Cry

So they say the sun was shining

The water gleamed on the Wigtown bay

So they say the wind was howling through

Margaret Wilson, hair all of flaxen

Mary MacLachlan’s of grey

In a years around 1680

They bound the church to the king’s care

Who’d deny his sovereign power

Would soon come to meet their despair

Would soon come to meet their despair

Cry, cry, cry for the wicked

Cry, cry, cry for the shame

Cry, cry cry to the Father

Freedom . . . is now their fame

Freedom . . . is now their fame

In the cold and swirling waters

To the stakes they were tied

There they plunged the Margaret’s bodies

In the cold, cold waves of Solway tide

In the cold, cold waves of Solway tide

Cry, cry, cry for the wicked

Cry, cry, cry for the shame

Cry, cry cry to the Father

Freedom . . . is now their fame

Freedom . . . is now their fame

Freedom from sins mighty power

Freedom from tyranny’s fiercest sword

Freedom from their shackled bodies

Cries of prayer their only word

Cries of prayer ‘neath the waves were heard

(based on a true story)

Come as you are . . . oh . . . but please wear a tie.

I had the experience recently of preaching a sermon from which my heart was poured out as I was convinced of the great import of the passage. It was earthy, geared toward both believers in Christ and unbelievers, and authentic. But the hymn following it betrayed the tenor of the message preached. Ouch! What gives? It seems to me . . . now I may be wrong . . . but it seems to me, that if we want to be authentic in our worship and preaching and we want people to be authentic, we ought to be authentic in our musical style. What do I mean?

We have this idea in our head that worship ought to be reverent (and it should) and other-worldly (ought to be different than run-of-the-mill top 40 . . . and it definitely should), yet we ask people from all makes and models to come worship and, in an instant change their 21st century tastes and sensiblities. As if the deep and rich theology isn't enough to grasp, we also expect them to be classical in their musical style. In other words, we come up to Bill Monroe and ask him to play Vivaldi's mandolin concerto and expect him to like it and to enjoy it . . . or else! So often formality betrays the message and the hearers. We ought to have music that is as authentic as the people's lives who sing it and as authentic as Christ's compassion for the people who He saw as sheep without a Shepherd. There is plenty of rich theology being put to authentic tunes out there. Do not ignore the history of hymnody and the music, nor ignore the heart-engaging newer tunes and instrumentation being written to uphold the rich theology. Please do ignore the shallow Christian dung that is so prevalent on the airwaves.

www.igracemusic.com
www.redmountainmusic.org
www.sojournmusic.com
www.gettymusic.com
www.sovereigngracemusic.org

Never Cut What You Can Untie

"Never cut what you can untie." That is a quote from Joseph Joubert. Yeah, yeah, so it was at the top of my Franklin calendar pages. I don't even know who Joseph Joubert is. I think it caught my eye because it is so succinct. It stopped me in my tracks and made me think.

First, the literal cutting of a knot came to mind as I pictured a rope holding down boxes in a moving truck, or some such thing, and I thought, "Well, yeah, instead of wasting the rope, slow down, take the time to work on the knot, and enjoy the benefit of not having to buy a new rope later. Be frugal." But then, my applicatory juices surged (very rare) and I began to think about the quote on a relational level; a level Mr. Joubert probably intended.

I remember a quote from a wise friend of mine who once said, "Deal with the person not the office." In my particular context as a pastor, that means when you are struggling with a person, do not go the easy round-a-bout way and solve the external problem through avoidance of the issue, but get to the real issue for the sake of relationship.

For instance, when a committee chair is not acting in accordance with their office, don't jump to remove them from office, talk to them about their actions. The easy way out is through removal. The loving way toward reconciliation and relationship is through honest conversations, humility, forgiveness, and restoration. Untying the knot rather than cutting the rope.

This is the way of true ministry. If I were Jesus, and Peter had denied my need for dying on the cross, or had lopped off the centurion's ear, or had denied the Lord of Glory three times, I would have said, "That's it! You don't get it. Your ministry is over." But Jesus patiently, kindly, restored Peter helping him to see His deep-rooted need for Christ's death to atone for his sin and His resurrection to bring him new life. That's the powerful motivation that moved Peter to preach at Pentecost, carry the gospel to Gentiles, and to be martyred for the gospel.

Oh! that I would learn quickly to untie the knot.

By the way, I Googled Joseph Joubert and found out he was an eighteenth century French moralist. A knot left tied?

The Liberty You Live For

THE LIBERTY YOU LIVE FOR

The liberty you live for
Is a chain around your neck
Swallow hard you feel it's tightening grip

From slavery to servitude
You're much more of a wreck
Just harder to feel the sinking of the ship

You thought you were the child of a king
A prince with just about everything
You've been duped by half lies
Trusting your own alibis

The hangman holds the scaffold rope
Waiting for the sign
One small step and the knot will slip

Till you figure out your best jokes
Won't earn another set
You'll stand there with a trembling lip

You thought you were the child of a king
A prince with just about everything
You've been duped by half lies
Trusting your own alibis

The confidence you come by
Is a way for you to cope
With the demon-claws underneath your skin

So go buy a new umbrella
The sky is bellowing smoke
Hold on tight . . . here comes the wind . . .

You thought you were the child of a king
A prince with just about everything
You've been duped by half lies
Trusting your own alibis

copyright - coreypelton 2009

The more particular we get, the less charitable

The more particular we get, the less charitable

I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m getting older. I find that my tastes are changing and I get more and more picky about the way foods are prepared. When I go to a restaurant for breakfast I don’t just want eggs, bacon, and a biscuit – I want two eggs over easy (but not too easy), Tabasco on the side (not Louisiana Hot Sauce), bacon that is crisp not burnt, and syrup with my perfectly baked biscuit, not jelly . . . not honey.

It was reading C.S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters” that caused me to stop and ponder my particularities and how they can become a real menace against the grace of the gospel. The more particular we get, the less charitable we can become, and therein flee mercy, grace, justice, patience and kindness extended to others.

This uncharitable pickiness knows no bounds of socio-economy. It is easy to spy such raped charity in the likes of British hierarchical Jane Austin characters as we see suitors undergo criticism from sharp-mouthed aristocratic maidens who disdain the underclass for their vile earthen ways. After all, crumpets and tea are next to godliness, as opposed to hoe cakes and chitlins which are next to . . . well . . .

Okay, so the underclass Jane Austin Brits don’t eat chitlins, but you get my drift. I digress . . . pickiness knows no bounds of socio-economy. Which brings me to the other end of the spectrum. Bring up Bar-B-Que in the South and charitableness is gone faster than a hambone tossed to a hound. The most backwoods Arkansan loves his BBQ one way. And that way is the way (no matter if the next county over varies). If you don’t like it, then you must be a &%$# Yank, or from Carolina.

So . . . charitableness. If we are not willing to be charitable in whatever particulars we may sway towards, then we are not willing to extend grace to others. Therefore, self becomes the center of our world rather than Christ. With regard to food, take care that you are not “gauged by the way (your) belly now dominates (your) whole life” (Lewis). Your particular interests can dominate your life so that you control others by your pickiness. Be careful. The gospel tells us to deny ourselves and live for Christ alone.


Let’s play ‘fill in the blank’:

With regard to _____________ (music, dress, traditions, affiliations, hobbies, computer software, tastes, clubs, etc.), I am gauged by the way my ___________, (ear, body, mind, feelings, intellect, education, etc.) now dominates my whole life.

What would it take for Christ to be in the second blank?

Christian Help in Economic Woes

Now more than ever the church needs to come to the aid of her brothers and sisters. With a fast slipping economy, people are struggling to maintain their jobs and their lifelines as savings accounts drop and the unemployment lines bend around buildings. How can the Christian community help? What tangible ways are there to lift someone out of the mire?

In the very early New Testament church the gospel so impacted people's hearts that one of the first signs of letting go of individual rights to serve Christ who gave himself was to share property with other fellow worshippers in need. This was voluntary, not coerced.

Again, not long after the initial Pentecost thrust, there was a famine in the land and the newly formed church immediately responded with help for the gathered church in the hard hit area.

How can you help within your particular church? In my own church we have a mortgage broker who daily wonders how secure her job might be. Others in the congregation have begun pointing their friends who are purchasing homes to her for mortgages. In the same way, if someone own a restaurant, eat there. . . many times. Does someone clean homes? Those who have the ability, hire them. Think through the contacts that you have and maybe, just maybe, that might mean life and sustenance for a hurting brother or sister.

Another practical way to help would be to post your needs before the church or post items you may have that others may need. Have an ailing lawn mower but can't afford to fix it? There may be someone in the church willing to loan or give you one that is not being used.

The gospel is not merely theoretical, but living and active and tangible. In Acts the church grew because others outside the community recognized the hearts swollen with gospel grace. May we have sharing hearts so that God may be glorified, the church may be edified, and others will "know we are Christians by our love."

Eternally Bought

As I watched the news this morning I was saddened to see a story about a young family who had adopted a baby six months ago. For six months the parents and their 9 year old son grew attached to their legally adopted child. Now, a Native American tribe has taken the child for reasons of an exception to the adoption process which gives them the right to do so if the child is in their tribe’s bloodline. Does it matter that the birth mother is unfit to care for the child? Does it matter that the bloodline of the child for this particular tribe is minuscule? Not in the eyes of the tribe. They claim that their 7000 member tribe is losing its heritage as they are a dying breed; therefore, for the sake of carrying the bloodline in the tribe, they have a right to take the child out of the mother’s arms and give it to foster parents.

How thankful I am that the adoption purchased by my heavenly Father of me is a binding contract, not of paper, but of blood and a bloodline - that of Christ Jesus. Jesus himself said that no one and nothing can snatch me out of the Father’s hands. I am eternally bought with the price of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. All of the history of redemption from Genesis to Revelation is a testimony of this assurance for those who would trust him . . . and only Him.

I am Totally His

I am His by purchase and I am His by conquest; I am His by donation and I am His by election; I am His by covenant and I am His by marriage; I am wholly His; I am peculiarly His; I am universally His; I am eternally His. Once I was a slave but now I am a son; once I was dead but now I am alive; once I was darkness but now I am light in the Lord; once I was a child of wrath, an heir of hell, but now I am an heir of heaven; once I was Satan's bond-servant but now I am God's freeman; once I was under the spirit of bondage but now I am under the Spirit of adoption that seals up to me the remission of my sins, the justification of my person and the salvation of my soul.

- THOMAS BROOKS

Stifled By Fear

Fear is the greatest stifling agent in the promotion of the good news of Christ. There is not a Christian who is immune to fear. This is good, since lack of fear would take our eyes off of faith in Christ and place our faith, or lack thereof, in ourselves. Luke records an example of fear turned to faith in Acts 18:9-18a. I believe that it is fascinating (and very comforting) to find that the one in this passage who is being comforted from fear is the apostle Paul. He was the very one who wrote in Romans 8 that we have nothing to fear because nothing can separate us from Christ. Paul had to be reminded of the confidence that he has in Christ over and over just as we do. Fear is real in the most dedicated of people. Why was Paul fearful? Later, as Paul writes to the Corinthian church which he presently is developing in our Acts passage, he says that he came to them in fear and much trembling. Corinth was a fearful place to be sure. Can you imagine being the first one to carry the news of Christ as the only Savior of the world to New York, Las Angeles, or Atlanta with the commission of Christ to speak boldly in His name? The immorality of Corinth was great. The amalgamation of cultures was tremendous. The religiosity was diverse. And Paul was going to argue that he had the one truth greater than all others.

How is fear dispelled? Christ comes to Paul at night and says in verse 10, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city."

Words are great, but what about action? It's one thing to say, "I am with you." But how do we know He is with us? The gospel prospers through conversion, growth, and circumstances.

Conversion - After Paul gets to Corinth he meets up with Aquila and Priscilla, a couple whose trade is making tents. While Paul works with them, he does what he ordinarily does when entering a new city and gos to preach in the synagogue to the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. The Jews in Corinth reject Paul, so he turns to the Gentiles. As soon as he does, the ruler of the synagogue is converted! In this conversion, God confirms Paul's mission almost immediately.

Growth - God blesses Paul in his choice to move away from the "religious" Jews to the "irreligious" Gentiles. Many came to faith. It is a fearful thing to move out of the comfort of your own people with which you have some common ground. The Jews were Paul's people. He was Jewish. Yet Christ had commissioned Paul to preach to others and, by faith, he must strike out into scary territory. As confirmation, God chooses to bless Paul's faithfulness. Many times, the people within our churches do not want to move out to the irreligious. There may come a time when the leaders of the church need to "move out" for the sake of the glory of Christ in spite of what the church wants. This in itself is a bold move of faith and many times brings greater health the the church although the going may initially bring conflict.

Circumstances - The Jews rose up against Paul and took him before the local law enforcement of Rome because they thought he was teaching things against the law. Judaism was an "official" religion of Rome having been legitimized by the government. If another religion was promoted that was not stamped by the approval of the governing authorities it was considered illegitimate and against Roman law. As Paul was getting ready to defend himself before the proconsul, the proconsul beat him to the punch and the Jews complaint was thrown out as nitpicking. What this did was, for the first time, made Christianity a legitimate religion in Rome in the eyes of the governing authorities! God raised up this gracious proconsul for the furtherance of the gospel through Paul! God directs and disposes all circumstances that He might be glorified and the gospel prosper.

What really do believers in Christ have to fear? Or, as Paul writes in Romans 8, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" His kingdom is being ushered in and He chooses to you the likes of fearful men like me to accomplish His great good of kingdom advancement. May the Lord teach me faith as he taught Paul and every saint before him and after him.

The Real Dogs

Philippians 3:2-3
"Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil doers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."

I think it is very telling here that, as Paul begins his conclusion to his letter to the Philippian believers, that he does not say, "look out for the murderers, the rapists, the pedophiles, the prostitutes." Instead, he piles the words up in anticipation for whom they should beware: those who trust in outward forms of righteousness (in this case circumcision) rather than fully upon Christ. Murderers may kill the body but they cannot kill the soul. Rapists and pedophiles may strip a person of dignity and, in this life, cause all sorts of insecurities and horrible and atrocious harm, but they cannot usurp gospel power which brings real security to a victim's conscience. A prostitute may provide instant gratification for a man or woman, but they cannot ultimately adulterate a person's relationship with God since God is the One who begins and perfects the eternal gospel in a person's life (Phil. 1:6).

Paul is writing from prison yet prison cannot stop the truth of God. The real enemy is those who would require some meritorious work to gain God's favor or keep people in God's favor. This is the real enemy of faith and the soul. It has eternal consequences. Al the above are bound by the temporal walls of life here. Those who are truly marked out as God's people are not the ones with a literal flesh circumcision but with the circumcision of the heart who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."

Hiding Jesus in Evangelical Robes

I recently attended a neighbor's Greek orthodox funeral. When alive, my neighbor would always say to me, "You have no tradition. We have a tradition," meaning their church proclaims to go all the way back to the Apostle Peter. Over the years tradition after tradition were piled up until we have the Greek Orthodox Church of today (which they would say is of yesterday). Intense incense, veneration of Mary, repetitious chanting, icons, priestly garb, original Greek, and very specific rules of worship, like the direction the casket faced, were obvious marks of this service.

The thing that struck me was Christ was hidden beneath all of the tradition. It almost seems that they go out of their way to make it difficult to see Jesus. After the funeral a friend responded with the typical "what a beautiful funeral." I wanted to laugh. Beautiful? It was the most depressing and hopeless funeral I have ever attended.

But is it that far from modern evangelicalism . . . really? Don't we hide Jesus under own contrived garb of religiosity? Like the Pharisees before us, we cover over the hurts and pains of failure to produce a righteousness of our own (failure to be holy as God requires) and try to mask the ceaseless, tireless, positive production of sin in our lives which hounds us that we cannot be holy. Our music gets louder, our productions bigger, our church activity greater. Are we not also covering up Jesus with our modern trinkets?

In my own life it is a constant struggle to rightly apprehend the fact of Christ's life and work on behalf. It is difficult for me to fathom that Christ both accounted to Himself my sin and the wrath I deserve for my sin, and accounted to me His own perfect righteousness. It is hard for me to grasp that I stand a free man condemned no longer. I still feel I need to pay the price for my sins. But what a farse. What kind of salvation is it that requires of me a maintenance of my own salvation? That's not a free gospel. In reality I know that I fail miserably to maintain any semblance of morality or spirituality that measures up to perfection. My most religious moments are filled with mixed motives. My most elegant prayers are tinged with the pride and greed of what they will fetch from God.

What I need is gospel taught that shows me that I must live today, not attempting to correct my own account, but believing that Christ has truly and fully already paid that price for me. I need a church that teaches that kind of gospel (good news) over and over again. I don't need the prevalent moralism, or behavior modification of today's evangelicalism. That message hides Jesus behind my own works. I need a Jesus at the forefront of my salvation who is clear and concise and really accomplished my full salvation. I don't need a half Jesus who got me into heaven and now I have to work hard to clean up my act by doing good things, dressing the part, and keeping my nose clean with a cheezy smile on my face. I need a Jesus who is both the Author and Perfector of my faith. And on Him, fully revealed not covered over, is where I need to fix my eyes. And I need a church who will clearly, fully, and simply present Him and Him alone every single week.

The Banjo is an Instrument of the Devil

At least, it has been called that. The banjo has been used as an instrument for song and dance for centuries. Who doesn't like to hear live banjo music (I understand that not everyone goes out to buy a banjo-ladened CD)? The banjo can make the most scroogy personality a little more light-hearted. Yet there are times that we get carried away in our enthusiasm. That's how the banjo has gotten a bad rap. It is often associated with a moonshining, revenuer-ducking, woman-carousing hillbilly type that is not your grandmother's 'little angel' harp recital crowd (unless your grandmother is Granny Clampett).

But is the inanimate banjo to blame? Truth be known, we will pin the sin of our hearts on anything but ourselves won't we? How miserably we fail to take responsibility for our behavior and claim "the banjo made me do it." Ever since the Garden, mankind has shirked his guilt to other people or things; the serpent, the woman, the Creator.

What do you blame for your hearts inordinate desire to worship something other than God? Alcohol? Dance? T.V.? Computer? Your career? Your spouse? Your age? Your health? Could it not be your own heart? "For out of the heart flow the issues of life." It is not what goes into a man that defiles the man, but what comes out of the heart.

Maybe its time to stop blaming and to acknowledge our guilt and shame. Maybe its time to recognize our dire need for Christ's perfect righteousness given to the account of those willing to trust Him . . . and to actually trust Him.

In this life there will still be patterns of blame that creep up in me, but my sin has been accounted to Christ and His righteousness accounted to me. That frees me to be honest about my sin and to set sin aside in order to love my Savior and my neighbor . . . and yes . . . even as I play the banjo . . .

Jesus on a String: controlling God and people through music

“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge”
- Proverbs 19:2

“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”
- John 4:24

Worship of God is directed by God in His Word. In our fervor to worship as His people, we often make mistakes in the manner in which we bring our worship. Music, because it is an emotional vehicle for worship, and one which is subject to preference, can present some challenges. Yet with a biblically balanced foundation we can have God-honoring music in worship. Here are some pitfalls to avoid as well as some balance to promote:

Reckless abandon (spirit without truth).
“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge”
- Proverbs 19:2
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in . . . truth”
- John 4:24

Reckless abandon in regards to song choice for worship, is music with no restraint. It sounds very spiritual. The attitude from advocates might be that we do not want to stifle the Holy Spirit’s leading. We ought to allow our Spirit-controlled emotions to move how we worship. How is this controlling God?

Basically, reckless abandon is setting our emotions as the criteria for right worship. Emotions, though, then become the prime principle for right worship over and above God’s Word. Thankfully God has given us His Word which directs how our hearts ought to worship. Hopefully, we strive to worship in spirit (yes), and truth. The truth of the words ought to move both the music which accompanies as well as the emotions which follow. His truth oversees, or guides, our spirit. Our hearts are sinfully drawn to worship selfishly but the Word draws us to a balance of truth and spirit.

Liturgy for the sake of safety (truth without spirit)
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit . . .”
- John 4:24

This extreme leads to dead orthodoxy, or cold religion. If reckless abandon is dangerous in its lack of Godly truth-control, blind liturgy is dangerous for its cold form from too much control.

We can become so fearful of change or doing the wrong thing, that a knee-jerk reaction takes place and we find no place for emotion. The words become sterile and unfeeling and we are discouraged from emoting. This too is controlling God by keeping Spirit-induced emotion at bay.


Closing the canon on hymnody (Using preference as main criteria for biblical worship.)

There is a real temptation to not shake the tree any more than necessary by not allowing for any diverse music into the church. Yet this is irresponsible to the continuing work of God in and among the Church. Granted, there has been little music composed in the last century worth utilizing. But this is a new day!

We are seeing a revival of hymnody. A resurgence of Reformed theology has brought with it a hunger and thirst for rich words accompanied by engaging music. In my own denomination’s ministry, pastors and congregants alike, have been instrumental in writing new music and offering it to the Church. Students, pastors, and church musicians have come in contact with old hymns and have re-worked them so that they are more singable to today’s ear and have given us a vast quantity of songs from which to choose.

A new love for old hymns.

Hymns are didactic by nature. That is, they teach us theology. Putting new tunes to old hymns has caused new and old ears alike to love hymns and to love what they say and stand for. Folks who thought the hymns of old were cold and boring, now embrace the richness of the historicity and theological depth of the hymns.

So what is our responsibility as a church in relation to God’s working today through music in the church?

Biblically responsible

We are to be biblically responsible for the music we sing. “Spirit and truth” worship means that we sing songs which convey the deep soul-refreshing words of Scripture so that people are brought before the throne of grace. We also utilize music which accompanies the words well, conveying the rich sentiment of the words so that it helps, not hinders, a proper understanding of the text of the song.

Culturally relevant

What?! Christians live in culture too. Cultures change. Music changes with culture. There is nothing especially sacred about 18th century hymnody as opposed to 21st century hymnody. The musical styles within our own Trinity hymnal show the wide diversity between eras. Look at the dates of the songs in the hymnal and you will see some written as far back as the 4th century and as recent as 1984! Listen to the different tunes for those eras and you will hear distinct cultural differences.

The revival of hymnody within our culture is catching on!

Teachable

We need to be willing to learn. Are you one who is more prone towards newer tunes? Learn the hymns! Don’t neglect the work of God among the Church throughout history. Are you one to disdain change and things new? Try it. See the end goal. Help the church to teach well the richness of our faith through song.