Music and Worship
I’ve been reading again. I thought you would like to see this gem.
Music will reflect and declare a right view of God, a right view of Man, and a right view of His gospel, while providing an avenue for the soul’s grateful response to His wondrous plan of redemption.
Amen!
How Christians Imitate A Cult
Practicing Christianity like a Mormon
I recently received a mailing from Love, INC. that clearly demonstrates what happens when supposed Christian organizations leave doctrine and are not accountable to a local church.
Dear Friend in Christ,
The leadership of Love INC has decided that I should share the new vision God has revealed to me at the Melody of Love Concert.
I want to personally invite you to come and hear what I know God is going to do here in our valley. I have felt led to share it with a few people, including some of the pastors and each time I speak of it, I’m amazed at the reaction of those who hear it. I believe that one tells a vision, not sells a vision. Once heard, the listener will receive affirmation within their own soul of the authenticity of the spoken word. As I’ve shared this vision, many have been moved to tears and goose bumps and all have embraced it as something the Church needs and will respond to.
So mark your calendar for this special night. I know God will be there and we have saved a seat just for you, hoping you will join us.
A servant of God,
Louis Tupyi
Executive Director & National Advisor
Before I start in on the letter itself I think a few words about the local Love INC are appropriate.
Love INC started with a good idea. Take the various resources available through lots of churches and act as a clearing house to match needs and resources. This idea is a noble and laudable way for churches to band together to meet needs in a community while not being taken by the “professional†bum.
Unfortunately, para-church organizations don’t have the checks and balances that a church run organization does. Early in the life cycle of this type of organization one usually finds that the doctrine isn’t important any more, just getting the job done is the focus of all efforts. Shortly after one decides to do whatever it takes to meet the need, one finds that it is easy to determine that the ends justifies the means.
In this particular case the headline singer for the “Melody of Love†is a supposed Christian who converted to Roman Catholicism a couple of years ago. She doesn’t really see any conflict, as we are all Christians anywayâ€. The event is held at a church that is doctrinally adrift, and the people associated with the local Love INC are from a broad range of backgrounds that seem to have no doctrinal coherence.
Now the Letter!
(My paraphrase should highlight my thoughts. Comments are very welcome.)
I had a vision and I’ve got permission to share it! My vision came while I was listening to doctrinally incorrect music, sung by a non-christian, in a doctrinally hostile environment.
I feel good about this vision. It came from God, and I’m excited to see people suckered in and their foolish emotional responses. I especially like it when they cry.
I know some people will be skeptical that God gave me this vision. So I have a special way for you to confirm that it is a TRUE message from God. Just follow the simple instructions to see if the message matches up with TRUTH.
(instructions)
1. Monitor your emotional response. Do you have tears and goose bumps?
2. Check inside your soul to see if it is real. Once you hear the vision the little green “affirmed†light will go in your soul. See, it is real!
3. Don’t worry about what the Bible might say about this vision. This is new info direct from God. No need to mention the Bible.
Friends, this is the current state of the Christian church in America. I’m afraid to say that this is common, and not a real anomaly. And the really frightening thing is that this letter matches how Mormons determine truth exactly. Do you have a “burning in the bosom?†If so, you have confirmed the truth of my message. Both deny objective truth. Both are marks of a cult.
God gave us an objective message containing an objective truth. He also gave us emotions. Then He told us that we need to subject our emotions to the objective truth that He gave us. He said everything else was foolishness.
Fools want something more than God gives, or they ascribe God’s name to that which is not of God.
Sola Scriptura!
A Problem With My Job
A long time has passed since I’ve shared my thoughts. Like all passage of time, much continues to happen to all of us. In my case I’ve taken on several battles at once.
The greatest battle is the pastoring of our church. I’m employed as president of a new company. I face battles managing employees and competitors. We have a great product (a device that lowers blood pressure) that is a breakthrough in helping people to control a massive problem. Lord willing we will be a major company in just a couple of years.
What’s that got to do with pastoring? Why is my job a problem?
Because, as the CEO of the company, it is my job to direct everything, provide all of the motivation and encouragement, as well as all of the discipline and rebuke. In short, I provide the vision and the enforcement. We succeed largely by my force of will.
Conversely, my failures are the cause of problems that delay success, even threatening the future of the company.
This doesn’t lessen the importance of those who help me; it is just a statement of personal responsibility.
Many pastors are trained to lead the church like a businessman leads his company. A few years ago I visited a leading conservative seminary while in California. Our church was looking for a possible pastoral candidate. I met with the VP in charge of placement. Another elder and I outlined that we were looking for a man who was experienced and wanted to be an equal elder on the board.
The VP told me I’d come to the wrong place. They trained their men to lead, and he couldn’t imagine that any of his graduates would want to be anything but the head, THE leader.
I was shocked. Especially from a seminary who’s President talks a great deal about the “plurality and equality of eldersâ€. What about Biblical patterns? This school felt that they knew more about how to operate a church than God does.
So, why is my job a problem?
Because my day job provides daily reinforcement to my leadership, to my responsibility, to absolute obedience. Or else my employees will suffer the consequence and I am the judge.
But God calls me to lead his church as a servant. He calls me to follow His leadership. He calls me to be obedient to Him. He says that the building of the church is His responsibility. He says that He is the cornerstone. He says that I am NOTHING without Him.
He is the motivation, He is the goal, He is the judge and he is the jury.
Most importantly, He is the completer, the one who will accomplish the task. I need have no fear when events turn in an unexpected direction.
Jesus Christ will be Lord of the church. Jesus Christ will be Lord of my life.
And the people of the church, those who I am supposed to lead and rule, are those whom God has called to do the work of the church.
I am not exempt from that work, but it is not MY work.
Yes, I know these things inside both my head and my heart. But my day job tends to fight inside me, attempting to change my motivation.
And then it hits me. My job isn’t supposed to be that way either. I am letting my Christian beliefs be run by outside interests. But God calls me to run all of my life, including business, His way.
God help me. And He does!
Praise be to God, the Lord Almighty!
A New Warrior
The tall young man listened carefully to the elder man. He was not sure that he understood what he was supposed to do. Usually the elder man was clear and the tall young man knew how to respond. What was different this time?
“You are now well trained and it is time for you to enter
the great battle. I expect that you will
be ready to leave the town within a few days.
I’ll speak with you again tomorrow.†Said the elder man.
“Leave? Why will I have to leave?†"We’ll talk tomorrow" and the elder man turned to leave.
A simple explanation of the danger of the new perspective
I don’t know how much clearer you can be than this blog posting on Reformation 21
The real danger in new perspective thought is that it destroys the Glory of God and the provision of Christ.
Be careful in your life, correct doctrine is critical.
Two Paths, A Tall Man Tale
Two paths came together forming a larger path or small trail. The paths had come from two very similar towns and were the result of many years of traveler’s feet seeking to find the True Path. Looking back from where they joined, a discerning person could see that these paths weren’t the most direct way from the towns to this larger path. These little trails could be seen to wind around for no apparent reason, and to actually go through areas of the forest that weren’t exactly safe. It appeared that a good engineer could have designed the paths to avoid dangers and problems and get to the larger path quicker.
A tall man walked down the path coming from the northern town. He walked quickly and appeared to be carefully observing the nature, direction and surroundings of the path. He had obviously traveled a ways, his clothing bearing the marks of some of the difficult spots in the path, but he seemed to have a sense of purpose that surrounded him like an aura.
The path from the southern town was different, yet the same. The path was not direct and had quite a few areas that weren’t safe, but these areas had different dangers than the northern path. The tall man looked down the path to see if he could possibly hope for a companion on the larger path, but saw no one coming towards him. He turned to continue his journey down this larger path and began to stride ahead.
After several days on the trail the tall man saw another traveler walking ahead of him. He lengthened his strides to overtake the new traveler, who heard him coming and kindly waited patiently for him at a wide place in the trail. Both men were glad to see another traveling down the road. Like travelers of all types they exchanged where they were from, where they were going, and other information that built a quick bond of friendship between them. After a bit they decided that it would be better for them to travel together down the trail since they were both looking for the True Path and they set off down the trail at a comfortable pace.
It is a good feeling to walk together down a path with a friend. As you walk you sometimes talk and sometimes stride quietly. When you talk you often mention the things that surround your walk, such as the color of the leaves, the nature and strength of the brisk wind or the random thoughts that fill your mind in the silence.
But we already know that these two travelers had started this journey with a goal in mind. I suppose that it is inevitable that two walking together with a similar goal would eventually turn their conversation to why they started the journey and how they knew where to go to seek the True Path. So they did.
“How did you come to be on this path?†said the tall man.
The southern man responded, “Several years ago a friend told me that there was a True Path and that the True Path led to eternal life. He showed me a book of instructions on how to find the True Path and told me that, if I followed the instructions, I would have eternal life. I doubted that eternal life was this simple, but he convinced me with good evidence. I’ve been walking down the trail ever since.â€
“That sounds remarkably like my own story. I find it extraordinary that the instructions have brought us together at the same point.†Said the tall man.
As they walked they discussed what the book of instructions told them about how to follow the path. Both had experienced the results of not following instructions and both were committed to not doing that again!
As the travelers discussed following the instructions in the book they discovered that both had found out that the instructions weren’t always clear to everyone. In fact, both had met other travelers who were going completely different directions on small paths. This was confusing, and both men hoped that they were going directly towards the True Path as a result of correctly reading the book of instructions.
The path had been smooth and slightly downhill for several miles. The light had become dim and there was gusty wind announcing an approaching storm when the path came to a fork. The two friends consulted and discussed what the book of instructions said about the fork. Which way was the right way to go? Would both paths eventually get to the True Path? The tall man thought that the instructions were pretty clear on taking the left fork in the trail and, after much discussion the southern man agreed that this was the path that both would take. As the storm blew dust and the first large drops of rain across the fork in the path the travelers resumed their journey.
As the wind blew the tall man strode ahead down the fork to the left. He used his hat to cover his head from the storm, tucking his head and leaning it to the right to avoid the dust and rain. The southern man said something that wasn’t quite clear and then said something else that was not very loud. The tall man heard just enough to know that the southern man still agreed that this was the correct path, and the tall man was patiently waiting for the storm to pass so that he could hear his friend’s comments and respond.
After a long time the storm passed and the tall man looked around for his friend. Surprisingly the southern man was nowhere to be seen. The tall man was concerned and strode to the top of the next rise in the path to look for his friend. He looked up and down the path but saw no one. On this rise he could see that the path not taken at the fork in the road was across a large body of water with swampy land around its edges. At about the same time he noticed that the southern man was on the other path, on the far side of the lake, and that he was continuing his journey with another traveler.
The tall man was sad. He saw that there were only a few possible reasons for the southern man being on the other path. None of the reasons indicated that the friendship between the tall man and the southern man had ever really had any substance to it.
If the southern man had changed his mind about what the book of instruction said was the correct direction to take at the fork, then friendship or even simple courtesy would have required the southern man to tell the tall man that he had changed his mind and was going a different direction. It was possible that there was another reason for the southern man taking a different fork without telling the tall man and, if so, then the intent was evil, but the tall man couldn’t believe that this was the case. So the tall man came to the conclusion that the southern man had never really been his friend.
The tall man pondered the new situation. He could return to the fork in the road and attempt to catch up with the southern man, or he could continue to follow the path he was on. Following the example given to him when he first learned about the book of instruction, the tall man looked into it for direction and guidance. It appeared to the tall man that the left fork was still the correct fork to follow, seeking to find the True Path. It was possible that the path that the southern man was on would reconnect with this path after awhile, but this was uncertain to the tall man.
The tall man decided to continue to follow the path that seemed to correctly follow the book of instructions. He could not, in good conscience, follow a path that he believed was not the good path. The tall man knew that he didn’t always read the book of instructions correctly, and that this caused him to travel a more difficult road sometimes. He was very aware that his clothes were worn and frayed because of the many times that he strayed off the path into the areas of danger and difficulty. But the tall man also knew that he had to be as faithful as he could be to what he understood the book to say.
The tall man had often warned other travelers of the dangers along the path. He was concerned for the other travelers, but knew that he could not make any of them travel a path different from the one they were on. Nevertheless all travelers with good intent warned other travelers of obvious dangers along the path. So that is what the tall man did.
The tall man took a great deal of comfort from knowing that the book of instructions was clear that all travelers who were true followers of the book would eventually find the True Path. As the tall man considered the various challenges and dangers that faced all travelers on the path to eternal life he was glad that God was in charge of the journey.
Never Give In
“Never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.â€
Winston Churchill, 1941 speech at his alma mater
As Christians, how do we respond to this concept?
*
Jonathan Edwards on the Millenium
I recently purchased a book published in America in 1794. The subject revolves around the need for revival, and the keynote chapters are by Jonathan Edwards on the Millenium. The preface is profound, at least in my opinion.
"Preface by the Editor, in England. Olney, May 4, 1789.
If any enquire why the ensuing work is republished, I would beg leave to lay before them the following intelligence:
At an
association of the ministers and messengers of the Baptist churches in the
counties of
We have the pleasure also to find, that several Paedo-Baptist churches statedly meet on those evenings, for the same purpose.
The re-publication of the following work, is with the avowed design of promoting the above agreement and practice. Those concerned in its first institution, never intended it should be confined to any peculiar connection, or particular denomination. Rather they ardently wished it might become general among the real friends of truth and holiness. The advocates of error are indefatigable in their endeavours to overthrow the distinguishing and interesting doctrines of Christianity; those doctrines which are the grounds of our hope, and sources of our joy. Surely it becomes the followers of Christ, to use every effort, in order to strengthen the things which remain.
By re-publishing the following work, I do not consider myself as becoming answerable for every sentiment it contains. An author and an editor are very distinct characters. Should any entertain different views respecting some of the prophecies in the inspired page, from those that are here advanced, yet such may, and I hope will, approve of the general design.
In the
present imperfect state, we may reasonably expect a diversity of sentiments
upon religious matters. Each ought to
think for himself; and everyone has a right, on proper occasions, to shew his
opinion. Yet all should remember, that
there are but two parties in the world, each engaged in opposite causes; the
cause of God and of Satan; of holiness and of sin; of heaven and hell. The advancement of the one, and the downfall
of the other, must appear exceedingly desireable to every real friend of God
and man. If such, in some respects
entertain different sentiments, and practise distingquishing modes of worship,
surely they may unite in the above business.
O for thousands upon thousands, divided into small bands in their
respective cities, towns, villages and
neighbourhood, all met at the same time, and in pursuit of one end,
offering up their united prayers, like so many ascending clouds of incense
before the Most High! May he shower down
blessings on all the scattered tribes of
John Sutcliff.
A Clearing in the Woods, A Tall Man Tale
In the distance the tall man could see a clearing in the woods. Clearings usually meant that he would meet other travelers and spend some time with them discussing the journey. The tall man believed that learning more about the journey was important, and he enjoyed other travelers, so he began to increase his pace.
After a short while the tall man walked into the clearing, happy to see several other travelers already there. Greetings were exchanged and talk of the journey occupied the attention of most. Under a large evergreen a few travelers had copies of the book of instruction in their hands and were discussing the directions. A young traveler listened carefully while more experienced travelers talked about avoiding a bad place on the trail.
In the middle of the clearing there was a flat piece of granite and an old stump from a long dead tree. The granite formed a large flat rectangle, which nearly hit the tall man’s thigh when he stood by it. Years of exposure to the wind and rain had seemingly polished the top until the pattern of the stone looked like the framework of a large table, a massive table that couldn’t be easily moved.
The beauty of the pattern in the stone struck a responsive chord in the tall man’s heart and he began to sing. Quietly his pleasant voice carried across the clearing to the other travelers. The words of the song were words about the author of the book of instructions and most of the travelers knew the words. With unspoken agreement they began to sing with the tall man, lips forming sounds that came from the innermost parts of their hearts. The travelers began to gather around the stone, gathering their voices, forming their melody into a stronger current that echoed into the heavens. The first song became a second then a third, the succession continuing almost without direction as if preordained in some manner.
As they sang about the author of the book of instructions a deep contentment seemed to settle over the small group of travelers. While they sang one of the older travelers reached into his travel pack, bringing a large goblet out of it, and setting it on the flat granite. He carefully filled it with a dark red wine. Another older traveler placed a good-sized crust of bread on the table. The singing continued but the lyrics began to speak sadly of death and destruction. Strangely, the sad words didn’t carry the hopelessness that death and destruction usually do. In fact, the song began to speak of the purpose of this death as a purpose of hope. As the singing continued the song unmistakably carried purpose and hope into the clearing, leaving a message that the Author knew what He was doing, and it was good.
The tall man stood up on the old tree stump and the singing ceased. In the quiet the tall man lifted the book of instructions and said, “Before I was born the book of instructions was written. In the book the most certain truth is that you and I had no hope of life until the Author sent His Son to die for us. It is certain that He did die and was buried and after being dead for 3 days the Author made His Son alive again, and the Son still lives. This is the reason for our hope. Before the Son left to be with the Author He said to His travelers that they should remember what He did by sharing the cup of wine and the crust of bread when they gathered together.â€
He looked towards the heavens and said, “Author of the book of instructions, the travelers gathered here thank you for the gift that you have given us and for the faithfulness of Your Son.†Then the tall man stepped down and to the granite stone. The older traveler took the bread, breaking off a piece, and passing it amongst the travelers. After they had eaten the bread the older traveler took the cup and drank from it, then passed it to the other travelers.
Quietly the group sang of the achievements of the Author and Son, remembering the past and realizing that it was still real today. Then, as if on cue, the travelers turned towards the larger path and left the clearing to continue the journey.
A “Different” Christmas Service
Our family drove 500 miles to celebrate Christmas with our extended family on Friday. Saturday eve my niece (Debbie) was a soloist in the Christmas Eve service at a local church, so we all went (she has a great voice and 3 octave range).
The music was outstanding with many hymns and carols, most extolling the magnificent birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I enjoyed the quality music a great deal.
Then the pastor got involved. What a shame to hear a Christmas message without the “Christâ€. I thought you’d really see what I mean if I quoted one of the responsive readings, the call to worship:
Leader “The mystery of Christmas is among you, your hope of glory: This is the Christ we proclaim†(Colossians 1:28).
Response “I am touched to the core
With a presence I cannot explain.
A loving plan enfolds me.
Someone is always believing in me
Calling me forth, calling me on.
I am standing in grace
Filled with mystery
Touched with the eternal.
I cannot get away from goodness.
I think we name you, God.
Leader O God, help me to believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is.
(written by Macrina Weiderkehr)
Gloria in excelsis Deo!