Thoughts on 1 Corinthians Chapter Thirteen-part 4

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians Chapter Thirteen-part 4

            In his discussion or the “Love chapter” Adam Clarke, in his explanatory notes on 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen, goes on to say,”This was a proof that love for God and man was lacking; and that without this, their numerous gifts and other graces were nothing in the eyes of God; for it was evident that they did not love one another…”  In St. John 13:34 Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

            Hard feelings and old hurts can, either fester and get bigger and bigger and bigger during one’s senior years, or the mature years can be a time when a person allows Jesus the great physician to “Heal our old hurts and resentments”.  Jeremiah 8:22 states, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?”  This Scripture means that God will heal our hurts if we will let Him. Ephesians 4:32 teaches us, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”  We cannot control what others say or how they act, but we can control our own thoughts and attitudes.

Thought for the Day

I recently heard a Christian re-hashing some old happenings that should have been buried in the sea of forgiveness, but instead I could tell that they were still festering in his mind.  I have found that the person who refuses to forgive and forget is the one who suffers the most spiritual damage.

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians Chapter Thirteen-part 3

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians Chapter Thirteen-part 3

            So, when one reads “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity I am become as sounding brass” with the knowledge of what we learned from Vitruvius in yesterday’s post, we understand that if a person says that he loves his or her neighbor but does not really care for them—this person’s speech is hollow like the sound produced by the Roman hollow sounding vases.  The great Bible expositor Adam Clarke explained that, at the conclusion of chapter 12 the apostle promised to show the Corinthians a more excellent way to live the way they were living.

            Let’s read 1Corinthians 12:25, [in the chapter just before the one we quoted earlier] “That there should be no schism [i.e. no division] in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.  1Corinthians 12:26 also states, “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.”  We can see that the Corinthians were so distracted with contentions and were divided and were envious of each other's gifts, that unity was nearly destroyed.

Thought for the Day

During the second half or the twentieth century more churches were split and splintered by music than theology or any other  aspect of Christian living. It is no wonder that the inspired author of the Corinthian letter warned “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.”

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians Chapter Thirteen-part 2

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians Chapter Thirteen-part 2

             First, alalazo kumbalon (214 2950), which is translated tinkling symbol in the AV, means a clanging cymbal rather than a tinkling cymbal.   So St Paul is saying that unless we have a genuine Christian love for others our words are like the clanging and banging of a cymbal. Second, the best explanation that I have found of the Greek words echeo chalkos (2278 5475), which is translated sounding brass in the AV, is found in the writings of Marcus Vitruvius Pollio who lived in the 1st century B.C.  He was a Roman architect, engineer, and author of the celebrated treatise De architectura (On Architecture), a handbook for Roman architects.

            Vitruvius explained that the echo chalkos were tuned acoustic brass or bronze vases that were strategically placed around the Roman out-door theaters.  Each vase was tuned chromatically and when a particular pitch was produced by the human voice, that particular vase would amplify the actor’s voice. However, these metal sounding vases produced a hollow sound that was not a true representation of the actor’s voice quality.

Thought for the Day

Efficacious musicing is made possible by a Christian musician being genuine.  Otherwise his or her musicing produces a hollow sound that was not a true representation of the moral nature Savior whom the musician is representing.

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians Chapter Thirteen-part 1

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians Chapter Thirteen-part 1

            There are a couple of thoughts that I would like to leave with you today.  The word charity which is used repeatedly in this chapter is translated from the Greek word agape (26). Albert Barnes, in his Commentary on the New Testament gives the following comments: The words “And have not charity” mean and have not LOVE. This is the proper and usual meaning of the Greek word. The English word charity that is used in many translations of this passage of the New Testament has, according to how it is used in a great variety of meanings; and some of them cannot be included in the meaning of the word here. As here used: (1.) in a general sense it means, love, benevolence, good-will;  (2.) in a more particular sense, it denotes the love and kindness which springs from the natural relations, as the charities of father, son, brother.   

            So, this thirteenth chapter in 1 Corinthians is about love that is love in action. The happy Christian is a Christian who thinks about others and shows this love by caring about others.  I’m a music teacher so I decided to study what the words “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal” meant.  There are a number of opinions about what these Greek words mean. Tomorrow we will discuss them.

Thought for the Day

Christian musicians do not find it hard to love other musicians who love them and think like they do.  However, it is another matter when a musician does not respond to them in love and unity. 

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 5

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 5

            One can remove a pig from his muddy wallowing hole, give him  a thorough bath with a scrub brush, but if the pig is allowed to not only return to his wallowing hole but to also again continuously wallow in it, there is absolutely no way that he will remain clean. Psalm 40:1-2 clearly explains, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”  Notice that verse three further explains. “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”  The Cambridge scholars AV marginal reading for the words “horrible pit” i.e. shaown bowr (7488 953) is a “pit of noise”.  Again, I find it odd that so many Christian musicians, pastors and church boards believe that the best way to help a Christian, who has passed form death unto life by the born-again experience, is to subject this Christian to the same horrible pit of noise that he or she wallowed in as a carnal un-regenerated sinner who was dead in trespasses and sins.

            Surely fellowships of believers should provide music for the new man which is of a higher renovated character i.e. “new song” chadash shiyr (2319 7892) rather than the music of the old man and the old life.  I am not saying that it is absolutely impossible for Christians to exist spiritually on a diet of fried musical bologna on white bread made from bleached musical flower that has been stripped of almost all of its life sustaining ingredients, but such a worship diet is by no means the best musical diet. It is ludicrous to suppose that music graduates who have never developed a conservative Bible based music philosophy will desire to feed the people who come to the House of God to worship anything of a deep musical and spiritual value.

            Psalm 40:2 also teaches that God had to pull the psalmist David out of the “miry clay” i.e. yaven tiyt (3121 2916) before he could place him upon the rock and establish his goings.  At least by implication these verses in Psalm forty teach that the old song of the old life in the pit of noise was miry clay that held the psalmist down spiritually.  So, YHVH replaced the old song with a new song of a higher renovated character so that he would not be drawn back into the horrible pit of noise.   

Thought for the Day

If the “new man” has to make changes in various areas of life style, surely this Christian may have to make some changes in the music that he or she allows in his or her life style.  Without doubt this includes worship music and music styles that are closely associated with carnal passions.

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 4

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 4

            Yesterday we discussed that as important as knowledge of famous visual arts and famous musical compositions may be to an undergraduate student’s general education, such knowledge should never be placed above Bible knowledge of music.  Furthermore, musical knowledge, which has been thoroughly interwoven into every Christian student’s music philosophy that is seasoned with a thorough understanding of music as a part of worship from ancient to modern times, is essential to every student receiving general education that is truly Christian.  It is high time that so-called Christian colleges and universities realize that having Christ’s name as a part of the institution does not automatically insure that its graduates will receive a Christian music education.

            Every Christian educational institution that I know of denies that it has been squeezed into the world’s musical mold.  However, as I alluded to in an earlier post in this series, multitudes of Christian colleges and universities believe that it is proper to worship with music styles that were created to feed carnal desires of depraved men and women.  This philosophy of music is fed by the belief that the most effective way to music unto God is to make worship exactly like the carnal music of the world.  It seems odd to me that so many Christian colleges and universities believe and teach, at least by default, that the way to music unto the high and holy triune God is to use music that sounds exactly like the carnal music of this godless world that was produced to appeal to the carnal desires on sinful men and women.

Quote for the Day

Ephesians 5:8, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 3

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 3

            The problem is not fitting such courses into the general education portion of broad based general education, but rather a lack of the belief that every student must have an understanding of what the Bible teaches about music and musicing and have such knowledge interwoven into his or her philosophy of music.  Accrediting associations give accredited member colleges much more general education freedom than many college academic officers will admit.  However, even if there is not much variety in general education curriculums, Christian colleges can always require some Bible based music courses as a part of all professional programs. 

            Music has become the “war department” in multitudes of churches in the last half of the 20th century and now in the second decade of this century.  Every church deserves to have a senior pastor and a minister of music that both have a thorough understanding of Bible principles of music and musicing.  Furthermore, these pastors and ministers of music must be able to utilize this knowledge in a well-developed Bible based ministry philosophy.  Churches cannot expect secular universities to provide Bible based curricular offerings for pastors and ministers of music. However, they have the right to expect Christian colleges and universities to provide and require such offerings of each of their graduates.  If this were to happen, much of the shared ignorance would cease, and Churches would be much better equipped to face this post postmodern world. 

Thought for the Day

You can tell what a pastor really believes about musicing unto God by listening to what he puts up with musically from his worship leader.

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 2

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 2

            Yesterday we began this series of posts by citing some of the problems that are facing public music worship today.  Because so many Bible Colleges and a host of Christian universities have been more concerned with liberal arts education than a thorough Bible based Christian education, many undergraduate curriculums are now devoid of any required courses in Music of the Bible and Music Philosophy taught from a bible based Christian perspective.  Although Christian Colleges and universities would adamantly deny it, they have allowed the world to completely influence their broad based undergraduate curriculum decisions.  Although they blame accreditation requirements for the lack of Bible bases music courses in general and professional education curriculums for all students, this is not a fact.

            For instance, they have chosen courses like Art Appreciation, Fine arts Appreciation, and general Music Appreciation which could have been replaced with course like Music Philosophy in Christian Perspective, Philosophy of Music Worship, Music of the Bible, and a Host of other courses such as the History of Music Worship. I know, after working with different Christian and secular accrediting agencies in the US that Christian Colleges can make the above curriculum decisions in their undergraduate general education programs.  So, accredited undergraduate Christian colleges and universities are without excuse when they ignore Bible based music courses that are acceptable as fine arts general education. 

Scripture for the Day

Ro 12:1-2, “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.”

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 1

Graduates Cannot Teach What They Do Not Know-part 1

            “The average pastor today will often admit that he knows very little about music, and generally leaves decisions regarding the music ministry to the song leader/choir director. The primary reason most pastors know very little about music is that they have never been taught a Biblical philosophy of Christian music. Most Bible Colleges today do not teach much in the way of Biblical music standards, and often leave such decisions up to the students themselves as to what they listen to and perform. http://www.beaconmbc.com/articles/abiblicalphilosophyofchristianmusic.htm    This insightful quote by Dr. Thomas Cassidy sums up the major reason for the music dilemma that many churches have found themselves facing as we enter the second decade of this century.  Multitudes of pastors are failing to fulfill their God given responsibility to be the leader in all matters concerning public worship.  Right behind them are multitudes of church board members who many times realize that, since they do not even know the names of the lines and spaces,  they do not have enough knowledge of a Bible based music philosophy to be a leader in matters of public music worship.

            So, what should the church do now that, in many churches and Christian institutions of higher learning, complete musical ignorance reigns?  Should they give in to the musical winds of continued destructive musical change forced upon it by worldly church attenders who love worldly styles of music?  If the church continues to lead by ignorance of Bible principles of musicing, we will probably not be able to recognize public worship in another decade or two.  Turning over musical worship to a novice or a worship leader who loves worldly secular styles of music that were never intended to be used in worshiping God,  or worse yet a musician who has a “musical ax to grind” and is on a demolition course to change traditional worship at any cost, is certainly not the answer.  The “will to power” is a dangerous trait of the canal mind, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (See Romans 8:1-9)

Quote for the Day

Romans 1:28, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.”

Thank you for a Great Month of October

Thank you for a Great Month of October 

            This month was the 46^th month of my blog which contained devotional and philosophical thoughts for Christian musicians. I have written over 2,472 posts since this blog was started in January of 2013. There have been several times this year when I have experienced a certain amount of writer’s burnout.  However, I am praying that my posts in 2016 will stimulate both the regular and new blog members to remain faithful to their musical Ministeries. It is my continued prayer that each new post will bring honor to our heavenly Father in 2016.  The over 1,300 page views of my blog this month were experienced by people who read a mixture of philosophical and devotional thoughts. 

       Since we began on January 2 of 2013 we have received a total of over 76,300 page views with over 1,300 views in October which is over 300 more views than we had in September of 2016.  Since I started this blog the page views have come from 121 different countries. 

            These views have come from Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Argentina, Armenia, Angola,  Aruba, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Colombia, Congo [DRC], Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong,  Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland (Republic of),  Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordon, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia (FYROM) Macau, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia,  Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands (Antilles) New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Oman, Palestine, Paraguay, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru. Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Porto Rico, Qatar, Réunion, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand,  Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks & Caicos Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, USA and Zimbabwe .  We would like to welcome to our blog family Macedonia and Turkmenistan  that had their first page views this month.

             The ten countries with the most page views this month were:  USA, Poland, France, Germany, China, Ukraine, Portugal, Netherlands Philippines, and Romania.

          If you are from a country that has had page views in the past 46 months and has been omitted from the 121 countries listed above, please email me your country’s name.  Please pray with me that God will allow this Music Philosophy Blog to continue to go places where I will never have the opportunity to minister musically in person. Please pray for me, as I have mentioned before, I am in the process of writing a general music philosophy book and a devotional book for musicians. My philosophy book is now in the hands of the content editor. Please pray the editor of the devotional book is in the process of moving to Scotland and is very busy at this time.

       Once again I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to view my music philosophy blog during the month of October and a special thanks is in order to those countries that faithfully view this blog month after month.  Please continue to pray that God will guide each post and allow it to reach those who need encouragement to keep ministering for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  

The main reason that I started this Music Philosophy blog is that, although there is much music philosophy information on the net, not very much of it is from a biblical perspective.  Please share the blog address with your friends.   If you have an area of music or fine arts philosophy that troubles you, please feel free to let me know and I will include it in our discussions.  My email address is Garenlwolf@gmail.com.

Prayer for this Blog in November

            I want to thank You Lord and Father for the 121 countries that are a part of our blog family.  It is my sincere and earnest prayer let this blog will go around the world to places where I cannot go.  Lord, thank You that You are answering my prayer by guiding people from 121 countries to find and read my blog posts. Please continue to help me in 2016 as I prepare a post for each day to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. This is the month that we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US.  Lord, I want to thank You for all your goodness to me!

            Only You know Lord who is out there ministering musically that needs a fresh anointing for musical ministry.  Help me to know which philosophical and devotional thoughts will help these busy pastors and musicians.  Lord, as I continue to develop posts for the month of October, I am not sure which aspects of music education and music ministry to write about that will stimulate and encourage the blog family.  Please anoint the blog, the blogger, and the blog readers during 2016. If it is your will I am asking that the number of page views will increase during each month.

             Lord, I am praying that you will help the content editors for the two books that they are now editing and making final preparations so they can be sent to the publisher. Also, thank You Lord for helping me to proof read  the 17 chapters of the philosophy book to make corrections.  I am asking that you will be with both of the content editors who are very busy at this time. I am asking You Lord, to multiply time for these two very busy people this month. These things I ask in your great and wise and wonderful name.  Amen.