Music

Why is there no music in your church? Read 1 Corinthians 11:2 I have been asked these questions: Do you not like music? Why can we not have music in our service? Is it bad to do that? We call ourselves Christians, and we are trying to establish and practice the doctrinal teachings of Jesus […]

Why is there no music in your church? Read 1 Corinthians 11:2

I have been asked these questions: Do you not like music? Why can we not have music in our service? Is it bad to do that?

We call ourselves Christians, and we are trying to establish and practice the doctrinal teachings of Jesus and the apostles. In order to do that we have to go back to history and look at what were the teachings of the early church. The book of Acts gives a clear picture of what they taught about salvation, church life and worship. Also, when we read world history, we have no evidence of instrumental music being used in the church. In fact many writers of the church fathers denounced instrumental music, since it had a lot to do with pagan worship. What we call church fathers were against using anything other than their voice to praise God. Instrumental music didn’t become a thing in religious worship until the 10th century. If we are to be called Christians, we need to do things the Christian way. The way Jesus and the apostles taught the church how to do it – SING!

Heart of the Gospel

The heart of the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Paul expresses it in this manner: 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that...

Eclipse

An eclipse is an exciting thing. It was evident Monday at about 2:00 p.m. when I was driving back to the office from making some visits. The traffic was minimal. I even saw several vehicles pulling off the road to catch a glimpse of the moon covering the sun. I even...

The Same Story

Frank Wampol did an outstanding job on Sunday morning directing our hearts toward a better understanding of the emotional and physical agony that Jesus experienced during his crucifixion and the time leading up to it. Before Sunday, I knew that Frank was going to...

You’re Kidding

We were in Pigeon Forge with some of Jane’s family. While there, we visited the replica museum for the Titanic. A very interesting exhibit. We were at the bottom of the replica of the grand staircase listening to the guide explain the rich details of this beautiful...

Theme Verse

You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. (Exodus 15:17 ESV) This is the theme verse for this year’s Leadership Training For Christ...

Changing Seasons

I need spring to come and winter to end. Honestly, this has been a constant thought in my mind since mid-January following a series of unfortunate events: a trip to the ER, an ablation scheduled, missing a conference due to heart issues, waiting for the ablation,...

Jacob and Esau

I’m sure you remember the story of Jacob and Esau. But if the following brief summary is not familiar to you, read the whole story beginning in Genesis 25:19. 24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out...

I Voted

I voted today. I took advantage of the right given to me as a citizen of this country to cast my vote for those who will lead our nation, state and county. I was even given a sticker to declare to others that I had voted.   It was only one vote, but it was my...

My Thoughts

My thoughts are mine! Aren’t they? One of Jane’s favorite expressions is, “I knew you were going to say that.” She loves to make me think she knows everything I’m thinking or that I’m going to say. I have to admit, she gets pretty close. But she’s not always right....

Our Comforter

Kimberly and I adopted our first dog together in 2013. She was a husky/German shepherd mix named Chloe. She was a big dog with a very loud bark. When I served in youth ministry, I often traveled out of town overnight. Kimberly traveled with me on occasion, but when...