Music To The Glory of God

I love playing the mandolin. My new Weber F Gallatin is opening up and sounding better-and-better all the time. Someday it will be a great instrument for one of my grandchildren or someone else who wants to play music to the glory of God.

The last couple months I have learned an old fiddle tune titled Cluck Old Hen, and Sunday afternoon the band I play with is providing the music at our towns 100th Birthday Party.

We had a Christian contemporary music duo in church two Sunday's ago. They call themselves Temple Veil. They did a fantastic arrangement of the hymn Jesus Paid It All which I am trying to learn on the acoustic guitar. Theirs is a masterful arrangement where that old classic hymn is brought to life with contemporary instruments. It is really good.

If you play music and you are a believer in Christ, keep playing. Practice. Don't stop. Pick up your instrument(s) everyday. Make playing them part of your lifestyle. If you are a beginner don't give up. Playing music (at first anyway) is very hard, but don't give up. Keep at it. If you are talented enough to write some songs do that to God's glory. Your songs can even be instrumentals.

Martin Luther, one of my spiritual hero's said, "Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world." The only thing that I would ad to that is family and friends (which are tremendous gifts from God as well). But, just imagine the word without music. Now, I can think of a couple genres of music that the world would probably be better off without, but most musical genres at least have some positives qualities.

Luther also said, "Next to theology I give to music the highest place and honor. And we see how David and all the saints have wrought their godly thoughts into verse, rhyme, and song." Music played to the glory of God is a glorious thing. The German reformer thought so highly of music that he said, "The devil does not stay where music is." Now I am sure that he was talking about the hymns and Christian music of his day and his culture. Songs with biblical lyrics, even today, surely would run the devil off the same way that a quoted Bible verse does the same ( Matthew 4:11).

So play, write, sing, and listen to music that is beautiful and magnifies the Lord. I confess I listen to secular music (oldies, classical, old country, bluegrass, music from the 30s, 40s, and early 50s) and yes I switch it off when the lyrics are immoral or are not God honoring. But I'm always drawn back to songs and music that are God-centered and Christ-honoring.

(photo is of Martin Luther playing music in his home with family and friends.)

Your Pastor Has Style!

The first week of February my wife and I were blessed to be able to attend Moody Bible Institute’s (MBI) Founder’s Week Bible Conference in Chicago for the seventh time. Attending that conference always gives us a good spiritual shot-in-the-arm as we return to the work God has called us to.

Each time we plan to attend, I ask God to show me what He wants me to learn. This year I was surprised to have Him teach me that, ”I Have Style.” Stay with me now as you read on.

As I watched and listened to some incredible preachers such as James MacDonald, Erwin Lutzer, Chip Ingram, Haddon Robinson, Josh Moody, James Ford, and Gary Chapman I realized that each of these men have their own preaching style. Maybe you have read some of their books or heard them on Christian radio so you have a sense of what I mean. Over five days Karen and I heard twelve expository sermons preached by pastors and ministry leaders, again, each with their own style. We even watched a taped talk by Joni Earekson-Tada who couldn’t fly in to Chicago because of a snow storm.

Let me tell you what I learned from watching and listening to all of these biblical presentations. God uses all sorts of people with all sorts of styles.

James MacDonald was very dynamic and his sermons were highly interactive with the five-thousand numbered congregation. Josh Moody, who is from London, England read his manuscript as he preached in a very prim and proper English way and explained God’s word to us. James Ford is a black preacher from South Chicago, who, in being true to his culture, was very expressive as he brilliantly taught God’s word. Joni was as gracious as ever as she shared about her struggle with breast cancer last year as well as her ministry of Joni and Friends sending wheel-chairs around the word for the handicapped. Haddon Robinson, in his 80s, in his soft-spoken manner, masterfully told us the story of Hosea, and Chip Ingram’s sermon from Romans 12:1-8 was amazingly practical.

All this to say, again, God uses people with all sorts of personalities and speaking styles. You know what, after I attended MBI Founder’s Week 2011, I am much more comfortable with my own style as an expository preacher.

Christians, this is the reason I have written about this topic. If you are reading this, pray for your pastor and thank God that he exposits God’s word in his own style each Sunday and doesn’t try to be anyone else, because he has style too.