paradoxum

There is no one like our God.

I've become convinced that this is THE theme of the Bible. Someday I will blog on this, but for now, just let that thought simmer in your head.

I recently heard the song "God of this City" by Bluetree (popularized by Chris Tomlin). I loved the song from the moment I heard it. After reading the story of how it was "written" I now know why I love it: because it confirms the theme of the Bible. Truly there is no one like our God.

Listen to the song...and then read "the rest of the story".

Now, for the rest of the story.

Bluetree is a Christian band from Ireland. They played local Christian venues, etc. They had a friend who moved to Thailand who invited them to play in the city of Pattaya at a Christian concert called Pattaya Praise. So they went and played.

Pattaya is an "interesting" city. It has 30,000 prostitutes in it...and that number is the number of MALE prostitutes above the age of 30. It doesn't count women and children. So...you can imagine. If you didn't know, about 90 - 95% of Thailand's income comes from the sex industry.

Anyway, while they were there they really began to feel that they had to play in a venue down on "the street". God opened a door...

There is a street in Pattaya that's approximately one mile long and about 30 feet wide and, to quote a band member, "it's filled with everything you can physically imagine. And I promise you, as a red-blooded male, to keep your head in the right place you've got to look down at the ground and walk down that street and pray because it is just so in your face. People hit you with menus about everything, flashing lights, just everything you can imagine goes on in that place. You see kids as young as eight, nine, 10, just selling themselves, you know?! You see 60-year-old guys walking down the street with two 13 or 14-year-old girls."

So...they got a chance to play on that street in a little place called The Climax Bar. It's basically a strip club. Anyway, they didn't strip that night...at least not during the two hour worship concert.

They took 20 Christians with them and went and played the concert. During the concert they had a period where they just played music and prayed. The lead singer began to sing "Greater thing..." and slowly...the band began to play a groove...and God inspired the song "God of this city" right there in The Climax Bar. They played it and sang it for the first time ever that night. They said they felt God was speaking prophetically through them to the people of that place. They said people just stopped and stared...I'm sure you can imagine. On the way back in the van no one could speak. They sat in an almost stunned silenced at what God had just done.

It certainly changes the way you hear the song doesn't it?!?!

What God is like our God? What God would say I want to go to the Climax Bar and sing over the people there and tell them I am their King, I am their Lord, I am their Light, I am their Hope, I am their Peace! The hear of God is beautiful. What God is like our God? Someday...God knows...that city of wickedness will be a city of righteousness...and he longs for that day. There is no God like our God!

Listen to the song again...and hear God singing to the people of the Climax Bar...to the children selling themselves in prostitution...to the homosexuals and the drug addicts and the pimps and the hookers...hear God singing to THEM..."Greater things are yet to be done..."

And then...take your place among the "tax collectors and sinners" and hear him singing it to you.

סלה