A ministry of South Metro Ministries that exists for the purpose of exalting God, edifying the church, and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ through the ministry of worship and the creative arts.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
THIS WEEK'S CHOIR ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Choir dress this Sunday, August 26th is red, black, and white.
Parking for the choir is available along the campus side drive and in back parking lot (watch the mud)!
Robe cleaning fees are due this Sunday, August 26th. There are about 5 choir members that still need to turn in their fee.
This Sunday is the final recruitment day for Voices of Praise so pray for God to send us those that should be part of the ministry and help us spread the word!
Jesus At The Center by Israel Houghton
Check out this upcoming worship song for next Sunday! Another great song by Israel Houghton. Jesus be the center...for it's all about you!!!
http://www.ccli.com/CCLITV/Default.aspx?v=c75ea403-b4a0-49e5-b255-3055413e63e2
Copy and paste URL to your browser or simply highlight link and right click and hit go to URL.
Fall Voices of Praise Choir Clinic - September 7-8th
This event is for Voices of Praise members. BBQ fellowship @ the Moore manor from 7-9pm. Bring your families for a relaxing time of great food and fellowship. Children welcome. No childcare provided.
Come back Saturday morning from 9am-3pm for a power-packed day of new music learning, worship teaching, and skill training!! Lunch and childcare is provided.
Coming this Fall 2012...A South Metro Ministries Christmas Musical!
Coming this Fall 2012...A Brooklyn Tabernacle Christmas! Well...kind of...the music will be the same but as much as I enjoy the BTC we will not be calling the musical the above "ABTC", so do not worry. Instead, the musical will be called "A South Metro Ministries Christmas" featuring The Voices of Praise.
Be sure to be at our upcoming choir clinic on Saturday, September 8th to preview this inspiring gospel Christmas musical and to receive your practice and study CD's! Merry Christmas early!!
http://wordmusic.com/a-brooklyn-tabernacle-christmas.html
Copy and paste the above URL link to your browser or simply highlight link, right click your mouse, and hit "Go to URL..."
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Freedom to Change (Accepting God's Grace and Walking in the Spirit Turns our Have-to's into Want-to's!)
Someone said, “God is in the business of turning our have-to’s into want to’s. God wants us to realize
His love and acceptance for us is not due to our own self-effort but solely because of unmerited grace.
Understanding and living by this truth will cause us to “want to” follow His word and embrace His commands, not as a response to an expected “code of conduct” but as a response to His love and acceptance for us. It’s not that we “have to”, we now “want to” love him with all of our heart, soul, and strength. To the person walking in the knowledge of His grace it is no longer a ‘head’ matter, but rather a ‘heart’ matter. Our attitude should be one of ‘wanting’ to know Him, wanting to serve Him, and wanting to please Him. This is true love! We want to obey Him because we understand that He unconditionally loves and accepts us, therefore we want to demonstrate our love for Him. As the beloved of God, we are now set free to walk as Jesus walked. (1 John 3) By grace, we are liberated into the life of love that can and is willing to endure whatever the cost so that others may come to understand God’s love for them.
The Apostle Paul said, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty!” The liberty he is speaking of
here is not freedom to do what we want, how we want, and when we want—but it is the freedom to
change! The Spirit of liberty gives us the freedom and power to do what HE wants, how HE wants, and when HE wants. Freedom to truly change! This is radically different from the way the world around us lives. The world is enslaved to the power of sin over their lives. They are under the dominion of Satan, controlled by the sinful nature, and they are powerless to change on their own. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory! He has set free those who call upon His name, broken the power of sin and the control of our sinful nature, and He has replaced the spirit of the world with His Spirit turning our 'have-to's' into 'want-to's'.
As someone has poignantly observed: We don’t walk in the Spirit by overcoming the flesh, we overcome the flesh by walking in the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit our focus is upon Christ - not self. When we walk in the Spirit we do not focus on how we can defeat the flesh, instead, we focus upon the ONE who already overcame sin and gave us the power to walk in His victory. The key is Christ, for apart from Him we can do nothing but through Christ we can do all things! When we walk in the Spirit our attitude is focused on the joy and privilege of serving Him rather than the drudgery of religious duty and obligations. What am I saying? I am saying that when we walk in the Spirit our have-to's become want-to's!!! We now want to walk blamelessly before God - we now want to offer Him an offering in righteousness - we now want to offer our bodies as instruments of righteousness and as living sacrifices - we now want to joyfully serve and obey Him - we now want to make sacrifices of the flesh to bring Him greater glory and honor - we now want to serve and help someone in need - we now want to put an end to sinful addictions - we now want to attempt to love our enemies! Christ will turn your have to's into want to's if you will just accept His grace and free gift of love every single day. Let us make it our goal, therefore, to walk in the Spirit (of grace) daily so we can extend this grace to others and live to glorify God rather than please the flesh and gratify the desires of our base sinful nature. God has so much more for us. Let us live up to our calling in Christ Jesus!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Check Out the New SMM Worship Arts Website!
You will be able to find the following worship arts ministry information on our new website:
Welcome from Pastor Chad
Choir recruitment information
List of all SMM Worship Arts Ministries
SMMWA Facebook page
Worship Arts Ministry Blog link
Ministry Calendar
Ministry Photos
Pastor Chad's writings (devotional, worship, ministry, and theology)
Children's music resources
Membership link (ministry applications, questionnaire, and planning center)
Just log on to www.planningcenteronline.com today!
New Voices of Praise Logo!
VOP LOGO SYMBOLISM
& MEANING
The theme and spirit of this logo is very simply
"Jesus, We Crown You With Praise"!!!
The Voices of Praise logo represents...
1) Presence of God
2) Purity and Holiness
3) Unified Purpose
4) Prayer and Kingdom Authority
5) Power of God
6) Glorious Praise
1) PRESENCE: This year's (2012) new Voices of
Praise logo (was originally designed in 2004) speaks to the importance of a new
chapter and new beginning in the life and ministry of the Voices of Praise.
It speaks that unified praise and worship is the purpose and power of our
ministry. Why the power behind our ministry? Because the power of
God is where the Presence of God is and the Presence of God is where the Praise
of God is! As a praise and worship choir, our hearts are to be set apart
for God's glory and our spiritual unity combined with our sincere and anointed
praise and worship invites the AWESOME presence of God!
2) PURITY: The color gold speaks
of the purity and beauty of the holiness of God and the kind of worship he
desires from those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Hence,
"Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (Ps. 29:2; 96:9).
This speaks to the fact that God calls us as worshippers to be (1
Pet. 2:9) “a holy priesthood…to show forth the praises of Him who has called us
out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Malachi 3:3 indicates that God
is particular about the kind of worship he receives from the leaders of worship
(Levites): "He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver. He
will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver that they may
offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness." We are indeed
called to “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness”.
3) PURPOSE: In a
word..."UNITY" OR "ONENESS". The three
joined-together figures represent the Holy Trinity and the perfect spiritual
unity that they share. Notice that the crown and the united worshippers
are inseparable and almost indistinguishable from one another.
These three distinct persons, they are joined together in glorifying
God and in accomplishing His unified kingdom purposes throughout all of
creation. Hence, the Triune God-head is the supreme model for unity within
the Body of Christ -- therefore, you and me! (John 17:21-22) Jesus
prayed that we would be ONE that the world may come to know that the Father and
the Son are One. We are separate and uniquely distinctive from each other
yet perfectly joined together with a common purpose. The three figures
also symbolically represent united voices perfectly joined together in uplifted
praise to the Father!
4) PRAYER: The three figures join together to
make a 'crown'. The crown speaks of power, rule, authority, and kingdom
advancement. Hence, let our ministry prayer be "Our Father which art
in heaven, Hallowed by Thy name; Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven." The crown speaks of our sincere conviction that
God has anointed and appointed us to be His praise ambassadors (royalty, i.e.,
"royal priesthood" that shows forth His praise) and to minister under
His authority and His power both at home and outside the four walls of the
church and even around the world! The crown of glory speaks of our
sincere prayer that God’s kingdom would come and be established in and through
our united ministry of worship wherever the Lord sends us out to minister. Apart from His presence and anointing we can
do nothing of any kingdom value…but through Christ we can do all things!
5) POWER: In scripture, the power of God is
closely associated with the glory of God. Therefore, the crown also
symbolizes the glory of God that comes down through sincere praise and worship
to set captives free -- that is to save, sanctify, heal, and deliver those held
in bondage or captivity to their sin or circumstances. God inhabits the
praises of (Zion) His people. The crown of glory, therefore, symbolizes
God coming down in the midst of our praise to make for himself a resting place.
2 Chronicles 6:41 declares, "Now arise, Lord God, and come to your
resting place, you and the ark of your 'might'. May your 'priests', LORD
God, be clothed with 'salvation', may your faithful people rejoice in your
goodness." We believe that as we praise and worship the Father,
lifting up His Son Jesus Christ, He inhabits our praises, draws men unto Him
pouring out His Spirit, healing the sick, setting captives free, releasing the
prisoner from darkness, and placing a garment of praise upon those with a
spirit of heaviness.
6) PRAISE: Finally, the choir ministry logo speaks
to the fact that the Voices of Praise has been called to make His praise
glorious! Our God is worthy of the highest praise. The most common word for praise in the Old
Testament is “hallal” which means to shine, make a boast, revel, dance, and to
clamor foolishly before the Lord. The
choir is a ministry of His presence that is called to shine (hallal), declare,
and show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His
marvelous light! We desire to show forth (or shine) His glory, to make
His praise glorious, and to sing the glory of His Name! Hallel 'u' Yah!
Jesus, we crown You with praise! This is the
symbolic meaning of the Voices of Praise ministry logo.
Pastor Chad Stafford, August 20, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)