It’s no secret that I love corporate worship.
The coming together of the bride of Christ to sing and make music as a praise offering and in celebration is one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. Believers gathering to affirm truths of who God is and what He’s done and to ascribe to God the honor and praise that is due Him is a sacred and holy privilege. Before I share about our new song, “Forever And Ever Amen”, I think it’s important to first share 2 reasons why I believe corporate worship is so important for believers.
1. Corporate worship is a picture of eternity for the church.
The book of Revelation repeatedly describes “a vast multitude” of all colors, languages, and backgrounds gathered together before God’s throne (Rev. 7:9, 19:1, 19:6) using their voices to declare the praises of God. In this picture of heaven, the relationship between people and God that was broken in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3) is finally and completely restored. Humanity is now doing what it was created to do – worshiping; and the worship is in response to who God is and what He’s done (this is described in detail in Revelation).
When a church family gathers together and uses their voices to declare praises to God in response to who He is and what He’s done, we are fulfilling our created purpose. As believers, corporate worship should be one of the most natural, fulfilling thing we can do. As we delight ourselves in the Lord, our souls are satisfied (Ps. 42:1-2).
2. Corporate worship teaches a posture of personal worship.
Music is a powerful language. There’s a reason we use songs to teach children the alphabet or the 50 states or even the books of the Bible. Words set to melody are far more likely to stick in our heads than words spoken in conversation. Even for people who consider themselves “non-musical”, we cannot escape the fact that our brains are very good at retaining memories in song form.
And so songs, particularly song sung with others, teach us things. They shape how we see the world and how we see God. When I sing “Holy Holy Holy” in a worship service with my church family, I first have that beautiful, fulfilling experience of worshiping with them. But then the words of the song hang in my head and my heart as I go forth from that corporate worship experience into my day-to-day life. That prayer of praising God for His holiness then continues on a personal level. I might begin to meditate on how I should live my life in response to God’s holiness and then actually DO something to respond to that truth. Suddenly my corporate worship has moved me to a place of personal worship.
So what about the song?
“Forever And Ever Amen” is what I like to call a “heaven song”. Its lyrics pull from that Biblical picture of the body of Christ worshiping around the throne for all eternity. Oh what beauty! May we find great joy and contentment in continually singing His praises! And as we pour out our voices and our hearts in praise together, may these heavenly praises be burned into our minds and hearts so that as we go forth from our time together they will challenge us individually to live in response to who God is and what He’s done.
I’d encourage you to take a listen to the song “Forever And Ever Amen” below and spend some time meditating on the lyrics and the accompanying Scripture passages. As we worship together as church family using this song, may we be challenged to glorify our God as we embrace the call to unity.
Looking for some music to enrich your personal worship throughout the week? Check our Calvary Worship Favorites playlist on Spotify. It’s an assortment of songs that we sing on the regular during our Sunday worship services.
If you want to get a taste of what we’ll be singing on any upcoming Sunday, check out our This Sunday At Calvary playlist. This list is updated weekly with the songs we’re planning to lead at the upcoming Sunday service.
Forever And Ever Amen
All of creation singing the song of oldest age
Echoing heaven we join the angels as they sing
We join the angels and we sing
Holy holy
Holy is the Lord our God
Worthy worthy
Jesus Christ the saving One
Oh praise His name
Forever and ever amen
Oh praise His name
Behold the Savior
Scars of redemption on His hands
Bow down before Him
Come let us adore the Great I Am
Join in the song that never ends
For from Him and through Him and to Him
Are all things
To Him be the honor and power and glory
Who is this King of Glory
Jesus is His name
All hail the King of Glory
Forever He shall reign
He came and redeemed my story
Now everything has changed
All hail the King of Glory
Jesus is His name
He shall reign
He shall reign
Forever and ever amen
CCLI Song # 7187875
Brandon Lake | Phil Wickham
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CCLI License # 702888
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I come and appear before God?
Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42: 1-2, 5 (CSB)
The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble.
He is enthroned between the cherubim.
Let the earth quake.
The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted above all the peoples.
Let them praise your great and awe-inspiring name.
He is holy.
The mighty King loves justice.
You have established fairness; you have administered justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt the Lord our God; bow in worship at his footstool.
He is holy.
Psalm 99:1-5 (CSB)
When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:
You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slaughtered,
and you purchased people
for God by your blood
from every tribe and language
and people and nation.
You made them a kingdom
and priests to our God,
and they will reign on the earth.
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. They said with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing!
I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say,
Blessing and honor and glory and power
be to the one seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb, forever and ever!
The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 5:8-14 (CSB)
After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!
All the angels stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four living creatures they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying,
Amen!
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.
Revelation 7:9-12 (CSB)