I hope you have had a good week. I have been a little consumed with mud and tape this last week as I am pursuing to get the renovation to the painting stage as quick as I can and sacrificing quality time with My King and my kids more than I’d like but it is the vision of the finished house prepared for the Lord to use for His purposes that moves me to push so hard. It has been a long journey of over 2 years. My mission is to see the house restored to it full potential by going through it from repairing it’s structural problems, it’s plumbing, it’s electrical system, it’s food preparation area, it’s indoor and outdoor lighting systems, it’s covering, and it’s heating and cooling system and finishing off with it’s inner appearance so that it’s future occupants can have a safe, comfortable environment to raise a family in and carry out the mission God has given them. As the people of God we are God’s house, we are the temple that He lives in by his Spirit. We are His bride that one day our Father in heaven will say, Son, go get your bride, it’s time, everything is prepared for the wedding feast of the Lamb. So what does a house reno, and the fact that God’s people are being prepared to be a dwelling place for the Father and Son and Holy Spirit and the topic a Minstrel’s Missionary Call have in common? Well let me try to put it together.
The great commandment is this that we would love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. The great commission is that we would go into all the world and preach the gospel, baptizing those who believe in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and to teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded. The big command being love each other as Jesus says in John 15. I believe these two things are encapsulated in the heart of every believer, but for the minstrel we have a leadership role where our job is to inspire, to paint a picture, to cause the people of God to remember and connect with both God’s character, and His actions that he has done for us to show His love for us. So our job is to lead people to love God above all, in response to His great love expressed to us through His Son who loved us and gave His life for us to bring us back into relationship with our Father in Heaven. The songs we sing both inspire and give expression to the love that God has put into our hearts for His Son and for Himself through the Holy Spirit. The songs that we sing can also be used to remind and remember the commands and teachings of Christ as the songs we sing act as a discipleship school reminding and teaching the bride of Christ of who He is and what we need to believe and practice. The songs we sing with the Bride of Christ give expression to her love for the one who first loved us. These songs give expression to our commitment and our love.
Now as we go into the world, I believe the minstrel is to go into the world proclaiming the gospel, preaching it through musical words and pictures of who He is and what He has done to show His love for every human being on the planet. We are evangelists who proclaim there is a God who made you and loves you like a bridegroom loves His bride, like a Father or Mother loves their child. Not just any Father or mother, not just any bridegroom, we are loved by a perfect Father and the perfect Bridegroom who is capable of meeting all our needs.
Our greatest need is for true love, that will cover over the multitude of our sins, and bridge the justice problem that is there because of our sin. God is a judge who must punish those who have rebelled against Him. God is also a loving Father who wants to save His wayward children who have rebelled and broken His commands showing contempt for Him and all He stands for. He brings His mercy and love and perfect justice in sending His one and only Son to become sin and be punished as a sinner and rebel on a Roman cross so that we might be covered over by an intercessor’s life who never sinned and therefore could pay the price for our rebellion once and for all. Punishment is dished out and at the same time a way to be merciful to every lawbreaking human being that has every lived because the sentence of death for sin has been served.
We have a love story to write about as singer songwriters like none other. The ministry of worship is part of our mission, and the ministry of reconciliation both between God’s children and God’s yet to be adopted children is the other half of our mission. The unity of God’s children is a huge strategy of our Father according to Jesus prayer in John 17 showing the reconciliation and love is His heart and that unity and love between us as believers in Christ will be a key to removing the blindness of unbelief in a world shrowded in the darkness of hate, indifference and selfishness.
I wrote this post over a week ago, but lost my zeal to finish it. So here it is as part of the series on what is a minstrel. As I have been writing these posts I realize that I am writing what I believe my call is from our Father and our Saviour Jesus as a minstrel. It is good to reflect on what I believe not only for my call but also for the many others God is calling and has raised up and have gone before me as minstrels.
Here are two songs that reflect both the evangelistic call and the hunger that is in every human heart for love.
Do you know that Jesus Loves You – written by Lani Wiens my wife
Known by You – written by Kelly Wiens
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