YLC 2011 Day 1

So here’s a piecemeal summary of our first day at YLC, and participating in the Strand 1 workshop.

Morning Session: Psalm 2

Bryson Smith, a Presbyterian Minister, gave an encouragement from Psalm 2. He pointed out the context of the psalm, as being at the front of the list because it declares, in conjunction with Psalm 1, important foundational truths that affect how you read the rest of the psalms.

The content of the psalm is structured in the text into a number of distinct sections, and is notably quoted in two New Testament passages: firstly to clearly point out that Psalm 2:7 is a clear reference to Jesus in Matthew 3:16-17, and also as a spiritual encouragement to the early disciples being persecuted and threatened by the powers that be in Acts 4:23-29.

The unexpected thing for the people in Christ’s day was that Jesus came to serve us rather than for us to serve him. But that’s not to mistake His servanthood for softness, nor should we be tempted to see meekness as weakness.

Strand 1 Workshop

At YLC, delegates are broken up into small 6-to-12 person groups to get to grips with understanding how to prepare a bible study from a passage of scripture. On Day 1 we were introduced to a number of useful concepts and tools:

– Understanding the priority of the Bible and correct interpretations.
– The basic (but oft-neglected) requirement to read, read and re-read the text first! This is a personal weakness of mine; it’s always tempting to read a passage once and then immediately shortcut to a commentary or an online sermon, and cheat yourself from fully coming to grips with God’s Word yourself!
– Content-related tools: marking important, repeated and related words; words that are not understood, and to work out the flow of the passage. In this section I think one thing that might be missing is that there’s benefit in consulting different translations, or the original Hebrew/Greek, to ensure that words that sound like they link together in one translation aren’t erroneously joined together.

Afternoon Workshop – James de Costa? , St Saviour’s Sydenham

The challenge for the young people here was to examine their lifestyle in several different areas. It wasn’t really drawn too much from scripture, but there were a few good points.

Evening Session 1: Matthew 26:1-30

Peter Collier (he was guest preacher at HBC last March) preached a great message on the day and night leading up to Jesus’s betrayal and crucifixion. There were some really insightful points from the text that I hadn’t considered until now – for example, that the woman pouring perfume on Jesus was actually preparing him for burial as well as extravagantly serving Him. And how this attitude is one we should be modelling!

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Some initial, a la carte thoughts of YLC in general so far:

– Internet is patchy out here, so hopefully this update will be able to get through.
– Christchurch is hot today. All the locations are swelteringly hot. Our motel room is hot. The dining hall is hot. The auditorium is hot. It’s hot everywhere!!
– People are genuinely surprised and pleased to hear that there’s 16 people from HBC for the week. I guess the conference has been primarily a South Island thing
– Have met a lot of young adults here who are all passionate about studying and applying God’s word in their lives. It’s a refreshing thing to see!
– Great worship music so far – a mix of Getty/Townend favourites, some Sovereign Grace, and also a few new ones (to me). I’m jotting them down and hope to look through and see which ones we can also learn at HBC.

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– William

(Note: nicer formatting will come later!)

HBC Service Redux: 2 January 2011

Here’s a recap of the service and the songs we chose this past weekend (You can find links to the set lists of this church and many other churches each week at  theworshipcommunity.com).

Order of Service — 2 January

(worship leader: William Chong)

1. O Church Arise – Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. I chose this song as the first for the year to remind us of the need for believers to be properly equipped with the armour of God (Eph 6:10-20). It’s also a great reminder that we’re soldiers “whose battle cry is Love”:

O church arise and put your armour on
Hear the call of Christ our Captain
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given
With shield of faith and belt of truth
We’ll stand against the devil’s lies
An army bold whose battle cry is Love
Reaching out to those in darkness

2. Soli Deo Gloria – Mark Altrogge. If you’re looking for songs that declare some worthwhile New Years’ Resolutions, this one would be quite apt!

We resolve to live
For nothing else but Jesus Christ
To know the one who is our life
We resolve to live
By nothing but Your Word alone
Your strength alone for Your will alone

3. Psalm 62 (My Soul Finds Rest In God Alone) – Aaron Keyes and Stuart Townend. We introduced this as a new song, and I was glad to get some good feedback from one or two people that it was reasonably easy to pick up. It’s based pretty much on Psalm 62, and a real joy to sing particularly the third verse:

Though life is but a fleeting breath
A sigh too deep to measure
My King has crushed the curse of death
And I am His forever!

O praise Him hallelujah
My Delight and my Reward
Everlasting never failing
My Redeemer my God!

4. There Is A Hope – Stuart Townend and Mark Edwards. My favourite lines talk of a day we can look forward to as believers (Philippians 3:20):

When sufferings cease and sorrows die
And every longing satisfied
Then joy unspeakable will flood my soul
For I am truly home…

Sermon: Joe started a preaching series through the book of Colossians. From the first eight verses, he explained from the text that we as believers should fix our hope not on experiential, emotional or feelings-based things, but on the objective reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can watch it here:

Thanksgiving for the Transforming Work of the Gospel of Christ – Col 1:1-8 (Joe Fleener) from Howick Baptist Church on Vimeo.

5. In Christ Alone – Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. We responded to the preaching by singing this great summation of the gospel. It was very loud!

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This Sunday service, I was particularly taken aback at how well the songs fitted with Joe’s message, which had much emphasis on Christ alone being our objective and joyous hope. I didn’t really intend for such a harmonisation between the songs chosen and the preaching (and it doesn’t have to happen every week). So for that I’m very thankful to the Lord, who is able to tie things together much better than I ever could!

I think the use of mainly Townend/Getty modern hymns fitted well with our instrumentation this week (voices and a piano, plus myself on guitar). These two songwriters have provided the Body of Christ with a great range of lyrically-rich and musically interesting worship songs, and many in our church have taken to singing them with enthusiasm and real gusto.

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– William Chong

Going to YLC 2011 (Youth Leadership Conference) in Christchurch

This time tomorrow we’ll be in Kaiapoi, just north of Christchurch for YLC 2011. For those who haven’t heard of it, it’s a weeklong conference where the majority of the time is spent learning how to study and teach the Bible. Basic concept, but very unique. Both of us will be going, and we plan to take some time away after that.

For updates from the conference, you’re welcome to follow William or Cheryl‘s twitter accounts (using the references #ylc2011 and @YLCNZ). And if time permits we’ll share something on this blog as well.

Enjoy the summer in Auckland, we’ll see you all in a week!

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– Cheryl and William

Behold the Lamb of God: By Andrew Peterson

Behold the Lamb of God

This is a fantastic idea – a concept album that tells the entire story of the Bible. Singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson has been touring and performing these songs for 10 years now. The album is made up of about a dozen songs, most brand new compositions, some rearrangements of older hymns, but all of it having a fresh, vibrant sound.

It comes across as a 21st-century version of what Baroque composer G.F. Handel did this a couple of centuries ago with “The Messiah” – crafting and presenting the gospel message of the Bible using good music. The lyrics to “Behold the Lamb of God” are great – they do use a bit of poetic licence in fleshing out some of the songs, but in general stay true to the Scriptures in faithfully retelling “the old, old story”.

Another thing that impresses me is that the album includes songs such as “Passover Us”, “So Long, Moses” and “Deliver Us” that rightly portray the Old Testament narratives (e.g. the Exodus, the rise of King David, the fall of Israel) as foreshadowing, and looking forward the coming of Christ.

And the best thing? You can hear the entire musical/album here for free:
Behold the Lamb of God: By Andrew Peterson. (HT: Jamie Brown)

My favourite song so far is “Labor of Love”, which paints a heartbreaking and gritty picture of the birth of the baby Jesus:

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David’s town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother’s hand to hold

And then a bit further on, my favourite lines:

But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

What a profound thought — the baby Jesus that needed a nappy change, simultaneously sustaining the entire universe (Col 1:15-17) — captured so eloquently with these lyrics.

Thank the Lord for bringing up thoughtful and creative songwriters that help us to see the Redemption story in new and fresh ways. I’m looking forward to seeing how we could use some of this material in 2011.

But in the meantime, I’d invite you to play the whole album, whether you’re doing some housecleaning, Facebooking or just on holiday.

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– William Chong

Christmas Weekend Service Redux: 25-26 December 2010

For many people, Christmas Day marked the start of the holidays. But I’m thankful to have been part of a faithful music team that sacrificed some family and present-opening time to serve our church family here at HBC.

Since Christmas fell on a Saturday this year, it meant that we ran two consective-day services, and kept the same music team for both days. Interestingly, we ended up having an overflowing auditorium on Christmas Day, followed by a congregation half the size the very next day! No doubt most people had already departed for their well-deserved holiday.

Here’s a recap of the service and the songs we chose this past weekend (You can find links to the set lists of this church and many other churches each week at theworshipcommunity.com).

Order of Service – 25 December

(worship leader: Craig Starrenburg)

1. Joy to the World – Isaac Watts, F.G. Handel. If it wasn’t so ingrained into the Christmas season, I’d love to use this one more often during the rest of the year. It’s a great way to start a service by inviting everyone to “Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing” – the arrival of God’s son. I liked what Craig said to precede this song – “we are the reason for the season” – for it is because of our sinful state that God came down as man to redeem and reconcile us back to Him.

2. Silent Night – Joseph Mohr, Franz Gruber, John Freeman Young. The lyrics in the third verse stand out to me most with its proclamation of the baby Jesus’s divinity – something that’s still hard to fully fathom the importance of:

Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love’s pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

Reading: Luke 1:26-38. This passage describes the annunciation, as Mary is told by the angel Gabriel that she’ll be the mother of the Son of God.

Musical item: Mary Did You Know – Mark Lowry, Buddy Greene. We followed the reading with this song, which helps us to picture what might have gone through Mary’s mind as she contemplated what her child would grow to become:

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

We were privileged to have a good friend David Chua sing the solo for this piece (you can watch it here).

Reading: Luke 2:1-14. This passage described the birth of Jesus, and the subsequent angelic chorus that startled shepherds at night, singing: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”

3. Hark the Herald Angels – Charles Wesley, Felix Mendelssohn. A fitting song to follow the reading.

4. O Holy Night – Adolphe Adam, John Dwight. This is a favourite of many people at HBC, young and old. I enjoy singing this one, though my personal wish is that it the words would be clearer on how exactly “Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease.” Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the English translation was penned by a Unitarian minister, John Dwight in 1855 – but I’m not too sure. In any case, before using it next time I’d like to explain exactly how oppression ceases in Christ’s name, and be clearer on the gospel of peace that the song refers to.

Sermon: Peter shared a short message, taking a slightly different account of the story of God coming to earth as a man. In the first chapter of John’s gospel, there’s no sign of Joseph and Mary, no angels, no shepherd, no wise men….

The Word Made Flesh – John 1:1-3,14 (Peter Somervell) from Howick Baptist Church on Vimeo.

5. How Deep the Father’s Love For Us – Stuart Townend. We closed with this song, which sums up the gospel really well and spells out the reason why he sent his only Son (to make a wretch His treasure).

Order of Service – 26 December

(worship leader: William Chong)

This was my opening call to worship (penned about 20 minutes before the start of practice):

As I left church yesterday, one point Peter made during the message stayed in my mind for the rest of the day. He made the point that’s particularly relevant in this holiday season of shopping, celebrating, and partying – that everyone, Christian or not, has some sort of a Saviour. Yet for many this festive season, it’s not Jesus Christ – instead, it’s a whole range of functional saviours, to save us from our respective hells.

This morning, your Lord and Saviour could be:
– some Christmas present you didn’t get, to save you from the hell of not having what you wanted
– popularity and prestige, to save you from the hell of being called a loser
– getting married, to save you from singleness hell
– even your children, who you worship above all else, to save you from your childless hell.

But really, all these things if accepted correctly as part of God’s abundant gifts towards us should lead us to praise and worship our ultimate saviour, Jesus – who, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11 ESV)

We’ll start our singing with a song that’s an invitation to continue our worship of our God, by asking Him to tune our wayward heart to sing of His grace.

1. Come Thou Fount – Robert Robinson.

2. See What a Morning – Keith Getty, Stuart Townend.

3. How Deep the Father’s Love For Us – Stuart Townend.

4. O Great God – Bob Kauflin.

Sermon: Peter gave the church an end-of-year message, challenging us to be steadfast, watchful, and thankful in our prayer life.

Persevering in Prayer – Col 4:2 (Peter Somervell) from Howick Baptist Church on Vimeo.

5. Let Your Kingdom Come – Bob Kauflin.

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It was a very busy weekend – in the morning prayer on Sunday morning, everyone looked shattered from a full-on Christmas Day with family and friends. But by God’s grace we made it through, and the gospel was proclaimed this weekend. So we happily cry out soli deo gloria – to God be the glory!

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– William Chong