Over the years, I have heard all kind of arguments to defend the use of instrumental music in worship. In the end it usually comes down to, “Well I like it, and I can’t see God not liking it.” For many, the passages that teach Christians to simply sing (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:17) fall on deaf ears. Perhaps it will help to draw a parallel to another invocation the early saints were guilty of doing.

In I Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul discussed how that local church decided to change the Lord’s Supper into a feast (verses 20-22). There is no question that the brethren were coming together as a church (verse 18). What does it matter if the congregation decided to make a feast out of the memorial of Christ’s death? These people enjoyed themselves by having their hunger pangs satisfied. God knows the heart, right? Why did Paul feel he was able to judge their actions? They would have needed to eat anyway – why is this a big deal? The Bible contains answers for all of these questions.

Paul made it clear that this was not what they did in the beginning (verse 23). Rather, this was something that evolved over time. Someone introduced this concept. This is our first parallel to instrumental music, which was  introduced into a variety of religious groups around 670 AD. In other words, it took approximately 650 years to introduce the instrument to the worship service. Keep in mind that these religious groups were not the church you read about in the Bible.

There are several other parallels between the abuse of the Lord’s Supper and instrumental music in worship. Consider these points as you weigh the scriptures:

1. Introducing a different form of worship divides the church (verse 18).
2. Even if you say you are coming together for the Lord, you may still be coming together for the worse (verse 17).
3. Even if you say you are coming together to take the Lord’s Supper, you may not actually take it (verse 20).
4. A person can do nonsinful activities like eating on their own time. It is not necessary to add these things to worship (verse 22).
5. If you think you are going to be praised an addition to worship, you would be wrong (verse 22).
6. This change was not harmless as they were despising the church by not respecting authority (verse 22).
7. It is incorrect to think that what I do in worship has no bearing on others (verse 21).
8. The apostle was correct to tell them they were in the wrong (verse 17).

A review of these points will show that every argument made against modifying the Lord’s supper can be made against instrumental music in worship. Personal opinions on the matter need to be subjected to God’s word. If you say to yourself, “I just don’t see the similarities between the abuse of the Lord’s Supper and the abuse of singing psalms and hymns and spiritual song”, then you have closed your mind.

                                                                                                Chuck

When was the last time you cried? You might have lost a loved one or been hurt by someone physically or mentally. Perhaps you wept because you felt bad for something you did. You may have cried because you felt all alone. Whatever the reason, everybody cries and should not be ashamed of their tears.

Our Lord Jesus Christ did not hold back His emotions when he saw others mourning the death of Lazarus. We are told that “Jesus wept,” (John 11:35). This was not a sign of weakness in Jesus – recall that Jesus would express His power shortly afterward by raising Lazarus from the dead. The fact that Jesus could raise Lazarus and yet still wept over his physical death shows that His heart was heavy.

Sometimes, life deals us things that seem impossible to deal with. Consider what Job went through. Pay particular attention to Job’s response after he lost much of possessions, his servants, his own children and his health. We are told about three friends that came to him. “And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.” (Job. 2:12-13).

All children of God can learn from Job’s example. Here are several points to consider about grief and sorrow:

It is okay to grieve

The text said that Job’s grief was great. Considering his losses, we can all agree that it was justified. Recall how the Roman brethren were admonished to weep with those that weep (Rom. 12:15). It is impossible to know who to weep with if those who hurt are not mourning. We can conclude that it is NOT wrong for Christians to reveal their sorrow. The key to this is remembering that despite all that Job went through, “in all this Job did not sin with his lips,” (2:10). Grieving is clearly acceptable, yet grieving does not give us a right to sin.

It is okay to accept sympathy

Some might feel that showing grief will draw attention to themselves. There is no question that people will notice, but this is not a bad thing. Suffering in silence might appear to be the solution when in reality it can make things harder. When Job’s friends heard about his adversity, they came to be with him. Just as it is okay for a grieving person to weep, it is acceptable for others to weep with them. Christian brothers and sisters are always ready to bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2).

It is okay to say nothing

Job’s friends came to be with him. Rather than immediately trying to cheer him, they sat and said absolutely nothing for seven days. If ever there is a time to be “slow to speak”, it has to be when someone is suffering (James 1:19). A dear friend of mine lost a teenage son. After that tragic event, he remarked to me, “Why do people feel like they have to say something all the time?” Folks, this speaks volumes. Never forget that your presence can mean a lot.

It is not okay to say the wrong thing

Our last point emphasized the need for quiet. This is not to say that we should never say anything to those that grieve. Job’s friends eventually spoke to him. They were pretty hard on Job though and said many things they should not have. In the end, the Lord told those three friends that what they said was not right (Job 42:7-8). We must take care to not make things worse when extending sympathies!

                                                                                                Chuck

I held a Bible class this week with one of the viewers of our TV program. They were shocked to hear that the Bible does not teach anything about the “Rapture”, “Christ reigning on earth for 1000 years” or “the future battle of Armageddon.” You can guess the subjects they wanted to study in the next class.

This article is not about those topics per se. (I wrote a bulletin article several months back about 40 things people think are found in the Bible but are not – contact us if you want a copy of that). Rather, this article is about the fact that people are convinced certain things are in the Bible that are not.

How do religious people become convinced that the Bible contains ideas that it truthfully does not? These people own Bibles, after all! In some cases, they simply have not studied. What about those who truly want to please God though? What else could derail their efforts?

1. Allowing teachers to be general with their teaching. Much of the false doctrine taught today sounds Biblical. For example, many religious leaders have been known to say that “Baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace.” That sounds like it is scriptural, but it is not a phrase found in the Bible! We must demand a “thus saith the Lord” (Col. 3:17).
    
2. Allowing doubts to rest on the confidence of their teachers. I realize people have different levels of knowledge and familiarity with the Bible. However, this does not mean that we should simply accept anything a religious teacher says. I was once told the following in a Bible class: “My preacher spoke on that topic. I don’t remember what he said, but I am certain he spoke the truth on that.” It is our duty to search the scriptures to verify the things we are being taught (Acts 17:11).
    
3. Allowing ourselves to believe that teachers will be accountable for inaccurate teaching but not students. If the blind lead the blind, both fall (Matt. 15:14). Yes, those who teach error with be punished. This does not let those who believe lies off the hook either those. We are all accountable to God.

                                                                                             Chuck 

I enjoy talking with the people who contact us after watching our TV program or listening to our radio broadcast. However, there are times when they say things that are hard to believe. One such statement came last week. During our conversation, I was told that we cannot stay just with the Bible to know if we are saved. Really? Let’s think this through.

We recently finished a gospel meeting that focused on the importance of the word of God.  Establishing its inspiration was vital (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21; Gal. 1:12). Because we know that God communicated with mankind and preserved these messages for our learning, the impetus is on us to read and respect what He said (Rom. 15:4; John 20:31; John 16:13). What would be the ramifications of relying on any other source to establish one’s salvation?

First, by going beyond the written word of God, you have destroyed the standard. Some may not immediately recognize this as an issue, but we can use an example to help explain this. I received a call from a man who was convinced that having a religious experience is what would determine if we are saved, not just having the word of God. Is there a problem with this? There are several!

How can a person prove that what they experienced was from God? This is important because we have an adversary, and he uses many wiles to deceive (I Pet. 5:9; Eph. 6:11; II Tim. 3:13). Therefore, if a person had a religious experience that convinced them they were saved, there would be no way to prove or disprove it – even if it contradicted God’s written word! Without a standard of authority, no one will have the ability to determine what is objectively right or wrong since all experiences are personal.

When a person rejects the Bible as our sole source of authority, it is common to hear religious people talk about what they “feel” to be right. They may question whether God really meant what He said in the scriptures or whether certain verses are still relevant today. They are also convinced that they are right the Lord and do not have to prove anything to anyone. This is absurd because Christians are told to give an answer for the hope that is within them (I Pet. 3:15). We have come full circle because, without a standard, we cannot give an answer if someone believes there is not right or wrong answer.

This also creates problems regarding evangelism. Even though Christ gave the commission to teach the gospel (Mark 16:15), using more than the scriptures to accomplish this work will create followers of men, not followers of Christ. If someone tries to convince others by using feelings or offering testimony of a personal experience, they are implicitly wanting their listeners to put their trust in them. If you tell someone that you feel your religious experience was by the hand of God and they ask you to prove it, what would you say? The only thing you can say is, “I just know it!” There is no way to independently verify this, thus the person is putting their trust in you rather than in the Lord.

By staying just with the inspired word of God, we are encouraging people to trust in the Lord and not in man (Eph. 6:10). A religion that is based upon anything more than the Bible is a religion build upon man. True children of God build their foundations upon the apostles and prophets, with Jesus being the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). If you want to speak to someone about salvation or any other spiritual subject, listen to the words of Peter: “If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.” (I Pet. 4:11).

                                                                                               Chuck

Many people in this world have concluded that life begins at birth. Is this true? Let’s see what our Creator has to say about it. Remember, the purpose of this article is to only focus on what the word of God says. If you want to know what I personally think about the subject, my answer is simple – I believe what God says!

In Luke 1:39-31, John (prior to his birth) leaped in his mother’s womb. The text actually states that the “babe leaped”. Is it correct to call an unborn child a babe? Yes. Why? Because “John was John” before he was born and after he was born. This proves that life begins before birth, but we still need to specifically determine when life begins.

Another text to consider is found in Job 10. In verses 8-12, this man of God speaks about God making him like clay and that God poured him out like milk and curdled him like cheese. He also clothed Job with skin and flesh, knit together with bones and sinews. In this he credited God with giving him life and preserving his spirit. This is telling us that life begins at conception.

To expand on this even more, James pointed out that the body without the spirit is dead (2:26). Our body needs our spirit to live but our spirit does not need our body to live. Thus, our body goes back to ash upon death and the spirit goes back to God who gave it (Eccl. 12:7). All of this points to the fact that the soul is present at conception because there is life. When we go back to Luke 1, the fact that John leaped in the womb revealed he was indeed alive and thus had a soul/spirit.

As difficult as it is when we lose a babe, we know they have not lost their identity. The unborn is not an “it” but a human that possessed a soul that will reign with the Lord forever. It may be true that a husband and wife can come together had have a child, but let us always remember that it is God that gives life. Let us value life and never think that it only starts at birth. Such thinking is simply wrong.

                                                                                             Chuck