Worship Together Blog

The Renewing of Your Mind

Paul writes in Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind".

There is a "renewing" of our minds that happens and we meditate on God's Word.

The One Thing that Pleases God

"Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received!" 2 Peter 1:3 The Message

What a great reminder today that it's not what we "do" that pleases God, but that we know and love His son Jesus. That's good news!

Interestingly enough, as I write this, I just received a visit at my door by a Jehovah's witness. They handed me a booklet on what the Bible really teaches. It's a list of extra things we must do to please God. How sad.

I'm so glad that my hope is in Christ alone and not in my ability to please God. Let's pass this invitation along to those who are not already at the party.

Sing to the Lord a New Song

Recently I received an interesting question for an upcoming panel discussion:

What is and is not the "new song" referred to in Isaiah 42:10 and Psalm 96:1?

Interesting question. I've heard many worship leaders quoting these Scriptures, mostly before they introduce a new song to the congregation. However, digging a little deeper into these verses reveals that there's something deeper being said.

What is the "new song"?
-Both of these verses in context are talking about the coming Messiah, so the "new song" should be a song centered on Christ.
-Under the law (old song) believers were justified by the sacrifice of animals, but our "new song" should be about grace through faith in Christ.
-2 Cor 5:17 says we believers are a "new creation", so our "new song" should be sung from a redeemed position and not people still awaiting rescue.
-The "new song" is both historical and prophetic regarding Christ. He has come and he is coming back!
-The "new song" is meant for every believer regardless of age, ethnicity, language etc.
-The Scripture encourages us to join together as a church to sing.

What is not a "new song"
-This is tricky, but we know based upon the Scriptures that it is not referring to a newly created musical work. We can sing "Amazing Grace" as our "new song".
-It's also not a style of music. I recently about a church that only allows hymns and southern gospel songs to be sung in their church. This is wrong on several fronts.
-I believe the "new song" is to be centered on the completed work of Christ. Songs that are purely historical, while having a purpose, would not be considered a "new song".
-I believe the "new song" must have lyrical content. A symphony is beautiful, but the purpose of the "new song" is to tell the Gospel and shine a light on Christ.
-It's the song of the redeemed. Only we believers can sing a "new song" to the Lord.

I know I've missed many things here. Feel free to add your thoughts.

Be blessed and sing a new song to the Lord today!

God Doesn't Want Our Songs

I recently came across this powerful Scripture in Psalm 50:

 ⁷ "Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
       O Israel, and I will testify against you:
       I am God, your God.

 ⁸ I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
       or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

 ⁹ I have no need of a bull from your stall
       or of goats from your pens,

 ¹⁰ for every animal of the forest is mine,
       and the cattle on a thousand hills.

 ¹¹ I know every bird in the mountains,
       and the creatures of the field are mine.

 ¹² If I were hungry I would not tell you,
       for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

 ¹³ Do I eat the flesh of bulls
       or drink the blood of goats?

 ¹⁴ Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
       fulfill your vows to the Most High,

In verses 9-12 God says, "I appreciate your effort, but I really don't need your singing (sacrifice)." 

Creation composes a much better song than we ever could and I doubt any of us singers could compare with a choir of angels. But the one thing we can give God that nothing else can is a thankful and fully committed heart.

We should spend as much time "heart planning" this week as we do worship planning.

New Bible Study from Matt Redman

Matt is guest blogging for Worship Central all this month. Check out his first post here.

Song Devotion for Leeland's "Holy Spirit Have Your Way"

From Leeland's Jack Mooring...

"I lay down my life, and pick up my cross. What a joy it is to give my life away to you. All that I need, all that I seek, is you here with me. Holy Spirit have your way in me."

This is one of the most transformational prayers you'll ever pray.  Simply giving your life away to God. What does that mean practically?

First, we have to realize that God cares about our dreams and aspirations, because He's the one who gave them to us. The most content people in the world are those who've given everything they have to God with no questions asked. Total surrender. These people end up seeing their dreams come true because they've stopped trying to please people, and they live to please God. Can you imagine living that way? Well, you can!

Secondly, think about the fact that Jesus gave His life on the cross and then rose again three days later. Why? So we could go to heaven? Yes, but that's not all. He rose again, so we could be sure that we don't serve a dead God. He's living inside of you if you've made Him your Lord. That means that He's given you the ability to surrender just like he did! (Lk 22:42) We can do the things Jesus did, and more. (Jn 14:12-13)

What are your dreams? What are your ambitions? I can assure you, the second you just sacrifice them and give them back to God you'll see them come true in due time. Stop striving, and surrender just like Jesus did. His plan is the best and His timing is impeccable. (Pr. 19:21)

Holy Spirit have YOUR way!

Listen to the song and download Free Sheet Music for "Holy Spirit Have Your Way"!

Magnify!

"O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together." Psalm 34:2-4.

I confess up front that I lifted this thought from my pastor in a message he gave yesterday. But it was so encouraging to me, I thought it worth the shame to share it!

The word "magnify" in this verse is the Hebrew word "gadal", which means to grow or make greater. Now on first look, it would appear that the psalmist is encouraging us to "grow" the LORD or make him bigger than He is.

However, as my pastor pointed out yesterday, there are two ways to magnify something. First, you can take something that's very small, like a single cell, and magnify it several thousand times with a microscope so that you can see it. In essence, you would be taking something that is very, very small and making it to where we could see its details.

The second way to magnify would be to bring something very big, but far away, close enough to see. For example, Jupiter viewed with the naked eye in the night sky would not be that impressive. However, viewed through a high powered telescope, all the detailed beauty and grandeur of the planet can be seen.

This is what we are doing when we magnify the Lord. We are providing a telescope to others who cannot see on their own just how great our God is.

Pleasing God, not men

One of the most challenging Scriptures in the Epistles is Galatians 1:10 when Paul says, "Am I now trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Paul is writing in the context of preaching the full Gospel. Parts of the Gospel message were offensive to listeners. And it required great courage for him to preach the whole Gospel and not just the parts that were easy to swallow.

As a servant of Christ, we are called to please one person - Jesus Christ. How easy it is for us (especially those of us who are natural people pleasers) to seek the accolades of people. Let's face it, we all appreciate an encouraging word or a well done slap on the back from others. The rub comes when things are not going so well in our ministries. Attendance is down, giving is down, or there is a critical spirit in the church or the leadership.

This is when the temptation arises to try and change things, to make things better. Later we realize we are operating more in the flesh than the spirit. And all our efforts and energy have not generated a lasting change, but merely placated some of the nay sayers. 

Thankfully, when we choose to please God and Him alone, we will please those around us as well. But there will be times when we can't make everyone happy. It's during those times that we need great courage to walk the path of faith, choosing to please the only One who gave up everything for us. 

The Wednesday Word

THE GOSPEL AND THE GUILTY CONSCIENCE: PART 2

 “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”  Hebrews 10:14

 We have already been delivered from condemnation and guilt at the cross.  In Christ we have already received the gift of no condemnation. The Father will not and cannot condemn His blood bought saints because Christ has already taken away their sin. Christ is now seated in heaven where there is neither further offering for nor remembrance of sin.  Our standing before God is now perfect because the work of the cross is perfect.  Sins may interrupt our enjoyment of fellowship with God but they cannot alter our position before Him.  Our righteousness is Christ’s righteousness and it is both unchanging and complete.

Yet there are so many of God’s people unable to find peace in their everyday life. They say that they don’t “feel” right or don’t “feel” saved. They are unsure and troubled in their faith.  Instead of looking to Christ alone, they look into their own hearts, and find a distinct lack of comfort there.  But why spend your time dwelling on your heart? There’s nothing but a cesspool of blackness in there.  You can absorb yourself pursuing the myth of a pure heart, but you will never find it …myths are too elusive. Begin to occupy yourself with Jesus … His heart was pure enough for all of us and still is.  As Luther said, “When I look at myself I think it impossible that I could be saved: When I look at Christ I think it impossible that I could be lost.”

The remedy for guilt, therefore, is not more self-effort, but more gospel!  The more grounded we are in the perfect work of God in Christ the more we will see that Christ Jesus is our entire righteousness. God in His love, continually beholds us in Christ and sees us as perfect.  In His free abounding grace He has given us eternal life.  If, however, we fail to grasp this and have not been steeped in the gospel, our sins will easily grip us with despair. Then the thought strikes----What if I’m not saved at all?

Brother Earnest Effort

To illustrate this, let me introduce you to dear Brother Earnest Effort. He’s a decent soul, but alas, he has not been established in gospel truth.  All he knows to do is ‘to do’! He makes his efforts and his heart condition the center of his Christian life.   Without knowing it, he is brewing himself a lethal cocktail! After continually taking stock of himself he sees the ongoing rottenness of his very being.  After all, he lives with himself.  Everywhere he goes --- there he is.  He has tried rededicating himself to God so often that his re-dedicator has just about worn out.  He still sees his secret thoughts and they are not good. He knows the cesspool of filth that bubbles up at the most inopportune moments. He gets deeply troubled by the continual plague of lusts and wicked thoughts that bombard him, but instead of looking to Christ for deliverance he looks for comfort and aid everywhere else.  He tries more discipline and gets up earlier to have his quiet time. He volunteers to help with the feeding program for the homeless.  But still, everywhere he goes there he is!  And Brother Earnest Effort is a member of a church.  He sometimes hands out the bulletins and is on the greeting committee.  His church is full of nice decent people who talk about the Christian life, but it’s a church which does not have the gospel on center stage.  Brother E. Effort takes his seat each Sunday and week after week Pastor Practical Preacher gets up and teaches the folks how they can have a better life, how they can be debt free, how to succeed in life, how to have a better marriage, why they should not gossip, how to overcome a bad temper and the like, but Brother Earnest Effort, while he appreciates all the new information he gets each week, remains deeply anguished, troubled and untouched. Brother Effort agrees with Pastor Preacher, but looks again at his heart saying to himself, “Pastor Preacher is quite right, I shouldn’t gossip and judge; I shouldn’t get annoyed and angry with people the way I do, but after all this time I still keep falling into these things.  There’s only one thing that must be the matter, I must not be saved!”

 After several years of this, Brother Earnest Effort feels so condemned that he eventually drops out of Church life, separates himself from the church assembly and joins the ranks of the casualties and spiritual cripples!  One of the ironies of the whole thing is, after killing him with legalistic subjectivism, the church then condemns him because he dropped out.  Pastor Preacher says with pious voice, “He went out from us, but he was not of us; if he had been of us he would surely have remained with us”. Thus Brother E. Effort is discarded and is left to wonder why it is that the Church is the only army on earth that buries their wounded!

What Brother Effort was not taught however, was that true guilt free victorious living can only be realized through continual exposure to the gospel. That’s why the gospel is the essential message for believers. But Brother Earnest Effort never really got to hear the gospel because Pastor Practical Preacher pandered to the subjective cravings of his congregation.  Brother Effort, therefore, never grasped the good news that the big issue wasn’t him, but rather the big issue is the Lamb.  Is the Lamb, a suitable sacrifice, ---that's the issue!  Was He qualified to die?  Was He sinlessly perfect?  In the Old Testament, the High Priest examined the lamb.  If the sacrificial lamb was found to be without blemish or impediment it was reckoned as a fitting sacrifice and the guilty party went free.  The priest examined the Lamb not the one who brought the lamb.  If the lamb was accepted then the one who brought the lamb was accepted and reckoned as innocent in virtue of the fact that the lamb would die as his substitute.

So it is with us today.  Our Lamb, The Lord Jesus, has been slain and because of His shed blood all charges against us have been dropped. The Father has examined Him and is satisfied.  His sacrifice has been accepted and as proof of this Christ has been raised from the dead. This is the basis of the guilt free life! God sees your lamb, the Lord Jesus without flaw, spot or imperfection and that, therefore, is the way He sees you. Your sins have been perfectly purged by the perfect blood of your perfect High Priest and by that same perfect offering you have been perfected and sanctified.

"But," you ask "what happens when I sin?" You’ve got two options. 1) Beat yourself up over your wretchedness and try harder or 2) take your sin to the blood and confess that Jesus Christ has died for you and has been punished in your place. Then thank Him for His wonderful cross and His perfect work that has removed all your sins.  Thank Him that He already looks on you as being perfect. Thank Him that He stooped to save you and then lifted you up to heaven and seated you in Him in the heavenly places.

And that’s the Gospel Truth

Miles
Miles McKee Ministries

To book Miles for ministry, email: miles@milesmckee.com

The Wednesday Word

This week we begin a short series on 'The Gospel and the Guilty Conscience" 

Many believers are suffering needlessly from guilt.  It's true that we all have much about which to feel guilty, but the gospel has radically dealt with this problem. Soli Deo Gloria!

The Gospel and the Guilty Conscience: Part 1

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22

The Lord Jesus is our ever-living, ever-glorious High Priest and, as His followers, we have the privilege, through Him, of enjoying full access to heaven. This access to heaven, however, has been given, not because of anything we have done or are doing, but rather because Jesus Himself is the living way. Our works as His followers cannot improve upon His finished and completed work nor can they add to His perfection. Christ is ‘All in All’; He is the way to heaven and also the destination. He is the door and all that is inside the door.

Furthermore, because of our perfect Savior and His finished work we now have a guilt free life; ----- a life of abundance (John 10:10) which comes to us through the gospel. As believers we are to continually absorb ourselves in the powerful and energizing knowledge that God Himself came to this earth as our personal representative, undertook our cause, suffered and died for our sins and rose from the grave. As we steep ourselves in this Good News, this gospel, we are enabled to abandon our own righteousness, and see that because of grace alone we are now reckoned as being perfectly righteous with neither perverseness nor iniquity found in us (Numbers 23:21).

However, many church going ‘believer-centered believers’ are self-absorbed and focused on their condition. They are certainly not thrilled with Jesus. This is a direct result of the gospel not being preached, expounded and applied. Even for a genuinely saved person, a focus on self is not the way to peace! On the contrary, a self-focused life sets us up for serious attacks from the Prince of Darkness. Unless we are grounded and established in the gospel we have no protection against the ongoing onslaught of guilt and condemnation sent our way by Satan. When these attacks happen, unless the gospel has been grasped and embraced by us, the only options left open are those of despair and depression. The reality is, there are many believers dying with guilt instead of enjoying the abundant guilt free life of this ‘so great salvation’.

When there is a steady diet of subjective preaching it causes believers to continually look inward to their hearts. When our heart and our spiritual condition become our focus we have set ourselves up to be ambushed by his satanic majesty (this is not to say that it is never right for the believer to be challenged about his heart condition, but a steady diet of that kind of preaching divorced from a gospel center actually destroys the very thing it is intended to establish.)

The gospel truth is this; in Christ, every believer is already absolutely and totally perfect and, therefore, free from guilt. One of our problems, however, is that, as believers, we often find it very hard to embrace such a message. Do you ever find that? Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard to put all our confidence and trust in an invisible Christ who somehow took our guilt way back at some point in history. Every now and then, when faith fails, we want something a little more tangible. Sometimes we think that there should be something extra that we can do or contribute to this business of salvation ---at least that way we could have something more ‘solid’ to rest upon. We want to make some kind of atonement for our sins, we want to show how sorry we are for our wretched failures and in that way demonstrate to God how deserving we are of His forgiveness. The great difficulty, nonetheless, with this type of thinking is that, apart from it being an insult to Christ, it makes God into someone we have to continually barter with, impress and appease.

There is an awful and confused caricature of God which often pops up in the thinking of those who are not gospel-driven. God is viewed, by them, as being the God of a clenched fist and angry frown who peers over the side of Heaven with a magnifying glass in one hand and a club in the other just waiting for us to step out of line. But nothing could be farther from the truth. For example, in Mathew 12:20 we discover some excellent truth about God. Jesus, as you know, is the best self-portrait God ever painted and in Matthew 12 we are told that He will neither break the bruised reed nor extinguish the smoking flax. If anything was ever a picture of weakness it is the bruised reed. It’s been walked all over and crushed. That’s the way so many of us feel. We messed up! We failed! We couldn’t keep the marriage together! We can’t keep away from pornography. We are guilty as charged. But the grace of God towards us is so amazing that we discover in spite of being in this beaten down condition, Jesus will not break us. For every failure Satan wants to smother us with guilt, but our Father in Heaven covers us with grace. Even in our greatest failures, Christ’s grace remains unchanged and His throne of grace remains unshaken. I suspect this may make some of our self-righteous readers squirm. Alas, for them the welcome of grace goes only to the strongest and is denied to the weakest----spiritual Darwinism at its best!

God’s grace in Christ is unfathomably huge. However, if we sit around all day meditating on our past sins then we shut out the gospel and live in condemnation. We may well mourn over our sins and their blackness, but we must ever refuse to be condemned and guilt-ridden by them. As we begin to become Christ-occupied we embrace that He has lived and died for us. Being Christ-occupied enables faith and confidence to grow in our hearts. We begin to see that Christ alone is our entire hope and righteousness. Faith sees and embraces that He is full of mercy, grace and compassion for His children. The old Hymn says it well,

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.

There is no place where earth’s sorrows
Are more felt than up in heaven;
There is no place where earth’s failings
Have such kindly judgment given.

For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.

There is plentiful redemption
In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members
In the sorrows of the Head.

’Tis not all we owe to Jesus;
It is something more than all;
Greater good because of evil,
Larger mercy through the fall.

If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all sunshine
In the sweetness of our Lord.

Souls of men! why will ye scatter
Like a crowd of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts! why will ye wander
From a love so true and deep?

It is God: His love looks mighty,
But is mightier than it seems;
’Tis our Father: and His fondness
Goes far out beyond our dreams.

But we make His love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify His strictness
With a zeal He will not own.

Was there ever kinder shepherd
Half so gentle, half so sweet,
As the Savior who would have us
Come and gather at His feet?

 

And that’s the Gospel Truth!

Miles
Miles McKee Ministries
www.milesmckee.com

To book Miles for ministry, email: miles@milesmckee.com

Contact Info:
In North America, Box 541, Kingston Springs, TN, 37082, USA
In Europe, 8 Glenford Way, Newtownards, BT23 4BX, N. Ireland