Monthly Archives: September 2016

We Stand in Christ’s Triumph

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Today I offer another gem from A.W. Tozer:

Among evangelicals it is a commonplace to say that the superiority of Christianity to every other religion lies in the fact that in Christian its a Person is present, active, filling, upholding and supporting all. That person, of course, is Jesus Christ.

That is what we say, and say truthfully, but my own experience has shown how difficult it is to make this belief a practical force in my own life.  And a little observation reveals that my fellow evangelicals for the most part are not doing much better. This mighty world-beating truth gets lost under a multitude of lesser truths and is allowed to lie forgotten while we struggle, must unsuccessfully, with the world, the flesh and the devil.

The unique thing about the early Christians was their radiant relation to a Person. “The Lord,” they called Him tenderly, and when they used the term they gave it its own New Testament meaning. It meant Jesus Christ who a short while before had been among them but was not gone into the heavens as their High Priest and Advocate.

It was this engrossment with a victorious Person that gave verve and vibrancy to their lives and conviction to their testimony. They bore witness joyously to the One who had lived as a true Man among men.  Their testimony was not weakened by the pale cast of metaphysical thought.  They knew that Jesus was very Man and very God, and He had died, had been raised from the dead and had ascended into heaven.  They accepted literally His claim to be invested with authority over everything in heaven, earth and hell.  How it could be they never stopped to inquire. They trusted Him absolutely and left the detail to their triumphant Lord.

Another marked characteristic of the witness of those first Christians was their insistence that Jesus was Lord and mover in a long-range plan to restore the earth and to bring it again under divine control. He is now sovereign Head of His body the Church, they declared, and will extend His rule to include the earth and the world in His own good time.  Hence they never presented Him as Savior merely.  It never occurred to them to invite people to receive “peace of mind” or “peace of soul.” Nor did they stop at forgiveness or joy or happiness. They gathered up all these benefits into one Person and preached that Person as the last and highest sum of every good possible to be known and enjoyed in this world or that which is to come. “The same Lord over all,” they said, “is rich unto all that call upon him.” The seeker must own Him Lord triumphant, not a meek-eyed Lover of their souls only, but Lord above all question or doubt.

Today we hold the same views, but our emphasis is not the same.  The meek and lowly Jesus has displaced the high and holy Jesus in the minds of millions.  The vibrant note of triumph is missing in our witness. A sad weeping Jesus offers us His quiet sympathy in our griefs and temptations, but He appears to be as helpless as we are when the pressure is on.  His pale feminine face looks at us from the “holy picture” of the Catholic and the Easter card of the Protestant.  We give Him our sympathy, but scarcely our confidence.  The helpless Christ of the crucifix and the vacuous-countenanced Christ that looks out in sweet innocence from the walls of our evangelical homes is all one and the same.  The Catholics rescue Him by bringing a Queen of Heaven to His aid. But we Protestants have no helper. So we sing pop choruses to cheer our drooping spirits and hold panel discussions in the plaintive hope that someone will come up with the answer to our scarce-spoken complaint.

Well, we already have the answer if we but had the faith and wisdom to turn to it.  The answer is Christ Victorious, high over all.  He lives forever above the reach of His foes. He has but to speak and it is done; He need but command and heaven and earth obey Him.  Within the broad framework of His far-looking plans He tolerates for a time the wild outlawry of a fallen world, but He holds the earth in His hand and can call the nation to judgment whenever He wills.

Yes, Christian pilgrim, we are better off that the sad Church can see.  We stand in Christ’s triumph. Because He lives we live also.  Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tozer, A.W. The Root of the Righteous. (Harrisburg, PA, Christian Publications Inc., 1955), Pg. 70-73.

Music to Read Books By

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Last week I wrote about the books I’ve been reading, so naturally (to me, anyway) I thought this week I’d write about the music I like to listen to while reading those books.  I recognize that everyone has their own preference where music is concerned, but as with introducing you to new books I’m reading, I hope that maybe you’ll come across some new artist in this reading and be better for it.

I have varying tastes in music depending on what I’m doing at the moment.  My running playlist has a lot of U2, Beatles, Rich Mullens, and Billy Joel – just to give you a sampling.  While working around the house on the weekends, I like to turn on Spotify and listen to 70’s and 80’s playlists.  But while writing and reading, I like to listen to music that is fitting for the moment.

I have, for a while now, enjoyed listening to Indelible Grace Music and the music of Stuart Townend and Keith and Krystin Getty.  I think it was while listing to a radio station on Spotify based on their music that I found many of the following artists.  If you’ve never heard their music, they are all on Spotify or Youtube, and I would encourage you to listen to a couple samples (I’ll provide the links where possible).

So here’s a list of some of the artists I like to listen to while writing and reading:

Josh Garrels
I like to think that I have a pretty eclectic taste in music, and Josh Garrels is a pretty eclectic musician.  His description on wikipedia says, “Josh Garrels is a singer-songwriter, hip-hop, pop producer, and orchestral folk composer from South Bend, Indiana. His music combines traditional folk music with other musical elements and the nontraditional exploration of Christian themes.”  I don’t really know how to classify his music, but I can say that it speaks to me.  He doesn’t give a candy-coated, top 40 Christian message in his music; but the imagery of the struggle and hope in this life is real and richly Biblical.  With songs like Don’t Wait for Me and Beyond the Blue, Garrels articulates a longing for completion that is only met in Christ, but that it is met completely in Him.  My favorites would have to be The Resistance and All Creatures, two hip-hop influenced songs that have great messages.

Audrey Assad
As I was listening to Audrey Assad just this morning, I realized what it is I like about her music. She sings like Amy Grant did when Amy Grant was just starting out.  Innocent, beautiful, heartfelt expressions of faith in the midst of real life.  Her song The House You’re Building is especially Amy Grant-esque. She has a wonderful cover of His Eye is On the Sparrow in Sparrow, and her song Good to Me is an excellent reminder of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.

Page CXVI
Their name is a reference to Page 116 in their copy of C.S. Lewis’ book, The Magicians nephew, the passage where Aslan begins to sing Narnia into creation out of a black void.  Starting as worship leaders in church, Page CXVI’s self-stated purpose as a band is to make hymns accessible again.  All of their songs are re-writes of familiar hymns, accentuating different themes that the hymns, with their traditional tunes, might not convey.  Some of my favorites include O Sacred Head Now Wounded, Wash Me Clean, and Be Still My Soul.

Sons of Korah
Sons of Korah is an Australian based band that sings the Psalms – and that’s all. On their website they explain, “The Psalms have been the primary source for the worship traditions of both Judaism and Christianity going right back to ancient times. With their unique acoustic, multi-ethnic sound Sons of Korah have given this biblical songbook a dynamic and emotive new musical expression. They endeavour to lead their listeners into an impacting encounter with this book that is often described as the ‘heart’ of the bible.”  Often times I will turn on Sons of Korah and read the Psalms as they sing, word for word.  Their on my running playlist, and I’ve found that by singing the Psalms, I’m learning them by heart too.  A few of my favorites are Psalm 148, Psalm 73, Psalm 51, and Psalm 1.

Ludovico Einaudi
“One of these things is not like the other…” There are times when I am looking for quiet background music, instrumental or piano music, while reading or writing.  through Spotify I cam across Ludovico Einaudi.  Not under the Christian Music label at all, Einaudi is an Italian pianist and composer who uses a wide variety of styles and genres including pop, rock, world music, and folk music. I don’t know how to describe his music other than stunningly beautiful.  A couple that really stand out to me are I Giorni and Nuvole Bianche.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these artists and their music.  If you have any recommendations, please make sure to give them in the comments below.

SDG