Photo by Mario Purisic
Ecclesia, the Christian pop band and not the heavy metal band of the same name, is a trio whose art style deviates from the norm. Although they released many singles over the years, their only album and EP are:
- Lavish: Reinterpretations (EP, 2019)
- Wake Up (2019)
The word “ecclesia” is Koine Greek for “the called out ones”, which we translate in English to “church”.
Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Ecclesia-we-could-be-the-ones-lyrics.
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1. What message does the song communicate?
Hearing the forerunner to Christ, we can inherit Jesus as our prize if we receive it; the forerunners of those who will come after us. However, we should be careful how we behave because He will judge our actions.
Score: 10/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
It perfectly does.
[Verse 1]
Lines 1-5: References Isaiah 40:3, which was fulfilled by John the Baptist according to Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, and John 1:23.
[Verse 2]
Lines 1 and 2: Speaking of Israel and, under the New Testament, Gentiles who are grafted in (Romans 11:17), Jacob and His descendants are God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood (Deuteronomy 14:2, Deuteronomy 32:9 and 1 Peter 2:9-10). God is the prize that we strive for (1 Corinthians 9:23-27).
Lines 3 and 4: We share in the inheritance that Christ has bestowed upon us (Matthew 25:34, Acts 20:32, Romans 8:17, Galatians 3:29, Titus 3:7, James 2:5, and 1 Peter 1:4) as people who are born again (John 3:3).
[Chorus]
Lines 1 and 2: He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to invite Him in (Revelation 3:20).
Lines 3-8: Repeats/essentially repeats lines 1 and 2.
[Verse 2]
Lines 1-5: Reminders that we will die and then be judged by God (Hebrews 9:27), therefore, we should take stock of how we’re living. Is it for the Lord or someone/something else?
[Bridge]
Lines 1-4: That is, firstfruits (James 1:18).
Score: 10/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
Those who aren’t Christians who haven’t studied Christianity will have lots of questions. What is this “voice in the wilderness”? What is this “portion” and “birthright”? What is God “waiting on us” to do? What is this “fullness” that God has called us to be? Who are the “pioneers” and “trailblazers”? Christians know what these things are, but we can’t expect that from unbelievers. This song is rife with Christianese which makes it difficult for those outside the camp of Christianity to comprehend. There is also the question of how to obtain this inheritance.
They will think it’s Christian because it speaks about God and the “voice in the wilderness” phrase will probably be somewhat familiar as part of the Christmas season.
Score: 2/10
4. What does this song glorify?
It glorifies God as the One we desire as our prized possession.
Score: 10/10
Closing Comments
Ecclesia’s We Could Be the Ones is a good reminder for Christians to remember our first love. We’ve heard the voice. We’ve taken our prize. We should continually live for the things God called us to be. These bring Him glory. However, unbelievers will probably not comprehend this.
This song is primarily focused on us, not on proclaiming to God His value and worth. Thus, I cannot recommend it for corporate worship. Possibly during the service as said reminder, but certainly not within a seeker-sensitive congregation.
Final Score: 8.5/10
Artist Info
Track: We Could Be the Ones (listen to the song)
Artist: Ecclesia
Album: Wake Up
Genre: Pop
Release Year: 2019
Duration: 3:20
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
Comments
Jason Henry
I wouldn’t call it an error necessarily, but I wonder if the repeated line “He’s waiting on us” portrays God as too passive.
I agree with you that this is a good song but not ideal for corporate worship. I would rather spend the limited time we have on Sunday morning singing songs more God-focused. I could make an exception perhaps as a send-out song, especially if the band is playing it while people are exiting rather than as a congregational song.