#25: February 27, 2008

It’s almost been a week. Today’s post was drawn from Numbers 10.

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And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.
Numbers 10:9

So the LORD spoke to Moses and told him to make two silver trumpets. He gave a description of how they were to be used. One of which was to sound it during war, so that “you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.”

Remembered? Doesn’t that imply God forgets things? You could almost imagine one of those cartoons where you have the big guy in the sky, with just the feet showing, and suddenly he hears a trumpet and goes, “Oh you’re still around! What is it you want now? Ohhh you’re fighting a war. Ok. Give me a minute while I hatch a plan to save you.”

But God doesn’t forget things. He’s sovereign over everything. Nothing happens that escapes His attention, simply because everything that happens is ordained by Him. So why the word ‘remember’?

It’s because it gives all glory to God. Picture this. Which scenario glorifies God more? The one where you’re fighting and suddenly your enemies turn and flee, and you’re left wondering what they’re doing? Or the one where you’re fighting and you call to God for help and He sends your enemies fleeing? It clearly is the second. It’s not a matter of God remembering us, because He always remembers us, but it is us remembering Him.

It’s a prayer for God to remember us. “Don’t forget us! We need you!” That should be the plea of every one of God’s people. The Israelites back in history, and we who are the people of God through Jesus Christ. It also serves to remind us that we are His people. “Remember us! We are the ones You have chosen to save!” It’s also an answered prayer. God always remembers us. But sometimes we just can’t feel His closeness. So we ask Him to remember us, and the fact is He does!

So when we’re facing trouble, we shouldn’t just face it on our own, and hope for divine intervention. We should call out to God, to remember us, and deliver us. It’s a sure promise. His method of deliverance might not be what we have in mind, but He will remember us and deliver us according to His good purpose.

And finally, if there are any doubts regarding this promise, it’s worth bearing in mind that we who are in Jesus Christ have called on His name, and we have been saved!

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#24: February 21, 2008

Today’s reflection is drawn from Leviticus 16.

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Leviticus 16 is a description of the Day of Atonement. One day a year, the high priest was to go into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for the sins of Israel.

It’s was a very long and drawn out process, but for good reason. The high priest had to be clean before God to enter before the mercy seat on the ark where God was said to dwell. Tradition has it that the high priest would wear a rope around his foot. If he was not clean before God, he would be struck down. And the other priests would have to pull him out, as they would not be able to physically enter the place and carry him out.

It was an extremely serious affair. And it’s such a contrast with the position we are in today. In the New Testament letters, there is much on our freedom to approach God with confidence. We are, by nature, just as sinful as the high priests during the time of Israel. The only difference is that we now have a high priest who has atoned for our sins once and for all. His name is Jesus. Hebrews 7 states that “unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”

It is through Jesus that we are righteous – without sin. It is by the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus that we have the confidence to freely approach the throne of God. And how significant that is!

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16

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#23: February 20, 2008

I’m breaking from tradition to select certain verses from within the book of Leviticus. Today’s was from Leviticus 11.

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For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Leviticus 11:45

Leviticus is a book of Law. Here God tells the Israelites what is permissible and what is not permissible. He distinguishes between the clean and the unclean. He sets forth a pattern of offerings. He ordains a series of festivals.

But then you get bits like the above, which cuts through the letter of the law towards the spirit of the law.

Why was God being so particular with His laws? The verse above is a perfect answer.

God had specifically chosen the Israelites to be His people, redeeming them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Because He had rescued them to be their God, it was only fitting that they should be holy, as a reflection of the holiness of God.

This line of reasoning may not seem to make much sense. I wrestled with it for a while. But I believe the key bit is to understand what it means to have someone or something as our ‘God’. When we have a God, we want to follow it, become like it, because we idolise it. We see it and utter, “Wow! I want to be just like that!” If something or someone is the god of our lives, we unconsciously express it.

And here the people were in awe of God. After all, just moments before, they had all fallen facedown in worship before the presence of God. And so God ordains that if they are going to worship Him as their God, then it is necessary for them to express Him properly. And God is holy. So His people must be holy. If they were not holy, they could not be His people. For God cannot tolerate sin. How then can He call a people His own if they are sinful?

There’s one more thing though that caught my attention. “For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God.” God doesn’t appeal to His awesome power. God appeals to His awesome redemption. Because of His powerful redemption, the Israelites ought to be holy.

The Israelites should be responding out of gratefulness! That God has freed them from bondage. But that, as the course of history progresses, is far from what really happens. The Israelites are an ungrateful people. But then so are we. Mankind is rebellious by nature. We have hearts of stone that cannot appreciate the freedom God offers.

It’s in this context that what Jesus has done for us contrasts so vividly! Read 1 Peter 1. And see the difference. The call is there at the end, to be holy just as the One who called us is holy. And the reasons are the same, that we are a redeemed people. But there’s one crucial difference. The new birth that comes from God. We no longer have hearts of stone. Peter says that we should rejoice in what this new birth has brought us. And so we should! How then do we respond?

Be holy, because the One who has called us is holy.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:14-16

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#22: February 19, 2008

Well. It's been a long 12 days. In that period, the reading guide has moved on and is now midway between Leviticus. Leviticus is somewhat repetitive, but there are pretty eye opening bits in there. Today's is one such bit, and can be found in Leviticus 9.

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When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
Leviticus 9:23-24

I just want to draw attention to a particular bit. Namely when all the people saw the glory of God, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

Not facedown in fear. But facedown in joy.

There's a need to visualise this scene somewhat. There's a need to comprehend the very nature of God's glory. The nature of it that brings joy. And the nature of it that causes us to fall facedown.

It's not hard to do that, being in the UK. There are times when it's freezing. Like yesterday morning. I think the temperature was -5 or something. It's actually been a very warm February, apparently the warmest ever, but yesterday was a bit freakish. And so everything was frosted. Including me. And when you're cold, it's horrible. If I had to decide between being cold, or being hot in Malaysia, I'll pick the latter any day.

But then the sun came out. And when you're standing in the sun, it's suddenly a lot warmer. The air around you might be rather cold, but you can feel the warmth of the sun. And it's a pretty joyful moment. The feeling of warmth.

That's an imperfect metaphor of God's glory. It's like the sun shining on you in the cold. Or in an equatorial sense, you could probably compare it to freezing in an air-conditioned room, before walking out into the hot outdoors. There's an inherent joyfulness to be found in it. In this biblical context, I believe it's a display of God's power that's the source of joy. It is also a display of God's approval for the sacrifice that is a source of joy.

Before I draw some parallels with today, there's one more aspect to look at. Why fall facedown? Matt Redman has a good phrase to encapture this: "When you face up to God's glory, you find yourself facedown in worship." It's a natural response. We become so captivated with the Almighty that to fall before him in total surrender seems the only appropriate response. And the Israelites saw the power of God and could only respond in facedown worship. It's like a sun so bright, you can't look at it, yet it doesn't matter, because you can feel it.

It's a powerful image, this display of joyful facedown worship. It means three things for us. First, God is so great that to face up to His glory causes us to fall facedown before Him. Second, experiencing the glory of God brings us joy. Third, if God is so great, then surely the joy we find in Him must be the greatest of all joys.

And if this is the greatest of all joys, then why do we not seek it wholeheartedly? There are many reasons for this, but they mainly result from the fact that we are never fully convinced of this reality. But I believe that while we can never remain fully convince of this reality in this life, being in Jesus, we are in a position today to experience such joy, in increasing measure.

Where do we start? Just as God revealed Himself through the sacrifices of the Israelites, we can do likewise today. Not slaughter a ram or goat, but as Paul advises us in Romans, to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - because this is our spiritual act of worship.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2

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What has happened?

Yes. There clearly seems to be a failure going on here.

Instead of progressing, it's regressing. So here's what I have been up to this week:

Work.

House. Best TV series in the world. Well, in my world at least.

A movie or two.

Shocking really. And for some reason I've been extremely tired the whole week. Meaning I haven't been able to get myself out of bed until half an hour before lectures. Not sure whether there's a correlation to the work.

Anyways, this column will resume normal service very soon. I'm thinking Tuesday. Or possibly Monday. But Tuesday sounds like a more reasonable target.

Hiatus

I will be gone for the weekend, without my laptop. And I had no time to post today after a late night of work. So this will resume Monday. Or Sunday. Depending on how my schedule works out.

#21: February 7, 2008

It’s getting rather tough. I’m now approaching the section of the Bible with all the descriptive imagery of building the tabernacle and its furnishings. And yes I almost thought, this looks so dull and uninspiring in terms of insight, until... Anyways today’s reading was taken from Exodus 25-27.

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You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.
Exodus 27:20-21

First, I must marvel at the precision with which God gave instructions. It really does show that our God is a God of order, that our science and technology today are reflections of this particular nature of God. But this pattern does repeat itself constantly across the next few chapters. And as much as I enjoy seeing God as a God of order and creative design, I would love to be able to write something different in this space every day.

Then I came across this verse above. Why keep a lamp burning?

I believe it’s a symbolic reminder of the presence of God in the lives of the Israelites.

Similarly today, we have our own lamp. And I believe we are commanded to keep it burning. Not with olive oil, but with the Word of God and with prayer. And we are to let it burn bright through our good deeds. Jesus called us to be the light of the world, to let our light shine before men, that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven.

And it’s particularly important that it continues burning. Because it is a reminder of what Jesus has done for us, redeeming us for good works. In Revelation, Jesus warns the church at Ephesus with this sort of symbolism, to repent and return to their first love, or have their lampstand remove from its place. That is indeed a serious situation to be in. If our lampstand is removed, we are no longer light, but are in the darkness. And those in the darkness will perish.

It is particularly serious that we let our light shine before men. There’s no such thing as a decorative lampstand. But here’s the upside. We would be foolish not to do so. Jesus promises, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven
Matthew 5:14-16

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#20: February 6, 2008

Today's reading was from Exodus 22-24.I must admit that I have a penchant for picking bizarre looking verses. But in part they’re the bits that catch my attention, and they are in the Bible for a reason. Today’s post is probably the longest yet, but I got carried away :)

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And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words."
Exodus 24:8

This sounds extremely, well, bloody. It does comes across as rather unpleasant, the sprinkling of blood on people.

Just to put the verse into context, the people are at Mt. Sinai. God had given His people some laws to follow, and the people had agreed to follow them: “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” Then Moses writes down all the words of the LORD, I’m assuming into what is then referred to as the Book of the Covenant. There are sacrifices of oxen, half the blood is taken and placed in basins, and the other half Moses throws against the altar. He reads from the Book of the Covenant, and the people reply, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses takes the blood and throws it on the people, thus the verse above.

So note here. We have half the blood thrown against the altar. The Book of the Covenant is read. The people commit to following it. And the other half of the blood is thrown on them.

It’s a very important order to keep straight in our heads. A covenant was being made here. And the covenant was sealed by blood. A half was thrown on the altar to represent God’s commitment, and the other half was thrown on the people to represent the people’s commitment.

But blood...why blood? There was something symbolically important about blood. Blood was said to contain the life force of the person. The word bloodshed, doesn’t mean a cut and a bit of bleeding; it means a killing has taken place. A blood covenant was a covenant of the very highest order. If it was broken, then the fate of the guilty party would be the same as the animal offering - bloodshed.

What a predicament the Israelites found themselves in! They broke the covenant countless times and yet they were spared that horrible fate. And how foolish the Pharisees were in Jesus’ time. His coming had been foretold from this moment on. That God’s people had survived despite their unfaithfulness was owing to God’s amazing plan to be carried out through Jesus. Instead the Pharisees took their ‘righteousness’ for granted, not realising they had a blood penalty to be paid.

How blessed we are today! That blood penalty has been paid, for those God has chosen to redeem. During the Last Supper, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” In Matthew, He says, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” But can you imagine how terrible it was at the very moment of Jesus’ death? Can you imagine the size of the penalty that had to be paid?

We can easily let Jesus’ crucifixion slip into the back of our minds, but something immense was happening at that very moment. And it’s something we should never forget. Blood was spilled. And a covenant was made.

And no the story doesn’t end there. It can’t. Jesus had to rise from the dead for the covenant to be everlasting. And so He did.

The gospel’s amazing, isn’t it?

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18

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#19: February 5, 2008

Today's reading was from Exodus 19-21. Yep. The section with the Ten Commandments in it.

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“I the LORD your God am a jealous God.”

How is God jealous?

Being described as jealous doesn’t really sound like a compliment. Just checking an online dictionary confirms this intuition – God is described as "intolerant of disloyalty or infidelity". This is somewhat true given God’s intolerance of sin. But I believe there’s a more complete definition – “vigilant in guarding something”.

God explains Himself here. “...am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” By definition, this is what God’s jealousy does – He visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children and He shows steadfast love to those who love Him.

God is guarding His possession. He’s going to punish those who fall out of line. That’s how serious He is about guarding His possession. But He’s also going to reward those who remain His possession. That’s how much He loves His possession. He’s not willing that they make gods of other things, because He knows How much more precious He is. God is not only guarding His possession, He’s first and foremost guarding His name and the glory of it.

He’s showing the Israelites how infinitely valuable He is - “I am jealous, I do not want you worshipping other gods. Because I KNOW that I’m the only one worthy of your worship. I am the Creator, not the created.” (not quoted from the Bible)

If we could begin to wrap our minds around the notion of God’s glory, grasp the value of His name, and realise how valuable we are in His sight, created in the image of God, we would be proud to have a jealous God. We would be thankful that He constantly upholds the value of His name. Not that it will become any less valuable if He did not do so, but that in doing so He places prime value on His name above everything else. We would be thankful that He constantly guards His possession, we who are redeemed, not willing to let anyone fall, helping us persevere till the day of our death.

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#18: February 4, 2008

Today's reading was from Exodus 16-18.
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The Israelites just don’t get satisfied do they? First they complain about water, then they complain about food, then they complain about water and so on so forth...

But what’s interesting today was the little account of the battle with Amalek. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. And so Aaron and Hur stood on either side of Moses to hold up his hands, and they were steady, and Israel prevailed.

I find that a very fitting metaphor of the church. We need support. There’s no such thing as a lone wolf Christian. It’s an oxymoron. We all need our Aarons and Hurs, to support us when we grow weary. So I’m rather thankful that God has instituted the church for such a purpose, and that he has given me fellow Christians around me to ‘hold up my hands’.

#17: February 3, 2008

Today's reading was Exodus 13-15.
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Humans are rather forgetful creatures. As I read the book of Exodus, and see all the miracles God performs before Israel, and the awe-inspiring image of the Red Sea parting to let them through, I laugh when the Israelites rejoice for a while, then begin grumbling after 3 days without water. And when they get water, they complain that it is bitter.

The Israelites are a complaining people. But we are not so different today. We complain a lot as well. It is no wonder that Paul preaches to us to be content with what we have, to do everything without complaining or arguing, as to stand out from the world.

Sometimes I’d think that I would never complain about God not doing anything if I had seen something as miraculous as the Red Sea parting. But as I dwell on that thought further, I realise that the biggest miracle of all is that which is supernatural. The Red Sea was parted by a strong east wind sent by God. But there is no natural precedent for resurrecting the dead to life. That is truly the miracle, because only God can do that. And I am part of that miracle, for I was once dead, but now I am alive. As long as I remember this, it is proof enough that I have no reason to complain, that I have no reason to doubt that God is at work in this life.

But coming back full circle, humans after all ARE rather forgetful creatures. In light of this, I believe it is important to make every effort to remind ourselves of what God has done for us, of which first and foremost is the miracle of salvation – that He took this dead man and raised me to life.

#16: February 2, 2008

Today's reading was Exodus 10-12.
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I find it extremely intriguing that it was called the Passover. My initial thought has always been along the lines of the fact that God passed over the houses with the blood of the lamb painted on their door posts, and therefore that is the reason why it’s called the Passover.

But it was also a foretelling of God’s future plans. Romans 3:25 uses the term again.

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

In His divine forebearance, God had passed over former sins. The Israelite firstborns were technically no different from the Egyptian firstborns. All had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. God could have wiped them out as well. But God spared the Israelite firstborns because of the blood of the lamb, which looked forward to the time when the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, would eventually be the propitiation for our sin. Jesus is not only our Saviour today, but He was already the Saviour of the Israelites back in Moses’ time. God had only passed over them, and all the sacrifices from here onwards looked to the day when Jesus would eventually pay the penalty once and for all.

Is it relevant today? Yes. God is righteous and just and will punish all sin. But we are spared. And this is not because we have simply been passed over, but in fact because His wrath against us has been spent in Jesus. While the Israelites in the time of Moses could only marvel at the mercy of God in passing over their sin, we are so much more privileged today to stand in the grace of God, knowing that we have not been passed over, but have been redeemed.

#15: February 1, 2008

Centuries of theological debate have centred on the themes of predestination and free will. And I know my views are not even going to leave a dent on the wealth of arguments by brilliant theologians and philosophers.

But as vast and controversial as the debate is, it’s still important for me to know. Do we really have a choice in the end? It is this that presses in from today’s reading from Exodus 7-9.
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If God can harden hearts, then does free will really exist?

The phrase ‘free will’ is rather interesting. Experientially as humans, we do regard ourselves as having free will, the ability to make choices. We know whether we choose to accept or reject Jesus. But our wills aren’t really free. They’re enslaved to sin. ‘Free will’ doesn’t really exist because we always choose to reject God.

If someone has a choice, it is God.

It is God then who chooses to be gracious to whom He will be gracious, and to show mercy on whom he will show mercy, as He tells Moses in Exodus 33. To those He has chosen He lets light shine out of the darkness of their hearts and opens their eyes and ears, creating the miracle of new birth. There is an irresistible calling, because once we have seen the light of Jesus, we no longer want to return to the darkness of this world. For the first time in our lives, we actually have ‘free will’, because we suddenly have another choice before us. A choice of redemption. And we always choose the better choice.

There is no boast for the chosen, except in Jesus Christ alone. Instead, a profound sense of humility in the face of God’s sovereignty in redemption displaces the pride that we once took in our efforts. And there dawns a sense of unlimited joy because of the life we have found. But no, it doesn’t stop there. No Christian can truly enjoy being in the light while others still suffer in the darkness. That is our call. Just like Moses did the speaking, and God performed the miracles, so likewise today, all we have to do is tell others the good news of Jesus, and let God do the miracle of new birth. We do the work, He delivers the results.

Passion: God of this City - My two cents

Well. I figured since I was going to be no.7 on Google search, I might as well give more than a one-word review, as accurate as it was.

1. Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin
I have no clue which gathering this is taken from, but I have a gut feeling it was the closing song of Passion 07 at Atlanta, because it sounds a lot like it. I might be wrong. Either way, it's a pretty awesome opener to the album, and it has really given me second thoughts about this song, which did not stand out straight away on Tomlin's See the Morning album.

2. You are God - Charlie Hall
I'm assuming this song was recorded from Atlanta as well and was the one available on iTunes. Again I might be wrong. But if it is, they've cut the song and left out the part where Charlie starts talking quite a bit. Regardless, it's a good song - classic Charlie Hall.

3. God of this City - Chris Tomlin
This is an amazing song. There are songs that come every so often and grab your attention. This is one of them. The title song is really what makes Passion, well, Passion. Powerful crowd moments in this one. And it embodies the vision of Passion itself, that greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in cities around the world. Simply inspiring.

4. O For a Thousand Tongues to - David Crowder Band
This song has stayed in the uppermost recesses of my mind ever since those 4 days in Atlanta. One reason mainly because it was a new tune from my favourite band. But because there was something powerful about this song that just stayed with me. I eagerly wanted to hear a copy of the song, so I searched the web, but sadly no one had recorded it. Then when Remedy was announced, I was eager as a beaver. When the song came out, it did sound slightly different. And now I realise that my suspicions were right about the speed of the live version. As Everything Glorious was slower live, this song was faster live. Regardless, it's a good song, made awesome by that one memory and the long wait :)

5. Hosanna - Christy Nockels
Impressive. Tomlin has increasingly used Hillsong United music in his worship sets. This one's taken off one of the regionals, (after all the song came out after Atlanta) but it captures all the hook and verve of the original version, which happened to be the only song I truly enjoyed on the United CD - won't go any further on this since our likes and dislikes are all rather relative anyways.

6. Sing Sing Sing - Chris Tomlin
People feared another Party. In defense of Party, I understand that songs that were powerful live might not sound as good to outsiders who weren't part of the experience. But still... Anyways, no need to fear, because this song is just pure energy, Tomlin style.

7. Beautiful Jesus - Kristian Stanfill
Refreshing change from the usual Passion artists. It's a simple but beautifully crafted (no pun with the title intended) song that sticks in your head and has you humming along unconsciously at times.

8. Walk the World - Charlie Hall
Another song that stuck with me at Atlanta. Not sure where this recording was from though. But this song is musically amazing and the chorus is plain catchy. And for me it embodied the message of Passion 07 as well, to shine.

9. We Shine - Steve Fee
Monster. Because I've run out of superlatives. But this was a monster recording. Transports you back to the moment of the song.

10. God of our Yesterdays - Matt Redman
New Redman song. Was looking forward to hear it when news of this album came out. After the previous monster of a song, this song opens on a rather soft note, with the keys playing. And this is a song with a message very much in the vein of Redman's Blessed be Your Name and You Never Let Go, married to a tune that well, you can only describe as befitting it.

11. Glory of It All - David Crowder Band
The most powerful moment of Passion 07 for me, which left me in a profound state of mind after the tears of the previous songs. Granted I do believe the recording's taken from the Philips Arena, whereas I experienced this song at the GWCC. But it is the same song, and it's probably my favourite song at this point in time, because it's a simple reminder of what this life is really all about. Simple lyrics, Crowder music, divinely inspired experience - what more do I have to say?

12. Shine - Matt Redman
This was also one of those powerful moments of worship at Passion 07. And the poetry in this song is actually fantastic. It was one of those songs that would just stick in your head afterwards. Can a songwriter ask for anything else?

13. Dancing Generation - Matt Redman
This song feels a bit strange. The crowd sounded slightly half hearted at the start and in places. If this was Atlanta, maybe because it was only day two, and the first song of the morning session? Either way, it's probably the least favourite song of the whole album for me. But maybe that's just because the others were amazing (no pun intended regarding the title of the next song either) *EDIT*Well with a couple more listens, this song does begin to grow on you...*EDIT*

14. Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) - Chris Tomlin
This is the one that was available on iTunes as well. It's a good song. It was a worshipful moment. But hearing it on the album, it does feel a bit long. My favourite version of Amazing Grace is still the Crowder one that's circulating on YouTube.
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Well that's my song-by-song two cents. But there's a saying: the sum of the whole is greater than its parts. And this is certainly the case for Passion: God of This City. It is an awesome album, with awesome moments, but more importantly it has a message for us to go and do something awesome, because our God is awesome. There are a collection of inspiring worship numbers that might become rather popular with the global church. And it's certainly my favourite of the series so far, after the 2005 album, because there's just something powerfully inspiring about it that I can't place my finger on...God maybe?