November 2, 2015
Worship: Come to the Table by Claire
Cloninger
Come to the table of mercy
Prepared with the wine and the bread
All who are hungry and thirsty
Come and your soul will be fed.
Prepared with the wine and the bread
All who are hungry and thirsty
Come and your soul will be fed.
Come at the Lord’s invitation
Receive from His nail-scarred hand
Eat of the bread of salvation
Drink of the blood of the Lamb.
Receive from His nail-scarred hand
Eat of the bread of salvation
Drink of the blood of the Lamb.
Read more at Come To The Table Of Mercy song http://www.turnbacktogod.com/come-to-the-table-of-mercy-song/#ixzz3qPKzweKr
Video: This version has two other worship songs attached to it. I
have included only the lyrics to the first song.
Witness:
Today I got a late start on journaling. I knew that my daughter
wanted to go see War Room, but I thought it may have finished showing in the
theaters here in Tulsa. Much to my delight, it was still showing at the same
theater where I had seen it.
So I told my daughter that I would watch the kids while she and her husband Tea, went to see the movie. I felt the movie could have a deep impact on their marriage and I prayed that God would give Tea a deep settled faith as a result of the movie.
The word “settled” flowed out in an almost unconscious way, and I prayed past them for a second until I was caught up in the significance of the words. I knew Tea struggled with faith. He had made professions of faith before, but fell away quickly. Lately he has been going to church fairly consistently and attended the Band of Brothers with me. I have seen the struggle in his life. The pull of the Spirit and the flesh, battling for control of him (Galatians 5:17).
So the word “settled” had significance of which I had not even thought through. As I said, I prayed the words almost unconsciously, maybe with the view of sounding deep without considering what I was asking. Do you pray like that sometimes? Struggling to sound pious or deep? I say that in passing, for I want to get to the heart of what I was asking God to do.
When I thought of the phrase “settled faith”, I contemplated what its opposite might be and the phrase “surface faith” came to mind. Later, as I thought about how ― even as I typed this section― it described the faiths found in the parable of the sower and the seeds, or as some have called it, the parable of the four soils. The first three soils represented surface faiths. Perhaps I should exclude the first soil, for it appears there was no time for faith to germinate before it was ingested. The second and third soils produced what seemed like the potential for fruit, but when the seed grew and reached the surface, persecution, problems and profits charred and choked the plant and they were unfruitful. It was only when the seed settled in the good soil that it was able to grow deep roots and be fruitful.
So, my question is this. Is your faith a surface faith or a settled faith? Are you bearing spiritual fruit in your life? (John 15:8; Romans 7:3; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9; Philippians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:9-14; James 3:17-18). Our Savior warned that those who do not bear fruit will be uprooted. (Matthew 15:3; John 15:2). Jude speaks of “godless men” who had infiltrated the church and sought to lead God’s sheep astray. Listen to what he says:
So I told my daughter that I would watch the kids while she and her husband Tea, went to see the movie. I felt the movie could have a deep impact on their marriage and I prayed that God would give Tea a deep settled faith as a result of the movie.
The word “settled” flowed out in an almost unconscious way, and I prayed past them for a second until I was caught up in the significance of the words. I knew Tea struggled with faith. He had made professions of faith before, but fell away quickly. Lately he has been going to church fairly consistently and attended the Band of Brothers with me. I have seen the struggle in his life. The pull of the Spirit and the flesh, battling for control of him (Galatians 5:17).
So the word “settled” had significance of which I had not even thought through. As I said, I prayed the words almost unconsciously, maybe with the view of sounding deep without considering what I was asking. Do you pray like that sometimes? Struggling to sound pious or deep? I say that in passing, for I want to get to the heart of what I was asking God to do.
When I thought of the phrase “settled faith”, I contemplated what its opposite might be and the phrase “surface faith” came to mind. Later, as I thought about how ― even as I typed this section― it described the faiths found in the parable of the sower and the seeds, or as some have called it, the parable of the four soils. The first three soils represented surface faiths. Perhaps I should exclude the first soil, for it appears there was no time for faith to germinate before it was ingested. The second and third soils produced what seemed like the potential for fruit, but when the seed grew and reached the surface, persecution, problems and profits charred and choked the plant and they were unfruitful. It was only when the seed settled in the good soil that it was able to grow deep roots and be fruitful.
So, my question is this. Is your faith a surface faith or a settled faith? Are you bearing spiritual fruit in your life? (John 15:8; Romans 7:3; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9; Philippians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:9-14; James 3:17-18). Our Savior warned that those who do not bear fruit will be uprooted. (Matthew 15:3; John 15:2). Jude speaks of “godless men” who had infiltrated the church and sought to lead God’s sheep astray. Listen to what he says:
For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have
secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of
our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign
and Lord… These men are blemishes at
your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm — shepherds who
feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind;
autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted — twice
dead. Jude 4, 12-13 NIV
Being fruitless and uprooted, God calls them twice dead! So,
again, in light of how serious this issue is, I ask you if your faith is a
surface faith or a settled faith?
WORD:
Ps 23:5-6
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. NIV |
Ps 23:5-6
5 Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. KJV |
A feast prepared by my Shepherd or Lord. I can barely fathom the
depths of such condescension. Who am I that He should grant me such blessings,
a sheep prone to wander. What grace, what mercy, what benevolence.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in
which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the
ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are
disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the
cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the
rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in
mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it
is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms
in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the
incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Eph 2:1-9 NIV
And the Same God who prepares the feast also prepares us to go out
and do the works He has already prepared for us to do!
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.
My heart wells up and burst out in song to my gracious and
merciful Father.
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
Refrain
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.
Refrain
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can we do to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.
Refrain
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?
Refrain
Grace Greater Than Our Sin
Words: Julia H. Johnston
Music: “Moody” by Daniel B. Towner
Rom 5:20
(from Biblesoft Hymnal, PC Study Bible electronic database
Copyright © 2003-2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
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