Archives For Discipleship

A key aspect of playing guitar well is to know the major diatonic chords in each key. This diatonic chord chart lists the main chords in each key by degree number. The chart is formatted according to the Spanish system of referring to keys (Do, Re, etc.). Using this chart, a guitar player can become very skillful in playing many songs, especially if he has a good ear.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Many professing Christians today approve of the use of CCM. This article evaluates the propriety of that approval by directing attention to a question that every believer would do well to consider carefully—whether the authors of the Psalms would approve of CCM?

To answer this question, we should keep in mind some facts about the book of Psalms: God inspired a number of men to write the Psalms: David (75); Asaph (12); Solomon (2?); Ethan (1); Heman (1), and Moses (1); [no information or unclear information about the authors of the other 58 Psalms]. Together, these men have given to us the only inspired sacred songbook in existence.

Of these men, at least four were also instrumentalists (David, Asaph, Ethan, and Heman; cf. 1 Chron. 15:19). These four men produced at least 89 of the Psalms, so more than 59% of these inspired songs were written by men who also played musical instruments themselves. The Psalms, therefore, were not merely the product of poets or songwriters inspired by God to write lyrics for inspired songs.

If these inspired songwriters (and sacred instrumentalists) were somehow to hear the CCM of our day, would they approve? To answer this question, we should consider what God has taught us through them.

The first Psalmist teaches us that a man will be blessed (i.e., uniquely favored by God), if he will be characterized in the following dual manner:

1. Negatively, he does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful.
2. Positively, he delights in the law (Heb. instruction) of God and meditates therein day and night.

Because the Psalmist begins by characterizing the blessed man negatively with three expressions of what is not true of him, we must understand that these statements are the right place for us to start in answering our question.

To be blessed, we must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Our lives must not be lived influenced in any essential way by any ungodly advice, viewpoints, priorities, objectives, and practices.

How does this truth apply to the music that we use for our worship? It teaches us that we must not get our music perspectives or practices from those who are not like God.

CCM, however, was created by professing Christians who chose to incorporate into Christian music a style and type of music invented by ungodly people who created that style specifically for the purpose of promoting ungodliness. Because CCM was therefore created by those who acted contrary to the teaching of Psalm 1:1, which directs us not to live under the influence of the ungodly, we should hold that the Psalmists would not approve of CCM.

Confirmation of this assessment is seen by applying to our question David’s teaching in Psalm 2 about the counsel of the ungodly:

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us (2:1-3).

To understand the importance of these statements, we note that the first Psalmist provides no specific information about the counsel of the ungodly. David here thus gives to us the first specific information about that counsel when he teaches us that ungodly men (especially the kings of the earth and the rulers) have taken counsel together to promote rebellion against the authority of Yahweh and His Messiah.

From taking the teaching of Psalms 1-2 together, we learn that the inspired songwriters preeminently warn people about following ungodly counsel that incites and promotes rebellion against God. Applying this principle to music means that these two (if David did not write Psalm 1 as well) Psalmists would not approve in any way of music created by ungodly people for the purpose of promoting rebellion.

The people who created and advanced rock music have openly and repeatedly testified that the music itself—apart from the lyrics—was created for the purpose of promoting rebellion. Rock music, therefore, regardless of what words are sung along with it, is ungodly music because it was created by the ungodly to promote rebellion.

Those who created CCM—as well as those who have since promoted it—have thus advanced the use of music of which the Psalmists clearly would not approve. Because David wrote at least half of the Psalms, he is by far the most important musician spoken of in Scripture. Hence, we do well to give special regard to applying his teaching in Psalm 2 to this issue.

The believer, therefore, should heed the godly counsel of the first Psalmist and of David and categorically reject CCM as well as all other music that weds Christian words with ungodly music styles.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Amos 6:1-8 indicts God’s people for their great wickedness at that time in history:

1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

2 Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.

8 The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.

C. F. Keil comments on verse 5,

They lie stretched, as it were poured out . . . upon beds inlaid with ivory, to feast and fill their belly with the flesh of the best lambs and fattened calves, to the playing of harps and singing, in which they take such pleasure, that they invent new kinds of playing and singing. . . . Consequently the meaning of ver. 5 is the following: As David invented stringed instruments in honour of his God in heaven, so do these princes invent playing and singing for their god, the belly. (The Minor Prophets in KD, 10:299-300)

D. R. Sunukjian remarks on 6:4-8,

6:4-6. Rather than heed the prophet’s warning of judgment, the leaders of Samaria instead gave themselves to a decadent hedonism. They reclined on expensive beds whose wood was inlaid with ivory (cf. 3:15). At their opulent feasts, they “lounged” on their couches. The Hebrew word for lounge . . . conveys a sprawled stupor of satiation and drunkenness, with arms and legs hanging over the side. They ate gourmet food—choice lambs and fatted calves—the tastiest and tenderest meat they could get. In their drunken revelry they imagined themselves strumming like David as they attempted to improvise music at their parties. Yet they were vastly different from David! Not content to drink wine from goblets, they consumed it by the bowlful. Only the finest lotions would do for their skin.

Their sole concern was for their own luxurious lifestyle. They did not grieve over the coming ruin of Joseph, the Northern Kingdom (cf. 5:6, 15). They had no concern for their nation’s impending doom.

6:7. Therefore they, the first men of the first nation (v. 1), would be among the first to go to exile. Their festivities and drunken stupors would end. The sound of revelry would fade into bitter silence as they headed into captivity. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, 1443; bold in original)

J. Randolph Jaeggli helpfully explains the great sinfulness of these people:

                They Abandon Themselves to Sensual Enjoyment (vv. 4-7).

                The Israelites who heard Amos’s words of warning were convinced that they were safe from God’s judgment, so they were indulging themselves in every kind of sensual enjoyment available. They were indolent leaders, lounging around while others apparently worked to support their grand lifestyle. They ate only the choicest meat from the best lambs and fattened calves. Verse five says that they “chant to the sound of the viol.” The verb “chant” is parat, to improvise (see Holladay, p. 297). The “viol” (nebel) was some sort of stringed instrument. Music that is undisciplined in its composition and performance appeals to the sensual person of any age. Modern jazz is a good example of improvised music that fits the mood and loose living of those who love this musical genre. The men of Amos’s time were prolific song writers like David, but they certainly lacked his devotion to the Lord. People compose music that is a reflection of their lifestyle. Lyrics either warm the believer’s heart with thoughts of God’s grace or inflame the passions of the unsaved with unseemly accounts of debauched emotions and actions. Feinberg noted that “music which is degrading is a sure sign of an incipient national decline” . . . Not content to consume wine in smaller vessels, Amos’s contemporaries were drinking from bowls (v. 6). The same word for bowl (mizraq) occurs in Exodus 27:3 to describe the basin used to catch the blood of the sacrificial animal at the altar in the tabernacle. If these drunkards were consuming their intoxicating beverages from an item used in the sacrificial system, they were guilty of sacrilege as well as intoxication. Being careful not to miss out on any enjoyment, these gourmet revelers were treating their skin to the finest ointments available. They did not miss anything that would make them feel good.

If there is anything characteristic of our modern age, it is the same quest for sensual pleasure. People today will try anything to fill the void created by the empty pursuit of material prosperity. Money, possessions, and “good times” do not satisfy modern man any more than the people who heard Amos preach. The world system persuades men that they can find happiness in fleshly gratification apart from God. The empty promise leads only to the enslavement of the human heart, as men become addicted to the fulfillment of their own passions. (Biblical Viewpoint: Focus on Amos, 25-26; bold italic heading is bold italic in the original; other text in bold is in italics in the original).

These commentators (as well as others) understand that God’s pronouncements of woe on His people at this time stemmed from their wickedness that included their playing stringed instruments in a way and for purposes that were not pleasing to Him. On this reading, Amos 6:5 speaks strongly to the music debates of our day by being Scriptural teaching that there are ways of playing a stringed instrument and of singing that are a matter of concern to God and that He condemns.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Unless I am misinformed, the world is scheduled to learn sometime next month what the U.S. Supreme Court has decided concerning the constitutionality of the Obamacare legislation. The outcome of that case will likely have immense ramifications for all Americans, and especially for Bible-believing Christians.

As average citizens, it seems that we can do very little in terms of outward actions to affect the outcome of this case. As Christians, however, we can and must pray fervently for God to have mercy on us in this very serious matter.

While there is still time, let us seek God in the manner that the Chronicler writes:

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

Although this is a statement that the Lord made to Solomon in response to his prayer about God’s people, Israel, we serve the same God who delights in mercy that Israel did back then.

Heavenly Father, in wrath, please remember mercy.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Stanza two of the song, “O Church, Arise,” begins by saying, “Our call to war, to love the captive soul, But to rage against the captor.” Are these words that churches should sing?

Peter warns about speaking evil against “dignities”: “Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord” (2 Pet. 2:10-11). Jude seconds Peter by declaring,

Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves (Jude 8-10).

This inspired teaching does not support the Church’s singing that its call is “to rage against the captor.”

Even if these words might have been intended to be a poetic way of saying that Christians should abhor all that is evil and do all that they can do righteously to oppose evil and the work of Satan in the world, these words are still problematic because many will likely understand them to be taken at face value in the sense of angry outbursts against Satan.

Churches, therefore, should not sing Stanza 2 of O Church, Arise as it is originally worded. Those who desire to sing the otherwise generally rich lyrics of this song should substitute some other scripturally appropriate phrase (e.g., “to stand against the captor”; cf. Eph. 6:11) in place of these seriously problematic words (“to rage against the captor”).

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Updated on 3.19.16 – I am not currently teaching any of these classes but would be interested in resuming such classes if there were enough people interested in taking such classes.


I am teaching four guitar classes for people interested in ministering with the guitar to Spanish people. The classes meets on Tuesday nights from 7:15-7:45 pm and 7:45-8:30 pm and on Thursday nights from 6:50-7:20 pm and  7:30-8:30 pm.  All the classes are at Iglesia Bautista de La Fe here in Greenville, SC (2129 Poinsett Highway).

The four classes are for beginning (T 7:15 pm), intermediate (Th 6:50 pm and 7:30 pm), and advanced (T 7:45 pm) students, respectively. I would, however, be able to accommodate new students at all levels because I am teaching a new method especially geared for training people to minister with the guitar.

I have been teaching these guitar classes for more than a year now. There is no specified length of the course; the classes are open-ended and designed to take students as far they are able and willing to go.

No specific equipment is required other than a guitar (you will also need to bring your own music stand if you come to the Thursday evening class). The classes cost $10 per class.

There are no baby-sitting options at this time; however, families could possibly come with a student and take care of the kids while the student takes the class.

I speak Spanish at a basic level, and there are also current students who would be able to help students who do not speak English. It would be best if a prospective student speaks at least some English.

Space is limited; I could probably take at maximum 6-7 more students in each class. Please contact me if you or someone you know might be interested in learning guitar for Spanish ministry!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

First Chronicles 17:16-27 records a marvelous prayer of David that he prayed after Nathan revealed to him (17:15) the wonderful things that God had ordained that He would do for him (17:3-14). In his prayer, David revealed his mindset before God by repeating a remarkable designation for himself ten times (17:17; 18 [2x]; 19; 23; 24; 25 [2x]; 26; 27):

1Ch 17:16 And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

17 And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God.

18 What can David speak more to thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant.

19 O LORD, for thy servant’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.

20 O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

21 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?

22 For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their God.

23 Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.

24 Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.

25 For thou, O my God, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house: therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee.

26 And now, LORD, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:

27 Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.

Though he was the God-appointed King (cf. 17:16), David never referred to himself as the king in his prayer. Instead, he spoke of himself exclusively with the designation, “thy servant.” This amazing emphasis on himself as God’s servant reveals the essence of his mindset in prayer.

Interestingly, the only reference to David in any recorded prayer of the apostles also features the same designation for him: “Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? (Acts 4:25).” Based on this NT statement, it may be that we, too, should keep in our minds David’s remarkable self-designation before God in prayer and cultivate such a mindset in our own prayers.


Update on 3/14/23: Acts 4:29 shows that Peter, John, and some other NT Christians did in fact refer to themselves as God’s servants on an at least one occasion when they prayed to Him:

Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

First Samuel 28:6 says that Saul did inquire of the Lord, but 1 Chronicles 10:14 says that he did not:

1Sa 28:6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

1Ch 10:13 ¶ So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; 14 And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

How should we understand these seemingly contradictory statements?

John W. Haley argues,

It is sufficient to notice that two different Hebrew words [שָׁאוּל֙  vs. דָרַ֥שׁ ] of diverse meaning are employed here. Or, it may be correctly remarked that Saul’s attempts at inquiry were of so unworthy a nature that it would be an abuse of language to speak of him as really “inquiring of Jehovah.” (Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible, 360)

Matthew Henry comments on 1 Samuel 28:6,

In this distress Saul enquired of the Lord, v. 6. Need drives those to God who in the day of their prosperity slighted his oracles and altars. Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, Isa. 26:16. Did ever any seek the Lord and not find him? Yes, Saul did; the Lord answered him not, took no notice either of his petitions or of his enquiries; gave him no directions what to do, nor any encouragement to hope that he would be with him. Should he be enquired of at all by such a one as Saul? Eze. 14:3. No, he could not expect an answer of peace, for, 1. He enquired in such a manner that it was as if he had not enquired at all. Therefore it is said (1 Chr. 10:14), He enquired not of the Lord; for he did it faintly and coldly, and with a secret design, if God did not answer him, to consult the devil. He did not enquire in faith, but with a double unstable mind. 2. He enquired of the Lord when it was too late, when the days of his probation were over and he was finally rejected. Seek the Lord while he may be found, for there is a time when he will not be found. 3. He had forfeited the benefit of all the methods of enquiry. Could he that hated and persecuted Samuel and David, who were both prophets, expect to be answered by prophets? Could he that had slain the high priest, expect to be answered by Urim? Or could he that had sinned away the Spirit of grace, expect to be answered by dreams? No. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. (Commentary on the Whole Bible, 431; bold is in italics in original)

On 1 Chronicles 10:14, he remarks,

It is said (1 Sa. 28:6) that Saul did enquire of the Lord and he answered him not: but here it is said, Saul did not enquire of God; for he did not till he was brought to the last extremity, and then it was too late. (Ibid., 567; bold is in italics in original)

Robert Jamieson comments on the words and enquired not of the Lord in 1 Chronicles 10:14,

He had done so in form (1 Sam. xxviii. 6), but not in the spirit of a humble penitent, nor with the believing confidence of a sincere worshipper. His enquiry was, in fact, a mere mockery, and his total want of all right religious impressions was manifested by his rushing from God to a wretched impostor in the service of the devil. (JFB, 1:475).

These sources provide satisfactory explanations that resolve the apparent contradiction between 1 Samuel 28:6 and 1 Chronicles 10:14.

These passages should warn us about inquiring of God in a manner, in a way, or at a point in time such that He would regard our doing so as our not inquiring of Him at all.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Majesty Music, Inc., recently published an autobiography of Dr. Frank Watson Garlock, I Being in the Way, the Lord Me. This 164-page book details God’s work in his life to use him to advance His kingdom and righteousness through music and preaching.

Dr. Garlock writes in an easy-to-read style that holds the reader’s attention well. Sixteen pages of pictures that chronicle his life and ministry add a personal touch that provides the reader with faces to connect with the names of many key people spoken of in the book. Five appendices add interesting details on various subjects, including some rich poetry by his grandmothers.

The book records God’s amazing use of this dedicated servant of Christ in the lives of a vast number of people. It movingly reveals God’s faithfulness to use a man of God who was willing to be led throughout his life.

I found this book to be a stirring and inspiring read that challenged me about having God work in my life to use me in similar ways. Believers who are seeking to have their lives revitalized in the service of God will likely find this book to be a helpful resource that encourages and energizes them to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).


See also this new book by Shelly Hamilton in which Dr. Garlock has written a lengthy concluding section.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Fret Staff Sheet

April 28, 2012

This fret staff sheet provides music students with a resource that allows them to practice writing the treble clef notes for each note played on the guitar with an open string or on the first five frets of each string. To write the notes correctly, the student will have to supply one or more ledger lines for those notes that require them.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.