not vain” The rainbow image is not for him “If the Lord gives you lemons make lemonade” but a picture of the Lord’s commitment! It is a picture of the battle bow that appears when the skies are darkening and threaten to open up and flood the world again in judgment. But then we see that the battle bow is turned not towards us – but toward the Lord Himself!

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Lyrics: George Matheson (1842-1906); Music: Christopher Miner.
Performed by Indelible Grace feat. Sandra McCracken.

Chords | Lead Sheet real key; capo key

17_O_Love_That_Will_Not_Let_Me_Go_(Live_Feat._Sandra_McCracken).mp3 Listen on Posterous

1. O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

2. O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

3. O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

4. O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

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Singalong Sundays: Jesus, I Come (Out of My Bondage)

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:37:00 -0800

My apologies for missing to post an update last week; I was suffering from some allergies which really knocked me out.

Today I'd like to introduce you to a hymn that speaks of the freedom: "Jesus, I Come (Out of My Bondage)" reminds us of the release that we who trust in Christ have--from the moment we turn to Him by faith, until life everlasting. The lyrics here were written by William T. Sleeper in 1887, with an updated melody by Greg Thompson/Indelible Grace Music.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy! (Psalm 130:1-2 ESV)

I really love singing this hymn; I get kind of charismatic with this one! Every verse is so full of glorious truths about what we Jesus frees us from. Truly truly, we are enabled by Christ to run wholly after Him. "Jesus, I come" may be a line that may at first seem focused on us and our own strength to leave the old way of life. Yet I believe the thrust of this hymn is on the work of Christ and Him alone. Because we have been united with Christ, all these benefits of the atoning death of Jesus is ours--all of it!

Freedom from bondage, sin and sorrow;
freedom from distress, unrest, and shameful failure;
rescue from ourselves, from pride, and despair;
rescue from fear, from death, from ruin untold;
All of this we may have because of Christ, and so we may see ourselves walking, running towards Jesus--out of this fallen world and this fallen body, and into the new heavens and new earth and new bodies. We should see that it was Jesus with us the whole time, the Spirit of Christ pulling us out of our lifeless past.

The kingdom of God is at hand! These freedoms are ours now, yet only in part. But when Christ returns to take us home, we shall then joyfully experience it all in full. Forever. And ever!

Jesus, I Come (Out of My Bondage)
Lyrics by William Sleeper; Music by Greg Thompson.
Performed by Indelible Grace Music, from the album The Hymn Sing: Live In Nashville.

Chords | Lead Sheet

13_Jesus_I_Come_(Out_Of_My_Bondage)_(Live_Feat._Greg_Thompson).mp3 Listen on Posterous

1. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come; Jesus I come.
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my wanting and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

2. Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress into jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

3. Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward forever on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

4. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

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Singalong Sundays: The Power of the Cross

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:46:00 -0800

This week's featured hymn is one that focuses us on the atonement of Christ--Jesus Christ who is our propitiation and redemption:

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 ESV)

In "The Power of the Cross", this hymn interweaves the doctrines of propitiation and redemption. And so we see here a grand picture of the power of Jesus' cross. Praise to God here is focused on the death, resurrection and future coming of Christ, beckoning believers to live in the power of the cross--now and forevermore.

08_The_Power_of_the_Cross.m4a Listen on Posterous

The Power of the Cross
Words & Music by Stuart Townend, Keith Getty
Performed by Bethany Dillon & Matt Hammitt

Verse 1

Oh to see the dawn of the darkest day
Christ on the road to cal - va - ry
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten then
Nailed to a cross of wood

Chorus 1

This the pow’r of the cross
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame, bore the wrath
We stand forgiven at the cross

Verse 2

Oh to see the pain written on Your face
Bearing the awesome weight of sin
Ev’ry bitter thought, ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your blood - stained brow

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Verse 3

Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath
Quakes as its maker bows his head
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life
‘Finished!’ the vict’ - ry cry

Verse 4

Oh to see my name written in the wound
For through Your suf‘fring I am free
Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live
Won through Your self - less love

Chorus 2

This the pow’r of the cross
Son of God slain for us
What a life, what a cost
We stand forgiven at the cross

Lead Sheet & Chords available below:

power_of_the_cross_2011webpack.pdf Download this file

The_Power_Of_The_Cross.pdf Download this file

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Singalong Sundays: The Wonder of the Cross

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:08:00 -0700

For this Lord's Day Singalong Sunday, I want to bring our attention to a recent hymn by Vicky Beeching, titled "The Wonder of the Cross."

We can never truly tire of singing and celebrating the cross of Christ, and in this song, we are drawn to proclaim the life-long wonder of His saving cross. It is this aspect of our initial experience of salvation/conversion/regeneration that should be renewed in praise and worship. Jesus died once for our sins; it is finished indeed. And yet our expression of thanksgiving for that one-time act of Christ's atoning death can be--should be--freshly celebrated.

But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

(Hebrews 9:26-28 ESV)

The Wonder of the Cross

Performed by Bethany Dillon & Matt Hammitt (from the album "In Christ Alone - Modern Hymns of Worship")

Music & Lyrics by Vicky Beeching.

12 The Wonder of the Cross.m4a Listen on Posterous

Verse 1

O precious sight my Savior stands

Dying for me with outstretched Hands

O precious sight I love to gaze

Remembering salvation's day

Though my eyes linger on this scene

May passing time and years

Not steal the pow'r with which it impacts me

The freshness of its mystery

Chorus

May I never lose the wonder

The wonder of the cross

May I see it like the first time

Standing as a sinner lost

Undone by mercy and left speechless

Watching wide eyed at the cost

May I never lose the wonder

The wonder of the cross

Verse 2

Behold the God-man crucified

The perfect sinless Sacrifice

As Blood ran down those nails and wood

History was split in two

Yes history was split in two

Behold the empty wooden tree

His Body gone alive and free

We sing with everlasting joy

For sin and death have been destroyed

Yes sin and death have been destroyed

Chords below...

The wonder of the cross.pdf Download this file

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Singalong Sundays: Let It Bring You Praise

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:49:00 -0700

This week's Singalong Sunday is a song from Matt Hammitt, the lead singer of the band Sanctus Real. I could say a good word or two about his new album, Every Falling Tear, but I shall quote my friends Justin & Bonnie who recently blogged about this great album:

It. Is. AMAZING. Matt Hammitt (of Sanctus Real) was blessed with a baby born with a very serious congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). Through their journey with a baby with HLHS they have been an incredible voice championing awareness and offering support to families with congenital heart disease through their Whole Hearts Foundation.

...
The songs "All of Me" , "Trust", "Let go", and "Let it Bring You Praise" have been a particular encouargement to Justin and I as we have struggled to trust the Lord with a multitude of uncertainties involving our adoption. I'm so thankful for the comfort God has poured out into the lives of musicians such as Matt Hammitt and Stephen Curtis Chapman through profoundly difficult trials in their lives to be used through their music to bless multitudes.

And so, here is Let It Bring You Praise, a hymn that I hope will find a place in the hearts of the church--especially in a church that is often full of members who are suffering from all sorts of pain and disappointment.

1-07 Let It Bring You Praise.m4a Listen on Posterous

Let It Bring You Praise

Written by Matt Hammitt and Jason Ingram.

Scripture Reference(s): Psalm 139:14

Verse 1:

Lord, You created me

Perfectly shaping me

I know my heart

Is safe in your arms

Lord, You know everything

So when I feel afraid

I put my faith in You

Pre-Chorus:

This life is Yours to give

So with each new day

Let every breathe that I take

Chorus:

Let it bring You praise

Bring You praise

For I am fearfully and wonderfully made

When You choose to take

Let it bring You praise

Reminding the world that heaven awaits

Let it bring You praise

Verse 2:

Before I even speak

You know my every need

All that I am

Is because You are

You know my heart

Bridge:

Before I was born

You numbered my days

The story is yours

I'm just a page

With every word

I want to proclaim

Let my life proclaim

Lead Sheet below...

let_it_bring_you_praise_55792.pdf Download this file

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Singalong Sundays: (I Am) Free

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:28:00 -0700

Today's Singalong Sunday is a song I heard led recently at church, a song I remembering introducing many years ago when I used to lead worship-music.

Todd Fields is a Christian worship leader who used to lead the music at North Point Community Church's 7|22 Bible Study. Along with Steve Fee and others, and Louie Giglio preaching the "Bible study", 7|22 was one popular single's worship gathering held on a Tuesday night. It was through their streamed services that I began following some of the music Todd Fields put out.

Free is one of those powerful praise songs with a great melody, crescendo, and solid, gospel-centered lyrics. To be sure, it is simply a good, focused, hymn. Many other modern praise hymns by more Charismatic music/worship artists often lack a focus on one topic or theme, thus resulting in lyrics that diverge and mention numerous ideas for worship yet never fully elaborating on one.

"Free" on the other hand is thankfully a very focused song: it focuses on the freedom we have through God's Son, Christ who was victorious on calvary's cross to free us from death, breaking the chains of sin and ransoming us for himself. Simple, true, powerful words.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

(Romans 8:1-4 ESV)

Free by Todd Fields Listen on Posterous

(I Am) Free - Todd Fields

Chords available here.

Verse 1:

Who will free me from this body of death

Who will ransom my heart and give me life

Who will set my feet upon a hope

that will not fade away

Chorus:

Glory to God who gave his son

Glory to God the victory's won

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I am free!

Glory to God who bore my shame

Glory to God exalt his name

Hallelujah, hallelujah

I am free!

Verse 2:

You have broken the chains on me

You have silenced condemnation's song

And you set my feet upon a hope

that will not fade away

Bridge:

There is no condemnation

Those who are in Christ

we are free (repeat)

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Singalong Sundays: Oh The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:59:00 -0700

Today's Singalong Sunday is a hymn I first learned through Sovereign Grace Music when Bob Kauflin led this revised melody at the Together For the Gospel conference in 2008. It was quite a joy to hear and singalong with a few thousand other men who were called to the gospel ministry.

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

(Ephesians 3:17-18 ESV)

"Oh The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus" gathers the people of God around the centrality of the love of Christ--that is, Jesus deep and immense love for His people in all circumstances. The love of Jesus is described vividly: in terms of a mighty ocean that surrounds us, most worthy to be praised when we see His love paying our ransom on the cross, and an ocean full of blessing in every trying circumstance. In the end, we will experience the love of Jesus himself in everlasting glory.

Worshipping through this hymn simply brings my heart and mind peace, as I ponder anew how deep is the love of Christ for me.

Oh The Deep, Deep Love by Sovereign Grace Music Listen on Posterous

Oh The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

Original Words by Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925).

Music, chorus, and alternate words by Bob Kauflin.

(1) Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus

Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free

Rolling as a mighty ocean

In its fullness over me.

Underneath me, all around me

Is the current of Your love

Leading onward, leading homeward

To Your glorious rest above.

CHORUS:

Oh the deep, deep love

All I need and trust

Is the deep, deep love of Jesus

(2) Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus

Spread His praise from shore to shore

How He came to pay our ransom

Through the saving cross He bore.

How He watches o’er His loved ones

Those He died to make His own

How for them He’s interceding

Pleading now before the throne.

(3) Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus

Far surpassing all the rest

It’s an ocean full of blessing

In the midst of every test.

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus

Mighty Savior, precious Friend

You will bring us home to glory

Where your love will never end.

Chords and Lead sheet below.

Oh_the_Deep_Deep_Love_CHORDS.pdf Download this file

Oh_the_Deep_Deep_Love_LEAD.pdf Download this file

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