Dietrich Bonhoeffer called the Psalms the “Prayer Book” for the church.  As we spend time each day with our Bibles open and our prayers lifted, we are doing so with the expectation that we will be comforted, challenged, encouraged, and changed.  Bonhoeffer’s thinking that the Psalms would guide our prayers is accurate, because the Psalmists frequently capture the emotions and struggles of the believer – whether for you personally or for the “Big C” Church at large.  Someone needs to be guided by God’s word as they pray theirs.
This past week my wife and I took some time to get away.  There is a reality that many of us live very busy lives, full of tasks and events that stack up throughout the days and weeks.  Finding moments to rest can be a challenge.  Even though God gave us a pattern of Rest each week, even our “sabbaths” tend to be activity filled!  Perhaps that is why we need to pray through Psalm 46:
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1    God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2    Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3    though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4    There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5    God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6    The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7    The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8    Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9    He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10    “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11    The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
 
As we read and pray through the Psalm, I want to bring two things to your attention.  First of all, we see that the word “Selah” appears three times.  We understand that word to mean a pause or a break.  Whether sung or read, we are to group these 11 verses into three stanzas: v1-3, v4-7, and v8-11.  In between each of these groups of verses we are to stop.  We need to pause and reflect on what we have just read.  Verses 1-3 remind us that even when the natural world rises up in calamity, with earthquakes and storms and more, we know that our refuge – our safe place – is found in God.  The second stanza reminds us that Political turmoil approaches, when the stability of our society is under attack – God is stable, and is our strength and stability.  The Final stanza describes violence and war around us; the imagery here wouldn’t be out of place in a period war movie.  In the midst of all that, God still reigns and is over all.
 
The second thing we need to see in this Psalm is that God commands us to Be Still.  The CSB translates it as “stop fighting,” but the impact is the same.  We are commanded to stop.  To be reminded that God is God.  That we are to “exalt [God] among the nations,” and be “exalted in all the earth.” 
 
Our culture is always moving.  Constantly marching onward to the next thing.  God instructs us to pause, to rest, and to worship in the midst of it.  Often in our contemporary culture we see our Worship gatherings as high-energy, multi-media events that should be one part rock concert and one part pep rally.  We want to come away feeling uplifted and excited – re-energized for the week ahead.  The reality, however, is that the time we spend together with the express purpose of Worshiping almighty God should be equally exuberant and contemplative.  It needs to be both exciting and calming.  But above all, we need to remind one another to “Be Still, and know that [God] is God.”  That He is high and lifted up, that He is in control.  That God is our refuge, and our strength.  Our ever present help in trouble, to whom we give thanks. 
 
For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach

Over the past month we’ve been introducing a new song to the “canon” of First Free’s Weekend worship songs, “Your Name is Power” by the group Rend Collective.  We first heard it in our “virtual listening party” while quarantine was in full swing, ,and I was struck then as I am continually struck now by the effect singing those words as a church has.  Colossians 3:16-17 says:


Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

There is something particularly wonderful about hearing the saints singing to one another encouragement, admonition, and in thankfulness.  As the church gathers, part of what we do is find ways to build one another up (Col 2:7) when we speak, pray, listen to the sermon, and particularly  when we sing.  When we sing “Your Name is Power,” it starts with the bold declaration:

You’re the only answer to the darkness / You’re the only right among the wrong
You’re the only hope among the chaos / You are the voice that calls me on
After a brief chorus, the church shakes as it sings out:
Your Name is Power over darkness / Freedom for the captive
Mercy for the broken and the hopeless
Your name is Faithful in the struggle / Glory in the struggle
Mighty it won’t let us down or fail us / Your name is POWER!

What a delight it is in the world that is increasingly chaotic, increasingly toxic to Christianity, increasingly angry at everyone in it we can gather together and encourage one another with these words!  The one true God we worship is the Go that brings calm in the storm, power when we feel powerless, light in the our darkness, hope when we’re discouraged, peace in our calamity, joy in our sorrow…this is the power of the name of Jesus.
So often we forget that.
We look at the problems in the world around us, the difficulties we know are here or on the horizon for our children and we feel like we have no way to surpass the hurdles ahead we can rejoice that the power comes not from ourselves but from the person of Jesus Christ.  It is by resting in His strength that we can move forward with confidence, for HIS name is POWER! 

For His Glory,
​-Pastor Zach

This post is part of our “THIS WE BELIEVE” series in conjunction with the “From the Desk” video bog.  You can see the latest entry at the end of the post.

Article 10: We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ.  We believe that God will bodily raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment, and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord, in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. AMEN

Over the past few months, we have been talking about our Statement of Faith at FEFC, and moreover how the songs we sing on Sunday reflect our beliefs.  While every song we sing won’t necessarily have a direct correlation to each one of our articles, what we sing as a congregation should reflect our beliefs overall.  This week, we conclude this series with the final article on our response and our eternal destination.

There was a period of time in our recent church history where songs of heaven, but the trend of recent song writing has moved our focus from the eternal to the temporal… from heaven to the here and now.  This trend isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as many songs from that period pull from extra-biblical sources or imagery that is often only loosely based on the beauty of what heaven will be. 

That being said, last year we sang a song as a special called “Soon” from Hillsong and arranged by Jon Guerra.  The gentle lyrics and melody serve as a reminder to one another as we sing that heaven is waiting, that there is an eternity ahead of us in the presence of our Savior.  Likewise, we sang “What if we knew” from Tommy Walker, reminding that life as we knew it could end at any moment and eternity could be upon us… should we not be eager to tell those around us before time runs out for our non-believing friends and family?  “Amazing Grace” reminds us that the end result of our redemption story is of a future that is limitless to worship our savior.  “How Great Thou Art” concludes in its final verse an image of worship of our great God for eternity.  Countless songs we regularly sing remind us that there is a transcendent reality that exists beyond what we can see.

As those who have obeyed in God’s command for obedience, our eternity is glorious and something to be eagerly yearned for.  We must never forget, however, that eternity lies for all of us.  It is fairly understandable that our worship songs do not include myriad verses on Hell and eternal punishment, but that, too should influence what we sing.  The Getty’s revival of the classic missions Hymn “Facing the Task Unfinished” encourage us to continue in the mission to go and tell the world of the good news of the Gospel!

Even if we don’t always have a song that directly correlates with our statement of faith I hope it’s been clear that what we sing as we gather each weekend is indicative of what we believe.  Part of our purpose in gathering for worship is that “in all wisdom teach and admonish one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:16)  To that end,  we choose songs that do just that.  My prayer is that that was made clear as we have spent time together in this series!
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For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach
 

Welcome back to “Worship Notes,” I hope that you all had a great Holiday season as you were able to celebrate as best you could despite the COVID-19 Pandemic!  I am looking forward to the year ahead as we continue to see how our Worship is connected to how we believe and how we live.  The founding principle behind this blog series is based around a quote from Gordon Fee: “Show me a church’s songs, and I’ll show you their theology.”  As we talked about last Sunday, our Theology and Doctrine are worthless unless they are put into practice in how we live and work every day.

After the terrible events of yesterday (1/6/21) in our nation’s capital, the song that has been on repeat in my mind’s soundtrack has been Cornerstone, which is a modern treatment of the hymn The Solid Rock.  In the early 19th century, Pastor Edward Mote wanted to write a hymn that summarized the “gracious experience of a Christian.”  He began with the familiar chorus and quickly finished four verses.  The text of that great Hymn is written below:

     My Hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness
     I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name

          On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand
          All other ground is sinking sand.
     
     In every rough and stormy gale my anchor holds within the vale
     When all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay

     Not earth, nor hell, my soul can move; I rest on His unchanging love
     I trust His righteous character, His counsel, promise and His power.
     
     When He shall come with trumpet sound, o may I then in Him be found
     dressed in His righteousness alone – faultless to stand before the Throne!

It is easy to see how quickly we can lose our focus and reliance on the only true, sure foundation.  The world looks to political systems, social movements, and powerful personalities to provide the safety and security that every person truly longs for.  In a world of chaos, we want safe harbor!  If anything, we have seen how putting our hopes in these “shifting sands” ultimately let us down. 

​Psalm 20:7 says “Some trust in Chariots, some in Horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD, our God.”  As we look at the turmoil in our culture today, I encourage you to pray for our nation.  Not that a favored political party, movement, or figure gains or retains power in order to provide security – but that they would find the true assurance and peace that comes in knowing Jesus. 

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (Food, Shelter, Clothing, etc.) will be added to you.  Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its trouble.”  -Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV)

For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach
 
 

This post is part of our “THIS WE BELIEVE” series in conjunction with the “From the Desk” video bog.  You can see the latest entry at the end of the post.
 
Article 8: We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose.  God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed.  With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil.  In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
 
Each week as we’ve explored how our Statement of faith is reflected in the songs we sing.  We know that we are reminded of the truths from scripture when we sing those same truths as we gather – it is for this purpose that Martin Luther felt passionate that the people of God be people who sung!  He is quoted as saying “Next to the word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.  It controls our hearts, minds, and spirits.”  He created one of the first hymnals that contained 8 hymns, all with the purpose to not only help the congregations engage in worship but to also teach Biblical principles to children and adults alike.

This week, we looked at Article 8, which you can read above.  In it we see that as followers of Christ, we should be changed to be more like Jesus (sanctification) as well moved to serve and love those around us.  One of the songs we sing here at FEFC that reflects this is the song by Keith and Kristyn Getty “O Church Arise.”   Each verse reflects not only the gospel but our response: to stand as soldiers in a spiritual battle, to love and serve those who are broken, to declare the gospel to the world.  This is our call, this is our purpose, this is what we believe.
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Our faith is not one of mere belief, but one of action.  What is God calling YOU to do today?  I pray that you are encouraged and inspired to rise, o church, and serve your king!  Be light to those in darkness, display God’s love to another, and above all declare the Gospel with boldness as you go.
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For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach

Several years ago, I took a group from my church to a church in a northern Chicago suburb to be a part of the live recording of the new album from Vertical Church Band (now Vertical Worship).  It was a memorable experience, as there was something particularly exciting about being some of the first people to learn, sing, and even be recorded on a new album!  We had all been listening to the demo tracks for weeks in anticipation of the event, and there was a particular joy to raising our voices in worship using these songs – many of which would become a regular part of our church’s worship.

One of those songs is “This We Know.”  Songwriter Jason Ingram joined the band to lead us in this powerful song that reminds us that Jesus is trustworthy throughout whatever we go through in this life.  He is unchanging, He is our one hope, He is our one way, He keeps his promises, and He is working in ways we don’t always understand.  Often I’ll highlight songs on this blog that are richly saturated with deep theology expressed in sometimes complex lyrics.  One of the values of songs that aren’t so dense is the simple reminder that comes throughout our weeks as we remember what we’ve sung to one another as we’ve gathered.  There are times we need to simply say, over and over again that:

“We trust You, in all things we trust You, forever we trust You, for Your ways are Higher than our own.”
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One of the consistent messages in many of the songs from that album were that when we put our trust in God, it is trust well placed.  I’m including a link to the playlist below as well as a link to “This We Know.”  Give the album a listen this week and be encouraged!
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For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach 

Full Album Playlist:
​https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nFNdBw3lAXqVm4pD2YYlyMfHTffvshk6M

This post is part of our “THIS WE BELIEVE” series in conjunction with the “From the Desk” video bog.  You can see the latest entry at the end of the post.
 
Article 6: We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ.  He convicts the world of its guilt.  He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God.  He also indwells, illuminates, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
 
As we talked about on the “From the Desk” video blog earlier this week, the Holy Spirit is often under-emphasized in most churches today.  Not necessarily because of intentional oversight, but in part because one of the primary roles of the Spirit is to Glorify Jesus Christ.  As we look at how the songs we sing reflect the Statement of Faith, in this article in some ways when we are singing  about the person and work of Jesus, we are in fact doing so in line with the working of the Spirit.

Additionally, when we sing songs about our conviction of Sin, our desire to be rejuvenated, our plea to have the truths of Scripture revealed to us…all these things are part of the work of the Holy Spirit, as it is God the Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin and empowers us to understand the words of scripture and to live according to the truths therein!
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Two songs have come to mind as I’ve been thinking about how we reflect the work of the spirit this week.  The first is “This I Believe” from Hillsong, where as we declare as a creed that we the church believe each of the powerful statements found in the song it all points to the climactic phrase at the end of the chorus “For I believe in the Name of Jesus.”  The second song that came to mind was “Restore My Soul” from Vertical Worship.  Its simple lines are a prayer to God the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins and to be restored and rejuvenated.  Give both of these a listen this week and comment below!

For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach

​This post is part of our “THIS WE BELIEVE” series in conjunction with the “From the Desk” video bog.  You can see the latest entry at the end of the post.
 
Article 5: The Work of Christ We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
 
To some degree, each of the articles of our statement of faith are cornerstones in the foundation of our faith.  Not one could be removed without weakening the whole.  That being said, when we get to the work of Christ, there is a particular power here.  Without the power of the Cross, we would be eternally struggling to pay a debt that we would never be able to pay.  Literally.
 
The wages of our sin is death, but moreover those who have rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior endure eternal punishment.  It would be easy to forget this, as so much of our culture looks at Christianity and its practice here in the mundane world without fully considering the eternal implications.  Christians are “nice” for the culture (though increasingly this view is becoming unpopular), but nothing particularly more – the concern is for the here and now.
 
When we look at the work of Christ on the Cross, we realize that it wasn’t merely for a better life now – it was for eternity.  Jesus, as the only acceptable means to salvation has healed our broken relationship with God and restored us to an eternal place with Him.  The blood of Christ should be our greatest anthem, our highest prize, our most insistent message to the world around us.
As promised, I bring you not one but two songs this week that reflect the value we place on the Cross…and the importance of singing it to one another!  First, O the Blood from Gateway Worship.  We actually sang this last week during communion Sunday.  It’s simple lyrics remind us of what the work on the cross accomplished. 
Next, listen to Lamb of God from Vertical Worship.  The chorus in particular brings home the power of what Jesus did for us:


The Lamb of God in my place / Your blood poured out my sin erased
It was my death You died / I am raised to life
Hallelujah the Lamb of God!
 
My prayer for you, brothers and sisters, is that you are not only reminded of the work of the Cross today, but that you have an opportunity to share it with someone this week.  There is no better news to give than the GOSPEL, the Good News of Jesus Christ!
For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach
 

This post is part of our “THIS WE BELIEVE” series in conjunction with the “From the Desk” video bog.  You can see the latest entry at the end of the post.

Article 4. Jesus Christ  We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus-Israel’s promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

There are no shortages of good songs for a church to sing that proclaims the name of Jesus.  More than any other “topic” that a song could address, glorifying the name of Jesus seems to be an inherent, natural thing for song writers to focus on.

That being said, when we are talking about the life of Jesus, there are some songs that definitely stand out.  One such song is a favorite (at least among the staff) here at First Evangelical Free Church from songwriters Matt Boswell and Matt Papa.  Within the lines of each song we have declared for all who hear the life of our Savior.  Each verse chronologically goes through his coming at Christmas, His sinless life lived as the “true and better adam,” His death on the cross as an atonement for our sin, and finally His glorious resurrection - signifying the Acceptable sacrifice of our LORD.  

So often we declare to one another our good love for Jesus, we need to often remind one another the wondrous mystery of our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection.  As I have with each one of these articles, I encourage you to listen and sing along with this excellent song of the faith!

For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach

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This post is part of our “THIS WE BELIEVE” series in conjunction with the “From the Desk” video blog.  You can see the latest entry at the end of this post.
 
Article 3: The Human Condition We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
 
As we talked about in the first Article, the Gospel story begins with our creator-God as the origin of all things.  Out of nothing he spoke all things into being, and as that originator he defines what is Good, what is Righteous, and what is not.
 
Sin means to miss the mark.  God set the target, the goal, and when we miss it we Sin.  Paul clearly showed us that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s defined righteousness (Romans 3:23).  None of us have avoided this action, and none of us can avoid the consequence of that sin.  FEFC’s statement of faith reminds us we are all sinners both by nature and by choice; we are none blameless, not one, and rightly have earned the consequence of that Sin.  Separation from God and ultimately an eternity under the just wrath of the righteous God.
 
Thank God that as great as the reality of our sin and the enormity of the consequence, His mercy is More.  Through Jesus’ saving work on the cross, our earned punishment was transferred to one who did not deserve it.  Through His suffering, we are reconciled to a God we had been immeasurably distanced from and called a Child of God.  Through His resurrection we can be confident that we, too have put to death our old rebellious self and are renewed into Christ’s likeness.
 
Perhaps that is why I love the song “His Mercy is More” from Matt Boswell and Matt Papa.  Introduced earlier this year, it reminds us of who God is and the enormity of our sin while simultaneously declaring to one another that  “Our sins they are many / His mercy is more.”  We cannot talk about the good new of the Gospel without recognizing our sin, but we should also remind ourselves continually that God’s mercy and grace completely surpass our own failing.  PRAISE GOD!

For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach​