Phil Wickham – Response

I’m just listening to Phil Wickham’s latest album, Response. It’s stunning.

Phil Wickham is excellent – no doubt about it. From the beauty of his lyrics to the beauty of his unique voice, his music is a blessing.

From ‘At Your Name (Yahweh, Yahweh)’, which he co-wrote with Tim Hughes, to ‘Sun And Moon’ this album is full of truth about living life God’s way. As the title might suggest, compared to his others, this album is more focused on how we respond to God’s revelation, love and mercy.

If I come up with any other witty comment I might add it on but to be honest, I just wanted to recommend as highly as I possibly could! It’s going to stay on repeat for a good few days…

God and Religion

Religion makes God sick. Jesus had a lot to say about the religious people of His day – the Pharisees – and much of what He said showed their religiousness as ungodly and pointless. Being religious is living a life where, through doing stuff, people attempt to be with God. It’s this mindset: “If I do enough good deeds/works today, I’ll be good enough for God and I’ll ‘get in’ to heaven.”

Christianity turns that mindset upside down. A Christian acknowledges that we can never be ‘good enough’ for God. He is perfect and we aren’t. But through His great mercy and grace, God humbled Himself and came among us so that we could be with Him. So instead of our actions leading to God, God came to us first. For a Christian, this relationship with God produces a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Religion sees our efforts lead to God. Relationship sees God coming to us – then our efforts follow afterwards. So many people get this kind of thing confused. Often Christianity is wrongly labelled as a religion. Becoming a Christian isn’t coming to a religion, it’s coming to a relationship with a living, loving God.

We were made for a relationship with Him. And any relationship is founded on love. But love is only love when it is chosen. People love each other because they choose to – sometimes they may be compelled but there is always a choice involved. This is what makes love so unique. Had God made us to automatically follow His way, we would never be able to love Him. Above all, that is what He wants for us.

Paul often talks about our natural inclination to be selfish (or sinful nature).

“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.” – Romans 8:5-8, NLT.

Christians understand that the root cause of this sinful nature lies with the story of Adam & Eve in the garden of Eden, who chose to disobey God and go against what He wanted for their lives. They chose to live their own way. However you interpret the story is up to you, whether you take it literally or not. But the heart of it is that as people we will always feel a natural inclination to make decisions which benefit us rather than others. Naturally, we are selfish.

When Paul talks about the Holy Spirit, he is describing the only alternative we have to our own nature. If we give our lives to Jesus and seek to follow Him, we are inviting His Spirit to live within us and empower us to live according to God’s will rather than ours. God says:

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” - Ezekiel 36:25-27, NLT.

Notice in this beautiful promise (written between 500 and 600 years before the birth of Jesus) that God is the one who does all the ‘work’. He says, “I will sprinkle clean water on you,” “I will give you a new heart,” and “I will put my Spirit in you.” It is He, not us, who does these things. It is because the Spirit of God lives in us that we have the power and ability to live His way.

This has turned out rather more confusing than I would have hoped but it is on my heart and I wanted to share it.

I think what I’m really getting at is to try and show God’s great love for us all. He knows that we can’t do it. He is longing for us to respond to His love and love Him in return, like parents would with their children. He is never expecting us to try and make ourselves good enough for Him. He is expecting us to acknowledge that we can’t make it by ourselves, and that we need Him in our lives.

This is grace. Undeserved love, showered over us. It’s not because of who we are and it’s nothing to do with what we have or haven’t done. It’s because of who God is and it’s because of what He’s done. It’s not about us, it’s all about Him.

God Is Able

I’ve been listening to the new Hillsong Live album, God Is Able – it’s excellent. I can’t say there are any stand-out tracks, in the same league as Mighty To Save or Hosanna, but the whole set are good, solid songs with good thematic lyrics.

One thing which I’m not so impressed with is the incorporation of the ‘Ole Ole‘ football anthem into their recording of Go, which is a pretty cool song (Hillsong United feature it on Aftermath). Usually I quite like all the ‘whoa-oh’ stuff but this was a step too far!

The title track is fantastic – I’ve had it stuck in my head all day. The preemptive melody line and its syncopation make it particularly memorable – and it’s an excellent song to remember.

Verse 1
God is able
He will never fail
He is almighty God
Greater than all we seek
Greater than all we ask
He has done great things

Chorus
Lifted up
He defeated the grave
Raised to life
Our God is able
In His name
We overcome
For the Lord
Our God is able

Verse 2
God is with us
God is on our side
He will make a way
Far above all we know
Far above all we hope
He has done great things

Bridge
God is with us
He will go before
He will never leave us
He will never leave us
God is for us
He has open arms
He will never fail us
He will never fail us

So many short, punchy truths in one place can never be a bad thing. I think it’s easy for us to forget sometimes that God never, ever fails. We understand reliability in human terms – we know of people who are reliable and of people who are unreliable. But when you stop to think of the power behind the statement that God never fails, it’s mind-blowing. There is never a time when God lets us down. Ever. We need to begin to live like we truly believe it, because it is true, and it’s amazing. He is the unchanging, unfailing, always loving, always pure, always merciful God who is worthy of all our praise.

Avalanche

I’d love to take an opportunity to share with you a song from the album Aftermath by Hillsong United – Like An Avalanche. It’s an amazing song…

I must admit that the metaphors for God’s grace have been going a little mental ever since the ocean in How He Loves by John Mark Macmillan – David Crowder picked up some very similar ideas in Sometimes (on this year’s Passion album). This song could easily fall into the category of pointless metaphors ‘just because someone else did it’ but, ‘caught up in grace like an avalanche‘ is such a beautiful phrase, that it wouldn’t be fair. Well done Joel Houston & Dylan Thomas for writing it and to Jill McCloghry (I think) for singing it so beautifully.

I’ll stop wittering and let you take a listen:

God said to me…

I said to God, “I’m scared about my future. I don’t know what’s going to happen in my life.”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. I know your future. Trust in me because I am beyond time. I have good plans for you.”

I said to God, “What about money, or clothes, or food, or housing? How do I know that I’ll have all the resources I need?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. Trust in me because I am the God of unending resources. I will provide for you all that you need.”

I said to God, “But why? Why does the God of the universe care about what happens to me in my life?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. I love you because I created you. Before you were even born I knew all about you. You are my precious child and I would go to the ends of the earth to find you if you were lost.”

I said to God, “How about people? How do I know that I won’t end up lonely?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. I am always with you, even to end of the age. My plans for you are beyond your wildest dreams – you can’t even imagine the good, good things that I have waiting in store for you.”

I said to God, “How do I know that You are real?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. Do I really need to answer that? Look at the beauty around you. Consider all that I have made. Think about the times when you have felt my presence with you, comforting you. Then ask again.”

I said to God, “Will I be safe?”
God said to me, “Simon, I love you. I am the almighty One. I will keep you from harm. I don’t fall asleep – I am always watching over you. Trials may come. It will be hard at many times in your life to follow me in the midst of a broken world. But what I promise for you at the end of all things is worth more than anything else. Don’t you already know? Haven’t you heard? I am everlasting – I go on forever and ever. I don’t get tired. I will pick you up and you will soar with me as if you were an eagle. You will run with me and you won’t get tired. You will walk and you will not faint.”

I didn’t need to say anything else. I knew that what God had said to me was true. I knew that He was the only One worth living for.

I want to be like Jesus…

It was with great sadness that I learnt of the death of David Wilkerson at the end of April. The Cross and the Switchblade is one of the most well-known and influential Christian books of all time – the story of a country preacher who heard the call of God to share the Gospel with the gangs of New York.

The video above is a tribute that was put together for his thanksgiving service – I think it speaks for itself so I won’t say much more about him.

However I do want to say a few words about something in that video that hammered a few things home for me.

There’s a short clip of Wilkerson preaching at Times Square Church in a ’50 Years of Ministry’ celebration service. He says:

Thank God for family. Thank God for ministry – thank God for 50 years of ministry. And folks, it’s boiled down to one issue – one desire. It’s more than wanting to be loved and appreciated, or the cheers and praises of men. It’s more than being comfortable and knowing that you’re secure in your old age – you’ve got some retirement plan… That means nothing! It comes down to this one issue. I want to be like Jesus. I want to see His face and I want to be a reflection of who He is. ‘Lord, when you said, “Seek my face,” my heart said unto You, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek.’ That’s the answer. 

He says it with such passion. This was a man who was passionate about Jesus Christ – to David Wilkerson, Jesus was all that mattered.

I think that in one sentence (bold above), David W. beautifully summarised what it truly means to be a follower of Christ. Following Jesus means wanting to be like Him. Jesus Christ is the ultimate role model.

It was popular a few years ago to wear a wristband with the letters ‘W.W.J.D.’ on it, standing for ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ It was designed to be a reminder for Christians – at the time I think I considered the idea to be good, but only a small part of what being a Christian means. I realised after hearing what Wilkerson said that ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ is at the very heart of the Christian faith.

But how do we ‘be like Jesus’? Well, what Wilkerson said next… “I want to see His face and I want to be a reflection of who He is.” Being a follower of Christ means seeking His face – seeking His glory.

Matt Redman likes to describe ‘Worship’ as: ‘Our all-consuming response to the all-deserving revelation of God.’ Worship seems to follow this pattern – that God’s revelation leads to our response. When we see God’s glory revealed, we respond to it, and in doing so, we reflect His glory too.

That’s it. Simple. Following Christ means being like Him – by worshipping Him we begin to be transformed into His likeness. But simple doesn’t always mean easy…

What Would I Have Become?

People often ask me whether or not I would still believe what I believe it I wasn’t brought up in a Christian home and family.

I happen to think that it’s about as relevant to ask this question of me as it is to ask it of anyone – of course we are influenced by how we are brought up. We also tend to believe in the same things that our parents do, Christian or not Christian.

So yes, my parents and the way in which I have been brought up do play a part in what I believe and how I live my life. But I want to stress that they aren’t the only reason I am how I am.

I have been given every chance in my life to turn my back on my God and on the church if I so wanted to. At times, I’ve made choices that have led to that. But the basis for my faith doesn’t rest on my upbringing or on my household. The choice that I have made to give my life to Jesus Christ has come from my own heart and no-one could possibly make that choice for me.

I read a passage a while back which asked about salvation – is it just a personal thing or, like in the Old Testament, can it be achieved for groups of people – families or nations? Salvation is a personal thing because it requires a personal choice and a change of heart and mind.

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37, NIV). He didn’t say, “as long as your parents love God you’ll be saved”, or, “as long as the leaders of your nation love God, salvation is yours.” There really isn’t much debate about it.

Others sometimes ask me what I would be like had I not been brought up in a Christian family. Some people have concluded that if I hadn’t been brought up the way that I was, I wouldn’t be a Christian.

In all honestly, of course I don’t know what I would be like. Maybe I wouldn’t have the light of Christ in my life. That scares me. For this reason, I have so much gratitude for my parents who have shown me that God loves me and wants what is best for me in my life.

There is a song called What Would I Have Done from Bethel Live’s album Be Lifted High. Its chorus asks the questions:

What would I have done if it wasn’t for Your love?
What would I have become if it wasn’t for Your blood? 

What would I have become? I don’t want to know or really think about it. What matters is what is real, here and now. All I know is that if it wasn’t for Jesus there would be no hope.

C.S. Lewis once said, ‘Unless Christianity is wholly false, the perception of ourselves which we have in moments of shame must be the only true one.’ If it wasn’t for Jesus, our reality would be who we are when we are most shameful and hopeless. God doesn’t want that for any one of us, because He made us, He knows us and He loves us.

The Hobbit

A couple of weeks back Peter Jackson posted this blog video on his Facebook page.

We have been eagerly awaiting The Hobbit ever since The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was completed. Preparation for it has taken a little longer than expected – indeed under the original timescale The Hobbit: Part 1 would be hitting our cinema screens this year. However things have been pushed back by about a year, so the release date for the first installment is December 2012 and The Hobbit: Part 2 will follow in December 2013.

I must say that Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy are probably my all-time favourite films. As a huge fan of the books and all things Middle-Earth, I think that (were he still alive) Tolkien would be extremely proud of them. They capture the essence and beauty of his fictional world with perfection.

I’m pretty sure that Jackson will continue with the same excellence in the production of these two films also.

Looking at the cast list, we are in for a treat. Martin Freeman fits the role as Bilbo absolutely perfectly – in fact if you listen closely to the very end of the video, the voice-over which sounds remarkably like Ian Holm is in fact Freeman from an early read through. Many of us will be familiar with Richard Armitage from The Vicar of Dibley or the recent BBC version of Robin Hood – he is an outstanding British actor who will add his excellence to the films. The same can be said for James Nesbitt (Murphy’s Law). I am pleased that Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom and Christopher Lee will be returning to reprise their roles from LOTR – it’s important that that continuity between the films is in place as it will give the set of 5 films a sense of being part of the same thing, despite being separated from each other by about 10 years.

On the production side of things many familiar faces are back – in fact it’s pretty much the same team again. John Howe and Alan Lee are again involved in the artistic design (the latter can be seen giving a particularly ‘camp’ wave in the video) which is great to see.

Even from a technology point of view, Jackson isn’t cutting any corners. He is using thirty Red Epic cameras – at $58,000 a piece they capture video at unimaginable quality. In 3D.

All in all, I don’t think there’s anything that need be changed about the production and filming. We can trust that the team will truly do justice to Tolkien’s vision.

I must confess that, as someone that many might think is a little geeky at the best of times, I am the proud owner of the extended editions of the LOTR trilogy, and I have spent many hours browsing through the extensive extra content on the bonus DVDs in the box-set. Even for me it did get a little tedious but on the whole I find it fascinating. Film-making is such an art; Jackson is perhaps one of the greatest artists of our time. From the intricate designs and attention to detail on every single thing that appears on screen to the epic filming locations, The Lord of the Rings is truly breathtaking.

We are fortunate that someone has taken the time to compile all the video documentaries, interviews and galleries and preserved them on the extended edition box-set. What struck me as I was watching the video above however was that, in our time of overwhelming technical connectivity, the weight of video footage, photographs and blog posts from the sets of The Hobbit in New Zealand will be unimaginable. In some ways this is a little sad – we won’t get the privilege to have all things ‘hobbit’ in one neat set as we do with LOTR. Yet on the other hand it’s so exciting – we are privileged to be included in so many moments ‘behind-the-scenes’ as they are posted online for the world to see. Jackson’s Facebook page will be a place of beauty and fascination for at least the next two years as this fabulous story reaches its completion.

I think that that’s amazing.

Hugo Weaving (Elrond) visiting the set on Saturday.

The Greatest Day

Today is Easter Sunday.

Today is the greatest day in all of history.

Today is more important than Remembrance Day, D-Day, VE Day…

On this day, what happened was more important than anything else on earth.

Before, or since.

On this day, the Son of God was raised to life again.

On this day, death and hell were defeated forever.

On this day, we were made free.

Jesus died that we might have life.

All Glory to Him, the King of the Universe.

Forever and ever,

Amen.

The Long Silence

At the end of time, billions of people were seated on a great plain before God’s throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly, not cringing with cringing shame – but with belligerence.

“Can God judge us? How can He know about suffering?”, snapped a young girl. She ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. “We endured terror … beatings … torture … death!”

In another group an African slave boy lowered his collar. “What about this?” he demanded, showing an ugly rope burn. “Lynched, for no crime but being black!”

In another crowd there was a pregnant schoolgirl with sullen eyes: “Why should I suffer?” she murmured. “It wasn’t my fault.” Far out across the plain were hundreds of such groups. Each had a complaint against God for the evil and suffering He had permitted in His world.

How lucky God was to live in Heaven, where all was sweetness and light. Where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What did God know of all that man had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life, they said.

So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he had suffered the most. A Jew, an African slave, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic, a thalidomide child. In the centre of the vast plain, they consulted with each other. At last they were ready to present their case. It was rather clever.

Before God could be qualified to be their judge, He must endure what they had endured. Their decision was that God should be sentenced to live on earth as a man.

Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him a work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind.

Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let him be tortured.

At the last, let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die so there can be no doubt he died. Let there be a great host of witnesses to verify it.

As each leader announced his portion of the sentence, loud murmurs of approval went up from the throng of people assembled. When the last had finished pronouncing sentence, there was a long silence. No one uttered a word. No one moved.

For suddenly, all knew that God had already served His sentence.