My brother (nephew's dad in this conversation) has been a believer since high school. But he got involved with the Way International and then the Church of Christ while married and with his children. Since he moved away from his family 30 years ago due to being abusive to his step daughters, he kind of morphed the Church of Christ culture into his own brand of Christianity. When my nephew moved in with him when he turned 18 my nephew was totally dependent on his dad and having been "fake homeschooled" by his lazy mother, he never had a normal social life, nor an education past being able to sound out words,(which is K to 1st grade reading level),o n top of being very neglected by her. He was not able to get work because of his lack of literacy and severe allergies to most things one would come in contact with at a job which results in severe asthmatic and allergic reactions. He has been with my brother for a little over 10 years and so my brother has greatly influenced him with his "brand" of Christianity (which is very legalistic and tightly narrowed in regards to the "world" as he sees it. So my nephew has not been exposed to so much of what is everyday living for most people, including Christians. We are to be in the world but not of the world, as Jesus said. This sheltering has been detrimental to my nephew.
Since began to play in a blues trio around the area, he has become well known in the blues community and was making his own money finally with the gigs the trio did weekly. This music scene IS his social life now and his means of making money. But now that he cannot play the definitely feels the loss of that outlet for his talent. His depression began to get bad last fall, and came to a crisis level in February. Since then he has been in and out of several hospitals being held there in psych ward and still attempting to commit suicide in each one. He really has no power in and over his life and that is a terrible place to be.
As per my usual process; I start with an idea then work detail into it as I go along. I filled in David the other day after forgetting that he certainly has the highest number of prayer in the Word.
What is interesting is that he has all sorts of different psalms; many of which are prayers. Some or all are to music; poetic; impreccatory; prophetic; personal; "royal" and other things. The most common theme it seems of answered prayers anyway is those related to covenants where we can sort of "declare" blessings. I don't like using that term as it has been accused by some denominations in particular of abusing God's meaning and I would argue by default putting a curse on themselves. Such is PRESUMPTION; particularly for those who have lifestyles of sin that the Lord warns about of which those type of people will not inherit the Kingdom.
What is a real challenge is Christ's prayer that was NOT answered in regard to taking the cup from him that he must drink.
Equally sobering also is the rich man's request or prayer of sorts from hell that in a way WAS answered but didn't have any effect on saving any of his own family if they wouldn't recognize who Christ was in rising from the dead.
There are times of course when the Lord told Jeremiah not to petition or ask God to be merciful to those right before the Babylonian invasion. He was determined to destroy all but a remnant at that point and as I will bring out eventually; even the guard from Babylon stated that all this had come about because of their disobedience.
I suppose a big concern I have is how the whole church system and office functions tend to be the focus of prayers and it often becomes hard to assess what God wants to eliminate or change when assumptions are made to continue things status quo. This also can make one local church body insulate themselves from even others in their denomination and especially other believers somehow thinking their needs are most important.
What I have been taught is that the books of the OT are arranged with : Pentateuch (Books written by Moses)Genesis-Deuteronomy; then the books of the history of Israel from entering the Promised land under Joshua to the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah (Joshua-2 Chronicles); Ezra and Nehemiah are historical books covering the time of the return from Babylonian exile of Judah; Esther is somewhat of an anomaly since it doesn't have a very clear time frame as far as placement in Israel's history; Job is an ancient wisdom book (Job lived between the time of the flood and Abraham, being a distant cousin of Abraham)
Psalms is poetic musical writing; Proverbs and Ecclesiastes is also wisdom books; and Song of Solomon is allegorical.
As far as the remainder of the OT, the books of the prophets are arranged from longest to shortest.
In the NT; first is the 4 Gospels Then Acts is the history of the early church; the epistles are listed, (again), from longest to shortest. And Revelation is what is called apocalyptic writing (which usually contains much allegory, symbolism, and sensational representations of future events.
The enemy of our souls has a problem (actually as sick as he is a lot of issues) but I am focusing on one in particular. He can't stand humans; in reality even those who do his bidding but is out of necessity offering many temporary pleasures to turn men away from God and in reality; of course put people into bondage. Since he can't stand God; Christ or His holiness as well as human beings the last thing he wants is to see someone be drawn to Christ's mercy and salvation through God's love. No doubt that sickens him. Some say his primary motive is to have us in hell with him. Since he hates us already having our company there isn't going to make him feel better; and of course he will be too busy suffering himself to care anyway. It may give him pleasure for now; since he misses out on such suffering until the confinement period of the Millennium is over and the final conflagration occurs; to think of men in constant agony. What he really wants as from the beginning is worship. His motive is simply overthrow of God and heaven which his demented mind still thinks can be attained; but at the same time he probably knows better since his time is short. Daniel 8:10 even seems to suggest he tramples on some of his own demonic horde when cast out of heaven in the Tribulation; likely enraged that they couldn't fight hard enough to keep his position up there any longer.
The whole Satanic mantra (Such as Aleister Crowley's "do as thou wilt") in a nutshell explains all of the enemy's tactics.
The devil only wants to serve himself. He will use his best tool music (read Isaiah 14 or Ezekiel 28) to delude the masses.
He doesn't rule over hell; at least after the cross as souls now go straight to heaven and not remain in the paradise under the earth. His contracts with people can't hold water with the shed blood on the cross of His atonement. 1 Corinthians 15:56; Romans 6:23). Christ conquered sin at Calvary.
"And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely./And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him./And they laid their hands on him, and took him."
God is love and it has a token: a sign such as what the Word become flesh indicates by the virgin birth. A kiss is also a token as the Song of Solomon describes the sensation, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: For thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments Thy name is as ointment poured forth, Therefore do the virgins love thee."(The S.1:2-4). All the tokens of love, like overtones in music flow out when love is expressed between Christ and the bride. Fruits of the Spirit are equally felicitous analogy to love of God for Man. Moses expressed it thus: "For my name is in him."(Ex.22:21) Christ earned a name above every other name, which like precious ointment blesses the embrace which not for once but for ever more. "It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;."(Ps.133:2).
Against this we read that Judas kissed his master he was followed by men with murder in their eyes. So Jesus, "Said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?"(v.48)
Psalm 133 compares the blessings come down as a precious ointment so brotherly love is a synonym for unity. When Judas kissed it was pushing the panic button that "And they all forsook him, and fled." Mark mentions of one disciple, "And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:/And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked"(vv.50-52)
Till May I shall be taking time out so my posts shall be few and far between.
In terms of my quote of Malachi; I am praying that children can come to faith and bring their parents to salvation as well as vice versa. Serious efforts at children's prayer groups could bring that about. Also children's ministry that uses music with scripture memory is good. I sense there has to be a balance between presenting a content suitable for children and yet not underestimating their ability to understand spiritual things. We should certainly not be what retards them from growth; but so many distractions from entertainment make that a challenge today. Parents of course need to make clear that they FEAR the Lord and are in AWE of His mighty power. In line with that message there needs to be a relationship between husband and wife that shows attitudes scripture mandates such as 1 Peter 3 and verses in Ephesians so that their roles are clear and discipline can be swift and firm; yet loving. Kids need to emulate what they see and if the parents are disingenuous then if the kids do find the Lord it often is after a long period of rebellion. Many who know what they are talking about will attest to the fact that a lack of discipline brings fear and insecurity; sometimes even more than those in less than idyllic home situations. Cross generational outreach for one and two generations each have a valuable benefit and a healty church helps to facilitate such interactions.
Outreach is commendable; however there always should be caution that other organizations aren't preaching false doctrine and of course are financially sound. I would say that benevolence is best when it can be among individuals when a need arises.
A friend of mine who has recently lost his job and whose tires were blown out Sunday has been faithful coming to church; and I have helped him out. Without the Pastor and others helping as well it wouldn't have been enough. Thankfully they were there for him this past Sunday.
I will attempt to dive into the differences between individual and group Bible study. We could also divide a study with others into informal small group and formal Sunday school and/or what is covered in a main church service. The differences in approach are something I haven't really considered until now but it seems worth investigating.
The first difference I see is what is often the question and answer part of a group study in the informal setting. My recent experience seems to show that often Pastors aren't the best people to ask questions (I often here very general ones). If and when discussions are encouraged any church were there are at least some that take God's Word seriously we all are bound to learn something; through personal experiences or those with wisdom in citing relevant passages that help to further bolster an idea or concept. In reality it is good to have such an informal situation and allow certain latititude for "rabbit trails" and occasional cans of worms to be exposed. There certainly needs to be serious study in a sermon as well; where normally there isn't response but hopefully good discussion afterward.
I have said this frequently but in regard to prayer and Bible study these are two bedrocks of a strong church. Often they seem to support one for another; if anything reminding us of verses that we use to edify others. One thing brought up this past Sunday in Sunday school was a question in regard to the hymns and Psalms frequently sung in the time of the Apostles and early church. Rejoicing in such praise is certainly a good way to begin fellowship; rather than griping about our problems (that was pointed out). I agree and pray that someone will do that on occasion who is gifted musically or maybe not but wishes to rejoice.
I have found out that certain websites are helpful; particularly those that bolster archaeology with scripture; or Creation science sites.
Scripture Interpretation: Part 2 on introduction to the law and differences in Old and New Testaments
A general concept as pointed out in my last post is that the Old Testament law and sacrifices had temporal methods and sufficiency and were based on behaviors of Israel as to whether blessings or cursings resulted. The Spirit of God was more transient and was no guarantee of salvation such as seen in the example of Saul's prophesying as well as Baalam's repeated attempts to curse Israel and being overtaken to make proclamations under the influence of the Holy Spirit. David even asked God not to remove His Holy Spirit as apparently happened with Saul who needed David to play music for a temporary "fix" to his bizarre disorders.
John 16:8 essentially gives indication of permanent residence of the Father and Son in a believer and thus sealing them until the Day of Redemption. What we cannot do is glibly assume we are saved without testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith; and certain behaviors especially illustrated in Corinthians show the result of sickness and death with communion taken unworthily and the case of the man sleeping with his father's wife. There is always hope of repentance if someone is alive; but we cannot continue a LIFESTYLE of sin and be presumptuous thinking God will overlook our sin as an exception to His rule for the rest of mankind.
Matthew 5:17 states that Christ came not to abolish but fulfill the law and the prophets. This is a segway into the second theme in this introduction: Prophecy...
INTRO.
Prophecy begins with Genesis 3:15 in the garden with the serpent being told that he would receive a deadly wound and that Christ would recieve a wound on the heel (the seed of the woman representing the virgin Birth and the wound that of His piercing on the cross). Jesus was the end of Prophecy as THE Prophet; but in real time we still see Him as the Alpha and Omega in Revelation 1; and we still see 2 Prophets in Rev. 11.
Idolaters: Definition.MIriam Webster defines it in 2 ways (idolotry)
: the worship of a physical object as a god
: immoderate attachment or devotion to something
This second part of the definition should certainly stand out today; in light of one particular young lady in the music industry today. This immoderate or inordinate affection leads to idolizing movie stars; musicians; politicians and in fact anyone we find physically attractive; or wish to emulate because of some quality we are enamored with.
Lest we consider this concept too foreign for devoted church members that make an effort not to entangle themselves in these worldly things; we have to look at how many megapastors are idolized today. Deceiving and being deceived are coexistent ( 2 Tim. 3:13). Someone of course can be an obvious cult leader and have control over the very lives of their clan; but even those of that persuasion find that getting people to think they are being idolized from their own free will establishes their stronghold much more effectively. That is what is used much of the time initially by Satan as well who convinces us that our own corrupted heart truly has found something worth fantasizing about and blinding men's eyes to verses such as Jeremiah 17:9 and others warning of our depraved nature. Anyone who is a TRUE prophet of God (however that exists today) or let us say His mouthpiece is going to be as the prophets of old: largely rejected; outcast; persecuted and ridiculed. Sadly many who spend countless hours prancing about in well rehearsed performances are like Shakespeare said full of sound and fury but signifying nothing (MacBeth). Also duly note it is a tale told by an idiot.
Idolizing self is basically a definition for narcissism. Idolizing others is a demented form of worship. We blame others for making us a victim of circumstance and take no responsibility for our own actions or are holding someone up to impossible standards doomed to fail.
When attempting to bring attention to man's deplorable state of heart Wh( Jeremiah 17:9) I have found in my own self examination that it is best to evaluate all that we consider what Phillipians 4:8 states and then look at our own heart and soul carefully.
When we seek all that men may say is kind; benevolent; compassionate; etc. and try to find pleasure in life apart from God of course we look to other religions and usually end up in a humanistic mentality. We ascribe to others as well who seem to portray such attributes as somehow "enlightened". I can only speak for myself as a man here; but how much of the flesh is appealed to in today's "Christian" music industry? If someone is young; thin and attractive does it move us as much as someone who is a bit overweight and unattractive who performs on stage? Do we favor those in our own social circles or families above others? What are our motives when we serve others?
Such logic of course often results in men not appreciating what God does provide such as a wife mentioned in Proverbs 18:22.
To find the "grass greener on the other side of the field" people think it worthwhile to get a new model and get rid of the spouse that they have been granted by covenant; something Malachi 2:15 says we should not do (also see Proverbs 15:18-20). Interestingly Proverbs 15:8 just before that talks about the sacrifice of the wicked being detestable as contrasted to prayers of the righteous.
Of course many hate God outright; at least being honest about their intentions; accusing God often of being a "killjoy" and sometimes being an admitted Satanist "do as thou wilt" mentality. Of course we have to look at men's obvious evil acts; so we have laws God has set forth to keep order. With all the self professed benefits of "freedom" we see the end result in the fruits of violence and discord in society that many possess or develop as the cultish mentality comes out. Mark 7:21 is the end result.
It is hard not to feel an impetus to prod on this subject. I am well aware that I don't have a spiritual gift of service and helps.
There are always needs and we can't live our lives in a vacuum; and that goes for church as well as in the rest of our lives. Perhaps it is doing what is needed rather than endless activities that also matters. I don't personally find it comfortable having a "Game night" at church nor have I been a social "butterfly" in general but these events when accompanied with prayer (and not with sinful activities that so often come about) these events can be edifying. As I stated previously discussions on world events often deviate toward speculation; there are times when scriptures can be discussed; and can be edifying when these discussions go into detail of Bible truths.
Evangelism
I probably said sometime in the last few years of posts that prayer is also good accompanying evangelism for anyone genuinely seeking it. I am not into the "sinner's prayer" in initial conversations; once we get to know people and see a genuine conviction that is the time to seek if they are ready to commit their lives to the Lord. We are partially responsible for someone's fate (blood on our hands) if we don't warn people of taking a vow to God flippantly. We should warn that the more we know the more we are responsible for. We should give many warnings as Christ did about it being the "narrow" path not the broad road leading to destruction ( Matthew 7:13-14). We should also give caution on the trials; thorns and temptations that God uses to test us to see if we are true believers ( Matt. 13:22). Such exhortations may filter out some; but I am convinced will in the end have a greater percentage of committed believers who endure to the end. The song by David Meese "You've gotta count the cost if you want to be a believer" isn't exactly the lingo in today's Christian music "industry" and that is to it's shame.
I think that God has been VERY clear that we are not to make or have in our possession ANY image that we would bow down to, pray to, give reverence to, or worship.
You noted such things as items depicting our Lord. I would add crosses-whether worn or hung, if they are used more than a reminder to us of all of Christ's work for us. You mentioned things that remind us of our loved ones who have died. I think photos are fine if put in an family album or hung on our walls as long as we do not "talk" to them or hold the item or the person in a state of reverence in our minds and hearts. We need to avoid thinking that any of dead people are near us in spirit, offer any protection for us, or who have any input into our lives. I believe that there is an impenetrable division between this world and the world after death that the Lord doesn't allow any crossover. Angels are allowed to go between the heavens and our natural world in obedience to God, but we are not to seek such interactions or do any kind of worship to them.
In the area of things that represent occultic matters, I think we need to be careful about what is shown of the clothing we wear and the jewelry we wear. Often times the emblems can be from occultic artistic expressions and it is wise to scrutinize any "adornment" before we purchase or accept from others such things. I am not sure where to go to find out what some of the images that are currently fashionable truly represent. Any ideas. Perhaps simplicity in dress is a pretty safe way to show ourselves to others. We need to be careful of the impression we give to others with how we dress.
And you mentioned music artists. I don't think we should be taken in by ANY famous person, anyone with desirable gifts, and even great preachers, reformers, or Christian leaders. We need to see them all as like us, needing God's grace because we all are sinners and at the same time saints. We need to guard ourselves from idols of any kind. cont.
The second and third lines in Chris Tomlin's song "Good Good Father" state:
But I've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night
And You tell me that You're pleased and that I'm never alone
David Crowder's song "He really loves us" has this in the third line
"There is no judgment"
And Danny Gokey's song "Love God Love People" says at the end of the fourth stanza
"Love God and love People" (no brainer).
Finally there is the song "What would Jesus do" states in the 11th Stanza
"What would Jesus do
He would love first..etc."
The first question here is what is God's love? There is nothing in any of these songs that show any differentiation of God's love from that of man. Assuming that God never has anything negative to say goes against the verses that state God chastises anone He loves and we are illegitimate sons otherwise (see Hebrews 12:6; 12:8). To say there is no judgment is only true as to a believer's standing at the Bema Seat Judgment and missing the Great White Throne condemnation. We are judged according to 2 Corinthians 5:10 and be judged as to works done for Him; good or bad. If we aren't one of His own we are judged and condemned already ( John 3:18).
No one should argue as to a Christian demonstrating love and patience; but that doesn't mean that we should stand for hypocrisy within the House of God; or societal evils such as abortion without sounding the trumpet as a watchman to avoid the condemnation warned of in Ezekiel 3:18. But such exhortations seem to be missing entirely in today's Christian songs; whether it is warning of the deceptiveness of Satan or sin itself; or the Tribulation to come or hell itself without repentance. Anyone on this forum who wishes to rebut that statement let me know; perhaps there are some independent artists I should be made aware of that I haven't heard lately.
Thus; artists are idolized saying what people want to hear and are "Christian" by name only.
I wanted to emphasize that those who spend a lot of time on social media are going to be blindsided by the rebuttal of well known teachers of truth by these individuals. I haven't the time or heart to stomach it; except for the rare instance when someone is discussing politics and how people are putting certain individuals on a level of worship (won't mention any names).
Sometimes there are Christians who can critique these things; but you can't be sure until watching certain videos where the narrator stands.
There are a few pastors and well known musicians who have embraced this mentality. Again; it is important for those who do believe to be aware of hypocrisy within the church so that a claim can be judged valid or invalid that is hurled as an accusation.
We can't of course win every intellectual or historical argument; but knowledge of the Bible and some worldly wisdom benefits us if we seriously engage these people; otherwise we may very well get steamrolled attempting any discourse with these individuals. Again; not for self justification-but I have attempted to bring out Calvin and Luthor as not being exactly steller examples of believers demonstrating the love of God to each other; but in the same token showing that they indeed grasp some deep truths in regard to characteristics of God's sovereignty and predestination in particular.
The hard verses I have also attempted to give some answer for where women and children; and men and animals were called for destruction. One of them is that some were giant offspring and therefore not human; and the other is that their sin (such as rampant infant sacrifices) were so heinous that if anything future suffering was relieved with their quick demise. The other point was that physical death doesn't always equate spiritual as for instance appears to be the case for children under a certain age.
If we can't struggle with the angst these truths show us we aren't very human.
Armageddon; and the ultimate end of Satan at the end of the Millennial reign of Christ is the ultimate conclusion of God's plan in using the enemy of our soul to purge the world of rebels and to end the power of death completely with a new heaven and earth (see 1 Cor. 15:26; Revelation 21 and 22).
Eternal punishment fits the crime so we can understand as wicked as things have been throughout human history it has stored up wrath for Satan as well as the unregenerate ( Romans 2:5 and subsequent verses in that chapter). The philosophy of "do as thou wilt" that is prominent among self proclaimed Satanists is contrasted with a sacrificial love that only Christ can offer. Everything seems backwards but the Lord has the master plan no matter how clever men and their devices are to destroy Christ (see Psalm 5:10; and read Psalm 2). Unregenerate man simply cannot understand how being a servant or slave of Christ brings men to freedom and how the opposite appeals to the flesh leave one in bondage in the end. They think we can somehow go back to Eden (as seen in the humanistic music of the 60's); but we see the result of this "free love" in the 70's and beyond with the rapid decay of traditional families in regard to sustainability of marriages and the removal of God's design for a family and harmonious home life. Whether Satan himself ever realized how wicked he would become is debateable; it would appear that Antichrist himself and or other rulers may not have realized this in verses such as Isaiah 10:7. The enemy always wants to sugarcoat the extreme jeopardy of man remaining in a sinful state by distracting him with grand delusions that lead nowhere but to destruction.
We see in Psalm 23:5 a verse on eating in the presence of enemies which indeed we will do during the Millennium when some inevitably will rebel at the end and insanely under Satan attempt one final time to destroy God and His people leading to failure.
Last night enroute to my car to go to a Christian coffee house I met a shivering lady with the typical Catholic garb of a large cross; beads; etc. She spoke broken English; but I surmised from what she stated that she needed a ride down the street. It appeared that the parking lot of the church up the road had some restriction preventing her from moving a car in the parking lot and she needed a ride less than a mile down the road at a nursing home facility.
During the ride she explained how she had been praying over the situation and then I mentioned I was a Christian after she prayed for me (invoking Rafael and of course the Virgin Mary asking for blessings and protection over me. I didn't have time to get into a long explanation of the error of such prayers; being satisfied that at least she mentioned the blood of Christ. At the time I dropped her off I looked for a spanish gospel tract which clearly explains that Christ only saves and I was briefly troubled that I couldn't find it; then realized that she had been sitting on it. That was an answered prayer in her behalf; I realized that others were meeting her and hoped they would see the tract; and I had been waiting months to find someone to give it to who spoke Spanish.
Since I am not sure if I can mention any specific names here; I will just state that the two bands at the coffee house were outstanding (can't always be sure). I don't mention where I attend church either. Let me make a general statement here; there are artists (in this case at least the one lady who has stuff on YouTube) who actually are talented musically and honor God with convicting lyrics (the one song was about taming the tongue).
Let us all seek the Lord for opportunities however brief or unexpected to witness to people and help to fulfill the Great Commission. As a sidenote let us remember part of that is to make disciplles; a long term commitment for mature believers
PArt six: Different types of scriptures to study for devotionals.
The book of Psalms is a common start for daily devotionals. It constitutes all the major types of writings from the poetic acrostic hidden letters found in Psalm 119 emphasizing the law; to prophecies ( Psalm 2; etc) to impreccatory Psalms (asking for judgment); to praise. There may be a couple types I forgot here.
Another theme which is interwoven throughout the Bible is blessings and cursings. There is much written about conditional promises inherent in God's covenant. We see this with Adam and Eve's choice to take of the forbidden fruit; to Cain's downfall; and the whole history of the patriarchs written for our benefit (see 1 Cor. 10:11). IT'S FOR YOU DUMMY! That is what basically is being stated in that passage. I felt it necessary within the parameter of the rules here to mention a sarcastic general statement because looking at the Bible it becomes clear fairly quickly that despite repeated warnings from God people just didn't get it. Again that proves the truth of the Word; as no man would want his account marred by the fallability of men (especially the author of a book). In the N.T. Paul states that he was the "chief of sinners". ( 1 Tim. 1:15). God used him as a former murderer of the saints to preach the most widespread missionary assignment of anyone in scripture encompassing the most scripture as well after the book of Acts. David caused a murder to get Bathsheeba as well. Abraham twice tried to pass off his wife as his sister and his son didn't learn as Isaac tried that later on as well. And of course even His own family didn't believe for a time about Christ not to mention the nation at large. ( John 7:5).
Another way we can study the Bible is to sing Psalms or spiritual songs; which encompasses the original way this literature was delivered. We have to search diligently to find those who do this today; they are out there. A lot of music should be avoided
I have been in Pentecostal churches that exercise spiritual gifts outwardly. I love the openness to the influence of the Holy Spirit among the congregation and the sense of freedom in worship.
I have been in churches that have contemporary services with worship bands. I love the singing of songs that express our love for the Lord to Him and, more so, that exalt who He is. The sermons are usually longer than in liturgical services, so there is more teaching from the pulpit, whereas teaching in liturgical churches usually occurs in the Sunday School hour (another tradition).
Some churches observe Advent with mid-week services, some have mid-week services every week, some have small group home bible studies, some have studies at the church during the weekdays, some have special programs aimed at children such as Awana or Royal Rangers, others have Youth ministries for Jr. Hi and High School ages. All of these added traditions are adaptations incorporated into the functioning of the church in different times and places. My sister in law from Africa says that they go to church on Sunday and stay there all I with meals and services in the morning and in the evening. Many have to travel a long way on foot so it isn't practical for them to go home and come back.
I do not think that these things are evil. I think that they can be helpful to those who utilize them in the exercise of their faith, worship, and ministry to others. However, we do need to be careful not to hold these traditions as more important or binding than the Scripture nor to be unwilling to change traditions that become outmoded.
There was a time in the church where singing was only acapella without music, times where there was chanting, times where instrumentation were introduced with piano or organ accompaniment, a time when choirs became normalized, and in our generation, worship bands near or on the place of the altar platform.
We just need to be prayerful and open towards God and His work
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
About 15 years ago and several times before that I had a vision of the pure terror involved with the mark of the Beast. I have since told people that I would ask the Lord would give them such insight but not for those who aren't spiritually strong. The Lord has held back the day of Judgment, but it is promised to be worse than any time in the past and future. Mark 13:19 as well as other New Testament passages and Daniel 12 show proof of this. Without Christ we are dragged in; to the sieve of destruction ( Isaiah 30:28). Suddenly the wicked are broken and that without remedy ( Prov. 6:15).
To realize how fearful judgment is apart from Christ I cannot put into words. When we see Mystery Babylon we can't help but be reminded of the American Pie song with its lyrics
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
These remind us of Ecclesiastes 12:4 as well as Lamentations 5:14 along with other stanzas in this song about the Lord taking off and no more joyful music as stated in Revelation 18:22. We are hypnotized by music and media today and its demonic mantras and dulled in our senses with the vulgar obsenities that increasingly assail the rightous. The agenda is out in the open at this point; Satan's hour is about to arrive. Christ comes soon so rejoice
I am thankful that Jonathan is a believer as is his dad, my brother. God will provide Jonathan what is needed. He was brought up apart from my brother and his Mom was very neglectful of him during his childhood. Supposedly homeschooling him but did not. He can barely read. When he was having allergic reactions his Mom would not take him to the emergency room (which was just around the block0 and he would call an ambulance. He left her home at 18 and came to live with his dad, my brother, who had been separated from his mom since he was 1 1/2 years old. Over the past 10 years he has opened up more about what he went through at his home with his mom. So sad. This lack of education affects his ability to get a job that will give him independence and a salary that will be sufficient to meet his financial needs. He will probably be living with my brother for most of his adult life.
The gigs he just recently got in place, having found a few other musicians to play with, were a blessing, an outlet for him to make money doing what he is very good at and really enjoys.
I know that God will help him and that He hears all of our prayers. Thank you for yours.
In musical circles; oftentimes the dumbing down to fit the cookie cutter repeated musical themes twice; a brief refrain; quiet and finale of nebulous spiritual consistency is just as much an issue. What is showed off usually is everything BUT musical talent (glamour; glitz; hypnotic repetition; endless shallow romantic love themes indistinguishable from worldly desire). This underplaying also offends God where we are to put the best expression into our musical gifts for His glory. Those who are gifted musically that I tend to obsess on oftentimes are not Christians; but with acoustic or folk music genres I can perhaps safely listen and appreciate them for musical talent without idolizing them. In this style music old "spirituals" are often sung here and there that have more Biblical content than those the Christian industry is pandering (ok that's it for that rant).
Those who espouse lies are coming out it seems; the truth always reveals itself. Truth be told as I have stated elsewhere there always has to be some truth with any effective lies or liars; and scripture still can prick hearts despite bad preachers. The general apostasy these days means that more than ever we can't put stock in any human being. Those who appear to have been in the faith and fall away ultimately aren't saved as I see scripture; but since we can't foresee these things (although the signs of bad fruit should awake our discerning souls) we need to be prepared as to not let a root of bitterness for instance tempt us to abandon the faith ourselves when other fall.
My belief is that lack of spiritual discernment is a primary issue here. How else can demonic spiritual manifestations and doctrines be so readily accepted? Either choosing to believe any manifestation as being from God or not believe at all in the miraculous end up being two extremes we can fall into. As Ecclesiastes states weeping is better than laughter for the soul; and fear of God the beginning of wisdom.
When it comes to our daily walk with God; it is helpful to have those who are more mature in the faith to guide and disciple us.
Those who have exhibited fruit in their lives through long term evidence involved in the ministry; whether leaders in the church or other acquaintances who are laypersons may not matter. Paul states "imitate me" in 1 Cor. 11:1 (easy to memorize with that identifier).
We do well to realize; without being cynical that everyone is subject to Christ and on this side of heaven capable of sin. This means we have to be careful not to put someone on a pedestal whether it be a spouse; or a Pastor. The first issue is whether we are truly desiring to emulate someone because of a personality trait or a genuine spiritual gift. The second; related to the first is if the gift has more significance either to us or the person in question as compared to the "author and finisher of our faith" Christ Himself. ( Heb. 12:2). We need to look through spiritual eyes and not always focus on who speaks the loudest or most eloquently; or makes the rules; etc. Of course we need not to obsess on someone who is physically attractive and all the related desires of the flesh that seek to undo us. Just take one look at the Christian "music industry" to see how clearly that is evident with the appearance of celebrities in all their glitz and glamour.
We need to see objectively how much of our time we spend in church activities along with the rest of our time is really helping us to do the things required of God; namely fulfilling the Great Commission; prayer and meditation on the scriptures. I have stated in previous posts that it is remarkable how much time believers tend to spend socializing when in fellowship and how little discussing answered prayers and scriptural promises fulfilled in their lives due to God's faithfulness. I am convinced this is one of Satan's best kept secrets and ties in with verses such as 2 Timothy 3:5.
"If you hold back your foot on shabbat from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call shabbat a delight, Adonai's holy day, worth honoring; then honor it by not doing your usual things or pursuing your interests or speaking about them. If you do, I will make you to ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the hermit of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of Adonai has spoken." Isaiah 58:13-14.
Jesus criticized the Jewish leaders for laying a burden to heavy to be born. Jesus criticized man made doctrine and tradition.
He sabbath is REST from pursuing money. It is rest from life stress. Make dinner for yourself. Have friends over. Discuss God. Listen to music, take a walk, visit someone who is sick. Help your neighbor. Do a good deed.
I thank you for your response. I think but seeing its in other scriptures its not telling us Heavens direction. Which is ok, we does tell us will do for me. His word is enough for me.
Here is one prophecy of Christ.
Matthew 27:46
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?"
Psalms 22:1
"(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"
John 19:30
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost."
Psalms 22:31
"They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this."
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?"
Psalms 22:1
"(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"
John 19:30
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost."
Psalms 22:31
"They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this." God's prophetic words always come true. In a Psalm of David, that God put in his heart.
1 Corinthians 6:20
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?
Psalms 22:1
(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.
Psalms 22:31
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
1 Corinthians 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
2 concepts are indicated in these lyrics. First; praise isn't always accepted by God and second riches of this world often are treasured above the Lord. Both of these points are an issue when it comes to the Contemporary Christian music industry; in particular.
Lucifer according to Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 was anointed as a Cherubim with musical giftings built into him. He chose glory for himself; therefore lost his place in heaven and consequently; can only use his talents for evil purposes today. It is hard to conceive that those who have written scripturally sound lyrics in the past could abandon the Lord; but mind boggling to see those who have continued to confess Christ but accept all the ideologies contrary to scripture. This is certainly reminiscent of the type of people you would expect in the last days Laodicean type church. The kind of God which is worshipped in this case is one sided toward love and acceptance and doesn't look at repentance seriously. God loved us enough to send His Son ( John 3:16) but when the Son had our sins placed on Him the Father had to look away. ( Matthew 27:46; Habakkuk 1:13).
There are exceptions; of course of artists whose lives truly reflect the proper doctrines; and show the proper behavior as a humble servant. This often at the very least means turning down more lucrative offers that cause compromise and starting your own music label. Many start in local churches then end up getting sucked into the greed of worldly desires for success and any new musician should have regular discipling and close association with a local church; preferably as a member. We should pray also for those who are gifted musically in secular circles that they will turn to Christ and witness to them when opportunities arise.
How rare it is to understand and effectively put the spiritual gifts into practice in church congregations? My experience is lone ranger mentality that doesn't get very far in ministering to others; or a cessation belief in regard to such matters (except of course for teaching since that normally would affect the Pastor in leadership).
I have said often that there are either fake human manifestations regarding the five senses; or demonic events; or true experiences from the Spirit. Your point is interesting that emotions can be involved with some of these gifts; but isolated without the Spirit or making the feelings be a priority over the Holiness of God gets us into trouble and opens the door for deception at some point. To have no emotion of course means our hearts are cold and we are in danger like the Ephesians were in Revelation 3 and risk having the church fall apart.
I have noticed today that rebuke is almost nonexistant; and this can be because of sloppy leadership in church; lack of discernment or love which prompts us in the Spirit to challenge ourselves first then others. Encouraging words such as truthful statements of how we see the Spirit working in someone is probably sorely lacking today as well; hard to remember the last time I heard it myself. As is often the case as I see it human familiarity and friendships can be a large detractor from effective moves of the Spirit; and sometimes someone from the outside is able to more effectively discern and give words of knowedge (often of course taken as an insult or brushed aside). Tact is important; of course but can't overrule God's truth getting out.
I would say that genuine prayer; and godly music with praise are necessary prerequisites for the Spirit to move. Too often something as seemingly insignificant as gossip can upend what the Spirit is attemptiong to do and quench it. People need to be serious in the house of God. Perhaps I should do a series on this subject?
My brother (nephew's dad in this conversation) has been a believer since high school. But he got involved with the Way International and then the Church of Christ while married and with his children. Since he moved away from his family 30 years ago due to being abusive to his step daughters, he kind of morphed the Church of Christ culture into his own brand of Christianity. When my nephew moved in with him when he turned 18 my nephew was totally dependent on his dad and having been "fake homeschooled" by his lazy mother, he never had a normal social life, nor an education past being able to sound out words,(which is K to 1st grade reading level),o n top of being very neglected by her. He was not able to get work because of his lack of literacy and severe allergies to most things one would come in contact with at a job which results in severe asthmatic and allergic reactions. He has been with my brother for a little over 10 years and so my brother has greatly influenced him with his "brand" of Christianity (which is very legalistic and tightly narrowed in regards to the "world" as he sees it. So my nephew has not been exposed to so much of what is everyday living for most people, including Christians. We are to be in the world but not of the world, as Jesus said. This sheltering has been detrimental to my nephew.
Since began to play in a blues trio around the area, he has become well known in the blues community and was making his own money finally with the gigs the trio did weekly. This music scene IS his social life now and his means of making money. But now that he cannot play the definitely feels the loss of that outlet for his talent. His depression began to get bad last fall, and came to a crisis level in February. Since then he has been in and out of several hospitals being held there in psych ward and still attempting to commit suicide in each one. He really has no power in and over his life and that is a terrible place to be.
cont.
What is interesting is that he has all sorts of different psalms; many of which are prayers. Some or all are to music; poetic; impreccatory; prophetic; personal; "royal" and other things. The most common theme it seems of answered prayers anyway is those related to covenants where we can sort of "declare" blessings. I don't like using that term as it has been accused by some denominations in particular of abusing God's meaning and I would argue by default putting a curse on themselves. Such is PRESUMPTION; particularly for those who have lifestyles of sin that the Lord warns about of which those type of people will not inherit the Kingdom.
What is a real challenge is Christ's prayer that was NOT answered in regard to taking the cup from him that he must drink.
Equally sobering also is the rich man's request or prayer of sorts from hell that in a way WAS answered but didn't have any effect on saving any of his own family if they wouldn't recognize who Christ was in rising from the dead.
There are times of course when the Lord told Jeremiah not to petition or ask God to be merciful to those right before the Babylonian invasion. He was determined to destroy all but a remnant at that point and as I will bring out eventually; even the guard from Babylon stated that all this had come about because of their disobedience.
I suppose a big concern I have is how the whole church system and office functions tend to be the focus of prayers and it often becomes hard to assess what God wants to eliminate or change when assumptions are made to continue things status quo. This also can make one local church body insulate themselves from even others in their denomination and especially other believers somehow thinking their needs are most important.
Any ideas?
What I have been taught is that the books of the OT are arranged with : Pentateuch (Books written by Moses)Genesis-Deuteronomy; then the books of the history of Israel from entering the Promised land under Joshua to the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah (Joshua-2 Chronicles); Ezra and Nehemiah are historical books covering the time of the return from Babylonian exile of Judah; Esther is somewhat of an anomaly since it doesn't have a very clear time frame as far as placement in Israel's history; Job is an ancient wisdom book (Job lived between the time of the flood and Abraham, being a distant cousin of Abraham)
Psalms is poetic musical writing; Proverbs and Ecclesiastes is also wisdom books; and Song of Solomon is allegorical.
As far as the remainder of the OT, the books of the prophets are arranged from longest to shortest.
In the NT; first is the 4 Gospels Then Acts is the history of the early church; the epistles are listed, (again), from longest to shortest. And Revelation is what is called apocalyptic writing (which usually contains much allegory, symbolism, and sensational representations of future events.
The enemy of our souls has a problem (actually as sick as he is a lot of issues) but I am focusing on one in particular. He can't stand humans; in reality even those who do his bidding but is out of necessity offering many temporary pleasures to turn men away from God and in reality; of course put people into bondage. Since he can't stand God; Christ or His holiness as well as human beings the last thing he wants is to see someone be drawn to Christ's mercy and salvation through God's love. No doubt that sickens him. Some say his primary motive is to have us in hell with him. Since he hates us already having our company there isn't going to make him feel better; and of course he will be too busy suffering himself to care anyway. It may give him pleasure for now; since he misses out on such suffering until the confinement period of the Millennium is over and the final conflagration occurs; to think of men in constant agony. What he really wants as from the beginning is worship. His motive is simply overthrow of God and heaven which his demented mind still thinks can be attained; but at the same time he probably knows better since his time is short. Daniel 8:10 even seems to suggest he tramples on some of his own demonic horde when cast out of heaven in the Tribulation; likely enraged that they couldn't fight hard enough to keep his position up there any longer.
The whole Satanic mantra (Such as Aleister Crowley's "do as thou wilt") in a nutshell explains all of the enemy's tactics.
The devil only wants to serve himself. He will use his best tool music (read Isaiah 14 or Ezekiel 28) to delude the masses.
He doesn't rule over hell; at least after the cross as souls now go straight to heaven and not remain in the paradise under the earth. His contracts with people can't hold water with the shed blood on the cross of His atonement. 1 Corinthians 15:56; Romans 6:23). Christ conquered sin at Calvary.
"And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely./And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him./And they laid their hands on him, and took him."
God is love and it has a token: a sign such as what the Word become flesh indicates by the virgin birth. A kiss is also a token as the Song of Solomon describes the sensation, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: For thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments Thy name is as ointment poured forth, Therefore do the virgins love thee."(The S.1:2-4). All the tokens of love, like overtones in music flow out when love is expressed between Christ and the bride. Fruits of the Spirit are equally felicitous analogy to love of God for Man. Moses expressed it thus: "For my name is in him."(Ex.22:21) Christ earned a name above every other name, which like precious ointment blesses the embrace which not for once but for ever more. "It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;."(Ps.133:2).
Against this we read that Judas kissed his master he was followed by men with murder in their eyes. So Jesus, "Said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?"(v.48)
Psalm 133 compares the blessings come down as a precious ointment so brotherly love is a synonym for unity. When Judas kissed it was pushing the panic button that "And they all forsook him, and fled." Mark mentions of one disciple, "And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:/And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked"(vv.50-52)
Till May I shall be taking time out so my posts shall be few and far between.
In terms of my quote of Malachi; I am praying that children can come to faith and bring their parents to salvation as well as vice versa. Serious efforts at children's prayer groups could bring that about. Also children's ministry that uses music with scripture memory is good. I sense there has to be a balance between presenting a content suitable for children and yet not underestimating their ability to understand spiritual things. We should certainly not be what retards them from growth; but so many distractions from entertainment make that a challenge today. Parents of course need to make clear that they FEAR the Lord and are in AWE of His mighty power. In line with that message there needs to be a relationship between husband and wife that shows attitudes scripture mandates such as 1 Peter 3 and verses in Ephesians so that their roles are clear and discipline can be swift and firm; yet loving. Kids need to emulate what they see and if the parents are disingenuous then if the kids do find the Lord it often is after a long period of rebellion. Many who know what they are talking about will attest to the fact that a lack of discipline brings fear and insecurity; sometimes even more than those in less than idyllic home situations. Cross generational outreach for one and two generations each have a valuable benefit and a healty church helps to facilitate such interactions.
Outreach is commendable; however there always should be caution that other organizations aren't preaching false doctrine and of course are financially sound. I would say that benevolence is best when it can be among individuals when a need arises.
A friend of mine who has recently lost his job and whose tires were blown out Sunday has been faithful coming to church; and I have helped him out. Without the Pastor and others helping as well it wouldn't have been enough. Thankfully they were there for him this past Sunday.
I will attempt to dive into the differences between individual and group Bible study. We could also divide a study with others into informal small group and formal Sunday school and/or what is covered in a main church service. The differences in approach are something I haven't really considered until now but it seems worth investigating.
The first difference I see is what is often the question and answer part of a group study in the informal setting. My recent experience seems to show that often Pastors aren't the best people to ask questions (I often here very general ones). If and when discussions are encouraged any church were there are at least some that take God's Word seriously we all are bound to learn something; through personal experiences or those with wisdom in citing relevant passages that help to further bolster an idea or concept. In reality it is good to have such an informal situation and allow certain latititude for "rabbit trails" and occasional cans of worms to be exposed. There certainly needs to be serious study in a sermon as well; where normally there isn't response but hopefully good discussion afterward.
I have said this frequently but in regard to prayer and Bible study these are two bedrocks of a strong church. Often they seem to support one for another; if anything reminding us of verses that we use to edify others. One thing brought up this past Sunday in Sunday school was a question in regard to the hymns and Psalms frequently sung in the time of the Apostles and early church. Rejoicing in such praise is certainly a good way to begin fellowship; rather than griping about our problems (that was pointed out). I agree and pray that someone will do that on occasion who is gifted musically or maybe not but wishes to rejoice.
I have found out that certain websites are helpful; particularly those that bolster archaeology with scripture; or Creation science sites.
A general concept as pointed out in my last post is that the Old Testament law and sacrifices had temporal methods and sufficiency and were based on behaviors of Israel as to whether blessings or cursings resulted. The Spirit of God was more transient and was no guarantee of salvation such as seen in the example of Saul's prophesying as well as Baalam's repeated attempts to curse Israel and being overtaken to make proclamations under the influence of the Holy Spirit. David even asked God not to remove His Holy Spirit as apparently happened with Saul who needed David to play music for a temporary "fix" to his bizarre disorders.
John 16:8 essentially gives indication of permanent residence of the Father and Son in a believer and thus sealing them until the Day of Redemption. What we cannot do is glibly assume we are saved without testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith; and certain behaviors especially illustrated in Corinthians show the result of sickness and death with communion taken unworthily and the case of the man sleeping with his father's wife. There is always hope of repentance if someone is alive; but we cannot continue a LIFESTYLE of sin and be presumptuous thinking God will overlook our sin as an exception to His rule for the rest of mankind.
Matthew 5:17 states that Christ came not to abolish but fulfill the law and the prophets. This is a segway into the second theme in this introduction: Prophecy...
INTRO.
Prophecy begins with Genesis 3:15 in the garden with the serpent being told that he would receive a deadly wound and that Christ would recieve a wound on the heel (the seed of the woman representing the virgin Birth and the wound that of His piercing on the cross). Jesus was the end of Prophecy as THE Prophet; but in real time we still see Him as the Alpha and Omega in Revelation 1; and we still see 2 Prophets in Rev. 11.
: the worship of a physical object as a god
: immoderate attachment or devotion to something
This second part of the definition should certainly stand out today; in light of one particular young lady in the music industry today. This immoderate or inordinate affection leads to idolizing movie stars; musicians; politicians and in fact anyone we find physically attractive; or wish to emulate because of some quality we are enamored with.
Lest we consider this concept too foreign for devoted church members that make an effort not to entangle themselves in these worldly things; we have to look at how many megapastors are idolized today. Deceiving and being deceived are coexistent ( 2 Tim. 3:13). Someone of course can be an obvious cult leader and have control over the very lives of their clan; but even those of that persuasion find that getting people to think they are being idolized from their own free will establishes their stronghold much more effectively. That is what is used much of the time initially by Satan as well who convinces us that our own corrupted heart truly has found something worth fantasizing about and blinding men's eyes to verses such as Jeremiah 17:9 and others warning of our depraved nature. Anyone who is a TRUE prophet of God (however that exists today) or let us say His mouthpiece is going to be as the prophets of old: largely rejected; outcast; persecuted and ridiculed. Sadly many who spend countless hours prancing about in well rehearsed performances are like Shakespeare said full of sound and fury but signifying nothing (MacBeth). Also duly note it is a tale told by an idiot.
Idolizing self is basically a definition for narcissism. Idolizing others is a demented form of worship. We blame others for making us a victim of circumstance and take no responsibility for our own actions or are holding someone up to impossible standards doomed to fail.
When attempting to bring attention to man's deplorable state of heart Wh( Jeremiah 17:9) I have found in my own self examination that it is best to evaluate all that we consider what Phillipians 4:8 states and then look at our own heart and soul carefully.
When we seek all that men may say is kind; benevolent; compassionate; etc. and try to find pleasure in life apart from God of course we look to other religions and usually end up in a humanistic mentality. We ascribe to others as well who seem to portray such attributes as somehow "enlightened". I can only speak for myself as a man here; but how much of the flesh is appealed to in today's "Christian" music industry? If someone is young; thin and attractive does it move us as much as someone who is a bit overweight and unattractive who performs on stage? Do we favor those in our own social circles or families above others? What are our motives when we serve others?
Such logic of course often results in men not appreciating what God does provide such as a wife mentioned in Proverbs 18:22.
To find the "grass greener on the other side of the field" people think it worthwhile to get a new model and get rid of the spouse that they have been granted by covenant; something Malachi 2:15 says we should not do (also see Proverbs 15:18-20). Interestingly Proverbs 15:8 just before that talks about the sacrifice of the wicked being detestable as contrasted to prayers of the righteous.
Of course many hate God outright; at least being honest about their intentions; accusing God often of being a "killjoy" and sometimes being an admitted Satanist "do as thou wilt" mentality. Of course we have to look at men's obvious evil acts; so we have laws God has set forth to keep order. With all the self professed benefits of "freedom" we see the end result in the fruits of violence and discord in society that many possess or develop as the cultish mentality comes out. Mark 7:21 is the end result.
It is hard not to feel an impetus to prod on this subject. I am well aware that I don't have a spiritual gift of service and helps.
There are always needs and we can't live our lives in a vacuum; and that goes for church as well as in the rest of our lives. Perhaps it is doing what is needed rather than endless activities that also matters. I don't personally find it comfortable having a "Game night" at church nor have I been a social "butterfly" in general but these events when accompanied with prayer (and not with sinful activities that so often come about) these events can be edifying. As I stated previously discussions on world events often deviate toward speculation; there are times when scriptures can be discussed; and can be edifying when these discussions go into detail of Bible truths.
Evangelism
I probably said sometime in the last few years of posts that prayer is also good accompanying evangelism for anyone genuinely seeking it. I am not into the "sinner's prayer" in initial conversations; once we get to know people and see a genuine conviction that is the time to seek if they are ready to commit their lives to the Lord. We are partially responsible for someone's fate (blood on our hands) if we don't warn people of taking a vow to God flippantly. We should warn that the more we know the more we are responsible for. We should give many warnings as Christ did about it being the "narrow" path not the broad road leading to destruction ( Matthew 7:13-14). We should also give caution on the trials; thorns and temptations that God uses to test us to see if we are true believers ( Matt. 13:22). Such exhortations may filter out some; but I am convinced will in the end have a greater percentage of committed believers who endure to the end. The song by David Meese "You've gotta count the cost if you want to be a believer" isn't exactly the lingo in today's Christian music "industry" and that is to it's shame.
I think that God has been VERY clear that we are not to make or have in our possession ANY image that we would bow down to, pray to, give reverence to, or worship.
You noted such things as items depicting our Lord. I would add crosses-whether worn or hung, if they are used more than a reminder to us of all of Christ's work for us. You mentioned things that remind us of our loved ones who have died. I think photos are fine if put in an family album or hung on our walls as long as we do not "talk" to them or hold the item or the person in a state of reverence in our minds and hearts. We need to avoid thinking that any of dead people are near us in spirit, offer any protection for us, or who have any input into our lives. I believe that there is an impenetrable division between this world and the world after death that the Lord doesn't allow any crossover. Angels are allowed to go between the heavens and our natural world in obedience to God, but we are not to seek such interactions or do any kind of worship to them.
In the area of things that represent occultic matters, I think we need to be careful about what is shown of the clothing we wear and the jewelry we wear. Often times the emblems can be from occultic artistic expressions and it is wise to scrutinize any "adornment" before we purchase or accept from others such things. I am not sure where to go to find out what some of the images that are currently fashionable truly represent. Any ideas. Perhaps simplicity in dress is a pretty safe way to show ourselves to others. We need to be careful of the impression we give to others with how we dress.
And you mentioned music artists. I don't think we should be taken in by ANY famous person, anyone with desirable gifts, and even great preachers, reformers, or Christian leaders. We need to see them all as like us, needing God's grace because we all are sinners and at the same time saints. We need to guard ourselves from idols of any kind. cont.
The second and third lines in Chris Tomlin's song "Good Good Father" state:
But I've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night
And You tell me that You're pleased and that I'm never alone
David Crowder's song "He really loves us" has this in the third line
"There is no judgment"
And Danny Gokey's song "Love God Love People" says at the end of the fourth stanza
"Love God and love People" (no brainer).
Finally there is the song "What would Jesus do" states in the 11th Stanza
"What would Jesus do
He would love first..etc."
The first question here is what is God's love? There is nothing in any of these songs that show any differentiation of God's love from that of man. Assuming that God never has anything negative to say goes against the verses that state God chastises anone He loves and we are illegitimate sons otherwise (see Hebrews 12:6; 12:8). To say there is no judgment is only true as to a believer's standing at the Bema Seat Judgment and missing the Great White Throne condemnation. We are judged according to 2 Corinthians 5:10 and be judged as to works done for Him; good or bad. If we aren't one of His own we are judged and condemned already ( John 3:18).
No one should argue as to a Christian demonstrating love and patience; but that doesn't mean that we should stand for hypocrisy within the House of God; or societal evils such as abortion without sounding the trumpet as a watchman to avoid the condemnation warned of in Ezekiel 3:18. But such exhortations seem to be missing entirely in today's Christian songs; whether it is warning of the deceptiveness of Satan or sin itself; or the Tribulation to come or hell itself without repentance. Anyone on this forum who wishes to rebut that statement let me know; perhaps there are some independent artists I should be made aware of that I haven't heard lately.
Thus; artists are idolized saying what people want to hear and are "Christian" by name only.
I wanted to emphasize that those who spend a lot of time on social media are going to be blindsided by the rebuttal of well known teachers of truth by these individuals. I haven't the time or heart to stomach it; except for the rare instance when someone is discussing politics and how people are putting certain individuals on a level of worship (won't mention any names).
Sometimes there are Christians who can critique these things; but you can't be sure until watching certain videos where the narrator stands.
There are a few pastors and well known musicians who have embraced this mentality. Again; it is important for those who do believe to be aware of hypocrisy within the church so that a claim can be judged valid or invalid that is hurled as an accusation.
We can't of course win every intellectual or historical argument; but knowledge of the Bible and some worldly wisdom benefits us if we seriously engage these people; otherwise we may very well get steamrolled attempting any discourse with these individuals. Again; not for self justification-but I have attempted to bring out Calvin and Luthor as not being exactly steller examples of believers demonstrating the love of God to each other; but in the same token showing that they indeed grasp some deep truths in regard to characteristics of God's sovereignty and predestination in particular.
The hard verses I have also attempted to give some answer for where women and children; and men and animals were called for destruction. One of them is that some were giant offspring and therefore not human; and the other is that their sin (such as rampant infant sacrifices) were so heinous that if anything future suffering was relieved with their quick demise. The other point was that physical death doesn't always equate spiritual as for instance appears to be the case for children under a certain age.
If we can't struggle with the angst these truths show us we aren't very human.
Armageddon; and the ultimate end of Satan at the end of the Millennial reign of Christ is the ultimate conclusion of God's plan in using the enemy of our soul to purge the world of rebels and to end the power of death completely with a new heaven and earth (see 1 Cor. 15:26; Revelation 21 and 22).
Eternal punishment fits the crime so we can understand as wicked as things have been throughout human history it has stored up wrath for Satan as well as the unregenerate ( Romans 2:5 and subsequent verses in that chapter). The philosophy of "do as thou wilt" that is prominent among self proclaimed Satanists is contrasted with a sacrificial love that only Christ can offer. Everything seems backwards but the Lord has the master plan no matter how clever men and their devices are to destroy Christ (see Psalm 5:10; and read Psalm 2). Unregenerate man simply cannot understand how being a servant or slave of Christ brings men to freedom and how the opposite appeals to the flesh leave one in bondage in the end. They think we can somehow go back to Eden (as seen in the humanistic music of the 60's); but we see the result of this "free love" in the 70's and beyond with the rapid decay of traditional families in regard to sustainability of marriages and the removal of God's design for a family and harmonious home life. Whether Satan himself ever realized how wicked he would become is debateable; it would appear that Antichrist himself and or other rulers may not have realized this in verses such as Isaiah 10:7. The enemy always wants to sugarcoat the extreme jeopardy of man remaining in a sinful state by distracting him with grand delusions that lead nowhere but to destruction.
We see in Psalm 23:5 a verse on eating in the presence of enemies which indeed we will do during the Millennium when some inevitably will rebel at the end and insanely under Satan attempt one final time to destroy God and His people leading to failure.
Last night enroute to my car to go to a Christian coffee house I met a shivering lady with the typical Catholic garb of a large cross; beads; etc. She spoke broken English; but I surmised from what she stated that she needed a ride down the street. It appeared that the parking lot of the church up the road had some restriction preventing her from moving a car in the parking lot and she needed a ride less than a mile down the road at a nursing home facility.
During the ride she explained how she had been praying over the situation and then I mentioned I was a Christian after she prayed for me (invoking Rafael and of course the Virgin Mary asking for blessings and protection over me. I didn't have time to get into a long explanation of the error of such prayers; being satisfied that at least she mentioned the blood of Christ. At the time I dropped her off I looked for a spanish gospel tract which clearly explains that Christ only saves and I was briefly troubled that I couldn't find it; then realized that she had been sitting on it. That was an answered prayer in her behalf; I realized that others were meeting her and hoped they would see the tract; and I had been waiting months to find someone to give it to who spoke Spanish.
Since I am not sure if I can mention any specific names here; I will just state that the two bands at the coffee house were outstanding (can't always be sure). I don't mention where I attend church either. Let me make a general statement here; there are artists (in this case at least the one lady who has stuff on YouTube) who actually are talented musically and honor God with convicting lyrics (the one song was about taming the tongue).
Let us all seek the Lord for opportunities however brief or unexpected to witness to people and help to fulfill the Great Commission. As a sidenote let us remember part of that is to make disciplles; a long term commitment for mature believers
The book of Psalms is a common start for daily devotionals. It constitutes all the major types of writings from the poetic acrostic hidden letters found in Psalm 119 emphasizing the law; to prophecies ( Psalm 2; etc) to impreccatory Psalms (asking for judgment); to praise. There may be a couple types I forgot here.
Another theme which is interwoven throughout the Bible is blessings and cursings. There is much written about conditional promises inherent in God's covenant. We see this with Adam and Eve's choice to take of the forbidden fruit; to Cain's downfall; and the whole history of the patriarchs written for our benefit (see 1 Cor. 10:11). IT'S FOR YOU DUMMY! That is what basically is being stated in that passage. I felt it necessary within the parameter of the rules here to mention a sarcastic general statement because looking at the Bible it becomes clear fairly quickly that despite repeated warnings from God people just didn't get it. Again that proves the truth of the Word; as no man would want his account marred by the fallability of men (especially the author of a book). In the N.T. Paul states that he was the "chief of sinners". ( 1 Tim. 1:15). God used him as a former murderer of the saints to preach the most widespread missionary assignment of anyone in scripture encompassing the most scripture as well after the book of Acts. David caused a murder to get Bathsheeba as well. Abraham twice tried to pass off his wife as his sister and his son didn't learn as Isaac tried that later on as well. And of course even His own family didn't believe for a time about Christ not to mention the nation at large. ( John 7:5).
Another way we can study the Bible is to sing Psalms or spiritual songs; which encompasses the original way this literature was delivered. We have to search diligently to find those who do this today; they are out there. A lot of music should be avoided
I have been in Pentecostal churches that exercise spiritual gifts outwardly. I love the openness to the influence of the Holy Spirit among the congregation and the sense of freedom in worship.
I have been in churches that have contemporary services with worship bands. I love the singing of songs that express our love for the Lord to Him and, more so, that exalt who He is. The sermons are usually longer than in liturgical services, so there is more teaching from the pulpit, whereas teaching in liturgical churches usually occurs in the Sunday School hour (another tradition).
Some churches observe Advent with mid-week services, some have mid-week services every week, some have small group home bible studies, some have studies at the church during the weekdays, some have special programs aimed at children such as Awana or Royal Rangers, others have Youth ministries for Jr. Hi and High School ages. All of these added traditions are adaptations incorporated into the functioning of the church in different times and places. My sister in law from Africa says that they go to church on Sunday and stay there all I with meals and services in the morning and in the evening. Many have to travel a long way on foot so it isn't practical for them to go home and come back.
I do not think that these things are evil. I think that they can be helpful to those who utilize them in the exercise of their faith, worship, and ministry to others. However, we do need to be careful not to hold these traditions as more important or binding than the Scripture nor to be unwilling to change traditions that become outmoded.
There was a time in the church where singing was only acapella without music, times where there was chanting, times where instrumentation were introduced with piano or organ accompaniment, a time when choirs became normalized, and in our generation, worship bands near or on the place of the altar platform.
We just need to be prayerful and open towards God and His work
Revelation 14:9-11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
About 15 years ago and several times before that I had a vision of the pure terror involved with the mark of the Beast. I have since told people that I would ask the Lord would give them such insight but not for those who aren't spiritually strong. The Lord has held back the day of Judgment, but it is promised to be worse than any time in the past and future. Mark 13:19 as well as other New Testament passages and Daniel 12 show proof of this. Without Christ we are dragged in; to the sieve of destruction ( Isaiah 30:28). Suddenly the wicked are broken and that without remedy ( Prov. 6:15).
To realize how fearful judgment is apart from Christ I cannot put into words. When we see Mystery Babylon we can't help but be reminded of the American Pie song with its lyrics
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
These remind us of Ecclesiastes 12:4 as well as Lamentations 5:14 along with other stanzas in this song about the Lord taking off and no more joyful music as stated in Revelation 18:22. We are hypnotized by music and media today and its demonic mantras and dulled in our senses with the vulgar obsenities that increasingly assail the rightous. The agenda is out in the open at this point; Satan's hour is about to arrive. Christ comes soon so rejoice
I am thankful that Jonathan is a believer as is his dad, my brother. God will provide Jonathan what is needed. He was brought up apart from my brother and his Mom was very neglectful of him during his childhood. Supposedly homeschooling him but did not. He can barely read. When he was having allergic reactions his Mom would not take him to the emergency room (which was just around the block0 and he would call an ambulance. He left her home at 18 and came to live with his dad, my brother, who had been separated from his mom since he was 1 1/2 years old. Over the past 10 years he has opened up more about what he went through at his home with his mom. So sad. This lack of education affects his ability to get a job that will give him independence and a salary that will be sufficient to meet his financial needs. He will probably be living with my brother for most of his adult life.
The gigs he just recently got in place, having found a few other musicians to play with, were a blessing, an outlet for him to make money doing what he is very good at and really enjoys.
I know that God will help him and that He hears all of our prayers. Thank you for yours.
Those who espouse lies are coming out it seems; the truth always reveals itself. Truth be told as I have stated elsewhere there always has to be some truth with any effective lies or liars; and scripture still can prick hearts despite bad preachers. The general apostasy these days means that more than ever we can't put stock in any human being. Those who appear to have been in the faith and fall away ultimately aren't saved as I see scripture; but since we can't foresee these things (although the signs of bad fruit should awake our discerning souls) we need to be prepared as to not let a root of bitterness for instance tempt us to abandon the faith ourselves when other fall.
My belief is that lack of spiritual discernment is a primary issue here. How else can demonic spiritual manifestations and doctrines be so readily accepted? Either choosing to believe any manifestation as being from God or not believe at all in the miraculous end up being two extremes we can fall into. As Ecclesiastes states weeping is better than laughter for the soul; and fear of God the beginning of wisdom.
When it comes to our daily walk with God; it is helpful to have those who are more mature in the faith to guide and disciple us.
Those who have exhibited fruit in their lives through long term evidence involved in the ministry; whether leaders in the church or other acquaintances who are laypersons may not matter. Paul states "imitate me" in 1 Cor. 11:1 (easy to memorize with that identifier).
We do well to realize; without being cynical that everyone is subject to Christ and on this side of heaven capable of sin. This means we have to be careful not to put someone on a pedestal whether it be a spouse; or a Pastor. The first issue is whether we are truly desiring to emulate someone because of a personality trait or a genuine spiritual gift. The second; related to the first is if the gift has more significance either to us or the person in question as compared to the "author and finisher of our faith" Christ Himself. ( Heb. 12:2). We need to look through spiritual eyes and not always focus on who speaks the loudest or most eloquently; or makes the rules; etc. Of course we need not to obsess on someone who is physically attractive and all the related desires of the flesh that seek to undo us. Just take one look at the Christian "music industry" to see how clearly that is evident with the appearance of celebrities in all their glitz and glamour.
We need to see objectively how much of our time we spend in church activities along with the rest of our time is really helping us to do the things required of God; namely fulfilling the Great Commission; prayer and meditation on the scriptures. I have stated in previous posts that it is remarkable how much time believers tend to spend socializing when in fellowship and how little discussing answered prayers and scriptural promises fulfilled in their lives due to God's faithfulness. I am convinced this is one of Satan's best kept secrets and ties in with verses such as 2 Timothy 3:5.
Jesus criticized the Jewish leaders for laying a burden to heavy to be born. Jesus criticized man made doctrine and tradition.
He sabbath is REST from pursuing money. It is rest from life stress. Make dinner for yourself. Have friends over. Discuss God. Listen to music, take a walk, visit someone who is sick. Help your neighbor. Do a good deed.
The sabbath is a GIFT!
I thank you for your response. I think but seeing its in other scriptures its not telling us Heavens direction. Which is ok, we does tell us will do for me. His word is enough for me.
Here is one prophecy of Christ.
Matthew 27:46
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?"
Psalms 22:1
"(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"
John 19:30
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost."
Psalms 22:31
"They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this."
God Bless You
Matthew 27:46
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?"
Psalms 22:1
"(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"
John 19:30
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost."
Psalms 22:31
"They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this." God's prophetic words always come true. In a Psalm of David, that God put in his heart.
1 Corinthians 6:20
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
Resharing.
Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?
Psalms 22:1
(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.
Psalms 22:31
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
1 Corinthians 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.
2 concepts are indicated in these lyrics. First; praise isn't always accepted by God and second riches of this world often are treasured above the Lord. Both of these points are an issue when it comes to the Contemporary Christian music industry; in particular.
Lucifer according to Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 was anointed as a Cherubim with musical giftings built into him. He chose glory for himself; therefore lost his place in heaven and consequently; can only use his talents for evil purposes today. It is hard to conceive that those who have written scripturally sound lyrics in the past could abandon the Lord; but mind boggling to see those who have continued to confess Christ but accept all the ideologies contrary to scripture. This is certainly reminiscent of the type of people you would expect in the last days Laodicean type church. The kind of God which is worshipped in this case is one sided toward love and acceptance and doesn't look at repentance seriously. God loved us enough to send His Son ( John 3:16) but when the Son had our sins placed on Him the Father had to look away. ( Matthew 27:46; Habakkuk 1:13).
There are exceptions; of course of artists whose lives truly reflect the proper doctrines; and show the proper behavior as a humble servant. This often at the very least means turning down more lucrative offers that cause compromise and starting your own music label. Many start in local churches then end up getting sucked into the greed of worldly desires for success and any new musician should have regular discipling and close association with a local church; preferably as a member. We should pray also for those who are gifted musically in secular circles that they will turn to Christ and witness to them when opportunities arise.
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I have said often that there are either fake human manifestations regarding the five senses; or demonic events; or true experiences from the Spirit. Your point is interesting that emotions can be involved with some of these gifts; but isolated without the Spirit or making the feelings be a priority over the Holiness of God gets us into trouble and opens the door for deception at some point. To have no emotion of course means our hearts are cold and we are in danger like the Ephesians were in Revelation 3 and risk having the church fall apart.
I have noticed today that rebuke is almost nonexistant; and this can be because of sloppy leadership in church; lack of discernment or love which prompts us in the Spirit to challenge ourselves first then others. Encouraging words such as truthful statements of how we see the Spirit working in someone is probably sorely lacking today as well; hard to remember the last time I heard it myself. As is often the case as I see it human familiarity and friendships can be a large detractor from effective moves of the Spirit; and sometimes someone from the outside is able to more effectively discern and give words of knowedge (often of course taken as an insult or brushed aside). Tact is important; of course but can't overrule God's truth getting out.
I would say that genuine prayer; and godly music with praise are necessary prerequisites for the Spirit to move. Too often something as seemingly insignificant as gossip can upend what the Spirit is attemptiong to do and quench it. People need to be serious in the house of God. Perhaps I should do a series on this subject?
Let me know.
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