Songs from Together for the Gospel

Numerous people have asked me to post the songs we sang at the Together for the Gospel conference. I’ve listed them below. I’ve also given the song number from the 1990 Trinity Hymnal (TH).

Wednesday PM
Praise to the Lord the Almighty (words by Joachim Neander, tr. by Catherine Winkworth, TH53)
In Christ Alone (Lyrics by Stuart Townend, Music by Keith Getty)

Thursday AM
How Sweet and Awful is the Place (Lyrics by Isaac Watts, TH469) NOTE: Cyberhymnal lists a verse 2 that we didn’t sing at the conference. We guessed that singing about "the bowel of our God" might have been a distraction.
How Deep the Father’s Love (Stuart Townend)

Thursday Afternoon
A Mighty Fortress is Our God (Martin Luther)
Before the Throne of God Above (Lyrics by Charitie L. Bancroft, Music by Vikki Cook)

My Hope is Built (Lyrics by Edward Mote, Music by William Bradbury, TH522)
Man of Sorrows! What a Name (Phillip Bliss)
I Will Glory in My Redeemer (Steve & Vikki Cook)

Friday AM
The Gospel Song (Lyrics by Drew Jones, Music by Bob Kauflin)
When I Survey (Lyrics by Isaac Watts, Music arr. by Lowell Mason, TH252)
Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross (Lyrics by Fanny Crosby, Music by William Doane, TH264)
It Is Well (Lyrics by Horatio Spafford, Music by Phillip Bliss TH692)

On Friday morning I combined The Gospel Song with When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Here are the lyrics:

Holy God in love became
Perfect man to bear my blame

On the cross He took my sin

By His death I live again.

I put the two songs together because When I Survey, which remains one of the greatest hymns in the English language, contains no reference to what the cross actually DID. We survey it, marvel at it, respond to it, but are never told what it accomplished. Of course, Watts covered that topic more than adequately in many of his other 650 or so hymns. Join All the Glorious Names, Not All the Blood of Beasts, and Alas! And Did my Savior Bleed are three that come to mind. The words to The Gospel Song were written by Drew Jones, a member of our church. It was an attempt to communicate the foundational truths of the Gospel in one simple, but memorable, verse.

It was a joy and a privilege to lead the attendees at the conference in worshipping the Savior through song. Can’t wait until 2008.

15 Responses to Songs from Together for the Gospel

  1. Paul Martin April 29, 2006 at 9:24 PM #

    Bob,
    We enjoy singing both The Gospel Song and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross up here in Canada, but I was really delighted at how nicely – both musically and theologically – the two fit together in your arrangement! Both songs were “improved” (in that Puritan sense of the word).
    And thanks for such able leading, brother. The Lord was gracious to us through you.

  2. James Hollandsworth April 29, 2006 at 9:50 PM #

    Bob,
    Thanks for all you did during the Conference, and thanks for posting the song list. The songs had been going through my mind today and I had been playing the ones I had remembered— now I have an Itunes playlist with all of them that I can play whenever God needs to speak to my soul.

  3. Steve Sensenig April 29, 2006 at 11:41 PM #

    I wasn’t there to hear it, and I’m not familiar with the Gospel Song yet. But are you saying you sang those words to the tune of “When I Survey”? They kinda fit, but I wasn’t sure if you meant that, or just that you did a medley of the two songs.

    steve :)

  4. marc April 30, 2006 at 12:22 AM #

    Bob,
    I liked the music for the most part, but I thought the drums were too loud.

    Blessings Bro,
    Marc

  5. Gunny April 30, 2006 at 1:56 AM #

    Amen, thanks for posting the song list.

    It has enabled me to further ponder the words as my soul was/is stirred to greater affection for the Savior.

  6. Bob Kauflin April 30, 2006 at 8:42 AM #

    Steve,

    The Gospel Song has a different melody from When I Survey. Although it almost works to sing it to the same tune…

  7. Lindele April 30, 2006 at 3:12 PM #

    I do love your blog so much, Bob.
    My husband and my brother and my pastor were all at T4G – they had a great, great time and were so blessed. While they were there, I kept up by reading Tim Challies’ live blog and I was happy that he kept us informed about not only the speakers’ messages, but also the songs that were sung! And I have to admit that I was encouraged by your technological struggles – it’s not just me who has such challenges!
    Our pastor is hoping to take lots more with him to T4G in 2008.

  8. Dan Hames May 1, 2006 at 4:07 AM #

    Hi Bob…

    That sounds a grea setlist.

    I’d love to get to T4G 2008. Trouble is I’m a poor broke student from the UK. You’ll have to let me know if you want a tea boy next year ;o)

    Thanks for your posting from the conference.

    Dan

  9. Kyle Carlson May 1, 2006 at 10:14 AM #

    Bob,

    The conference was a life-altering experience for me. Not only have I personally been convinced all over again that it is to the Gospel ministry that I wish to give my life, the music we sang together specifically renewed my passion and commitment to Christ-exalting songs in worship. I am a Worship Pastor in the Houston area, and was convicted during the conference about the slapdash way in which I had been preparing music for our worship services – and this from nothing more than simply singing together a host of songs that specifically and poignantly exalted our Lord. Thank you for your wonderful leadership at the conference. I plan to regularly read your blog and use your resources. God bless your work, brother.

    Kyle

  10. Adrian Warnock May 1, 2006 at 6:12 PM #

    Any chance of a T4G CD – all those male voices would sound GREAT! Actually, I would love to get ahold of some of these hymns for my iTunes – would be interested in the brother sharing his playlist so I can dowload the versions where possible – sadly tho, I am willing to bet that most of this will not be available to us British iTunes users – almost NO christian music is!!! Thanks SGM for sharing their songs to be downloaded, however as that has been really good. I love the arrangement to “God moves in a mysterious way.”

  11. Matt C. May 5, 2006 at 11:25 AM #

    I heartily second Adrian’s request for the recordings (even the first night’s!) of our worship time at T4G. It was a wholly unique experience for me, and my two boys would benefit mightily from hearing such a thing.

    * Plus, some of the old hymns you cannot find in a *decent* rendition.

  12. William Travis January 8, 2007 at 4:36 PM #

    Is there anyway that the songs we actually sang at T4G can be posted, downloaded, purchased, is there any way to get them?

  13. Bob Kauflin January 8, 2007 at 5:50 PM #

    William,

    I’m sorry, but the singing wasn’t recorded at Together for the Gospel 2006. I’m checking into it for 2008. Thanks for asking!

  14. Greg Dixon March 26, 2008 at 1:45 PM #

    Bob,

    I wasn’t able to attend the 2006 T4G, but I’m looking forward to coming this year. My pastor attended in 2006 and spoke of how moving the worship music was.

    You mentioned a verse from “How Sweet and Aweful Is the Place” that you ommitted because of the wording. We have used that verse from Watt’s hymn to great profit with the following modification:

    “Here every [mercy] of our God
    With soft compassion rolls;
    Here peace and pardon bought with blood
    Is food for dying souls.”

    While the figure of speech is altered somewhat, the sense of it is retained and a meaningful verse restored to the song of the church.

    Greg

  15. Matt Freeman April 10, 2008 at 11:25 AM #

    Actually, those verses from Gospel Song have fit well as the chorus when I’ve tried it out.

    Good point, it’s not enough to survey the cross, but bring people into a great realization of what the cross did and does as well.

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