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When Two Or Three Agree In Jesus’ Name

Two or Three
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IS THAT REALLY WHAT IT MEANS?

You’re going on vacation, but there is no faithful congregation of God’s people meeting anywhere near your destination of choice. You believe it is important to meet with Christians each Sunday for worship. So, what do you do?

  • choose a different vacation spot?
  • go to the desired location, but leave a day late or come back a day early so you can assemble with Christians on the Lord’s day?
  • just skip out on worship for the Sunday in question, and trust that God will understand? (NOTE – if this is your choice, know for certain that God understands. He understands that serving Him is NOT the most important thing in your life. Read Matthew 16:24-26, and consider your need to repent before it is too late).

Psalm 100 – The Lord, He is God

Psalm 100
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With just 5 verses, Psalm 100 is among the shortest in the Bible. However, the ability of a psalm to  encourage us in the faith is not determined by how much is written, but what is written. The five verses of this Psalm are packed with encouragement for the child of God.

1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 148 and the Universal Call to Praise

praises
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As we look at the Psalms of David, certainly we see an element of praise to God in all of them. But in particular, the last five Psalms (146-150) emphasize the praises of God. In the 59 verses of these Psalms, the word “praise” appears 43 times. Needless to say, these are Psalms of praise!

Psalm 148 is of particular interest, for it is the basis one of my favourite hymns, “Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah,” the 1899 work of William J. Kirkpatrick.

The Psalm naturally divides into two sections, verses 1-6, praises to God from the heavens; and verses 7-14, praises to God from the earth. The Psalmist very emphatically reveals that everyone and everything should give praise to God. Let’s consider the Psalm today.

That’s A Jesus Song! The Simple Faith of a Child

song
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There are some priceless things which come from the mouths of children. We’ve heard some great gems from a little boy we’ve babysat for the past few years. Some are humourous. He asked my why we always go to the grocery store. I told him, “to buy food,” to which he quickly retorted, “McDonald’s sells food too!” Some are touching. This past week, hearing that I injured a rib while playing hockey, he was in tears. When he saw me, he asked me not to play hockey again, saying, “because I don’t want you to get hurt again.” Another precious moment occurred when he commented on a Cheerios TV commercial using the song, “This Little Light of Mine.” In his mind, the song just didn’t match what was on the TV.. He stated with surprise, “Hey, that’s a Jesus song!”

Biblical Fellowship: Nurturing Faith and Building Strong Christian Bonds

biblical fellowship
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Fellowship is a widely used term in religious circles. Unfortunately, it is often misused and misunderstood. Many, when they speak of fellowship refer to potluck meals, game nights, birthday parties, baking contests, sports events and the like. But are these things fellowship? Yes, in the secular sense of the word, but our concern should be ‘what is biblical fellowship’?

Instrumental Music in Antiquity and Beyond

A Study of Instrumental Music in Worship – Part 4

instrumental music
via Microsoft Image Generator

We have previously looked at instrumental music in the book of Revelation, in the Old Testament, and in the rest of the New Testament. In Revelation, we found the instances of instrumental music deal with the heavenly realm and not the worship of the Lord’s church upon the earth. God commanded His people Israel to use instrumental music in worship in the Old Testament. But we are not subject to the Old Covenant. Coming to the New Testament, we noted tthat none of the occurrences of instrumental music therein address worship. Rather, every example or command to worship God in song calls for vocal, not instrumental music.

Instrumental Music in the New Testament

A Study of Instrumental Music in Worship – Part 3

instrumental music
via Microsoft Image Generator

We have in previous articles looked at instrumental music in the book of Revelation and in the Old Testament. This week, we focus on the occurrences of instrumental music in the New Testament, from Matthew through Jude. What manner of music is used in New Testament worship?

Instrumental Music in the Old Testament

A Study of Instrumental Music in Worship – Part 2

instrumental music
via Microsoft Image Generator

In the search for instrumental music in the Old Testament, one need not go very far. In Genesis 4:21, we learn that Jubal, the offspring of Cain, is “…the father of all those who play the harp and flute.” Thus, we have the beginning of instrumental music described for us. From this point onward, we find references to instruments of music in numerous Old Testament passages.

People used instruments for various reasons: calling an assembly together (Numbers 10:1ff), commands in battle (Joshua 6:4), worship of false gods (Daniel 3:5), entertainment or celebration (Genesis 31:27), to give honour to the king (1 Kings 1:34), as a calming agent (1 Samuel 16:23), and in the worship of the God of heaven (Psalm 150).

Instrumental Music in the Book of Revelation

A Study of Instrumental Music in Worship – Part 1

instrumental music
via Microsoft Image Generator

In the religious world, there is a basic cognizance of the need to conduct ourselves within the confines of God’s authority. The apostle Paul, when writing to the brethren at Colosse implored,

“…whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)

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