This morning, three of us (2 guitarists and a cellist) accompanied the singing of the Spanish hymn, “Por el Amor de Su nombre.” This glorious song is the Spanish translation of Chris Anderson’s hymn, “For the Sake of His Name.”
With permission from Chris, here is a recording of our ministry this morning:
You can download the sheet music for this hymn here.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Using MuseScore2, an excellent free music notation software, I produced a free PDF of the guitar music for Oh, aldehuela de Belén.
This PDF provides the melody, the first stanza, and the guitar chords to play this Christmas hymn in the key of F. It also provides the chord diagrams for every chord in the song for the first time that you play the chord in the song.
You can practice playing the melody and practice playing the chords along with the melody with this audio of the song:
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Based on the available biblical data, I do not believe that King Solomon is in hell now. If Solomon, however, were in hell now, his being there would have some very important ramifications.
First, if Solomon were in hell, he would be the only person that we know from Scripture was a man who loved God while he was alive (1 Kings 3:3) and yet ended up in hell. Moreover, Scripture tells us that God loved Solomon (2 Sam. 12:24).
In fact, God gave Solomon the name Jedidiah, which means beloved of the Lord (2 Sam. 12:25). We are also told again that God loved Solomon (Neh. 13:26).
Because only regenerate people love God, Solomon’s being in hell today would mean that he went from being a genuinely saved person to being a lost person. Christians who believe that Solomon is in hell must also believe that people who are truly saved can lose their salvation.
Furthermore, if Solomon were in hell, his dying and going to hell would surely be Satan’s greatest success story (of destroying someone who was a believer). Given all the biblical data that we have about Solomon, especially about God’s love for Solomon and Solomon’s love for God, Solomon’s being in hell would mean that Satan has succeeded in ultimately destroying someone that was very special to God.
Second, if Solomon were in hell, he would be the only man that we would know of who wrote Scripture and yet died as an unholy man. If that were the case, then Solomon somehow would have been a holy man of God (2 Pet. 1:21) who became an unholy man.
Because the only way that a man can be a holy man of God is to be a true believer in God, Solomon’s being in hell now would mean that Solomon lost his salvation. Christians who believe that Solomon is in hell must also believe that true believers can lose their salvation.
Third, in direct conversation with God when He appeared to Solomon, Solomon prayed a prayer that truly pleased God (1 Kings 3:10). God was so pleased with Solomon that He gave him not only what he prayed for but also far more than what he prayed for (1 Kings 3:12-13).
Solomon’s prayer is a prime illustration of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33-34). No unsaved person seeks God’s interests above his own—Solomon was a true believer. If Solomon were in hell, he would have had to have lost his salvation, and Christians who believe that he is in hell have to believe that true believers can lose their salvation.
Conclusion
Solomon is not an eternal trophy to the devil’s victory over God in bringing about the eternal destruction of someone whom God loved in a special way. Solomon was a true believer who did not lose his salvation; if Solomon did not repent before he died of his sins that he committed as a believer, God chastened him with death (cf. “many sleep,” [1 Cor. 11:30-32]).
Solomon is not in hell now. We will see Solomon in heaven because of God’s faithfulness to His own.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Pastor Minnick preached last night on 1 Corinthians 12:28a and dealt with a key question: “Who are the Apostles in the Body of Christ?” This post provides some of the key thoughts (as I understood them) that he shared in the message.1
To profit fully from this vital message, you should listen to it fully2 because undoubtedly my notes and this listing of some key ideas from the message provide an inadequate presentation of the truths brought out in it.
1 These five statements are based on my notes from the message; for the most part, they are largely either direct quotes from the message or statements that I derived closely from direct statements made my Pastor Minnick.
2 Who are the Apostles in the Body of Christ? November 08, 2015
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Dios escogió a Jesucristo para ser el que moriría por los pecados del mundo. Él habilitó a Cristo a través del poder de su Espíritu Santo para hacer todo lo que Él hizo. Él le dio la autoridad para hacer todo lo que Él hizo. Cristo viajó alrededor haciendo el bien y sanando a todos los pueblos que el diablo oprimía, porque Dios estaba con Él.
Cristo, el Hijo de Dios, que fue elegido, facultado y autorizado por Dios, nos amó lo suficiente para morir por nosotros en la cruz por nuestros pecados en cumplimiento de lo que Dios prometió sucedería siglos atras. En la cruz, los soldados llegaron a romper sus piernas, pero no lo hicieron porque Él ya estaba muerto. Después de eso, uno de los soldados puso una lanza a través de su lado y sangre y agua salieron de su lado; esto efusión fue una prueba segura de que Él realmente estaba muerto.
Alguien más quitó su cuerpo muerto de la cruz y preparó su cuerpo para el entierro envolviéndolo con 75 libras de tela de lino y especias. Luego Él fue enterrado en una tumba. En la boca de la tumba, rodaron una enorme roca. Después, la tumba fue sellada con un sello a todo su alrededor. Finalmente, los guardias romanos, que bajo amenaza de muerte habían sido mandados para custodiar la tumba, se colocaron alrededor de la tumba.
Al tercer día, el Padre a través de Su Espíritu levantó a su Hijo de entre los muertos. Jesucristo de la descendencia de David, fue resucitado de entre los muertos en cumplimiento de lo que Dios había predicho y prometido se llevarían a cabo hace siglos.
Muchas personas diferentes en diferentes momentos durante un período de 40 días vieron a Aquel que era el Hijo de Dios con poder. Apareció a aquellas personas a quienes Dios había escogido específicamente y que de antemano iban a ver a su hijo después de que Él había resucitado de entre los muertos.
Ese Cristo resucitado se apareció a las personas cuyas vidas cambiaron para siempre después de que ellos lo vieron vivo después de muerto. Se le apareció a Pedro, que pocos días antes había negado tres veces que lo conocía. Sin embargo, poco después se le apareció a Pedro, Pedro estaba predicando valientemente su resurrección.
Cristo apareció entonces a los Doce, y poco después de ese aparición, todos ellos fueron testigos de su resurrección de entre los muertos. Después de eso, más de 500 personas vieron ese Cristo resucitado, al mismo tiempo. La mayor parte de ellos todavía estaban vivos cuando los apóstoles predicaban que Dios lo había resucitado de entre los muertos. Si hubieran querido hacerlo, las personas hubieran podido consultar con ellos para ver si realmente habían visto a Cristo vivo de entre los muertos.
Jesús se apareció por último al Apóstol Pablo. Él no estaba buscando a Cristo antes de ese punto. Después de que Dios estuvo complacido en revelar a su Hijo a Pablo un día, él dio su vida entera a decirle a la gente la buena noticia de que Jesucristo había resucitado de entre los muertos. Pablo pasó de ser un perseguidor de los cristianos a ser un predicador de Cristo por el hecho de que Cristo se le apareció a Pablo después de que Dios le había resucitado de entre los muertos.
Lo que todas las autoridades judías y romanas habrían tenido que hacer para detener la propagación del cristianismo habría sido proporcionar el cuerpo. Habrían destruido ese movimiento infantil si hubieran sido capaces de producir el cuerpo. Ellos, sin embargo, no pudieron hacerlo porque su cuerpo no estaba allí. Él había resucitado de entre los muertos, así como Él prometió que lo haría!
Dios exige a todos en todas partes, que ya no piensen por más tiempo que Él es como los numerosos objetos de culto que los hombres a través de la imaginación y el arte han hecho de oro, plata, piedra, y otras cosas. Ahora manda a todos en todos los lugares a que se arrepientan y crean su Evangelio acerca de su Hijo, Aquel a quien Él ha hecho Señor y Cristo.
Dios ordena a este arrepentimiento y la fe en el Cristo resucitado por lo que ha establecido un día en el cual se va a juzgar a los vivos y a los muertos a través de ese hombre a quien designó, Su Hijo, el Cristo de Dios. Dios ha señalado ese Cristo ha ser el Juez de vivos y muertos, y Él ha aportado la prueba a todos los hombres que Él va a juzgar a todas las personas a través de ese hombre con haberlo levantado de los muertos.
Porque Dios ha hecho todo esto, Él manda a la gente a cambiar por completo su forma de pensar acerca de Él y a hacer obras de acondicionamiento para el arrepentimiento. Él quiere que ellos se arrepientan y sean bautizados en el nombre de Jesucristo para el perdón de los pecados. Él es el Señor de todos.
El Padre envió a su Hijo, Jesucristo, para ser el Salvador del mundo. Él hizo a Jesús, que no conoció pecado, pecado por nosotros, para que nosotros fuésemos hechos justicia de Dios en Él. A través de Él, Dios quiere que usted sea reconciliado consigo mismo.
Jesús está vivo hoy y quiere salvarte. Como Juez y Salvador, Él te salvará si se va a arrepentir, creer en el evangelio, y confesarlo como Señor. Cualquier persona que invoque el nombre del Señor Jesucristo, será salvo.
Llamalo a Él como Señor, creyendo que Dios le levantó de los muertos, y pidanle por el perdón de todos sus pecados!
(Trasladado con la ayuda de Google Translate y Daniela Medina.)
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Some, perhaps even many, believers think that Solomon died and went to hell because they hold that the Bible never says that he repented of his great sinfulness. I have previously argued that for many biblical reasons Solomon did not perish eternally.
This post provides yet another reason to believe that Solomon is not in hell. A comparison of the biblical data about Samson versus Solomon shows that it is not true that Samson is in heaven but Solomon is in hell.
Scripture records plainly that Samson sinned repeatedly, including defiling himself by eating honey from the carcass of a dead lion (Judg. 14:8-9), going into a harlot (Judg. 16:1-3), and taking his own revenge (Judg. 16:28-30). No mention is made of his repenting of any of these sins before he died.
Even though the inspired record of Samson’s life records his sinning repeatedly, does not ever mention that he repented, and says that “the Lord was departed from him” (Judges 16:20), Samson is mentioned by name in Hebrews 11 as a man of faith. We can be certain, therefore, that Samson was a believer and that he went to heaven when he died even though we have no record of his repenting of his sins as a believer before he died.
Like Samson, Scripture records much about the sinfulness of Solomon (1 Kings 11) and does not directly and unambiguously record that he repented of his sins (cf., however, Ecclesiastes, which may be an inspired record of his repentance). Because Samson went to heaven when he died even though Scripture does not record that he repented of his sins, the lack of mention of Solomon’s repenting before he died does not prove that he died and went to hell because he never repented.
Based on the above comparison of the available biblical data concerning Samson and Solomon, we have no basis for holding that Samson is in heaven but Solomon is in hell. For that reason and for at least nine other biblical reasons, we can be certain that Solomon did not perish eternally.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
I have been studying NT Greek for many years now. In the past several years, I have been learning Spanish so that I can preach and teach in Spanish churches.
I recently got the idea of using my understanding of NT Greek to help me learn more Spanish. This approach has proven to be helpful for understanding certain uses of Spanish words that I was not able to figure out using my Spanish dictionary or grammar books.
By looking at the Greek for several passages that in my Spanish Bibles begin with acaso used with an indicative verb in a question, I was able to figure out that this use of acaso signifies a question that expects a negative answer.
For example, Matthew 7:16 reads as follows in the Reina Valera Revised 1960 (R60) and in Scribner’s 1894 Greek New Testament (SCR):
R60 Mat 7:16 Por sus frutos los conoceréis. ¿Acaso se recogen uvas de los espinos, o higos de los abrojos?
SCR Mat 7:16 ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς· μήτι συλλέγουσιν ἀπὸ ἀκανθῶν σταφυλὴν, ἢ ἀπὸ τριβόλων σῦκα;
In this verse, ¿Acaso se recogen . . .? is the Spanish rendering of μήτι συλλέγουσιν . . . ; In the Shorter Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, this verse is directly cited in the entry for μήτι:
μήτι interrogative particle in questions that expect a negative answer, often left untranslated, but cf. μήτι συλλέγουσιν surely they do not gather . . . do they? Mt. 7:16;
I think a literal translation of the R60 of Matthew 7:16 would be something along these lines: “By their fruits you will know them. (Surely) grapes are not gathered from hawthorns, are they? Or, figs from burs of a plant?” and the expected answer to both questions is “No.”
John 7:48 provides another example of this use of acaso in a question:
R60 Joh 7:48 ¿Acaso ha creído en él alguno de los gobernantes, o de los fariseos?
SCR Joh 7:48 μή τις ἐκ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτόν, ἢ ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων;
Based on the Greek of this verse, I would translate the R60 as follows: “Not any from the rulers or the Pharisees have believed in Him, have they?” Again, the expected answer is “No.”
James 3:11 also features acaso in a question to signify that a negative answer is expected:
R60 Jam 3:11 ¿Acaso alguna fuente echa por una misma abertura agua dulce y amarga?
SCR Jam 3:11 μήτι ἡ πηγὴ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὀπῆς βρύει τὸ γλυκὺ καὶ τὸ πικρόν;
My translation of the Spanish of this verse: “(Surely) a fountain is not putting forth from the same opening sweet water and bitter water, is it? No.”
These three examples show how understanding NT Greek can help with learning Spanish!
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Scripture provides at least 11 passages that give devoted believers a solid biblical basis to hold that God desires that His people today would worship Him corporately in the morning and the evening on the Lord’s Day. These passages may be divided into three major groups.
Exo 29:39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:
Lev 6:20 This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.
1Ch 16:40 To offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the LORD, which he commanded Israel;
2Ch 2:4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
2Ch 13:11 And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.
2Ch 31:3 He appointed also the king’s portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the LORD.
Ezr 3:3 And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
1Ch 9:33 And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night.
Psa 92:1 <A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.> It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
These passages shows that Scripture repeatedly testifies to the importance of divine worship taking place both in the morning and in the evening. Based on this evidence, it is inconceivable that God doesn’t care whether His people today in their local churches worship Him corporately only once on the Lord’s Day versus worshiping Him both in the morning and in the evening on the Lord’s Day.
God has given us these passages (as well as other passages) to provide a pattern for His people to worship Him both in the morning and in the evening on His special day, the Lord’s Day. Churches should have both morning and evening worship services on the Lord’s Day!
One other passage also attests to the importance of morning and evening worship of God by presenting how a king of Judah perverted divine worship by having that worship offered on a copy of a pagan altar that he had made:
2Ki 16:15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
A young guy and a young girl meet and fall head-over-heels in love with each other. They are both free to spend time with each other on Saturday mornings and evenings every week. One of them wants to be with the other both times but the other thinks that it’s enough to see the other once on each Saturday, either in the morning or in the evening.
What would we think about the difference between these two? Would we not think that the one who wants to be with the other both times has a greater desire to spend time with and be together with the other person than the one who only wants to be together once even though they could be together both in the morning and in the evening?
God loves His own with a perfect and infinite love and delights in communing with them and desires that they worship Him. Does God care when some groups of believers meet morning and evening on the Lord’s Day because they want to meet together to worship Him as much as they can but other groups of believers think that meeting together once on the Lord’s Day is enough?
Does frequency of corporate worship matter to God?
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Many churches that once had regularly scheduled prayer meetings have discontinued those services altogether. Some churches now meet in small groups instead of having a corporate prayer meeting at their churches.
For several biblical reasons, regardless of whether they also meet in small groups at other times, churches should have regularly scheduled corporate prayer meetings.
After the Resurrection of Jesus, a key group of believers were gathered together in one place and all “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14). The Holy Spirit later birthed the Church when on the day of Pentecost He came on believers who “were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1).
Because the Church was born through God’s moving upon believers who had devoted themselves to praying together in one place, churches today that have regularly scheduled corporate prayer meetings continue in the legacy of Pentecost in a way that churches who do not have such meetings do not.
During His incarnation, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God, acted forcefully to cleanse from the temple of God those people who were defiling it (Mark 11:15-16). On that occasion, He taught that it was written that God’s house would be called of all nations “the house of prayer” (Mark 11:17).
Christ obviously greatly valued the temple’s having that designation by all nations! It is unthinkable, then, that God would want that testimony to have ended with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.
On the contrary, we would rightfully expect that God would act so that people of all nations would yet have the opportunity to call His house the house of prayer. When Jesus commissioned His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, how would that opportunity be best extended to the people of all nations?
Pauline teaching in 1 Timothy answers that question decisively. Paul taught Timothy that the Church was “the house of God” (1 Tim. 3:15). He also commanded Timothy that corporate prayer was to have vital importance in the churches of God (1 Tim. 2:1-8).
Based on Jesus’ teaching about the house of God, Paul’s declaring to Timothy that the Church of Jesus Christ is the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15), and his instruction that corporate prayer have a vital place in the Church of God (1 Tim. 2:1), local churches most assuredly should be houses of prayer! As the house of God, local churches should maintain a vital testimony to their community and the world that they are houses of prayer—they should have at least one stated regular prayer meeting that affords anyone who would desire to do so the opportunity of coming to God’s house and rightfully calling it a house of prayer because they experience the primary importance that those believers place upon such prayer meetings!
Paul teaches believers that when they assemble together corporately in one place and all minister together, they put themselves in the position of having God use them effectively to bring people to worship Him in a way that their gathering non-corporately does not put them (1 Cor. 14:23-25; see this post for an exposition of this vital truth). Because churches are the houses of God, they should maximize their usefulness to God as His houses of prayer in all nations by having regularly scheduled corporate prayer meetings that He can use in the lives of needy people!
The regularly scheduled corporate prayer meetings of a local church continue the legacy of Pentecost and furnish people with the opportunity to be in God’s houses of prayer in a way that small groups do not. Such corporate prayer meetings allow the believers of a local church to be used by God to minister in the lives of people uniquely in a way that small groups do not!
Although small groups that meet for Bible study and prayer undoubtedly on many occasions benefit many of the believers who meet in that way, they are not corporate prayer meetings of a local church. For all the reasons presented above, churches should not discontinue their regularly scheduled corporate prayer meetings or replace them with small groups!
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Rajesh Gandhi holds a Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation from Bob Jones Seminary; he's a long-time member of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, SC.
