It's a very exciting time to be part of Beacon of Hope Church here in St. Paul. Ever since I moved to Minnesota and began serving here as the pastoral intern for music in November 2013, this church has been characterized by love and joy. That is certainly still the case today. From a musical standpoint, I am extremely blessed to work with a very talented group of musicians, and we have continued to grow as a team and become even more effective in ministry together. Very soon we will be starting an in-depth discipleship study program named Partners (originally created by my old church in California, Compass Bible Church). On top of all this, we are in the process of purchasing a building that we can have access to 24/7 (as opposed to the four hours a week we rent currently at a local college). Like I said, we are in the midst of very exciting times.
But at the same time, we are in the midst of some trying times as a church. Recent events have left many in our congregation confused or concerned. Every church goes through times like this, where the Lord will take a local manifestation of His body through the refining fires. I'm glad to say that by God's grace, Beacon of Hope has gone through these times well, seeking to lift high the name of Jesus above all.
Through all of this, I've sought to encourage the congregation to remain united, walking worthy of the call that God has given us. (The Greek word for church literally means "called-out ones"; we have all responded to the call of Christ in obedience.) Being "the music guy," I've primarily worked through music to this end, and I will continue to do this. One way that I'm excited to continue in this work is with a new song we'll introduce this upcoming Sunday. It's called "Unite," which I wrote over the last month (with a huge assist from my cousin Ben in California).
The focus of this song is Christ, through and through. The song is a prayer of supplication, that we would be united in heart, soul, mind, and strength living in love and obedience to Christ. Our strength to live this out comes from Christ Himself, as the song acknowledges in the prechorus: "You are our strength and our shield / In times of trouble / With our eyes fixed upon You / We will not stumble." Since He is the source of all our strength, it would make sense that He has planned everything we will face in this life. Paul writes in his epistle to the Romans, that "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ... In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (8:28, 37). The Church, as God's people, has the power to overcome everything it faces! And this is all modeled and perfected in the person of Christ. He is the perfect sacrifice, the spotless Lamb given up on our behalf. We follow in His example, knowing that even when things seem darkest, the steadfast love of the Lord still will never cease, and we will encounter new mercies everyday.
So this song serves as a reminder of our position in Christ, and that gives us the motivation to grow in godliness. This is not something we can do alone; we each need the other members of the church to hold us accountable, to keep us in check. That's why the song's chorus focuses on us being united in the call of Christ: "Lord, unite us in Your call / Let our minds be joined as one / We are Your body, for Your fame / Unite our hearts to fear Your name." When we are united, heart and mind in the cause of Christ, that is when we share in the work of Christ most richly.
Beacon of Hope has been through some tough times of late. We will go through tough times again soon, especially once we begin the transition to our own building (Lord willing). It is my prayer that we remain united, looking to Christ through it all, and that this song would be a part of it.
Your Word is our delight
You give us strength to fight
The powers of this world
The threats and fears we face
You have put them all in place
To lead us to Your Word
To lead us to Your Word
You are our strength and our shield
In times of trouble
With our eyes fixed upon You
We will not stumble
Lord, unite us in Your call
Let our minds be joined as one
We are Your body, for Your fame
Unite our hearts to fear Your name
Our call to sacrifice
Has been modeled now in Christ
Who gave Himself away
So through the darkest times
This we can recall to mind
New mercies every day
New mercies every day
You are our strength and our shield
In times of trouble
With our eyes fixed upon You
We will not stumble
Lord, unite us in Your call
Let our minds be joined as one
We are Your body, for Your fame
Unite our hearts to fear Your name
We are more than conquerors
Through the blessings, fears and wars
In everything, we will overcome
All our strength, it comes from Christ
For our sake, He came and died
In everything, He has overcome
Lord, unite us in Your call
Let our minds be joined as one
We are Your body, for Your fame
Unite our hearts to fear Your name
Lord, unite us in Your call
Let our minds be joined as one
We are Your body, for Your fame
Unite our hearts to fear Your name
You give us strength to fight
The powers of this world
The threats and fears we face
You have put them all in place
To lead us to Your Word
To lead us to Your Word
You are our strength and our shield
In times of trouble
With our eyes fixed upon You
We will not stumble
Lord, unite us in Your call
Let our minds be joined as one
We are Your body, for Your fame
Unite our hearts to fear Your name
Our call to sacrifice
Has been modeled now in Christ
Who gave Himself away
So through the darkest times
This we can recall to mind
New mercies every day
New mercies every day
You are our strength and our shield
In times of trouble
With our eyes fixed upon You
We will not stumble
Lord, unite us in Your call
Let our minds be joined as one
We are Your body, for Your fame
Unite our hearts to fear Your name
We are more than conquerors
Through the blessings, fears and wars
In everything, we will overcome
All our strength, it comes from Christ
For our sake, He came and died
In everything, He has overcome
Lord, unite us in Your call
Let our minds be joined as one
We are Your body, for Your fame
Unite our hearts to fear Your name
Lord, unite us in Your call
Let our minds be joined as one
We are Your body, for Your fame
Unite our hearts to fear Your name