Faith: The means by which we get to know God.

Last week we examined the foundational principle of faith. This week we turn to how faith is put into practice in our daily lives.

1. The Word of God

The main means of acquiring knowledge is through the Bible, the word of God. This includes:

(a) Hearing God’s word: Paul wrote, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). Every time the word is read we should attentively listen, expecting God to speak to us.

(b) Reading God’s word: Paul wrote to Timothy, “…give attention to reading” (1 Tim 4:13). It is important to have a reading plan. Remember the purpose is not merely a knowledge of the Bible, but the knowledge of God himself.

Although it is a well-known cliché, it is still true, ‘you can know God as much as you want to’. Here are some interesting facts: if you read the Bible for 15 minutes each day you would read the whole Bible in less than a year; for a normal reader the whole Bible could be read in 71 hours; the Old Testament in 52 hours and the New Testament in 19 hours. If you read ten chapters a day, in 18 weeks you would have read the whole book. By coming to know God’s ways and works through reading, faith in him is encouraged.

(c) Studying God’s word: This involves taking a book of the Bible, or a doctrine, subject, or character, and collecting all the information you can to learn of him.

(d) Memorising God's word: Many times in Scripture we are exhorted to ‘remember'. The first essential is to receive truth in our hearts - and it is also profitable to have it in our memories.

Although it is a well-known cliché, it is still true, ‘you can know God as much as you want to’.

(e) Singing God’s word: So much Scripture has now been put to music. There is nothing better to offer to God than that which God himself inspired. We have available a whole book of Psalms.

(f) Writing God’s word: The kings of Israel had to write out all God’s instructions. Sometimes we learn more from verses by writing them because you note every word.

(g) Meditating on God’s word: Of all the ways of approaching the word of God, meditation is the most rewarding. Meditation is the practice of pondering, considering and reflecting on verses of Scripture in complete dependence on the Holy Spirit to give revelation of truth. When there is obedient response, the word is imparted within. This will bring forth worship, or praise, or thanksgiving, or prayer, or intercession to God. The more we inwardly receive from him, the more we have to give to him.¹

2. Prayer

Obviously we can never get to know someone without communication. By prayer we speak to God, thus increasing our knowledge of him. Through answered prayer our faith toward God is strengthened and increased. Our prayers are not dependent on eloquent speech, but on the honest outpouring of our hearts and love to him. Thank God, heaven is always open to us and we can speak to him at any time of day or night.

Through the word we discover the will of God, and when our desire is, “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” then, as John wrote, we have confidence in prayer, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

3. Experience

Our trust in God is enhanced by many experiences, either our own, or those of others. The remembrance of the past faithfulness of God is often an incentive to trust him for the present and the future. The old hymn encourages us, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one; And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

How faith-building it is to read of God’s faithfulness to his people down through the ages. There are so many stories to thrill us: the walls of Jericho falling; the deliverance of Jerusalem in the time of Hezekiah; the many miracles of Jesus; Peter's deliverance from prison, etc. All these stories, and some from your own life, prove that God can be trusted as the reliable, promise-keeping One.

Thank God, heaven is always open to us and we can speak to him at any time of day or night.

It is also refreshing to read the biographies of God’s servants who have proved God in so many circumstances: people like William Carey, David Livingstone, Madame Guyon, Corrie Ten Boom, Brother Andrew, and the work of Open Doors, Operation Mobilisation, Youth With A Mission and so many others who had faith in God.

4. Through the Church

By good teaching and pastoral care in our local churches we learn more about the greatness and goodness of God. Here, too, we rub shoulders with our brothers and sisters in Christ from whom we can learn so much.

We can share our joys and our sorrows, our victories and defeats, our needs and his supply. Here we can experience the support of one another in prayer and action and serving one another. We can learn much of the ways of God through other members of his body.

5. Miracles

When Jesus performed his first miracle in Cana of Galilee by turning water into wine, the faith of the disciples was greatly increased. “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him” (John 2:11). How wonderful it is to witness the supernatural power of God, proving that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”.

The Lord never did any miracle merely to attract crowds or satisfy their curiosity. His one purpose in all that he did was to bring glory to God that people might learn about him and, in learning, believe in him. One day Jesus was asked the question, "’What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (John 6:28-29). One of the greatest things we can do is to trust him.

Questions

1. As the Bible is the main means of getting to know God, how are you fulfilling this in your daily life? Are adjustments needed?

2. What is your most recent answer to prayer? How did it affect your faith in God?

3. How has your faith in God increased through your local church?

4. Reflect on God’s goodness to you. When did you last count your blessings? Why not do it now, and worship him.

Notes

1 For a detailed study of this important subject, the author has written a book: The Practice of Biblical Meditation (1982, Marshall, Pickering). The American title of the same book is Alone with God (Bethany Publishers).

This article is part of a series, re-publishing a booklet entitled 'The Biblical Basis of First Principles'. Click here for previous instalments.

Charles Gardner reviews RT Kendall’s new book.

‘Whatever happened to the Gospel?’ is a question I have been asking for some time. And it is now the title of a brilliant new book by much-loved author and preacher RT Kendall, published by Charisma House.

In a very timely expose of the superficiality and error of much of Western Christianity, RT (short for Robert Tillman) attempts to rouse the Church from its slumbers with a passionate wake-up call.

Eternity Matters

Wielding his sharp, perceptive pen with the skill of a writer very much in tune with the Bible’s Author, he shows how the fear of God has been largely lost, with heaven and hell hardly ever mentioned from the pulpit.

John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus, spoke of the “wrath to come” when people flocked from miles around to hear him.

The neglect of preaching on hell, in particular, has lulled generations of believers and would-be Christians into a false sense of security, and to a lack of urgency in proclaiming the Gospel to a dying world.

This is a timely expose of the superficiality and error of much of Western Christianity.

We are too often allowed to bask in the sunshine of our Western comfort and prosperity with teaching about making the most of life in the here-and-now, rather than urgent calls to rescue those in danger of perishing in eternal fire.

After all, RT argues, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life” – the words of Jesus himself (John 3:16, my emphasis added). It’s surely a matter of everlasting life or death. The wrath of God is coming upon all ungodliness and wickedness, and the only way of escape is through the blood of Jesus. This is the Gospel – not health and wealth, prosperity, social outreach or even happiness on this earth.

Not Ashamed

It’s a thrilling read – punchy, shocking, beautifully written, honest and full of fascinating anecdotes. The author is not afraid to tell stories against himself; he owns up to having made many mistakes but, as he says, he would stake his life on the truth expounded in this volume.

The Church urgently needs to rediscover the main thing!

I am greatly indebted to friends from London who sent me a copy, but not before travelling across the capital to get RT to sign it. Alongside his signature, he noted down the Bible reference Romans 1:16, which says: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

‘Whatever Happened to the Gospel’ (240pp) is available on Amazon and elsewhere online, in paperback, Kindle and audio forms.

Please note that a review from Prophecy Today UK concerns the book only: in no way does it constitute support for official book endorsers such as shown on the image above.

We can’t close our eyes to the serious state of the nation.

Twice this week I’ve used the train for journeys to London and Manchester and seen at first hand the chaotic state of our railways. On Monday I went to our local station from which I can usually get a fast train to London – a half-hour journey which took nearly 4 hours and included going part of the way in a bus calling at a succession of local stations.

The ticket office said the bus was provided because they had no idea when the next train would come! My journey took about the same time as the stagecoach took in Queen Victoria’s reign - oh, what great progress we have made in 200 years!

Then I listened to the report of Yesterday in Parliament where the nation’s political leaders were discussing Brexit. Were these really responsible adults dealing with the nation’s affairs shouting abusively at each other? The words ‘chaos’ and ‘confusion’ were the only way of describing the scenes in the House of Commons as everyone was speaking at the same time and no-one was listening.

I picked up a newspaper and glanced at the headlines: High-Street Meltdown, TSB Banking Crisis – Customers’ Accounts Forged, Carillion Costs Taxpayers £1½ million, Sexually Transmitted Diseases Increase, Criminal Justice System Breaking Down, NHS Facing Funding Crisis. I could go on with a catalogue of bad news stories guaranteed to leave us all depressed. But we cannot simply close our eyes to the serious state of our nation. We can’t all take antidepressants and pretend that all is well. At some point we have got to face up to what’s gone wrong.

In this magazine our objective is to tell the truth - even when it is not politically correct to do so!!

In this issue of Prophecy Today we are publishing two significant articles – one is about our Prime Minister Theresa May and the other is about the plague of political correctness that is polluting the whole value system of the nation. These are both must-read articles which I hope our readers will recommend to their friends. In this magazine our objective is to tell the truth - even when it is not politically correct to do so!!

At the Root

At my meeting in Manchester we were talking about the problems facing young people in inner-city areas. One social worker said, “The root of all the problems with the kids is family breakdown – fatherlessness, insecurity, lack of identity, poverty, drugs, guns, knives, gang warfare – the whole cycle comes back to family breakdown”.

But family breakdown is just one result of the nationwide abandonment of our Christian faith, along with the biblical values that were part of the foundations upon which the nation was built and gave guidance and direction to our behaviour: to the way we treat each other, to the way we do business, to life in the home, in school, in the workplace, and among our friends and neighbours.

The problems in our nation are not economic, or political, or educational, or mental health, or physical health, or all the other things we blame like poverty, discrimination and injustice. At root, all these problems come back to the same cause: it is the spiritual state of the nation.

We have no absolutes anymore. Our previous absolutes – TRUTH, JUSTICE, LOVE – these were derived from the nature of God as revealed in the Bible. But when we abandon these absolute, basic values, the bottom drops out of our lives: we have no firm foundation upon which to base anything.

When we abandon the absolute, basic values revealed in Scripture, the bottom drops out of our lives: we have no firm foundation upon which to base anything.

Facing Up to Reality

There is a telling passage in the Bible found in Deuteronomy 28 that God gave to his covenant people Israel. From this we can learn some lessons for ourselves: It tells us what happens when we turn away from God’s teaching:

The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. (Deut 28:20)

We can see all these things taking place right now in the life of our nation – and in all those nations in the Western world where our Judeo-Christian heritage of many centuries is being despised and rejected with devastating consequences.

We will never solve the problems in the economy, or in politics, in health, or in marriage and personal relationships – until we face up to the spiritual issues that are the root causes.

Transformation is Still Possible!

The Prophet Haggai back in the year 520 BC got it right when he told the people of Jerusalem, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it” (Hag 1:5-6).

He went on to say that the cause of all their problems was because the people had turned away from God – if they would get God back into the centre of their own individual lives and in the corporate life of the nation, all these things would change dramatically.

God is saying the same thing to us today – to our political leaders, to our educators, to our businessmen, to our community leaders and to each of us personally. If we truly seek to get into a right relationship with God, he will respond to us immediately; just as the father ran to greet the prodigal son when he returned home in the story that Jesus told. The transformation of the nation begins with each one of us.

Charles Gardner reviews ‘Faith, Freedom and the Future’ by Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali (Wilberforce Publications, 2016).

The Church of England faces a stark choice of either conforming to current fashion with “easily swallowed soundbites” or of being vigorously counter-cultural, according to one of its most outspoken bishops.

Hitting Out at Dumbed-Down Baptism

In a new book, Faith, Freedom and the Future, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali comments on what he describes as a “dumbed-down” version of the christening service.

In a desire not to offend, the Church was in danger of “capitulating to whatever is fashionable”, he writes.

The new ‘alternative’ service for baptism “almost entirely does away with sin and the need to repent…We are not told anything about the Christ in whom we are to put our trust. There is no acknowledgement of him as Lord and Saviour. In general, there is a reluctance to declare that the Bible sees the world as having gone wrong and needing to be put right. This is done by the coming of Christ, and baptism is nothing less than taking part in this story of salvation, no part of which can be sold short.”

And he concludes: “This is a choice for the Church of England – either to become simply an attenuated version of whatever the English people happen to believe and to value, or to be full-bloodedly a manifestation of the ‘one, holy, catholic and apostolic church’ it still continues to confess in the creeds. Which way will it choose?”

Nazir-Ali writes that in a desire not to offend, the Church is in danger of capitulating to whatever is fashionable.

Thorough Analysis

The book is also a thorough analysis of a number of moral issues facing us, and the Bishop’s diagnosis is a breath of fresh air which could help to revive our broken society.

In challenging the increasing marginalisation of Christians, he asks why a law originally based on Judeo-Christian principles is being used to silence them.

He also tackles radical Islam – with his Pakistani background, he is well qualified to do so – and raises the issue of blasphemy against the prophet (Muhammad), punishable by death in many of the Arab countries who have signed up to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion as well as the right to change beliefs.

“What is the difference between Asia Bibi and numerous others on death row, having been convicted on blasphemy charges, and the killings on the streets of Paris and Copenhagen?…Why does the international community tolerate one but not the other? Is it because Westerners are involved in one but not the other?”

Forceful and Passionate

The esteemed author can be laboured in the build-up of his arguments which I sometimes found difficult to follow, but when he gets to the point, he makes it with a forceful flourish and obvious passion for both the Gospel and the Anglican Church, which is no doubt why he has become a popular choice for radio and TV discussions.

This is a theological book with considerable intellectual appeal, but which does not shy away from unpacking CofE politics and driving home the stark choice currently facing the established Church.

Faith, Freedom & the Future (330pp) is available in both paperback and e-book forms. Click here to find out more.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Why Still Care About Israel?’ by Sandra Teplinsky (Chosen, 2013).

Latest updates from outreach in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Before Christmas, we published a report about missionary work being done amongst Iraqi Kurds and refugees on the Nineveh Plains. We were able to send some money to aid this work, thanks to your support, and we anticipate a fuller report soon.

In the meantime, the following update provides a sneak preview of the spiritual fruit being borne in this region, amidst trials and tribulations we can barely imagine.

Teaching on Israel…in Iraq!

“You crossed a red line.” These were the words of my dear friend and interpreter, Z, after the meeting that night. I have previously been warned never to mention Israel and the Jews in Iraq. “The walls have ears”, I was told. As the Lord would have it, I spoke extensively on Israel, her history, the present and the future, as spoken by the prophets.

“Man, my spirit soared as you mentioned Israel, it was like I was on air hearing these words”, Z said. “We have shackled the Scripture regarding this subject. People are fearful. Your words were what we needed to hear. No-one was arrested and we can now have the strength to speak openly as believers. The time of being fearful is over.”

That night we had a packed meeting where many were left standing. More Syrians came than had been anticipated. We just could not cater for the people who arrived over and above the list of names we had. We have also been asked to help a new list of the latest arrivals in Erbil. We will try to move as the Lord leads.

Refugees from Nineveh Plains Cities and Syria

Our outreach in this region focuses on three groups, thanks to the contacts the Lord has given us: Muslims in towns on the Nineveh Plains, Muslims nearer the border with Iran and refugees living in camps in and around Erbil.

During our trip we have been meeting with Syrian Kurds who have fled the chaos of civil war, as well as Nineveh Plains refugees.¹ Even as I was addressing the refugees at one camp, more were arriving from Syria. The situation is overwhelming. And what do you say to exhort those who have languished for years now in the camps, confined to small rooms?

I have previously been warned never to mention Israel and the Jews in Iraq.

The believing community on the Nineveh Plains comes under extraordinary attack, particularly from the Orthodox Church. One Christian man was arrested five times earlier this year by the Nineveh Plains Militias for preaching the Gospel. He had been reported by the Church as “speaking against the priests”. It’s just like the days of the early Church!

One of his arrests afforded him the opportunity to speak to one of the security members. He spoke about the distinctions between the Quran and the Bible. At 3am the next morning his phone rang. It was the man he had witnessed to. “I can’t sleep since you spoke to me”, he said. “I’m phoning to tell you I believe all you told me is the truth.”

Meeting in SmilaneIt is important to realise that the Orthodox Christian community is decimated and will soon disappear. It is part of the fabric which has held society in this region together for centuries - heaven help the people once it is erased. As one believer says:

[The orthodox clergy] no longer mention the blood of Yeshua, probably to appease Muslims who say Issa never died. So there is no salvation, there is no hope. We see or hear from no-one like you. Someone who has compassion and is able to exhort from Scripture. More than anything these people need the Bible to be opened up and explained.

Please thank everyone who helped you. Thank them from the bottom of our children’s hearts.

Ministering to Muslims and Muslim-Background Believers

We have also been on the Nineveh Plains meeting Muslim converts in Mosul and elsewhere. We were invited to visit some Muslim villages which suffered from ISIS atrocities - the leaders wanted us to come and talk about the Bible.

In one Kurdish village, we met with senior members including the Mullah to discuss the teachings of Messiah and biblical prophecy that concerns them. We then gave the Mullah a new Bible in the Sorani dialect, recently translated. He asked me to pray before we left. I've not experienced such emotion in praying for anyone before.

Late that evening a Muslim convert called us to come and see two young men coming to get Bibles. That was not the only night: men kept coming asking for Bibles. How many in the West would respond this way?

Young men kept coming asking for Bibles. How many in the West would respond this way?

We have also been approached recently by a Muslim involved in the clearance of land mines along the Iran-Iraq border. Many of his workers have been killed. He heard that one of the widows is on our list for food distributions so he came to thank us:

I want you to thank all the Christians who have donated to you for us. Tell them we appreciate it more than they know. When you have no food even a plate of food is a blessing. They don't expect the world - they are just grateful for whatever you've given them.

Our country needs to hear the message of Jesus, the message of love. You are doing a good work here. We welcome you as family.

God Looks at the Heart

A similar message of thanksgiving and encouragement came when we made an extraordinary visit to two Kurdish villages in the Zagros Mountains, in an area where no outsiders have been – only Kurds. “There was one person came to our village, but you are the first one to come up here to these two villages", said IB, as we sat discussing Scripture.

In the Zagros mountains.I had the unique opportunity to speak to them about the words of the Prophet Isaiah in chapter 19. At one point, our young interpreter remarked, “God looks at our heart, not the outside.” His father had previously received a Bible - I wondered if he had heard this from him.

Later on, we were met at the municipal offices, where widows of the Peshmerga (the Kurdish military) had gathered for our food distribution. They were all called into the hall and I was asked to address them. I spoke about God putting a burden on my heart for the Kurdish people, especially them. They have suffered much and the world doesn't care. But there is a people who do, I told them - they are the people of Messiah, believers in Jesus. These are the people who had sent money to help provide for their needs. I was moved by their response - they were really very grateful.

That day we said our goodbyes with much joy, promising if possible to see each other again. Is God working among the Kurds? Absolutely - they are hearing his voice.

Mark van Niekerk

Notes

1 The refugee crisis in this part of Iraq is partly caused by the Syrian civil war. There has been a massive influx of Syrian refugees, particularly since 2013, and four permanent camps now exist in Erbil, holding about 40% of the refugees. Read more here. The other cause of the refugee crisis is internal. ISIS’ capture of Mosul in 2014 caused half the city to flee to surrounding towns and villages on the Nineveh Plains, and from there to Erbil. ISIS has now been pushed back, and some refugees are beginning to return to their homes. Read more here.

Editorial Comment

This outreach in Iraqi Kurdistan owes to the efforts of a number of missionaries, linked to an Israeli Messianic group called Voice in the Wilderness and supported internationally. Our contact, Mark van Niekerk, is a South African missionary.

Our thanks to all those who contributed to our winter appeal, and to those who have been praying for this amazing outreach effort. We hope to bring you a fuller report soon.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Key to the Middle East’ by Derek Prince (Derek Prince Ministries, 2013).

Paul Luckraft reviews two books on Israel's restoration.

Over the next few weeks we will be reviewing a number of classic books on the subject of Israel and her restoration, ahead of the 70^th anniversary celebrations in May.

This week, Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Does God Play Favourites?’ by Jim Gerrish and ‘Your People Shall Be My People’ by Don Finto. Please see the base of page for ordering information.

Does God Play Favourites? (Gerrish, 353pp, Cornerstone, 2000)

Despite being nearly 20 years old now, this book is a real treasure trove. It has a wide scope and is packed with useful information on every aspect of God’s unique relationship with Israel.

The author contends that the miraculous work of God in restoring the nation of Israel is something that Christians today have to consider if they are to gain any understanding of the purposes of God as outlined in Scripture. He draws on many years of experience and biblical study to present a significant account of why Israel is special. He accepts that spiritually Israel is only partially restored but she has risen from the ashes just as the ancient prophets foretold.

The opening chapters take us through many scriptures to explain how and why this has happened.

Encyclopaedic in Scope and Depth

Later chapters cover the rise of Islam and its impact upon Israel and the Church, the story of how the nation of Israel was reborn, the Jewishness of Jesus and how the Church moved away from its Jewish roots during its early centuries.

The sickness of anti-Semitism is tackled in another chapter, as are the intriguing questions, ‘Is the Messiah restoring Israel?’, ‘Is God a Zionist?’ and ‘Is the Devil angry over Jerusalem?’. The author is clear that “The continual madness and insanity in the Middle East attests to the apparent rage of the devil concerning Israel” (p306). He adds that “No doubt, Satan has found politics a very successful tool in his age-old effort to deprive the children of Israel of their heritage” (p307).

Despite being nearly 20 years old now, this book is a real treasure trove.

The author also considers many of the contemporary aspects which surround Israel in today’s world, namely the refugee problem, the UN and its many resolutions against Israel, and the role of the media.

Each chapter is well thought through and informative - almost encyclopaedic in scope and depth. Everything you could want to know is covered more than adequately. There are also study questions at the end of every chapter, together with excellent endnotes. The book ends with an extensive historical timeline and a full bibliography.

Highly commended.

Your People Shall Be My People: How Israel, the Jews and the Christian Church Will Come Together in the Last Days (Finto, 204pp, Regal, 2001/2016)

This book, updated an expanded in 2016, remains a useful contribution to the literature on how Israel, the Jews and the Christian Church should co-exist now and how, in the words of the subtitle, they will come together in the last days.

The author admits that what he is writing is not always new but he is hopeful that his perspective will add something to those who are already knowledgeable in this area, as well as provide a fresh revelation to others. To this end he achieves his purpose.

The title is taken from the book of Ruth (1:16). The author contends that the Gentile Church should look to her as a role model in terms of commitment to God’s ancient people and a desire to become part of the ‘one new man’ of which Paul speaks (Eph 2:13).

A Remarkable Generation

Part of the fascination of the book is the way the author shows how God has been at work in the past 70 years since Israel became a nation again. He quotes statistics to show that half of those who have ever come to faith in Christ have done so since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 (p43). 

He also sees 1967 (the year when Jerusalem came under Jewish control again) as “the year that brought a change in the heavenlies” (p139). From this time there began to be a noticeable increase of Jewish believers in Jesus. He claims that “since the first century, there has never been a generation that has seen so many Jewish people in so many parts of the world coming to believe in Jesus” (p127).

But as well as proclaiming this good news, the author also makes us aware that “sometime in the future the whole world will take a stand against Israel” (p173). The spiritual battle will intensify. Taking a stand on their behalf is something we need to be preparing for. Here the example of Ruth comes to the fore again.

The book is an easy read and worth trying to pick up second-hand. The overall approach is positive and encouraging. There are good endnotes to each chapter plus an appendix of recommended further reading.

Please click on the following links to purchase the above books:

Does God Play Favourites? (Amazon, second-hand)

Your People Shall Be My People (Amazon, paperback and Kindle)

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Any Complaints? Blame God’ by Martin Goldsmith (Authentic Media, 2008).

This is a concise and readable commentary on the Book of Habakkuk whose message is often overlooked but which ‘still speaks today’, especially in our ‘blame society’ where “Whatever happens to us, we feel we have the right to blame someone else and perhaps look for compensation” (p.vii).

Goldsmith, author of Storytelling, makes the valid point that whereas Habakkuk is small book with only three short chapters, this makes it all the easier to place it in its context and relate it to our day. Consequently, “it can then form a peg on which to hang the longer and more difficult prophets” (p.ix).

Well Set Out

The book is well set out with an introduction that covers the usual background (who Habakkuk was, the likely date of the book and its structure). At only a few pages it is concise, but more than enough for the general reader who wants to get to the text as quickly as possible.

The rest of the book consists of seven chapters – three on each of Chapters 1 and 2 of Habakkuk, and one on Chapter 3, the prophet’s final ‘praise song’, perhaps the most famous part of the book. This is not an academic commentary but it does explain the key words well and also applies the message to the Christian faith.

The book ends with a good bibliography and endnotes for those who want to pursue the studies further.

A Good Companion

Habakkuk is one of those biblical books where certain verses are better known than the book as a whole. Goldsmith’s commentary is best thought of as a companion to the text which helps us to get to know God better via Habakkuk and then to be able tackle life with greater faith.

One good approach would be to read Habakkuk all through, then to read Goldsmith’s book, then Habakkuk all through again. Most beneficial would be to do this all on the same day, perhaps as part of a retreat.

Any Complaints? Blame God (paperback, 231pp) is available from the publisher for £8.99.

Enjoying God’s good gift of music.

God has given us richly all things to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17) – and that includes music. Over the past few weeks we have seen how music is an innately spiritual phenomenon with power to affect people deeply which can be turned for good or ill. We have seen how music features in Scripture and how, throughout history, it has both expressed and shaped the spiritual state of societies.

We finish this short series, which is not intended to be comprehensive, but more a starting point, by looking at how we can apply good principles of discernment to our music-making and musical consumption.

What Makes ‘Good’ Music?!

The question of ‘what makes good music?’ is, of course, incredibly (some might say completely) subjective. However, through history and around our diverse world, certain qualities are repeatedly valued. Broadly speaking, music judged to be of good quality is:

• Evocative: speaking to and expressing the emotions
  
• Creative: a vehicle for imagination, inspiration and originality
  
• Intelligent: thoughtful and perceptive in both composition and performance
  
• Skilful: displaying talent and proficiency – again, in both composition and performance.
  

Dwelling on these prized attributes this week, I realised how closely they align with the command that we are to worship God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Luke 10:27). It seems that the Lord designed music with in-built capacities to enable us to worship with our whole beings. At the same time, He also designed it to be accessible and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of ability. It really is the perfect vehicle for worship. What a wonderful God we serve!

However, as intimated above, music can be put to the service of the flesh, the world and the enemy, instead of the service of God. Musical evocativeness, creativity, intelligence and skill – though intended for godly worship - can instead be used to entice and corrupt. Even within the Church, it can be used to draw attention to man more than God, or to sow seeds of false doctrine instead of proclaiming truth.

The Lord designed music with in-built capacities to enable us to worship with our whole beings.

The rest of this article will focus on the principles that characterise truly biblical music (particularly that used in church, though CCM – discussed last week – overlaps and can be judged on the same merits), though I will remark at the end on how we might be discerning in our everyday consumption of music – i.e. for leisure, background music, etc. This is not something to be over-thought or approached legalistically, but rather something to be surrendered to the Lord as part of our daily existence as ‘living sacrifices’, wholly set upon his altar.

As we yield our music-making and musical enjoyment to him afresh, I pray that he will breathe new life into it through the Holy Spirit, and that we will discover more of what it means to do everything for his glory.

Testing Needed

Music written and brought into being as part of worship is not something to be taken lightly, for it is a primary vehicle through which we offer our sacrifice of praise to the Lord (Heb 13:15). It also affects us, and others, very deeply, touching and feeding the soul.

For these reasons, I believe that music and lyrics used in worship ought to be tested, even as teaching should be, and a culture of healthy musical discernment should be encouraged in churches and home fellowships – led with wisdom and involving the input of mature, trustworthy Christians.

So, how do we set about this? How can we bring to bear biblical discernment on the music we use in worship? How can we encourage the worship leaders and musicians of our acquaintance - especially the younger ones - to think biblically when it comes to their musical production and consumption?

Hallmarks of Biblical Music

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:16)

“…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:18-20)

I believe that truly godly music will bear some specific hallmarks in increasing measure and developing maturity, which we can use as part of any testing process. I offer five below.¹

Truly godly music will bear some specific hallmarks in increasing measure and developing maturity.

Biblical music…

…glorifies God: It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at the amount of Christian music in existence which draws attention to us more than to the Lord. Good worship music points people to God, lifting the soul’s eyes up to Heaven and putting life’s trials in the context of his unchanging character and overarching purpose.

In that respect, worship music is always humble, whether it manifests as quiet reverence or joyful noise; ultimately all the sounds we make as part of worship should be about him and for him, not about and for us. We can be blessed, healed and delivered through the Lord ministering to us in times of worship, but these are wonderful by-products which should never eclipse worship’s main goal.

…edifies believers: Godly music feeds the new man, not the old sinful self, speaking truth into the human spirit and encouraging the growth of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In other words, if music always takes us somewhere, godly music encourages us in the direction of Heaven, not Hell (Eph 4:1), stirring up the spirit, not the flesh!

As such, in congregational contexts, it builds up the Body of Christ around the truths of Scripture, binding believers together in the same faith and the same hope.

…proclaims scriptural truth: Whether directly quoted or not, godly music is rich in the truths and principles of Scripture: not selectively, nor manipulatively, but comprehensively, clearly and in good faith. Feeding on biblical music can be a fantastic way to memorise Scripture. The word is sharper than a double-edged sword (Heb 4:12), and truly biblical music will allow its refining power to cut us to the quick, even as we sing. And in forthtelling the word of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, godly music will naturally have a prophetic edge.

In these ways, lyrical substance is more important than musical style, though style is obviously not morally or spiritually neutral, being an outflow of the writer’s heart (as we unpacked in the second part of this series). Instrumental music inspired by biblical truth will bear witness to godly principles, such as [creative] order and moral decency (1 Cor 14:40).

Biblical music builds up the Body of Christ around the truths of Scripture, binding believers together in the same faith and the same hope.

…is offered in the right spirit: one of humble surrender, true faith and glad obedience, on the part of both writers and worshippers. The creation of godly music demands hearts that are in the right place before God - not seeking to bend music’s power to selfish ends, or to force God’s hand or work up a particular atmosphere. It is the new age that uses music in a spirit of control – not biblical Christianity, which offers it up freely as part of a sacrifice of praise, allowing God to work through it as he wills.²

This does not require fleshly perfection, but rather new life birthed through true faith, cleansed by the blood of Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. As such, biblical music flows from, and is inspired through, communion with God.³

…has good roots: I would recommend reading about some of the great hymn writers, such as the Wesleys, Fanny Crosby, John Newton and Isaac Watts, to see what faithful and surrendered lives they led. I’m not saying that one must be perfect to write good Christian music, but it is certainly important that both song-writers and worship leaders practise what they preach and remain sound in their theology.

As intimated last week, there are many modern Christian worship leaders who are personally dabbling in wrong teaching. This will undoubtedly show up, sooner or later, in what they write and sing. Good roots bear good fruits.

In Spirit and Truth

So, biblical music glorifies God, edifies believers, proclaims scriptural truth, is offered in the right spirit and has good roots. Its emotive, creative, intellectual and skilful elements are thus put to work for good spiritual ends, through the power of the Holy Spirit. These principles can perhaps be summed up using Jesus’ definition of true worship: godly music is good in spirit and in truth.

Let me re-iterate here how important it is that we learn to be discerning about musical worship. According to John Calvin, “there is hardly anything in the world with more power to turn the morals of men” than music.⁴ Even agnostic composer Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote: “Good music for worship is a moral issue. The eternal gospel cannot be commended with disposable, fashionable music styles, otherwise there is the implication that the gospel itself is somehow disposable and temporary.”⁵

Arguing over styles has sadly often been the raison d’etre of the Church, but when it comes to biblical principle, rather than taste, there is reason to get passionate – for the music we imbibe will both shape and witness to our walk with the Lord.

Godly music is offered up in a spirit of humble surrender, true faith and glad obedience, on the part of both writers and worshippers.

Music ‘In the World’

How does all of this apply, then, to music that we engage with in contexts other than direct worship – e.g. for enjoyment, community or personal improvement? It is immediately clear that we cannot easily apply the same criteria used to weigh worship music to music emanating from the secular realm. Nevertheless, all of our musical activity should still bear witness to our call to serve and honour God with our whole beings, for “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).

There is, of course, a time and a place for all kinds of musical activity, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim 4:4-5; also Ecc 3:1-8). I am sure that God loves music even more than we do – and desires us to enjoy it, build relationships through it, and bear witness through it to his beauty and creativity, just as naturally as birds sing their unique songs. But, permit me to make two further comments on how we can be godly in this.

First, music must always retain in its proper place – in submission to our worship of God - and used for good purpose, not squandered.⁶ We are not to be hedonists - lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Tim 3:1-4) - nor are we to love the things of the world (James 4:4). We must take care that enjoying God’s good gift does not descend into idolatry of any kind. This applies especially to musicians and worship leaders.

Secondly, we ought to take care that we feed ourselves – and others - on good things, even for entertainment and relaxation. These things require discernment, and the Holy Spirit’s leading, for not everything is beneficial or constructive for us (1 Cor 10:23).

Let us take inspiration then, from Philippians 4:8 to round off this series: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about [listen to/sing/play?] such things.”

Recommended Material

The Family that Worships Together, Episode 5: Music in Worship. National Center for Family-Integrated Churches.

Testing music in the church’, by Sandy Simpson. Deceptioninthechurch.com, October 2000.

‘Entertainment as Worship - Worship as Entertainment’ by Douglas Bond, 22 February 2018.

‘The Christian and Entertainment’, by Rev D Kuiper. Truthaccordingtoscripture.com.

References

1 Thanks particularly to the comments made by pastors in this video.

2 “Musical conditioning is not the same as the Holy Spirit challenging the mind to think, the spirit to be still, and the heart to be humbled in the presence of God.” John Blanchard – quoted here.

3 Many top musicians admit that their best compositions weren’t ‘made’, but somehow ‘found’ – as if they were already there, waiting to be discovered. This perhaps shows music’s spiritual dimension – and so the importance of making and enjoying it in communion with God, looking to him for inspiration rather than inside ourselves…or anywhere else.

4 Preface to the Genevan Psalter of 1545. Quoted here.

5 Preface to The English Hymnal. Ibid.

6 ‘The Christian and Entertainment’, by Rev D Kuiper. Truthaccordingtoscripture.com

This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments.