He told them to stop singing. What a thing to say, especially if you’re a minister in charge of the music! Paul Baloche felt like worship should be about an “Offering” in 1997, as he told a group that was gathered in a Tyler, Texas area church (in Lindale; in Smith County – see the map of Texas with Smith County in red, here). Is there something that makes God feel like worship must be suspended, like an emptiness or apathy among the worshippers? Paul just looked out over the assembled crowd, and in that moment felt as if something was missing. Most people when they think of ‘offering’ probably think in $$ signs, especially if the setting is a church where the word is often used when a collection tray is passed. But, that kind of offering can also be offensive to God, if you read very far in your bible, like the following: In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord (Genesis 4:3). What happened in the next several verses is clear – murder. But, what was at the root of Cain’s offering that was not accepted? Only he and God could know that. The Lord will know if something is not ‘right’ (Gen. 4:7) with your offering…or with the heart of the giver.
Paul Baloche remembered that as he opened his eyes, he didn’t like what he saw, for the people assembled in the church were sitting and seemingly liking the music that he and the band were making. But he stopped the music and said something that sprung from his spirit. He didn’t want to sound critical or judgmental (as the prophets Amos [5:23] and Ezekiel [26:13] did when they said God was disgusted with the people’s ‘noisy’ music), but he reminded the onlookers that he and the band were not there for a concert, but rather to enable worship. Paul admonished them to come with an ‘offering’ of worship, to be ‘proactive, not passive’ in worship. And as he mentioned this ‘offering’, he began to think that there should be a song that actually says that. Consequently, Paul mulled over that idea for a couple of weeks to write the song, and with another piece of the puzzle that had actually already been present, in the form of a song remnant he’d crafted earlier, he soon completed his own ‘Offering’. The chorus he’d actually conceived on the church’s stage – ‘I bring an offering…’ -- was combined with the other fragment (the first verse of ‘Offering’) to complete the song. And then Paul added still more, in the form of another verse, when Christmas came closer. The three wise men once made their own gift offerings, and Paul evidently wanted to remind believers that Christmas-time should always be a reminder that God’s appearance in the world spawned great wonder, hope, and praise from a people looking for Him, and that offering Him worship today, two millennia later, should be with the same attitude as that of the shepherds and wise men.
‘What’s in a worshipper’s heart is between him and God’. You’ve probably heard that one before. Maybe it’s a way to fend off someone who’s unimpressed with your stoic expression while singing. ‘Focus on your own attitude’, someone says, and correctly so. But, in a family where people can have the power to edify one another, as well as discourage one another, we do take notice of worship that seems lackluster. It’s part of the reasoning capacity that He gave us. He said to love Him completely, with ‘…heart…soul…strength…and mind’. None of us are immune from boredom at times, but if that affects how I’m addressing the One who made me, I need someone with sharp elbows to nudge me in the side, like what Paul did to a group in 1997. Reconnect with what He’s done, who He is, and how that relates to yourself, and what you and I cannot do for ourselves. Try reading Paul’s lyrics first, and think about whether they’re true for you (they are, unless you aren’t human). Then try singing them.
See/hear the song’s story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNHdsArUO8I
Read about the songwriter here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Baloche
This query suggests the song was written in 1997, though song released in 2003: https://www.google.com/search?q=baloche+Offering+song+lyrics+year+written&client=firefox-b-1-d&sca_esv=17464399d8dea453&ei=8pxhaN3mKYKg5NoP3NztmQw&ved=0ahUKEwjdp9iot5eOAxUCEFkFHVxuO8MQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=baloche+Offering+song+lyrics+year+written&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKWJhbG9jaGUgT2ZmZXJpbmcgc29uZyBseXJpY3MgeWVhciB3cml0dGVuMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSMU8UNcLWN41cAF4AZABAJgBlwGgAeIMqgEEMjAuMbgBA8gBAPgBAZgCFqACkQ3CAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIFECEYqwLCAgYQABgWGB7CAgsQABiABBiGAxiKBcICBRAAGO8FwgIIEAAYogQYiQWYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwQyMC4yoAelWLIHBDE5LjK4B4wNwgcGMS4yMC4xyAcc&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
See information on the map-graphic here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Texas_highlighting_Smith_County.svg …Public domain…I, the copyright holder (David Benbennick) of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.
