StringsWhat the Bible teaches about music is a very important subject that is an issue of much controversy among many believers today. A careful, thorough examination of Scripture shows that it does not teach ten key notions that many people believe about music:

1. God created all music.

2. God created all musical styles.

3. All musical styles are inherently amoral.

4. All musical styles are inherently good and fit for human use, including for divine worship.

5. God has called Christians to “redeem” certain musical styles by using them to accompany Christian words.

6. Secular testimonies about evil spirits and music are inherently unreliable.

7. Music can only be sensual if it has sensual lyrics.

8. God does not care about the instrumental music that is used to worship Him—He only cares about the words that are sung to Him.

9. Believers with conservative musical positions have the burden of proof concerning musical styles that they say are unacceptable for Christian use, especially for divine worship.

10. For a musical style to be unacceptable to God, Scripture must explicitly say that He does not accept it.

For detailed, biblical explanations of how the Bible does not teach these notions, see the articles referred to here.

 

 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

While reading in Acts 21 this morning in my Spanish Bible, I noticed a phrase that immediately brought to my mind another passage. When I checked the Greek text of both passages to see if the second passage truly was similar, I discovered an illuminating parallel reference.

Acts 21:14 and Matthew 6:10

Luke records the believers’ response when Paul refused their efforts to persuade him not to go to Jerusalem:

Act 21:14 Y como no le pudimos persuadir, desistimos, diciendo: Hágase la voluntad del Señor. 

Act 21:14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.

Act 21:14 μὴ πειθομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ, ἡσυχάσαμεν εἰπόντες, Τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου γενέσθω.

What these believers said closely parallels what Jesus taught us as His disciples to pray:

Mat 6:10 Venga tu reino. Hágase tu voluntad, como en el cielo, así también en la tierra.

Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Mat 6:10 ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·

The very close parallel between these statements in Acts 21:14 and Matthew 6:10 shows that these believers responded in a way that displayed where their ultimate allegiance lay—they wanted God’s will to be done on the earth. Their response suggests an important application for us as believers.

Application

At times, we all will likely encounter a situation where our best efforts to persuade other believers not to pursue a certain course of action that will likely be harmful to them are rejected. In keeping with what Acts 21:14 reveals, we perhaps should not respond to them primarily by saying something like, “You’ll be sorry,” or “Don’t say you weren’t warned.”

Instead, based on Acts 21:14, we should respond mainly along the lines of what was said to Paul on this occasion: “The will of the Lord be done.” Such a statement will testify to the other believers that we are responding to their refusal by declaring our heeding the Lord’s teaching about the will of God being done on the earth.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

God’s people properly believe that the Bible is the word of God, that whatever the Bible says is so, and that whatever it says about any subject is vital information about that subject. What does the Bible say to such people about global warming?

Scripture has two passages that speak directly about global warming consisting of devastating worldwide increases in temperature resulting from God’s judgments coming on the earth: Revelation 16:8-9 and 2 Peter 3:7-12.

Rev 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.  9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

For us as God’s people who believe the Bible properly, these passages provide the most important information about global warming to which we need to give urgent attention. Strikingly, both passages directly speak to us about God’s desire that human beings repent of their sins (Rev. 16:9; 2 Pet. 3:9) so that they will not be consumed by the devastating global warming that God will bring about in the future!

As God gives us as believers opportunities to engage people on the subject of global warming, we should graciously set before them what the word of God has to say about the fearful global warming that will truly destroy the present heavens and the earth! We should then appeal to them to repent and believe the gospel of God and His Christ.

Furthermore, we who are believers should allow these passages to challenge us continually to be all that God wants us to be in view of the devastating global warming that surely is going to come to all the world. Let us truly be people who live our lives “in all holy conversation and godliness” (2 Pet. 3:11) as we continue “looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God” (2 Pet. 3:12).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Suppose that two young evangelical couples, the Smiths and the Christians, were expecting their first children. Suppose also that in order to magnify what they believe the Bible teaches about God’s redemption, the Smiths would name their son, Judas Iscariot Smith, and the Christians would name their baby daughter, Jezebel Herodias Christian.

If there were two such couples that were to do so, would what they do be a valid application of biblical teaching about the redemption that is in Christ Jesus? Are the names Judas Iscariot and Jezebel Herodias redeemable?

What has God called us to redeem?

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

A Sacrifice of Praise – 2015

November 26, 2015

I praise the Lord for many things that He has done for me in 2015 and for His many blessings to me so far this year! The following summarizes the Lord’s blessings upon me in some key areas.

Bible Reading

I read the Bible through in English this year and am on target for finishing reading through the NT in Spanish by the end of the year. I also read the book of Revelation through sixteen times from mid-April to July!

Preaching

The Lord blessed me with four opportunities to preach in February 2015 at Iglesia Bautista de La Fe in Greenville, SC. Although I have prayed for and would have loved to have had many more opportunities to preach, the Lord thus far has not seen fit to give me any more preaching opportunities this year.

Teaching

This summer, I taught an adult Sunday school class for 8 weeks at my church, Beginnings at the End: Creation, Fall, and Redemption in the Book of Revelation. The series featured a thorough comparative analysis of Genesis 1-4 with the book of Revelation.

Guitar for Ministry

I had a number of opportunities to use the guitar in ministering to brethren this year. Along with a cellist and a violist, I played for three openers for the regular Sunday services at my church.

I accompanied a special for our Neighborhood Bible Class ministry on one Sunday this year. I also accompanied people singing specials on five Sundays in our Spanish ministry, and I ministered an offertory with a cellist on another Sunday.

I have had the privilege this year of teaching how to use the guitar in ministry on numerous occasions to some brethren from two Spanish churches. All of my students have made encouraging progress!

Spanish Ministry

The Lord has blessed me by allowing me to participate in the Spanish ministry of my church every other week this year, including giving a testimony in January about reading through the Bible in Spanish in 2014, praying for the offering in the service on several Sundays, and playing the guitar for specials six times. I also participated in evangelizing Spanish-speaking people on many occasions this year through our church’s regular neighborhood evangelism program.

The Lord has enabled me to produce several articles in Spanish this year. I have also produced some additional music resources in Spanish.

Blog Posts

This year, I have posted 84 times on my blog so far, bringing the total number of posts to 808 since February of 2011. I am very thankful for the Lord’s opening this ministry avenue to me and allowing me to continue in it!

Other Blessings

I got to participate in our church’s Good News ministry twice this year. In July, I helped each night with registration for our Neighborhood Bible Class ministry. On one Sunday, I did the Scripture reading for the morning service.

The Lord has blessed me with full-time work this entire year, including the privilege of giving a devotional every week at the beginning of our work day on Mondays. He has blessed me with several new guitar students this year, including my first online student!

Finally, although I have not progressed as much as I would have liked, I praise God for the substantial progress that He has allowed me to make this year in reading, speaking, and understanding spoken Spanish. I am especially thankful that I was able this year to make it through all the numerous free Spanish lessons at duolingo.com.

Blessed be the Lord who has continued His infinite goodness to me in 2015!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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.

If Solomon Were in Hell . . .

November 14, 2015

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

  1. Some people that are called apostles in Scripture were people that various local churches commissioned as their delegates, but these men were not among those who were officially the apostles of Christ.
  2. Those who were the apostles of Christ possessed two cardinal qualifications: (1) they were chosen by Christ Himself; (2) they were eyewitnesses of the risen Christ.
  3. The apostles of Christ performed the signs of a true apostle that demonstrated divine confirmation of their being true apostles of Christ.
  4. The apostles of Christ performed two unique functions in the body of Christ: (1) they (along with the NT prophets) laid the foundation of the Church when they witnessed to the Resurrection of Christ; (2) they were recipients of new and inscripturated revelation for the Church.
  5. There were only 12 apostles of Christ whose names are written on the 12 foundation stones of the holy city, New Jerusalem, and the identity of the twelfth apostle is a disputed matter that the Scripture does not seem to make clear with absolute certainty.

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.