Victory In Jesus!

April 4, 2010 at 7:52 pm | Posted in Easter songs, encouragement, hymns | Leave a comment
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Because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ believers can sing this song with both joy and confidence. Believers have God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit actively at work in their lives. What a blessed truth to have in one’s life. There may be things that we can’t explain too well to an unbelieving world, but we can be confident in our Victory in Jesus! What a great, great privilege it is to believe in what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

For almost the past 30 years I have had some type of leadership or preaching responsibility on Easter Sunday. I preached my first Easter Sunrise service in a cemetery in 1981. Today my wife and I attended a friend’s church as worship service visitors. We were blessed to be in church today. The Easter musical was good. The preaching was good. The praying and singing were good. It was good to be in one of God’s local churches worshipping Him.

Some of the songs we sang this morning were, Lord, I Lift Your Name on High; Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; He Lives; Christ Arose; Give Thanks; and Only Trust Him. My friend the pastor preached on “Real Hope and Change” from John 14:1-6. It really was good to be in church this morning. The church we were at is not that big, but it was packed today. The presence of God was there and you could sense humility before God. We were blessed.

I hope you were blessed today. I hope you will be blessed tomorrow as well. It is so good to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. May you find strength and rest in being yoked with Him. (28)”Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (29)Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30)For My yoke is easy and My burden is Light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)

Much Grace and peace to you,

Bill (a fellow-laborer)

Romans 15:13; Psalm 21:6

Victory in Jesus

By Eugene M. Bartlett (1885-1941)

1.      I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory,

How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me.

I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood’s atoning.

Then I repented of my sins and won the victory.

(Refrain)

Oh, victory in Jesus, my Saviour, forever! He sought me and He bought me with His redeeming blood. He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.

 2.      I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing,

How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see.

And then I cried, “Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit”;

And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory.

(Refrain)

3.      I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,

And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea,

About the angels singing, and the old redemption story;

And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory.

(Refrain)

SAVED!

April 3, 2010 at 7:49 am | Posted in Easter songs, encouragement | Leave a comment
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This song brings back a lot of memories to me. I think it was written the year I got saved. I was a young Christian and renting a house with four other guys who were young Christians. One day one of them comes home with this Dylan album, yes an album. (Some of my readers will have to think retro. A black shinny disc made of plastic with grooves in it. It spun at 33 and a 1/3 rpm’s). We were shocked to think Dylan was even saved. I don’t really know if Dylan is saved but this album and Slow Train Coming are two very good Christian albums.

You can find Dylan and his band performing this song on Youtube. I was surprised to find that and other songs from these two albums. Check out their perfomance from Toronto 1980 to listen to this song. Man, that brought back some good memories! I was jamming in my house. Until the other day I did not know this and other performances were available on Youtube. We truly need discernment when it comes to the internet, but sometimes it is a real blessing.

This summer I will be saved thirty years. Yes, that’s right, thirty years. I have had both good and bad times. I have both easy and hard circumstances. I have seen people get saved and persevere. I have also seen people talk the talk for awhile, then turn their back on the Lord and walk away. But this I know, salvation is real. You can know if you are saved or not. Salvation involves repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You have to understand that you are a sinner and you need to be forgiven. Then you have to ask God to forgive you and accept what Jesus Christ has accomplished by going to the cross for you.

If this sounds too personal it is because it is personal. The wrath of God is upon the sinner. He is the enemy of God. Eternal damnation and seperation awaits him. The only escape from an eternity spent in hell under constant torment is to be saved! The sinner (the one who misses the mark of God’s perfection) needs to humble himself and repent. You can be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other way of salvation. Call out to God in humble confession and receive from God what only He can do – save your soul.

For the one who humbles himself and goes to God in God’s way, there is mercy, grace and peace for eternity. The saved one is adopted into God’s family. He is sealed with the Holy Spirit and their eternity with God is garaunteed. Salvation is real. Easter reminds us of this and should remind the Christian of their responsiblilty to live as saved ones and to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I hope this truly is a resurrection weekend for you and your loved ones.

Much GRACE and peace to you,

Bill (a fellow-laborer) Romans 3:9-31, 5:1-11, 8:1-4, 12-17, 15:13

“Saved”

by Bob Dylan

I was blinded by the devil
Born already ruined
Stone-cold dead
As I stepped out of the womb
By His grace I have been touched
By His word I have been healed
By His hand I have been delivered
By His spirit I Have been sealed.

I’ve been saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
Saved
And I’m so glad
Yes, I’m so glad
I’m so glad
So glad
I want to thank you, Lord
I just want to thank You Lord
Thank You Lord.

By his truth I can be upright
By his strength I do endure
By His power I’ve been lifted
In His love I am secure
He bought me with a price
Freed me from the pit
Full of emptiness and wrath
And the fire that burns in it.

I’ve been saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
Saved
And I’m so glad
Yes, I’m so glad
I’m so glad
So glad
I want to thank you, Lord
I just want to thank You Lord
Thank You, Lord.
Nobody to rescue me
Nobody would dare
I was going down for the last time
But by His Mercy I’ve been spared
Not by works
But by faith in Him who called
For so long I’ve been hindered
For so long I’ve been stalled.

I’ve been saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
Saved
And I’m so glad
Yes, I’m so glad
I’m so glad
So glad
I want to thank you, Lord
I just want to thank You Lord
Thank You, Lord.

Nothing But The Blood!

April 2, 2010 at 4:37 pm | Posted in Easter songs, hymns, prayer | Leave a comment
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I love the call and response of this hymn. There have been different times that I have led congregations and men’s groups to sing this song. I’ve done it in a call and response style. I have the group be quiet while I sing the first part and then have them all sing out in unison the response. It is a very moving way to sing this song. This song is so meaningful to me that I want it sung at my funeral. Yes, my wife knows that.

But Friday’s are for prayer reminders. Let’s pray for churches to experience the power and presence of God this weekend. There are a lot of church activities going on and most churches will have more visitors this weekend than any other weekend. So let’s pray for:

  1. Unsaved visitors to attend true Bible believing Christian churches this Sunday
  2. Many unsaved people of all ages to get saved this Sunday
  3. Visitors to feel welcomed by the church people and return to those churches
  4. Pastor’s to preach the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit
  5. People to listen attentively this Sunday
  6. Churches to grow through evangelism/disciplemaking
  7. New churches to be started
  8. God to be glorified this Sunday in many different ways
  9. God’s people to live as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ

Thank you for praying. Your prayers will make a difference. I hope you have a great weekend.

Grace and peace to you,

Bill (a fellow-laborer)

Romans 15:13

(19)For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, (20)and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)

Nothing But the Blood

By Robert Lowry (1826-1899)

1.  What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Refrain) Oh, precious is the flow That makes me white as snow;

No other font I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2.  For my pardon this I see – Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

For my cleansing, this my plea – Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Refrain)

3.  Nothing can for sin atone – Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

Naught of good that I have done – Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Refrain)

4. This is all my hope and peace – Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

This is all my righteousness – Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Refrain)

There Is Power In The Blood!

April 1, 2010 at 4:59 pm | Posted in Easter songs, hymns | Leave a comment
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Here again is the title of a favorite song of mine. Sometimes when I sing this song I can see myself as a young Christian with four of my buddies in church singing this song. Around the same time that I got saved I stopped to visit an old friend from high school that I only saw occasionally. We used to wrestle on the same high school team and we used to get high together. We did other stuff but as I get older it is harder to remember all of it. Or I just don’t want to.

Well I stop to see him and we’re talking like old friends do and he asks what I’ve been getting into lately. I tell him that I’ve been reading the Bible and trying to learn about God and he says he has been doing the same thing. A few weeks later we both ended up getting saved, real genuine Holy Spirit conversions. We got baptized and so did three other guys that we knew. Then four of us rented a house together. We all started going to church together to a small little community church.

Now I’ve left a lot out of that story. But that little church used to have singspirations every so often on Sunday evenings. We were long haired, some of us bearded, jeans, flannel shirt and work boot wearing young men. We had a lot of young Christian passion and faith. We also had to learn about sanctification and transformation. That little church really wasn’t ready for God to lead us to them. But they tried to accept us and love us. Two of us became pastors, one of us faithfully serves in his local church and two I think fell away (I hope they were really saved).

I remember singing this song as a grateful young Christian. I remember what it was like to be saved from all of my sins. I remember what it was like when the pastor explained to me that now I was a new creation in Christ Jesus and God and Jesus were not going to hold my past life against me. I was really forgiven! Before coming to Christ I knew what it was like to be a sinner and to be headed to hell. Really, I knew I deserved hell and was going there. I really did not think I was good enough to go to heaven, no way. I knew the things that I had done and still did. If you had to be good then I wasn’t getting into heaven.

Then God made me fear Him. Over time I read the Bible and God helped me understand what Jesus did for me and what was offered to me. God had mercy on me and one night alone in my apartment let me get on my knees and pray a sinner’s prayer of repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. God filled me with His Spirit and put my name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. He gave me new life, changed my life and changed the direction of my life.

He can do the same for you. There really is power in the blood! The blood has not lost any power! You can call out to God and ask Him to forgive you. If you are sincere He will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Jesus has purchased your forgiveness and redemption by His shed blood. And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. (Revelation 5:9).

Even today, years later, I am grateful to God to be saved, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. I can say with assurance, my sins have been covered by the blood of the Lamb. My name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I am adopted into God’s family. I am sealed by the Holy Spirit guarantying my future redemption. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

I hope you have a great Easter. If you don’t know Jesus personally I hope you come to know Him. If you do know as Savior and Lord, I hope you appreciate anew what He has done for you.

GRACE and peace to you,

Bill (a fellow-laborer)

Romans 15:13; Ephesians 1:3-14      I want to give a shout out to M.W. – keep pressing on broham, your redemption is closer than when you first believed!

 

There Is Power in the Blood

By Lewis E. Jones (1865-1936)

1. Would you be free from the burden of sin? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood; Would you o’er evil a victory win? There’s wonderful power in the blood.

(Refrain) There is power, power, wonder working power In the blood of the Lamb; There is power, power, Wonder working power In the blood of the Lamb.

2. Would you be free from your passion and pride? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood; Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide; There’s wonderful power in the blood.

(Refrain)

3. Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood; Sin stains are lost in its life giving flow; There’s wonderful power in the blood.

(Refrain)

4. Would you do service for Jesus, your King? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood; Would you live daily His praises to sing? There’s wonderful power in the blood.

(Refrain)

Washed In The Blood Of The Lamb

March 31, 2010 at 12:50 pm | Posted in Easter songs, hymns, pray | Leave a comment
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This is one of my all time favorite hymns. I like both the words and the beat. I like to sing it and clap my hands and sway a little bit too. Not too much movement, because I don’t have a lot of rhythm, but I do have enough to get into this song. I love this song! So today I am starting five days of songs about the blood of the Lamb leading up to Easter Sunday.

Let me say this as clearly as I can; if you think you can have a bloodless Christianity, you do not have a Biblical Christianity. (18)For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, (19)but with the precious blood of the Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (1 Peter 1:18-19). I think some Christians need to get over their fear of not being accepted by unbelievers and begin to sing confidently, humbly and passionately about the blood of Lamb that was shed to purchase our redemption.

There are other Scriptures that speak about the blood of the Lamb and I will share some of them over the next few days as I share five of my favorite songs about the blood of the Lamb. I would also like to encourage you to begin to pray for your church’s Easter service and for unbelievers to come and fully understand the message and to experience the redeeming power of the blood of the Lamb. Pray for backslidden Christians to repent of sin and worldliness and to surrender their lives to the Lord. Pray for all of your church’s ministries to be done in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Washed in the Blood of the Lamb

by Elisha Hoffman (1839-1929)

1. Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

(Chorus) Are you washed in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

2. Are you walking daily by the Saviour’s side? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Do you rest each moment in the Crucified? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

(Chorus)

3. When the Bridegroom cometh, will your robes be white, Pure and white in the blood of the Lamb? Will your souls be ready for the mansions bright And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

(Chorus)

4. Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin And be washed in the blood of the Lamb; There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean; Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

(Chorus)

 God bless you and may you experience the presence and power of God in your church service this Sunday! Stay faithful and hopeful until Jesus returns in glory.

GRACE and peace to you,

Bill (a fellow-laborer)

Romans 15:13; Revelation 22:17, 20-21

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