I Believe

Today’s hymn highlight:

 “The Church’s One Foundation” (Samuel J. Stone, 1866)

 [Lyrics at end of post] Music by Samuel Wesley.

https://youtu.be/bCdASxyPIKE?si=AZrNba8S3DDceFlN

I don’t know why this hymn has always made me cry. Weird, huh? Tears are rising now, even as I write. I can remember singing it in church, standing next to my mother, and seeing tears in her eyes. We looked at each other and laughed at our common emotional state. I don’t even know if other denominations sang this. I guess maybe as children we all thought everyone sang the same hymns. Later, we realized no one had ever even heard of some of our favorites. I know a large number of hymns by heart, including most all the verses (a gift from God of a strong auditory memory). Yet for a while I visited a midweek prayer group in Oregon whose entire hymnal was practically unknown to me. 

At any rate… I hope if this hymn is one of which you’ve never heard or only vaguely remember, you will be moved by both its impressive lyrics and its hopeful tune. It was evidently written in response to current heresies attacking the veracity of Scripture. Sound familiar?

Rise up, Ekklesia! Unify without compromise!

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Overall playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-2DzbrW5IS2MmYK-Egk-fSFCpPzr0_Ax&si=CkuEZSbziBDD4_u7

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21st Century:

• This I Believe (Hillsong) https://youtu.be/VRzI_FbWTkg?si=Uq8Wd_dnp3fYMaMn
• I Believe (Phil Wickham) https://youtu.be/E6CT0RWhe24?si=KOJroZ02r1mExAcD 
• I Believe (Charity Gayle) https://youtu.be/l9Zs0TfZ8BY?si=nk1GpjsR2ufJV2x-  

If you are interested in an earlier post about the difference between faith and belief, click below. [I also recommend Andrew Wommack’s teaching on this topic. I just can’t find it now on his awmi.net website. When I do, I’ll edit this post with a link]

My short post on the struggle between faith and belief:  Should we be expecting another one?

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See the Hymnal text of The Church’s One Foundation here, with the original text written out below:  https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/833

1. Original text: 
2. The church has one foundation
3. ’Tis Jesus Christ her Lord;
   She is His new creation,
   Through water by the word.
   From heav’n He came and sought her
   To be His holy bride;
   With His own blood He bought her,
   And for her life He died.
4. Elect from every nation,
   Yet one o’er all the earth,
   Her charter of salvation—
   One Lord, one faith, one birth.
   One holy name she blesses,
   Partakes one holy food;
   And to one hope she presses,
   With every grace endued.
5. Long with a scornful wonder
   Men saw her sore oppressed,
   By schisms rent asunder,
   By heresies distressed.
   Yet saints their watch were keeping
   To hail a brighter day,
   When God should stop their weeping,
   Take their reproach away.
6. The evening sun is shining,
   The cloudy day is past;
   The time of their repining
   Is at an end at last.
   The voice of God is calling
   To unity again;
   Division walls are falling,
   With all the creeds of men.
7. Back to the one foundation,
   From sects and creeds made free,
   Come saints of every nation
   To blessed unity.
   Once more the ancient glory
   Shines as in days of old,
   And tells the wondrous story—
   One God, one faith, one fold