| JOHN WADDEY, EDITOR
Published by the Church of Christ, 12213 West Bell Road, Surprise, AZ 85374 Volume 1, Number 10
June 1, 2002 |
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Table of Contents: 1. WHY WE WORSHIP AS WE DO
Our neighbors "think it strange that " we run not with them in our worship.
Now, even some of our brethren think it strange that we have no musical instruments in our worship. We worship God in song without the use of instruments for three basic reasons.
1. Christ did not authorize their use. In his Great Commission, he said, "All authority is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go, make disciples of all nations....teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (Matt. 28:18-20). Those who have read the New Testament carefully know that not once do you find any instruction for the church to praise God with instrumental music. You do however, find several references to singing in worship such as Eph. 5:19-20. Remember. Christ is head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22).
2. We are committed to worshiping and serving Christ, as did the first Christians. Historically, we know that it was some 600 years before instrumental music was introduced into Christian worship. It was only after churches had drifted far from the teachings of Christ and his apostles and had grown into what is now known as the Roman Catholic church that this practice was introduced. It caused such a furor that it was withdrawn and not unto the 12th century did it become a common practice. The Greek
Orthodox church did not allow the used of instrumental music until the last century...and even now in some areas of the world they still do not use it.
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, wrote that he had no objection to instruments of music being in their chapels, so long as they were neither seen nor heard during worship. John Calvin, father of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches, called instrumental music a relic of popery, of the same character as beads and incense. Charles Spurgeon, the greatest of all Baptist preachers, refused to allow any instruments to be used with the singing in his congregation in London. This list could be extended. We are
not unique in our position.
3. Our Bible consists of two grand divisions; Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament was given to the Hebrew people to regulate their faith and practice. It is from God and inspired and inerrant, but it was intended for that ancient form of worship (See Deut. 5:1-3). The New Testament was given to regulate the worship and service of those who follow Christ. Note the following verses that tell us that the Old Testament is no longer our standard for faith and practice. Paul explains to us that in his death upon the cross, Jesus fulfilled that Old Law, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. He then exhorted us, "Let no man judge you" respecting its ordinances. Other verses that teach this lesson are Eph. 2:14-14-15; II Cor. 3:7-11; Heb. 8:6-13. The Hebrews were given specific authority from God to use instrumental music in their worship. "Hezekiah...set the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandments of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of Jehovah by his prophets." Thus when they praised God with instruments, they did what God had authorized them to do.
If we had such authority expressed in the New Testament, we could do the same. But we don't .
If we go to the Old Testament to find approval for instruments of music, we could also go there to find approval for burning incense in worship, for a tribal, hereditary priesthood, animal sacrifices, circumcision, polygamy and other interesting practices. They all stand or fall together.
Had you been in Jerusalem in the first century and were privileged to worship with those first disciples, do you think you would have had instrumental music? Today we wish to worship as they did and as the New Testament authorizes us to do. JHW  |
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2. ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY IN NEED OF RESTORATION
Wise brethren of days past used to say that "the work of restoring New Testament Christianity is never finished." Others would say, "Each generation of Christians must work to restore the faith." The reason for these exhortations is man's tendency to drift away from the standard God has set for His church (Heb.2: 1). Stand-ing in the opening years of the 21st century I see four things in need of restoration that are sometimes overlooked.
Consider the following.
We need to restore a sense of love and loyalty for the church which Jesus built and of which we are a part. It pains me to no end to read and hear an endless array criticisms, put-downs and even insults spoken against the church of Christ by men who make a living preaching for this very church.
True, congregations consist of sinful, fallible folks who will never attain perfection in this life. True, our goal has always been higher than most of us could reach. But with the church, as with family and friends, we should have a lot of compassion and charity. Our love for the church will cover a multitude of sins (I Pet. 4:8). If we love the church we will stand up and defend her against her critics and enemies. Love will motivate us to repair her damaged walls and correct her blemishes.
We must restore a love for the truth of God's Word. No man will feel constrained to obey God's Word who does not first love it. No one will invest his time and energy in teaching it to others if he does not himself love it. Nor will he be set for the defense of the gospel if his love for it is shallow. Take time to read the lovely 119th Psalm, every verse of which reflects the poet's fervent love for God's Word. "I will delight myself in they commandments, which I have loved" (119:47). Let those inspired lines rekindle your love for the Holy Book.
We must restore respect for the authority of Christ and his New Testament in all things relating the faith and practice of his church.
For generations this has been a given among our preachers. No man completed a course of ministerial training in one of our schools without having this principle branded upon his heart. Today such is not the case. The evidence is seen in the preaching and writing being issued from some quarters and by the innovative practices surfacing in some of our congregations. Christ has "all authority...in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18). He alone is head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22). He is author of eternal salvation to all that obey him (Heb. 5:8-9). To go beyond his revealed will, his doctrine is to lose our standing with Him (II John 9).
We must restore a recognition of the evil of error. Truth makes us free (John 8:32). Error poisons the spiritual well. Error leads us away from God, or sets us at odds with Him. Anything that is contrary to the revealed will of Christ is wrong; no matter how popular, or how pleasant it may appear to be. God depicts heresy as "damnable, or destructive" (II Pet. 2:1). Sinners need to be converted from their error of their way (Jas. 5:20). There is a recompense that is due to those who live and die in error (Rom. 1:27). Error will destroy souls, churches and even a brotherhood unless it is properly addressed and folks are delivered from its destructive influence.
Yes, there are other things that also need our attention but these four cannot be neglected without serious risk of harm. Let's devote ourselves to the task of restoring them. JHW
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3. WHY BE BAPTIZED?
Most churches require some kind of baptism to gain membership in their bodies. Christ's New Covenant has much to say on the subject. You may be wondering if you should be baptized? The following points should be helpful to you. They will show you why you should be baptized. - Christ was baptized by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:13-16). We are to follow his example (I Pet. 2:21).
- All the early Christians were baptized (See Acts 2:38-41; I Cor. 12:13).
- Christ commands all people to be baptized (Mark16:16; Acts 10:38).
- Only in baptism will Christ wash your sins away (Acts 22:16).
- In baptism you will be united with Christ (Gal. 3:26-27; Rom. 6:3-5).
- When baptized, you will be added by the Lord to his church (Acts 2:41, 47).
- In baptism you will find the answer of a good conscience towards God (I Pet. 3:21).
The baptism God expects you to receive is an immersion in water. It requires much water (John 3:23). It involves both administrator and recipient going down into the water (Acts 8:38). It is a burial in water (Rom. 6:4). Christ is our savior. His blood washes away our sins. But the appointed time and place for forgiveness is when we are baptized according to his will. If you have not been properly baptized into Christ, please don't postpone obeying this most important command of the Savior. JHW |
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4. IF WE DO NOTHING
Powerful winds of change are blowing across the landscape of the Lord's church. Criticism and speculations that would not have been tolerated a generation ago now go unchallenged. Schools that once were bastions of faithful teaching now ring with uncertain sounds. Champions of the faith, that formerly stood in the breaches to turn away proponents of error, have now finished their course and await the Lord's return. Today such giants of the are hard to find. Looking around, we see in their place too many preachers who either do not know the fundamentals of the faith, or how to defend them. Worse still, there are some who do not hold those sacred truths. In the last twenty years those who no longer believe in the restoration of New Testament Christianity have grown bolder and now openly speak and write things which they would only have whispered in private in days past. To those timid souls who cannot find it in themselves to address the issues before us I raise the question, "What will happen to the Church of
Christ if nothing is said or done to preserve her from those who are daily working to change her into something new and different?" - Some no longer feel obliged to look to the New Testament as the sole authority for their faith and practice.
- Some are experimenting with new concepts of leadership for congregations.
- Some are creating their own organizations to do the work God commissioned his church to do.
- Some are willing to open the leadership of the church to women.
- Some are ready to embrace the use of instrumental music in worship and denominational ideas regarding the Lord's Supper.
- Some are ready to embrace other religious bodies in Christian fellowship, even though they do not wear the name of Christ nor respect his holy Word.
- Some are anxious to convince us that the church is nothing more than a denomination like those around us.
- Some feel superior to those saints who went before us and hesitate not to belittle them and the work they did.
- Some thirst for an emotion-based worship like they see in the electronic churches of the tel-evangelists.
- Some have embraced a humanistic code of human conduct and come to terms with the sinful world.
We are truly engaged in a great struggle for the heart and soul of the church and her members. The problem is, only one side is doing much fighting.
Those whose job it is to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3) and to fight the good fight of the faith (I Tim. 6:12) are often found sleeping, playing, running or encouraging those who are enemies of Christ's Cause. If we do nothing, those who would reconstitute the church will win by default. They will train our preachers, they will write and publish their corrupting message. They will influence our children in the colleges we have built and sustained. Their disciples will fill our pulpits and the day will come when the Church of Christ that we have known and loved will cease to exist. Do not deceive yourself by saying such could never happen. All one need do is to look at our religious neighbors. Bodies that once were pillars of conservatism are now sink holes of liberalism that bear little or no semblance to their past.
Fellow preachers and elders "quit ye like men" (I Cor. 16:13). Get to work today, fortifying the souls of those in your charge. Teach them the fundamentals. Take nothing for granted. Provide good sound tracts that explain what we believe and why. Recommend dependable Christian journals.
Use your church bulletins to set forth simple lessons on every truth we hold.
Let your pulpits ring with solid, timely lessons that do more than build
self-esteem. Teach your brethren why we are what we are. Explain the problems facing us and show their fallacies. If you are so fortunate that these problems have not yet come your way, prepare you brethren so they will be alert and set to resist them when they do appear. Pray mightily unto God to help us successfully defend the walls of Zion so that we can pass the true faith of Christ to the generation that shall follow us. JHW |
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5. LIFE FOR CHRISTIANS IN A MUSLIM STATE
An article in the Arizona Republic (4/26/02) reports that "Muslim prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for two men accused of converting from Islam to Christianity, a crime for which an Islamic judge gave the accused men three days to reconvert." "Auwal Jabaka, the judge, said...that... the Koran calls for the execution of Muslims who accept another religion..."
My, my, ever since the terrorist attacks on our nation all we have been hearing is that "Islam is a religion of love and peace." Over and over, by Islamic spokesmen, by our media our government we have been assured that no true Muslim would want to do harm to any one. This article, well tucked away in a small note deep inside the paper, tells a different story. Add to this the atrocities being inflicted on the Christian population of Sudan and one gets the distinct feeling that the truth is not being told. In fact, we are being subjected to a massive campaign of disinformation.
Whenever you see Muslim visitors or immigrants complaining about the fact that they are being investigated or kept under surveillance, just remind them that the worst of our hospitality is a thousand fold better than that which they offer Christians in countries they control. Would any of their non-Muslim apologists like to volunteer to go live in Northern Nigeria or Sudan? Aren't you glad you live in America? JHW |
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6. KIDS AGAIN
As the infirmities of old age begin to creep upon us, we sometimes reminiscence about the days of our childhood. In fact such has been called the recreation of the aged. Reality tells us that we can never return to those halcyon days of our youth. Life continues its long march from the cradle to the grave.
Yet there is one sense in which we can and must return to being kids again; that is in our spiritual life. To become a Christian, Jesus says we must be "born again" (John 3:5). To enter the kingdom of heaven we must humble ourselves and become as little children (Matt. 18:3-4). Like newborn babes, we must long for the sincere milk of God's word (I Pet. 2:2). He obviously does not speak in literal terms in these passages. Rather he is showing us that in the kingdom of Christ, we have to begin as novices. We have to be receptive and teachable as is a little child. To be acceptable to God we must have the spirit and attitude of a child: loving, trusting, eager to learn, free from selfishness and deceitfulness. We must accept the fact that we are beginners, no matter our age or worldly achievements.
While we must become as little children in some areas of life, Paul tells us, "Brethren, be not children in mind: yet in malice be ye babes, but in mind be men" (I Cor. 14:20). By this he means that we are not to act in a childish way. We should not be fussy, demanding, or irresponsible. We should accept our duties and responsibilities without complaining.
One of the joys of being in Christ is that we are free to be "kids again." Are you prepared to undergo that change? It is absolutely essential if you wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. JHW |
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7. A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Christianity: Then & Now is published by the West Bell Road Church of Christ. It is sent to church leaders across the country. Permission is granted to reproduce any of the articles for local use. If you wish to see the
circulation of the paper extended, let us hear from you. We welcome the fellowship of Christians and congregations who wish to help. Bundles may be ordered for $2.50 per dozen. For more lessons, see our website @
www.christianity-then-and-now.com
The editor is the author of 27 volumes, including Liberalism: Deadly Enemy of the Church. Write for a list. JHW |
