Hymns #41 - Abundant Fields of Grain Shall Wave

Abundant Fields of Grain Shall Wave

Abundant fields of grain shall wave
All white for harvesting,
And boundless joy and gladness fill
The city of the King.

His Name, enduring like the sun,
Shall ever be confessed;
All nations shall be blest in Him,
All men shall call Him blest.

Blest be the Lord, our fathers’ God,
Eternal King of kings,
Who only is omnipotent,
Performing wondrous things.

Blest be His great and glorious Name
For evermore, Amen,
And let His glory fill the earth
From shore to shore. Amen.

(Words from The Psalter)

Hymns #40 - We Gather Together

We Gather Together

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

(Translated from German by Theodore Baker)

Hymns #39 - We Plow the Fields and Scatter

We Plow the Fields and Scatter

We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

Refrain

All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all His love.

He only is the Maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.

Refrain

We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.

Refrain

(Words by Matthias Claudius)

Hymns #38 - Thanks to God

Thanks to God

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a memory,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and stormy fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

(Words by August L. Storm)

Hymns #37 - Now Thank We All Our God

 Now Thank We All Our God

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Words: Mar­tin Rink­art, cir­ca 1636 (Nun dank­et al­le Gott); first ap­peared in Prax­is Pi­e­ta­tis Mel­i­ca, by Jo­hann Crü­ger (Ber­lin, Ger­ma­ny: 1647); trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Cath­er­ine Wink­worth, 1856. Rinkart, a Lu­ther­an min­is­ter, was in Eil­en­burg, Sax­o­ny, dur­ing the Thir­ty Years’ War. The walled ci­ty of Eil­en­burg saw a stea­dy stream of re­fu­gees pour through its gates. The Swed­ish ar­my sur­round­ed the ci­ty, and fa­mine and plague were ramp­ant. Eight hund­red homes were de­stroyed, and the peo­ple be­gan to per­ish. There was a tre­men­dous strain on the pas­tors who had to con­duct do­zens of fun­er­als dai­ly. Fi­nal­ly, the pas­tors, too, suc­cumbed, and Rink­art was the on­ly one left—doing 50 fun­er­als a day. When the Swedes de­mand­ed a huge ran­som, Rink­art left the safe­ty of the walls to plead for mer­cy. The Swed­ish com­mand­er, im­pressed by his faith and cour­age, low­ered his de­mands. Soon af­ter­ward, the Thir­ty Years’ War end­ed, and Rinkart wrote this hymn for a grand cel­e­bra­tion ser­vice. It is a test­a­ment to his faith that, af­ter such mis­e­ry, he was able to write a hymn of abid­ing trust and gra­ti­tude to­ward God.  (From the Cyberhymnal page)

Hymns #37 - Beloved, It Is Well

Beloved, It Is Well

Belovèd, “It is well!”
God’s ways are always right,
And perfect love is o’er them all
Tho’ far above our sight.

Belovèd, “It is well!”
Tho’ deep and sore the smart,
The hand that wounds knows how to bind
And heal the broken heart.

Belovèd, “It is well!”
Tho’ sorrow clouds our way,
’Twill only make the joy more dear
That ushers in the day.

Belovèd, “It is well!”
The path that Jesus trod,
Tho’ rough and strait and dark it be,
Leads home to Heav’n and God.

(Words by George W. Doane)

Hymns #36 - Before the Throne of God Above

Before the Throne of God Above

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

(Words by Charitie L. Bancroft)

John MacArthur Letter #3 - Part 3

Continuing with the letter (see previous two posts):

That commitment runs deep in our ministry.  Decades ago, Grace to You wrote a purpose statement that spells out our long-term goals and priorities.  We refer to it often, we filter decisions through it, we live by it.  Every staff member reads the document every year and affirms it by signature.  It puts in black and white our relationship to the church:

Our role is not to supplant the local church's ministry, but to

support it by providing additional resources for those hungering for

the truth of God's Word.  Media ministries can never substitute for involvement in a biblical church, group Bibld study, or interaction

with a teacher.  Yet we sense the need for more in-depth resources,

evidenced by the many Christians and  Christian leaders worldwide 

who depend on our ministry to supplement their own study.

How does that commitment play itself out?  Put simply, we teach God's Word.  The effect?  The Bible's emphasis on the church becomes our emphasis.  We become a conduit for biblical truth that equips pastors, elders, and Sunday school teachers.  We address and confront from Scripture the trends and threats churches are facing.

By teaching God's Word systematically, we not only help people understand its meaning but also offer a model they can follow in their own study.  We equip them so they can search the Scriptures, test what they're being taught, and better serve, even when the best possible church they can find is badly lacking.  The result for some is that they've strengthened and changed their local church; for others, they've realized they cannot stay where they are.

Grace to You is a listener-supported ministry.  It encourages people to give to their local church first.  If you would like to learn more about GTY, or find a radio station to listen to in your area, you can visit their website at www.gty.org.

John MacArthur Letter #3 - Part 2

Continuing on with the letter from John MacArthur, pastor-teacher on Grace to You.

Most commonly, people don't identify with the church and associate it with spiritual health, growth, and usefulness because they've never belonged to one that had anything more than a superficial commitment to biblical truth.  They've never seen a biblically centered, serious-minded model of ministry at work in a real-life, flesh-and-bone setting.  They don't see its significance because they haven't been fed well enough to understand what a church is meant to be and do.

Someone might think that's where the ministry of Grace to You comes in.  They'd say we're here to step in and do what the church can't or won't.  But they would be wrong.  (emphasis in original)

I love the church and have joyfully given my life to it.  It is the one institution the Lord built and promised to bless.  And whatever misrepresentations there are in this world about the church, and whatever weaknesses exist within the true body, that doesn't diminish the Savior's commitment to His bride, nor does it derail His promises.  There is no plan B and there are no substitutes.

By God's design, the church is the center of every believer's spiritual life.  It is where we study, feed, grow, train, correct, comfort, partake in the ordinances, and minister the one-anothers.  The church was given for our protection, instruction, discipline, and equipping.  It is lighthouse, greenhouse, hospital, classroom, and crucible.  It is not an optional path among many, nor is it merely an aid to our spiritual life--it is central.

As a ministry, Grace to You has no delusions about our place in God's economy.  We are not somehow doing what the church cannot, we are not a competitor, and we are not a viable alternative.  We are part of the church, serving in support of the church.

John MacArthur Letter #3 - Part 1

This comes from a recent ministry newsletter sent by Grace to You, headed by Pastor John MacArthur.  We listen to his broadcast sermon just about every night, and have benefited much from his teaching.

Many years ago, our ministry received a piece of advice that, while not followed, we've never forgotten.  Someone with experience in fundraising cautioned us about the topics I address in the letters we send to friends like you.

The advice?  Avoid talking about the church.

At face value, that suggestion is shocking.  The pastor of a church, writing to Christians, most of whom belong to a church, informing them about a teaching ministry that serves the church, shouldn't focus too much on . . . the church.  (emphasis in original)

But in a troubling way, the advice makes perfect sense.  The conventional wisdom was that, for Christians far and wide, the church doesn't pass the "felt need" test.  Church doesn't resonate at a level that grabs their attention, motivates them to want to know more, or moves them to action.  If that was true decades ago, the trend is even more pronounced today.

Of course we all have real spiritual needs that are deeply felt.  People have questions about the Bible and the Christian life.  They need pastoral care and counsel.  They want biblical support and encouragement.  Every true Christian has a God-given love, hunger, and need for divine truth, and a desire to be useful to the Lord.

It's just that many people simply do not connect all that to either the church universal or their own local congregation.  They don't associate their relationship with the Lord, the meeting of their spiritual needs, or the use of their spiritual gifts with the church.

There are many reasons for that.  Some associate the church with what they see on religious TV.  Who would want to be associated with a pyramid scheme cloaked in gaudy, ecclesiastical robes?

There's also a consumer mentality that downplays the body dynamic of the church.  People approach church as if they were shopping for a health club or a dentist, with no sense of attachment, loyalty, or duty to anything bigger than their individual needs and desires.

To be continued...