The Holy Spirit: Dry Bones Brought to Life

In Ezekiel 37:1, all he can see is a valley full of dry bones. It’s desolate, hopeless, and shocking. But just nine verses later, these bones are made to be an “exceedingly great army” (verse 10). What made the difference? The breath of God (verse 9).

God compares the dry bones to his people, at that time the “whole house of Israel”, who are dried up, without hope, and cut off. He tells Ezekiel to prophesy to them that he will (1) raise them to life (verses 12-13) and (2) put his Spirit within them (verse 14).

Fast forward to John 7:37-39 and we’re about to see this prophecy come true. Jesus, the one who has come to raise the dead to life, gives an invitation to the dry bones standing in front of him: 

“if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes is me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 

The dry bones are still dry bones at this point but the water is coming. The dead are still dead but new life is coming.

Jesus brings that new life when he is crucified and then raised to life. Then in John 20:22 “he breathed on (his disciples) and said to them, “receive the Holy Spirit…” What a powerful picture. The very breath of God, present at creation (Genesis 1:2), given to particular people at particular times in the Old Testament, and speaking through the prophets, now breathed out on dry bones by God himself.

The Holy Spirit is who God uses to make what were once useless and cut off dry bones into an “exceedingly great army” for his glory (Ezekiel 37:10). The Holy Spirit gives that army its life (John 6:63) and power (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit leads the army into truth (John 16:12-15) and is its helper (John 14:16-17, 14:26, 15:26). He gives gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4) and dwells in us (Ephesians 2:22). I could go on.

In most of our congregations, or least the ones that I’ve observed (that’s a relatively small percentage, but go with me here…) my hunch is that our people might feel more like dry bones. And based on my conversations and relationships with other worship leaders over the years, what we see when we look out over our congregations during corporate worship might more closely resemble Ezekiel 37:1 than they do Ezekiel 37:10.

It’s not that they’re dead or hopeless (since Jesus has given us life!) but they sure do act like it. I think what’s missing is (1) an emphasis on, (2) an awareness of, (3) a desperation for, and (4) a boldness in the Holy Spirit. I’ve been convicted of this recently in my own life and in my worship leading – and I’ve had a growing sense that this is something that could use some highlighting in the worship leader world.

So part one was a lot of background to say that the Holy Spirit is the very breath of God in our very midst, present in creation, once reserved, and now poured out on all flesh. My point today is that the Holy Spirit turns dry bones into a great army and we can’t afford to ignore the Holy Spirit if we hope to look like one. My encouragement to myself and to other worship leaders is to reencounter the Holy Spirit if you’ve forgotten about him and the rest of the posts from here on out will be some practical ways we can do that.

Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down – that the mountains might quake at your presence! (Isaiah 64:1)

The Holy Spirit: The Very Breath of God in Our Very Midst

The Holy Spirit first appears in the second verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1:2. The earth is formless and dark, and “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”. The word for “Spirit” is “Ruach”, meaning “breath of God”. The very breath of God is present at creation.

After that, we see the Holy Spirit again when he comes upon particular people at particular times. Here’s a quick walk through the places in the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit is mentioned.

Exodus
The Spirit fills Moses with skill, intelligence, knowledge, and all craftsmanship (31:3, 35:3).

Numbers
The Spirit rests on Moses’ elders and they prophesy (11:25). Moses wishes the Spirit would be in “all the Lord’s people” (11:29).

The Spirit “comes upon” Balaam (24:2). Joshua is a man “in whom is the Spirit” (27:18).

Judges
The Spirit is “upon”, “clothes”, or “rushes upon” Othniel (3:10), Gideon (6:34), Jepthah (11:29), and Samson (14:19, 15:14).

1 Samuel
The Spirit “rushes” upon Saul (10:10, 11:6) and David (16:13). He “departs” Saul (16:14), and comes upon Saul and his messengers (19:20, 19:23) and they prophesy.

2 Samuel
David says the Spirit “speaks by me, his word is on my tongue” (23:2).

1 Kings
Elijah says the “Spirit of the Lord” will “carry” Ahab (18:12).

2 Chronicles
The Spirit “came upon” Azariah (15:1) and Jahaziel (20:14), and “clothes” Zechariah (24:20).

Nehemiah
The Spirit warns God’s people “through… prophets” (9:30).

Job
Job says “the Spirit of God has made (him)” and “the breath of the Almighty gives (him) life” (33:4).

Psalms
David prays that God will not take his Holy Spirit from him (51:11)

We are told that when God “send(s) forth (his) Spirit” people “are created and (he) renew(s) the face of the ground” 104:30.

There is nowhere David can flee from God’s Spirit/presence (139:7).

The Psalmist prays for the “Spirit to lead (him) on level ground” (143:10).

Isaiah
Isaiah prophesies that the Spirit will “rest upon” Jesus, a Spirit “of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (11:2).

The Lord calls his children “stubborn” who “make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin” (30:1).

The prophet longs for the day “the Spirit is poured upon us from high” (32:15).

Isaiah asks “who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel” (40:13).

We are told of “the chosen one” and that God will “put (his) Spirit upon him” (42:1).

God says he “will pour water on the thirsty ground, and streams on the dry ground” and that “(he) will pour his Spirit upon your offspring, and (his) blessing on your descendants” (44:3).

God makes a covenant that “(his) Spirit… and (his) word… shall not depart out of your mouth or out of the mouth of your offspring” (59:21).

Isaiah, speaking of himself, other prophets, and ultimately pointing to the Head of prophets, Jesus, says “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” (61:1)

Isaiah laments how God’s people “rebelled and grieved (God’s) Holy Spirit” (63:10).

Ezekiel
The Spirit “lifts” him up (3:12, 3:14, 8:3, 11:1, 11:24, 43:5).

The Spirit “enters” him (2:2, 3:24).

The Spirit falls upon him (11:5).

The Spirit places him in a valley full of bones (37:1).

God says that he will not hide his face anymore, when he pours out his Spirit “upon the house of Israel” (39:29)

Joel
God declares that he will “pour out (his) Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days (he) will pour out (his) Spirit” (2:28-29).

Micah
The prophet says that he is “filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord…” (3:8).

Haggai
God says that “(his) Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not” (2:5). “In a little while”, God says, “I will shake the heavens and the earth, and the sea and the dry land…” (2:6).

Zechariah
“The Lord of hosts” says that the obstacles to rebuilding of the temple will be overcome “not by might, nor by power, but by (his) Spirit” (4:6).

When we arrive at the New Testament, and when Jesus’ work is complete, the prophesies of Joel and Isaiah are fulfilled when the Holy Spirit is poured out in Acts 4:31. The very breath of God in our very midst.

We live in this reality and under this outpouring. We are the ones, the sons and daughters, about whom Joel prophesied. The Holy Spirit is no longer reserved for particular people at particular times, but has been poured out on all who put their trust in Jesus Christ.

But we don’t always experience the Holy Spirit in our lives or in our gatherings with the degree of power that God intends. And that’s a shame.

For our sake
We can so often be like cars along the side of the road that have run out of gas. That’s not what our manufacturer designed us for. We need power (Acts 1:8). Sure, we can coast to a certain degree, but we’re burned out, and we’re empty. When this describes us in our lives and/or in our ministry, the Holy Spirit whispers, “there’s more!”

For the church’s sake
We need the Holy Spirit if we want to proclaim the good news of the Gospel in our churches, through our preaching, and with our music. The Holy Spirit brings unity where the church so often experiences division (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). The Holy Spirit brings a demonstration of God’s power where churches so often rely on the eloquence of words of wisdom (2 Corinthians 2:4). And the Holy Spirit points people to Jesus when worship leaders try to do it on their own (John 16:14).

For our gatherings’ sake
People come to church on Sunday morning, whether they realize it or not, longing for genuine joy, longing to encounter something great, longing to encounter something close, and longing to see God at work. The Holy Spirit helps people encounter the glory (2 Corinthians 3:18) and genuine love of God (Romans 5:5).

For Jesus’ sake
If we really want to be people and worship leaders who bring glory to Jesus and help people see him clearly, then how do we expect to do this without the help and the power of the one whose job it is to glorify Jesus? (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus! We often think we can glorify Jesus on our own and we are dangerously mistaken.

I am increasingly convinced that for a large number of worship leaders, the Holy Spirit plays no central role in their leading. They might pay homage to him on the periphery, or confess a belief in him doctrinally, but he is held at arm’s length practically. The sad result is services and singing that lack a demonstration of the very breath of God in our very midst and this needs to change for the sake of the glory of Jesus!

More later.

Picking and Strumming at the Same Time – Take Two

Back in February I posted a tutorial video showing how you can strum and pick on the same song, and in the same measure, without throwing people off, and provide some freshness to your playing.

The problem was that you couldn’t see my hands at all. Oops. So a couple of people pointed that out and asked me to reshoot it, so I have. Since I don’t play my guitar right under my neck, it’s still a bit hard to see, but hopefully this is a bit more helpful.

The Dangerous Pull of Up-front Ministry and the Upward Pull of the Spirit

While I was on vacation in southern California with my wife, her parents, and our two little girls who really really fell in love with the beach, I had the privilege of spending a Saturday morning with the worship team at my Father-in-law’s church and leading worship with them the next morning at their 11:00am service.

When I was preparing for my time with them I sensed that God wanted us to share honestly about the difficulties of ministry so that (1) we could encourage and pray for one another, and (2) we could avoid the trap of trying to push through these difficulties by our own strength.

It turns out that, at least for this group, sharing honestly was not a problem. Maybe that’s a southern Californian thing, but in Northern Virginia it can be a bit difficult to really get to know people. Each member of the team shared how they had come to trust in Jesus, what brought them to this particular church, how long they had been in ministry, etc. I shared my story and particularly some of the joys and sorrows I’ve experienced in ministry so far.

In my experience, serving in up-front worship ministry presents many opportunities to become prideful, or discouraged, or frustrated, or hardened, or battered, or maybe all of these combined. Yes, there are many joys and it can be very rewarding. But for many worship leaders and worship team members, after serving for several years, we can get burned out, lose our heart for the congregation, get stuck in a rut, have a long list of things we tried that never worked, and so on. This isn’t the experience of every worship leader out there, but I think many worship leaders experience extended “low points” and wonder if it’s normal.

Yes, it’s normal but God has given us his Holy Spirit to pull us up out of the ruts and discouragement and anger and hard-heartedness to point us to Jesus and fill us with power. Jesus said to the disciples in Acts 1:8 that they would “receive power” when the Holy Spirit came upon them. He called the Holy Spirit the “helper” three times in book of John. We’ve been given power and we’ve been given a helper in the Holy Spirit and we need both!

I mentioned in my last post that I want to spend some time on this blog focusing on the Holy Spirit. After one or two guitar tutorial videos this week I’d like to start. Worship leaders who attempt to do their jobs without the help and the power of the Holy Spirit will find out very quickly that the dangerous pull of up-front ministry is too much for their flesh to handle. In the words of Paul in Ephesians 5:18, “be filled with the Spirit!” He fills us up, and he pulls us up, to point us to Jesus so we can point our congregations to him as well.

Update

I’m back! 

These last couple of months have been very full – and this blog has been very quiet – as two seminary classes’ coursework due dates coincided with a couple conferences and retreats I was taking part in, in addition to my usual responsibilities at my church, and then a wonderful two and half weeks in sunny southern California with Catherine and our girls. We got back late Friday night.

This weekend I’m leading the music at my church’s annual retreat in the mountains of West Virginia where apparently they got five inches of snow two nights ago. Yes, summer is now officially over and I’m slowly getting my bearings.

I just wanted to say that I haven’t forgotten about this blog and I’m sorry the posts have been few and far between. As always, I’ve been learning a lot about worship leading thanks to my occasional (!) mistake, some good time over the summer with other worship leaders, teams, and churches, and some time off to step back and take a look at what I’m doing and how I might be able to do it better.

Tomorrow I’m going to share a little bit of what I talked about when I spent the morning with the worship team at my father-in-law’s church in California a couple of weekends ago. Then later in the week I’m going to reshoot and repost a video tutorial on “strumming and picking at the same time”, since in the original video you couldn’t actually see what my hands were doing. Minor problem.

Next week after I’ve recovered from our upcoming church retreat (lesson #178 of worship leading is that retreats aren’t actually retreats when you’re leading the music at them) I’d like to begin what will probably be a ridiculously long series on the Holy Spirit. I think too many worship leaders don’t really know what to think about the Holy Spirit and I’d like to do my part at helping us think about him biblically and lead worship with his power and anointing and gifting and help.

As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope this blog is an encouragement and help to you.