Excellence in Service?

A recent question that has been running rampantly through my mind is this: Should persons without musical gifts be in music worship leadership?

We are to have the right heart motive--that is, to worship God in Spirit and in truth.
We are to play skillfully.
We do not have to be professionals to sing or to play instruments in the worship services to our God.
We are to be prepared, for what pastor who is truly seeking God's will doesn't spend hours in prayer, in research in the Scriptures, through the Holy Spirit's leading, and through Biblical scholars' writings in preparing the message that God desires him to share with the congregation?
We are to glorify God in whatever we do.

I know of some churches that have "auditions" for their "musicians" in leading music in their services. To my way of thinking, this is not Biblical. Yet neither is the opposite end of the spectrum by letting music leaders lead by singing off-key a way to bring the most glory to God. Some people have been gifted by God to play and sing skillfully. Doesn't He gift those whom He calls for certain tasks of service? For example, someone not gifted in teaching children should not be doing so, for in so doing, he or she is doing a disservice to the children. Now, if God leads them to teach children with the object in mind of teaching the teacher how to teach or have patience or to learn to love this calling, that's different. But to make one feel guilty of having to teach children by saying that a teacher is needed, and that one is giving in to the guilt feeling of doing this job is not doing what he or she is called to do. Teaching children takes a specially gifted and called person who can relate the truths of the Word of God to the children, with patience, with integrity, with love and nurture. That is excellence and a sweet aroma of incense to our Lord.

A wise pastor once told me that "Need does not constitute calling." He was also wise enough to know that although he could play the guitar very skillfully and lead worship in that manner, he could not sing on pitch to save his life. He kept his mouth shut or sung under his breath while he beautifully played the guitar and others who were gifted with voices that could sing with skill led the vocals in the service. To me, this is wisdom. This adds to the worship to the LORD, not detracts from it. It is not for mens' applause, but for the glory of God, our only audience--in excellence and skill and from clean hands and a pure heart--all only given to us by His hand to give back to Him.

Old thoughts for a new year

What is truth?
Jesus says, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life."
What is love?
God is love.
Who is righteous?
There is none righteous, no, not one.

Weighty subjects about the meaning of life. As a culture in the 21st century, we Americans have a distorted view on truth and love. It's generally thought that truth is relative. Aaah, then that means that whatever I believe for me is truth, and whatever you believe for you is truth. What if they are polar opposite beliefs? Post-modern society says that it's okay, because truth is relative. People are considered to be dogmatic and unloving if they believe that there is only one truth, that there is a right way and a wrong way.

If truth is only one truth, then someone has to be right and the other is wrong. There's nothing bad about being wrong. We humans--on our own--get it all wrong-only by the grace of God can we get it right! It is not unloving to state the truth. The Word of God states that we are to "speak the truth in love." This is not a paradox, but a reality.

Although the gospel is offensive to the unregenerate, we Christians do not have to be offensive when we share the gospel or any truth based on God's Word. Love is not a squishy feeling, but an action, a commitment. If it is commanded in Scripture to speak the truth in love, it is right to speak the truth and it is right to be committed to speaking the truth.

We do have to remember though, that it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do both: speak the truth and do it in love. Our motivation must be from a righteous and pure heart. We must be broken over the fallenness of humanity. To share the truth from any other position is arrogant. In so doing, we display a harshness that the world sees as hypocracy and "unloving."

Christ is the truth, He is love, and He is righteous. There is nothing harsh or wrong about that. Sharing His gospel is the most loving thing we can do for those who will spend an eternity in Hell without receiving Him.

From cradle to the grave-and beyond!

My passion is to share the good news of Jesus Christ, whose birthday we celebrate at Christmas. Many people are familiar with the birth of Jesus, but what led up to this remarkable event? Before the world was created by God, He set a pln in motion that would affect all mankind. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden (by eating from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil), succumbing to the temptation of Satan, in the form of a snake), all humanity fell into sin as Adam was appointed the head of all mankind. Because the penalty of committing sin was death, we are all born spiritually dead in sin.

Later on, God allowed animal sacrifices by the priests to make atonement for the sins of the people (because without the shedding of blood, no sins could be forgiven). He established the Law (the Ten Commandments), which the people were bound to follow. As we cannot keep the Law, He sent Jesus in the humble form of a baby, in order to fulfill the Law. Jesus, being 100% God and 100% man, lived a sinless life, and as such, was the only perfectly acceptable blood sacrifice that God accepted once and for all to forgive those whom He has called to be His own, to show His mercy on a people who didn't deserve it. Jesus willingly suffered and died an agonizing death on the Roman cross and became sin for His children. He was separated from His Father during that time on the cross, as God cannot look upon sin. After Jesus died, He was placed in a tomb, from which He arose three days later. What a victory! He conquered the last enemy-sin, death, and Satan!!!

Today, He sits at the right hand of God the Father, waiting for the time of His return to Earth to bring His redeemed people back to Heaven to glorify God forever. Those who do not believe in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in a real Hell to suffer the full wrath of a just and holy God. In the meantime, Jesus has left the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Guidance into all truth, to indwell those who believe in Christ, those whom He has brought from death to life, who have been enabled to repent and obey God--ever struggling against sin, but clinging to the Lord and Savior for His help and forgiveness. What an awesome ending for such a meager beginning--a baby, born of a virgin, in a feeding trough with angels heralding His birth to lowly shepherds.