His name was Bruce Ballinger, and he must have been emotionally affected one day when he was 31 years old to write something, to suggest to others how they might change a habit. Perhaps this habit had grown old, and Bruce wanted to rekindle some feelings that he remembered had more fervor at one time. In fact, he succeeded. His son, Leigh, gives us insight into what his dad was doing and where he was, so enjoy hearing some personal reflections from Bruce’s offspring about “We Have Come Into His House”
It was 1976, and Bruce Ballinger wrote a pretty simple little tune for something that lots of believers love to do — worship. Leigh Ballinger, Bruce’s son, writes the following about this period, in March 2105: My father wrote the song while in the position of Music Minister at a church in Toronto Ontario, Canada — Kennedy Road Tabernacle. KRT was our home church till 1980. My dad was a man after the presence of God, He wrote the song during a time that the church was going through what you would call…Revival. He said to me that he sat at the piano and just started to play it. The words were truly inspired by the Holy Spirit, and have had the incredible impact on those who sing it. The song has traveled across the world…to Russia, and to underground churches in China…
Revival. That speaks volumes about how and why “We Have Come…” resonated in places like Russia and China, where people experienced a refocus after decades of desolation. Worshippers in those distant places, like Ballinger, were identifying with a time of shared uplift. The mid-1970’s was the period of the “Jesus movement”, so perhaps Ballinger’s words and music fit into that era’s character too, a time when searchers of God walked away from conventional methods of worship. They wanted something more than mere vocalizations of belief. Hippies, communes, and house churches invaded Christianity, as some older folks might have termed it at the time. Bruce and his family’s experience in Toronto indicates the revival found in the “Jesus movement” wasn’t just an American phenomenon, but had spread across the Canadian border. Won’t it be something when there’s a time when the revival doesn’t stop or wane? Leigh shares these final thoughts about his dad and the song he composed:
There are so many more stories, from underground churches in China with his song in their worship books to amazing people like Benny Hinn using his music. In the end my dad was just a lover of God’s presence. On October 24, 2004 my father entered the presence of God for the last time and has never left that place. As I do miss him every day, I know that he is now in the presence of the King, rejoicing, singing and worshiping like never before.
