Discipleship | A People for His Name

Beware This Widely Overlooked, Deadly Type of Hypocrisy

April 8, 2013

In the thinking of most people, being a hypocrite probably means something along the lines of saying one thing but doing another. In Luke 12, we learn that Jesus challenged people about a much more deadly type of hypocrisy that is widely overlooked.

Jesus Instructs His Disciples and the People about Hypocrisy

Speaking to a vast multitude of people (Luke 12:1), Jesus warned His disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (12:1-13). On that same occasion, he challenged the people about hypocrisy by pointing out a glaring discrepancy in their lives:

Luk 12:54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.

⁵⁵ And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.

⁵⁶ Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

⁵⁷Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

Jesus sternly chided these people because they capably assessed some indicators of their time but did not do so with others that were equally obvious. John A. Martin explains their hypocritical failure:

Jesus taught the crowds that they needed to be sensitive to interpret the things they were seeing. Though they had been observing His ministry they were not able to ascertain that He was truly the Messiah. He made the point that they, with no trouble, could interpret natural signs (western clouds and south winds—the appearance of the earth and the sky). But they could not discern spiritual signs. They should discern what was going on right in their midst—He was offering the kingdom and they were not responding properly to His offer.—BKC: NT, 239; emphasis in original

Jesus thus reproached people for being hypocrites by their rightly discerning specific weather indicators but not doing so with spiritual ones.

Darrell L. Bock summarizes Jesus’ forceful challenge:

Jesus then turns to the crowd. He rebukes them for not spotting the obvious. They can read the weather, but they are blind to what God is doing. Jesus clearly reveals the nature of the time; yet they do not respond. —Luke 9:51-24:53, 1200

Based on Jesus teaching here, Norval Geldenhuys gives this sobering warning:

To-day also there are for us all many signs pointing to the seriousness of life and to the necessity of right living. Especially those who have the opportunity of reading the Bible and listening to the preaching of the Gospel have the fullest opportunities of discerning the signs of the times and of knowing that Jesus is the Redeemer. He who is blind to this and who does not take heed, while the period of grace continues, to have peace with God through the Saviour, must await a dark future.—Luke, NICOT, 369.

These commentators reveal that Jesus challenges us all to be sensitive to judge rightly the valid spiritual information that we have been exposed to in our lives. Failing to do so, we will be guilty of a deadly hypocrisy that is much more serious than what people often complain about concerning the so-called hypocrisy of religious people.

Please take a few moments and read the good news that God has for all people and believe: The Good News for All

In Exhortation, Exposition, Quotes

The Value of a Tract on a Windshield

April 5, 2013

Most believers believe that tracts are a good way to share the gospel with people. For various reasons, however, many are often reluctant to pass them out personally to people.

Leaving tracts impersonally in various locations for people to find at a later point is an alternative way of evangelism that probably not many believers use very often today. My testimony of salvation shows that God does use this means of evangelism.

While living in Cookeville, TN, in 1989, I was working retail at a local K-Mart store. One day, I returned to my car to find a piece of paper that someone had stuck under my left windshield wiper.

I do not remember now whether I was annoyed at that time or not. I do remember removing the paper from my windshield and looking at what it was.

Finding the title God’s Simple Plan of Salvation to be interesting, I proceeded to read the tract. (I’m not sure now whether I read it right away or later on that day, but I did read it sometime that day.) Sometime soon after reading that tract as well as other materials, God saved me by convincing me of the truth of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead!

What’s more, if I am remembering correctly, I think that the tract was from Calvary Baptist Church in Cookeville, which turned out to be the same church that God led me to attend shortly after I was saved! I look forward to finding out in eternity who shared the tract with me that helped me to be saved.

We never know how God will use the tracts that we give to people and the tracts that we just leave in various places for people to find later!

In Evangelism, Testimony

Guitar Music for "How Sweet and Awful Is the Place"

April 3, 2013

Here is guitar music (melody, chords, and lyrics for stanzas 1-4 and 6) for Isaac Watts’ beautiful hymn set to an ancient Irish melody: How Sweet and Awful Is the Place. This arrangement includes an introduction, instrumental interlude after the third stanza, modulation from the key of D to E after the fourth stanza, and an ending tag.

In Guitar Music

Free Guitar Sheet Music Sites!

April 2, 2013

In addition to the many free song PDFs that I have here on my site in the Music section under Resources, here are other good sites that have a lot of free guitar sheet music:

G Major Music Theory – excellent site with lots of free piano and guitar sheet music

Sheet Music Digital – another superb site with both free music and music for pay; songs are available in many different formats

Music for Music Teachers

Music-folk-play-hymns.com

The Mutopia Project

These sites provide guitarists of various levels of ability with a wealth of free resources!

In Music

Guitar Chords and Sheet Music for "All I Need" (Key of D)

March 28, 2013

All I Need by C. P. Jones is an easy-to-play hymn with a profound message: “Jesus Christ is made to me, All I need.” This PDF gives you the chords, first line, and the melody of the song in both standard music notation and my number format.

Because the song only uses a few basic chords in the key of D, this is an excellent song to practice strumming and picking in the chord of D!

With another guitarist, you can also play this song as a nice duet with the following variations:

1. One person strums the chords and the other person plays the melody

2. One person strums the chords and the other person picks the chords

3. One person picks the chords and the other person plays the melody

In Guitar Music

Guitar Music and Audio for "Rostro Divino"

March 26, 2013

Rostro Divino is a beautiful Spanish hymn that I recently discovered in one of my Spanish hymnals. This PDF provides the numbers to play the melody of the hymn on the first string, the chords to strum the song in C, and the first line of the hymn. You can listen to the hymn to learn the melody: Rostro Divino in C.

In Guitar Music, Spanish

How to Be Immovable, As God Commands Us to Be

March 22, 2013

Paul concludes his great chapter on the resurrection of the dead by commanding believers to be “steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). Psalm 15 concludes with a conceptually parallel statement: “He that doeth these things shall never be moved” (15:5b).

The parallel idea in both of these passages suggests that Psalm 15 provides us with inspired instruction about how we can be immovable, as God commands:

15:1 <A Psalm of David.> LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

² He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

³ He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

⁴ In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

⁵ He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

The teaching of Psalm 15 can be helpfully organized in the following way.

In general, to be immovable, we must walk uprightly and work righteousness. These general statements pertain to the entirety of our lives, teaching us that we should be blameless people who live righteously and fulfill our obligations to God and man.

Positively, we must speak the truth in our hearts. The truthfulness of whatever we say either to ourselves or to others is crucial to our being upright, as God commands.

We must also “treat or think of [vile people] with contempt” (Webster’s definition of contemn), but honor those who fear God. An upright person thus must not honor evil people, and he must not fail to honor godly people.

In addition, we must keep the promises that we make, even if hurts us to do so. Any oaths that we make must be fulfilled.

Negatively, we must not backbite with our tongues. As upright people, we thus must not slander anyone.

We also must not do evil to our neighbors or take up a reproach against them. Our dealings with everyone we encounter, therefore, must be upright, not harming anyone in action or speech.

Furthermore, we must not go back on our promises. Our “yes” should mean that we do what we have said we would, and our “no” should mean that we do not do what we say we will not do.

We also must not lend our money with usury. If we choose to lend money to people, we should not “take advantage of those who must borrow” (BKC: OT, 803).

Moreover, we must not accept a bribe against an innocent person. We must steadfastly refuse the efforts of any person who would bribe us so that we would pervert the justice that innocent people are due.

God commands us to be upright people who are immovable in our living for Him all our days. He will grace us to do so as we strive in the power of the Spirit to follow the teaching of 1 Corinthians 15 and Psalm 15.

In Discipleship, Exposition

God Chose Jesus as His Christ

March 18, 2013

This new song gives my younger guitar students some solid words to sing to the tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb. Because this melody is very simple, this song should be easy for beginning students to sing and play!

1. God chose Jesus as His Christ,
as His Christ, as His Christ;
God chose Jesus as His Christ
to do what God had said.

2. God sent us His only Son,
only Son, only Son;
God sent us His only Son
to die once in our stead.

3. Jesus gave His life one day,
life one day, life one day;
Jesus gave His life one day
to pay all our sin debt.

4. God raised up His holy Son,
holy Son, holy Son;
God raised up His holy Son;
He raised Him from the dead.

5. God made Him the Lord of all,
Lord of all, Lord of all;
God made Him the Lord of all;
He crowned Him as the Head.

6. Jesus will come back one day,
back one day, back one day;
Jesus will come back one day
to judge all, as He said.

You may use this song in a ministry context provided you do not change any of the words and you provide copyright information to anyone whom you distribute it. Please contact me for any other use of the song.

In Music

Holy Father, Hear Us Now

March 16, 2013

I wrote this song today for my younger guitar students who speak English. Like Padre santo, por favor, it is sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

1. Holy Father, hear us now;
By Your Spirit, teach us how,
We should love You day by day;
Hear and do all that You say.
Holy Father, hear us now;
By Your Spirit, teach us how.

2. Holy Father, grace us now;
In Your mercy, show us how,
We should hear, obey, and pray;
Honor You in what we say.
Holy Father, grace us now;
in Your mercy, show us how.

3. Holy Father, fill us now,
With Your Spirit, as we bow.
We would live for You each day;
Be more like Christ ev’ry day.
Holy Father, fill us now,
With Your Spirit, as we bow.

You may use this song in a ministry context provided you do not change any of the words and you provide copyright information to anyone whom you distribute it. Please contact me for any other use of the song.

In Music, Prayer

Padre santo, por favor

March 13, 2013

To provide my younger Spanish guitar students with another song with solid biblical teaching, I recently wrote new words to be sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. So far, it seems that my students have liked the song.

I praise God for directing me to write the words of this song that is a prayer to each member of the Godhead to fill us with His love because He is God and the Lord and because His great love is matchless!

1. Padre santo, por favor,
llénanos hoy con tu amor.
Eres Dios y el Señor,
sin par es tu gran amor.
Padre santo, por favor,
llénanos hoy con tu amor.

2. Jesucristo, por favor,
llénanos hoy con tu amor.
Eres Dios y el Señor,
sin par es tu gran amor.
Jesucristo, por favor,
llénanos hoy con tu amor.

3. Consolador, por favor,
llénanos hoy con tu amor.
Eres Dios y el Señor,
sin par es tu gran amor.
Consolador, por favor,
llénanos hoy con tu amor.

You may use this song in a ministry context provided you do not change any of the words and you provide copyright information to anyone whom you distribute it to. Please contact me for any other use of the song.

In Music, Prayer, Spanish

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