|
 |
JESUS IS ALIVE | It's true, he really is alive. He is a living God & He loves you and me. |
|
| Welcome |
|
Last updated 8 Jan 2006
|
This is a real letter I've received and my response. (I withheld the name)
Also, the letter is exactly the way I received it, so there are some errors I have left in.
(Sorry if you did not want it put here, but you never answered my e-mail.)
You gave many scriptures to instruments in praise during the bible.
These were all in the old testament, and we are under a new covenant and we are a new testament church.
If we model ourselves after the church examples that we have in the first century,
then we see no instruments being used, just poeple gathering, singing, and preaching.
Also, if we start to accept the instruments of praise use in the old testament,
we must also sacrifice items to them in worship.
So when we gather with those instruments, we need to get some
lambs and sheep and calf, etc. and burn those up,
Oh and we need to build our church buildings under the view of the temple,
since the psalms were written for temple and personal worship.
I'd like to know what you think,(NAME)
Wow,(NAME)
Ok, let me see if I understand your point.
1. You said the New Testament church gathered and sang,
but no instruments were used.
Well that's true. But they also gathered in caves and in underground cities;
hiding from persecution. Had they played loud music they would have been discovered.
2. So you said that if we accept instruments, we must sacrifice items to them.
Why do you say this? What scripture do you use to back this up?
The world today makes all sorts of things their God.
So yes, some make instruments their God.
But some make the computer their God.
Should we ban Christians from the use of computers also?
I'm being sarcastic to prove a point! We can get so legalistic that we lose sight of the greater.
And that is God's love, sharing the message of salvation with the lost.
Now some questions for you.
1. Does your church use a piano, or organ? Most churches do.
Does this mean that these churches are sacrificing items to them?
What makes one instrument OK but another bad?
They're all instruments!
We are also instruments, to be used by God if we allow him,
or to be used by Satan if we allow him.
The instrument itself is not evil, but it is used for good, or evil.
2. I have personally witnessed young men coming to know Christ
because they came to Contemporary Christian Music concerts
where a message was shared.
During invitation young men and women stepped forward to receive Christ.
Is this a bad thing? Isn't this what we are to be about.
Paul wrote in I Corinthians 9:22-23
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak:
I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
23 And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
You might want to start on verse 19, and read through to the end of the chapter.
"I am made all things to all men, that some may be saved.
If we set ourselves apart from the world, as though better than the world,
the world will not see a means of reaching our height." We must show them Jesus!
And his love!
3. You said that we are under the new covenant and we are a new testament church.
Does this mean we can forget about the old testament?
We can throw away our old bibles and carry just the new testament bibles?
If that were all that pertained to us I guess we could, but I think not.
Jesus did not come to do away with the law, but to fulfill the law.
4. Last, but not least.
Are you saying we are not to laugh and sing and make a joyful noise unto the Lord?
Are we to sit on our hands and sleep all day?
(NAME), I thank you for your letter, and hope we can discuss this further.
I love you as a brother in Christ.
Do you mind if I share the contents of this letter with others?
I'll leave you name off if you so desire.
May God bless the reading of the letter, and let his light shine upon you.
Dale