Rajesh

Refugees and the Bible: Part I

January 29, 2017

I have seen several people recently cite OT passages about strangers and foreigners to argue that we need to receive refugees and treat them in the same benevolent ways that Israel was supposed to do with strangers. A thorough examination of Scripture, however, reveals that this argument is not a valid use of Scripture because it does not account for certain specific ways that God’s Law made important distinctions between Israelites and strangers.

Distinctions between Israelites and Strangers

Strangers in Israel were not entitled to be treated exactly as Israelites were in the following specific ways:

1. Taking people as bondmen and how such people were to be treated

Lev 25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.

45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.

46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.

2. Creditors being required to release debts

Deu 15:1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.

2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’S release.

3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;

3. Charging interest on lending

Deu 23:19 Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:

20 Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

These passages from God’s Law that He gave to Israel show that the Bible cannot be used legitimately to argue that the Bible teaches that refugees must be treated in every respect exactly the same way that all Americans are treated.

In Interpretation, Theology

Preaching Four Messages about the Bible and Music!

January 28, 2017

Lord willing, I will be preaching a series of four messages about the Bible and music on March 26! I would appreciate prayers for Spirit-filled skillfulness in preparing for these messages and in preaching them. Thanks in advance to anyone whom God leads to pray for me concerning this preaching series.

In Music, Prayer, Preaching

An Instructive Statement about a Rapist

January 21, 2017

Rape is a horrible crime that should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. I detest rapists with a passion. Having said that, I recently observed something in Genesis 34 that I found to be very instructive concerning what the Bible has to teach us about this subject.

Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, raped Dinah, the daughter of Jacob (Gen. 34:2). After he had defiled her, Shechem became deeply attached to her, loved her, and he wanted to marry her (Gen. 34:3-18).

When Hamor and Shechem approached Jacob’s sons to ask them that they would give her in marriage to him, Jacob’s sons devised a deceitful plan to kill Shechem and all the males of their city because he had defiled their sister (Gen. 34:13) and treated her as a harlot (Gen. 34:31). Not knowing of the evil intent of Jacob’s sons, Hamor and Shechem agreed to their terms (Gen. 34:18).

Writing under divine inspiration, Moses recorded an instructive statement about what then took place:

Gen 34:19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.

Even after Shechem had become a rapist, the Holy Spirit yet chose to speak of something that was still commendable about him: “he was more honourable than all the house of his father.” The Spirit could have phrased this statement so that it read that all the house of his father were more wicked than him, but that is not what He chose to have Moses write.

Based on this divine statement, God seems to teach us that we are to learn that even when someone is a wicked rapist, we are not justified in making him out to be a completely vile person about whom no one should say anything good, even if what would be said was true. I am not saying that we need to look for the good in rapists nor am I saying that we should not say anything bad about them.

What I am saying is that what the Spirit has recorded in Genesis 34 for our profit about how He chose to speak about a rapist must be heeded and has been given for our profit.

In Discipleship, Interpretation, Theology

A Key Truth about the Use of An Instrumental Number in Worship

January 16, 2017

First Corinthians 14 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible concerning divine worship. In that chapter, the apostle Paul provides teaching about musical instruments that reveals a truth that vitally pertains to the use of an instrumental number in worship.

1Co 14:7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?

⁸ For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

These verses explain that a musical instrument, such as a pipe (flute) or a harp, is a nonliving entity that produces sound. For the hearer to know what is played on that instrument, it must produce a distinction in the sounds that it makes.

Paul supports this teaching by giving the example of what was true about the use of a trumpet to alert people to prepare themselves for a battle. Through a question that demands a negative answer, he asserts that no one will prepare himself for a battle if a trumpet gives an indistinct sound.

From this teaching, we understand that a proper use of an instrument in an instrumental number in worship requires that the hearers know what is being played on it by paying attention to the distinct sounds that it makes. Unless, therefore, one is certain that every hearer of an instrumental number in a service will know exactly what the song is that is being played and what all the words of the song are, the words of the song must be provided to the hearers in some manner so that they know what is being played on the instrument.

In Discipleship, Interpretation, Music, Theology

Guitar Music and Audio for “Feliz, feliz, cumpleaños”

January 10, 2017

“Feliz, feliz, cumpleaños” is a very popular Spanish hymn that is widely used to wish God’s blessings on people on their birthdays. The hymn is played using 9 fairly basic chords: C, CM7, D, D7, Dm, Em, F, G, and G7.

This PDF provides the first line of the song, the guitar chords, and chord diagrams for each chord the first time that chord is played in the song. You can practice playing these chords with the following audio of the song:

In Guitar Music, Spanish

Does God Make Comparisons about How Much Faith People Have?

January 3, 2017

Scripture clearly teaches that having faith in God is essential, but many believers likely do not appreciate that Scripture also teaches that God cares about how much faith a believer has:

Mat 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

This remarkable statement by Jesus teaches us that He confronted His disciples with the reality that they were believers “of little faith”! Plainly, Jesus cared about the smallness of their faith and made known that fact to them.

What’s more, Jesus expressed His amazement at how great a faith a certain centurion had:

Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

We must note that Jesus did more than merely state that this centurion was a man of great faith—Jesus said that his faith exceeded the faith of anyone else that He had encountered in Israel to that point! This divine comparison teaches us that God makes comparisons about how much faith people have.

From these two instructive statements of Jesus, let us strive to be people of such great faith among our countrymen so that God marvels, taking note of how much our faith exceeds that of other believers in our country!

In Discipleship, Interpretation, Theology

A People for His Name: Ministry Summary for 2016

December 31, 2016

My ministry this year was greatly blessed by my beginning this year by reading the entire Bible in 59 days! I also made it through the NT this year a second time and read much of the Bible in Spanish.

This year was an especially fruitful year for me in ministering the Bible because I had two new teaching opportunities. I also had many other opportunities to minister, especially in teaching, music ministry, and writing on my blog.

Preaching, Teaching, and Scripture Reading

I had two preaching opportunities this year: prayer meeting at my church, Mount Calvary Baptist in Greenville, SC, and a Sunday morning service in a church in Georgia. Although I had already preached both these messages before elsewhere, preaching them again allowed me to improve both messages substantially.

Two new opportunities to minister were given to me this year in teaching at my church: teaching a combined adult Sunday school class and teaching a 16-week adult Sunday school class in the fall. In addition, I taught Sunday school once at a church in Georgia.

I did the Scripture reading for two morning services at my church. For the first time, I also read Scripture for a morning service in my church’s Spanish ministry.

Music Ministry

I ministered with other instrumentalists in one opener for a service and in two offertories. I accompanied various people singing specials in our Spanish ministry four times this year.

Online, I was able to teach guitar to a developing guitarist overseas who has made encouraging progress in preparing himself for using the guitar for ministry. My teaching guitar this year also included instructing a few students personally.

I also sang with a group of men for a special in our Spanish ministry. I wrote one new Spanish hymn for children this year, “Dios es siempre bueno!”

Other Ministry

Regular participation in neighborhood evangelism this summer and in Spanish evangelism at various times throughout the year afforded me many opportunities to minister Scripture to both believers and unbelievers. I also worked in registration for our annual Neighborhood Bible School.

In our Spanish ministry, I prayed for and took the offering several times. For our Men’s Ministry, I wrote one article for the manual and attended all of our prayer breakfasts.

Tutoring a Seminary student in New Testament Greek for several months this summer provided me with a good opportunity to teach elementary Greek again. By regular participation in two discussion groups on Facebook, I was able to give God’s truths numerous times to lost people and saved people.

I gave a brief devotional at the beginning of the workday nearly every Tuesday this year. I also frequently shared Scriptural truths with my coworkers.

I posted on my blog 77 times in 2016, counting this post. The majority of my posts shared biblical truths that God has given me over the years in my own study of Scripture, which has been the major focus of my blog from the beginning.

I praise the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness to me in allowing me to minister so abundantly in 2016!

In Ministry, Mount Calvary Baptist Music Ministry, Mount Calvary Baptist Pulpit, Music, Preaching, Spanish, Sunday School

Beware Espousing Any Unbiblical Notions about Practitioners of Magic or the Occult

December 30, 2016

God made clear to His people that they were forbidden from having any contact with or participation in magic or in occult practices:

Deu 18:9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

¹⁰ There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

¹¹ Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

¹² For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

¹³ Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.

¹⁴ For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

As believers, we must understand that the Bible never teaches that there is such a thing as a good fairy, witch, wizard, or any other supposedly good practitioner of supernatural arts involving magic or occult practices. All Christians, including especially Christians who immerse themselves in fictitious materials that are filled with such unbiblical notions, must diligently guard their minds so that they do not unwittingly espouse any such unbiblical views as legitimate.

In Discipleship, Interpretation, Theology

What Being Under Grace Does Not Mean for Christian Morality

December 27, 2016

Deuteronomy 22 and 1 Corinthians 5 both address a specific divine prohibition for the morality of believers:

Deu 22:30 A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt.

1Co 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

A comparison of these passages shows that God’s moral requirement for today’s believers who are under grace is no different than what is was for believers in Him who were under the Law—a man must not have intimate relations with his father’s wife! God’s moral standard for His people concerning this prohibition has not changed at all.

In fact, this comparison shows that even Gentiles who live in the age of grace know not to practice such fornication. Christians who assert that being under grace means that such sexual prohibitions in the Law no longer apply to God’s people have a wrong understanding of what being under grace means for Christian morality.

In Discipleship, Interpretation, Theology

On Bloodshed That Pollutes a Land

December 17, 2016

God revealed to Moses that blood that was shed by murdering someone would pollute the land unless the Israelites dealt properly with that bloodshed:

Num 35:30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.

³¹ Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.

³² And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

³³ So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

³⁴ Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.

Based on this sobering revelation, how polluted in the sight of God must all the countries of the world today be because of all the blood that has been shed by murderers in those countries that has not been properly dealt with by punishing the murderers properly!

In Interpretation, Theology

Archives For rajesh

Distinctions between Israelites and Strangers

1. Taking people as bondmen and how such people were to be treated

2. Creditors being required to release debts

3. Charging interest on lending

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Preaching, Teaching, and Scripture Reading

Music Ministry

Other Ministry

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: