Greetings from the Music Ministry
Hello New Life Church!
This weekend is Pentecost Sunday, the day that the church around the world celebrates the very beginning of the Church as recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit in a NEW way to believers and followers of Jesus. Before Christ came, the Holy Spirit of God was active amongst His people. However, the Spirit of God did not commonly dwell within people. It was only when there was a special anointing or calling that we find this in the Old Testament. However, Jesus promised that the Spirit would come to us. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate, to help you and be with you forever - the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be IN you.” John 14:16-17 The Holy Spirit of God does not come and go from us. He permanently lives within us, comforting and guiding us.
Sometimes we sing hymns in church that can confuse our understanding of this. We sing songs asking God to send His Spirit, or we pray asking the Spirit directly to descend upon our hearts. We ask God to pour out His Holy Spirit upon us as a people as well. But we need to be sure that we understand that we do not need to summon the Holy Spirit, or hope that He “shows up.” While at times we ask God to make Himself evident to us, we need to know that God is here, always. His Holy Spirit resides within us believers, always. It is us that need to lean into Him, to acknowledge Him and to not quench Him in our lives. There are certainly times that we feel the Holy Spirit or see the hand of God moving very specifically in our lives and hearts. Sometimes it is more obvious than others. And we can certainly pray for more of His Spirit and less of ourselves. We can even pray for a special moving of His Spirit. But be sure that He is always here, whether we feel Him or not. “He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5.
Pray that God will show you the workings of the Holy Spirit in your life. Pray that you will understand His leading. Before you ask God to send His Spirit, ask yourself if you are following Christ. Have you repented of your sins, confessed Him as Lord, committed yourself to walking with Him, obeyed Him in baptism, and truly given your whole heart to Him? If you have, you have the Holy Spirit living inside you. You are God’s temple. Wow, what an amazing gift and responsibility. And, what an amazing way for God the Father to show His love to His children by promising to always live with them and inside of them.
Here are just a few Scriptures about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
I Corinthians 6:19
Acts 2:38
Acts 19:2-7
Romans 8:9-11
John 16:13
I John 4:12 - 14
Anthem - Every Time I Feel the Spirit
Every time I feel the Spirit,
movin’ in my heart
I will pray
Yes, Every time I feel the Spirit,
movin’ in my heart
I will pray
Upon the Mountain
My Lord spoke
Out of His mouth came
fire and smoke
I looked around me
I looked so fine
I asked the Lord if
All was mine
Every time I feel the Spirit,
movin’ in my heart
I will pray
Yes, Every time I feel the Spirit,
movin’ in my heart
I will pray
Come Holy Spirit
flow down on me
I need Your power
to set me free
Teach me to follow
teach me to pray
help me to walk that
narrow way
Every time I feel the Spirit,
movin’ in my heart
I will pray
Yes, Every time I feel the Spirit,
movin’ in my heart
I will pray
I would love to invite anyone who would be interested in helping with the music ministry this summer to reach out to me. We would love to have solos and instrumentalists and even more choir participants, even if you are normally not in the choir all year. E-mail me if you are interested.
Also, If you love to sing, please consider joining the Chancel Choir. We meet on Thursday evenings from 7-9 PM. We sing most Sunday mornings during the 9:15 service and are very flexible with travel plans and needing to be away at times. We have a wide variety of musicians with various backgrounds and there is a place for you! Please consider coming to a rehearsal to see if you would like to join us in this very fulfilling ministry.
At New Life Church, everyone in the music ministry is a worship leader. Our aim is to…
Magnify the Greatness of God in Jesus name,
Through the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Skillfully combining God’s Word with music,
Thereby motivating NEW LIFE church to…
Proclaim the Gospel
Cherish God’s presence and
Live for God’s Glory
Our hymns this Sunday will be,
# 289 - Spirit of Faith Come Down
# 380 - His Eye is on the Sparrow
Former Hymnal - O Spirit of the Living God
Can’t wait to see you Sunday!
Joyfully,
MaryBeth Khamis
Interim Director of Music
marybeth@newlifeforall.church
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