Music - Part 2: Proclamation

And may we never forget that one day, all nations--and all people--will stand accountable before you…I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, 'Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus…
-Rick Warren at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009

Did you feel the weight and glory of that moment? In front of a watching world, on a historic day, Pastor Rick Warren echoed the words of Philippians 2:9-11:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above
every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Indeed, all nations and all people, presidents and peasants alike will one day bow down before King Jesus and confess that He is Lord.

We know this great truth and we want to proclaim it. Following our call to worship are songs of proclamation, songs that lift up the name of Jesus and invite you to marvel at the holiness and greatness of our God.

Music - Part 1: Call to Worship

We all worship. The question is, what or whom do we worship? For some it’s career, money or family. For Christians, it’s Jesus. In fact, the first two commandments demand that we put God first:

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…(Exodus 20:3-5)

Martin Luther says that we only break the rest of the commandments after we have broken the first two. Mark Driscoll states it this way, “…if I only have the One True God as my God and I only worship that God, then I will not end up committing idolatry by worshiping such things as my job and not taking a Sabbath, worshiping my anger and becoming violent, worshiping sex and committing adultery, worshiping things and stealing them, or worshiping success and becoming covetous of what other people have.” If we choose to place anything, even good things like friends and family, above Jesus we’re committing idolatry*. So those are our choices, worship or idolatry.

We invite you to worship. Every half hour on Praise FM begins with a song, a call to worship, that focuses your heart, soul and mind on the person and work of Jesus. It’s an invitation to lay down your idols and to put God first.

*Tim Keller, author of The Reason for God, offers some great insight into idolotry here. You can also read his notes here.

The Music of Praise FM

Every half-hour on Praise FM includes songs that fit into our 5 categrories of worship:

• Call To Worship
  A song which begins each half hour
• Proclamation
  Songs declaring the names or attributes of God
• Testimony
  Songs that share our response to the activity of God, and testify to the cross of Jesus Christ
• Vertical Response
  Songs directed to our God
• Horizontal Response
  Songs speaking to the worshipper as salt and light to end each half hour

Over the next few weeks we'll take a closer look at these 5 categories and the part they play in inviting you into a lifestyle of worship.

Stay tuned...

FM419

Our friends Matt Brown and Jay Anderson from the Billy Graham Evangelical Association recently stopped by to fill us in on FM419, which happens this weekend at Grace Church in Eden Prairie, and the Rock the River Tour coming to the Twin Cities this August.



That's Matt in the photo...sorry, Jay!

Thank You!

Thank you for partnering with us to change lives with the good news of Jesus Christ during or 2009 Spring Sharathon.

To God be the glory!

You're Helping To Change Lives In Africa!

Wayne Pederson, President of HCJB Global, shows off one of the solar powered radios you're helping to provide for people in Ghana, Africa when you pledge your support to Praise FM!

Click here to be a part of changing lives with the good news of Jesus!

Living Hope

Be a part of changing lives and encouraging others in a lifestyle of worship!
Call 1-800-658-2229 or you can pledge online!

How has the Lord blessed you lately? It seems all around us the world is recognizing disaster, need and desperation, but God’s Word says His children do not belong to this world. We would like to share a few of the ways the Lord has blessed Praise FM recently.

• Late afternoon announcer Michele’s son Josh was injured in a skiing accident, but he’s alive, experiencing daily victories and an outpouring of God’s love through His people!
  
• Praise FM is on air 24 hours a day in the Twin Cities and word is spreading fast!
  
• A woman was in the listening area for her daughter’s open heart surgery and when she went back to the car after the surgery the song playing was the exact song that her daughter was singing as she went in for surgery!
  
• College students are reporting that Praise FM is being listened to in dorm rooms and even some of the campus buildings around the Twin Cities!
  
• A listener in Ashby heard us interview Central MN FCA Director Rick Lenarz and in turn began a successful new FCA chapter!
  
• This year Praise FM will be tithing a percentage of our Spring Sharathon to HCJB for solar powered radios in Africa!
  

Even better than all the rest, we know that we have living hope in Christ Jesus and an inheritance in heaven that can never perish, spoil, or fade (1 Peter 1:3-4). We have so much to be thankful for!

Your support during our Spring Sharathon sustains the ministry and makes growth possible. Right now Praise FM owes $50,000 on its operational budget. In addition, the expansion opportunities the Lord has presented in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area will require a significant additional monthly expense as we move forward.

God has commissioned Praise FM to bring His living hope to the many who are hurting in this world by inviting His presence to permeate the airwaves.

Would you help Praise FM accomplish His purposes?

All donations to Praise FM are tax-deductible, as we are a 501c3 non-profit organization. Your gift of any amount is greatly appreciated. You can donate today by going to www.praisefm.org/support.cfm or by calling Praise FM at 800-658-2229.

As you read this, we pray this blessing over you from Romans 15:13

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, sothat you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”