The Mustard Seed

Lips That Light the World

How do you respond to a bad day at work? Or a difficult day at school? What’s your reaction when you get stuck in traffic, or you don’t sleep well, or when, no matter how hard you try, the kids just won’t eat their tea? FB Meyer, reflecting on the early life of King David, once wrote: ‘the faithful fulfilment of the commonplaces of daily life is the best preparation for any great demand that may suddenly break in upon our lives.’ In other words, who are you when no one else is looking?

Jesus says to us, ‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’ (Matthew 5:14-16). It’s an amazing Scripture, a truly awe-inspiring promise. It’s all the more amazing because Jesus had said of himself, ‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world’ (John 9:5). It’s a powerful truth: Jesus is the light of the world and he says that we are the light of the world. Jesus is no longer in this world; he is in heaven. But we are; and while we are in this world, we are its only true light.

But what does this mean? What does that look like in practice? And what, if anything, does it have to do with how I behave when no one else is looking, or how I react to the small inconveniences of everyday life?

 Paul says to the church in Philippi: ‘Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life...’ (Philippians 2:14-16). Do you want to fulfil your role as the light of the world? Would you like to live up to your destiny as blameless and innocent children of God? Then follow Paul’s admonition and do all things without grumbling or questioning. Do you want to see the world around you change? Are you desperate to claim it for Jesus? Then here’s a simple step in the right direction: watch your mouth. Tame your tongue. Bring an end to grumbling and questioning. Stop moaning about your family, criticizing your work colleagues and blaming ‘them’ for everything that’s wrong with the church. Why is this important? James says, ‘we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body’ (James 3:2). Here’s a thought for you: taming your tongue is the first step to claiming the world. So next time you have a difficult day at work or school, next time you’re stuck in traffic, can’t sleep or can’t get your kids to eat, be sure that what comes out of your mouth is free from grumbling and questioning. Follow Paul’s advice to the Ephesians: ‘...instead, let there be thanksgiving’ (Ephesians 5:4).

Best Books on Worship

I've been thinking recently about the best books I've read on worship and I've come up with five that I think have influenced me most thus far.

1) Bryn Jones: Worship: A Heart for God

(out of print but available second hand here)

I've written about this book on this blog before (here, here and here) but it's worth mentioning again. A fantastic book that, as its subtitle suggests, really gets to the heart of the matter when it comes to worship: loving God. This quote encapsulates the theme of the book:

"It's time that we remembered that, of all that we can be or do in the church of God, nothing is of greater value or of higher privilege than being a worshipper, a lover of God."

2) AW Tozer: Whatever Happened to Worship?

(available here) 

The book Tozer was working on when he died, it is typical Tozer: bringing to light the complacencies he saw in the church of his day and raising a call for the people of God to recapture that which they were in danger of losing. According to Tozer:

'It certainly is true that hardly anything is missing from our churches these days - except the most important thing. We are missing genuine and sacred offering of ourselves and our worship to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

3) AW Tozer: The Pursuit of God

(available here)

A second book on my list from Tozer and justifiably so. Here's a sample:

"The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately, and forever."

4) David Peterson: Engaging With God: A Biblical Theology of Worship

(out of print but available secondhand here)

By far the most 'theological' of the books, Peterson's book is dense and challenging at times but worth working through. I find it valuable to dip in and out of it rather than reading through it in a linear fashion; the chapter on Hebrews is particularly good.

Peterson says, for example, 'we begin to see what Christian worship means in the context of everyday life: it has to do with entertaining strangers, visiting prisoners, being faithful in marriage, trusting God to provide material needs and imitating the faith of Christian leaders'.

5) T. Austin-Sparks: The Recovering of The Lord's Testimony In Fullness

(available to read here)

Austin-Sparks' book is actually a study in Nehemiah but has one of the most inspiring and striking observations on worship:

'What is worship in its elementary principle? Well, it is just the element of motive in life - that is, worthwhileness to live, it being worth while to live. The very lowest, the very saddest and most tragic state to which anyone can come is to have lost all interest in life, to be saying, "There is nothing now for which to live, I have nothing to live for." You could not get lower than that. Life has been given up; life holds nothing worth while. That worthwhileness is the principle of worship. It is a motive for living, something for which to live, and that is present in all the world, except in those tragic realms where people have already given up life because they have no more interest and no more motive. I say that is the saddest and the most terrible thing that can ever come to anyone. Except where that obtains, worship is just this, that there is something worth while in being alive. That is the principle of worship.

Now you carry that into a much larger and higher realm. What is there to live for? What is the greatest thing for which to live? And there you bring worship into its right realm, and worship becomes this - "Why, the greatest thing to justify life and to give meaning and value and worthwhileness to life is the Lord!" Not this world, as something to be worshipped, nor its kingdoms, not its princes or its god; but the Lord being worthy, the most worth-while object in life, having all the worthwhileness of our very being and existence: so that He holds the full place, the central place; the Lord is the object always in view.

Worship is not going to some ecclesiastical building week by week, perhaps once or twice, to attend what is called Divine worship. That is not worship. That may be just empty form; that may be patronizing God. It may be anything short of the reality. Worship is a life thing, not a weekly thing; certainly not once a quarter at the "quarterly communion," or on the great feast days of the Church - Easter, Christmas and so on. Worship is this, that life is for the Lord. Every moment, every hour, every day, every week and every year - it is all for the Lord. That is worship. Our first thought in the morning is the Lord, and our last thought at night is the Lord; and although there are many occupations of mind and hand during the hours of the day, there is something behind the one who has been redeemed unto God that is always reaching out to Him.'

 

The Spirit of Singing

A couple of months ago, I was preparing to speak at All Nations Church in Cardiff. The title of my sermon was to be ‘The Spirit of Singing’, and the Scripture I was using was Ephesians 5:18-21:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

 At first, I thought to myself, ‘why does God want me to talk about singing?’ It seemed to me that too few people would be interested in a message about singing; I mean, even a sermon more generally on worship might not excite everyone. But we know, don’t we, that God is always right and that he always has a purpose in all he says and asks us to do. As Paul tells the church in Rome, ‘we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose’ (Rom 8:28). And so, inevitably, I began to hear stories of how God was speaking in other places to other churches about singing. And then, while looking again at Ephesians 5, the Holy Spirit dropped these words into my heart: ‘too many Christians are listening to music when they should be making it.’

            I looked once more at Ephesians 5:19 – ‘...singing and making melody to the Lord...’ it said. What did it mean? What did the Holy Spirit mean when he said to me that too many Christians were listening to music when they should be making it? I thought about it for a while. Should we all be writing and recording songs – is that what he meant? Should we all be learning instruments? But as I thought about it more and more, I realised what the Holy Spirit meant. You see, you and I were born and born again to sing and make melody: it’s in our natural and spiritual DNA. Singing is what sons of God do. Look at the description of Jesus in Hebrews 2:1—12:

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

 Do you see that Jesus himself is a singer: he sings praises to God his Father when we, the church, gather together to worship. And because Jesus is a singer, I’ve decided to be a singer too.

            What does the Bible say about singing? Well, lots! Here’s a few examples:

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. Psalm 104:33

 An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices. Proverbs 29:6

 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! Psalm 34:1-3

 Now, we need before going any further to bursts some bubbles that exist in the Christian world today. The first one is this – that worship is only for some. What rubbish. You and I and every other Christian alive on this planet today is destined and designed to be a worshiper: someone full of thanks, praise, song, adoration and wonder in response to Jesus Christ. Worship exists because God exists and because he’s worthy to receive it! Look at these verses from the Book of Revelation:

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Revelation 4:11

 Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Revelation 5:9-10

 God is worthy of our worship, our singing, our thanks and praise, because he is God: he’s the creator of all things and the redeemer of mankind. His worthiness is not dependent upon my feelings, my circumstances or my talents and abilities. I’ve been saved to serve, worship, glorify, praise, thank and sing to Jesus Christ.

            The next bubble to be burst is this – that God created worship to keep musicians happy. Again, it’s rubbish. The worshipers in your church are not just the people who play instruments; the singers in your church are not just the people who happen to hold a microphone. This is what Jesus himself said:

The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24

 God is seeking worshipers – not just musicians. And here’s the next one – that you have to be a ‘good’ singer to worship God. Who says so?! You know, some of the most passionate worshipers I’ve known, some of those who’ve taught me most about the power of singing praises to God, have had terrible, terrible voices. But what does it matter? This is what AW Tozer once said: ‘I can’t sing a lick but that’s nobody’s business. God listens when I sing to him and he thinks I am an opera star.’

            So I want to encourage you: make singing a part of your lifestyle. Sing praises to God: sing your favourite worship songs and write your own. Sing the Scriptures and sing ancient hymns. Sing in the shower; sing while you drive your car. Turn down the radio, turn off your CD player, put the iPod away for a while, and let God hear your voice singing praise to him. You see, there’s nothing wrong with listening to music. I love music: I have a music degree, I worked as a music teacher for a while, and I’m responsible for the music in my church. I love all kinds of music: music by Christians and no-Christians. I write songs and have been involved in recording Christian albums. If you came to my house for dinner or travelled with me in my car, there would no doubt be music. Music is the soundtrack to our lives: we commemorate birthdays, marriages and anniversaries with music and song; even our funeral services are filled with song, so precious to life is music. But I can’t allow all the music that surrounds me to stop me from doing what the Bible commands me to do – to sing and make melody. So, let me encourage you, take time to sing to the Lord and watch how it changes your life. 

Hope Makes You Happy

‘The eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love... For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.’ (Psalm 33:18-22)

We have been blessed this year at All Nations Church in Cardiff with excellent teaching from the Scriptures on hope. As I’ve been challenged and changed by what I’ve heard, as I’ve put into practice what I’ve been taught, I’ve learnt something that the verses above make very clear: hoping in God makes you happy. My heart is glad in the Lord because I know he is good and his promises are faithful. As David sang, ‘no one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame’ (Psalm 25:3). As we trust in God, as we hope in his steadfast love and faithfulness, we should be the happiest people in the world. Why? Because ‘God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6). God is with you, for you, and living in you by his Holy Spirit. He loves you and wants you to hope in him. So, let’s be those who heed Paul’s encouragement to the Romans to ‘rejoice in hope’ (Romans 12:12); in all that you do remember that hoping in God will make you happy.

Without Borders Folk Band