Sing
Since I was saved at the age of 15, I have been utterly fascinated with the “off script” pieces of our times of corporate worship. What I mean by that is….
SING
By Melanie Tierce
Since I was saved at the age of 15, I have been utterly fascinated with the “off script” pieces of our times of corporate worship. What I mean by that is….
“Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:1)
“Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy” (Psalm 33:3)
“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” (Psalm 40:3)
“Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones!” (Psalm 149:1)
NEW songs written right there on the spot when the people of God gathered! Faith, expressed through melody by singers and non-singers alike! My goodness, it was beautiful! And exhilarating! It was so clear what special role God had designed “new songs” of worship to be!
Now, I know that this space in worship is not one that all denominations emphasize or practice. I wrote “Sing” as an invitation and challenge for those who are used to this way of worshipping Jesus AND for those for whom it is completely new! Its aim is to leave space for the believer to practice a posture that I believe is crucial to the life of faith. Brand new, in the moment praise, and the practice of it corporately, is a skill, a muscle, and I would even say a weapon, that God has given to His saints, and that we have the joy and honor of learning how to yield.
“Sing” is a means of posing to you this question, Church. Do we as a people know only how to follow another in worship, or do we, each of us of our own accord, know how to boldly enter the throne room of God by faith with thanksgiving and praise - any time and anywhere? When discouragement rears its head, and there is no one there to encourage us to sing, will the muscle be developed in us to recount the glories of God? Do we know how to stir our hearts to thanksgiving and praise IN SPITE of how we feel on any given day?
Have we rehearsed the wonders of His character to such a degree that it is our first response when life shakes us to the core and no one is looking?
Perhaps, this powerful skill is a small piece of what it looks like for us as the Body of Christ to continue growing up into “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
It is time we practice our praise.
Is it risky? Perhaps a little. Of course it is essential we stay grounded in the Word and always only offer healthy food to the body of Christ! However, it’s not risky enough to not do it! The Holy Spirit is excellent at teaching us the ways of praise!
Is it awkward? YES, AND THAT’S THE BEST PART. It is truly a fast track of growth for the Body! It immediately requires the corporate letting down of pride, and the LEAPING right on out of our comfort zone! It allows the worshipper to declare “I care more about God being praised than I care about what others think of me”
Is He worthy? Oh, yes. And that truly is the bottom line. Jesus is simply worthy of it ALL. Worthy of 100 percent of the glory. Worthy of a joyful noise, even when we look like fools! So go ahead and fling the doors of your heart wide open. Tell Jesus how much you love Him! For His glory, for His fame, right there in your living room, right there in your car! As we make our way all the way home... (Isaiah 35:10)
SING, saints of God.... go ahead and sing a new song!
If there were no more words on the screen
Would we still know how to sing?
How to bring a true offering of our devotion
We can’t rely on building drums
To come and stir our faith up
We’ve gotta know how to come
and lead ourselves in worship
Sing, saints of God, Sing!
Make your own melody of praise
And tell Him how you love Him
Sing, saints of God, Sing!
Let your hearts now respond
To our God and give Him glory
All it takes is “You are Good”
All it takes is “Thank you, Lord”
All it takes is “Worthy is the Lamb”
Isn’t he worthy?!
Worthy of a joyful noise
Even if I look like a fool!
My Jesus is just that good
I can’t contain it!
Get the Charts and Album.
Every Day
Right from the opening “ooo’s,” you know it’s going to be good. And when that first chorus hits, you can’t help but sing along:
Every Day
New Single From PEOPLE & SONGS Releases On Leap Day, 2020
Right from the opening “ooo’s,” you know it’s going to be good. And when that first chorus hits, you can’t help but sing along:
I gotta sing out a new song
Until my heart sings along
I’m gonna lift up a true praise
‘Cause You make me glad
So I will rejoice
Every Day…
“Every Day” is the latest single from PEOPLE & SONGS, released (ironically) on February 29, a special day that only comes around once every 4 years.
Wesley Nilsen, vocalist and bassist for PEOPLE & SONGS and one of the song’s co-writers, reflects, “Psalm 96 says, ‘Oh sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name, tell of his salvation from day to day.’
“My salvation story is not always the first thing on my mind when I wake up in the morning, or even the central meditation of my heart throughout the day. But that’s to be expected; as humans, we’re all distractible and forgetful. I have to choose to obey the command to ‘sing a new song!’ My salvation isn’t a thing of the past; every day there is some new way that Jesus is working in me. He’s always leading me deeper in the new life I was born into. Like the chorus of this song says, I have to sing UNTIL my heart agrees with the truths that are being sung. That’s how I choose joy and stay thankful for what He’s done and what He’s doing!”
The third verse begins:
I tried to do life on my own
It left me empty and alone
I needed You to come and fill me...
Mary Grace, who sings lead on the third verse, says, “I love that reminder. We need Him to completely fill every space that we have tried to fill with lesser things. God longs to inhabit every part of our lives. He gives new life. He restores. He is redemption.
“It was such an honor to sing on this song with my good friends Wesley Nilsen and Kaden Slay,” continues Mary Grace. “I love the power behind the words ‘I’ve gotta sing out a new song until my heart sings along.’ Training our souls to sing in spite of what we feel is such a good skill to practice as a believer. I pray that this song helps you to lift your head no matter the circumstances and sing out your very own song to the only worthy King.”
“Every Day” was written by Wesley, Charity Gayle and Jairus Withrow, and recorded at the 3rd annual Turn Up The Lights worship festival in La Porte, Indiana last October. The purpose of Turn Up The Lights is to unite churches and entire cities in lifting up the Name of Jesus. “It’s stunning to realize that what began here in 2017 has quickly spread to various parts of the United States,” said Jennie Lee Riddle, founder of PEOPLE & SONGS and Turn Up The Lights. “This year we have seven festivals scheduled across the country.” For more information, go to turnupthelights.org.
Charts for “Every Day” are available on the People & Songs web store.
Also available on SongSelect. https://songselect.ccli.com/Songs/7145985/every-day
CCLI #7145985
Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb
[SEAN]: As Melanie Tierce, David Gentiles and I co-wrote "Redeemed By The Blood Of The Lamb" with students at The Emerging Sound summer songwriting intensive, we were talking about the rich legacy of hymns and we wanted to use language that was reminiscent of the songs of old.
Reflections by Sean Carter and Melanie Tierce, co-writers
[SEAN] As Melanie Tierce, David Gentiles and I co-wrote "Redeemed By The Blood Of The Lamb" with students at The Emerging Sound summer songwriting intensive, we were talking about the rich legacy of hymns and we wanted to use language that was reminiscent of the songs of old. For years, hymn writers have used the "river" metaphor to describe how the cross of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)
In verse 1 the "crimson river" is the cross of Jesus, that Holy place where blood and water poured from His side. We lay our "burdens on the shore," that is, our sin at the foot of the cross. As we "go down a sinner," we surrender wholly to Christ, and in the power of the cross we are made new. We identify with Paul's words, for we "died with Christ" and walk in newness of life!
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20
[MELANIE] The chorus of this song reminds me of Psalm 107:2, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” When you’ve been saved by the grace of Jesus, and brought from death to life, you just HAVE to let others know about it! The simple gospel truth of not being who you once were, and now belonging to God as a beloved child is worth celebrating and testifying about!
[SEAN] Verse 2 continues using "water" references to communicate mercy, grace, and new life in Jesus. Indeed, we found our “life there in that flood,” and we echo Titus 3:5:
"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."
Also, from Hebrews 9:14:
"How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"
Verse 3 echoes the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 and also Jesus’ words in John 7:37-38. He is our Living Water and we will never thirst again. Jesus invites us to come to Him with all the “pangs of life,” that is mental anguish, hunger, and a soul-thirst that can only truly be satisfied in knowing Him.
Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
Verse 4 is delivered with such tenderness and delicacy, as Melanie sings about “crossing that river.” The crossing of the river Jordan has long been used in spirituals as a metaphor of the believer passing on from this life and to our heavenly home. We will indeed “fall at His throne and forever worship Christ!”
[MELANIE] As we do this song live, I see it resonate immediately, even as the people are still learning the melody. It’s simple enough to learn quickly, and the simplicity of the message means that they can grab onto it right away and declare it as their own. It’s every believer’s story.
As we finished the recording, there was this beautiful hush that filled the room. Sean (who is so thoroughly equipped with the Word and always seems to have the perfect scripture at the perfect time) read the passage in Revelation 12: 10-11. As he was reading, I quickly heard a melody so clearly woven to the lyrics “We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.” Suddenly, the whole room of students’ faith rose to the occasion! Again and again we victoriously declared it - overcoming even in that moment, singing the truth of His Word over any and every circumstance we were facing! It was indeed a triumphant sound!
Listen to “Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb” from “The Emerging Sound Volume 5”
Compelled
In August 2019, People & Songs had the holy privilege of worshipping with missionaries from all over the world in a historic, first-time gathering.
Compelled
A Beautiful Connection Between People & Songs and Assemblies Of God World Missions
By Jennie Lee Riddle
In August 2019, People & Songs had the holy privilege of worshipping with missionaries from all over the world in a historic, first-time gathering. We stood with them and watched these heroes dedicate and rededicate themselves to the high calling of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Assemblies of God World Missions, for inviting us to be a part of such a humbling moment in time. We are compelled, by the love of Jesus and His heart for people, to also recommit our lives to the only One who is worthy. We joyfully echo the cry of these missionaries, “May the Lamb of God receive the full reward of His suffering.”
“Compelled” was written by Mary Grace, Melanie Tierce and Wesley Nilsen for this gathering. It was inspired by the current missionaries that we have the honor of now serving and ones who have gone before. Here is part of their story:
The Moravian Slaves
A popular story about Christian Missions concerning Johann Leonhard Dober and David Nitschmann, describes how these two young Moravian Brethren from Herrnhut, Germany, were called in 1732 to minister to the African slaves on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix in the Danish West Indies. Allegedly, when they were told that they would not be allowed to do such a thing, Dober and Nitschmann sold themselves to a slave owner and boarded a ship bound for the West Indies. As the ship pulled away from the docks, it is said that they called out to their loved ones on shore, "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!"
Music Resources for “Compelled”
Music Video
Music Video Split Track
Click Track
Audio- Full Stereo
Audio- Music Only
PTX (Practice Track)
STEMS
Lead Sheet (Music Book)
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