Category Archives: Index

Instrumental Music: Stephen R. Guthrie, “Singing, in the Body and in the Spirit.”

Bruce Morton mentioned this 2003 essay in a comment. I found the full text on the internet, read it, and found it excellent. I thanked Bruce for mentioning it, and then decided it was a valuable enough contribution to the … Continue reading

Posted in Instrumental Music, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

1 Kings 1 – 3: The Beginning of Solomon’s Reign

David and sex 1 Kings begins near the end of the reign of David — about 960 BC. David ruled from about 1000 BC to 960 BC. That dates aren’t exact but they aren’t very controversial. (1Ki 1:1-4 ESV) Now … Continue reading

Posted in 1 Kings, 1 Kings, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Instrumental Music in the Old Testament: Part 3 (Instruments and God’s Displeasure)

Instruments used ironically Various writers use instruments as symbolic of a man’s contentment, often in an ironic sense. Thus, a rich man who is evil is often spoken of as enjoying instrumental music despite failing to honor God. The point … Continue reading

Posted in Instrumental Music in the Old Testament, Uncategorized | 110 Comments

Instrumental Music in the Old Testament, Part 2.5 (Psalm 81)

HistoryGuy posted a comment suggesting that Psalm 81 refers to a statute regarding instrumental music at a time long before David. I’d never studied Psalm 81 before. It’s an interesting and important study. Although HistoryGuy and I disagree as to … Continue reading

Posted in Instrumental Music in the Old Testament, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Elders: Should We Choose Them by Casting Lots?

Here’s an interesting one. Kevin DeYoung writes, It is not uncommon to hear of churches that select their elders and deacons by casting lots. In fact, I’ve been a part of two congregations that voted to change their election process … Continue reading

Posted in Elders, Uncategorized | 44 Comments

Instrumental Music in the Old Testament: Part 2 (Worship)

Instrumental music used in worship of God When the ark was being brought to Jerusalem, David and the people celebrated and worshiped with instrumental music — as spontaneous worship and not as part of the formal liturgy of the Tabernacle. … Continue reading

Posted in Instrumental Music in the Old Testament, Uncategorized | 33 Comments

Real Restoration: Being the Church, Part 2

Let me suggest something. It’s called small groups. I’ve talked about small groups before. I’d like you think of them in a new way. Small groups can be used to do many things in many ways. But I think every … Continue reading

Posted in Real Restoration, Uncategorized | 16 Comments

Instrumental Music in the Old Testament: Part 1 (Celebration)

I’m not sure how far I’ll go with this, but I thought it might be helpful to cover the Old Testament perspective on instrumental music. The teaching of the Law and the Prophets has often been misrepresented, and yet it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Instrumental Music in the Old Testament, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Comments: Using HTML in the Comments

DISQUS allows greater flexibility in preparing your comments than native WordPress software. These are the allowed codes — Single tags These tags can be used alone and don’t need an ending tag. <br> Single line break <hr> Horizontal line Matching … Continue reading

Posted in Commenting, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

A Thought Question: What Are the Signs of a Fast-Growing Church?

Brian Dodd, a leadership consultant, offers a list of 17 signs of a fast-growing church. Among them — 1. Fast Growing Churches Are Unashamed To Preach Jesus – It is a common misconception that large churches water down the gospel. … Continue reading

Posted in Thought Questions, Uncategorized | 17 Comments