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Paul Oakley is a Christian gospel singer, worship leader, and songwriter from Brighton, United Kingdom. He is a worship leader at the Church of Christ the King in Brighton, UK. Oakley also leads worship at many Christian events. Some of his songs include “It’s All About You”, “Because of You”, “Jesus Friend of Sinners”, “Who is there Like You”, “Be Lifted Up”, and more recently “Father Me and “Crimson Stream”. Paul now has seven albums to his name and a number of live recordings and worship resources.

Recently, Paul Oakley has published his latest album titled “Father Me”, and he has been co-writing collaborations with other gospel artists like Aaron Keyes, Chris Eaton, and John Hartley. He is a popular artist in Canada, US, China, and many countries in Europe.

Early Years
Paul Oakley is now a well-established leader in Christian music due to his release of seven albums and the numerous songs he has written. However, he was never anticipating this to happen in the early years of his new life as a Christian. His success has come as a surprise to him. Paul grew up in a rebel British punk culture with with a British pop background. Growing up in a surrounding where British pop was played often, as a teen, Paul listened to mostly British pop music, and was only passionate about this genre of music. He was never expected to start a career in the mainstream worship ministry and become a gospel music artist. At his radical conversion as a Christian in his mid twentieth, he spent years trying to conform to conservative church culture. He was introduced to new moral principles and new rules in the church. It was challenging to him since he did not grow up as a Christian and had to adapt the new church culture. In the church atmosphere, Paul did not have any chance to be involved in British pop, thus he lost the British pop influences, but he has found the grace of God, challenging him to embrace another genre of music. Paul states to the audience that God has been calling him to compose music for Christians, and his song writing intuitions are given from God. During the first few years of his career as a gospel artist in his early thirtieth, evangelism became the main focus of his writing using his first band as a vehicle for the gospel. Paul Oakley's music and ministry extends beyond the cultural parameter of Church.

Songwriting
Paul Oakley is a Christian music composer. Oakley states that he is passionate about the Christian religion, and he draws people’s attention to God’s love through his music. He also addresses that it is God who characterizes his songwriting. As a Christian artist and songwriter, Paul’s songs show his passion to love God. He also expressed the issues of pain and suffering in the context of worship. This could be examined from songs like “Cover Me”, “I need You Now”, “When Deep Calls to Deep”, and “Kiss the River”. However, Paul’s songs seem to take the audience to his compass, including declaration, reverence, revival and grace. Many worship leaders characterize Paul Oakley is a man in touch with the Holy Spirit, and he is gifted to draw people into the presence of God. People could feel the sense of God’s calling and His mercy through Paul’s music. Paul’s music describes that God will guide His people and the generation should be devoted to love the Lord. His Love for the Lord is clearly expressed through the songs he has written. Paul stated that he loves singing them, not only at big events, but also when he is alone with the Lord. For instance, His song “Jesus Lover of my Soul” has now gone all around the glove and has been covered by various worship artists as well as translated into many other languages.

Because of the enthusiasm lyrics to God’s love in his songs, Paul’s songwriting and worship leading have been described as the “journey into God”. Paul has also found this to be true for him throughout the songwriting process. He has stated that “the CD’s have been like a journey into God for me. Even some individual songs, like “In This Stillness” and “One Thing” have been like a mini adventure into the person and nature of God himself.” Paul Oakley is a songwriter and worship leader that people have enjoyed. Many of his songs are being played on CSN, and CSN get a lot of responses from his music.

In interviews, Paul stated that he senses God has been calling him to compose songs to show the world of His love. The main focus of Paul’s writing comes from his relationship with God, and he wants God to be the center of his writing. He has said to the public, “The main focus of my writing comes from my walk with God. I’ve seen God and I don’t want to write about anything else. Like Isaiah, I felt like I’ve had a radical encounter with God. So whatever I go through, I walk through it with Him and I hope that comes out in the songs.” To Paul, God is everything—God is glorious in every aspect of people’s lives. Paul views his musical talent as a precious gift from God. He also said, “There is almost a sense in which music itself is more complete when it’s to Him and for Him. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for entertainment or performance songs, because it all points to a Creator and brings glory to God. I want God at the center of what I’m saying and writing because He has totally changed my life”.

Newest Album: Father Me
Paul’s new album titled “Father Me” was released in August, 2006. This is an album of newly written congregational worship songs recorded in Nashville with producer John Hartley, and with a sleeve that confidently states “this is the definitive Paul Oakley.” As music reviewers and auditors have described, the interplay between acoustic and electric rock element have given Paul a subtler sound than the past, while that rather adenoidal vocal sound that sometimes mars Paul’s lower register has been overcome here. Publishers from crossthythms states, "the key thing of the quality of the songs in worship circles is the melody as lyrics are usually recasting of concepts and phrases familiar since King David’s time. Paul’s new album has demonstrated the quality of the melody.  In this album, there are some soul-stirring numbers in this album, including “Ever Faithful God”, “No Other God”, “Beautiful”, and the title track."

Lyrics Analysis
"Be Lifted Up" is written by Paul Oakley. It is one of the examples which demonstrates the way his lyrics relate to the the Bible and the Christian hope and devotions.

''Be lifted up, be lifted up As we bow down, Be lifted up. (Repeat)''

Let the heavens rejoice Let the nations be glad Let the whole earth tremble For you are God Come and worship the Lord In the beauty of holiness

As we bow down, Be lifted up, As we bow down, Be lifted up

"Be lifted up" is a phrase we hear a lot in Christian circles but what does it really mean for us to lift Him up?

The term comes from the book of Exodus when Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness.

''Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient along the way, and they began to murmur against God and Moses. "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?" they complained. There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this wretched manna!'' ''So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them, and many of them were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, "We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes." So Moses prayed for the people.'' ''Then the Lord told him, Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to the top of a pole. Those who are bitten will live if they simply look at it! So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to the top of a pole. Whenever those who were bitten looked at the bronze snake, they recovered!'' Num 21:4-9 (NLT)

If an Israelite had been bitten by a serpent they would die from the poisonous bite unless they were able to look at or "see" the bronze snake "lifted up". In the Bible the serpent was the first thing God ever cursed. So the serpent symbolizes cursedness, and being bitten by a serpent meant you were under a curse.

All of this sets the stage for what Christ did:

''Christ took away the curse the law put on us. He changed places with us and put himself under that curse. It is written in the Scriptures, "Anyone whose body is displayed on a tree is cursed." Gal 3:13 (NCV)''

"As we bow down we lift you up" should not just be the posture of bodies in worship, it is to be the attitude of Christians' hearts in life. In lives Christians are called to become less [to bow down] so that He will become more [be lifted up] thus others can see Him lifted up in us and they too can live.

Albums

 * Father Me (2006)
 * Be Lifted Up (2003)
 * Unafraid (2002)
 * Unashamed (2002)
 * Kiss the River (2002)
 * When Deep Calls To Deep (1998)
 * Anthiphony (1997)

You Tube Links

 * Because of You
 * Be Lifted Up
 * Ever Faithful God
 * A Love so Amazing