I praise God that I now have under 200 chapters left to finish reading the Reina Valera this year!
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
The results of the elections tomorrow will surely go a long way in playing a major role in the future of our country. With that reality in mind, every Christian needs to remind himself of what Scripture teaches is the chief function of civil government and then let that truth guide his decisions about what he chooses to do tomorrow.
The Clear Teaching of the Premier Passage in Scripture about Civil Government
Romans 13 is the premier passage in Scripture about civil government. God plainly provides us with instruction about the chief function of civil government through the first seven verses of this chapter:
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
These verses emphasize that civil government has the vital God-ordained function of being God’s judicial agent (“no power but of God” [13:1]; “ordained of God” [13:1]; “the ordinance of God” [13:2]; “the minister of God” [13:4; 2x]; “God’s ministers” [13:6]) for the punishment of the wicked and for the praise of the righteous (13:3, 4). Other NT revelation confirms that this is the premier function of civil government (cf. 1 Pet. 2:13-14).
Romans 13:1-7 and Decision Making in Tomorrow’s Elections
Based on the divinely ordained chief role of civil authority, we as believers must reject false views about what comprises good government. Contrary to the assertions of various entities, good government is not chiefly to concern itself with providing economic prosperity, adequate healthcare, educational opportunity, etc.
Rather, good government from divine viewpoint is government that foremost promotes God’s righteousness and opposes all unrighteousness. Although properly exercising this chief function will have a profound salutary result on economic and other social concerns, governmental officials must seek to fear God and promote the fear of God and the keeping of His commandments among its citizens (Eccl. 12:13-14) above all these lesser concerns.
Given the clear teaching of Scripture about the chief role of governmental authority, we as believers must base our decisions about what we choose to do in tomorrow’s elections so that our choices will best promote righteousness in our country and oppose all unrighteousness. May God have mercy on us all in tomorrow’s elections and raise up righteous leadership in our country at every level of government and may He grant us all wisdom to know what role He wants us to play in our seeking to secure godly government throughout our land.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
In his first message about music and public worship, Pastor Mark Minnick this morning addressed the key question, “What is the role of music in public worship?” He based his treatment of this crucial question on two key New Testament passages: Ephesians 5:18-20 and Colossians 3:16.
In treating these passages, he remarked,
Both passages direct us to sing psalms, which directs us back to the Old Testament. We must be careful of thinking about our subject not to make a great distinction between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
He then took us through First Chronicles 25:1-7 to establish that those who directed the worship in the Temple prophesied through the music. Based on this data, he developed six key aspects that this passage teaches us about the role of music in public worship:
1. They were prophesying instrumentally
2. They were prophesying chorally, that is, through singing with musical accompaniment
3. Those who prophesied had a high level of musicianship
4. The prophesying was done in large numbers
5. All of the prophesying was done under the direction of mature spiritual leadership
6. Giving thanks and praising the Lord comprised the content of this prophesying
I highly commend this message to you as one of the finest treatments of this subject that I have ever heard. By listening to this message here, you will avail yourself with profoundly valuable biblical truth about the role of music in public worship!
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
I have been closely following another lengthy online discussion about CCM. One participant in this discussion recently asserted that Psalm 40 justifies using CCM to evangelize lost people. He wrote,
The “new song” which God puts in our hearts may very well change with each generation. You have no right to determine subjectively what that means. You certainly have the right to hold to your position on music as preference, but if God has given us a “new song” which “many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord,” it destroys one of the key IFB arguments against CCM–“Music is never used for evangelism, only for edification.” With each generation, God has given a new song to communicate His truth to this generation. The style may not speak to the spirit of my heart, but it will speak to the heart of someone else who needs the message of the Gospel. I have no right to put God into a box and tell him He cannot use a certain style of music.[1]
A close look at two key aspects of the beginning verses of Psalm 40 shows why this argument is erroneous.[2]
The Identity of the Person Giving Testimony in Psalm 40:1-3
Psalm 40 begins with the following testimony:
Psa 40:1 <To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.> I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
From these verses, we know for certain that king David is the one who is giving this testimony.
Is this, then, an evangelistic testimony of how he became a true believer in the Lord or is it something other than that? Answering this question properly requires that we closely examine the precise nature of his testimony in these statements.
The Nature of the Testimony Given in Psalm 40:1-3
David begins by declaring, “I waited patiently for the Lord” (Ps. 40:1a). He then affirms how the Lord inclined Himself to David and heard his prayer (Ps. 40:1b-c).
Scripture never affirms that any unbeliever waits patiently for the Lord; in fact, they have turned away from Him and do not on their own want anything to do with Him (Cf. Rom. 3:10-18). The opening statement in Psalm 40, therefore, makes plain that this is not an evangelistic testimony that David gave about how he was saved—David is testifying of what he did as a true believer in the Lord and of the Lord’s response to him!
Not only is verse one therefore not an evangelistic testimony but also verses two and three therefore are also not verses relating David’s giving an evangelistic testimony; rather, they are his testimony as a believer of how God delivered him out of dire straits and filled his heart with a new song of grateful praise for His delivering him as a believer. This analysis shows that the reference to a “new song” in Psalm 40:3 does not have anything to do with giving lost people the gospel in song so that they will come to be true believers in the Lord.
Conclusion
Contrary to the confident assertions cited at the beginning of this post, the teaching about the “new song” in Psalm 40 does not provide any evidence that “destroys one of the key IFB arguments against CCM—‘Music is never used for evangelism, only for edification.’” A sound handling of Psalm 40:1-3 shows that it does not have anything to do with evangelizing lost people using a new song.
Psalm 40:1-3 does not justify using CCM to evangelize lost people. Those who believe that it is legitimate to use CCM to give the gospel to lost people cannot use this passage legitimately to support their view.
[1] Comment posted on October 14 at 10:08pm in the discussion, “The Sacred Cow” of CCM! 2-Part Discussion Question:”; https://www.facebook.com/groups/319245621580408/permalink/331652423673061/
[2] I am indebted to my pastor, Dr. Mark Minnick, for how his treatment of this passage in a message helped greatly to provide me with this proper understanding of the true nature of the testimony given in Psalm 40:1-3.For more help with issues concerning CCM, please see the resources that I provide here.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
King Josiah was one of the best kings ever to rule over God’s people (2 Kings 23:25). A comparison of the two accounts of his death, however, raises the question of whether he may have died out of the will of God.
God’s Gracious Promise to Josiah
Because king Josiah had responded properly upon his hearing the Word of God (2 Kings 22:19; 2 Chron. 34:27), God graciously made the following promise to him:
2Ki 22:20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.
2Ch 34:28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.
According to these statements, God promised to Josiah that he would be gathered to his grave in peace. This revelation from God very likely would seem to have led him to believe that he would die in a peaceful manner that would not involve great pain or suffering.
Did Josiah Reject Later Divine Revelation Because He Misunderstood This Promise?
Perhaps this promise of his going to the grave in peace even led Josiah to conclude that it would not be possible for him to die in a battle setting at the hands of an opponent. If so, this understanding (or something like it) that he would have had would explain why he did not heed the warning that Necho king of Egypt gave him not to fight against him:
2Ch 35:20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
In a striking statement, the inspired writer of 2 Chronicles makes known that Josiah rejected “the words of Necho from the mouth of God” (2 Chron. 35:22), which indicates that Josiah went against divine revelation that God chose to warn him with from the mouth of this Egyptian king!
Because Josiah did not heed that warning, he was fatally wounded and died a painful death:
2Ch 35:23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.
24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
His dying such a death hardly seems to be a fulfillment of the promise that he would be gathered to his grave in peace. On this reading, Josiah died out of the will of God because he did not heed the warning that God gave him through the mouth of Necho.
If this is in fact what happened, God intended that Josiah would die later in some peaceful manner, but Josiah died out of the will of God. Alternatively, the promise that God gave to Josiah may have meant all along that Josiah would receive a proper burial regardless of how he would die. In that case, God’s promise was fulfilled to Josiah, and he did not die out of the will of God.
What do you think?
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Ron Hamilton’s father kept a New Testament in his pocket every day of World War II. This Bible is full of his hand-written notes and is now very worn. In the front, it has a striking commendation by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the value of reading the Bible!
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Jephthah was a judge in Israel who made a problematic vow that may have led him to offer his only daughter as a human sacrifice (Judges 11). An examination of how the grace of God abounded to him in spite of the consequences of his vow provides us with some valuable lessons.
Jephthah as a Spiritually Minded Judge in Israel
During a dark period in Israel’s history, “Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor” (Judges 11:1). Because he was the son of a harlot, his brethren prevented him from inheriting a share of his father’s estate (Judges 11:1-2). Fleeing from them, Jephthah lived in the land of Tob and became the leader over a band of “vain men” who joined up with him (Judges 11:3).
When the Ammonites warred against Israel, the elders of Gilead sought him out to lead Israel in fighting against them (Judges 11:4-10). In spite of his being the son of a harlot and drawing to himself a group of worthless men, Jephthah manifested at this time both to the Israelites and to their enemies that he was a spiritually minded man.
He testified to his understanding that if he would have success in fighting with their enemies, it would be from God’s working on his behalf: “The Lord deliver them before me” (Judges 11:9). He showed that he believed in the importance of communicating publicly with God on the important occasion of his being made the head and captain over God’s people: “Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh” (Judges 11:11).
He knew correctly the spiritual nature of Israel’s prior conquests (Judges 11:15-22) and testified faithfully to it in appealing to the king of the Ammonites not to war against Israel without just cause (Judges 11:21, 23). He also had a right awareness of and appreciation for what constituted wrongful human actions against other humans: “Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me” (Judges 11:27a).
Jephthah’s testifying this truth to his enemies in the face of the impending conflict with them shows that he desired rightfully to prevent them from waging an unjust war. He also faithfully testified to his proper understanding of the Lord as the Judge who rightly judges among people who sinfully war against one another: “The Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon” (Judges 11:27b).
Taken at face value, these many statements point to Jephthah’s being a spiritually minded judge in at least a number of ways. When, therefore, we consider the problematic vow that he made, we must take care not to allow it to so color our perspectives about him as to prevent us from forming a right overall perspective about him.
Jephthah’s Problematic Vow and Subsequent Life
After the Ammonites refused to heed Jephthah’s efforts to dissuade them from attacking the Israelites (Judges 11:28), the Holy Spirit came upon him (Judges 11:29a). He then traveled to meet the Ammonites in battle (Judges 11:29b).
At this point, Jephthah made a problematic vow that if God would give him victory over the Ammonites, he would offer up as a burnt offering to the Lord whatever would come forth out of his house to meet him (Judges 11:30-31). This vow has occasioned considerable difference of opinion among interpreters about what he actually did and why.
Since God did for him what he had spoken of in his vow, Jephthah believed that he was constrained to keep his vow (Judges 11:35-40). His doing so further testifies to his being a spiritually minded man who believed that he had to keep a vow that he made regardless of how costly it might prove to him (cf. Ps. 15:4).
Because Scripture states that Jephthah “did with her according to his vow which he had vowed” (Judges 11:39), we must hold that either he actually sacrificed his only daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord or he did something else that somehow yet fulfilled his vow. Whatever he chose to do in fulfilling his vow became the basis for a new custom of lamenting in Israel, which points to the sorrowful nature of whatever he did to fulfill his vow (Judges 11:39c).
Following the account of his fulfilling his vow and its aftermath, Scripture recounts how Jephthah handled a pressing conflict with the Ephraimites (Judges 12:1-6). The Old Testament account of his life ends with information about the length of his judging Israel and about his death and burial (Judges 12:7).
Jephthah Mentioned in Hebrews 11
If Jephthah did in fact sacrifice his only daughter, he certainly committed a heinous act. Especially in that case, were Judges 11:1-12:7 the only revelation that we had about him, we might even be justified in doubting whether he truly ever was a believer in the first place.
New Testament mention of him in Hebrews 11:32, however, indisputably shows that he was a true believer in Jehovah regardless of how he kept his problematic vow. If he did keep it by sacrificing his daughter, Hebrews 11 magnifies God’s grace to Jephthah all the more because it shows that God chose to provide us with revelation many centuries after he had already died that shows that he was a true believer in spite of his having made a problematic vow and having committed a heinous act!
Especially because of Hebrews 11:32, we must take care not to make the account of his problematic vow the sum total of our viewpoint about him. Rather, we must allow both the evidence of his being an otherwise spiritually minded judge and the mention of him in Hebrews 11 to shape aright how we regard him as a believer.
Conclusion
Regardless of whether he sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord or not, Jephthah was a true believer. We certainly will see him in heaven one day.
God’s choosing to mention Jephthah in Hebrews 11:32 magnifies His grace and instructs us that we must keep in mind that there may be people in our day whose salvation we may strongly doubt who may yet be true believers in spite of the overt wickedness of some aspects of their lives. The account of Jephthah’s vow also instructs us to be very careful in making any promises to people without thoroughly considering every possibility for how unforeseen developments might cause us to regret greatly that we made those promises.
I look forward to meeting Jephthah one day and having him provide us with a fuller account of what he actually did to keep his problematic vow.
[1] For a helpful discussion of some pros and cons for holding the view that he did sacrifice his daughter, see this post by my friend Mark Ward.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
“Ode to Joy” is a beautiful tune that is easy to play. I often use it early on when I teach people to play the guitar.
This PDF provides the fret numbers and solfeggio notes (in my number format) to play the melody of this song on any string of the guitar. By practicing this classic tune on each string, you will become much better acquainted with many of the notes on the finger board!
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
With 80 days left in 2014, I have now finished reading 889 chapters in the Reina Valera this year! To finish the remaining 300 chapters, I will have to read 3.75 chapters on average daily for the rest of the year.
I am eagerly anticipating making it through the whole Bible in Spanish this year, Lord willing!
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
With permission from Mr. Homer Chinn, a faithful member of my church, I am posting this testimony with the hope that God will use it to bring many people to Himself. May the Lord also greatly encourage many of His own through this message of His great goodness to this man whom He has saved for His glory.
My name is Homer Chinn. I’m a machinist for a company called Honeywell Aerospace where we repair and overhaul turbine engines. About 23 years ago, God saw fit to begin a work in my family.
It all began one Saturday morning when I was working on an old lawnmower. I began to get hot and frustrated so my daughter Amanda, who was only 5, was playing in the yard nearby so I sent her in the house to get me a beer and she said, “No, daddy.”
I didn’t think she heard me so I told her again, “I said Amanda go in the house and get your daddy a beer.” And she just bowed up on me and she said, “No, daddy.”
I knew then that she heard me and I got mad so I said, “Amanda, do you want a spanking”? She said, “No, sir.” Well, I said, “Go in the house, and get your daddy a beer!”
She said, “Daddy, I can’t.” I said, “Well, why not?” She said, “Because they are bad for you.”
I said, “Where did you learn that at?” She said, “At church.” When she said that, God spoke to me through that, and the weight of that just convicted me severely of my sin. I’d never felt that shame like that before.
So needless to say, I didn’t say anything else to her the rest of the day but that bothered me the rest of the day and for a couple of weeks after that. And it had gotten to where I wanted to go to church with my family but I knew if I went to church, God would require me to give up my sin, and I just didn’t want to.
But about 2 weeks later, I was sitting at the kitchen table on a Sunday morning. I started drinking again already then, and I heard my family come in from church. I heard the car door slam, and I heard one of the children skipping up the steps and come through the back door.
It was my daughter Amanda again. She crawled right up in my lap, looked me dead in the eyes. She said, “Daddy said, ‘Jesus died for me and you,’ didn’t He?”
And when she said that, the shame laid heavy on me and I never felt so ashamed in all my life. I was reared in church but had gotten out of it and when I got to be a teenager.
So I knew the truth that Christ had died for our sin but it was God speaking to me clearly through my daughter that day that really got my attention and made it hit home that He had died for me. The shame of her—a 5-year old, 40-pound little girl— telling me the truth, and here I was a grown man supposed to be teaching her weighed heavily on me.
So for another two weeks I resisted and fought it, but one Sunday morning I got up when they got up to get ready to go to church. I got up and went with them.
I thought that I had to go to church to get saved but by the grace of God that Sunday morning I went with them. I was tired of carrying that weight of sin. God had dealt with me and it grew heavy.
So I went to a little country church there in Traveler’s Rest that Sunday morning, and I don’t remember the Sunday school class. I don’t remember the sermon, but they sang the perfect hymnal invitation song for me, and that was “Just As I Am,” and I listened to that song real close, and I knew I had nothing to bring to the Lord but sin.
I had heard before some people thought you had to get cleaned up before God saved you but that’s not right. You just submit yourself, humble yourself before God, and He’ll do the saving.
So that day I walked forward on the last verse of the hymn and gave my life to Christ. Pastor knelt there at the altar and led me to Christ, and immediately my life began to change.
We were in a ministry like that for a couple of years and a couple of years into that ministry God began to show me some looseness and sin in that church that even I knew wasn’t right. I had no family here, I had nowhere to go for counsel, but I would lock myself in the bathroom and commit that to prayer.
And God in His mercy a year or two after I committed that to prayer one day led us to Mount Calvary. It was in the providence of God He allowed me to work with a godly young man named Lenny Bundy who has become a dear friend of mine. It was through his testimony and his walk with the Lord that I came to visit the church here.
My children and I just really plugged into the ministry here and began to grow. But as we began to grow, the trials and opposition came from some dear loved ones too. But I thank God through those trials He crowded us closer to Him. He taught us to take sin and living for Him much more serious than we ever knew how to before.
I saw God do some tremendous work in my girls’ lives which was I’ll forever be thankful. It was here God began to teach me how to pray, a little bit about prayer, the privilege of prayer, the power there is in prayer.
So I began to pray for my children and through prayer God opened many doors for them. He gave them access to people and things that could teach them things I couldn’t. It was through prayer God provided them some godly husbands and gave me some godly son-in-laws Tyler and Wesley for which I’ll always be thankful. And, now I’m going to get the privilege of being a grandfather!
So if you are here today, dear friend, and you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Yes, you may know His name, you may know some facts about Him, but until you know Him as your personal Savior from sin, you’ll never get to go to heaven.
It was here I learned what God had called me to do. So I ask you the same question today, “What has God called you to do? Why are you here today? Do you know your purpose?”
Listen closely to the messages today. If God speaks to your heart, be willing to surrender and yield to that—don’t resist. And obey whatever He lead you to do so God can save you so you can come to know the peace which passeth all understanding so you can come to know what your will is in your life and live your life for the Lord.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
