jon mark music

for the last week i have been studying i john 1 and most of my time on the first four verses. and it’s been a great time of challenge, which may seem trivial to you if you read through those verses. but i’m going to try and explain why…

the apostle john is writing to churches who were scattered about. unlike some of the books in the old testament, it wasn’t sent to any specific church or city. so i’m thinking there is going to be some direct implication for me and for you.

he starts out, “we proclaim”…WHAT?…”the one who existed from the beginning”. ok, so they are proclaiming Christ, not too deep. then he lays down foundation on why those listening should believe what they have to say and not what some other teacher or pastor may have to say. he points out how they saw Jesus, heard Jesus, touched Jesus…they had a personal relationship with Jesus, up close and personal.

so he is sharing with other believers about Jesus, and not just what He did for someone else or what someone else had told him. this was first hand knowledge about who Jesus was and what He had done. it was something that john knew first hand and was confident of.

but why was he sharing this with believers? so that they could have this same type of relationship with Jesus and they could experience the same blessing, joy, they he had experienced. vs 3-4 “we proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and hear so that you may have fellowship with us. and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.” (NLT)

so john and the other apostles had a relationship with Jesus which was so awesome that they just had to get the word out. they wanted others to experience this same type of personal relationship and the blessings of it. they wanted them to experience it first hand and not just hear from them or from others.

all that being said…i have really been challenged with whether or not my relationship with Jesus is so awesome that i just have to tell others. do i share with other brothers and sisters what God is doing in my life so they can be encouraged and experience that same thing? uhhhhhhhhhhhhh??? well, i share on my blog once a week…that’s not cutting it though! i have really been challenged to make it a point to share with others who God is to me and what God is doing in my life. and not just share it with other believers, but also with those who have never had a relationship with Jesus.

so how does this apply to you? feel free to share with a comment!

last sunday i was a part of the 9am worship service at lima community church. as the service began a family came and sat in front of us. it was a couple in their early to mid 40’s with a son who was about 13 and a daughter who might have been 10. as the music portion of the service was underway i couldn’t help but notice how they were all participating and really focused on what was going on in the service. (not that this is out of the ordinary, but i mean really focused and singing like they meant it.) then as i was holding molly the young girl raised her hands which got my attention. i looked to see her singing out to God with everything she had…i lost it.

she has a handle on something and i have been thinking about that all week.

i love the challenge we are given in ephesians 5. paul is writing to the church at ephesis. he starts out with this, “imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children.” (NLT) and then goes on discussing things that we as God’s children should not take part in. and i want to key in on verses 8 & 9. “for once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. so live as people of light! for this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.” (NLT)

before accepting Christ as my personal savior, i was in darkness. but when i accepted Christ i recieved light from the Lord. it exposed the darkness in my life and i was able to make the changes that were needed. this light can then shine for others to see, and see what God has done in my life. this isn’t just a light that i have been given for myself and i just keep it to myself. paul said that i need to LIVE as a person of light. that means the light has to shine for others to see.

immediately i’m reminded of matthew 5:14-16 where we Christ says that we are the light of the world and we need to let it, “SHINE OUT for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

this little girl…had light from God…she was letting it SHINE OUT…i was seeing it. i was definitely caused to praise our heavenly Father! i didn’t have to know her name and i don’t even remember what song we were singing. all i had to do was see the light shining and there was no questioning that light, nor where it came from.

this was all tied together by a song that i love and taught at first church, “marvelous light” by charlie hall. here are some of those lyrics…

lift my hands and spin around
see the light that i have found
oh the marvelous light, marvelous light

sin has lost it’s power, death has lost it’s sting
from the grave You’ve risen, victoriously

into marvelous light i’m running, out of darkness out of shame
by the cross You are the truth, You are the life, You are the way

i pray that my life SHINES OUT a marvelous light, not on me or on anything that God has given me, but in a way that causes other to praise my heavenly Father. i pray that the light from the Lord is not a light that i keep to myself. i pray that there is no darkness in my life that keeps this light from shining as bright as it should.

my challenge to you…so LIVE as people of light!

this week’s message at church was based on psalm 57. pastor john donnerberg was visiting and sharing about the storms that we face in life. his main point was for us to focus on seeing God and becoming more like Him when we are in the storm. the service was phenomenal with the bank playing the mercy me song “praise You in the storm”…

but when i came home i just read over psalm 57 and read over it and something caught my eye. here we have david crying out to the Lord for mercy and protection. remember david, the guy with the record that’s been cleared…

and verse two just kept sticking out and i had to keep looking at it. “i cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.” (NLT) david had been anointed as king of israel, and though saul was trying to kill him david was confident that God would fulfill His purpose of David being king.

he wasn’t confident in the fact that everything was going to be easy for him. he wasn’t confident that all of his problems would disappear. he wasn’t confident that all of his friends would be there for him. he wasn’t confident that things would turn out exactly how he had planned them.

david was confident in God doing what He said He would do, in and through his life.

to me this was a great encouragement. there are times when it can be discouraging not to find a full time ministry position where God would have me serve. there are times when i may not see what God is doing through my current circumstances. but i have to remain confident that God will fulfill His purpose for me.

in the mean time i need to focus on vs 9-11, “i will thank You, Lord, among all the people. i will sing Your praises among the nations. for Your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. be exalted, o God, above the highest heavens. may Your glory shine over all the earth.

for info on pastor john donnerberg check out his site… www.johndonnerbergministries.org

this week i have been studying psalm 32. and i was reminded how my life should be joyous due to what God has done for me.

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! … Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” ps. 32:1-2; 5 (NLT)

if that doesn’t get you excited and bring you joy, i don’t know what will. all my guilt is gone…my record is cleared of guilt. see, i know what should be on my record…therefore this brings me great joy. david knew what was on his record…adultry, murder…and he knew that God had cleared his record.

it amazes me to think that God knew my record, before i ever came into being. yet He sent His Son to die for me so my record could be cleared. WOW!!!

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” ps. 103:12 (NLT)

“So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!” ps. 32:11 (NLT)

when people see me or they see you, do they see joy because of what God has done for us? or have we forgotten that record that has been cleared? rejoice and show that joy today!