Concluded from last week
THE OLD TESTAMENT AND CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
By Jeff Asher

The Principle Contained In 2 Chronicles 29:25
     We indicated in the beginning that 2 Chronicles 29:25 was as strong an argument against the instruments in Christian worship as could be made. This is so because it reveals a principle for establishing authority relative not only to worship under Moses’ law but to any command of God.
     The general survey of the Old Testament established clearly that instrumental music was no part of divine worship prior to the command of David. Furthermore, its inclusion in the temple was an addition. However, it was an authorized addition, God commanded David by a prophet to do it. Consequently, Hezekiah included it in his restoration of the temple service as a matter which would be established by approved example.
     Now, granting that the Old Testament does not authorize anything relative to Christian worship (Colossians 2:14: Ephesians 2:15; 2 Corinthians 3:7-11; Hebrews 8:13; etc.), we do see how we may establish whether or not there is authority for instrumental music in Christian worship by the New Covenant.
     We can show from the New Testament nine references to music in worship which instruct us to sing (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; Acts 16:25: Romans 15:9: 1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 2:12; James 5:13). Unlike Hezekiah, we are unable to produce evidence of a command to play an instrument or an approved example from which we might infer instruments of music in Christian worship. Those who introduce instruments into the worship follow the example of David in 2 Samuel 6:1-9 and not the approved example under consideration in the text.
Conclusion
     The following comment from Adam Clarke is noteworthy on this point and summarizes this matter well. He writes:
     But were it evident, which it is not, either in this place or any other place in the sacred writings, that instruments of music were prescribed by Divine authority under the law, could this be adduced with any semblance of reason, that they ought to be used in Christian worship? No; the whole spirit, soul, and genius of the Christian religion are against this; and those who know the church of God best, and what constitutes its genuine spiritual state, know that these things have been introduced as a substitute for the life and power of religion; and where they prevail most, there is the least of the power of Christianity (The Instrumental Music Question, Foy E. Wallace, Jr., p. 62).
     (---in The Preceptor, May, 1988, used by permission; via Meditate on These Things, January 30, 2007.)
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“MY JESUS, AS THOU WILT”
By Wayne S. Walker
     This lovely hymn of submission and surrender to God’s will was written by Benjamin Schmolke (1672-1737).  Produced around 1704, it first appeared that year in his hymnbook Heilige Flammen der himmlisch gesinnten Seele.  Schmolke was a Lutheran minister at Schweidnitz, Germany.  Under the terms of the Peace of Westphalia, all of the churches in Schmolke's district were turned over to the Roman Catholics, and the Lutherans were subject to many restrictions.  The Lutheran churches all were closed except the one at Schweidnitz. It met outside the walls of the city in a small timber and clay structure. Lutherans in 36 villages had to come there for worship.  The hymn was translated into English by Jane Laurie Borthwick and first published in her 1854 book, Hymns from the Land of Luther.  The German title, “Mein Jesu, wie du willt,” translates fairly literally as “My Jesus, As Thou Wilt.”  However, many of our books have changed it to “My Savior, As Thou Wilt.”  I have no idea why, unless it is to avoid confusion with the hymn, “My Jesus, I Love Thee” by William Ralph Featherston. 

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SEARCH FOR TRUTH

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39)

     Published by Wayne S. Walker, 503 S. Jefferson St., Salem, IL  62881; phone, (618) 548-6286 home, (618) 292-2694 cell; e-mail, wswalker310@juno.com .
     Working and worshipping with the Elm Grove Church of Christ, 7576 River Rd., Iuka, IL  62849; phone (618) 323-6835.
     Services: Sunday Bible study at 9:45 a. m., worship at 10:45 a. m. and 6:00 p. m.; Wednesday—Bible study at 7:00 p. m.
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Volume II                                  January 24, 2010                                Number 26

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A BREATH
By Wayne S. Walker

     “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow” (Psalm 144:4).  How long does it take you to breathe?  Two or three seconds?  A little longer if you’re relaxed, and a little shorter if you just finished running the three minute mile!  David said that man is like a breath.  The parallel statement in the verse is “his days are like a passing shadow.”  Thus, David is talking about the relative length of our time on earth.  I just recently turned 56 years of age.  To my children, that seems incredibly old, but to me, it seems as if only yesterday I was their age.  As Laura Newell reminds us, “As the life of a flower, As a breath or a sigh, So the years glide away, And alas, we must die.”
     “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).  My father is 82 and seems to be doing well.  However, not everyone lives to be eighty, or even seventy.  My mother passed away around sixteen years ago at the age of 64.  Just this past week, the obituary column of my hometown newspaper contained the death notices of two people with whom I went to high school.  One was a couple of years older (we bought our house from his parents), and the other was three years younger (he was a freshman tuba player when I was the senior first chair tubist in band).
     “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).  A breath takes a few seconds.  A shadow passing by might be seen for a moment or two.  Steam from the tea kettle appears for just a little while and then disappears.  Life is like that.  The age of 56 seems like a long time—until you get there!  When compared to the history of earth, it is but a drop in the bucket.  When compared to eternity, it is even less.  “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.”
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THE OLD TESTAMENT AND CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
By Jeff Asher

     Then he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the King’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of the Lord by his prophets.
     The quotation above comes from 2 Chronicles 29:25. We have quoted it here to establish that God commanded the use of mechanical instruments of music in connection with the worship of the temple designed by David and built by Solomon. Furthermore, a study of the context reveals that the particular Levites of this passage were those stationed by Hezekiah in his work of restoring the service of the temple after the Jews had failed to properly worship the Lord. The restoration would not be complete until the instruments were properly used in the temple worship.
     This passage is important to a study of the relation of the Old Testament to Christian worship. The passage has been used by many in an attempt to bring mechanical instruments of music into Christian worship. However, the passage is actually as strong an argument against the instrument in Christian worship as can be made.
Instruments of Music In Worship Before and During Moses’ Law
     Instruments are introduced to us in Genesis 4:21. They were invented by Tubal, the son of the wicked Lamech. However, we do not read of their being connected with the worship of God. We do see that instruments were used frequently at festivals and celebrations not connected to worship (Genesis 31:27). Therefore, we conclude that instruments were not first invented for God’s praise, but for man’s pleasure.
     The first instance of any instrument used in worshiping God is that of Miriam and the women of Israel praising Jehovah upon crossing the Red Sea before the Tabernacle worship was instituted (Exodus 15:1, 20, 21). We observe that she did this as a prophetess but not in connection with burnt offerings.
     Moses commanded the use of instruments, two silver trumpets (Numbers 10:2-10). However, these trumpets were not used in praise with singing; rather, they were used to call the people to worship, announce the beginning of the month and the various feasts and order the movement of the camp. Their use parallels that of a bell call to assembly—not an organ in worship.
     When one considers the instructions pertaining to the construction of the tabernacle and the manufacture of the various articles associated with it, instruments are conspicuously absent (see: Exodus 25-40, Leviticus 1-9, 16, 23; Numbers 7-9, 28, 29). It is apparent that there were no instruments associated with the worship of the tabernacle.
By What Authority Did David Add Instruments To The Temple Worship?
     Since there were no instruments commanded in the tabernacle worship by Moses, and none are found in worship unto God prior to the command of David, it is obvious that he is the one who set them in the temple. Furthermore, their use there constitutes an alteration of and addition to the worship authorized by the law of Moses. Now, by what authority did David put them there? One of three possibilities exist. Some would argue that David placed the instruments in the temple as a matter of his own personal preference and without regard for the Law. Amos 6:5 is often cited as a condemnation of David’s putting instruments in the temple. However, Israel is being condemned for its pride and luxuriant lifestyle in the context - not David for his instruments in the temple. It is rather hard to imagine David behaving in that manner after the experience at Perezuzzah with the ark (2 Samuel 6:1-9; I Chronicles 15:1-15).
     Others suggest that the instruments were not additions but aids and were, therefore, expedients, i.e., a matter of liberty. To be consistent, those who reason thus cannot argue for the instrument in Christian worship on any ground but this. If a thing is a matter of liberty it cannot be specified. Therefore, there is no Old Testament commandment for the use of instruments in worship, but only a general command for praise with music, any kind of music. Yet, this is contradictory, because Hezekiah placed the instruments in the temple in accordance with David’s commandment. Those who argue David had general authority have him binding on the entire nation forever what would have been a matter of liberty which would constitute a violation of Moses’ Law (Deuteronomy 4:2).
     The only logical view of David’s actions is he moved according to the precise instructions of God which he received from the prophets Gad and Nathan (cf. I Chronicles 28:12, 13, 19). This does not create a dilemma which makes those who oppose instruments in Christian worship to God inconsistent. Numerous examples of a thing previously allowed under one dispensation, but forbidden under another can be produced. It is no more inconsistent to argue against the instrument in Christian worship on the ground it is no part of the New Testament, than to oppose the continuation of animal sacrifice, the Aaronic priesthood or the feast of Tabernacles for the same reason.
     (concluded next week)

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SEARCH FOR TRUTH

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39)

     Published by Wayne S. Walker, 503 S. Jefferson St., Salem, IL  62881; phone, (618) 548-6286 home, (618) 292-2694 cell; e-mail, wswalker310@juno.com .
     Working and worshipping with the Elm Grove Church of Christ, 7576 River Rd., Iuka, IL  62849; phone (618) 323-6835.
     Services: Sunday Bible study at 9:45 a. m., worship at 10:45 a. m. and 6:00 p. m.; Wednesday—Bible study at 7:00 p. m.
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Volume II; January 17, 2009; Number 25
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REVIVE ME
by Wayne S. Walker

     “Revive me, O LORD, for Your name’s sake!  For your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble” (Psalm 143:11).  The word “revive” comes from a Latin word made up of the prefix “re” meaning again, and the verb “vivo” meaning to make alive.  Hence, it means to “make alive again.”  Although we do not know the exact circumstances, David was in trouble, being persecuted by an enemy (v. 5), and felt as though he were almost dead.  Therefore, he asked the Lord to revive him.
     Through the years, I have heard brethren debate whether gospel meetings should be called “revivals” or not.  Some oppose the term because it is used by denominational churches to refer to extended religious services of a highly emotionalistic nature.  Others suggest that the phrase “gospel meeting” means nothing to the average person, whereas “revival” conveys the idea of extended religious services conducted by a local church, which is what a gospel meeting is.  One might also argue that gospel meetings can serve the purpose of “reviving” an interest in saving souls on the part of Christians and even “reviving” an interest in spiritual things on the part of those outside of Christ.
     One of our familiar gospel songs is entitled “Revive Us Again.”  I have heard objections to this hymn based on the claim that if we are asking God to “Revive us again,” it must means that we are already cold and dead, which is something that is not, or should not be, true of faithful Christians.  However, it is not necessary to think of the idea of being revived in this way.  All of us, as faithful as we may strive to be, find ourselves at times in situations where we are discouraged, downhearted, and even distraught.  At such times, our spirits need to be revived so that we may continue to press on.  It seems that if David asked God to revive him, we can ask the Lord to revive us when we need it.
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IS BAPTISM ESSENTIAL?
by Bill Moseley
 
     Those who are members of the Lord's church are so familiar with the above question that to ask it is to answer it. Yet we must understand that there are people who are unfamiliar with Bible teaching on the matter. Good people are being taught that one need not be baptized in order to be saved; that all one must do is to "receive Christ as my personal Savior," and that will be sufficient. But let us consider the question from a Biblical perspective.
     On the first Pentecost after Christ was raised from the dead (Acts 2), Peter preached the first recorded gospel sermon. After hearing that the Christ that they had crucified had been raised to a position of supreme authority by God, they then asked, "what must we do?" (Acts 2:37). Peter said, "repent and be baptized...for the remission of sins" (v. 38). Remission of sins was predicated upon whether or not those who heard that sermon were baptized. No baptism -- no remission of sins.
     In Acts 22 we find the apostle Paul recounting the circumstances of his conversion. Among other things in this interesting account, Ananias said to him, "arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins..." (v. 16). How were the sins of Saul washed away? The one sent by God said this was to be done in baptism. Never was Saul merely told to "just believe."
    Philip was directed by God to go into Samaria and preach Christ (Acts 8:5). Once they heard that preaching, "they were baptized, both men and women" (v. 12). Philip was then taken by the Spirit to meet a man in the desert; a man from Ethiopia who was returning from Jerusalem to his home (v. 28ff). Philip preached Christ to him, which was the same message he had preached to the Samaritans.  In v. 36 the Ethiopian man said, "see, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (v. 36). Once he expressed his faith in Christ, Philip then baptized him.
     Other instances of baptism are recorded in the book of Acts.  Cornelius and his house were baptized (Acts 10:47). Lydia, along with those in her company, heard the gospel and was baptized (Acts 16:15). The keeper of the prison in Philippi, upon hearing the testimony of Paul and Silas, was baptized along with his family ( 16:33).
     Peter said, "... the like figure (a figure of the water which saved Noah) whereunto even baptism doth also now save us..." (1 Pet. 3:21). Peter goes on to say that baptism is not for the cleansing of the body, but of the conscience; the inner man. He clearly tells us that baptism "saves us." Yet there are those who deny this.
     Finally, Paul spoke of being "buried" with Christ in baptism, and those who had done so had been baptized into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3-4). He said that "the doctrine" preached was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-3). Now he says to the Romans that they had obeyed a "form of doctrine" (6:17). They had not physically died as Christ had, but did something like that, and that was when they were buried with Christ in baptism. He then goes on to say that it was "then;" i.e., at the point of that obedience that they were made free from sin (6:18).
     Many are deceived into thinking that baptism is not essential to salvation; that it is something one does after they are saved to show that they are saved. The Bible teaches no such thing, but always places baptism prior to salvation.
     Baptism is not a "work of man" as some allege. Rather, it is a "work of faith" -- a matter of obeying what God has said. The shame is that otherwise good and honest people are lost because someone has told them that baptism is not essential. Have you been baptized for the remission of your sins? If not, at any phone number on the back of this paper you can find someone to help you do so. (---in Putting the Brethren in Remembrance, December, 1998.)
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     “TILL FROM MOUNT PISGAH’S LOFTY HEIGHT”:  The author of the hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer” was William Walford, but it is rather unclear exactly who he was.  Thomas Salmon, who first published the hymn, said that Walford was an old, blind woodcarver near Coleshill, England.  However, numerous searches have failed to locate information about any such individual.  Yet, there was a William Walford who headed an academy in Homerton, England, and wrote a book on prayer that has thoughts very similar to the hymn.  No one knows precisely who wrote the song.
     There are four stanzas to the hymn.  However, every hymnbook that I have seen, whether published by our brethren or otherwise, has only three—either stanzas 1, 2, and 3, or stanzas 1, 3, and 4.  The final stanza says, “Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, May I thy consolation share Till from Mt. Pisgah’s lofty height I view my home and take my flight.  This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise To seize the everlasting prize, And shout while passing through the air, ‘Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.’” 
     The symbolism is obvious.  Moses went up on Mt. Pisgah, where he saw the promised land and died (Deut. 34:1).  Someday, we too shall pass from this life.  Until then, we should want the consolation of the sweet hour of prayer.  But at that time, we shall say farewell to it because we shall be in the very presence of God Himself and no longer need to communicate with Him in prayer.  What a grand thought!

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SEARCH FOR TRUTH

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39)

     Published by Wayne S. Walker, 503 S. Jefferson St., Salem, IL  62881; phone, (618) 548-6286 home, (618) 292-2694 cell; e-mail, wswalker310@juno.com .
     Working and worshipping with the Elm Grove Church of Christ, 7576 River Rd., Iuka, IL  62849; phone (618) 323-6835.
     Services: Sunday Bible study at 9:45 a. m., worship at 10:45 a. m. and 6:00 p. m.; Wednesday—Bible study at 7:00 p. m.
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Volume II; January 10, 2009; Number 24
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GOD IS MY REFUGE AND MY PORTION
By Wayne S. Walker

     “I cried out to You, O LORD: I said, ‘You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:5).  Psalm 142 is identified as “A Contemplation of David.  A Prayer when he was in the cave.”  There were several times while David was being hunted by Saul that he had to hide out in caves (1 Samuel 22:1, 24:3-10).  Most scholars seem to think that Psalm 142 was written on the occasion of 1 Samuel 22.  Imagine David’s situation.  He had lived a fairly well to do life as a shepherd in the house of his father Jesse.  He had served as Saul’s harp player and armor bearer.  He had even defeated the Philistine giant Goliath and became son-in-law of the king.  In fact, he had been anointed to become the next king of Israel.  Yet, because of Saul’s jealousy, here he was, running for his life.
     These incidents taught David two things.  First, God was his refuge.  More than once, people whom David thought would protect him ended up planning to turn him over to Saul, either to gain a reward or to escape punishment.  David realized that he could not always trust in men, but he could always trust in God.  Sometimes during the trials and tribulations of life we may find ourselves in circumstances where those whom we expect to help us turn out to fail us.  But God will never fail us.  “In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:7-8).
     David also learned that God was his portion.  We use the word “portion” to mean a part of something, but since the portion of a father’s inheritance received by each son was his share, in the scriptures the term is often used simply to refer to one’s share or allotment in life.  While fleeing from Saul, David seemed to have no portion or share of what was rightfully his.  He was cut off from his family.  He was being denied his destiny.  We often find ourselves in this life with less of a portion or share of things that others have and that we might think we should have.  But God will take care of and provide for us as best suits our needs.  “O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot” (Psalm 16:5).  Thus, if I trust Him, God will be my refuge and my portion.
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WHEN SIN BECOMES TRIVIAL
by Bobby L. Graham
 
     People sometimes indulge themselves in wickedness to the point that it no longer seems wicked. The danger of sin is that it can easily deceive us and eventually lull us to sleep so that our former awareness of God's will and sin's violation of that will becomes foreign soil to us.
     Daily exhortation is the Lord's means appointed to prevent the process of hardening exerted by sin's deceitfulness (Heb. 3:13): "...lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."  The Lord said that the heart becomes hardened, calloused, by sin because of its deceitful quality. There is something about sin -- any sin -- all sin -- that is deceptive. While we seem to be faring well and enjoying ourselves, basking in the adulation and esteem of others, sin is hardening our hearts. It is through this process that sin becomes trivial, a light thing to us.
     In 1 Kings 16, near the end of the chapter, we have an example of sin becoming trivial in the day of King Ahab. Ahab served as king in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, in that long line of wicked kings after Jeroboam. Not one of his predecessors had deviated from the ways of evil launched into by Jeroboam. For years these kings had practiced evil instead of righteousness in leading the people of the nation. Is it any wonder that Ahab did wickedness "more than all who were before him" (v. 30)? Sin had become the usual way of life for all of the leaders of the nation. Verse thirty-one says that he took as wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and that he went to serve and worship Baal in a temple that he had built in Samaria. The Lord's explanation as to how such departure from God could take place is found in the same verse: "as though it had become a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat." Sin had become trivial to him.
     Remember that a calloused attitude develops slowly, so that the person is hardened in his feelings, insensitive in his response to those influences designed by God to prick and goad him to do right.
     The warnings of God mean increasingly little to him as the hardening process proceeds. When sin becomes trivial to one, it usually spreads contagiously so that it is then trivialized by many; in fact, the trivializing of sin becomes almost institutionalized.
     I hope this thought scares us to avoid sin. It is not the harmless plaything that we sometimes think it to be. It can paralyze us spiritually and damn us eternally!
     When our attitude toward the vulgar and irreverent speech so common in our world declines so that we begin viewing it as not so bad after all, we need to wake up. When we start thinking that one's clothing has little to do with his godliness, so that we start experimenting with styles and garments bordering on
indecency, we need to wake up. When we start thinking that our children's popularity and acceptance are more important than the positive influence for good that they should exert, then we need to wake up. When we allow the ungodliness and abounding iniquity in the world to dampen our zeal to save the lost and to set examples for good, we need to wake up. When we permit the loose thinking in the world and in the church to drift into our attitude and practice, no longer striving to hold fast to the pattern of sound words set forth in the Scriptures, then we need to wake up. Sin is becoming trivial to us, and the sad thing is that we don't even realize it.
     "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent; the day is at hand.  Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in
revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Rom. 13:11-14).
     ---Reprinted in Market Street Church of Christ Bulletin, Athens, AL; from Guardian of Truth, March 6, 1997, Vol. XLI, No. 5, p. 23.
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     “THINE OWN APPOINTED WAY”:   I grew up singing “Lord, We Come Before Thee Now,” and missed it when I worked with churches using Sacred Selections.  There are actually six stanzas, but most of our books had only four.  Newer books which are quick to cut stanzas to shorten songs often omit the third of these.  “In Thine own appointed way, Now we seek Thee, here we stay; Lord, we know not how to go Till a blessing Thou bestow.”  I have heard an objection to this stanza that we do know how to go because God has revealed the way in His word, so it is claimed that the stanza must be teaching that we cannot understand the word and need the direct operation of the Holy Spirit.  However, it says no such thing.  All it is telling us is that by human wisdom we know not how to go (Jeremiah 10:23).  Therefore, we need God to bestow a blessing upon us for our guidance, which, as we know from other scriptures, is His word (Psalm 119:105).  This is how we seek Him in His “own appointed way.”

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SEARCH FOR TRUTH

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39)

     Published by Wayne S. Walker, 503 S. Jefferson St., Salem, IL  62881; phone, (618) 548-6286 home, (618) 292-2694 cell; e-mail, wswalker310@juno.com .
     Working and worshipping with the Elm Grove Church of Christ, 7576 River Rd., Iuka, IL  62849; phone (618) 323-6835.
     Services: Sunday Bible study at 9:45 a. m., worship at 10:45 a. m. and 6:00 p. m.; Wednesday—Bible study at 7:00 p. m.
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Volume II; January 3, 2009; Number 23
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A WATCH ON THE DOOR OF THE LIPS
by Wayne S. Walker

     “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).  Who doesn’t have some kind of problem with the tongue?  “For we all stumble in many things.  If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2).  To help me with this problem, Psalm 141:3 was one of those verses that I had circled and underlined in the Bible that I used when I was in my teenage and college years.  There are so many ways that we can sin with the tongue so that we need the Lord to set a guard over our mouths.
     In a world where the vast majority seem to think nothing of using cursing and profanity so that we hear it nearly every day, it is very easy to let this kind of language slip from our tongues.  The phrase “O my God” is so ubiquitous that it even has its own keypad shorthand (OMG) and can be heard even on “family” television shows.  God told Israel, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain…” (Exodus 20:7), and there is nothing in the Bible to indicate that He has changed His mind.  As I read and review children’s literature, I am amazed, and disgusted, at how many children’s authors feel that they must include the words “damn” and “hell” as interjections to make their books sound “realistic.”  All it does is sound crude.  “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).
     Even if we refrain from blasphemous language to God, there is also the danger of speaking evil to others.  “But no man can tame the tongue.  It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.  Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:8-10).  Yes, we should always speak the truth, but that should never be used as an excuse to speak in a rude, mean, or ugly way to anyone.  “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:6).  Yes, O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips!
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“OH, MY GOD!”
by Mike Thomas
 
     I am amazed at those in our society who are quick to remove God’s name from everything except defamatory language. God’s name is not welcomed in our public schools or court houses, but very few are upset when His name is associated with cursing or angry outbursts. “G-D” is a common phrase when someone is upset, and “Oh my God” is a typical response to surprise. (HGTV should be renamed OMGTV because of the many people saying, “Oh, my God”.)  It is also common to hear “My Gosh” and “Gee” from people. Since these are euphemisms for the Lord’s name, they are all in the same category of taking the Lord’s name in vain.
     One of the Ten Commandments God gave the Jews was to have respect for His name. “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain” (Ex. 20:7). If you and I were to list the top 10 things we expect of people in living a righteous life, I doubt any of us would include a caution about how we use the Lord’s name. It’s not as offensive to us as the other things in the Ten Commandments: lying, murder, adultery, and so on. But to God, it is just as wicked to use His name as a common word as it is to murder someone. Both are acts of irreverence and disregard. Even though we are no longer under the Law of Moses, we are to be just as careful and respectful when referring to God (I Tim. 1:20).
     If I got mad and cursed your mother’s name, would you be upset? If I used your name in association with evil, would it bother you? “Oh my God” is no different to God. It is taking His name in vain by using it in a common and disrespectful manner. Our Creator deserves a better response from us. Correction.  Our Creator demands a better response from us!
     ---taken from Walking in the Light; November 15, 2009; San Juan Church of Christ. 1414 Hawk Parkway, Unit C, Montrose, CO  81401; (970) 626-5558; www.sanjuanchurchofchrist.org .  Evangelist/Editor: Richard Thetford; Home: (970) 626-5558; E-Mail: richard@thetfordcountry.com .
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THOSE WHO TRULY BELIEVE
by Wayne S. Walker

     The hymn "To God Be The Glory" was written by Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915). The tune was composed by her frequent collaborator, William Howard Doane (1832-1915). The song was first published in the 1875 collection Brightest and Best compiled by Doane and Robert Lowry (1826-1899). Included in that collection were several other famous Crosby songs which were also used in many of the six volumes of Gospel Hymns by Ira D. Sankey. As a result they became extremely popular in this country. "To God Be the Glory" was not included in any of the Gospel Hymns series and was almost totally unknown in America until recently. However, Sankey did include it in his Sacred Songs and Solos which was published in England and is still in use there today.
     In 1952 Cliff Barrows was in England.  Frank Colquhoun suggested that the song be included in a London Crusade Song Book. Upon returning to the United States, Barrows searched through some old song books and found that it had been used several years ago but had been omitted in more recent books. He began using it around 1954, and it has become popular since then.  William J. Reynolds noted, "An examination of Fanny J. Crosby's text reveals an expression of objectivity not usually found in gospel hymnody. Here is a straight-forward voicing of praise to God, not simply personal testimony nor sharing some subjective aspect of Christian experience" (Hymns of Our Faith, p. 217).
     Stanza 2 reads "O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes That moment from Jesus a pardon receives."  One could sing this with the understanding that the phrase "truly believes" includes our obedience to the gospel of Christ.  However, to many it may sound like "salvation at the moment of faith only," so most books used among churches of Christ alter it. Alton Howard in Songs of the Church changed it to "The vilest offenderS who truly obey That moment may enter the heavenly way."  The Supplement to Great Songs of the Church No. 2 had, "The vilest offender who truly believes Will surely from Jesus a pardon receive.”  Ellis J. Crum in Special Sacred Selections made it read, "The vilest offender who truly believes, When buried with Jesus, a pardon receives."  In Majestic Praise, D. Norman Henderson changed it to, "The vilest offender who truly believes, In faithful obedience, a pardon receives." Praise for the Lord, edited in 1990 by John P. Wiegand, avoids the problem by just omitting stanza 2!  If I felt that it were necessary to make a change here, I would have it simply read, "The vilest offender who truly believes, Obedient, from Jesus a pardon receives."

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SEARCH FOR TRUTH

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39)

     Published by Wayne S. Walker, 503 S. Jefferson St., Salem, IL  62881; phone, (618) 548-6286 home, (618) 292-2694 cell; e-mail, wswalker310@juno.com .
     Working and worshipping with the Elm Grove Church of Christ, 7576 River Rd., Iuka, IL  62849; phone (618) 323-6835.
     Services: Sunday Bible study at 9:45 a. m., worship at 10:45 a. m. and 6:00 p. m.; Wednesday—Bible study at 7:00 p. m.
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Volume II; December 20, 2009; Number 20
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PRECIOUS THOUGHTS
by Wayne S. Walker

     “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:17).  The 139th Psalm is a song of praise to God by David for the Lord’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence.  David understands that God is omniscient or all knowing, because he says, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me.  You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off” (vs. 1-2).  God knows everything about us.  Of course, He knows when we sin, even if it is in secret and no one else sees it.  But He also knows when we do good to others and go unrewarded or when we suffer for His name’s sake without being noticed by anyone else.  Yes, He knows what is in our hearts.  “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it” (v. 6).
     God is omniscient because He is omnipresent or all present.  David asks, “Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your presence?”  Then he answers, “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there” (vs. 7-8).  God is a person—a spiritual one, to be sure, but nonetheless a person, and His person dwells in heaven.  Jesus taught us to pray to “Our Father in heaven.”  But precisely because He is a spiritual person, not a physical or corporeal one, His spirit or presence exists everywhere on earth and even in the entire universe.  There is simply no place where we can hide or be hidden from God.  “Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You” (v. 12).
     And God is omnipotent or all powerful.  The almighty power of God was demonstrated in creation, and in particular the creation of mankind.  David told God, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well” (vs. 13-14).  What is so interesting is that the very atheists and unbelievers who in our time are so insistent that there is no such thing as God and strive to turn people away from accepting Him are themselves evidence that just as the existence of a watch implies the existence of a watch maker, so their own existence implies the existence of a Creator.  “Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them” (v. 16).  These thoughts are truly precious and great!
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SINGING PRAISES TO GOD
by Richard Thetford

     Most Christians would be quick to agree that we are not suppose to use mechanical instruments of music in our assembled worship service to God, but some have no trouble using mechanical instruments to accompany songs of praise to God in other settings or surroundings. We need to ask ourselves the question "is this acceptable to God?"
     Let us first consider some scriptures that deal with singing unto God. In Ephesians 5:19-20 we read "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The apostle Paul addresses the Colossian brethren and says “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:16-17). In both cases Paul emphasizes that we should always give thanks to God and one way we do this is through song. We read in Acts 16:25 where "Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them". Also read Mark 14:26; 1 Corinthians 14:15; James 5:13. Do any of these scriptures mention singing and making melody to God ONLY in an assembly?
     We need to ask ourselves "when do we worship God?" Aren't we to worship Him each day of our lives? Do we pray only in an assembly? If not, do we add anything mechanical to our prayers to God? Do we sing only in an assembly? If not, do we add anything mechanical to our singing when praising Him in song? You see, we need to be careful about what we are doing during our daily worship to God. We must strive to ensure that ALL we do is done to God's glory - not man's (1 Corinthians 13:31). We need to remember that when we worship God — anytime we worship God — we "must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). The truth is, He never authorized any mechanical instruments to be used in singing praises to Him. Those that do so are going beyond the word of God and transgressing His law (2 John 9).
     It is so easy at times to get caught up with songs that may be on the radio or on other recordings that are psalms, hymns, or spiritual songs and be moved to sing along with them because we know the words, yet they are recorded with mechanical instruments, something that God has not authorized and not pleased with. It is man that has gone beyond the authority of God's word and added these instruments to songs of praise. During the holiday season many recordings of spiritual songs are set to music and they sound good to our ears - but they are not authorized by God. Therefore we should be careful not to sing along with these songs since it is a spiritual song accompanied with mechanical instruments and again, this is not authorized by God.
     Many years ago mechanical instruments were not a problem among the children of God. But in the year 670 Pope Vitalian is thought to have first introduced organs into some of the churches of Western Europe. The earliest trustworthy account comes in 775 when the Greek emperor Constantine sent Pepin, king of the Franks an organ as a gift for the worship service. It is important for us to see that mechanical instruments did not originate from God as we study the New Testament but rather from man! Man has no authority to make laws for the Lord or legislate how men shall worship God. We must praise God with our own lips. Our body (the temple) houses everything we need to worship God in "Spirit and in Truth". As we worship God by singing praises unto Him, let us do so as only He has authorized!
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     “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12)

...it is a duty, because the salvation of the soul will not take care of itself without
an effort on our part. There is no more reason to suppose this than that health
and life will take care of themselves without our own exertion. And yet many live
as if they supposed that somehow all would yet be well; that the matter of
salvation need not give them any concern, for that things will so arrange
themselves that they will be saved. Why should they suppose this anymore in
regard to religion than in regard to anything else? (Albert Barnes, 19th century
Presbyterian scholar, comment on Philippians 2:12 in Notes on the Bible, from e-Sword).

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SEARCH FOR TRUTH

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39)

     Published by Wayne S. Walker, 503 S. Jefferson St., Salem, IL  62881; phone, (618) 548-6286 home, (618) 292-2694 cell; e-mail, wswalker310@juno.com .

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Volume II; December 13, 2009; Number 19
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Continued from last week

DOES A CONGREGATION HAVE AUTHORITY FOR A MIDWEEK SERVICE?
By Wayne S. Walker

     We must also understand the nature of authority.  Some authority is specific and some is generic.  For example, if I simply tell my son to go down to the store and buy a loaf of bread, that does not authorize him to buy candy.  However whether he gets Wonder White Bread or Home Pride Whole Wheat Bread or even Hearth Farms Potato Bread, he has done just what I told him to do—buy a loaf of bread.  On the other hand, if I specify the kind of bread, then he is authorized to purchase that specific kind and no other.  God told Noah to “make yourself an ark of gopher wood” (Genesis 6:14).  As to kind of wood, God was specific; making an ark of gopher wood did not authorize the use of pine, oak, or any other kind.  However, the command to build is generic.  God did not specify how to make it.  Even though God did not specifically say that Noah could use a hammer, a saw, or whatever, the generic command to make an ark necessarily included any tools required to do so.

     It is fairly easy to see how these principles apply to various activities in the work and worship of the church.  Jesus told His followers to preach the gospel to every creature (Mk. 16:15).  He was specific as to what—the gospel.  That does not include worldly wisdom, human doctrines, or man-made creeds.  Hence they are unauthorized and unscriptural.  If one preaches those things, he is not preaching the gospel.  However, “preach” is fairly generic as to how.  Whether one simply speaks, or uses a blackboard, or a chart on a bed sheet, or an overhead projector, or a Power Point presentation, or a radio, or a television, he is still doing just what Christ said—preaching the gospel.  God did not have to say anything about any of these means and methods for them to be authorized.  The fact that he told us to preach includes any means and methods that are needed or helpful in accomplishing the purpose.

     We are commanded to sing in worship (1 Cor. 14:15, Eph. 5:19).  Sing itself is a specific kind of music, and playing on an instrument or even accompanying with an instrument is not included.  With the addition of instrumental music, one ceases merely to sing.  Also the “what” to sing is specified—psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (cf. Col. 3:16).  This eliminates folk, pop, rock, and in fact any other kind of songs.  However, the “how” to sing is not specified.  It is generic.  Now, God never said anything about song books, but we have to have some way to obtain the words to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.  We could memorize them, or have them read them to us by someone, or use song books.  If we choose to use a song book, we are not adding anything to the worship.  We are still doing just what God told us to do—singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.  God did not have to say anything specific about song books.  They are simply an expedient in carrying out God’s commands. 

     It is clear that God wants His people to assemble, because they are told “not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together” (Heb. 10:25).  The purpose for the assembling as a church is specified in other passages—worship (John 4:24) and edification (1 Cor. 14:26).  Thus, for the church to assemble for eating a common meal, recreation, or entertainment is not authorized.  However, while the church must have a place to assemble, the “where” to assemble is not specified.  It is generic.  Whether a church borrows, or rents, or purchases, or builds a place to assemble, if it is coming together for worship and edification, it is simply doing what God said.  For a church to own a building is not an addition to God’s word; it is merely an expedient in carrying out what God authorizes.   God did not have to say anything about a building.  The church must have a place to meet, so it is included in the command to assemble and any reasonable place to meet is merely an expedient.

     This brings us to the question of midweek services.  As we have seen, by example and necessary inference, God has authorized the local church to meet on the first day of every week.  However, does this mean that the church is authorized to meet ONLY on the first day of the week?  It would IF it met the text of universality, but it does not.  In other words, is every example in scripture of a church’s assembling only on the first day of the week?  The answer is no.  In Acts 2:46 we are told of the church in Jerusalem that it was “continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house.”  I understand this to make a distinction between what they did as a church, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and what they did as individuals, breaking bread from house to house.

     Thus, the church in Jerusalem, at least for a time, continued “daily” with one accord in the temple, the place where it appears that they assembled for worship and learning the apostles’ doctrine (cf. v. 42).  The question might be raised, does this “example” mean that the local church must meet daily?  Again, if it met the test of universality, it might, but it does not.  There is no indication that it was a universal practice of churches in the first century to meet daily.  In Acts 14:27, we read of Paul and Barnabas in their return to Antioch from their first preaching trip that “when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them.”  This implies that the church was not assembled on the day when they came back.  If the church in Antioch were assembling daily, there would be no need to “gather the church together” because it would already be assembling every day.

     What this does mean is that if a congregation decided to meet every day, it would be generally authorized, and in fact there are times such as during gospel meetings when a church will do this.  Now, if it is generally authorized for a church to meet every day in the week, it is just as generally authorized for a church to pick one day out of the week (in addition to the specified first day of the week) to assemble.  One function of the church is “the edifying of the body of Christ” or “the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:12, 16).  The when and how of this edifying are not specified.  As we have seen, the book of Acts shows that the edifying done in the early church was not limited to the first day of the week.  Therefore, God did not have to say anything specific about midweek (or Sunday evening) services.  When a church meets for a midweek service, it is not violating any principle of scripture but is simply doing precisely what the New Testament authorizes it to do as it seeks to accomplish “the edifying of the body of Christ.”

     Finally, is it necessary for the members of the local church to attend such midweek services?  Of course, we recognize that there are times when situations beyond a person’s control, such as sickness, or the fulfillment of other God-given responsibilities, such as providing for one’s family, might make it necessary for one to miss an occasional service.  But we are asking about when a person is able and chooses not to attend.  Is that wrong?  Someone might answer no because such services are not commanded.  It is true that they are not commanded, and I have known of faithful churches which, for various reasons, chose not to conduct midweek services.  That is their right.  However, when a local church does agree to conduct midweek services for the edification of members, there is a responsibility for those who are members of that congregation to support its work to the very best of their ability.

     The local church is not just a club or civic organization, though even these groups often have rules that if you miss so many meetings you cannot be a member.  The local church is a spiritual relationship.  The fact that “we are members of one another” (Eph. 4:25) places various obligations upon us.  After Saul had “tried to join the disciples” in Jerusalem and been accepted, “he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out” (Acts 9:25-28).  If I am a member of a local church, it means that in my relationship to the other members I am to be “with them.”  How can I do this when I habitually absent myself from those times when they choose to meet together?  Thus, we conclude that it is generally authorized by the scriptures for churches to conduct midweek assemblies, and that if at all possible the members of that congregation need to be present.