Quote for the day-God Never-Part 1

      Quote for the day-God Never Gets Tired-Part 1

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”  (Psalm 121:1-2.)

God Never Gets Tired-Part 1

  God never Gets Tired

Isaiah 40:28 states, “Hast thou not heard the LORD, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?  There is no searching of his understanding.” 

       The passage of Scripture in which this verse is found reminds the Christian that the LORD who is the creator of everything above, below, in, on, and around the earth gives strength and power to the weary.  God means what He said in the Book of Genesis.  He really did create everything.  (If one doubts the authenticity of God’s literal creation in the Genesis Record, he or she “dumbs down” the power of God.)  If Jehovah did not create then perhaps He does not have the power and the ability to give strength to weary Christian musicians.  I choose to believe, however, that Jehovah had the power to take nothing and make something out of that “nothingness” and, furthermore, that Jehovah God now has the power to give strength to weary Christian musicians.  I also choose to believe that Jehovah exercises that power on the behalf of weary Christian musicians.  The reason I believe that God gives strength to weary Christian musicians is that I have experienced that power and strength many, many times since I confessed my sins with Godly sorrow and received his forgiveness and, by faith, accepted Him as my Lord and Savior.

       How can a weary Christian musician receive help and strength?  The answer is very simple.  It is so simple that that many Christian musicians fail to receive this help and assistance from the self existent, independent, eternal “God who is”.  First of all, musicians must remember that He is, and that he is the rewarder of them that seek Him.  (See Hebrews 11:6.) 

       The same passage of Scripture that we quoted at the beginning of this discussion also says in verse 31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”  The Hebrew word which has been translated renew in verse thirty-one is caliph (2498) which means literally a change in strength.  So, if we as Christian musicians need to have a change in the amount of strength that we have, either physically, spiritually or emotionally, we need to “wait” (qavah 6960) or be “bound together” with the self-existent, independent eternal God who is alive and seated at the right hand of the father making intercession for Christian musicians right now!  (See Romans 8: 26-27.)  So, the secret of your renewed strength is getting close to the Lord and telling Him how much you need Him.  I see that this discussion is getting lengthy so we will continue it tomorrow.

A Collect from the Book of Common Prayer

                                     A Collect from the Book of Common Prayer

“O MOST merciful Father, who hast blessed the labours of the husbandman in the returns of the fruits of the earth.  We give thee humble and hearty for this thy bounty; beseeching thee to continue thy loving-kindness to us, that our land may still yield her increase, to thy glory and our comfort; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen”.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 265 J.W. Suter, Ed.

 

Every Day is Thanksgiving Day

 

                                                     Every Day is Thanksgiving Day 

       I Timothy 6:6-8 states, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

       Yesterday I dug potatoes from my little garden.  As I got on my knees to dig them out of the ground, I soon realized that these were some of the biggest and best potatoes that I have ever raised.  As I knelt there, I became very thankful to God for his material blessings.  I was reminded of how wonderful God’s world really is.  My wife and I planted the seed potatoes in early spring in faith that they would sprout, grow, and produce potatoes.  I tilled the short rows of potatoes diligently, sometimes every day until the weeds were under control and the ground was prepared for the potatoes to grow properly.

       As I dug the potatoes I was reminded that God had forgiven all of all of my sins, and had planted me beside rivulets of His living water and had dug around this new Christian every day. I was reminded of just how much care my heavenly father had taken with me so that I could be established spiritually.  I am very thankful for the vegetables that God has allowed me to grow in our little garden.  I am thankful for the faith of seed time and the sight of the harvest.  The tiny harvest that God has allowed me to receive from our vegetable garden has made me very thankful.  It has reminded me that I should be thankful every day for all God has provided for me.

Thought for the Day-Keyed Numbers

 

                                           Thought for the day-Keyed Numbers

Would you rather trust one author’s unidentified and unsubstantiated opinion about the meaning of a Scripture or the multiple collected opinions of saints and scholars who have, over the centuries, studied a Scripture in the context of its original meaning?

                                               

Why I Use Transliterations and Strong's Numbers

 

                                        Why Do I Include Transliterations and Strong’s Numbers?

Many music directors have not had the opportunity to study Greek and Hebrew while they were in an undergraduate or graduate music degree program in college.  So, I do not write any of the Bible language words and or definitions in Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.  There is a multitude of Bible study books that include the keyed numbers found in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.  Therefore, those who read my posts have an immediate connection to these scholarly sources. Without the hassle of having to compare the characters of the Hebrew or Greek languages in the many Bible study works that use word explanations in both English and the Bible languages. 

       Many times I read books and Periodical articles that contend that a passage of Scripture has a certain meaning, but when I study it, I can not substantiate that it actually has the meaning that a particular author purports that it has.  It would be a great help if all authors would specify (transliterate) the particular words that they have studied and give the Strong’s keyed numbers. 

       All words found in any language have meaning based on how they are used in sentences.  Words mean something, and I believe that the writers of Scripture, who were inspired to write sentences under the direct (plenary) inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote exactly what they meant to say.  It does not make any sense to suppose that an inspired writer of scripture would words that meant exactly what he did not intend to say.  I believe that all misunderandings of Scripture are the result of the reader not having a grasp of the original language.

       When I commit my beliefs to pen and ink, I sometimes think that I spend more time with the English dictionary and the Bible language dictionaries and lexicons than I do writing my thoughts.  My writings are far from inspired, but that does not mean that I do not labor over each word, phrase and sentence, (and computer spell, grammar, and punctuation checks).  I would be greatly offended if my readers were to suppose that I intend to write sentences that have exactly the opposite of what I mean to say.

        So, if a modern writer expects all readers to treat the meaning of the words used in the context of His or her writings, surely we must give the ancient inspired writings of the Old and New Testaments with much more respect.  Changing the Holy Writ to merely fit modern thinking is a very dangerous writing technique.  A writer has an obligation to the original meaning of the words that were used in the Bible.  Therefore, when I am exposing and defining original Bible languages that are thousands of years old, I endeavor to always identify the original words as well as give keyed numbers so that the reader may do his or own language studies to establish if my interpretations are valid or not.

Thought for the day-The Holy Spirit Part 11

                            Thought for the day-The Holy Spirit-Part 11

Some Christian musicians, who are very accomplished musicians, find it difficult to minister in the spirit of a menial worshiper, and at the same time music unto God with great musical skill and authority.  They also often fail to recognize the importance of the Holy Spirit guiding and anointing each musical performance.

The Holy Spirit and Music Ministry-Part 11

The work of the Holy Spirit in Music Ministry-Part 11
The chief Levite musicians were commanded to (sharath 8334) or minister.  I Chronicles 16:4-5b states:

v.  4         And he [King David] appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel.

v.  5b       with psalteries and with harps...  (words in brackets are mine)

Strong believes that shareth means “to attend as menial or worshiper, to contribute, serve, wait on”.  Again the emphasis is not on the perfection of performance, or aesthetic awareness, or kinesthetic coordination, or the pleasure of performance, but rather on service as a servant or menial worshiper.  These Levite musicians wore in type and shadow, the yoke of the New Testament Christ.  They were men of God who heard from God and delivered his message to His people through the medium of music.  They served God and they served the people.  The Scripture never makes mention of a haughty, heady, self-seeking Levite musician.  The Levite musician sang (shiyrah kiy yehovah) the songs of the Lord.  Do you know what these musician’s claim to fame was?  They were expert and could distinguish mentally about the right kind of songs – the songs of the LORD.  I Chronicles 25:7 states:

So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed [lamad 3925-expert or skillful] in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning [biyn 1995-could separate mentally or could perceive] was two hundred fourscore and eight.  (words in brackets are mine)

They were ministering musicians who were meek and lowly of heart and were experts in the songs of the self-existent, eternal God who is!  Say, Church Musician, what is your area of greatest expertise?  Do the great hymns of the church feed your soul?  Do they raise your soul to great heights?  Are they a means of grace to you and the people’s souls that you feed through music?  Do these songs bore you?  Have you given them up for renaissance madrigals, and Beethoven sonatas or hip-hop and rap?

           

Thought for the day-The Holy Spirit Part 10

        Thought for the day-The Holy Spirit Part 10

The Christian musician is pleased when the congregation enjoys the content of his or her musicing.  However, sometimes the Holy Spirit expects the twenty first century musician to music words that tell of Gods vengeance as well as His mercy.

The Holy Spirit and Music Ministry--Part 10

  The Work of the Holy Spirit in Music Ministry-Part 10

The chief musicians Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun were to (naba 5012) or prophesy.  Strong says that naba means to speak or sing by inspiration.  I Chronicles 25:1 states:

Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy [or make music under the divine influence] with harps [lyres], with psalteries [harps] and with cymbals [double-tinklers-metsaleth]. ( words in brackets are mine)

The Word of God records that they were separated to prophesy through music.  The word naba used here is the same word used of the prophet Jeremiah (26:12) and of Ezekiel (4:7).  The Word did not say that these musicians were set apart to entertain or perform, but in clear contradistinction they had a message from God for God’s people.  Are you catching on?  The business of music making was serious business.  It was then and should be today a means of grace to the believer.  We should be as careful of the words we sing to God and the melodies we play to Him as we are of the words we pray to God.  Church musicians need the appropriate message for the appropriate hour.  Moses had two such messages.  We hear a lot about the song of Moses in Exodus 15:1-21:

Then sang Moses and the Children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 

This song was a great paean of praise written at a moment of great national victory.  However, Moses wrote another song which we hear very little about.  Deuteronomy 31:19 states:

Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the Children of Israel. 

This song of Moses was a setting forth of God’s mercy and vengeance on the Children of Israel.  It was a serious song and Moses knew that it was.  Verse 22 states:

Moses, therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the Children of Israel.

Verse 30 says,

And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.

This song is recorded in Deuteronomy 32:1-43.  Moses told them of God’s mercy and he warned them of God’s vengeance.  If we as church musicians today would include the whole Gospel in our music ministry – if we would consider the songs of the Lord to be urgent and important, church music would take on more of a concept of urgency like that of Bible times.  Musicians, I submit to you that maybe just once in a while, the Holy Spirit doesn’t want your music to bring the service to a high point.  Maybe He has ordained that you should plan, the pastor should water, and God should give the increase.