Discipleship | A People for His Name

On God’s Having Mercy in Healing Those Who Are Seriously Ill

August 12, 2024

When God heals us or a loved one from a life-threatening physical illness, we should properly represent what God has done:

Philippians 2:25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. 26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick. 27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God *had mercy* on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

The apostle Paul teaches us here that we are to relate to others that God *has had mercy* on the one who was “sick nigh unto death” and on those who love him by not allowing that loved one to die.

It is right and biblical for us to speak of God as being *merciful* whenever He graciously chooses to grant healing from life-threatening conditions!

Moreover, it is right and biblical for us to pray that God would be *merciful* to those who are seriously ill.

In Health, Interpretation, Prayer

What ἕκαστος Teaches Us about the Harps in Revelation 5:8

August 10, 2024

Revelation 5 is the first of three passages in the final book of Scripture that reveal to us the only musical information in Scripture that the Spirit has inspired for our profit about heavenly worship music. A careful handling of the Greek word ἕκαστος [Eng. “each”] in Revelation 5:8 teaches us a key truth about the harps that are mentioned in that passage.

Revelation 5:8 καὶ ὅτε ἔλαβε τὸ βιβλίον, τὰ τέσσαρα ζῶα καὶ οἱ εἰκοσιτέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσον ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου, ἔχοντες ἕκαστος κιθάρας, καὶ φιάλας χρυσᾶς γεμούσας θυμιαμάτων, αἵ εἰσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων.

Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

The Spirit’s use of this word shows us that all of the elders in this scene had the exact same thing–harps. Whatever harps signify in this verse therefore has to be the same thing for each elder.

Those who take harps in this verse to be symbolic of praise offered on all kinds of musical instruments do not have any basis to do so in the text. The text does not allow for or support in any way holding that some of the elders had one musical instrument, others had a different musical instrument, and so on.

All 24 elders in Revelation 5:8 had harps–they did not have differing musical instruments among themselves. Revelation 5:8 does not in any way support the view that harps in the passage signify praise on all kinds of musical instruments.

In Exposition, Interpretation, Music, Theology

Do What is Right Even If Your Heart Is Not Fully in It!

July 22, 2024

Have you ever heard someone say something like this: “It’s not what you do that matters—it is the heart that matters”?

Take care that you are not misled by such statements. The heart certainly matters, but what you do also matters.

In fact, God teaches us that He cares about people’s doing what is right in His sight even if they do not do it with a perfect heart!

2 Chronicles 25:1 Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

For our profit, the Spirit inspired this passage to teach us that God took note that Amaziah did what was right in His sight, but not with a perfect heart.

Even if your heart is not fully in it, always do what is right in the sight of God!

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Interpretation, Theology

Turn the Volume Down!

July 19, 2024

Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

The playing of music in corporate worship at volume levels known to damage human hearing is to work ill to the people who are present in those services. Knowingly causing physical harm to people is unloving and therefore unrighteous conduct that violates what God explicitly teaches us in Scripture in Romans 13:10.

It does not matter what your preference is concerning the volume levels of worship music. If the volume level is at or above a level known to damage hearing, you are obligated to deny yourself your preference and love others more than yourself.

Turn the volume down in your worship services so that you are not damaging anyone’s hearing!

In Exhortation, Interpretation, Music

Isaiah 38:20 and the Importance of Stringed Instruments

July 15, 2024

Isaiah 38:20 The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

Hezekiah was one of the godliest kings ever to rule over a nation. In this verse, he communicates that his response to God’s sparing him from dying from what was originally divinely declared to be an illness that would lead to his death was to extol God musically all the days of his life in the house of God!

What’s particularly noteworthy in this statement is that he specifies that the instruments to which they would sing his songs in the temple of God were stringed instruments. This is one of several such statements in Scripture that lead me to hold that stringed instruments were the most important instruments that were used in acceptable corporate worship of God in His temple.

In Interpretation, Music, Theology

Let Us Praise God with Singing on Stringed Instruments Day and Night on the Lord’s Day!

July 6, 2024

God ordained that there would be consecrated singers who would minister to Him *day* and *night* with singing accompanied with stringed instruments.

1 Chronicles 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.

Especially on His uniquely consecrated day, it was a good thing to sing praises to His name upon stringed musical instruments *in the morning* and *every night.*

Psalm 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.

O that there were many more consecrated followers of Christ in our day who would supremely value the honor and privilege of being in God’s house both *in the morning* and *in the night* on the Lord’s Day to glorify God with singing His praises accompanied by stringed instruments.

In Exhortation, Prayer, Theology

A New Doxology!

July 4, 2024

I recently wrote a new doxology that stresses the importance of praising God musically:

Praise God with harps and psalteries;

Praise Him by playing skillfully;

Praise Him in singing joyfully;

Praise God, the blessed Trinity!

– with harps and psalteries (2 Chr. 5:12; 9:11; 20:28; 29:25)

– playing skillfully (Ps. 33:3)

– singing joyfully (1 Chron. 15:16; Ps. 67;4; 81:1; 98:4)

In Music

The Importance of What First Samuel 10:5-6 Reveals about Music

June 8, 2024

After Samuel had anointed Saul, he uttered a striking prophetic declaration of what would shortly happen to Saul:

1 Samuel 10:5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

Concerning what it reveals about music, this passage is significant for several reasons.

First, it shows that more than two years (cf. 1 Sam. 13:1) before David came to the forefront as a uniquely skilled musician in Israel (1 Sam. 16:14-23), God already had a group of prophets among His people who were sacred musicians who ministered with music for Him! As prophets, these men were specially chosen, anointed, and empowered servants of God on whom He had put His Spirit; these musicians undeniably therefore knew fully how to play sacred music that pleased God.

Second, the verse speaks about the prophetic use of three different kinds of instruments: stringed (psaltery, harp); percussion (tabret); and wind (pipe). The verse, therefore, shows the legitimacy of using each of these kinds of instruments for sacred uses.

Third, the verse mentions two stringed instruments but only one each of the other two kinds of instruments. The greater number and variety of stringed instruments versus percussion or wind instruments points to the greater importance of stringed instruments in sacred activities.

Fourth, the verse does not make any mention of singing. Although the lack of mention of singing does not definitively show that there was no singing by those in this prophetic company, the explicit mention of multiple musical instruments and no mention of singing stresses the importance of the use of musical instruments in sacred ministry.

In Interpretation, Music, Theology

Let All Mankind Hear and Heed What God Has Said

May 30, 2024

Let all mankind hear and heed what God has said:

Acts 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. 43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Rev. 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

In Evangelism, Exhortation, Gospel

“Gathered Church Worship”

May 26, 2024

Gathered church worship is our offering up together to God the Spiritual, devotional responses of which He alone is worthy.

—Pastor Mark Minnick

In Mount Calvary Baptist Pulpit, Quotes, Theology

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