When God begins a work

Authors:
Themes:
Scriptures:
  • 1 Chronicles 28:20
  • Psalms 138:8
  • Matthew 20:25-28
  • Mark 10:42-45
  • Mark 16:20
  • Luke 12:37
  • Luke 22:24-27
  • John 13:12-16
  • Romans 1:1
  • Romans 1:9
  • 1 Corinthians 1:8-9
  • 2 Corinthians 6:1
  • 2 Corinthians 6:8
  • Philippians 1:27
  • Philippians 1:6
  • Philippians 2:13
  • Philippians 2:22
  • Philippians 2:7
  • Philippians 4:12-13
  • Colossians 1:4-7
  • 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6
  • 1 Thessalonians 3:2
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
  • Titus 2:14
  • Hebrews 10:39
  • James 1:21-22
  • 1 Peter 1:8-9
Book Number:
  • 858

When God begins a work
of grace within our hearts
he saves our souls and sets us right
and all his love imparts.

2. A people saved to serve
is what the Lord desires,
and works in us to will and do
what his good plan requires.

3. In partnership with Christ
we serve his gospel true;
as servants of the Servant-King
we serve his people too.

4. May love for Christ abound
whatever comes our way,
through good or ill, in wealth or want,
until the eternal Day.

5. God who began the work
will bring it to the end,
and bless this partnership with Christ
our Saviour, Lord and Friend.

© Author/Praise Trust
Michael Haighton

The Christian Life - Zeal in Service

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Tune

  • Venice
    Venice
    Metre:
    • SM (Short Metre: 66 86)
    Composer:
    • Amps, William

The story behind the hymn

‘Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ’—Philippians 1:6. Many Christians will be instantly reminded of the apostle Paul’s words when they encounter this hymn, the first of Michael Haighton’s to be published. It came about from a united service held at his parish church, in or around June 1988. He was the (Free Church) preacher, but could not find any suitable hymn for the event. The rector had seen other verse of his, so asked him to write something appropriate, and this was the result; ‘the Lord gave help and inspiration’, and it was sung there for the first time. The author was pleased with one of the two changes suggested by the Praise! editors, but not with the reversal of ‘desires/requires’ in stz 2. The printed text is the altered version.

This is the one appearance of the tune VENICE in the book; CH uses it 3 times. It is often set to 189, 540 (as in CH) and 633 (as in the 1904 A&M onwards). William Amps composed it at Cambridge, and it first appeared in Edward H Thorne’s A Selection of Church Music in 1853. Its name seems arbitrary.

A look at the author

Haighton, Michael

b Nantwich, Ches 1952. Boarding sch until his 17th year, followed by Danebank Further Education Coll in Crewe and then ministerial training at Cliff Coll. Michael is a Free Church minister who has pastored churches in Cheshire, E Anglia (nr Wisbech, for 17 years) and Devon, before taking early retirement for health reasons. He now belongs to an evangelical free church in the village of Lilbourne, nr Rugby and is still able to minister in several local chapels. He has written several poems and hymns; the one in Praise! is the first to reach publication. His book Taken as Read (2005) is a heartfelt plea for more and better public reading of the Bible as well as further imaginative informal uses. No.858.