“Q: What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?

“A: The duties required in the ninth commandment are the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man and the good name of our neighbor, . . . loving, desiring and rejoicing in their good name; . . . a ready receiving of a good report and unwillingness to admit of an evil report concerning them.

“So says the Westminster Larger Catechism. The Bible itself is so clear against gossip, probably because we are so inclined toward gossip:

“O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

“He who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; Psalm 15:1, 3

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: . . .
a false witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers. Proverbs 6:16, 19

“You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:16

“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. James 4:11

“Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret. Proverbs 25:9

“God gave them up to a debased mind . . . They are gossips. Romans 1:28-29

“There are many biblical passages confronting gossip. The witness of God against this sin is overwhelming.

“What is gossip? It is not necessarily false information. Slander is false. Gossip might include true information, and maybe that’s why gossip doesn’t always feel sinful. What makes it sin is, first and foremost, that God says it’s sin. But gossip spreads what can include accurate information to diminish another person. That is not how people behave when they are living in the power of the grace of God.

“Gossip is our dark moral fervor eagerly seeking gratification. Gossip makes us feel important and needed as we declare our judgments. It makes us feel included to know the inside scoop. It makes us feel powerful to cut someone else down to size, especially someone we are jealous of. It makes us feel righteous, even responsible, to pronounce someone else guilty. Gossip can feel good in multiple ways. But it is of the flesh, not of the Spirit.

“Adultery too is a serious sin, and one likely to be disciplined in a church. But I have never seen a church split over the sin of adultery. Gossip is a sin rarely disciplined but often more socially destructive than the sensational sins.

“Gossip leaves a wide trail of devastation wherever and however it goes – word of mouth, email, blogging, YouTube. It erodes trust and destroys morale. It creates a social environment of suspicion where everyone must wonder what is being said behind his or her backs and whether appearances of friendship are sincere. It ruins hard-won reputations with cowardly but effective weapons of misrepresentation. It manipulates people into taking sides when no such action is necessary or beneficial. It unleashes the dark powers of psychological transference, doing violence to the gossiper, to the one receiving the gossip and to the person being spoken against. It makes the Body of Christ look like the Body of Antichrist – destroyers rather than healers. It exhausts the energies we would otherwise devote to positive witness. It robs our Lord of the Church he deserves. It exposes the hostility in our hearts and discredits the gospel in the eyes of the world. Then we wonder why we don’t see more conversions, why ‘the ground is so hard.’

“What should we do when a conversation starts slipping into gossip? We should immediately challenge the sin: ‘Hey friend, sorry to interrupt, but this is gossip. So here’s the deal. This conversation is now on hold until you go get _____________, and then you can start over and say whatever you feel you must say right to his face. I am willing to be a witness to that conversation, but I will not participate in gossip. What do you choose to do?’ Amy Carmichael established this rule at her mission station: ‘Never about, always to.’

“’Let all things be done for building up’ (1 Corinthians 14:26). Therefore, let’s always ask ourselves, ‘These words about to rise up out of my mouth or go out through my keyboard – do they build up? Am I being constructive? If the person I feel like discussing were here with me right now, how would his presence change what I feel like saying?’

“’Do not be deceived: . . . revilers will not inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.’” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

O my Lord,
Let not my ministry be approved only by men,
or merely win the esteem and affections of people;
But do the work of grace in their hearts,
call in Your elect,
seal and edify the regenerate ones,
and command eternal blessings on their souls.
Save me from self-opinion and self-seeking;
Water the hearts of those who hear Your Word,
that seed sown in weakness may be raised in power;
Cause me and those that hear me
to behold You here in the light of special faith,
and hereafter in the blaze of endless glory;
Make my every sermon a means of grace to myself,
and help me to experience the power of Your dying love,
For Your blood is balm,
Your presence, bliss,
Your smile, heaven,
Your cross, the place where truth and mercy meet.
Look upon the doubts and discouragements
of my ministry and keep me from self-importance;
I beg pardon for my many sins, omissions, infirmities as a minister;
Command Your blessing on my weak, unworthy labors
and on the message of salvation given;
Stay with Your people, and may Your presence be their portion and mine.
When I preach to others let not my words be merely elegant and masterly,
my reasoning, polished and refined,
my performance, powerless and tasteless
but may I exalt You and humble sinners.

O Lord of power and grace,
all hearts are in Your hands,
all events at Your disposal,
Set the seal of Your almighty will upon my ministry.

- Valley of Vision

Leading people in worship—whether you are behind a kit, keyboard, guitar, violin, cello, sax or microphone—is something that should be taken seriously. Being a husband, wife or godly single is something that should be taken seriously. Being a mother or father is something that should be taken seriously. Being a Christ-follower is definitely something that should be taken seriously.

Some of us have been together for 10 years, some of us for one weekend. No matter the time period, I want to ask a difficult question: “Are we growing?”

Are we growing in godliness? (*2 Pet. 1:3-11)

Are you increasing in virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love (2 Pet. 1)?

The Holy Spirit not only defends against sin, but He attacks it by producing godly character in believers. Do you reflect the character of God with love? Are you joyful? Are you a person of peace? Are you patient, kind, good, faithful and gentle? Do you resist the flesh with self-control? Do you lead in humility? (So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Col. 3:12) Do you love the Bible? (I rejoice at Your Word, as one who finds great spoil. Ps. 119:162) Are you growing in godliness? If not, do you desire to grow in these areas?

Are we growing in preparedness?

Pre•par•ed•ness refers to the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable events or situations. It is an important quality in achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes.

It is expected that we arrive for rehearsal on Sundays prepared. This means opening Planning Center Online earlier in the week, show up on time and have our parts practiced. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of being able to play with the same band every week, which means you show up once a month with a new group of people. In a two-hour period, you are expected to not only hammer out each of the songs, but to gel with one another and actually worship—the reason we gather each Sunday anyway. I’m certainly not speaking of the weeks I get the songs out too late. I’ve done this over the years and I’m sorry. I am working on getting that list out earlier each week.

Are you growing in preparedness? If not, do you desire to grow in this area?

Are we growing in our gifting; are we improving?

We’re all presented with the challenge of how to improve our capacity for creative expression and grow in our gifting.

The key to improving is recognizing your weaknesses on your instrument, and not shying away from them; rather, face them head on. This may require a great teacher and is certainly something that any musician should be considering, regardless of ability or experience. A good teacher will point you towards areas for improvement, and give you strategies and practice techniques to move forward.

Here are just three areas to consider:

1. Ear -
   Often a musician will be more proficient at one of these and the other will lack somewhat. Listening to a song and working out the parts on your instrument is a great way to learn to play what you hear. This is a really helpful skill for playing within our team, but also writing parts for songs.
2. Timing -
   Every musician/vocalist should own and practice with a metronome. Start by singing or playing a song you already know. Break it down into small pieces—an intro riff or verse melody—and practice one of these with the click repetitively for at least 2 minutes. Work on articulation, precision and rhythmic accuracy. Change the tempo and try the same line again.
3. Creativity -
   Practice being creative. Improvisation and writing parts, making melodies on the spot is one of the great aspects of music. Like any other activity, practice improves your ability to create what you want to create. I recommend doing this with other musicians. One of you might play chords under a singer/other instrumentalist and then switch it around. Practice coming up with parts over different chords. Buy a recording device, and you can do this anytime. Enjoy the process of honing your skills and opening new possibilities for creative expression on your instruments.

Know and understand your role. You are a worship leader (musician/vocalist) standing on a stage in front of many people who will either think about you or about God. Though we can’t control the thoughts of others but we can certainly keep from being a distraction as we point others to God as we worship Him. Do you want people to think about you, or is the worship of God your desire?

Understand the big picture. Is there is a spot where you can let the song breathe a bit, or will you have to fill that hole? Less is more.

Here is some help in the area of growing in our musical gifts:

+ Vocalists, are you singing on days other than Sundays? Are you strengthening your vocal cords? Just as you lift weights to strengthen certain muscles at the gym, you should be singing often and learning to breathe well in order to strengthen your vocal cords. Check out this website for more information on voice functioning, as well as videos of what’s actually going on when you’re singing (pretty interesting).

Are you using the Vocal Coach CD, or something comparable, to warm up your voice and expand your range? If not, I would highly recommend you do so.

Resources:
Vocal Technique
Basic Vocal Techniques
Vocal Training in Dallas – 1
Vocal Training in Dallas – 2
How to Breathe When Singing
How to Sing With Your Diaphragm

Recommended Listening:
Passion (Christy Nockels), Hillsong (Jill McCloghry & Brooke Ligertwood), Joy Williams, Sara Bareilles, Natalie Grant, Regina Spektor , Kendall Payne, Christina Aguilera and Sarah McLachlan.

Listen for things like pitch (sharp/flat), rhythm, when and how they breathe, diction, crescendo (to get gradually louder), decrescendo (to get gradually softer), staccato (singing the notes in a short and detached way, usually used for fast or happy and lively songs) and legato (singing in a smooth and jointed fashion), vibrato (a rapid, slight variation in pitch) and when and how they choose to belt their voice and or soften it.

Resources Electric:
The Pursuit of Tone
Electric Guitar Amps/Pedal Boards (by Jeff Capps)
Amp Settings
Guitars, Riffs and Songwriting
Nigel playing ‘Stronger’ (Hillsong)

Resources Bass:
Bob playing ‘Desert Song’ (Hillsong)
Ads playing ‘Stronger’ (Hillsong)
Ads playing ‘Run’ (Hillsong)

Recommended listening:
U2 (The Edge), Hillsong United (Nigel), Chris Tomlin (Daniel), The Fray (Joe King)

Resources:
Finding the Pocket
Exponential Motivation
Rolf playing ‘Stronger’ (Hillsong)
Rolf playing ‘Run’ (Hillsong)

Recommended listening:
‘Absolute’ & ‘You Found Me’ by The Fray, ‘You Won’t Relent’ by Chris Quilala & Kim Walker, ‘Hosanna’ by Starfield, ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay, ‘My Love, My Enemy’ & ‘Someday, Sarah’ by Dave Barnes, ‘We The Redeemed’ and ‘You Hold Me Now’ by Hillsong, ‘God of Justice’ by Tim Hughes, ‘Love Invades’ by Robbie Seay Band and ‘Move’ & ‘Free’ by Mercy Me.

Resources:
Approach to Keyboard Playing
Pete’s Gear List
Listening/Musical Influences
Playing ‘Stronger’ (Hillsong)
Playing ‘Desert Song’ (Hillsong)

Recommended Listening:
Hillsong (Great use of pads, piano, Rhodes, delay, etc), Coldplay, Tim Hughes (esp. ‘God of Justice’ it’s tough timing and ‘When I Survey’ from the “Happy Day-Live Worship” CD), The Fray, Jamie Cullum (Twentysomething), Josh Drew (Call or email him. He is an amazing teacher) and Keith Jarrett (The Koln Concert).

Are you growing in your gifting? Are you improving? If not, do you desire to grow in this area?

Are we serving for the right reasons and in the right ministry?

I know that serving in the worship ministry takes time and energy. I know it’s a sacrifice. You give up at least one night of the week of your rotation to rehearse the songs on your own, and then you show up on Sunday and give up that whole day. I know that some of you have families and other responsibilities that wait for them as soon as they get home on Sunday night and/or Monday morning. I know you can grow weary; but I also know that the Lord will provide. I know if you are serving for the right reasons, in the right ministry, God will be glorified. Are you serving for the right reasons? Pray and ask the Lord.

Let me know if serving in this ministry is too time consuming or wearisome.

Please answer these questions:

Are you growing in godliness, preparedness and gifting/creativity?

If your answer is “no,”are you willing to pursue these things?

Are you serving for the right reasons and in the right ministry?

I love you and am honored to serve alongside you at The Village making much of our great God and King!

* 2 Peter 1:3-11 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Additional Resources
Chords & Lyrics | Audio Only
Music from The Village

• In Christ Alone
• Stronger
• When I Survey
• O God of Our Salvation | Other Village Music
• Holy, Holy, Holy
• You’re Beautiful
• Before the Throne of God Above
• Grace Greater Than Our Sin (Arrangement and Bridge by Adam Crawford) | Other Village Music
• In My Place | Other Village Music

Some have also asked about the prayer book Lauren Chandler read from before each session. It’s called “The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. “ It’s available from Amazon.

If you have any other questions, e-mail me or check out our website.

I keep a copy of the prayer on my desk and backstage so I can always reference it quickly. I posted it below in hopes that it also may encourage and strengthen your prayer time as you plead for the souls of your people.

“The life-giving preacher is a man of God, whose heart is ever athirst for God, whose soul is ever following hard after God, whose eye is single to God, and in whom by the power of God’s Spirit the flesh and the world have been crucified and his ministry is like the generous flood of a life-giving river.

“God, deliver us from the professionalizers! Deliver us from the low, managing, contriving, maneuvering temper of mind among us. God, give us tears for our sins. Forgive us for being so shallow in prayer, so thin in our grasp of holy verities (truths), so content amid perishing neighbors, so empty of passion and earnestness in all our conversation. Restore to us the childlike joy of our salvation. Frighten us with the awesome holiness and power of Him who can cast both soul and body into hell. Cause us to hold to the cross with fear and trembling as our hope-filled and offensive tree of life. Grant us nothing, absolutely nothing, the way the world views it. May Christ be all in all.

“Banish professionalism from our midst, Oh God, and in its place put passionate prayer, poverty of spirit, hunger for God, rigorous study of holy things, white-hot devotion to Jesus Christ, utter indifference to all material gain, and unremitting labor to rescue the perishing, perfect the saints, and glorify our sovereign Lord.

“Humble us, O God, under Your mighty hand, and let us rise, not as professionals, but as witnesses and partakers of the sufferings of Christ. In His awesome name. Amen.”

Thankfully, my rebellion quickly became apparent and I moved away. I have since learned that a disregard for the Lord and His way is always wrought with pain, darkness and sin.

In one of my favorite passages of Scripture, we see another rebel recklessly throwing away all that he owned in search of his own way:

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Don’t miss that his father saw him (he must have been watching for his son), ran to meet him (running was considered to be undignified for an older person), and embraced him, which literally means, “fell on his neck.”

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Bob Kauflin says, “Good art has a way of pointing our eyes to what matters most.” Watching the art below not only pointed my eyes to the Savior, but also filled them with tears as I was again reminded of the great love with which my Father loves me.

Here are the lyrics:
You held out Your arms, I walked away
Insolent I spurned Your face
Squandering the gifts You gave to me
Holding close forbidden things
Destitute a rebel still, a fool in all my pride
The world I once enjoyed is death to me
No joy, no hope, no life

Where now are the friends, that I had bought
Gone with every penny lost
What hope could there be for such as I
Sold out to a world of lies
Oh, to see Your face again, it seems so distant now
Could it be that You would take me back
A servant in Your house

You held out Your arms, I see them still
You never left, You never will
Running to embrace me, now I know
Your cords of love will always hold
Mercy’s robe, a ring of grace
Such favor undeserved
You sing over me and celebrate
The rebel now Your child
© 2009 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).

Additional Resources
Chords & Lyrics | Audio Only
Music from The Village

John Piper defines the law of sin as “a power or an impulse or a principle that is at work in my body to make me at war with myself and to draw me to do evil.”

The law of sin, when obeyed, rips away our desire for God and fills our hearts and minds with doubt, anger, lust, jealousy, etc. — enslaving us to our sin. It’s at work and it’s being put into practice everywhere.  

So if this law is waging war against my mind and making me captive, how do I fight back? How are we to wage war against sin? 

1. Submerge yourself in the depths of this truth: You are justified, meaning you declared righteous in the sight of God. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Our verdict:  Not guilty. All sins forgiven. All guilt removed. All punishment averted because of Christ. 
2. Understand that victory is not won by our own unaided striving. Victory is won by the work of God’s Spirit in us as we’re being sanctified: “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:2). The power to defeat sin and the pardon to forgive sin are “in Christ Jesus,” not any striving of our own. Yet, we fight, and we fight confidently because we are justified, not trusting in our performance, but in the righteousness found in Christ Jesus working in us.
3. Hide the Word of God in your hearts. In Matthew 4:1-11, we see Jesus warring against the devil with Scripture saying, “It is written” four times before “the devil left him.” “All Scripture,” in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “is breathed out by God and profitable for…training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

 Here are a few Scriptures to hide in your hearts: 

• 1 John, specifically 1-2:6.   
• Galatians 5 (memorize verse 24)
• Hebrews 10 (memorize verse 23)
• Psalm 51 (memorize verses 2-4)
• Psalm 79:9
• Romans 13:8-14 (memorize verse 14)
• Romans 6 (memorize verse 1-2; 6)

Informed by the Word of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, our battles within the war turn from debilitating blows to redemptive victories. 

May we stop pretending war isn’t near — acting as though we are safe from its fiery blasts and bloody engagements. 

May we fight well in this war waging all around us. 

May we never forget our victory has already been won and our position secure as sons and daughters of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Additional Resources
Chords & Lyrics | Audio Only
Songs We Sing at The Village