God Cares

God Cares

At 4:17 AM, Wednesday March 5 in the year of our LORD 2019 God reminded me of these precious promises:

1Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Hebrews 13:5B …I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:5B … as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Daniel 3:5 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Song for the Day Be Strong in the Lord by Linda Lee Johnson

Prayer for the Day

All mighty, wonderful, powerful God who sits at the right hand of God the Father in heaven, Your WORD declares that You will never, never, never leave me or forsake me!  I know that Your Words are true, just and of immeasurable variety.  Therefore, I can trust what I have read in the Bible because it is TRUE TRUTH.  Please help me to “Be strong and of a good courage” and to trust your Word because, since You are the Word, and since You can never be separated from  Your Word, what You have inspired the ancient writers to place in the Bible as it was “God breathed” into their minds is still true today. Thank you for taking care of me in the past.  Thank You for taking care of me today and thank You in advance for Your immutable WORD that has promised  “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee”.  This I am praying in Your completely trustworthy name.  Amen

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 16

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 16

          I do not know about you but I hate the thought of God having to use the words of te songs that I  perform in spite of the music part or the music because the musical vehicle  that I used as not “suitable to the subject” because it was loaded with either excess and/or musical defect.  What a pitty it would be to have my musicing actually hinder the message of the good news of the gospel.  It would be just as unfortunate for the music part of the musical offerings that I present unto Him  to be so flawed by its musical defects (because of the way I arranged the musical building blocks i.e. the formal properties of the music in such an inept manner) that the music was not supportive of the beauty of the gospel message. 

          Some brief discussion needs to be made about suitability.  One of the reasons that every Christian musician needs to develop a series of systematic beliefs about the nature and value of both sacred and secular music is because, when we understand both, we are much more equipped to make decisions about which styles of music lend themselves to being suitable to support the moral nature of the Trinity and and the message of the gospel.. These understandings of musical style also helps to equip the musician with the tools for the proper use of the various styles of music that are appropriate to be used as vehicles of prayer and praise of the high and Holy God that we love and serve.  Conversly, these understandings also help the worship leader to make mature educated choices of the styles of music that do not lend themselves to the awsomness and solemnity of worshiping the trinity and therefore should be excluded from worship.

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 15

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 15

          I’m not advocating any kind of religious fanaticism or out of contol  musical performance, but I am contending that “out of the abundance of the heart a musician musics”.  A careful exegesis of Ephesians 5:18-19 will reveal that the musicing which is mentioned in verse 19 must be done by a Christian musician that is submitted to the Holy Spirit (verse 18) and allows the Spirit to continually fill his or her life with the Spirit’s control and power.  The Ephesian writer makes an analogy of  a person who does not control his actions because he is under the control of wine and the Christian who does not music in his own power because he has steped off of the seat of control and has allowed the Holy Spirit to continually fill his life with power.  Surely the blessed Holy Spirit inspired the writer of the Ephesian letter to preface the mighty  musical teachings of Ephesians 5:19 by the necessary spiritual preperations  taught in verse eighteen.

          In the truest sense, beautiful musical offerings to God can only exude grom a holy heart life.  Galations 5:17 teaches, For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”  I am not contending or intimating that beautiful musicing can not be accormpihed by a musician who is not a born again Christian.   Also, I am not declaring that when God’s Word that is set to so called  religious music that is anti-music, because  its aesthetic basis consists of music that is grotesque or ugly, is not ever used by the Holy Spirit to reach a lost soul.  I do contend, however, that it is the Word that the Holy Spirit is able to use rather than the music part of the music.  I believe this because, Isaiah 55:11 teaches, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”  So, God can use His Word to reach a lost soul in spite of the music part of a piece of music.

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 14

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 14

          What many music worship leaders and pastors failed to understand was, as I put it, “out of the abundance of the heart the church musician musics”.  I believe that “the effectual fervent musicing of a righteous person availeth much”.  So, two problems developed in public worship.  First, anointed musicing was subtly, and many times not so subtly, made fun of by modern and postmodern writers. Musicians who openly sought after the dunamis (1411) of the Holy Spirit were considered to be extremists and even fanatics.  The emphasis in the worship renewal movement was often placed on “event musicing” rather than anointed musicing. 

          I want to make it very clear that I wholeheartedly believe in beautiful music offerings.  However, I fear the subtle shift in music worship that has placed the emphasis on beautiful artistic musical performance events rather than on the power of the Holy Spirit on musical Servants who are selfless servants. Acts 1:8 teaches very clearly, “But ye shall receive power (dunamis 1411), after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”  There is a vast difference between powerful talented beautiful musical performances and beautiful anointed musical offerings given in an attitude of humility and submission to the blessed Holy Spirit who anoints and empowers His holy musical servants.

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 13

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 13

         Up to this point in our discussion we have not throughly considered whether or not sacred music should or must be based on a music aesthetic requiring beauty.  The question of whether the Christian musician should be concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty as a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of his or her music ministry became a major concern in the second half of the 20^th century. 

          Starting on the 1960’s, a plethora of music styles began to assert an enormous influence on religious music in many Christian communities.  Out of this musical ministry confusion generations of church musicians became preoccupied with being trendy rather than true.  All traditional music and musicing came under attack.  Traditional ways of musicing were blamed for being responsible for ineffectual (i.e. not producing or able to produce the effect one desires of music in worship).  At this point in the history of worship renewal a serious philosophical error was made by a host of Christian musicians and pastors.  Rather than taking a serious look at how church musicians were musicing unto God, they summarily dismissed any music or way of musicing that was traditional.

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 12

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 12

          Dealing philosophically with the issues mentioned in Blaise Pascal’s philosophical statement, “It is not enough that a thing be beautiful.  It must be suitable to the subject, and there must be in it nothing of excess or defect” should not be static and woodenly unchanging.  I want to make it very clear that as the world changes musically and philosophically, the Christian must continually re-define terms and make further refinements in one’s series of systematic Bible based beliefs about the nature and value of the whole of music.  As I have stated many times, the Christian is not of this world’s system (aion 165) but we are in this world (kosmos 2889) so we must constantly make adjustments in the way we music unto God.  Romans 12:2, “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.”  Conservative Christian musicians must not resist all change but must resist destructive change. 

          There is no merit in becoming what I call a musical antique lover.  If one falls in love with”the way things were” and “the good ole days” musically speaking, one does not protect Christian worship (unless that musician was fortunate enough to have been a part of an excellent worship praxis).  He or she only protects musical tradition.  Conversely, the church musician who becomes addicted to the “cutting edge” and considers it to be his duty bound to follow every music worship fad and trend, may be responsible for much destructive change and unnecessary division among Christian believers.  I want to make it very clear that time honored ways of musicing in worship are not to be discarded lightly.  However, the way one has musiced throughout his or her lifetime does not insure that those ways of worshiping with music are representative of Bible landmarks of public worship.

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 11

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 11

          The discourse on a Christian’s “doing” on in James 1:21-27 also teaches Christians to, “… be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”  If the Bible teaches a changed life, and it does, that changed life will doubtlesly included some changes and adjustments in the way a Christian muician musics.

          I am sometimes criticised for not stating what a Christian can and cannot do when he or she musics unto God. If I were to mention exactly what is wrong with some religious music and the way church muicians music, my list of do’s and do nots would be outdated in a short period of time since the way church musicians arrange and perform is ever changing.  One of the most valuable things that an individual, church fellowship, or Chistian educational institution can do is to develop a written series of systematic beliefs concerning the nature and value of sacred and secular music.  To me the peactice of putting out muscal fires as they occur in this century is an ineffectve way to deal with the way one educates and worships. 

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 10

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 10

          The Greek word aspilos (784)  which has been translated unspotted in the AV means to be unblemished (physically or morally).  Keeping one’s music and musicing unblemished or without “excess or defect” (see part 1 of this series of posts) does not represent the majority opinion of 21^st century church musicians.  However, the discourse of James 1:21-27 admonishes Christians to keep their “doing” unblemished and undefiled before God.  I contend that the true truth of this Bible lesson, although it mentions a variety of aspects of Christian living, extends to all a Christian musician’s doing—which includes his or her musicing. 

          Also worth mentioning is the word amiantos (283) which was translated undefiled in the AV and connotes one’s doing being unsoiled or pure.  Although contending for a Christian musician’s music and musicing to represent the changed life of a Christian which is so clearly taught in the Bible is by no means popular in this century, the   inspired Word of God warns that a Christian’s doing can become blemished and defiled in the sight of God.  Even in the Old Testament in the 40th Psalm the musician David teaches under inspiration that a part of YHVH’S deliverance of him included a new song and deliverance from the pit of noise (see AV Cambridge center reference notes.).

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 9

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 9

          The quality or lack of quality of our music is important but so is unholy association with the world and compatibality with our Savior who “is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.”   Music generas  ( the way the music part of the music is arranged into an artistic whole) may be so poorly put together that they are not supportive of the gospel of the Savior they are suppsed to represent, but they can also be flawed by the message and meaning that they convey to the hearer and the performer.

          It may seem to some Christian musicians that my discussion of keeping sacred music sacred by protecting it by keeping it unspotted by the world system of this age is wearisome.  James 1:21-27 speaks about a Christian’s “doing”.  It states, “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.  Pure religion and undefiled (amiantos 283) before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” I am concerned not only about a Christian musician’s intent but also his or her musical “doing”.  A musician’s doing is the ultimate proof of what he or she actually believes.  What a musician says is, as 1 Corinthians 13:1 teaches, mere hollow  sounding brass or clanging symbol, if that Christian musician’s musicing is not “suitable to the subject

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 8

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 8

          I want to make it very clear that I do not believe that sacred muic and the way one musics unto God is primarily about music as an art form.  I am not contending that sacred musicing is about high art forms, but since music is an art form, we should always present God a musical offering that is the best quality that we are capable of giving.  It is interesting to note that some writers believe that the ancient Levite musicians did not think of their sacred music an an art form but rather a means of connection with God.

          Anti-music, shock music, and aelatoric music are examples (there are many more) of types of music generas that are not congruent with the beauty, good news, stability and rest of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Music styles that carry close associations to lifestyles that are antagonistic to the changed life principles taught in the Bible are also not “suitable to the subject”.  I further contend that music styles that have close affialiation to false religions like New-age, New World Order, and  Rastafarianism are not congruent with the message of Jesus Christ  taught in Hebrews 7:26, “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.”