Posts Tagged ‘All Because of Jesus’

Songs We Sing, 04/13 – 04/14/13 – Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: April 14, 2013 in Worship Set Lists
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This was our first week of our new series – “Seven,” which is about the seven marks of an intentional life. Our discipleship pastor, David Hinkle, started us off by preaching through the spiritual area of our lives, coming primarily from Galatians 2:20. It was a powerful challenge with four practices for help us seek and serve Jesus with our lives. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here.

Here’s our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome/Call to Worship
“All Because of Jesus” (B) [Steve Fee]
“Happy Day” (B) [Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon]
Greeting Time/Announcements
Message – “The Seven: Spiritual – Galatians 2:20″ [David Hinkle]
“Because of Your Love” (E) [Phil Wickham]
“Forever Reign” (A) [Reuben Morgan, Jason Ingram]
“Jesus Messiah” (A) [Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was a fantastic weekend. David’s message was a great reminder for our church, and our worship team did an awesome job leading together. I am so thankful to lead beside such amazing people. They love God, they love the Church, and they give their best to point our people towards Christ through our time of singing together. The church sang out beautifully this weekend, especially during the final three songs of the services. It was so much so that I was getting a little choked up at several points (It’s a little hard to keep singing at those moments…). It was amazing. I felt the songs we sang really connected with the central message of Galatians 2:20, and I think it was really powerful all together.

I love my team. I love our church. Praise God for what He is doing in us.

- Bill

What were your thoughts or experiences from your worship gathering this weekend?

Set List, 11/03 – 11/04/12 – Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: November 4, 2012 in Worship Set Lists
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This week our pastor, Joe Hishmeh, continued our discipleship series, “Ephesians – United in Christ.” In the message for the weekend, Joe shared from Ephesians 5:9-21 about how we are called out of darkness and into the light of Christ; to shine the light of Christ by living wisely and loving deeply in a dark world. It was a great challenge for us to pursue a rich life of following Christ. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here.

In our singing, we focused on the gospel, and the life that we have been given through Christ. Our response ought to be one of worship and obedience, because He has done great things for us!

Here’s our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome
 “All Because of Jesus” (B) [Steve Fee]
“Happy Day” (B) [Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon]
Greeting Time/Announcements
Message – “Ephesians 5:9-21″ [Joe Hishmeh]
Communion
“Christ Is Risen” (Gb) [Matt Maher, Mia Fieldes]
“Stronger” (Bb) [Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan]
“Jesus Paid It All” (Bb) [John T. Grape, Elvina M. Hall, Alex Nifong]
“Let Me Sing” (Bb) [Todd Fields]
Dismissal

“All Because Of Jesus” / “Happy Day” - We opened our services this weekend with the combination of these two songs. We went from “All Because of Jesus” right into “Happy Day,” all with the focus of how we have been rescued and made alive by the finished work of Jesus Christ. We have great reason to celebrate and worship!

“Christ Is Risen” - This was our communion and response song to Joe’s message this week. His selected passage from Ephesians included 5:14: “Awake, O sleeper/ And arise from the dead / And Christ will shine on you”, which is the foundation for this song. This verse, according to the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, was probably an early hymn that the Church would sing to celebrate baptisms. This makes sense with Paul’s comments later on singing “songs and hymns, and spiritual songs” in verse 19. This song is a powerful song about the resurrection to life that we have because of Christ. He has brought us out of darkness into His light.

“Stronger” - After the Lord’s Supper, we continued by singing this song together, which speaks of Christ’s victory over sin and death for us. I love singing this chorus together with the church: “You are stronger, You are stronger/ Sin is broken, You have saved me/ It is written, Christ is risen/ Jesus, You are Lord of all.”

“Jesus Paid It All” - From “Stronger,” we went directly into this song, which is one of our church’s (and I’m sure this is true for many other churches) favorites. During our Saturday night services, we only sang the second chorus (or bridge, if you prefer): “O praise the One who paid my debt/ And raised this life up from the dead,” but we decided to sing the whole song on Sunday morning. It was a beautiful moment of worship together.

“Let Me Sing” - We finished our services with this song, which really put the exclamation point on the entire service, tying in all the themes that were emphasized: Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our redemption, walking in the light vs. the darkness, and living a life that shines the light of Christ in a dark world. We finished the song with mostly just the voices, and it was beautiful to hear the church singing these words of dedication and response to Christ: “Let me sing louder than creation to You/ For the pain You bore in Your body/ To bring my soul to You/ Let me shine brighter than the stars in the sky/ An offering of praise all my life/ To You, my holy King!” 

Thoughts: This weekend was a fantastic weekend. We completely rearranged our services, and it was refreshing and energizing. People were confused at first when the band left the platform after only two songs and Joe came up to preach, but we heard many comments about how people were engaged in worship because of the change. I always love singing in response to the proclaimed Word of God, since all of worship is a response to who God is, how God acts toward us, and what God calls us to. It just felt right. The team did a good job with all of the changes this weekend, and I am really grateful for our weekend of worship together. I am so encouraged by how our church engaged throughout the weekend, and all that is happening at Fellowship. I LOVE MY CHURCH!

What were your thoughts or experiences on your worship experience this weekend?

p.s. don’t forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 09/15 – 09/16/12 – Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: September 16, 2012 in Worship Set Lists
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(an image of our Ephesians set design, courtesy of our Tech Director, Wyatt Johnston)

This week our lead pastor, Joe Hishmeh, continued our discipleship series, “Ephesians – United in Christ.” In his message, Joe shared from Ephesians 2:1-10 that before Christ, we were dead in our sins, but we have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone! He has made us alive for the purposes of His kingdom–sharing the good news and doing good for those around us. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here.

For our singing this week, we focused on the saving work of Christ on our behalf.

Here’s our service plan from this weekend:

“In Tenderness” (G) [W. Spencer Walton, Adoniram J. Gordon, Nate Garvey, arr. by Citizens]
Welcome/Greeting Time
Call To Worship
“All Because of Jesus” (A) [Steve Fee]
“You Have Overcome” (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]
“God Is Able” (A) [Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding] / “The Stand” (A) [Joel Houston]
Message – “Ephesians 2:1-10″ [Joe Hishmeh]
“Jesus Messiah” (G) [Daniel Carson, Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves]
Offering/Announcements/Dismissal

“In Tenderness” - This is a song that we have been teaching our congregation recently. This song is a keeper for us, and it is a great fit for our study of the book of Ephesians as a whole, especially chapter two.

“All Because of Jesus” - We continued after our greeting time with this simple chorus that recognizes the true and sole source of our life – Jesus Christ. This is a song that is very familiar for our church, so we always sing it well together.

“You Have Overcome” – This is one of our originals here, and it seems to be a song that our congregation has latched onto. This song was inspired in part by Ephesians 2:1-10, so it was a beautiful fit with the message this week. Jesus has overcome the power of the grave, and no one else can save us; no one else can raise us.

“God Is Able” / “The Stand” - Though it was impossible for us to save ourselves, Jesus did it for us. He came to rescue us and to be with us forever. He is faithful and true, and His love is steadfast and unfailing. He has done everything we needed for our eternal salvation. What is our response to this amazing gift of grace? One of thanksgiving, of love, of worship with all that we are.

“Jesus Messiah” - This was our response song for the weekend. After hearing the gospel clearly laid out in the message, I wanted to come back to a song that declared and celebrated the beautiful sacrifice that Jesus made for us, to give us redemption, salvation, life, and hope! This song did just that. My favorite part of this song continues to be the bridge: “All our hope is in You/ All our hope is in You/ All the glory to You, God/ The Light of the world.” Amen! Our hope is in no one else.

This weekend was another solid weekend of worship. Our team did a good job leading, and our people were engaged. It’s hard not to get excited about the gospel! When we really reflect on what Christ has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection, I think we would have to fight off the urge to worship Him. This was a weekend where that was the case. I hope this is more often the case than not, because I can think of no greater reason to worship than the gospel.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

What were your thoughts or experiences on your worship experience from this weekend?

p.s. don’t forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 06/30 – 07/01/12 – Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: July 1, 2012 in Worship Set Lists
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This was our fifth weekend walking through 1 John together in our “Love In Christ” series. Brian Tryhus preached about forgiveness from 1 John, focusing on the futility of wallowing in shame and guilt when we sin. Our forgiveness has been promised and secured by the sacrifice of Christ. It was a powerful reminder and challenge to walk in forgiveness with confidence, faith, and hope. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here.

For our singing this week, we focused primarily on songs that emphasized what Christ has accomplished for us, and the standing we have with God because of it. We been declared righteous (justified) in Jesus Christ. When the Father sees us, He sees us through Christ.

Here’s our service plan from this weekend:

(pre-service) “In The Light” (E) [Charlie Peacock, as performed by DC Talk]
“All Because of Jesus” (Bb) [Steve Fee]
Welcome/Greeting Time
Call to Worship – thoughts from Isaiah 53
“Jesus Messiah” (G) [Daniel Carson, Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash]
“He Has Done It All” (G) [Andy Cherry, Jason Ingram]
“Son of God” (G) [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Ed Cash, Gordon Cochran]
Message – “Love In Christ: Forgiveness” [Brian Tryhus]
Video – “Forget What You Know (Caedmon’s Call)”
“Nothing But The Blood” (G) [Robert Lowry]
Offering/Announcements/Dismissal

“In the Light” – (Yes, it is the one performed by DC Talk in the 90′s). We sang this one for our pre-service countdown because it is a great fit with the book of 1 John, as it focuses on walking in the light as He is in the light. It is a ton of fun to play, and I could see people in our congregation who remembered it singing along. I think it was a great way for our congregation to enter into the worship center this weekend.

“All Because of Jesus” – We opened our services with this song, which is a staple for our congregation. It set the tone for the entire service, as declaring with joy and confidence that we are alive in Jesus.

“Jesus Messiah” – After reciting a few verses from Isaiah 53, we sang this song together. I love the lyric of this song, and I think one of the most powerful moments of it is the bridge, where we sing, “All our hope is in You/ All our hope is in You/ All the glory to You, God/ The Light of the World.” We need to put all of our hope in Christ alone. He is the only way for us to be saved. He is the only way for us to be redeemed. He is our life. This is one of the most significant reasons that He is worthy of all glory and honor and praise.

“He Has Done It All” – We began teaching this song a few weeks ago, and this was the second time we have sung it together. I absolutely love this song. I think it reminds us of the truth of the gospel, and inspires our confidence in what Christ has declared: “It is finished.”

“Son of God” – This is one of our church’s favorite songs, and it was a great way to finish our main set of songs. It is a simple and beautiful expression of worship to our risen King, Jesus. The chorus and bridge sing: “Jesus, O Holy One/ I sing to You, forgiven/ Savior, I’m overcome/ With Your great love for me/ You are worthy/ You are worthy/ You are worthy of all my praise/ You are beautiful/ You are beautiful/ I will lift up my hands and sing.”  I love this song, and our congregation sings it so well!

“Nothing But The Blood” - We responded to the message with this great hymn, which is one of my all-time favorites. I cannot think of a song that more clearly declares the truth of the gospel, and the fact that salvation comes through no other but Jesus. He is the only way of salvation, and He has accomplished it through His blood, which He shed for us at the cross when He died in our place. His sacrifice equals our rescue. My favorite verses are the third and fourth: “Nothing can for sin atone/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus/ Naught of good that I have done/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus” and “This is all my hope and peace/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus/ This is all my righteousness/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Amen!

This weekend was an intense weekend of worship. There is nothing I love more than focusing on the cross of Jesus Christ and remembering what He accomplished for us. It always moves me and overwhelms me to think of His grace and love for me. Our team did a great job, and I think we all will walk away from this weekend reminded of the forgiveness and redemption we have in Jesus Christ. When the Father looks at us, He sees us through Christ– as forgiven, justified, and righteous. Praise the Lord for what He has done for us!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

In the Son,
Bill

p.s. don’t forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 04/14 – 04/15/12 – Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: April 15, 2012 in Worship Set Lists
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This weekend, we began a series called “Everything!” Joe is talking through the concepts of a generous life and stewardship with all that we have. It was a really fresh and challenging perspective on generosity, beginning this weekend with a focus on the true owner of the things in this world – God owns everything, and we are stewards of what He owns. You can listen to the entire message here.

Here’s our service plan from this weekend:

“All Because Of Jesus” (Bb) [Steve Fee]
Welcome/Greeting Time
Call To Worship
“Unchanging” (G) [Chris Tomlin]
“You Have Overcome” (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]
“God Is Able” (A) [Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding]
Message – “Everything: Everything Comes From God” [Joe Hishmeh]
“10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)” (G) [Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin, Jason Ingram]
Offering/Announcements
Dismissal

“All Because Of Jesus” – We opened our services with this song, as it tied last week and this week together. We celebrate the life that we have because of Jesus Christ – because He died in our place and was raised from the grave for us – and we also thank Him because He is the giver of all that we have, even our very breath. As James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (ESV).

“Unchanging” - Because of the focus of the message series, and the fact that this week was foundational for the whole thing, I wanted us to sing songs that help us to trust God more in all areas of our lives. This song comes from Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” and Revelation 1:8, “‘I am the Alpha and Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and is to come, the Almighty.’” Jesus is unchanging, and that is the reason we can stake our lives on who He is and what He says. He will never change, and we can trust Him.

“You Have Overcome” - This is the third week that we have taught this new song to our congregation. They are singing it well, and I believe this will be a song that we will sing for many years together. This song did not have a specific tie-in to this weekend’s message, other than being a simple, gospel-centered song that helps us exalt Jesus for what He has accomplished on our behalf. He has rescued us. Therefore, He is worthy of everything we have to give in response to His goodness and mercy.

“God Is Able” - This song furthered the idea of “Unchanging,” in that it spoke to God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will never fail. We have nothing to fear in Him.

“10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)” - I felt that this song was a fitting response to Joe’s message this week. God has blessed us so much, and the proper response is that we would worship God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength for all of our days. He is worthy!

This weekend was a solid and very enjoyable weekend of worship. We had our 12-year-old drummer, Anthony, on the team (he always does a fantastic job), and a first-time singer who filled in at the last minute. The team did a great job, and I believe the Lord was glorified by our times of worship. I am really excited about how it all came together. I pray that the content of what we sang together and studied together will take root in our lives outside these walls, because it will be a game-changer in our church, our community, and our world!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

In the Son,
Bill

p.s. don’t forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 01/07 – 01/08/12 Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: January 9, 2012 in Worship Set Lists
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This weekend, we began our Romans series, “Grow In Christ.” Our family pastor, Brian Tryhus, taught about the background information surrounding Paul’s letter to the Romans, as well as calling us as a church to committing ourselves to a diligent study of the book, both individually and in community. I think it was a great challenge to all of us for the new year. I am excited about what the Lord is going to do in our church as we delve into Romans together. I pray that the gospel becomes ever more clear and sure for each of us. You can listen to the entire message here.

This was an interesting and unexpected weekend. I was not originally scheduled to lead, but another leader’s sickness necessitated it. About 3 hours before we started rehearsal, I adjusted our song set, communicated the change with the team, and we went for it. I was once again impressed by the flexibility and ability of our team. They all did a fantastic job, and it was a great weekend of worship, as we focused heavily on the gospel. Each song reflects that focus in some way.

Here’s our service plan from this weekend:

Time of Preparation/Prayer
“The Love Of God” (D) [Frederick M. Lehman, Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai]
Welcome/Greeting Time
“All Because Of Jesus” (Bb) [Steve Fee]
“Glorious One” (C) [Steve Fee]
“Glorious Day” (C) [Michael Bleecker, J. Wilbur Chapman]
Message – “Romans: Grow In Christ – Introduction” [Brian Tryhus]
Communion
Communion Song – “Sing To Jesus” (Eb) [Richard Nibbe, Fernando Ortega]
Offering/Announcements
“In Christ Alone” (D) [Keith Getty, Stuart Townend]
Dismissal


“The Love Of God” – We sang this song as our preparation song this weekend. I especially love the third verse, which makes a beautiful analogy to speak of the greatness of God’s love:

Could we with ink the oceans fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky

“All Because Of Jesus” – This was our opener this week. We sang it because Jesus’s sacrifice for us is the reason we have life and hope. As we focus on Romans, this was a fitting song.

“Glorious One” – This song is a favorite of mine, but I have not sung it with Fellowship before this weekend. Fortunately, it was one that they had sung previously, and it was good to bring it back and sing it together.

“Glorious Day” – This song is new to our congregation, and it is one that I have wanted to introduce ever since I heard it. It is from Michael Bleecker and the Village Church, and it first appears on their album, “God Of Victory.”  (Yes, Casting Crowns did a cover of it, taking some liberties of their own, but I definitely prefer the first rendition by the Village). I love the lyric (written in 1909 by J. Wilbur Chapman), and how it communicates Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection, and return. It moves me every time I hear it or sing it, because the truth of it resonates deeply in me. Here’s the lyric of the song:

Verse 1
One day when heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my Example is He

Chorus
Living He loved me, dying He saved me
Buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
O glorious day

Verse 2
One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on the tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He

Verse 3
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, o’er death He had conquered
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore

Verse 4
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine

“Glorious Day”
J. Wilbur Chapman | Michael BleeckerCCLI Song No. 5181287
© 2008 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

“Sing To Jesus” – This song was brand new to me this week. Sarah Oldberg had picked it out as a communion song this week, so I wanted to leave it in if I could learn it. It is such a beautiful lyric and melody. We did the song with just piano (Cory Zipperle did a great job making it happen!) and vocal. This song was also my introduction to Fernando Ortega. I had heard the name, but never heard any of his music before this week. I am now a fan. I am looking forward to discovering more of his music as a result of this song!

“In Christ Alone” – This was our response song this weekend. I love this modern hymn. It’s interesting to play on guitar, because the traditional arrangement probably wasn’t written with guitar in mind… But it works, and the power of the song takes care of it. It declares the gospel clearly and beautifully, and it is a song that just sounds like I knew it, even when it was the first hearing. It is truly in Christ alone that we have salvation, life, and hope.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

In the Son,
Bill

p.s. don’t forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 10/15 – 10/16/11 Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: October 17, 2011 in Worship Set Lists
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This weekend, we focused on John 11, looking specifically at Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead. Joe preached on the death of death, and how we can only find life, hope, and promise in Jesus Christ. he also talked about how we can look to Jesus’ response to Lazarus’ death to see how He feels about the consequences of sin in our lives. The hurt that we experience because of sin also hurts Jesus. He cares deeply for us, and hates what sin has done to us. You can listen to the entire message here.

Here’s our service plan from this weekend:

Time of Preparation/Prayer
“Hungry” (C) [Kathryn Scott]
Welcome/Greeting Time
Call to Worship (Psalm 117)
 “All Because of Jesus” (A) [Steve Fee]
 “I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)” (D) [Charles Hutchison Gabriel]
“Never Once” (A) [Matt Redman, Jason Ingram, Tim Wanstall]
“Always” (Bb) [Kristian Stanfill, Jason Ingram]
Prayer
Message – John 11:17-44 [Joe Hishmeh]
 Response Time
“Christ Is Risen” (Gb) [Matt Maher, Mia Fieldes]
Offering/Announcements
Reprise of “Christ Is Risen”
Dismissal

“Hungry” – We opened our preparation time with this song. Becky Tindell led us as we sang of our hunger for the Lord and our dedication to Him. Jesus is the only one who can meet our needs and take care of us. He is the only one who has the words of eternal life, as Peter said in John 6:68. I felt that this was a great song for our preparation time, and helped to focus our hearts along the lines of Matthew 6:33, seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.

“All Because of Jesus” – We sang this song because it celebrates the life that we have been given in Christ. It is only because of Him–His life, death, and resurrection–that we have life. Scripture says in Romans and Ephesians that we were “dead in our transgressions” and that we needed Christ to give us life. We were helpless to save ourselves, and were desperate for His salvation. Praise God for His provision, making a way for us where there was no way.

“I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)” – Becky led us on this song as well. We sang this song because it praises God for His great love for us, demonstrated through the cross, and experienced in us through the life that we have been given because of His great work on our behalf. This new life is both now and forever. In the Bible, the word that is often translated as “eternal” or “everlasting” means more than just length of time; it conveys a sense of quality as well. The life that we have in Christ continues to grow deeper and fuller from here to eternity as we know and experience our Savior and His love.

“Never Once” – We began teaching this song last week, and we continued with it this week. I love this song, and I can’t stop singing it. The chorus states an ageless truth in a fresh way when we sing, “Never once did we ever walk alone/ Never once did You leave us on our own/ You are faithful/ God, You are faithful.” Our congregation has really taken a hold of this song and is singing it well. For me, probably because of my experience in my journey with Christ thus far, songs that sing of God’s faithfulness really resonate with me. That is definitely the case with this song. I cannot get it out of my head, and I don’t mind at all! The only difficulty with this song (as with many of Matt Redman’s songs) is that the verses are pretty low and the chorus is pretty high. You have to “pick your poison,” so to speak, for your congregation to be able to sing together on the chorus.

“Always” – This remains one of my favorite new worship songs. We flowed directly into this song from “Never Once,” and the two together were a powerful declaration of God’s faithfulness and constancy in all situations. My pastor Joe’s comment about it was that it redeems the expression “Oh my God” as it sings it in the chorus as a declaration of confidence. I agree. This song is similar to “Never Once” in that the verses are low and the chorus is pretty high. We did it in Bb, and if we did it in A, the lowest note in the verse reaches down to F#! There’s no way most people are singing that… Despite that, our congregation really connects with this song. I have probably heard more comments about being affected by this song than any other since I have been here.

“Christ Is Risen” – We responded to the Word with this song. We have never sung this song before at Fellowship, so I was unsure about how well our congregation would catch on and participate in it. This song was not in the original service plan, but as we met together and Joe shared more about his message, the Lord brought this song to the forefront of my thinking, so we made some changes and inserted it. The risk of our congregation not knowing it was worth the impact it could have in combination with Joe’s message. We also tried something different in our service plan, incorporating this song into the end of Joe’s message, and tying it with his call for people to believe the gospel message and to “come awake” as the song says. We kept it dynamically quiet before Joe came back up to call people to the gospel, and then we came back to the CH, BR, CH, CH and ramped it up until we were full volume and singing it with all our might. I was moved every time we sang it together, and I think our people connected with it as we declared the powerful truth of the chorus: “Christ is risen from the dead/ Trampling over death by death/ Come awake, come awake/ Come and rise up from the grave/ Christ is risen from the dead/ We are one with Him again/ Come awake, come awake/ Come and rise up from the grave.” Amen.

This was a great weekend of worshiping our Savior. Our teams did a fantastic job. I was completely exhausted after this weekend was done, because I also led our children’s worship services in the middle of our main services, sang for a wedding Friday night, and for a banquet Sunday night, totaling 11 events for which I sang. I could barely speak this morning. :) God is faithful, and He helped preserve my voice for when I needed it, for which I am very grateful. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve our church in so many different ways this weekend. It seemed like the Lord was calling me to a greater level of servanthood all the way through, and I felt that He was reminding me of His call for me to pour myself out for our people. I was challenged and blessed at the same time. It was a fantastic weekend.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were.

In the Son,

Bill

p.s. don’t forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 07/30 – 07/31/11 Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: July 31, 2011 in Worship Set Lists
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This weekend our pastor, Joe Hishmeh, preached from Philippians 4:14-23 to talk about “An Appraisal of Giving.” It was a challenging message regarding stewardship and generosity in our lives, with the proper perspective on our resources being that God is the giver and owner of those things anyway. Also, we can give in such a way as to give God the glory He deserves, in an act of worship through giving. I believe we were all called through the word to live simply so we could all be more generous, for the purpose of advancing the kingdom of God, and investing in the things that last: God, His Word, and people.

For our song selection process, we emphasized how God gave first. He demonstrated His great love for us by giving Jesus to die in our place for our sins (John 3:16-17). Our giving is merely a response to His goodness and love for us.

Here’s our set from this weekend:

Pre-Service – “All Because of Jesus” (Bb) [Steve Fee]
Call To Worship/Prayer
“Blessed Be Your Name” (Bb) [Matt Redman, Beth Redman]
Welcome/Offering/Announcements/Greeting Time
“I Stand Amazed” (D) [Charles Hutchinson Gabriel]
“Lord of Lords” (D) [Brooke Fraser]
“Jesus Paid It All” (B) [Elvina Mabel Hall, John Thomas Grape, Alex Nifong]
Message – “An Appraisal of Giving (Philippians 4:14-23)” [Joe Hishmeh]
Response – “Take My Life And Let It Be” [Frances Ridley Havergal, Henri Abraham Cesar Malan] 

This weekend was a good weekend of worship. We tried a few new things and stretched a little, and I think it was healthy for the church and for the team. For one, I played electric guitar for the majority of our worship set. I definitely felt stretched. Becky Tindell did a great job on rhythm acoustic guitar and leading.

“All Because of Jesus” – This song is a solid part of our worship vocabulary, and our congregation always engages with it and participates. This song served the purpose of reminding us that everything we have is because of God’s grace and goodness. This idea is foundational for us to understand what generosity really means.

“Blessed Be Your Name” – This song was used primarily for the bridge: “You give and take away/ You give and take away/ My heart will choose to say/ Lord, blessed be Your name.” We

“I Stand Amazed” – Becky Tindell led this song, and she did a great job. She is one of our newest leaders, and she has been faithfully serving and leading with our Children’s ministry called the Mountain. This was the first time I have had this song in a “girl” key, and I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed being able to play lead on this one, in particular. I love the chord progressions of both the verse and the chorus, and it makes room for some interesting melodic lines.

“Lord of Lords” – Becky also led this song. I love how this song helps us to picture the throne room of heaven, and to see Jesus as the Lamb of God seated on that throne.

“Jesus Paid It All” – This song is a staple here, and one that our congregation still connects with well. This song reminded us again that Jesus gave first, and our giving of our lives in obedience and worship is right response to who He is and what He has done.

“Take My Life And Let It Be” – This hymn was chosen mainly for the final verse, which speaks to our money and our mind being given as an act of worship to our King. I love how the congregation sings out on this song, and I think it something we need to reflect on frequently – that all aspects of our lives would be dedicated to worshiping Jesus.

I was encouraged by this weekend, and really enjoyed our times of worship together. May we be generous with our lives for the King and for His kingdom.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship as well. Check out The Worship Community to see what other worshipers experienced and why.

Let me know your thoughts! I love your opinions and feedback.

In the Son,

Bill

Set Lists, 06/18 – 06/19/11 Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: June 19, 2011 in Worship Set Lists
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(once again, WordPress logged me out midway through my draft, so this is mostly a second try, so I may miss a few things…)

This weekend, we focused on Philippians 3:1-11 for a message on “An Appraisal of Worth and Identity.” From this passage, Joe pointed out that we are to place no confidence in our flesh (the things of this world by which we might try to identify ourselves) and we are to compare our lives and the stuff of life against Jesus Christ and His “surpassing worth” (3:8 ESV). Nothing we have to offer—nothing we have done—even comes close to comparing with the worth of Jesus. Our salvation is completely dependent on who He is and what He has done.  Paul says it this way, “not having a righteousness of my own that comes through the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Phil. 3:9 ESV). In the music this weekend, we focused completely on the gospel, recognizing our complete inability to save ourselves, and the unique ability and work of Christ to rescue us and to give us life. We are completely dependent on Him for salvation and eternal life, hence the repeating themes of “nothing but the blood of Jesus,” “You alone can rescue,” and “I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord.” Jesus Christ is all we have!

Here’s our set from this weekend:

“All Because of Jesus” (Bb) [Steve Fee]
Call to Worship – Psalm 86:8-10
“I Stand Amazed” (G) [Charles Hutchison Gabriel]
Welcome/Greeting Time/Offering
“Nothing But The Blood (Your Blood)” (Bb) [Matt Redman] / Child Dedication (at Sunday 10:45 AM service only)
“Always” (Bb) [Kristian Stanfill, Jason Ingram]
“You Alone Can Rescue” (Bb) [Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin]
Message – “An Appraisal of Worth and Identity” [Joe Hishmeh]
Response – “Nothing But The Blood” (G) [Robert Lowry]

“All Because of Jesus” - This song is a strong declaration and reminder of where our real life comes from: Jesus Christ. It is only because of Him that we are alive. We have life in Him alone. As the verse says, even the breath that we breathe is a gift from God. We are completely dependent on Him, from beginning to end. As James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” Everything that is truly good is from God, and Him alone. Therefore, no one else is worthy of our devotion, our worship, or our glory.

“I Stand Amazed” - Like many hymns (think “It Is Well”), this one speaks to the past, the present reality, and future of our faith – our condemnation, our redemption, and our glorification in Christ. I believe that is what is so timeless about many hymns. It is a song that just revels in the amazing love of God for us. It is truly marvelous, and we should never get beyond a state of wonder when we think of it.

“Nothing But The Blood (Your Blood)”  – YouTube- I love how Matt Redman took the thought from Robert Lowry’s hymn and reworked it into this song. The concepts of placing no confidence in the things of this world and of the blood of Jesus “[speaking] a better word/ than all the empty claims/ I’ve heard upon this earth” and “[speaking] righteousness for me/ and [standing] in my defense” are beautiful and powerful.

I also love the Brazilian version of this song, done by Fernandinho (the Brazilian equivalent of Chris Tomlin), “Nada Além do Sangue.” I first heard this on my last trip to Brazil in 2009, when I joined my friends on the worship team of Igreja da Paz in Santarém, located in the Amazon River basin in the Brazilian state Pará. They let me join in leading with them for their Sunday services (all SEVEN), and it was an amazing experience, one of the highlights of my life. You can get a glimpse of what their services are like Igreja da Paz Central. They let me lead “Poder Pra Salvar” (“Mighty to Save,” one of the few that I can actually sing in Portuguese…), and we also did this song, which has a very cool bridge part in Portuguese, and it drives me crazy that it doesn’t really work in English. In Portuguese, it sings “Eu so livre,” which translates into English as “I am alive.” I love the melody of that part, and how it simply sums up the result of what Christ has done. The best I have come up with is to simply sing the melody with no words, and then to repeat, “Nothing but Your blood…” This song makes me miss my friends in Brazil.

“Always” - This was our third week teaching this song to our congregation. You can read more about my thoughts on the song here. The congregation is definitely learning the song, and we are singing it out more together. We will let the song rest a few weeks and then we’ll bring it back to see it with fresh eyes. This is now part of what I would call, “our worship vocabulary,” or basically the songs that we know together as Fellowship Bible Church (a little bit of strategy here…).  I think each worship leader needs to know what is the vocabulary of his context, and needs to be careful to teach the congregation he serves new songs intentionally and with a plan, so that they have a chance to know it and to own it, rather than just singing from the screen or wherever else they see the lyrics. In our church, we want the projection to be a backup plan rather than a crutch. We want our congregation to sing from their hearts, and to have the screen as a backup if they forget the words. We teach a new song at least three consecutive weeks to make this a possibility. I think many modern worship leaders, myself included, underestimate how many times our people need to hear a song before they know it. We wonder, “Why do they sing older song so well?” The answer: they have heard those songs hundreds of times, even if they didn’t attend church gatherings in their youth. It is likely that the newer songs we use are only heard in the context of our worship gatherings. So, they only hear it/sing it as often as we lead it in our worship gatherings. I think it is valuable to any worship leader to assess how many times our people have sung each song, and to be intentional about teaching our people the songs we sing, as I said earlier.

“You Alone Can Rescue” – This song was a great fit for the message this weekend, as it emphasizes that we are incapable of saving ourselves, and that only Jesus can rescue us. I also liked how this song tied together with “Always,” in referring to the passage from Psalm 121:1-2, “I lift my eyes up to the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” This song is a simple, powerful declaration of confidence in the work of Christ on our behalf. I love it!

We taught this song a few months ago, and it was time to bring it back, especially for this message. I love how the congregation responds when they really know a song, and it was obvious that they knew this one as we sang it together. This is the fruit of what I mentioned above. We spent the time to learn this song together, and now, whenever we bring it back into our services, our people know it, and can sing it wholeheartedly. This, I believe, is one of our goals as congregational worship leaders. We want our people to be able to sing with sincerity, and that only happens when they really know, from experience, what they are singing. They have heard it, they have seen it, and they have sung it, and they remember it. It’s a beautiful thing.

“Nothing But The Blood” - This is one of my favorite hymns. The simple truth that there is no other pardon for sin than in the blood of Jesus Christ, tied to the truth that there is no forgiveness for sins without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). During the fourth service, a thought occurred to me: how many times did I sing this song while still having confidence in my own good works as it relates to my standing before God? How many of us have done this? We cannot sing this song honestly if we are still clinging to our own good works before God—we could not sing, “Nothing can for sin atone/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus/ Naught of good that I have done/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” May each of our hearts be able to sing this with honesty. I stand on nothing but the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who died in my place for my sins, who reconciled me to God, who made a way where there was no way, who is my confidence.

I am thankful for our team and our church, and for the opportunities we have to worship together. This weekend was refreshing for me. I never get tired of hearing and proclaiming the gospel in word and song, and this weekend was a beautiful example of just that. Christ was lifted high this weekend.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were. Be sure to hop on over to The Worship Community to check out what other leaders and worshipers experienced this weekend. Have a great week!

I’d love to hear your thoughts below. Join the discussion!

In the Son,

Bill

 

Set List, 05/14 – 05/15/11 Fellowship Bible Church

Posted: May 15, 2011 in Worship Set Lists
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This weekend, we focused on Philippians 1:18-26, where Paul clearly lays out what is truly worth living and dying for: Jesus Christ. Nick Strobel, our student pastor, shared about living for what is valuable and having proper perspective on life and death. I was really challenged by what he said, and how he unpacked this passage of Scripture. Ultimately, Jesus is more valuable than our stuff and our accomplishments, because Jesus is eternal and Jesus is perfect. He is the only one who can give our lives the value that they need to be fulfilling. He is the only one worth living and dying for.

Here’s our set list from this weekend:

Pre-Service – “All Because of Jesus” (Bb) [Steve Fee]
Call to Worship – Psalm 66:1-2
“Glory To God Forever” (Bb) [Steve Fee, Vicky Beeching]
Video/Welcome/Announcements/Greeting Time
“Blessed Be Your Name” (Bb) [Matt Redman, Beth Redman]
“It Is Well” (Bb) [Todd Fields, Horatio G. Spafford, Philip Paul Bliss]
“You Never Let Go” (Bb) [Matt Redman]
Message – The Appraisal of Death [Nick Strobel]
Response – “Glory to God Forever” (reprise) (Bb) [Steve Fee, Vicky Beeching] 

We opened the pre-service with “All Because of Jesus.” This song had a twofold relation to the passage of Philippians this week. First, it related to our real life being created in Christ and His perfect work on the cross. Second, it related in that Jesus is the only one worth living for and giving our glory to, because of what He has done. I thought it was a very fitting way to begin this weekend’s services, and it set the proper tone for our worship.

During the call to worship, we took a look at Psalm 66:1-2, and took the opportunity to teach our congregation about shouting for joy to the Lord, as we continue to explore the Biblical expressions of worship. Together, we shouted Jesus’ name at the count of three. I think it was a stretching time for our congregation, and while not everyone participated, I think most did, and we are better for it.

From there we moved to “Glory To God Forever,” mainly because of the bridge, which fit well with the overarching thought of the weekend, as it sings, “Take my life and let it be/ All for You and for Your glory/ Take my life and let it be Yours.” My hope was to emphasize to our congregation to make this our prayer. I cannot think of a more noble or desirable prayer for the King of kings and His kingdom. I love how succinctly this bridge communicates the idea of sacrifice and taking up our cross.

After the welcome and announcement time, we opened the second set with “Blessed Be Your Name.” This song is powerful, and has been for some time. There are not many songs that communicate such a heart and willingness to praise God regardless of our circumstances, because He is more valuable and worthy than our circumstances and even our own lives. I think if we are honest, this is a difficult concept for us to handle, much less for us to sing with all of our hearts. This is especially true in the bridge: “You give and take away/ You give and take away/ My heart will choose to say/ Lord, blessed be Your name.” This song set the tone for the entire second set, as we tried to remind one other that Jesus is worthy of our lives and our worship, regardless of the circumstances. He alone is that worthy.

We continued the second set with “It Is Well,” which I have written at length about in the past. I still love this arrangement, and I think it continues to connect with our congregation in a special way. I love to hear our people sing the lyrics of this song, as we examine how Jesus is faithful and true, and all will be “well” when this life is over. There is nothing to fear.

We then finished the set with “You Never Let Go.” This song is new to Fellowship, and was a song that I introduced when I was interviewing here. It has always been one of my favorites from my time at Church at the Mall in Lakeland (you can see our team there leading this song here). I love its declaration of confidence in Jesus regardless of circumstances. It draws partially from Psalm 23 and from 1 John 4. The truth of this song is that we have nothing to fear if we are in Christ, because He never leaves us and never forsakes us, and He will always be with us. We can draw hope and confidence in this truth, and we can walk in such a way that we lay our lives down for the kingdom of God, no matter the cost, because our hope will not be disappointed in Christ!

We responded to the message with a reprise of the bridge and chorus of “Glory To God Forever,” and made that a sort of benediction as well as a challenge to each other. My prayer is that we lay our lives down for our King and His kingdom, no matter the cost. May our lives truly be Yours, O Lord.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were. Be sure to check out The Worship Community to see what other leaders experienced in their worship gatherings this weekend.

Be a part of the discussion below with your comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

In the Son,

Bill

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