Discipleship | A People for His Name

Demons, Supernatural Evil, and Occult Music

January 18, 2025 — Leave a comment

Satan and his demons exist—they are real. They are incorrigibly evil.

Satan and his demons are spirit beings in ways that humans as spirit beings are not and never will be.

Satan and his demons have experienced realities that no humans on their own have ever experienced or will ever experience. They have knowledge that no humans on their own have ever had or will ever have. They have powers, abilities, and capabilities that no humans on their own have ever had or will ever have.

Because of all these truths about Satan and his demons, evil that is the result of direct or indirect demonic activity is of a supernatural character that other forms of evil are not.

Occult activities, therefore, are supernatural evil activities that are of a distinctively different character than other evil activities.

In keeping with all the preceding points, we must not approach music that is of the occult in the same ways that we approach other music. The supernaturally evil aspects of such music require us to categorically reject all music that is distinctively of the occult.

In CCM, Music, Theology

Bible Reading Report for 2024

January 1, 2025 — Leave a comment

I praise God that I was able to read the entire Bible in 2024! God has now graciously allowed and empowered me to read through the Bible at least once every year for all 35 years of my Christian life!

In addition, I read through Isaiah, Daniel, and the entire NT twice. I also read through the Psalms once and sang through every word of Psalms 1-100!

The books that I read through more than twice in 2024 were Ephesians (6x), Colossians (5x), James (4x), and Jude (3x).

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving us your perfect Word and for giving me the freedom to freely read it again and again, year after year!

In Bible reading

Finished Singing through Psalms 1-100!

December 30, 2024 — 2 Comments

Earlier this year, I decided to do something that I had never done before. I was going to sing through the entire book of Psalms word-for-word.

This project has been an interesting experience. Without using any hymnbooks or music, I began singing through each Psalm.

I tried to sing every word of each Psalm as best as I could without any concern for whether I was following any specific musicological principles or guidelines of singing. I tried to vary how I sang the verses in a way that seemed to me to fit what each verse said.

This morning, I made it through Psalm 100! As God directs, I intend to continue singing through the Psalms until I finish the book.

In Discipleship, Music

Peter Masters on the Dangers of Contemporary Christian Music

December 26, 2024 — Leave a comment

Throughout the world contemporary Christian music has captured countless churches, absorbing them into the domain of semi-charismatic, worldly evangelicalism. Sometimes the preaching has largely remained sound, but for how long now that the worship ethos of such churches has so dramatically changed? Whether its victims realise it or not, the contemporary worship movement is the instrument of the hour to pull down both the conduct and the doctrinal walls of Zion. How the arch-enemy of the churches of Christ and of human souls will be straining to speed on such a catastrophe! . . .

Even the partial adoption of contemporary worship will inevitably constitute a bridge to the total acceptance of ‘Christian’ rock culture. Composers and writers of ‘sounder’ modern genre songs say themselves that their primary aim is to draw conservative churches into the fold of Christian rock, and also to hasten ecumenical advance.

—Peter Masters, “Worship or Entertainment?,” 95-96

In CCM, Christian Books, Music, Quotes

Is This Legitimate Argumentation, Sound Reasoning, and Sound Doctrine about Music?

November 23, 2024

Musics “o,” “p,” and “q” are special because they are the musics of people “m” who suffered greatly at the hands of people “n.”

All Christians who are of people “n” or are in the countries or regions of the world where people “n” are ascendant must accept musics “o,” “p,” and “q” as fully pleasing and acceptable to God because they are the musics of oppressed and brutally afflicted people “m.”

Any attempts to critique or reject musics “o,” “p,” and “q” on the basis of biblical, musicological, historical, or any other considerations are undeniable evidence of sinful partiality or respect of persons against people “m.”

Is this legitimate argumentation, sound reasoning, and sound doctrine about music?

In Discipleship, Music, Theology

A Test Case for Proper Hermeneutics of Details in Narrative Passages

November 22, 2024

I hold that many Christians do not profit from the Bible the way that God wants them to because they mishandle various details in narrative passages.

This mishandling has led to what I believe is a very widespread deficiency in understanding and accepting sound doctrine about anthropology, demonology, and hamartiology. Acts 13 has a passage that serves as a good test case for my views about this serious problem.

Acts 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: 7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Some approach the book of Acts by asserting that we do not get our doctrine from Acts. Having this wrong understanding in mind, they likely have never profited from the vital information that the Spirit has revealed in this passage.

What does this passage teach us about sound doctrine about anthropology, demonology, and hamartiology?

In Discipleship, Interpretation, Theology

Learning from Supernaturally Directed Creation and Soundings of Musical Instruments

November 11, 2024

God directed the Israelites to make two trumpets—this, therefore, was not independent cultural musical activity. Furthermore, God determined what the trumpets would be made of (silver) and how they were to be made (“of a whole piece shalt thou make them”):

Numbers 10:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.

God also specified how the trumpets were to be used through distinctively different soundings of them:

Blowing both trumpets but not sounding an alarm to assemble all the assembly:

Numbers 10:3 And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Numbers 10:7 But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. 8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.

Blowing only one trumpet to gather only the princes:

Numbers 10:4 And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.

Blowing an alarm to direct the camps to move in specified ways:

Numbers 10:5 When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. 6 When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys.

Blowing an alarm when going to war:

Numbers 10:9 And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.

Blowing the trumpets over certain sacrifices on certain days:

Numbers 10:10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

Discussion

This passage plainly teaches us that certain human beings (the Israelites) made two musical instruments (two silver trumpets) and engaged in certain musical activities (the soundings of the silver trumpets) such that all their activities with those instruments were supernaturally directed—this was not independent human musical activity that was culturally based.

Moreover, their heeding that entirely supernatural direction included at least two distinctively different soundings of those instruments: blowing an alarm versus blowing that was not the blowing of an alarm.

Conclusion

We, therefore, can say with certainty that the Bible does not teach that all musical activities of all people of all time have all been culturally determined. Rather, some of those musical activities have been supernaturally directed in both the making of the instrument or instruments used and the soundings of the instrument or instruments.

In Exposition, Interpretation, Music, Theology

“Why Human Skull Drums Matter”

October 31, 2024

I posted the following today on Sharper Iron:

Why human skull drums matter

Skull drums matter because of key realities that they reveal, including the following:

1. We do not have any evidence that skull drums created themselves, evolved on their own, magically appeared on earth, or fell out of heaven.

Neither God nor holy angels nor righteous prophets or apostles or people made them. Someone had to make them. Who, then, made them, and what does their making them reveal? What does the existence of human skull drums teach us?

2. God made human skulls to be what they are. He did not make them to be used as percussion instruments in any manner in any musical activities.

Furthermore, skull drums are not made just from human skulls–they are made from one or more additional materials combined with something good that God made (human skulls).

What does that prove about what evil entities can make from one or more things that were in and of themselves good things that were made by God?

3. Any and all musical uses of drums made from human skulls is perverse musical activity that is totally and unchangeably unacceptable to God. What does God want righteous people to do concerning all musical activities done with drums made from human skulls?

In Music, Theology

Be sober, be vigilant!

October 28, 2024

Suppose that you were to receive an emergency call on your phone warning you not to go outside because there is a ferocious lion that is on the loose in your city. The lion has already devoured several people in the city.

How careful would you be in such circumstances? Would you not do everything possible to keep your kids away from the places where the lion has been reported to have been prowling?

Friends, we all are in a situation that is far, far worse and more dangerous than the hypothetical scenario that I have presented above:

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Supernatural evil is a fearful reality in our world! We must stay as far away from such evil as we possibly can. We must not allow such evil to have access into our minds, homes, and lives.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

In Discipleship, Exhortation

Christian Obligation to Approve Excellent Instrumental Music

October 7, 2024

Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

God has plainly instructed us that we have a Christian obligation to discerningly approve things that are excellent. Without any biblical warrant, some hold that this teaching does not apply to the instrumental music choices of God’s people.

The Bible does not in any way support this faulty teaching that excludes instrumental music choices from the scope of our necessary obligation to approve things that are excellent.

In Discipleship, Interpretation, Music

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