Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Mutagenic Message


Throughout the 6 views book, I've been confronted by a group of authors that believe virtually the same things about worship, the bible, and the responsibility of the believer. The responses that I have read say that the act of corporate worship is designed to have an experience with God, bringing forth this little present of the singer's adoration.
We are commanded in Ephesians and Colossians to sing to each other, and to be thankful to God. The bible says nothing about instrumentation. However, my understanding that the first thing (after initially reconciling to God) we are called to do is live a life faithful to God. If this is not being done by the members of the congregation, then what good is any type of musical setting? The authors agree on an emotional love of God, but have they ever stated that Israel might have been saved by properly fearing God? The people did not have faith in God, and because of that, God kept his side of the covenant, punishing Israel according to their failure to uphold, and disposition to not attempt to change their actions.
And if any who hope to lead and guide a congregation of contemporary Christians to celebrating the crucial faith, let them fear God. And let them fear creating a deformed Christianity. If the people up front are not trembling to properly portray the word of God, then they will leave themselves an opening to warp Christianity.
Faith is a terribly defined word in modern Christianity. Many believe that Faith is believing in what you do not, or can not understand. Some quote Hebrews 11, saying that Faith is the evidence of the unseen, and even take it as far as saying faith empowers God to work, and to continue to exist in the lives of people.
I think that Faith is NOT having a product to return to God, but that Faith is believing that God WILL do as he said that he would. In the records of 1st and 2nd kings, each king was noted for whether or not they feared God. The ones who did, prospered. The ones who did not brought Israel and Judah further into Idolatry, and further into despair. And each time, there was a promise that God had made to Israel in the book of Deuteronomy. God kept his promise, and Israel suffered for not keeping their part of the covenant.
I think that people continue to define their character development by what they choose to pursue. And many who attend corporate worship would walk away and continue a life of sin regardless of what happened up front. Our attempts to engage people and make them comfortable is not the end goal. Christ did not die to moralize the unsaved, but to save the immoral.

1 comment:

  1. Just to clarify, this post was in response to the contemporary worship segment. It was not intended to be aimed towards the Traditionalistic segment. Sorry about any confusion.

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