Is our church music and singing still biblical and spiritual?

It looks as if the “quality of the performance” of musicians and the worship group in church became more important than anything else in many congregations. 

To me the most worshipful experience still is where you can only see the words to be sung on a screen, (the worship group and band, or organist or pianist, not central, perhaps even behind the congregation). I find it much easier to focus on God, than in those congregations where the musician or the band and singers is the central focus point of the service (taking up a central position liturgically speaking that exceeds the Lord’s Table, the pulpit and the baptismal font in importance.)

Where the worship groups are less prominent, and liturgical symbolism remains in place, you are not distracted by what the members of the team are wearing, how they play the instruments and how they express their own worship through their body language. Where you see less of the performance of the worship leaders, it is easier to see more of Christ.

Our heart's desire must be to lead God’s people to truly worship the Lord with the expectation that as we do this, as we engage in the search for authenticity in worship, we will also become more motivated to surrender our lives to the Lord.

To worship while you engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth (reinforcing biblical teaching through lyrics); to worship out of our very being, our true selves, in adoration (focussing on God, rather on an entertaining performance of the worship group), we should seek God’s presence, also when we sing, through the Word and the Spirit, rather than through the emphasis on style, fashionable trends and performance.

Here are some guidelines to consider:

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, express love for the Father in Jesus Christ;

Pray to be delivered from the distraction of “how well we perform musically” as first priority;

Seek to be humble and sincere in desiring to come into the presence of God and first of all express humility through the choice of music and style;

Test each song in terms of its content with the question: “Is the teaching biblical and Christ centred;

Do not be distracted from the main purpose to worship God by passion for my own preferred music  style, beat, sound, instruments or hymn book;

Mainly try to understand how through practice, style and choice of hymns and songs, we can remain authentic and inspire adoration, and only as an afterthought ask how we can produce the best possible music too.

Pray that God will bless our musicians and those who lead our worshipful singing with a desire for his anointing and to be inspired with true adoration of God in Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Creation groans - and so do us!

In Romans 8: 18 – 27 we learn about three different groans that are characteristic of the current age in which we live. We read that the creation groans to be delivered, that we, Christians, groan too as a result of living in this imperfect world with its pains and death. But then we also hear that the Holy Spirit groans for our sake, in compassion with us, before God.

Rom 8: 18 – 22 tell about the groaning creation.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

All three groans we read about in Romans 8 remind us that we are not home with God, yet!   While we wait for the glory of the new world to come, we are aware of the suffering of creation as a result of a greedy, selfish human race with too little love and respect for the works of the hand of our Creator.

It is as if Creation is sighing and crying before its Maker, to be delivered from man’s heavy hand and selfishness. Creation waits for God’s children to be revealed as caring, respectful and responsible representatives of the Creator, to speak for it and resist its destruction in word and deed.

While our world and all of creation groan and sigh, there is still great beauty left in this world. Call to mind the many wonders of plant and animal life and all the scenic views that take our breath away.

Now, try to imagine how glorious that same sight will be when the curse and consequence of sin is forever removed from our world! Jesus died on the cross for the redemption of sinners and he also redeemed this sin cursed world. On the Day of the Lord the shackles will fall off and all creation will rejoice! One day, we will not only inherit a new heaven, but also a new, delivered and perfect earth!

If we believe this we will, as God’s children, serve, protect and save as many wonders of God’s creation as we can. We will be passionate about God’s great work of art. And as we endeavor to leave the smallest possible footprint of our sinful existence - we will testify that what God will do on the Day of the Lord, will exceed our greatest expectations. We will then also be delivered from our groans as a result of sin, suffering, illness, sadness and death and live in wonderful harmony with everything God has made.

What a perfect and complete salvation we receive! What a glorious inheritance!

What a magnificent Saviour we serve!

The power of the Word of God

The prophet Elijah knew the power of the word that counted – the Word of God. 

Elijah appeared in Israel one day with a message from the Lord for king Ahab and the people of Israel:

(1 Kings 17) "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." 

The power of this Word was clear from the destruction it caused. The Word of the Lord spoken by Elijah in the presence of the king made the crops in the field to die, dried out the earth and caused the streams and springs of Israel to go dry. Poverty and hunger threatened the nation.   Even creation suffered under the drought caused by the Word.  

Israel experienced the power of God's Word, a Word spoken by a prophet of God.  That Word could not be removed from Israel's life. It was more powerful than the words of the king and certainly also more powerful than the prayers of the priests of the false god, Baal.

The dominion of the Word of the Lord had to be impressed upon the minds of God’s people.   God used the drought to show the power of the Word spoken through the servant of his Word, the prophet Elijah.

By announcing the judgment in advance, God showed both the power and the truth of his Word.  As long as the drought continued and the life giving dew did not fall on the land, it reminded the people of the power of the Word of God.

God's Word is powerful.  It shuts the heavens. And at God’s time, it grants life giving rain and dew, through its power, again.  

The drought came because Israel ignored God's Word.  The Word that has the power to redeem, forgive and give life back to the land again, also is the Word of God.

God's Word is a powerful Word. It cannot be resisted.   It must be listened to and it must be obeyed. 

We live in the age when the Word has become flesh, in Jesus Christ, our Lord.  He is the one Word that must be listened to by all who seek life – even eternal life.

If we reject this Word, the Son of God, who came to call us to repentance and to life, it leads to eternal condemnation.

If we listen, obey, love and follow this Word of God, Christ Jesus his Son, his Word has the power to save, to forgive and to bless.  

The Word continues to triumph in our lives and our nations.  The Word cannot be destroyed.  It calls all people to repentance, faith, and obedience.    Let us be guided, moulded, and directed by the Word of God – a Word that has power, a Word that triumphs, a Word that cannot be resisted, a Word that destroys those who reject Christ Jesus and gives life to all who listen and obey. 

You do not have to fall away! The grace of God will preserve you!

You do not have to fall away! 

God's grace of preserving the believers becomes visible in and through the perseverance (continued determination?) of the faithful.  The perseverance of the believers is also called the preservation of the believers.

What is a true Christian? They are those who were called by God, have fellowship / a relationship with Christ, are renewed by the Spirit, and are set free from the reign of sin.

But why does a Christian then needs preservation? Here is an insightful truth that you should not miss:

In this life the believers are not entirely set free from the burden of sin.   We are not perfect yet. We sometimes / often - still do sinful, stupid things!

It is about this struggle that Paul speaks in Romans 7. (Read the chapter!) Paul tells us from the heart about his own difficulties with sin - as a Christian. You have heard these words before:

(Rom 7:15,19) I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (19) For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

It was the custom of ancient conquerors to prevent the escape of their prisoners by tying a dead body to their backs. With such gruesome burdens, these poor captives could not run away. Imagine that: carrying around a dead body, a body of death. 

Paul compares his struggle with sin as a Christian with carrying around a body of death: "Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Paul knows the answer: "Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom 7:25).

Believers can be deeply divided persons. Genuine faith and genuine sinful weakness can live side-by-side in us.  It explains why even prominent church members sometimes embarrass themselves, the church and most of all, their Lord!

Christians need the preserving grace of God in their hearts and lives, because in their own strength they would fall away from salvation. The body of death we carry will certainly become too much for us to bear! But God preserves his children. They are not perfect yet. This is why God needs to preserve them in the faith and in salvation or all will be lost and none would be saved. But, by the grace of God we are preserved, therefore we can persevere, in spite of even shameful things that happened!

Can you not carry the body of death anymore?

You are a believer, right? Well, having faith is good. It helps. But it’s not enough.

You need God’s Word and God’s mercy and grace. Someone must help you! And there is help available, thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom 7:25).

Never neglect your relationship with God! Never put Christ on the back-burner!  Never think – I will pray again tomorrow or go to church next week...

You and I desperately need the preserving grace of God.

We need Jesus to help us.  And only Jesus can!

Are we conquering the world for Christ, or are we conquered by ungodly society?

Elijah means "My God is Yahweh" meaning “I serve the LORD, the God of Israel”

In chapters 16 and 17 of the Book of 1 Kings we see the universal scope of the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, the kingdom of God and Christ and the dominion of wickedness. We see this already by looking at what the names of the main human characters in the story stand for throughout Scripture.   

In the Bible the name "Jezebel” is a symbol for what is evil, wicked, and opposed to God. The name "Jezebel" is reserved for those who try to destroy the church and the people of God through idolatry and godless living.

The name "Elijah," by contrast, is a symbol for those who wholeheartedly serve and worship the Lord.   The name "Elijah" means "My God is Yahweh."

Before the reign of King Ahab, Israel was already turning away from their LORD.  But Ahab and Jezebel made matters much worse.  Ahab's reign led Israel to worship Baal and abandon God, the LORD, the God of Israel, of Moses, of David, Solomon and all the other godly leaders of God’s people.

Israel's being radically different than the other nations who did not serve the LORD came to an end under Ahab.  His reign erased the boundaries which the Lord Himself established between his people and the pagan world.

God's election of Israel as heirs of his kingdom made Israel different. To prove this difference Israel was given the Old Testament sacrament of circumcision as the mark of God’s covenant with them. They were given the Ten Commandments as the law of this relationship with God. They were given the Sabbath to create a rhythm of work, rest and worship which no other nation knew or celebrated. These, and everything that was their way of life, clearly and visibly established Israel as being God's holy people: the people he loved, cared for, protected, defended and blessed.

King Ahab's sin of replacing the LORD with idols as Israel’s state religion finally broke down the wall of separation between Israel and the nations.  The walls were broken down because the world entered and conquered Israel with its wicked ways. As a consequence, Israel was no longer as a nation God's people that are radically different from the pagan world.

Like Israel, the church is called to be God's holy and different people. In baptism we have received the mark of God and in Christ and are called to be radically unlike unbelieving society.

But are we? Are the walls between the Church and non-Christian society broken down because we triumphantly enter the world with the message of the Gospel of Christ? Or, are they broken down because the world has entered the church and conquered us with its evil ways?

Are we conquering the world or is the world conquering us, when Christians make a habit of living in no different way than the unbelieving world? Are we conquering the world for Christ, or is the world conquering the Church?

As Christians we believe that Sunday is to be a day set aside, a day of worship. It is a sign of being part of the faith community rooted in the resurrection of Jesus our Lord. But these days any excuse is good enough to, like the world, claim the day of the Lord for our own plans, agenda’s and pleasure. 

Are we conquering the world or is the world conquering us?

Do our marriages, our families, the way we run our finances, the way we work and play and live still show clearly that we are of the Household of God, and of the people of the Lord, or do we look exactly the same as everyone else?

Are we of the Kingdom of Ahab, or of the Kingdom of the Messiah of the God of Israel, even Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Are the walls between us and the world broken down because we triumphantly enter the world with the message of the Gospel of Christ? Or, are they broken down because the world has entered us, trying to conquer the Church with its evil, ungodly ways?

The dangers of being ungrateful.

The dangers of being ungrateful.

Paul and Barnabas were preaching the Good News of Christ in the city of Lystra. In their audience was "a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked" (Acts 14: 8). Paul was used by our Lord to heal this man.

The crowds were excited and surprised by this miracle. They proclaimed Paul and Barnabas to be the Greek gods Hermes and Zeus – for who but the gods could do such a wondrous thing as heal a man lame since birth, they thought!

How many times do we, like the people of Lystra, thank the wrong person? We do that every time we give any man, including ourselves, credit instead of thanking God for his blessings.

Paul then states that the healing of the lame man points to the only living God. He tells the crowd that the healing of the lame man is only one testimony among many to the one and only true God. The healing of the lame man, just as the making of the vast Creation (Act 14:15) – as well as the revelation of Jesus Christ, point to God only. When the people of Lystra heard the Gospel and saw the healing of the lame man and saw God’s works in the vast Creation, they should have "turned to the living God" with gratefulness and in faith. (vs 15 - 18).

God is good. He does only good. We never have to fear that God will forget to provide in the smallest detail of our lives. What we must fear is that our pride and selfishness might get in God’s way. What we must fear is that we do not give ourselves back to God in gratefulness and love, when we see his mercies and wonders.

The result of this always is ungrateful thanklessness and not giving glory and sacrificial love to the Lord who provides, leading to turning away from the only God who provides. 

And leading to missing out on God’s abundant provision. 

Do not be afraid, says the Lord!

1 Kings 17:  13  -  “Do not be afraid."

So more than one angel in Scripture said when they encountered people, because the presence of an angel must be a terrifying experience for mere humans like us.

“Do not be afraid.” So also said Elijah, a messenger of God, well known for his doom announcements. Indeed, Elijah’s message to the sinful leaders of Israel was usually the opposite of what he said that day to a poor widow. He was known to say to these leaders: “Be afraid! Be very afraid!”  Ahab the King, in the next chapter, did not call him, “you troubler of Israel” for nothing.

So it is surprising that when Elijah said, “Do not be afraid,”  it was not to the Israelites  suffering from a drought that he prophesied, but to an unnamed widow of Zarephath who was not from the people of God!

Easy for you to say, she might have thought. You are not the one preparing to cook one last meal for yourself and your son before you die. You are not the one who has watched your beloved little boy slowly grow thinner.  Drought and famine have no mercy.

The widow of Zarephath spoke of the fear that is the result of scarcity.  Yet the prophet of God spoke of abundance.   And he did this because he took the Word of God seriously -

“Do not be afraid … For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth” (17:13, 14).

Elijah spoke a word of promise, a word of abundance, because God promised that abundance to him, to the widow and to her little boy:  “There is enough, more than enough.”

The word of God freed the widow from her fear and enabled her to step out in faith, trusting the God of Israel who sent his Word to her.

Out of faith the widow submitted. And God did not let her down. She was miraculously fed. Every day the widow saw the power of God at work in her home.  The miracle was a sign that the Almighty God was present in the widow's home with his protecting hand. Every day that she was fed was proof of a divine protection that went beyond all human power.  The widow was secure in the shadow of the Almighty and in the Word of his promise.

Given to us in the power of the risen Christ – receive the Word of God today:

Do not be afraid. God has enough, more than enough, to free you from your fears and provide for all your needs.

He has more than enough love, grace and power!

Take him on his Word today:  Do not be afraid! 

Meeting Christ at his Supper: a celebration of love.

The Lord’s Supper has been instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ.

He is our host and nobody should deliberately and knowingly stay away, nor choose other things before the Table where our Lord Jesus Christ expects us, according to his holy will, example, and command.

But God will certainly receive in grace at his table, all who also believe the sure promise of God, that all our sins are forgiven, only for the sake of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ and that the perfect righteousness of Christ is freely given to us as our own, as if we, ourselves, had fulfilled all righteousness.

We do not have perfect faith and we do not serve God with such zeal as he requires and we daily have to challenge the weakness of our faith and the evil desires which is part of being a human being. And yet, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are heartily sorry for these shortcomings and desire to fight against our unbelief and to live according to the will of God. Therefore we may be fully assured that no sin or weakness which still remains in us against our will can prevent us from being received by God in grace and from being made worthy partakers of his heavenly food and drink.

By his precious sufferings and his victorious resurrection he saved us and gave us the right to be called children of God. And as such, made us worthy partakers of his Supper.

May we fulfil Christ’s expectation to Supper with him with honour and with love.

What happens is this: God's wonderful, tremendous, awesome love flows into us and out of us. This love that God gives to us, we utterly want to give to others. It is a love that is willing to sacrifice for the good of others. Lets celebrate, then, God's love for us at his Table. And, in doing so, let us also celebrate our love for one another.

What love. What tremendous, awesome love!