"At Calvary" reinterprets the text of the hymn of the same name and offers a fresh perspective on its profound message. It was specifically written and arranged for choirs with limited resources. The verses are sung in unison, while the chorus features a straightforward 4-part harmony. The instrumental demo can serve as an accompaniment track for groups with limited keyboard skills.
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/at-calvary-23016942.html
We want to be “right,” after all, who wants to be “wrong?” For those whose faith is placed in Christ as Lord and Savior, we would say that God’s Word is our standard, our authority; God is “right;” Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. An issue arises when what one person believes is “right” seems to be in opposition to another’s understanding. Here are some thoughts that I hope can help us through the quandary:
1. Truth is not relative: 2 + 2 = 4, regardless of how I feel, regardless of my “personal truth”, period. There is an absolute truth, and that truth is Jesus and His Word.
2. Because we are limited and not “all-knowing,” we can often see truth from different perspectives, not unlike a group of people on two sides of the street observing a traffic accident. They can accurately relate what they saw, and there might be a difference in the accounts. The Word of God is like a multi-faceted diamond and we are not able to see all sides at once. We tend to see that which holds our focus. What one sees may not be the same as what another sees. Regardless of the differences, since Scripture does not contradict itself, Scripture is still truth. When we find statements that seem in conflict, we need to pull back and understand the context for the original readers.
3. This third option, to be “rigid,” seems to be ok, but does have some issues. We can be “rigid,” or hold on to the unchanging truth that God is in control, God loves us, God desires that all come to know and have a personal relationship with Him, that He has a plan for our lives, and that His Word is truth. However, sometimes we are holding on to a limited understanding of the truth based on misunderstandings or a lack of knowledge. This kind of rigidity is often based on pride. To admit change or another option means we might be “wrong,” and lose face. This kind of rigidity is like the parent trying to show the child a better way to do something, and the child stubbornly refusing only wanting to do it “his way.” Only with time and maturity does this change.
The disciple of the Lord must have a teachable spirit, or they will never mature. Our faith and trust is in Christ. As someone has said, our faith is only as strong as the object of our faith, not how hard we may believe something. As we grow in our faith, we become more teachable and less rigid about our understanding of Scripture. When we hear a teaching that seems to contradict what we understand, we need to be like the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul taught was right. We must evaluate what is presented with the whole of God’s Word and see if it is a consistently taught truth.
My prayer is that we continue to grow in the “knowledge and fullness of Christ” and be obedient disciples of the Lord’s commands. [A great resource is Dr. Rhyne Putman’s When Doctrines Divide the People of God.]
One of the tenets of “Christian Nationalism” is to put Christians in all positions of government, etc., creating a Christian Utopia. This idea appeals to many sincere believers, especially when all around us seems like chaos. The following are some thoughts that I wanted to share about the subject.
1. The idea of God coming down and creating a new society is biblical; however, according to Scripture, this will only occur when Christ returns.
2. For years before Jesus’ birth, the Jewish idea of a Messiah would be one who would sweep in and conquer the brutal Roman rule and set this son of David to rule. This was one of the reasons they did not recognize Jesus as Messiah: they had misunderstood God’s Kingdom and timing in establishing it, as well as the purpose of Messiah in God’s plan of redemption.
3. Over and over again, Jesus underscored His purpose: Coming as a servant, to seek and save those that were lost. The Jews wanted the “quick fix” that would re-establish self rule and Jesus’ words did not seem to fit into their pre-conceived plan. Jesus clarified before Pilate that “my kingdom is not of this world.” This is not taking the comment out of its context, because the Romans feared an uprising and brutally crushed any threat. The Kingdom of God is spiritual. Pilate did not perceive any threat from Jesus.
4. God’s plan was to “go and make disciples of every nation” from the beginning. Change would come from the inside out, not from the top down. As yeast permeates the dough little by little, individuals transformed by the Gospel would lead others to Christ through believing in Him as Savior and Lord, confession, repentance, and disciplining others in Christ’s teaching and permeate the society. Scripture never teaches to take over leadership and make laws that force Christian beliefs on the culture. Discipleship cannot be legislated.
5. God brings His kingdom in, we do not. We share the good news of the kingdom. His kingdom is not defined by Christians in control of everything, but when Christ returns and brings it in.
6. God can and has worked through leadership that does not know Him. Cyrus was moved by God: “the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia” [2 Chronicles 36:22], Nebuchadnezzar [Jeremiah 25:9], Pharaoh was moved to see how God worked through Joseph, and even Paul commanded to pray for those in power; remember those in power were Roman pagans and emperors who considered themselves gods. Early Christians obeyed the laws unless they violated God’s commands and willingly submitted to the punishment. To deny that God doesn’t use or cannot use leadership that does not know Him is to deny the absolute sovereignty of God.
7. Some groups today claim that they have a “further word from God.” Truly, God does continue to speak, however, any “further word” must be consistent with the full message from Scripture. God does not contradict Himself. The temptation of Satan to Adam and Eve was to [1] question what God said and [2] have the power to determine what is right and good. When groups say that they have a “further word from God” but contradict the teaching of Scripture, they are claiming the right to say what is right over the Word of God. God does still speak, but it is primarily from His Word and illumination from it. Any dream, prophecy, or vision from God must be consistent with the overall teaching of God’s Word. Any further word that is not consistent is not from God and is a deception from Satan.
9. Remember Satan’s temptation of Jesus was seeking shortcuts in accomplishing God’s plan, the twisting of Scripture, not a denial of it, and seeking control outside of God’s design and plan. All that is taught must be subject to the test of consistency of the truth of God’s Word, not on miracles, dreams, or any other authority outside scripture.
10. Discipleship has been God’s plan from the beginning, not a political takeover. Yes, Christians should be involved, but not for the purpose of control, but to share the Good News, and to be the example of the difference godly character makes. Culture changes when the nature of the people in that culture changes from within, not from external law. Constantine attempted mandating the worship of only Christ, but like other instances, it ended in thousands coming into the church with no discipleship, or knowledge, and was destined to fail. God’s plan was discipleship, not declarations.
11. Christian Nationalism implies that God is only in control when Christians are in “power.” But leadership is not “Christian” unless it reflects Christ’s nature and character. Satan would have us believe that “the end justifies the means,” that half-truths, and accepting a leader that does not reflect Christ does not matter as long as he/she will go along with the goal.
12. Just because someone is a Christian does not make them qualified to adequately accomplish a task, except the sharing of what God has done in their life through Christ. [I am Christian, but don’t ask me to work on your car; I am not qualified. In the same way, those that we elect must be qualified in the areas for which they will work or we will set them up for failure and tarnish the name and reputation of Christ.]
13. God has never relinquished His power and authority. Regardless of who carries the earthly title, God always has the last word. Sometimes God leaves someone in power who does not follow Him: Remember David was anointed king to replace Saul, however, he did not try to “make it happen,” but rather waited for God’s timing. David waited years, hiding in the wilderness and other places, and would not touch “the Lord’s anointed.” David waited saying that Saul would either die in battle or God would take him. David knew that Saul was out of the will of God, but it was more important to trust God to act than take the situation into his own hands to make the change, even though God had promised him the kingdom. Another example is found in the life of Abraham. When the promise of God seemed delayed in giving him and Sarah a child [over 14 years], Abraham agreed with Sarah that they needed to take things into their own hands and she gave Hagar to him so that he could have a child. Not waiting on God produced hate and strife in every generation afterward. We must not fall into the temptation to “make it happen” but wait on God, trusting in Him to act in His timing.
14. Satan is the author of all lies..” Satan is the author of deceit. We only deceive ourselves to think otherwise.
15. Sometimes decisions are made based on fear, especially fear of suffering. Yet Jesus said, “In this world, you will have tribulation.” [John 16:33] Paul, in Philippians 3:10 states: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
The less we know of Scripture the more that we are susceptible to believing the deceptions. The ends do not justify the means. Christian leadership is only Christian if it reflects the very nature and character of Christ as He taught in Scripture. We must be wary of any leadership that claims to be Christian, but whose evidence of personal character is lacking.
Our pastor, Dr. Steven Weems, has been going through Exodus these past weeks and gave special emphasis in 31:1-4 that God had equipped Bezalel as an “artistic master craftsman.” The following thoughts find their genesis in that Bible study.
Exodus 31: 1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I
have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I
have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with
knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in
gold, silver, and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to
engage in all kinds of crafts.
Context: In Exodus 25 and following, God gives Moses
details of how the Israelites worshipped. God has already equipped those He
desires to lead out in this project. God is never haphazard in how He works. {Notice
that though Moses does communicate the instructions, he does not do the work
himself but relies on those to whom God has equipped.}
See, I have chosen God had selected who He
wanted: Bezalel, who was not even of the tribe of Levi, but of Judah.
I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom,
with understanding, with knowledge, and with all kinds of skills Whom
God calls, He also equips, first he was filled with God’s Spirit. Notice that
God’s infilling was for a specific purpose: to make artistic designs. To
accomplish this task, God’s Spirit gave him wisdom, understanding,
knowledge, and skills. Knowledge
alone was not enough; skill alone was not enough; he needed discernment that
could only come from the wisdom and understanding that only the
Spirit of God could give.
to make artistic designs {The NASB uses
“devise devices” as in the work of a master craftsman.}
The images on top of the ark of the covenant and the others
woven into the curtains were not images for worship, but reflections of God’s
holiness and majesty. The command to have “no graven image” was related to
worshiping something other than the one true God, not the elimination of art
not used as objects of worship.
Why did God insist on using a Master Craftsman, that
would be filled with His Spirit in the making of the objects used in the
tabernacle for worship? Just as the heavens and earth reflect the majesty
and glory of God which He created, so anything that was to be used in worship
was to reflect God’s nature and character. God chose a human master craftsman
to reflect the beauty inherent in all that He does, even though in its actual
use, very few would see the Ark since it would be behind the curtain in the
Holy of Holies. It was not just to “show off.”
All related to the worship needed to reflect God’s holiness, His purity;
so that even the sacrifices themselves had to be “without spot or blemish.”
Applications for Present Worship Practice.
The passages are “descriptive” and not directly
“prescriptive;” that is, they describe how God was establishing worship
practice from a new model distinct from what they had seen in Egypt. They are
not providing building plans for current worship centers; we are no longer
limited to a single place but are commanded to worship in Spirit and Truth as
found in John 4. Though not “prescriptive,” there are some principles and
truths that can be helpful today.
1. God’s nature has not changed. He is holy, perfect,
all-powerful, all-knowing, full of mercy, grace, and love. We need to approach
God with the awe of Who He is and in gratitude for what He has done; never
casually, or flippantly.
2. All we offer to God in worship needs to be the best we
can offer. The “best” for some will
be different than others but is acceptable in a similar way that a pint jar
“full” of water and a gallon jug “full” of water are both “full.”
3. Worship leadership must be committed to the leadership
of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
4. Those involved in the leadership should aim toward
developing their skills as a master craftsman. I am fully aware of the
dangers and pitfalls of developing and performing as “art for art’s sake.” I am
not promoting ridding our ministry teams of volunteers whose desire to serve is
much greater than skilled artistry. Nor am I encouraging hiring only “professionals”
who may be impeccable musicians, but lack spiritual depth. Worship is not
performance. The success of the performance is based on audience response; in
worship, there is only an audience of One– all participants yield all their
efforts in the recognition of Who God is, What He has done, and responding in
complete obedience to His commands.
Worship leadership is the facilitation of congregational response.
5. The temptation to “stop improving” is great,
especially when we get to a point where we can function reasonably well, we
allow the rigors of responsibility to take priority over skill
development. Great pianists remain that
way because they never get to the point where they believe they don’t have to
practice. The worship leaders that continue to develop the various aspects of
their craft, while deepening their relationship and knowledge of God, maintain
effectiveness throughout advancing years. Those who do not can become easily
bored, discouraged, and seek other opportunities.
6. Whom God calls; He also equips. However, the
equipping is a process that requires discipline on our part.
7. We must always remember that all that is done must be
done for God’s glory and not that of those involved.
