6/8/2019
An “old favorite” singing group showed up in my memory this morning. ABBA. I’ve rarely heard an ABBA song I didn’t like. Their music is very enjoyable to me. If that makes me weird, I guess I’m just weird. The SIMH this morning was “The Winner Takes It All.” But, it could have been one of several that if I hear it, I usually find a way to listen to it all the way through. Just the kind of sound they produced, I guess. Not very important over the span of life, but music which pleases us may have a more or less important development property to the human mind. More important is the “mood” invoked; less important is our yielding to the mood.
Music is called the “universal language.” That’s a completely apt description, in my opinion. Scripture shows in several places how music had a developer: the fallen archangel, Lucifer. Yep, he seems to have been there at the beginning of music. However, the Lord does not condemn music and certainly not singing. As it turns out, the young king of Israel, David, a “man after God’s own heart,” played and sang unto the Lord, singing the psalms and played musical instruments. Like many other things which come into being in this world, music can be glorifying to God, the Creator, as well as to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; then, conversely used as a tool of discord and prurient interests, as well. I suppose there isn’t a society anywhere which does not have uses for and even a great appreciation for music.
Well, today, after promises for several days, rain is coming down profusely. We have been without rain for about 3 weeks in an area used to getting its share on a more regular basis, so this area suffers like a drought after as little as 3 weeks. Strange stuff—land and foliage; humidity and rain. In another time, perhaps I would have studied all this more. But my life has tended toward other things of equal and greater importance. So, I’ll not worry over a drought or, for that matter, over a flood. I do have great empathy for those living from upper Midwest through the delta Southward to the gulf. They’re going to continue to suffer from the excesses for many more weeks, it seems. Pray for guidance for the people, their property, the local governments, and the use of public monies for their relief.
My other subject today is more about the common use of the Bible by men (and women) who refer to themselves as “evangelists.” Are they? Do they, generally speaking, follow the guidelines of the Bible for being such? Many, I have come to believe, cannot biblically identify what they do as being anywhere close to evangelism. When I began to study the word, employing the process our Apostle Paul taught and left in the hands of younger men, I was tutored by Bro. E.C. Moore, a truly great student of God’s word. He had one great principle after another which he kept reminding us, his students, to not violate and to hold dear. The first of those was this: all you need is the King James Bible, the word of God for today. The second was like unto the first: believe the book!
Thirdly, he never let us believe we should rely on him. Rather, place our reliance in what saith the Scripture; how can we know if we correctly apply it, and does the Spirit of Christ which is in us agree with us? When I told him I was asked to take another pastor’s place (preaching for the first time) he said, “Between now and then, read 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus as many times as you can—that’s God’s primary instructions to a preacher!” I did, noting especially 2 Tim.4, the last of Paul’s words to the younger Timothy (which, of course, will fit anyone walking in those shoes.) It begins with “Preach the word…” and ends with “do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” It is important to note those two admonitions are in the same verse: ergo, context.
Clearly, to do the work of an evangelist is to include the “preaching of the word.” Then the work of an evangelist has to agree with Scripture. If you’ve ever been exposed to an evangelist you’ll recognize the routine: he’ll read a little Scripture—typically 3-5 verses. Then, he’ll make a “spiritual application’ of it (hardly ever a literal one.) Then tell a few short anecdotal stories, followed closely by a sad or frightful ending tale. Then, with all the melancholy he can put into his voice with a “don’t tarry,” he’ll implore the lost to come to the front of his auditorium, even using the term “altar” to describe it, until enough people come forward to satisfy the terms of his plea.
Can you find any Scripture to support such an ending of a worship service? No, you can’t. There isn’t one. Never, in God’s word, from beginning to end, does He ever advocate such drivel! If you or anyone you know got saved in that kind of service you know it wasn’t the begging or emotional tone or the short message of woe that got you saved. It is because somewhere in there or a previous message, you learned you were a sinner, that Christ paid the price for sin (sins) and that the Lord is calling us like Paul & Silas told the jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved…”
It isn’t the Lord’s will that the ones who “run, and saith, He said,” should desecrate the plain meaning of preaching the Word! Men should not run an emotional conversion show. Men need to say what the Lord said and let the people who hear, hear! “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” When people really hear, they will hear “the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation,” and they will trust Christ as their Savior. I heard many of the normal evangelism way for about 10 years before I became too low to trust anyone or anything—low enough that only the Lord could save me, and that’s when I trusted that He could, He would, and He did save me.
We don’t need anymore evangelism crusades, we need more men doing the work of an evangelist in preaching the word, following closely the previous admonition in the same book (2 Timothy): Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”—2Tim.2:15. And believe the spirit of the Lord will guide the hearer to trust. If it’s your needful condition, just trust Christ.
Thanks for reading, the Elder
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