Electronic Music

We have no musicians here in Scottsdale - so the use of electronic music is the go.  SO we have added to our cd & dvd collection to cover the necessary music we require.  Among these have been the Hallelujah Choruses - I have always loved playing them in the band & it is great to have the Norridge Citadel Band at our meetings each week to play for us.  For those older folks in our congregation they have appreciated the brass in the accompaniment and are quite enjoying the more modern songs [1980 is modern compared to most in our song book].  Here is one we have used a couple of times now leading into our prayer time.

When I look into Your holiness

by Wayne & Cathy Perrin ©1980 Integrity Music:

When I look into Your holiness,
When I gaze into Your loveliness,

When all things that surround
Become shadows in the light of you;


When I've found the joy of reaching Your heart,
When my will becomes enthralled in Your love,
When all things that surround
Become shadows in the light of you.


I worship You, I worship You,
The reason I live is to worship you.
I worship You, I worship You,
The reason I live is to worship you.

I love how music brings us into the presence of God!!!

Coffee Drinkers - catchy tune/great words

(verse 1)

I need my morning coffee
Like the flowers need the sun
Without that jolt of java
This ol' dog ain't gonna run.
My fondest dream's a coffee bean
That's roasted golden brown
So fill it to the rim, my friend
Caffeine, don't let me down!
(Chorus)
I've died and gone to Starbucks
There's latte in the air
A double mocha, venti, please
With room for cream to spare.
My spirits quickly soarin'
With another cup o' joe --
I've died and gone to Starbucks
Have mercy on my soul!

(verse 2)
I'll have a cup of Breakfast Blend
To get an early start
And then some Kona coffee
Just to keep me feelin' smart.
A cup of cappuccino
Somewhere along the way
And how about a DoubleShot
To finish up my day!

(Chorus)
I've died and gone to Starbucks
There's latte in the air
A double mocha, venti, please
With room for cream to spare.
My spirits quickly soarin'
With another cup o' joe --
I've died and gone to Starbucks
Have mercy on my soul!

(verse 3)
I know there are some folks out there
Who say it's in my head
"Give up that habit, son" they say,
"Drink caffeine-free instead!"
Well, thanks for the advice;
I think I'll keep my normal brew
Just pour the highest octane
If it's all the same to you!

(Chorus)
I've died and gone to Starbucks
There's latte in the air
A double mocha, venti, please
With room for cream to spare.
My spirits quickly soarin'
With another cup o' joe --
I've died and gone to Starbucks
Have mercy on my soul!

http://larryholdermusic.org/died_and_gone_to_starbucks.html

Tests of the Kingdom

Matthew 7:13-27

So in this concluding section of the Sermon on the Mount we have three tests which will prove we are Kingdom living.

First, [13 & 14] - society around us is going one way, the broad way, while we are to be going the narrow way, the way of Christ, e.g. by turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, putting our personal rights aside for the sake of another.

Second, [15-23] Kingdom living bears good fruit, which refers not only to the fruit of the Spirit [Galaians 5:22-23]: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control, but to holy living [Romans 6:22] and good works [Ephesians 2:10].

And third, [24-27] Kingdom living is not based on a church, a creed, or a good life, but on Jesus Christ who died for the believer - so Kingdom living is living the word and not just hearing [James 1:22].

Conclusion: the kingdom will be populated by those who live for an audience of One, namely, Jesus Christ the King.

Matthew 7:28-29 (MSG)

When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

Righteousness of the Kingdom

Matthew 6:1 to 7:12

The first half of chapter 6 deals with our worship of God.

Jesus deals with giving, praying, and fasting [particular areas of Pharisaic abuse]. The principle is given at the outset in verse 1:

"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding."  

The second half of chapter 6 deals with the intentions and ambitions of our heart. The emphasis here is on our focus in life and how we expend or invest our energies. The principle here is given in verses 19-20:

Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or — worse! — stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars.

 

In 7:1-12 Jesus deals with how we treat others. We are not to be judgmental especially with regard to fellow believers, yet we are to exercise discernment concerning unbelievers. Jesus is not simply saying “do not judge.” His point is that we are to judge wisely. Just as the earlier principle is to invest wisely. Where does one find such wisdom? He must turn to his heavenly Father . . . and ask (7:7-11).

Finally, in verse 12, the intent of the OT law is summarized in the golden rule:

"Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get."  

Jesus began his teaching on kingdom righteousness in 5:17 with, "Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God's Law or the Prophets."  and now concludes it by saying, "Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get."

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The nature of the Kingdom itself

Matthew 5:17-48 (MSG)

Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working. Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.

You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.'  I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God. Or say you're out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don't lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you're likely to end up in court, maybe even jail.  If that happens, you won't get out without a stiff fine.

You know the next commandment pretty well, too: 'Don't go to bed with another's spouse.'  But don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt. Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile. And you have to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded for good in the dump.

 

Remember the Scripture that says, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights'?  Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are 'legal.' Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you're responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you're automatically an adulterer yourself. You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.

And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.

Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.