Response to "Studies in the Cross of Christ Lesson 4"
(Question on Instrumental Music)
Click here to see Lesson
4
I would like to use your study in a Bible
study with our friends. We used to go to a church of
Christ so I understand the language in the study, but what does instrumental
music have to do with the cross?
If you had truly been to the hill and spent
time with Christ while he hung there for you and had asked Him what he
thought of instrumental music and I am sure you would find that this subject
does not belong in your Church of
Christ study of the Cross.
I went up the hill and never was the type of
music being played on Sunday ever mentioned as being important. I
think your study would be far more effective if you pull your Church of
Christ views out of the Study of the Cross. I would still like use your
study but I would like to pull out the legalistic
Church of
Christ stuff that hinders the Gospel and is killing His church.
Stacy
My Response
Dear
Stacy,
I want to
thank you for your request to use my home class material: “Studies in
the Cross of Christ.” I actually encourage teachers to made changes to the
outlines so that it can taught in the most effective way. If you wish, I can
send attachments of these studies in word format so that you may edit them
as you see fit.
You ask
me the question: “what does instrumental music have to do with the Cross of
Christ?” I believe that everything I do and everything I teach should
ultimately come from the cross of Christ. Truly, as you have said, I must
have “been to the hill and spent time with Christ while he hung there for
you” before I do anything else. I must daily take up our cross and follow
our Lord (Lk 9:23-24).
At the
cross I learn to be crucified, I come to see my complete spiritual
destitution and, as a result, I allow Jesus to become my Lord. Because His
grace has cleansed me from my sin, I now can walk with the Lord and continue
to be forgiven as I walk in the light (Acts
2:38, 1 Jn 1:7-9).
This is the foundation from which I then allow Jesus to direct me in every
thought and action in my life. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”
(Col 3:17). When I cease to let the Lord be first in my teachings and
in my life, then I have moved away from the cross.
Just as
Jesus taught His disciples, He teaches us. He did not give all instruction
to His disciples on any one occasion. He did lay the foundation of
repentance and of His Lordship, but other things were taught on that
foundation over time. Consider His great commission. ”And Jesus
came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I
have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of
the age” (Mt 28:19-20).
“All things” are issues of Jesus being my Lord and thus “all
things” are tied to the cross. When we try to have one (the relationship
from the Cross), without the other (His Lordship), we have moved away from
the Cross. We cannot have the benefits of the Cross without Jesus also being
Lord in my life. “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the
things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).
Look at how the apostle Paul made the
controversy over circumcision a Cross issue! Because of Jesus’ death
on the Cross, the Old Law was not to be bound upon Christians (Col 2:14-17). In the
churches of Galatia, as well as in other churches, Jewish Christians were
demanding that Gentile males be circumcised because of the teaching of the
Old Law. When we listen to our Lord, we find that He gave no such law
(Acts 15:24), and as a result I
cannot give into the pressure from those teachers that demanded it.
Are man-made laws and forms of worship of no consequence since they are not
specifically mentioned at the Cross or, as you have put it, when “I went up
the hill”? Are all religious controversies placed in the realm of not “being
important” because of the events of the Cross? I believe this kind of
reasoning is foreign to the demands of the Cross. Again, hear the Apostle
Paul: “And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still
suffer persecution? Then the offense of the Cross has ceased” (Gal
5:11) and “As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these
would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer
persecution for the Cross of Christ” (Gal
6:12).
Stacy,
all of these things teach us that we should open our Bibles and see what the
Lord has taught on any given subject. Those who live in the shadow of the
cross will do so. Do you realize that we have yet to do that on the question
of instrumental music? We have not examined even one verse on that subject.
Please be careful that you do not develop a line of reasoning that closes
the Bible on any given subject rather than opening it. Philosophical
arguments may sound good at first, and they may be intimidating to some, but
in the end they fail to actually address the word of God where the only
right answers can be found.
The
day before you sent me this e-mail I had preached on the subject
“Instrumental Music and the Cross of Christ.” I honestly had addressed these
very issues before you wrote this timely e-mail! Here are the links
to the material:
Outline
http://www.uvachurch.com/Sermons/InstrumentalMusicAndTheCrossOfChrist.pdf
Audio
http://www.uvachurch.com/Audio/InstMusicCrossOfChrist.mp3
PowerPoint
http://www.uvachurch.com/PowerPoint/InstrumentialMusicAndTheCrossOfChrist.ppt
I will be
praying for your success in your studies with others about the Cross of
Christ!
In Christian Love,
Larry Rouse
Question on Christmas
IS CHRISTMAS CHRIST BIRTHDAY?
Brenda
Mark's Response
Dear Brenda,
Thanks for your question: IS
CHRISTMAS CHRIST BIRTHDAY? Thank you also for visiting our web
site (www.cvillechurch.com)
and for your interest in spiritual matters.
The Bible does not give the exact
date, month, or year of when Christ was born. Many people believe that He
was born at “zero” B.C. since B.C. means before Christ. Actually, Christ was
born somewhere between 7 and 4 B.C. (A monk named Dionysius Exiguus at the
request of the emperor made a new calendar to supersede the old Roman
calendar, yet made a mistake when he tried to harmonize the two calendars).
We may assume that when Christ
was born, the climate or weather was milder than the wintertime because of
the shepherds keeping their sheep in the field and spending the night
watching them (Luke 2:8). The Jews typically sent out their flocks in
mountainous and desert areas during the summer months and would bring them
in during the latter part of October or early November when it started to
get colder. Thus, we may conclude that Jesus was born during the spring or
summertime, much earlier in the year than the month of December.
There is no way to determine what
exact day and month of the year Jesus was born. If it was truly important to
know this, God in His word would have revealed it:
Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret
things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed
belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of
this law.”
If we were truly obligated to
celebrate Christ's birthday, God would not only have given us the date of
His birth in Scripture, He would have also commanded us to do so (which He
did not). It is interesting to note that none of the apostles ever
celebrated the birthday of Christ and neither did the Christians of the
first centuries observe His birthday as an annual, religious observance.
What the Bible does teach us to
observe is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We observe it first
of all, when we come to the Lord to become Christians and have our sins
forgiven by being baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38). Baptism represents the
death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (See Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:11-12). As
Christians, we observe His death, burial, and resurrection every first day
of the week by partaking of the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7; cf. 1 Cor.
11:23-28). We can of course remember His sacrifice everyday of our lives and
rejoice in the accomplishments of our Savior who died for our sins and
gained victory over death so that we may have life eternal.
Thanks for your question!
Please don’t hesitate to write us again with any more questions you may
have.
In Christian Love,
Mark Larson
Mark E. Larson
1617 Brandywine Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22901
markelarson@adelphia.net
www.cvillechurch.com
Response to Local Newspaper Ad "A World Without Jesus"
Sir,
Do you really believe that those who do not believe in
Jesus have no morals? Do you think all the Jews, Moslems, and Hindus
of the world have no morals If you think those who do not accept
Jesus live with no meaning to life then you are truly part of the American
Taliban. This kind of intolerance for others is why our brave children
are fighting and dying in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Shame on you for disrespecting the very values of
religious tolerance that were sacred to our founding fathers including a
fellow Virginian, Thomas Jefferson. If you were really true to the teachings
of Jesus you would not encourage such blatant intolerance on the part of
your followers. People who follow such ignorant teachings are the same kind
of people who fly planes into buildings to kill "non-believers" .
Shame on you - you do not represent the America that I believe in -
Christian or otherwise. It's unfortunate that you give those of us who
believe in freedom another reason to be ashamed of those who claim to speak
for us in Virginia - much like the shameful, un-American statements of
Virgil Goode. Maybe we should take your beliefs one step further and
have all non-believers rounded up and put into camps.
What do you think ?
Mike & Toby
Charlottesville, VA
Larry's Response
Dear
Mike,
I want to
thank you for taking time to respond to our short newspaper ad “A World
Without Jesus” that ran in the Daily Progress. I never intended to suggest
in the article that “those who do not believe in Jesus have no morals.” I
would join with you in opposing that view! Let me explain what I was
attempting to communicate in the ad.
As a
Christian, I believe that the historical Jesus was God “in the flesh”
(Jn 1:1-3, 14). Hence, if there was no Jesus, then there would be no
God. I wanted then to examine a world where there was no God, no
Bible (or any other revelation of His will) and thus no moral restraint
given from God. In this very hypothetical premise, I then explained the
consequences.
Most
world religions would accept the conclusions that I made, i.e. that if there
was no God then the world would descend into chaos and immorality. In the
Bible there is a description of the loss of morality when men turn from God
(Rom 1:17-32).
I am
trying to point others to examine the evidence for the existence of God and
then to encourage them to find His word. I believe there is a desire in
every man to know our creator. I do, however, acknowledge that men have
perverted that innate desire of man to seek God into a source of much evil.
When we have the Taliban, suicide bombers, and mind-controlling cults, then
we can see how any religion can be perverted. Some of our church members
previously lived in Saudi Arabia and experienced this mindless use of
religion to enslave men and promote a political structure. I would
also join with you in opposing such.
As a
Christian I do not believe my efforts are best spent in the pursuit of
politics and specific political candidates. I will pray for whoever enters
into public office (1 Pt
2:13-17).
I am a
relative newcomer to this area. From my observations many here take their
politics more seriously than religion. In Alabama, the state where I moved
from, many take college football more seriously than religion! It is my goal
to leave those things for others to dispute.
If you
wanted to reread the ad it is posted on my blog here:
http://larryrouse.blogspot.com/2006/10/world-without-jesus.html
Also, if
you wish to examine what we teach then we have a website with all of our
sermons and classes posted here:
www.cvillechurch.com
I again
thank you for your response, and hope that you will have a different
perspective concerning what I was trying to communicate. These short ads are
a real challenge to clearly communicate a message.
Please
let me know if you have any other questions!
In
Christian Love,
Larry
Rouse
Question on Hebrews 10:25
Hi!
First, I would like to say I enjoy your website! My question to you is:
"What does the Bible verse Hebrews 10:25 mean to you?" The work "forsake"
has cause a big discussion at our Bowling Green Church of Christ. I am very
interested in hearing what your congregation feels about this..... I
personally think that "forsake" means "to leave completely" others believe
it means to miss a Worship service or Bible Study.
Thank you for your time!
Valerie
Mark's Response
Dear Valerie,
I am very glad to hear that you enjoy our website for
the North Charlottesville church of Christ. Letting us know is a great
encouragement to us.
You asked: “What does the Bible verse Hebrews 10:25
mean to you” in connection to the issue of attending the worship services
with special emphasis on learning the true meaning of the word forsake in
dealing with this subject. Let’s first look at the passage:
Heb 10:24-25 (KJV) 24 And let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and
so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
“Not forsaking” is a command that Christians are
expected by God to keep. Therefore, we should want to know for sure (as you
do), it means to forsake. Forsaking of Heb. 10:25 comes from the same
Greek word used in Matthew 27:46: “About the ninth hour Jesus cried
out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY
GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?"
Forsaken comes from the Greek word egkataleipo:
1. to abandon, desert, i.e. to leave in straits, leave helpless,
(colloquial, leave in the lurch) ... 2. to leave behind among, to leave
surviving” - Thayer's Greek Lexicon.
Five out of the nine times the Greek word egkataleipo
is found in the New Testament are quotations from the Old Testament. Thus,
the Greek Old Testament translation (the Septuagint) is helpful to our
understanding. Most often, it translates the Hebrew word azab forsake
which has the meaning “to loosen ties, to give out,” or “be left defenseless
in the hands of an enemy” (that last definition, by the way, is the
way Jesus was “forsaken” by God and not abandoned.). There is nothing
inherent in the word forsake to suggest to what degree or extent
neglect or desertion has taken place. The context is only way to
determine this.
If forsaking the assembling of ourselves together
means total abandonment of the practice (or to leave it completely), how
could the Hebrew writer say “as it the habit (or manner) of some”? A habit
or manner (from ethos) is something that has become a custom or regular
practice in our life. The word forsaking, as used in Heb. 10:25, cannot be
referring to total abandonment of the practice, for how is it possible to be
in the habit of something you no longer do? Some of the brethren had become
accustomed to neglecting the practice of assembling themselves with
their brethren (To what extent they neglected the practice we do not know).
That is why the Hebrew writer wrote of the importance of “exhorting one
another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Neglecting
the assembling of ourselves together can cause us to become unfaithful and
as a result unprepared for the Lord’s coming. Therefore, we need to
encourage those who miss worship services and Bible classes and be sure to
emphasize the spiritual value and eternal importance of assembling ourselves
together.
When referring to Hebrews 10:25, some brethren often
say “do not forsake the assembly” yet the passage says “do not
forsake the assembling of ourselves together.” What is the
difference? Assembly is a noun and if we say “do not forsake the assembly”
it gives the impression we are speaking of one particular assembly. Perhaps
this is why too many brethren emphasize the morning assembly above other
assemblies of the church and attend the morning service while excusing
themselves from other times of assembly. The text says “assembling” - a
verb, denoting a continual practice or manner. Thus, it is not just
one assembly of the church that we are not to forsake, but rather it is
the practice of assembling we are not to forsake.
How do we know when we are guilty of forsaking (or
neglecting) the assembling of ourselves with other Christians? Certainly, it
is not determined quantitatively only or by the mere numbers in an
attendance record. While those numbers can be quite revealing, they do not
explain everything. Sometimes brethren miss for legitimate reasons such as
sickness. Other times, brethren may have to miss occasionally because of
their work, even though they do everything they can to get out of working on
the Lord’s Day. One church with whom I worked had many members who were
shift workers at a factory, the main source of income for their families.
Many times, they had to choose between attending in the morning or the
evening service, depending on the shift given to them. Others have careers
that may call one to duty in emergency situations (e.g., law enforcement,
physicians, etc.) and may have to miss a service occasionally.
If the reasons we do not assemble ourselves
together are illegitimate, then certainly we are guilty of the sin of
neglecting (or forsaking) the practice. What are some reasons why
brethren forsook their assembling with other Christians in the first
century? The most likely reason was due to the persecution they experienced.
Note the context of the passage (Heb. 10:24-25; cf. 32-34). Yet, rarely is
this the reason why brethren forsake today. This is a sad irony when
sticking to the context of Hebrews 10:25! Instead of persecution, brethren
forsake for many shameful reasons such as a lack of planning ahead (Prov.
27:1), the failure to prioritize and put God first (Mat. 6:33; 1 John
2:15-17), a lack of love for the Lord (Mat. 22:37) (Giving only the absolute
minimum in attendance is not loving God with all your heart.), an immaturity
in Christ (1 Cor. 3:1-3), a richness toward self, not God (Luke 12:15-21)
(e.g., career elevated above spiritual things, covetousness), and
selfishness (Phil. 2:4; 1 Thes. 5:14). Brethren are often self-centered when
they are absent; failing to realize that assembling is not primarily a
self-interest activity. First God, then our brethren, then self should be
the order. If only brethren understood how their absence affects others!
Just as the first century Christians “continued
steadfastly” in the acts of worship (Acts 2:42), we are to be devoted to
assembling ourselves together. Fulfilling the command of Heb. 10:25 is not
accomplished by numbers alone, but also by the attitude and commitment that
we bring. This leads to the great importance of saints assembling themselves
together: We assemble in order to please God because it is a command (Heb.
10:25). If we truly love the Lord, we will keep His commandments (John
14:15). Secondly, it is also an opportunity to worship God, a practice and
preparation for Heaven itself! (Heb. 13:15; Rev. 4:1-11). Furthermore, it is
a chance to encourage and build up one another, helping each other be
faithful until the end (Heb. 10:24-25; cf. 1 Cor. 14:26). It is a wonder
then why some Christians forsake the assembling of themselves with other
brethren as they do.
I hope my comments will be helpful to your study on
this issue. Please let me know your thoughts. Also, please don’t hesitate to
write us again with any questions or comments that you have. Thanks for the
feedback!
In Christian Love,
Mark Larson
