Sometimes an album comes along that carries a special anointing – a sound, a voice, a message that awakens your heart to see more of God.
For me, one of those albums has been the new Jesus Culture Emerging Voices album. What a fantastic collection of songs. And it’s more than just great songs.
It is a worship experience.
I had the privilege of being introduced to Justin Jarvis and Mary Kat Ehrenzeller with the release of their stellar album, Harbour Live, a couple years ago. To see them on this new Jesus Culture record makes my heart proud. Derek Johnson and Nate Ward are also artists you don’t want to miss.
I had the privilege of asking them a very important question. At the end of this post, you’ll find out how you can win one of 5 free copies of this album.
What Does it Mean to Be an Emerging Voice?
Here’s the question I asked them:
“I know it’s a little daunting to be called an “Emerging Voice.” But in its purest sense, what does it mean to be an emerging voice in our generation? How can followers of Jesus become an emerging voice?”
Derek: I think the Lord has been raising up songwriters in this generation who He’s given a “voice” to, that will help reveal who God is in a way that draws people to Him.
I do think every believer carries a voice as well and you have to find the avenue through which God wants to release it. I think to develop a voice it’s done through personal history with Jesus. It’s you discovering who He is and burning to share it with someone else.
Justin: An amazing opportunity lies before our generation. We’ve been created for greatness, and I think deep down we all feel that inside. I feel like it’s God’s mark on us, and we are carrying around the potential of what He’s made available to us in Jesus.
I find that the more confidence I have in what Christ has done for me, the more clarity I have on who I’m created to be and what I’m carrying in Him. When you’re rooted in that, you can’t help but impact the world around you.
The world is desperate to see more than a glimpse of God in every one of us that testifies of Jesus. They are looking for a life that says, “God is alive. He is awesome. And He loves us.” That’s the voice, and it’s inside all of us. We have to find it, and let it out!
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Mary Kat: I would say that an “emerging voice” is a son and daughter of God being revealed. It says in the Word that “creation waits and groans for the sons of God to be revealed.”
One of the songs even describes this verse, Justin Jarvis’s “Here We Are.” It’s a voice in our generation revealing who God is to the world. We are bringing glory to Him as we let His Light shine through us.
Nate: I feel you kind of answered your own question.To be a true follower of Jesus IS being an emerging voice. In a world full of people looking to music, movies, self-help books, relationships, and (heaven help us) politicians to give them a sense of purpose and fulfillment in their lives, one who follows Jesus with complete abandon cannot help but stand out among them.
A follower of Jesus is the voice of reason and peace to all the madness that surrounds us. When we choose to identify ourselves with Christ people with no hope watch our lives and through that we can show the world that there is true hope and joy to be had through the Holy Spirit.
To be an “emerging voice” has nothing to do with the how many albums you sell, how many sermons you preach, or how many people know your name. That stuff is all temporary, at best. This album, my worship style, and even the media format that we use right now will all eventually fade away in one way or another, but the lives we live before God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit in us will last forever.
Winners
1. Rob Still
2. Ryan Vinson
3. Chelsea
4. Justice Devon
5. Jeff Pope
Question: What are some ways we can be an emerging voice in our generation? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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Inspiring and awesome!
To be an emerging voice:
Say what needs to be said, in your own way.
I am learning that we try to categorize into generations. We are all the children of God and we serve Him. Old or young, if we are creating an avenue of understanding to God then we are all ’emerging.’ None of us have made it. We are all still learning what it truly means to be worshippers of God. When we think we have arrived, then God reveals so much more that we don’t know. If we can learn that if tomorrow God would take away our gifting or never allow us the opportunity to stand on a stage and worship Him again, we should still be consumed by who God is. We often connect our gifting to who we are. But God loves me, not what I can do. I believe to be ’emerging’ we must seek God with all our hearts and realize that worship is far more than the songs we write or sing.
This was a great interview! I really enjoy the interviews that you have here on the website.
I believe that every child of God has the ability to be an “emerging voice”. It all comes down to following God. People all have different gifts and abilities. Using these gifts for furthering the kingdom of God is what it is all about. We are here to bring honor and glory to Christ.
For this reason, my personal motto and website tagline is “Amplifying God’s Kingdom!”. We should all strive to be an emerging voice to radically change the kingdom of God. For me personally, I am trying to make a difference by leading worship and serving my community. I will probably never know the impact that it is making…and that is the good thing about it! I will be able to find out on the other side of eternity what kind of an impact it made for God.
Thanks for this interview…I’m off to share the link now!
To be an emerging voice I think we have to portrait what John the baptist said…More of Him less of me…We have to surrender our will to His and allow Him to speak through us and be the voice that speak in the desert…
I think it has to do with asking God to make our heart pure…letting His voice become ours. In that way, He will emerge and do great things we could not.
Being a voice for Jesus, to me is using every opportunity to tell people what Jesus has done in my life. It usually opensup the opportunity to share the gospel. CD sounds great
Blessing to you! Lord please help each of us be van emerging voice!
Mary Kay
The first thing that comes into my head when I think of and ’emerging voice’ is Jesus’ knack for hanging with sinners and thieves. Jesus didn’t stay in his comfort zone within the happy church bubble. He got on his knees to wash his brothers’ feet. He got dirty. He got in the mud to build the kingdom of God on earth.
In my life, this seems to be a recurring theme. Putting myself where it’s not necessarily comfortable. Using my gifts to get me there. A good friend of mine once asked me when I told him I wanted to go into music for a living, “How can you directly glorify God through that?” I thought hard about this and what I realized is that it’s not because my music can save anyone, but because it puts me on the same level with the ‘secular world.’
I think we can use the gifts God has given us like a bridge to advance his kingdom. For example, I can use my writing to reach a large amount of people I wouldn’t otherwise have relationships with — people who aren’t saved, people who need Jesus just as desperately as I do. And this opens a window of opportunity for me to plant seeds of life.
We struggle with fear and boundaries. Which is funny because naturally if one has fears they are quite constricted to a certain moving. That is a flaw we fear what could be in God so therefore we make feeble attempts to limit how He moves. When He draws us out in the spirit we reach back for what we deem safe. Regretfully, my generation seeps of entitlement and take whatever we set our sights on missing our boundary lines. Breeding offense and pride infecting worship so that it cannot grow properly.
To be an emerging voice we have to be ok with even the very notion that we may be called out into the water. To welcome the bit placed on our heart and mouth, remembering that like a love will not awaken until its time neither will one’s call come complete before God has His way.
I believe we become an emerging voice in our culture, when we understand that we don’t have to try and make Jesus and the gospel relevant to our generation… but by understanding that Truth is always relevant to hearts bound by fear, insecurity, depression, and sin.
We have songs in us that will encourage. We have songs in us that will stir hearts to look again at Jesus. We have songs in us that God will use to set hearts free.
We must live it first… and write it second.
We are the voices of Jesus here on earth, we can be the loud voice of Jesus by showing the people how the voice of Christ live. Our personal life testimony is a Big Deal for the world to see the light of Jesus that is within us. The CD sounds great. I would love to win. God bless!
I will use every opportunity that will come on my way to share Jesus. God is so great because I’m one of the key leaders in our School Outreach Ministry, and I can see the move of God as He change lives. I also consider living in holiness is a great way to be an emerging voice of Christ. Amen!
be faithful in what god asks you to do. its usually being a servant – either by leading or faithfully following. Be still, listen, and just do it 🙂
Breaking all limitations, no gray areas, sold out all out for Christ! let us be extreme for Jesus in all aspect of our lives! 🙂