Offering -- Paul Baloche

 

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.

O The Blood -- Thomas and Mary Beth Miller

 

What was it that they might have read that spurred Thomas and Mary Beth Miller onward, and especially as they thought about worship at the church where they lived in 2010? This couple was in Southlake, Texas (near Fort Worth, see here the map-graphic of Tarrant County in which Southlake resides), and thinking about “(O) The Blood” was probably a very fundamental idea for the Gateway Church whose focus was on the central figure of their lives, now and in the eternal future. Could it have been that they were reading and comparing the various episodes of animal sacrifice, especially of lambs, that the Hebrews practiced for many hundreds of years, especially in light of what happened in the 1^st Century? Two of the 1^st Century’s chief proponents of a very special lamb – The Lamb, in fact – wrote some letters that just may have influenced the Millers as they thought about the blood spilled by this one sheep. In fact, millions have believed in this lamb, and knowing His story is the most crucial piece of information in life, they would say. See what you think when you too hear it.  

 

Neither Thomas nor Mary Beth have indicated what inspired ‘O The Blood’, but that its basis in some pretty important scripture handed down to generations of Christian believers is certainly true. It began with a people who were trying to escape from Egypt, and with so many signs showing their God’s nature and purpose for them, they did not question why He required a lamb sacrifice, the use of its blood to secure their release from captivity (Exodus 12:7). The Levitical code He set up for them perpetuated this practice (Leviticus 14:25; many scriptures in Numbers), and throughout the rest of Jewish history (including 2 Chron. 29:22; 35:11; Isaiah 1:11 – even though God would say He had ‘no pleasure’ in this) the Hebrews continued dutifully to obey, though the practice could not render them clean for long. And then came One whose blood was enough, as two 1^st Century apostles would tell all succeeding generations (1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 7:14 and 12:11). The Lamb is the one to whom Thomas and Mary Beth Miller would point, some 20 centuries later. It’s ‘crimson love’ that purges ‘shameful sin’ that is ‘placed on Him’ (v.1). That’s because He’s the ‘Savior son’, ‘holy One’, and we all can ‘see the Lamb’ and simultaneously appreciate that He’s also ‘The great I Am’ (v.2). ‘O what love’, ‘no greater love’ in v. 3 initiates a question that the Millers ask for us all: How could ‘grace’, ‘that in my sin’, ‘yes even then’, compel Him to be the sacrifice? Their short, crisp phrases (mostly three- or four-syllables apiece) that describe this life-giving fluid’s power are all that the Millers needed to convey their message. It’s like a perfectly spotless mirror that reflects vividly Him and what He’s done. Not many words are needed. Just look at Him. Consider what He’s done.

 

Though not expressed, the Millers also hint at what anyone honestly looking at Jesus can expect to gain. ‘Hope’ (v.1), ‘victory’ and ‘saved…life’ (chorus), ‘so I can live’ (v.2) – how could any reasonable person not want these things? But what so many people seem to avoid is what the Millers’ words also require any mistake-ridden person – and that’s all of us – to acknowledge. It’s just a tiny three-letter word, but it’s mentioned in all three of their verses. Sin. Two of those times it is labeled as ‘my sin’. It’s a separation from the perfect, holy Creator, and I cannot purge it from my experience. I just am not perfect the way He is, despite being His image-bearer. I try to be good, but stuff happens. Are you any different? He’s got the answer, the only one that He’s said is acceptable. He’s the only God, among all the religions in practice on this planet, that has done what Jesus did to pave the path for humans. He became one of us, gave up His blood. What more can a God do?

 

Read about the primary songwriter here: Thomas Miller (pastor) - Wikipedia

 

See information about the map-graphic of Tarrant County here: File:Tarrant County Texas Incorporated Areas Southlake highlighted.svg - Wikimedia Commons…I, the copyright holder 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.

King of Kings -- Brooke and Scott Ligertwood, Jason Ingram

 

These three were in Nashville (see the map of Tennessee and highlight of Davidson County where Nashville resides) to collaborate and think about the “King of Kings”, though their thoughts began separately. The Ligertwoods, Scott and Brooke, had some ideas about how to tell the story of scripture, and then when they heard Jason Ingram’s melody as the three got together later, that’s when things really flowed. That’s the short version. How would one person or a group of three people really expect to share completely the full spectrum of God-in-the-flesh’s story, without leaving out something? The song might never end! That was perhaps the conclusion they too reached, but still the effort to direct the attention of hearers toward the spiritual foundation upon which believers stand was worth the time they spent. It was not a collection of ‘feelings’, but instead truths that underpin beliefs that spurred Scott, Brooke, and Jason forward.    

 

One doesn’t have to read too far in one’s bible to really find inspiration for what the Ligertwoods and Jason Ingram would write in 2018/2019. Apparently, two of the scriptures that motivated them were about how Jesus is to be exalted – Revelation 19:16 and Philippians 2:9-11. A great place to begin, as it turned out, but the Ligertwoods also had thoughts about packing even more scriptures into verses, as part of an objective to explore and tell the story of the gospel. The three of them thought about Genesis clear through to Revelation, and were ‘unpacking’ quite a bit as they talked about what in scripture creates belief. Jason’s melody and a bridge section of the song stuck immediately, and as they sorted through the Word, Brooke’s mind and spontaneity kicked in with lots more for the verses. The wanted to sing scripture and use the song as an opportunity to teach why Christians can believe, to even impart some theological truths. Some that eventually emerged (after about a year of working and re-working notes and words) were some things that they found exciting, things that somehow often get glossed over. That Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets (Matt. 5:17); that Mary’s virgin pregnancy with the God-Son was not a surprise, but another foretold prophecy (see Isaiah 7:4; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:21-23); that many dead arose when Jesus died (see Matt. 27:50-53); and that the church was born through the work of the Holy Spirit enabling men in a miraculous way (Acts 2) were all energizing to these three 21^st Century songwriters. They firmly believed that this same Spirit is active today, and that we who believe are part of this ongoing story. It’s a song that should never be completed, if you think of yourself as an heir of Christ, as someone who wants to connect yourself to Him and what He means to human beings.

 

The words that Scott, Brooke, and Jason wrote are meant to draw you and me in. Now this gospel truth of old Shall not kneel, shall not faint…If you think history, including bigger-than-life heroes of heart-stirring episodes – maybe an Abraham Lincoln-like person – is what motivates you onward, then what about the one upon whom our calendar (at least the Gregorian one) pivots? He is the Truth, the One who rose so that you and I need not kneel or faint as we think about our graves. Death is certain, so it seems to make sense to connect myself with Him toward whom so much evidence points as the Conqueror of the grave. Don’t believe because it gives you solace, a crutch to lean upon and salve your fear of life’s end. Believe because there’s too much history – irrefutable and enduring, some 20 centuries after the facts -- for you and me to ignore this life, this King of Kings. Be like Lee Strobel (author of the The Case for Christ and so many other books that investigate the credibility of Christianity) and Josh McDowell (author of More Than a Carpenter, and like Strobel, so many other books to help us see Christ’s truth-bearing nature), both of whom started their journeys as skeptics, intending to disprove Christ, and instead found His truth the most compelling, and worthy of belief. Read some, investigate, and see what takes more faith – to believe or disregard it. As Brooke has said, the gospel story is not a ‘relic’, but something that ‘demands’ our attention. See if you agree that it’s ‘reality’, as she and so many others have said. Or, are  you too wedded to mere feelings, or to things in this world that will decay?      

 

 

Hear/see the song story here: (begin at 4:15 thru 9:20, and 12:20 thru 12:33) Behind The Song: Hillsong Worship Shares The Heart Behind Their Song “King Of Kings” | Freeccm.com

 

Read some brief information about the song here: King of Kings (Hillsong song) - Wikipedia

 

See information on the map-image of Davidson County (where Nashville is) here, including the public domain status of the graphic: File:Map of Tennessee highlighting Davidson County.svg - Wikimedia Commons . The following statement is associated with the graphic re: its public domain status: I, the copyright holder 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.