Take up your harp and follow me.

23 Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

I'm reading a book from Oliver Sacks "Musicophilia", he is the author of the movie awakenings with Robin Williams. In his book I've been reading how music effects the brain. Oliver gives countless case examples of people becoming suddenly musical and also some who have seizures when listening to music. There is a profound power in music that can change the way we think, believe and the way our body reacts. In the case of Saul his mind is plagued with an evil spirit that the Lord has sent upon him for his rebellion against God's word. To clarify my view is that God had not sent a spirit as in an evil, ghostly, heavenly being, but if you read the footnotes it says an injurious spirit. That spirit is the injury or wound that would happen when the Spirit of the Lord has departed from someone. It said when the spirit of the Lord had departed from saul then he was plagued with the injury in his mind.

David came with the spirit of the lord and brought his instrument to set at ease the mind of his king. Whenever david played the kings countenance changed. Unfortunately the healing that david provided was only temporary. If this was not so then david would only of had to play once. There was a cycle that was happening with saul that was more of a downward spiral, evoking great anger to the point of throwing a javelin at David. The music could cure the distress but not the cause of the distress. Which leads me to the current harp and bowl ministries that are arising across the nation. The music can in fact act as a curative measure to the state of man when coupled with different ingredients. I can not deny the fact that music could cure someone on it's own by triggering motives and emotions in peoples mind and spirit. Yet I believe the transformative powers of music are most potent when coupled with three things. The willingness and openness of the distressed person to the therapeutic process, the quality of the music to meet the individual needs, and the musician's commitment to the distressed person.

For the church we need to expand the quality of our services to better meet the needs of the people, we need to provide higher commitment and communicate that commitment to the people, but without the desire of the people to want change all this is for not. We are definitely not all musicians but we all have our own God given tool to effect change. So we have our own harp to use, Jesus said "take up your cross and follow me". He could of also said take up your instrument of change and follow me. So that's what I'm doing, I'm committed to seeing change in the people we serve and to the quality of music that I provide. My faith is being placed in God that he will use the gifting to His pleasure. So God be praised forever, and with any luck it will be very creative!

Grace is enough: What is enough?

We sing a song at church called "Your grace is enough" written by Chris Tomlin and Matt Maher. I enjoy singing this song a great deal but I don't feel the congregation does. Usually when I lead out with this song there are very few voices singing along. So I have to ask my self; what's the problem? One answer may be that the song is not catchy enough, but that can't be true it is ranked very highly with ccli with many thousands of people singing this across the world. Another answer is that it may be too difficult to sing, but that can't be true because it has less interval spacing than happy birthday. So what is it about this song that leaves many mouths in neutral? Maybe it is our self concept of grace. I will explore this today as well as looking at our ability to understand what enough is.

Lets take a look at the founding scripture of this song in the message:

2 Corinthians 12:9 (The Message)

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson


7-10Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

A self concept is a composite view of feelings, beliefs or attitude that someone has about their identity, worth, capabilities and limitations. (http://www.birf.info/home/bi-tools/qlinks_s.html) With these attitudes we shape the information coming in to fit our personal concepts. It is like the expression "trying to put a square peg into a round hole" we often try to change the incoming information to match our receptors or the way we can perceive the information. Like paul we initially try to fit God into our small little hole of perception only to find out that it is impossible. Paul thought it was not a gift from God to have the injury he did, but God had answered him three times that His grace is enough. It was at that point when Christ's strength really came into more power in Paul's life. I could press on more in this but I want to simply state that I want more of Christ's strength in me, I want more of His strength in our church. The strength to hold us together in unity while we are moving in our new church project.

The second part of God's statement to Paul is a huge problem with our culture. The second part I'm referring to is the "it's all you need" part. My daughter today was upset because we got the other kids new boots but we did not get her any. Her boots we're perfectly fine and she loved them, but it wasn't until something new and shinny come into the house that she wanted to get rid of her trusted boots. From very young to very old we are enamored with items that are new. We can be often given over to jealousy and unrighteous buying habits because of our desire to have new things. I look at our new building we are getting and I can't help but wonder what attitude we are bringing into the place. Are we just excited because it is something new or do we really see it as something we really need. When we see that it is God's grace that is providing for us we are set up for victory. When we align ourselves with the fact that God is providing our need then we can separate our cultural desire for something new.


You can read Matt's bible study on this song at www.worshiptogether.com

God loves windsor

I mentioned yesterday how God loved the earth and how I saw many parts of revelation as an example of worship. I should rephrase the word worship for loving, in heaven there is a whole lot of loving going on. I didn’t go into revelation 4 too much but lets take a look at what the first sights that John saw.

4 1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. 5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God….
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

The very first thing John saw was a door and the first thing he heard was a trumpet. It’s funny but at the sound of worship (trumpet) I begin to see a doorway in heaven opening up. One of the prophecies for Windsor was an open heaven, and again I believe that comes with worship. As the trumpet is sounded, Jesus is revealed. That trumpet is a loud clear Holy praise that is coming from heaven into earth. It makes so much sense that for real change on the earth we need the power of God in this place. It says He inhabits the praises of His people, so if you want God to live here then it’s time to pour out the lovin.
God loves Windsor and he has not given up on us, he hasn’t given up on our failed economy, our highest unemployment rate, our highest rate of cancer in Ontario, our highest rate of divorce. Once this city experiences the lovin of God that comes from Holy worship and people seeking him, this city will be forever changed for God’s glory.
Our father who is in heaven, how great and honored is Your name, Your kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Gives us this day the abundance of heaven that sustains and enriches the very world around us. Let us walk in forgiveness both from your throne and to the earth, to this city. Lead us far from temptation with angels guarding our hearts and the hearts of our youth, how your great power with our youth that they know that for sure you have not stopped the lovin.

God loves Earth

God, I thank you for this day, I pray that I may hear your counsel today. There is more things in this world that can take away our attention from you coming up everyday. So with having the ears to hear You I pray that my eyes can see Your hand in Your creation.

I think we far too often miss that God is in creation all around us because He built it and sustains it. We get caught up in all the things that man has done wrong to the world and how bad things are. The fact is if God can wipe away our sins from us, he can wipe away all the damage that man has done to the earth.

For some, this world is a source of trouble and is unfixable. For another, this world is God's creation and it's our inherited right to take care of it. When Jesus said do not conform to the things of this world He was referring to the sinful nature of mankind. His creation is still beautiful. Which makes me wonder why He would destroy it? Some people see revelations as the epic war that destroys everything, I don't. Lets take a look at some of the so called darker parts of revelations.

Revelation 8

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

1When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.


People may see this as God slamming the earth with fire and it being utterly horrific. It may be, but I see this passage completely different, all the parts mentioned above are worship related. The worship of silence, haven't you had a service where God has spoken to everyone and there is supernaturally a silence over everyone? What about the seven angels, the same number of lights on the candle representing the aspects of the Spirit? Now the most obvious the incense in the tabernacle was clearly praise and worship! Don't we sing the song Fire Fall Down? Are we afraid of the fire hitting the roof of the building and burning us alive? No we expect the fire of God to mean His presence and his cleansing power. Thunder rumblings and lightnings are all symbolic of God's word from his throne going out into all the earth (Rev. 4) (Eze. 1). So I see this as an invasion of Holy worship being poured out on the earth, that kind of worship will change the earth! A third of the earth would be consumed by God's worship instantly, real change!

What do you think? Leave a comment!

Made to worship

This morning while getting a ride to school, Chris Tomlin's song "Made to worship" was on in the car. So here is a look at that song and where you can find it in the bible.

Here are the lyrics:

Before the day, before the light,
Before the world revolved around the sun.
God on high stepped down into time,
And wrote the story of His love for everyone.

He has filled our hearts with wonder,
So that we always remember:

You and I were made to worship,
You and I are called to love,
You and I are forgiven and free.
When you and I embrace surrender,
When you and I choose to believe,
Then you and I will see who we were meant to be.

All we are and all we have,
Is all a gift from God that we receive.
Brought to life, we open up our eyes,
To see the majesty and glory of the King.

Even the rocks cry out, even the heavens shout,
At the sound of His holy name.
So let every voice sing out, let every knee bow down,
He is worthy of all our praise.

Copyright © 2006 worshiptogether.com Songs / sixsteps Music / ASCAP (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing) Alletrop Music (BMI) / Stephan Sharp Publishing Designee.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. CCLI Song No. 4794118

The scripture verse set for the song is:

1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version)

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

I like Jeff Deyo's view on this he used these scriptures:

Isaiah 43:7 says, “All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.” And Revelation 4:11 says, “For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”

So without reiterating the obvious points I continue with a simple commentary. I have felt discouraged lately, doing devotions are great but I focused on the word and less on the spirit. What happened is I felt the conviction of the scriptures but without the hope that the Spirit brings. For us to grasp the Spirit and wonder of God simply look outside at the majesty of the clouds or any of the beauty of nature. God makes things beautiful and His hands have made us for beauty. He has made us for His enjoyment and our worship to him is beautiful. So I probably will play this song on sunday but anyone who reads this devotion may have a better grasp of why I chose this song.

You can find more about Made to worship at http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=559865

Friendship in christ

I'm writing this daily devotional during service, I am paying attention but I feel the need to finish my devotions today as soon as possible. This morning I read 2 kings 17:24-26

24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: "The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires."

I didn't find much encouragement in the scripture so I just let it rest on my heart, considering that since the people did not worship the Lord He sent lions to devour them. Lately the scriptures have not been really encouraging me. Yesterday I read in 1 John how to love and that if you didn't love like Jesus loved then you do not know God. I'm lucky God knows me well, because He himself is encouraging me today. What I was discouraged about yesterday was something that happened at work right after I did my devotions. I get out on the sales floor and the Furniture consultant walks by with utter disgust on her face, she told me that the customer she was helping out just asked her out on a date in front of his wife. I was so upset at the state of humanity that such atrocities happen. The first thought was "am I supposed to love even these people?" The Lord is still answering that for me.

Today I was very encouraged to see the children very involved in worship. The kids were dancing, playing with flags, and playing the instruments I brought them. There was a very big difference because the kids felt a part of the worship today, instead of being off to the side. I felt spiritually the lions were comming to devour our children because they seemed very far off in worship, last week I left the stage to encourage some of the kids. Today I saw first hand once they had some instruments to play, they were involved. They are eager to find an appropriate way to worship with the Lord. As a father and friend to the children I see many things that the Lord would have me do to include them more.

Andrew is speaking about being a friend to Jesus, he says the scriptures are great things to go to but you need to have a conversation between you and Jesus. Andrew says the scripture defines the Lord in John 15:15

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

Hearing the words from Jesus shows me more of what was said when I read 1 John. I hear from Jesus' mouth that as friends of God we need to love each other deeply. Because of the friendship of God we learn how to love each other, and by demonstrating the godly love to one another we demonstrate our love to God.

"Open the eyes of my heart Lord"
Blessings to God who reigns forever.
Now to pay attention more to Andrew's word. Look for it on our later podcast.

test

Showing Pastor Bowo new features

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us.

I read in 1 John 4 from the message:

God Is Love

7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

I take a mental list of all the people in my life that I absolutely love, then I begin to think of the people that I don't love like that. How can we love someone more than another, it is because of the bonds of love we feel for our family out way the bonds of our friends who are outside our circle. You would never think of hating your child because there is something simply wrong with that, maybe it's that they are from you and you feel a responsibility for them. Maybe it's the time that you invest in their life, maybe it's the happiness that they bring you when they love you unconditionally. I'm making a mental list of why I love my family so much.

So I take the list of people I love, and I take the list of why I love them. I take these lists and I compare them to all the people I come into contact with. Do I love everyone with the love of Christ? It is the most clear command of our Lord Jesus, if we can't keep that command how can we say that we love God. So father I pray that you would breath your love within me, forgive me as I forgive all those that may have wronged me. Help me not to be hurt when people get rough with me, help me to walk talk and live in love.

Blessings,