Oh say! Friend, it is so good to have your invitation into your home today for Bible study. We are In Search of the Lord's Way to become and to be a Christian. And you have honored us-- oh you have-- with your invitation. We pray we'll both be blessed.
Dr. Andrew Tevington is an assistant pastor at the United Methodist Church of the Servant in Oklahoma City. I have some friends who attend there. He has a column twice a month in the "Religion" section of the Sunday issue of The Daily Oklahoman, our state's largest newspaper. He has titled the column "Our Faiths." I am one of the regular readers of that column. Awhile back he responded to a question from one of the readers about what we in churches of Christ believe. He did a superb job! A few of us, if any of us, could have done any better than he did in the same amount of space. There were a couple of things he said, one of us might have worded a little differently, I don’t know about that; but he was so right in what he said and so kind in the way he said it.
A reader had asked him about the a cappella music in churches of Christ; and Dr. Tevington answered her so well and so kindly-- just in the heading of his newspaper article, which said: "Church of Christ Guided by New Testament." It is enough said. That's it. One reason we offer to God a cappella music in our worship-- instead of drums and steel guitars and keyboards and banjos, and the like is because we're guided by the New Testament. That is our subject of study together today.
If you think you might want a free printed copy, or a CD, or an audio cassette tape of it, simply address your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. By e-mail it is searchtv@searchtv.org. Or, you might find it more convenient to call. And in that case we will pay for the call if you'll use this number: 1-800-321-8633. Got it? 1-800-321-8633. Ken Helterbrand is going to lead us as we sing, then I will be back; and we'll read the Bible and pray together.
In the gospel of John, chapter 4 is the record of Jesus’ conversation with the woman at Jacob’s well. She was a Samaritan woman; and so He discussed some things about her religion. And He also discussed some things about her marriage and her personal life of that kind. We don’t have time to read the whole conversation, but if you would like to read it you can begin reading with verse 1 and read down through the verses that we are going to read through, verses 25 and 26. We are going to read a part of that. Jesus said to her in that conversation, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” We read through verse 24. Now let’s go to God in prayer. Holy Father, we are so thankful to You for the blessings that we have that are spiritual in their nature. And one of them for which we are extremely thankful is the privilege of worship-- expressing our love and our adoration and our reverence for You. And we are thankful, Father, for the instructions that you gave this woman that we can know about true worshipers worshiping the true God. And we pray Your blessings on our study of it today. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Some of you know this is not the study that was announced for today. Please don't call the station and ask them why. I changed it, myself. After the lesson recently about our God being "the living and true God," and after Dr. Tevington’s article, I saw a real need to follow up with a study of "Christian worship" of God and, particularly, the use of music in that worship.
The word most often translated "worship" in our English versions of the New Testament simply means, "to make obeisance to, do reverence to." That would be the verb, of course; but the noun would be an expression of obeisance and reverence. Our modern English word "worship" is from the Old English "worth-ship." And the word in the original language of the New Testament simply means "an act of reverence whether paid to man or to God." So, when Christians assemble to worship, it isn't for the "high" that they receive from it, or the fellowship or the pleasure they "get" from it. They come together to give something to God. They assemble to collectively pay respect and honor to God. They reverence the Almighty, the Holy and the Reverend God.
In the passage that we read for our text, Jesus said three things to the Samaritan woman about worship that are important to us. He said, (1) God is spirit; (2) they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit, and (3) they that worship Him must worship Him in truth. So, let's look at these singularly.
First, as Job said in Job 9:32: "He (with reference to God) is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him. And that we should go to court together." Or, as it's written in Numbers chapter 23, verse 19, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" No, my friend, God is not a man-- or a woman for that matter. Jesus said, "God is Spirit," (not a spirit as the King James Version says), but "God is Spirit."
I am sure it was for that reason that He said next: "that those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit." Then, man's worship of the living and true God must be (not may be, not should be, but it must be) a spiritual exercise of offering as opposed to a carnal offering to God. The worship of God simply can not be an offering that's designed to be pleasing to-- or even dictated by carnal minded men. Carnality is spirituality's greatest hindrance and opposition; therefore, its greatest enemy. Jesus specifically said that the true worship of the one true God will not, indeed it cannot, be tuned to the likes and the dislikes of the unconverted world, or an unspiritual church. True worship is not of the world. It simply must be different from the world. It must edify the spirit of man-- the worshiper. Well, that makes sense, doesn't it? Wouldn't that mean, then, that to bring the world's music into the worship of the church would render that worship unacceptable with God?
Thirdly, in our text, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman that man's worship of God must be "in truth." But hey, what is truth? I have been reading again Os Guinness's book, "Time for Truth." I bought it and read it right after it came out; I believe it was along in the year 2000. But, I saw it on the shelf the other day in my library, and I've been reading it again. And he says, "In a postmodern world, the question no longer is, ‘Is it true?’ but ‘whose truth is it?’ And which power stands to gain?" Well yes, in our present evil world the truth is no longer, "as it really is--or was," as we have always defined it. Now, "truth" is “whatever is in the mind of the most powerful person;" “who can gain the most from it.”
Awhile back I was preaching at a place and in a sermon I had occasion to quote the words of Jesus recorded in Mark chapter 16, verse 16 in the New King James version: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved." Well, after the dismissal, I was challenged: "That is your interpretation!" he said. "No, I am sorry, sir; I didn't interpret it; I quoted the verse as is written in the Bible. "Jesus said: He who believes and is baptized will be saved." "Well, that's just your interpretation." "I beg your pardon, sir; I didn't interpret anything; I only quoted what the Savior said 'He who believes and is baptized will be saved.'" "That is your interpretation!" Well, who was this fellow? Well, undoubtedly he is a postmodernist. And remember, truth to the postmodernist is his viewpoint.
But when Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth," He had a different understanding of "truth" than that. In His prayer to God, Jesus prayed for the apostles, saying, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17). So then, by the authority of Him who said, "All authority is given unto Me in heaven and on earth," God's word is truth, friend. But where are we going to find God's word? Only in the Bible, only in the Bible!
No, no, with all due respect to anyone you might have heard say it; God does not speak directly to man today by dreams or visions or in a whirlwind as He once did. The Bible plainly says, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son..." That is Hebrews 1:1 and 2. And in that prayer in John 17 Jesus said, "I have given to them (meaning the apostles) the words which You (God) have given Me; and they have received them" (meaning, the words). They received the words of God, when they received the words of Christ. That is John 17, verses 6 through 8. Therefore, the teachings of the apostles consist of the word of God which Jesus had taught them for three-and-a-half years. And in John chapter 16, verses 13 and 14 Jesus promised His apostles that "...when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will (1) guide you into all truth; (2) (That is the apostles He is talking to now.) He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak and He will tell you (not every Christian now; not certain special preachers, men or women; but the apostles) things to come." So that, "...scripture never came by the will of man, but holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter chapter 1, verse 21). Now, I have said all that about the inspired revelation of the Scriptures, to help you understand why we respect it as the word of God, the "word of truth" as it is said to be in Ephesians 1:13. We believe that, regardless of how a person feels, he or she is no more a Christian than they possess the character that the New Testament ascribes to a Christian. Likewise, we believe no church (not even one with a sign out in front that says "Church of Christ") is the kind of church that pleases God and Christ and the Holy Spirit any more than it possesses the qualities and characteristics of the church that we read about it in the New Testament.
The music of the church is neither a matter of debate, or preference with me and a lot of us. I believe Christians must worship in the truth of the revealed word of God-- as well as in spirit. And, we believe very strongly that the Scriptures constitute the truth of which Jesus spoke. Anyone who knows just the basics of the Bible knows the New Testament is the book for Christianity. Yes, the Old Testament is inspired of God. Yes, it is! It serves Christians well, with learning, encouragement and hope in the great examples of our relationship with God.
Now what does the New Testament say about the music of the worship of Christians. And that is the question before us today. Concerning a worship assembly of the church, Paul taught with that authority, that apostolic authority that we just studied, "I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding also" (I Corinthians 14:15). In Ephesians 5:18 and 19 he wrote again with the same authority, "Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." To the Colossians he wrote a similar message. He said: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord (by His authority), giving thanks to God the Father through Him." There is one more Scripture. It's Hebrews 13:8 and 9 and verses 14 and 15. It says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, and not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them...For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. Therefore by Him (that is Christ) let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name."
Now, what have we learned from the Scriptures? Well, the music of the New Testament church was vocal, wasn't it? It was "singing." You don't need me to point that out to you. No person who really knows and respects God's word will try to justify drums and keyboards and steel guitars-- the music of the unconverted world in the worship of Christians by New Testament Scriptures.
Yes, the Old Testament worship of the Jews, in that God approved of the use of certain instruments. He even commanded them on certain occasions. So, when the Jews were converted to Christ, as three thousand of them were on Pentecost, and they were "added to His church" in Acts 2:47-- and later, they were accustomed, those who were accustomed to worshiping God with harps and psalteries and timbrels and cymbals and trumpets and with such like as God had commanded them (I Chronicles 13 and 8). Isn't it strange, that if God approved of all of that in Christian worship, He is not specific about it as He was in the Old Testament?
Also, the gentiles, who were idolaters, were accustomed to the use of mechanical instruments in the worship of their idols. But again, when they became Christians, like the Jews did, they must have given up their instrumental music in their worship along with their dead idols -- so as to worship the living and true God in spirit and in truth. I say that with all certainty because there's absolutely no mention of their use of instruments in the worship of any Christians anywhere in the New Testament, friend. Scholars and historians agree that musical instruments had no place in Christian worship for centuries-- some are now saying a thousand years. The total silence of God about its use, either by command or by an example in the New Testament, makes it all the more certain that mechanical music was-- and is-- Divinely unacceptable in the worship of God in the church that Jesus purchased with His own blood, and of which He is the head. Let's pray about it. Father, we want to worship You acceptably. We pray that You do accept our worship; and therefore we offer it in spirit as a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to You, and that we offer it in truth in harmony with Your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Regardless of the denominational affiliation, serious students and teachers of the Bible know that mechanical music in Christian worship is not authorized by God in His word. No Scripture is of any private origin. The Holy Spirit "moved" the writers of all the Bible to write as they did (2 Peter 1:20). Claims to the leading of the Holy Spirit in the choice of mechanical music in the worship of the church forced the Holy Spirit into a position that contradicts and opposes what He says in His word. And some churches believing so are now seeing that the music of the unconverted world has corrupted their worship of God in spirit and in truth. And they are rejecting it.
I know this message will fall on some "itching ears." My friend, I sincerely and lovingly pray your ears are not that kind. You see, this is not "just the tradition of my fathers." They were all members of churches that used instruments; and so I departed from the teaching of my folks on that. My parents believed differently than I do. Yes, I do believe it is a "salvation issue." Some will scoff; and some will mock at the message. But, if just one person listens and that one person is you, it will be worth it, friend. We are "In Search of the Lord's Way in these programs and we pray you are blessed.
If you have need of-- or would like a copy or free CD or an audio cassette tape or a printed copy of this message, simply mail your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. By e-mail the address is searchtv@searchtv.org. And our toll-free telephone number is 1-800-321-8633. Say, I hope you'll visit a church of Christ in the area of this station. Tell them "thanks for the SEARCH program," will you? Come with us next week, too. God bless you. I love you.
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