Paul Wilbur

There’s an old saying that “music is the universal language.” That’s certainly been true for Paul Wilbur who has committed almost 40 years to an extraordinary global ministry. In thousands of concerts, numerous recordings and over 3 million units in album sales, Paul speaks a language of melody and meaning that goes straight to the heart.

Paul traces his musical history back to the mid-seventies when he was a college student studying to be an opera singer and cantor before a born-again experience took him in a radical new direction.  After surrendering his life to Messiah, he went on to found the early Jesus Movement band Harvest, and later Israel’s Hope, an ensemble dedicated to bringing the message of the Gospel back to the Jewish people. Along the way, Paul realized that God had called him to a cross-cultural, multi-lingual concert ministry that would take him to every continent on the globe, playing for audiences in far-flung locations ranging from South Africa to Singapore, Kuwait to Cuba, France to the Philippines, while also recording in five languages. All the while, he and his team have worked to combine music and missions, bringing spiritual hope while also providing supplies and support to “the least of these.”

“The heart of worship is communication, from our hearts to God,” Paul explains. “You can’t expect people to reach out to God in a language they can’t understand. Our goal quickly became to carry the music, message and ministry of the Kingdom to the nations in their own language.” 

Whether he’s leading worship for thousands in the Middle East, singing to packed soccer stadiums in Latin America, or bringing his anointed Messianic message to the people of Israel or the church around the corner, Paul’s music and life celebrate the love of God. It is a message that reverberates throughout all of his recordings, including the new Forever Good, which declares God’s infinite mercy, provision and salvation. 

“Where His goodness is proclaimed, that’s where His presence shows up,” says Paul. “He inhabits the praises of his people.”  

“We always talk about the alignment of Heaven and Earth,” he continues. “What about the alignment of heart and lips? Do your lips say one thing, while your heart is far from Him? That’s the core message behind this project…the victory is in your mouth when your heart and your lips line up.” 

With Forever Good, Paul has once again partnered with producer Dan Needham with whom he worked on his last critically acclaimed album, Your Great Name. And he is again partnering with a community of songwriters that includes Dove Award winners Michael Farren and Don Poythress and longtime collaborator Steve Merkel with whom Paul recorded the groundbreaking albums Shalom Jerusalem and Jerusalem Arise.

Paul’s hope for his music, is that he delivers songs full of prophetic insight and understanding… “a word for the Church, for such a time as this.”

“My desire is to share songs for the global church, songs that reflect our historic Jewish heritage, songs for those who have been grafted in, as well as songs that share the love of Yeshua for all who listen.”