Month: March 2012

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Peace…Be Still!

The storm was relentless in it’s attack upon the small boat, and the sailors fought desperately to keep her afloat. As the waves beat upon the vessel and the sea began to pour over the side some of the men began to fear for their lives. All seemed to be lost as the storm and the night began to swallow their hope. In final despair they turned to the only passenger who seemed unaware of the impending doom. As He slept in the stern of the boat on a small pillow, they called out, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

You most likely recognize this account from Luke 8 and Mark 5. The disciples of Christ feared for their lives as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. In 1874, Mary Baker captured this Biblical account in her hymn, “Master the Tempest is Raging”. Read Luke 8:22-25 and compare the text with this old song…

“Master the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high! The sky is o’er shadowed with blackness, no shelter or help is nigh. ‘Carest Thou not that we perish?’ How canst Thou lie asleep, when each moment so madly is threatening a grave in the angry deep?”

We can see the parallel in the hymn with the text, but look at verse 2 and 3…peace be still
“Master with anguish of spirit I bow in my grief today; the depths of my sad heart are troubled; O waken and save, I pray! Torrents of sin and of anguish sweep o’er my sinking soul; and I perish! I perish dear Master, O hasten, and take control.” The comparison of a life sinking without Christ is seen in similar despair as the 12 disciples fighting the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Now take a look at the transition into verse 3…when Christ calms our storms.

“Master, the terror is over, the elements sweetly rest; Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored and heaven’s within my breast. Linger, O blessed Redeemer, leave me alone no more; and with joy I shall make the blest harbor and rest on the blissful shore.”

This hymn is a great encouragement to me, but without the chorus, we fail to see the application from the storm that rages, to the peace that Christ brings. Notice the chorus and see if you can see the same security I have seen with Christ in control.

“The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will; ‘Peace, be still!  Peace, be still!’ Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea, or demons, or men, or whatever it be. No water can swallow the ship where lies the Master of ocean and earth and skies. They all shall sweetly obey Thy will; ‘Peace, be still! Peace, be still!’ They all shall sweetly obey Thy will; ‘Peace, Peace, be still!’

In case you missed it…regardless of the storms; whether they be physical, spiritual, emotional, WHATEVER. None of these problems can take you down (sink your ship) as long as Christ is in you! There may be times you’re wondering if He cares; does He realize what I’m going through? This storm is rough. Rest assured, He knows and He cares. But if I’m not faithful to Him, He asks the same question he asked some 2000 years ago, “Where is your faith?” I guess the question we have to ask ourselves; is the Master of ocean and earth and skies inside my ship? If He is then take courage, be faithful to Him and realize He can calm the storm. Peace, Be Still!

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Biblical Songs

What makes one of the songs we sing on Sunday morning characterized as a Biblical song as opposed to one that would be considered un-Biblical (or as some have defined, a problem song)?  Is there some criteria or some sort of a ‘scale’ that we can use to determine our song choice?  Whether we like it or not, we need to be more diligent in sincerely thinking about what we’re singing and why we’re singing it.  Without debate a Biblical song/hymn would be one that can be found and supported through God’s word.  Let’s consider two songs that come almost entirely from scripture:

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing, I will sing.
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.
And with my mouth will I make know Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness.
And with my mouth will I make know Thy faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalms 89:1 reads: “I will sing of the lovingness of the Lord forever, To all generations I will make know Your faithfulness with my mouth.” (NAS)

This song was written by James Filmore at the turn of the century, but it didn’t find it’s popularity in church music until the 1960’s.  In 1983, the chorus became a regular addition in some of our hymnals.  Scripture based hymns can be found in surplus in many of the traditional and contemporary hymns. One of our long time favorites is, again, almost a direct quote, from the book of Psalms.

Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah
“Hallelujah, praise Jehovah! From the heavens praise His name; Praise Jehovah in the highest; all His angels praise proclaim. All His host together praise Him, sun and moon and stars on high; Praise Him, O ye heavens of heavens, and ye floods above the sky.”

“Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord from the heavens, Praise Him in the heights!  Praise Him all His angels; Praise Him, all His host!  Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, heights heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens!” Psalm 148:1-4

This is only the first verse of a popular hymn written in 1893 by William J. Kirkpatrick. But as you investigate the Biblical accuracy of the hymn, you’ll find the 2nd and 3rd verses hold true to the words of Psalm 148: 5-12 with vs. 13 reserved for the chorus. “Let them praise the name of Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.” My hope and prayer is that you will continue to search out songs that are Biblical and sound when it comes to singing songs to God our Father. A song that is accurately supported through God’s word will draw us closer to Him as we give to Him our praise!

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What Are We Singing?

Singing is an important part of our worship.  However, do you know that some of our songs are clearly at odds with God’s word?  Unfortunately there are a few songs that we’ll sing on any given Sunday (or Wednesday) that come from a worldly view of who God is and what God expects.  When the world influences our singing, it should come as no surprise that we will have songs that contain errors.  Though some of our newer songs (contemporary songs) are uplifting and inspirational, we should be careful what we’re singing.  I would encourage each of us to test each song (traditional or contemporary) and determine it’s Biblical accuracy… otherwise we run the risk of ‘singing without thinking’.

Consider these three questions as you look at hymns:

  1. Do I think about the words of the song or am I ‘caught up in the music?’

  2. If is a song is counter to God’s word, how will I know for sure?

  3. Will I eliminate an ‘un-Biblical song’ from my selection, or accept it as poetic license?

Song leaders…we have an obligation to properly prepare and diligently examine the songs we lead in the Lord’s church.  A preacher worth his salt will spend countless hours preparing for Sunday’s sermons; how much time will you give to preparing for Sunday’s song service?  Perhaps thirty minutes before worship is not only insufficient time-wise… it’s careless preparation too!  The ‘Singing with the Spirit’ Seminar talks in more detail about this scenario.  If you’re interested in learning more about song leaders and their song selection, let me know.  Together we’ll take a look at… What Shall We Sing
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Rock of Ages…

Have you ever sung a song and wondered what it was exactly did I just sing?  What does it mean when I sing, “…when life’s stormy billows roll…”?  I’m afraid to many of us sing without putting much thought into the words of the songs we’re singing.  Let’s consider a few words (and the meaning) of an old favorite hymn.  In 1776 Augustus Montague Toplady, an Anglican cleric and hymn writer, penned the words to one of our most remembered hymns.  He served for 14 years as a curator and priest within the Calvinist movement, during which time he authored several works of poetry that made their way into some Methodist and Calvinist hymnals.  Look at this old hymn, and investigate the words we’ve sung for years.

“Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee;” From the scripture, it’s interesting to note the importance Moses placed on God has his Rock (Deuteronomy 32: 15, 18, 30-31) as did the Psalmist (Psalm 18:2 and 19:14).  Isaiah too (Isaiah 26:4) speaks toward God as our ‘everlasting Rock.’  Whether Toplady actually took shelter in a rock cave during a storm and from that brought us the “Rock of Ages”, or if he was referencing the text…he obviously knew (and today we sing) that God is our shelter in which we can hide and find strength.

“Let the water and the blood, from Thy riven side which flowed, be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt and power.”  But what about the ‘water and the blood’, ‘the double cure’?  John 19:34… “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”  Because of our Lord and Savior’s death on the cross, you and I have a chance for forgiveness from our sins.  The double cure is salvation from sin and the power sin can have over our lives.  Christ gave His live (shed His blood to take away our sins, to ‘cure us’ from the guilt and power of sin.

“Not the labor of my hands can fulfill the law’s demands;”  Toplady is reminding you and me that we can never do enough to make ourselves right with God.  It is through His grace and mercy that we come into His salvation.  Ephesians 2:8, 9 “For by grace you have been saved…not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

“Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, all for sin can not atone, Thou must save and Thou alone.”  What is zeal, for that matter, what is respite?  Toplady is tell the reader that you can’t be saved by your enthusiasm for God.  Your zeal is your excitement, energy and enthusiasm.  Respite means rest…if my excited never rested; or if my lamenting (sorrow) and my tears never stopped flowing, still that isn’t going to save me.  As a matter of fact, Toplady reminds us that work, excitement and emotion won’t save us…Christ (the Rock of our Salvation) alone is my only hope for heaven.

This hymn can be found in the Faith & Praise song book (page 454)

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Can We Sing Without Thinking?

Clearly singing is an important part of our worship.  However, do we fully grasp the fact that some of our songs might be at odds with God’s word?  Unfortunately there are several songs that we’ll sing on any given Sunday (or Wednesday) that come from a worldly view point we it comes to who God is and what God expects.  When the world influences our songs, it should come as no surprise that we will have songs that contain errors.  Though some of our newer (contemporary) songs are uplifting and inspirational, they can be the furthest from God’s Truth.  I would encourage each of us to test each song and determine Biblical accuracy… otherwise we run the risk of ‘singing without thinking’.

Consider these three questions as you look at hymns; Old & New:

  1. Do I think about WHAT I am singing or do I sing without thinking?

  2. If a song is counter to what I find in God’s word, am I willing to eliminate it from my ‘song selection’ or just accept it as poetic license?

  3. How can I check the integrity of a hymn; whether it’s new or not?

Song leaders…we have an obligation to properly prepare and diligently examine the songs we lead in the Lord’s church.  Stay here and learn more about “Singing with the Spirit and singing with the mind.”  I Corinthians 14:15

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Who Will You Follow?

In 1963, Little Peggy March recorded a song written by Franck Pourcel that many, if not all, of us have heard at one time or another.  Though this song was first recorded and release in Europe during the 1950’s; during the spring of 1963, it hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  This made Ms March the youngest female artist to have a U.S. chart-topping single.  Its popularity resurfaced in 1992 when Hollywood featured it in the movie, “Sister Act”.  The song that enjoyed such early and recent success is entitled…”I Will Follow Him”.

As a child of God, a believer in Jehovah, we are called to ‘follow Him’.  Jesus said in Matthew 4:19, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  If you say you’re going to follow someone, to what extent do you (will you) follow them?  Too often we follow until the road gets too rough.  We don’t mind ‘going along’ as long as the way we’re going is easy.  But make the way unsteady or difficult and watch how many give up, sit down and stop walking.

So what does any of this have to do with singing?  When it comes to our songs of praise and edification, are we doing what God wants or what we enjoy?  Are we following His ways or our ways.  We can sing and not know what or why we’re singing, but is that ‘singing with the Spirit’?  I have declared both publicly and privately that I will follow Him, but that must also include my selection of songs, my understanding of songs and my devotion to singing songs.  Many men in our society today have determined singing is not masculine or macho.  Maybe we need to reconsider the difference between manly vs. Godly.  Personally, I would rather be a man that follows Him instead of a him that follows man…

I will follow Him!

 

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I Corinthians 14:15

Paul admonishes the church in Corinth with the following…“What is the outcome then?  I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.”

What does it mean to ‘pray and sing with the Spirit’?  Consider Christ’s words in John 4:24; “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  If you and I desire a relationship with God, and we bow before Him to worship, how will that look?  Will I bow in humble adoration, or jump up and rejoice?  How does God expect His worshipers to act before Him?  The Hebrew writer gives us a glimpse into WHO God is and what He expects when it comes to worship; “…Therefore, since we have received a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”  Hebrews 12:28, 29  The call we have to worship God in reverence and awe includes singing songs of praise (Ephesians 5, Colossians 3).  Without question, we must sing with the Spirit, but how do I sing with my mind?  Perhaps you should ask yourselves, ‘Do I really understanding WHAT I’m singing?’  Stay here and together, let’s dig deeper into what that might mean for you and me…