His Way With Thee

 

His Way With Thee

1. Would you live for Jesus, and be always pure and good?

Would you walk with Him within the narrow road?

Would you have Him bear your burden, carry all your load?

Let Him have His way with thee.

2. Would you have Him make you free, and follow at His call?

Would you know the peace that comes by giving all?

Would you have Him save you, so that you need never fall?

Let Him have His way with thee.

3. Would you in His kingdom find a place of constant rest?

Would you prove Him true in providential test?

Would you in His service labor always at your best?

Let Him have His way with thee.

Refrain:

His pow’r can make you what you ought to be;

His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;

His love can fill your soul, and you will see

’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

By  Cyrus S. Nusbaum—1898

 

I have led this song many times in evangelistic services.  Many times I led it as a song of invitation.  Each verse begins with the question “Would you…” and are followed with pungent statements that end with “Let Him have His way with thee”.  Certainly, this song is an invitation to the seeker, who does not love and serve Jesus Christ.  Would you have Him make you free, and follow at His call? The question,  “Would you know the peace that comes by giving all?” 

Isaiah 1:18  gives the admonition, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”  Jesus stated  in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”.  The thought of Jesus offering rest is echoed in verse three with the words “Would you in His kingdom find a place of constant rest?” and in the chorus with “His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free”.

One of the many striking thoughts that are found in this song is the true truth that” His pow’r can make you what you ought to be”.  When one is separated from fellowship with God, he or she is not what that person “ought to be”.  Another truth taught in this gospel song of invitation is the all-important life question that should be answered by letting Christ have complete control of one’s life.  Christian musician be sure that your is submitted to “His way”  every day of your life.  It is one thing for a musician to have become a Christian, but it is another to continually walk in Christ every day.  Our Christian journey is about relationship rather than religiosity.  Read this old song over again and let the Holy Spirit apply its truths to your daily walk with Christ.

Memories of Those Who Cared for My Soul

 

Memories of Those Who Cared for My Soul

            My first memories of going to church include my mother practicing songs with me and praying with me, and the preacher lifting me up on a chair behind the pulpit to sing special music about Jesus. I have told you all this to remind all of you Christian parents that your children’s musical training really matters. No matter what you have or do not have, the things that matter are not “things”. Whatever it takes, make sure that your children receive a quality music education and that you provide them opportunities to give their musical talents back to the God who gave them to your children.

         I am grateful that Dr. John I. Page and his wife Virginia took me to church fellowship meetings and to retirement communities to sing the gospel as a little child. I was extremely blessed to have a pastor and his wife that cared about a little boy who had some musical talent. I am also grateful that in July of 1967 Dr. Page invited me to an altar of prayer where I confessed my sins and wept my way into the loving arms of my forgiving Savior Jesus Christ. I will forever be thankful that I was given a Christian upbringing and that as a child I was given musical training and many opportunities to give my musical talents back to God.

Today I am Thankful

 

Today I am Thankful

            Colossians 3:15 admonishes Christians, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”  Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America.  I am well aware that there are at this time there are those of you who live in the other 96 countries who read this blog that do not celebrate this day as a special Religious holiday.  I thought about it and decided that you might like a day off from my Congruency series and that it was perfectly ok for you all to be thankful all day long today.  In this post postmodern secularized generation, I am thankful for a day that has been set aside to thank God for his bountiful blessings that he has so freely bestowed on all of us! 

            If we are going to respond biblically, we all need to let God’s peace permeate our hearts on this day.  We are the world-wide body of Christ.  To him we are all equal!  It makes no difference how rich or poor we are or how obscure or famous we are. As Christians we are all His children.  He has forgiven us of all our sins and made us to be new creatures in Christ Jesus.  This is no joke because He said in 2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  Praise God, I am so thankful that my old sinful life has passed away and Christ has given me a new start!  I am blessed beyond measure today so I have made plans to be happy every minute of this Thanksgiving Day.  If you are a Christian I suggest that you make this day a Thanksgiving Day too because you have much to be thankful for today.

A Christian’s Worldview of Music part 2

 

A Christian’s Worldview of Music  part 2

 

In St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (12:1-2)  he gives a strong admonishment to those who are Christians,  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  The words not conformed (me suschematizo 3361, 4964) teach us that, in the process of presenting ourselves to God, we must not let ourselves be fashioned into the pattern of the world’s paradigm.  It is interesting to note that the original meaning of the word paradigm first appeared in English sometime during the 15th century and meant "an example or pattern".  However, since the 1960’s the word paradigm has developed the meaning of a framework containing a person’s basic assumptions and ways of thinking and knowing.

 

 

A Christian’s Worldview of Music part 1

 

A Christian’s Worldview of Music  part 1

There was a time in my career when I believed that a music philosophy was always developed before the formation of music worldview.  Now I understand that worldview, and specifically one’s music worldview, is the window through which a musician views what he or she believes is the truth about the nature and value of music. All Christian musicians have a music worldview, but being a Christian does not insure that one’s worldview of music is truly a Christian worldview.  I define music worldview as how a musician perceives the whole of music in terms of what he or she considers the reality of what is right and wrong, appropriate or not appropriate concerning music.

 This presumed reality is then weaved into a Christian’s music philosophy.  What is weaved into the musician’s philosophy from worldview will strongly shape how the musician views and deals with music in relationship to his or her being in the world. Certainly every Christian is in the world, but simply being in the world does not mean that a Christian is “of the world” i.e. is squeezed into the world’s mold philosophically.  Hopefully, the Christian will not be convinced by those who are not Christians to view the world and music as they do. The way that a Christian musician views the world will strongly influence how he or she views music in this world.

 

Young Musicians Be Careful

Young Musicians Be Careful

Proverbs 7:1-2, “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.  Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.”

 

          Solomon admonishes young people to keep God’s commandments when they are young.  I know from teaching young people for over forty years that the habits that young musicians establish in their pre-teen years can either be a great help or hindrance to Christian living in their teen years.  A young person who has the discipline to get up in the morning and practice a musical instrument will often have the discipline to read the Bible and pray regularly.  This discipline is not a given but it often makes consistent attending to the means of grace regular habit of life.

          Young musicians should also “lay up” God’s commandments in their minds.  When cognitions take place they are first stored in the electrical memory of the brain.  When one consistently thinks on God’s laws this information become more permanent as the brain experiences chemical changes.  So, as cognitions take place in the brain as a person reads the Bible, that young person is actually establishing a firewall against the ploys of Satan in the future.

          Matthew Pool’s Commentary explains that, “As the apple of thine eye; with all possible care and diligence, as men guard that part from all dangers, yea, even from the least mote. The eye is a most noble and necessary, and therefore highly esteemed and beloved, part of the body, and the apple thereof is the most honourable, and beautiful, and useful part of that part, and it is a most tender part, easily hurt, or destroyed, and therefore needs to be diligently watched.”  So, young Christian musicians should protect what their eyes observe and only store those things that will be a concomitant to the changed life principles taught in the Bible.

 

Thought for the Day

It is a good thing for parents to require pre-teens to have daily musical practice and daily Bible reading.

 

Giving Our Talents Back to God

 

Giving Our Talents Back to God  

 I believe that every child is given musical talent by our loving heavenly Father. Mothers and fathers you have the responsibility to give your children an opportunity to develop their musical talents and at an early age give those talents back to God!  That is what really matters because children learn musically by doing.  If you want your sons and daughters to give their musical talents to God in adulthood, make sure their early memories of going to church include musicing unto Him.

My first memories of going to church include my mother practicing songs with me and praying with me, and the preacher lifting me up on a chair behind the pulpit to sing special music about Jesus.  I have told you all this to remind all of you Christian parents that your children’s musical training really matters.  No matter what you have or do not have, the things that matter are not “things”.  Whatever it takes, make sure that your children receive a quality music education and that you provide them opportunities to give their musical talents back to the God who gave them to your children.  

Thought for the Day

Matthew 19:20, “The young man saith unto him, all these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” What this young man lacked was a willingness to give what he possessed back to God. He kept the rules but he had evidently not been taught to submit what he considered to be his own back to God.

Music Begins and Ends with God-part 3

 

Music Begins and Ends with God-part 3

 Post Postmodern musicians are now so squeezed into the world’s mold that they do not seem to realize that the whole belief-system that music is amoral is the result of autonomous music philosophy.  It is no wonder that you can trust a humanist to conclude that all music endeavor begins and ends with man.  The philosophical bias of a humanist will always be that all meaning in life (if there is meaning in life) will be the result of self-actualization and the act of a person’s free will.

This musical mind believes wholeheartedly that in the beginning was “ameba” or worse yet in the beginning was “nothing”.  This musician believes within himself that man came from nowhere and is ultimately going nowhere.  It is not hard for him to believe that man exists in a purposeless universe and that he is “caught in the wheel of time”.  This musician also believes that music came from nowhere and is ultimately going nowhere.  To this humanistic musician the only thing that really matters is “me”.  This type of thinker concludes that music is amoral since man is god and god is man therefore god is in man because man created god.  So, man is god of his music.  

 Any music that a humanist composes or performs is god’s music i.e., all man’s music is created in god’s image since God is created in man’s image.  Any music that pleases man will also please God and conversely no music that displeases man is pleasing to God.  So, if you can wade through all the previous mumbo-jumbo, you will be able to understand why a synthesis thinking religious humanist, who is autonomous, believes that all musical roads lead to heaven – why there is no profundity in music – why all music is appropriate for public worship and ultimately why music is all a matter of taste.

 

Music Begins and Ends with God-part 2

 

Music Begins and Ends with God-part 2

 One thing for sure, public education will not directly teach the next generation of church musicians’ wrong things about God because they are not allowed to teach God in their music knowledge.  Although federal law has mandated that public education can no longer retain God in our educational knowledge, the fact that they will not directly teach false concepts of God does not indicate that no “God-education” will take place in public schools and universities.  By eliminating God as the Creator and Lord of music education, public education relays strong false messages about the nature and value of music to our young people.

 Public education can no longer recognize God in the development of a philosophical basis for music education.  As a matter of fact, teaching God as the basis of all philosophical thought is forbidden.  The only safe path in public education is to omit the authority of God in any philosophical discussion of music.  In public education, no sacred music concerts are legal, and the sacred classics may only be taught or performed as music literature.  It is often mandated that there be no Christmas or Easter concerts.  The only time that it is totally legal to mention God in the music classroom is when the music instructor stubs his toe on the desk leg.

 

Music Begins and Ends with God-part 1

 

Music Begins and Ends with God-part 1

For the committed Christian, music begins and ends with God.  To the humanist, music begins and ends with self.  The musician who has submitted his or her music to the Lordship of Christ believes that all church music is sung and played to glorify God since God owns music.  Conversely, the secular humanists (and the religious humanist) believes that music belongs to man’s true humanness since all music is about self-actualization.  This type of thinker owns his or her music.

 We cannot trust public education to produce Christ-centered musicians who have a Christocentric music philosophy.  Christians never should have trusted the world to formulate music philosophy for Christian young people.  It has always been the responsibility of Christians to train their own. Although many Christian parents have ignored it, the world has never been a friend of grace.  Could you imagine the ancient Hebrews calling in the Philistines to train their Levite sons?  The 20^th century church did just that--they called in the worldly musicians who outwardly profaned the name of Christ to train church musicians.  The result was generation after generation of Christian musicians filled with Philistine philosophy. 

 

The Song of Fools

 

The Song of Fools 

Ecclesiastes 7:5 states, “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.”  Church musicians sometimes get a little worried that their musicing unto God is too serious, because all of us want people to like our music ministry.  What did the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes mean by “the song of fools (shiyr kaciyl 7892 3684)”?  Was he suggesting that the content of the song is foolish or that those who are singing the songs are actually fools?  He probably meant “all of the above”. 

       Never be afraid of the seriousness of the musical message of Christ crucified.  The awesome depth and true truth of this message is the very thing that makes it worthwhile.  The message of Christ being obedient to the will of His Father: which included being reviled, rebuked, rejected, misunderstood, abused, and tortured physically and mentally is a very solemn and worthwhile message.  Never be ashamed of the awesome and solemn truth about Christ’s suffering and death which we sing about in God’s house. The Christian musician should never “water it down” or fail to sing about the precious blood that Christ shed for the sins of the whole world.

       Although the message of His suffering and death is a very solemn message, there is another side to this musical coin.  Turn it over and you will see victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You will see the joy of the debt of sin being paid by His suffering and death and resurrection.  You will also see that we can have a clean and pure heart through the efficacy of His precious blood that was shed on Calvary.  (See Acts 29:28, Hebrews 9:12, 13:12 and Revelation 1:5.)  You will further see freedom from the guilt of sin.  You will also see the joy of having a relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this life and in the life to come.  Sing and play and tell through your musicing, not only the suffering and death of our Savior, but also of the fact that He was victorious over sin, death, hell and the grave.

 The message of the “song of fools” is very different because it is mostly an empty social gospel.  The gospel message of Christ crucified is far better than the foolish, light, chaffy, religious music that contains little of any eternal value. Church musicians that are still musicing the whole gospel should not allow themselves to be intimidated.  The true truth of the deep message of Christ crucified, buried, and risen again and seated on the right of the Father praying for us all is exactly what this post-postmodern world needs to hear.

 

 

Faith Basis and Musical Understanding

 

Faith Basis and Musical Understanding

  Recently there has been discussion by a limited number of philosophers concerning faith as a basis for the development of a music philosophy.  A much larger number of philosophers have not even made casual mention of faith based music philosophy.  They have been occupied with the argument about whether real life understanding can or cannot be gained through music listening and performing.

Some of the ancients believed that music had great power and meaning. Some of them believed that music could influence the morals and ethics of the performer and listener.  As the discipline of music philosophy developed over the centuries, there was often among music philosophers a connection between religion and philosophic reasoning. Over the centuries, music philosophers have been divided in their opinions of whether religious faith basis was necessary or was even a reasonable option in the development of a music philosophy.