Never Be the Same Again, Chorus

Dear Worshippers,

After three weeks of singing this I feel like we are really able to lend our full voices to our corporate praise and prayer which this song so powerfully enables. [I Will Never Be (the Same Again)] I hope to be leading again in a couple weeks and for the me the only sad part about that is not getting to stand beside my lovely wife Sarah or my dear friend Pastor Myron as we pour out our hearts to the Lord. That is part of the sacrifice of my call, and I am alright with that.

I have been moved to tears a few times over these past weeks as I have sung and heard others sing this song. The section that is the greatest blessing to sing and hear sung is the chorus. What an incredible prayer to pray!

Fall like fire, soak like rain,
Flow like mighty waters, again and again.
Sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff,
And let a flame burn to glorify Your name.

I think these words are pretty straightforward but let me give some perspective to them. The metaphors or simile of fire and water to represent the work of the Holy Spirit are beautifully mingled here. But do we really understand the significance of what we are asking for as we sing/pray them?

Water is difficult to control, especially flood level. I have witnessed the power of a small flood before, so this metaphor is not lost on me. This idea of the Holy Spirit soaking our church first came in the idea of getting so many people wet through baptism. It also has significance for the tears of humble joy that are becoming a common occurrence in our gatherings. But I am hoping it will also be evident in an outpouring or baptism of the Holy Spirit that will cause us to long for even more of Him.

Fire is even more difficult to control, especially fire from heaven, just ask Elijah. This was his prayer. God show how powerful You are by coming and consuming us. John Wesley said “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.” I have often thought of this quote and wondered about the self-centeredness of it so I did a search.

My first thought of enthusiasm is a strong of excitement or fervor. But the first definition offered by Merriam-Webster is actually “belief in special revelations of the Holy Spirit”. I am not certain what they mean by special revelations, but as it turns out enthusiasm comes from the Greek word enthousiasmos, entheos inspired, from en- + theos god. If Wesley had this definition in mind, and I would like to think he did, the enthusiasm of which he spoke was one that would come from God. May translation, “Catch on fire with God and people will watch how you live closely. This is not so much about attracting attention to ourselves as to His work in us. I want to live like that. Don’t you? Look at that last line that you’ve been singing.

This idea of sweeping away darkness and burning away chaff are an important part of that. Darkness runs from light. When you open the door to a closet light floods into the closet, the darkness does come out. As God brings the light of His presence to us darkness is swept away. Chaff is an analogy for the seed covering and other debris separated from grain during threshing, basically worthless material. Burn away anything useless to Your purposes that is a part of my life.

This is a powerful prayer. Easy to sing. Not so easy to live. But as we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us, it becomes easier. Light does not have to fight to push the darkness back, the darkness flees. Fire does not have to work hard to burn away chaff, it is quickly consumed. I pray that Spirit will do that kind of work in me and you as He prepares us for what is ahead.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Never Be the Same Again, Verse Two

Dear Worshippers,

As God continues to tell His story through me, I am overwhelmed at the response. When I reflect on all that God has done in me through this illness I am amazed. What is truly humbling though is how God is using it in the lives of others. To God alone be the glory!

I have had numerous people tell me that they find themselves singing our “Soak the Church” theme song [I Will Never Be (the Same Again)] at various times through the week. This includes a couple of little boys whose parents told me they sing it all the time! As a parent of young children, I know what that can be like. But what a blessing to know our church is affirming the powerful truths the song contains through the week. Music is a wonderful tool for worship AND discipleship, how gracious of our God to give it to us for His glory and our good.

Next week we will consider the incredible prayer of the chorus, but this week we take a closer look at Verse 2.

There are higher heights, there are deeper seas,
Whatever you need to do, Lord do in me.
The Glory of God fills my life,
And I will never be the same again.

“Higher heights, deeper seas”? What? I am so thankful that the Lord gave us poetry as a tool to communicate truth. Things can be said in this form that require a little thinking to grasp the meaning. What I believe the writer is saying is simply, there is more to You, Lord than I have yet perceived thus far. More in every direction. Truths that are as yet too lofty for me: Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. [Isaiah 55:9] There is more to Your ways than I have yet to discern: Your ways are deep. [Psalm 42:7] Thank You, Lord.

It’s one thing to acknowledge this, but an entirely different thing to pursue it. This next line may be the most transformative, challenging one in the entire song. It is for me right now. To give the Lord permission to do whatever He needs to do to change you until you are more like Him is something many believers never really do. If you ready to see God answer prayer pray this one. Trust me.
I thought about changing the next line to flow from the previous. It would have read “until the Glory of God fills me life.” Do you see how that flows? Do whatever you need to do until…then the Lord rebuked me. I do not have to wait for the Glory of God to fill my life. Though there is more of the Christ-life to experience, there is no more inheritance to be imparted. The Eternal One sees us having received it already, though we do not always live out that reality. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. [Ephesians 2:6] For every believer, the Glory of God fills our lives. Amen! May it be so Lord.

The last line then flows logically from the third. Because the Glory of God fills my life I WILL never be the same again. This is not something we are hoping for, it is a transaction that has already been completed. This song is such a powerful affirmation of what Christ has already done in us to change our standing before Almighty God through His redemptive work. And yet the chorus points to the simple fact that there is more work for the Holy Spirit to do in us. Though Christ’s work in redemption finished, the Spirit’s work in sanctification is not.

We will consider His work in us and our desire for it next week.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Never Be the Same Again, Verse One

Dear Worshippers,

It was such a joy to lead in worship on Sunday. Before God and His people is where I am supposed to be, and I am so thankful to be on a path that is bringing me back to that place. Thank you for your prayers for me as I have run the race God ordained for me in this season.

I mentioned last week that we would be looking closely at the words to the song I Will Never Be (the Same Again) here while we sing it over the next few weeks at church. It is a new song so it is helpful to think about what it is saying as we consider the change and the Source of the change it embraces. Here are the words to the first verse.

I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I've closed the door.
I will walk the path, I'll run the race
And I will never be the same again.

One of the first things that strikes me about these words is that they are such a powerful declaration. NEVER! The poet author could just have easily said, “I have been changed”, a statement of intellectual ascent for certain with virtually the same meaning. Instead the first line is a statement of will. This embraces a transformation that is permanent. While certainly true of the moment of salvation, the same can be said of other points in the journey of faith, particularly the process of sanctification. We will delve into this as we walk through this text together.

The next line, made up of two powerful word pictures, flows from and fleshes out the first statement. I cannot go back to being/living/thinking as I did. Why? I have closed the door locked it and thrown away the key is really what the author is saying. How many believers leave doors open to old habits and addictions? They would benefit by finding ways to demonstrate “I can not, will not, go back.” But is this new place a sedentary one? Rather, do we keep from going back by essentially nailing our shoes to the floor? NO!

On the contrary, the third line, which offers two more wonderful word pictures, gives movement to this commitment. Even as you read them, and sing them, you get a growing sense of urgency, walking then running. You also get a clear sense that this is not only a new standing or position, but that the one making this commitment has embarked on a journey. And of course, it is easier to keep from going back when you are heading in the opposite direction from where you came.

In the Alliance, there are a few key words when it comes to sanctification. One set is positionalexperiential. The other is crisis and process. These two sets are connected in that they both speak to the same reality. There is a moment when we God changes our position or standing in Him, that initial moment of faith, “the hour I first believed” as the hymn writer said. [Amazing Grace] We then enter a process of becoming more like Christ and at some time subsequent to our conversion we all come to a crisis, a point where the Spirit reveals to us there is more and we yield to His work in the continued experience of sanctification. The second verse portrays this well so we will pick this up next week. This is a very simplified version but it gives us a place to start. and

The final line of this first verse flows out of the third line. The author has used different language to strengthen the initial statement but ultimately comes back to it. The repetition in and of itself is a very powerful literary tool and is especially effective here as a culmination of the previous illustrations. If those being baptized demonstrate this kind of commitment their lives will surely change. If we all continue to do the same, there’s no telling what the Lord will do!

Let’s sing it, but more importantly, let’s live it. By Gods’ grace and for His glory. I will never be the same again.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Never Be the Same Again

Dear Worshippers,

I can think of almost 30 thirty people who will never be the same again, having just been baptized this past Sunday. I am also confident that the same could be said for the 90 and more who will be baptized over the next four weeks. Pastor Myron is calling what God has decided to do in the month of May “Soak the Church”, but you need to understand that as much as a declaration it is also a prayer.

We are going to baptize over 15% of our average weekly attendance this month. People young and old, some who have just recently given their lives to Jesus and others who have walked with Him for years. But this soaking that we are praying for is not limited to having people pass through the baptismal waters, and I am hope you realized that on Sunday.

The song I introduced [I Will Never Be (the Same Again)] could certainly be my theme song as I come out of this trial the Lord has carried me and my family through recently. If you have been reading my Tunings you can see the correlation. Here are the words of this great song.

I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I've closed the door.
I will walk apart, I'll run the race
And I will never be the same again.

Fall like fire, soak like rain,
Flow like mighty waters, again and again.
Sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff,
And let a flame burn to glorify Your name.

There are higher heights, there are deeper seas,
Whatever you need to do, Lord do in me.
The Glory of God fills my life,
And I will never be the same again.

Over the next few weeks we will take some time here to unpack and ponder what these words mean while at church we will sing the song.

I struggled with the title of this entry because of this double meaning this concept has for me right now. Certainly, “I will” never be the same again, but also “they will” never be the same again either, those being baptized that is. But even as I write I remember Pastor Myron’s words from Sunday, as these wet people rub off on us, we are going to get wet too. Maybe not literally as much as spiritually. So a third meaning comes as certainly “we will” never be the same again after this unprecedented month in the history of North Mar Church.

Did you realize you have a part to play in that transformation? I said it Sunday, you do not have to go through a life-altering illness, or be baptized this month to say “I want You to change me, Lord”. Don’t you want to be more like Jesus? Don’t you want to know the joy, confidence and peace that was evidenced by those friends in the tank on Sunday? As we learn and sing this song this month, may it become more than a song.

May it become the prayerful anthem of our church. I have included the words here so that you can pray this with me. Prayer always precedes revival. We are becoming a praying church. We don’t want to be the same. We want You to have Your way in us Holy Spirit. SOAK YOUR CHURCH!

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy