The Lord Will Rejoice Over You

My oldest daughter Charity recently shared with us that one morning last week as she was laying in bed in the morning before it was time to get up, she was in a light sleep and sort of half awake. Suddenly she began to hear this beautiful melody start to play. She then became fully awake and realized that there was nothing in the natural realm that she could have heard, since there was no possible source in or around our home for that music. And she knew that the music was not a dream either, because she had not been dreaming at the time in that half-sleep state that she was in.

As she recounted this experience to us, it was my opinion that what she heard were the holy angels in the room as the girls slept, who were playing their instruments in worship. I believe that when we are asleep, the veil between us and the spiritual realm becomes thinner, and it becomes easier to have spiritual encounters with the Lord and his holy angels in that state. Likewise, it is also easier to have unwanted encounters with demons, too. But if we are serving the Lord, He's got us covered, especially if we pray before going to bed and ask Him to encamp His angels around us to protect us while we sleep.

I'm reminded that the Scripture says the Lord rejoices over His holy people. This is such an amazing truth! Let’s look at some of these verses in the Bible.

"Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers;”  (Deu 30:9)

This promise in Deuteronomy is for the people who “return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul.”

Another beautiful verse is found in Isaiah, which is said to the righteous saints. “For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.” (Isa 62:5)

But perhaps the most amazing verse is found in Zephaniah, regarding the lowly and humble people of God with purified lips, who take refuge in the Lord, who do no wrong and tell no lies. It says, “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in his love, He will joy over thee with singing.” (Zep 3:17 KJV)

The Darby version says, “He will exult over thee with singing,” and the ESV says, “He will exult over you with loud singing.”

The word for “singing” in this verse comes from the Hebrew word “ranan” meaning “cry, gladness, joy, proclamation, rejoicing, shouting, singing, triumph.”  (Strongs)

Since His voice is more beautiful than any other voice in the entire universe, and since He sings more sweetly than any other, it’s going to be an awesome experience in glory to hear the Lord rejoice triumphantly over His beloved people with singing, as a bridegroom rejoices over His bride. I don’t think there will be one single person who is able to remain standing when He does that. It will be so wonderful that I believe that one experience alone will make it worth all the hardships, trials, and difficulties we have to endure in our heaven-bound journey on earth.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, unless noted otherwise. Homecoming painting © 2015 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist. 

Author's note: I invite you to visit the Main Directory for Seeking the Lord, especially Walking in the Perfect Will of God, The Love of Jesus, Pleasing the Lord, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Praying for the Lord Jesus, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, Lifting Hands in Prayer, Lifting Your Face in Prayer, Praise the Lord!, Inquiring of the Lord, and Hearing the Lord's Voice. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Songs of the Holy Fire

It amazes me sometimes how opposed to the holy fire people can be, especially Christians. It proves just how much the devil hates the holy fire, which I wrote about in my previous article, Holy Fire Baptism.

Yet those same people who say it is unbiblical have probably been singing songs about the holy fire for years, and they never had a problem with the lyrics. But now that it is being emphasized as an important baptism to receive, they have rejected it. Let me share some of these wonderful lyrics about the holy fire that have been put to music over the years.

The Old Hymns
We'll first start with the hymns, since they were the oldest and came first.

Search Me, O God
In Search Me O God, James E. Orr wrote in 1936:

"I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy word and make me pure within;
Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire to magnify Thy name."

See lyrics to the song here.

I Surrender All
In I Surrender All , written by Judson W. Van DeVenter in 1896, it says,

"All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His name!"

Come, Jesus, Lord, with Holy Fire
Charles Wesley (1707-1788), the brother of John Wesley, wrote in his song Come, Jesus, Lord, with Holy Fire:

"Come, Jesus, Lord, with holy fire,
Come, and my quickened heart inspire,
My conscience purged by blood;
Now to my soul Thyself reveal,
Thy mighty working let me feel,
Since I am born of God."

Faith, Hope, and Love
The last verse of a hymn called Faith, Hope, and Love, written by Neal A. McAulay (1854-1928), and composed by Charles H. Gabriel, says:

"O God of grace, inspire my love!
Fill my cold heart with holy fire,
That I may live each passing day
As my Redeemer doth desire."

My Faith Looks Up to Thee
I especially like this song, My Faith Looks Up to Thee, written by Ray Palmer in 1830, because my wife chose this one as her bridal procession song at our wedding, to which she walked down the aisle. It goes like this:

"May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!"

The Fire is Burning
A hymn called The Fire is Burning, written by Johnson Oatman Jr. (1898) and music composed by George C. Hugg, has the repeating line, "And my soul is burning with the fire." The refrain goes like this:

"O the fire is burning, yes, ’tis brightly burning,
O ’tis burning, burning in my soul;
O the fire is burning, yes, ’tis brightly burning,
O ’tis burning, burning in my soul."

As one of the lines in the songs says, "God's love is like a heavenly flame." Is the fire brightly burning in your soul? Does the flame consume you while you pray?

O God of Burning Altar Fire
The first stanza of an old hymn called O God of Burning Altar Fire, written by Amy Carmichael
and arranged by Robert A. Schumann, says:

"O God of burning altar fire,
O God of love’s consuming flame,
Make pure the flame of our desire
To win the lost to seek Thy Name."

Revive Us Again
The last line of the hymn Revive Us Again, written by William Mackay in 1863 says,

"Revive us again;
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above."

I Will Praise Him
One of the lines in the hymn I Will Praise Him, written by Margaret Harris in 1898 says:

"Then God’s fire upon the altar
Of my heart was set aflame;
I shall never cease to praise Him
Glory, glory to His name!"

O For That Flame of Living Fire
An old hymn called O For That Flame of Living Fire, written by William H. Bathurst in 1831, says:

"O for that flame of living fire,
Which shone so bright in saints of old!
Which bade their souls to Heav’n aspire,
Calm in distress, in danger bold."

God Sent His Mighty Pow’r
A hymn called God sent His mighty pow’r, written by Delia T. White and musically composed by William James Kirkpatrick (1838-1921), says:

God sent His mighty pow’r
To this poor, sinful heart,
To keep me every hour,
And needful grace impart;
And since His Spirit came,
To take supreme control,
The love-enkindled flame
Is burning in my soul.

’Tis burning in my soul,
’Tis burning in my soul;
The fire of heav’nly love is
burning in my soul;
The Holy Spirit came,
All glory to His name!
The fire of heav’nly love is
burning in my soul.

Before the cross I bow,
Upon the altar lay
A willing off’ring now,
My all from day to day.
My Savior paid the price,
My name He sweetly calls;
Upon the sacrifice
The fire from heaven falls.

No good that I have done,
His promise I embrace;
Accepted in the Son,
He saves me by His grace.
All glory be to God!
Let hallelujahs roll;
His love is shed abroad,
The fire is in my soul.

My spirit, soul, and body
Another hymn called My spirit, soul, and body, written by Mary Dagworthy James (1810-1883)
and musically composed by Phoebe Palmer Knapp (1839-1908), says:

"I’m Thine, O dear Lord Jesus,
Washed in Thy precious blood,
Sealed by Thy Holy Spirit,
A sacrifice to God. My all is on the altar;
I’m waiting for the fire;
I’m waiting, waiting, waiting;
I’m waiting for the fire."

Revive Thy work, O Lord
A hymn called Revive Thy work, O Lord!, written by Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) and musically composed by William Howard Doane (1832-1915), says:

"Revive Thy work, O Lord!
And every soul inspire;
Oh, kindle in each heart, we pray,
The Pentecostal fire!

Revive Thy work, O Lord!
Exalt Thy precious name!
And may Thy love in every heart
Be kindled to a flame!"

​Keep the Incense Burning
A hymn called Keep the Incense Burning, written by Margaret E. Barber (1869-1930) and musically composed by Edgar Walser, says:

"'Keep the incense burning'
On the altar fire;
Let thy heart’s petition,
Let thy deep desire,
Be a cloud of incense
Wreathing God’s own throne,
Till His will among us
Shall be fully done.

'Keep the incense burning'
On the altar fire;
Feed the flame, Lord Jesus,
Till Thy whole desire
Shall in us, Thy children,
Find free course, and be
Breathed through lips anointed
For this ministry.

'Keep the incense burning'
Though thy faith be weak;
Though in words thou canst not
All thy longing speak;
Silent heart-petitions,
Spirit-taught, will be
Gloriously answered;
Wrought by God for thee.

'Keep the incense burning,'
Hourly let it rise,
Till from opened heavens,
Till from flame-swept skies,
Fire shall fall and kindle
All hearts to a flame;
Making us a glory
To our Savior’s name."

Send the Fire
Another old hymn called Send the Fire, with words by William Booth (1894) and music by Frederick Booth-Tucker, hearkens back to the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. It refers to the baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire as a blood- bought gift and goes like this:

"Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Thy blood bought gift today we claim,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Look down and see this waiting host,
Give us the promised Holy Ghost;
We want another Pentecost,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

God of Elijah, hear our cry:
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To make us fit to live or die,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To burn up every trace of sin,
To bring the light and glory in,
The revolution now begin,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

’Tis fire we want, for fire we plead,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
The fire will meet our every need,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
For strength to ever do the right,
For grace to conquer in the fight,
For power to walk the world in white,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

To make our weak hearts strong and brave,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To live a dying world to save,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
O see us on Thy altar lay
Our lives, our all, this very day;
To crown the offering now we pray,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!"

What a wonderful prayer that song makes, as we cry out to God for the holy fire.

Contemporary Worship
Now that I have shown you some of the old hymns that sang about the holy fire, let's look at the contemporary worship songs next.

Oh Lord, You're Beautiful
One of my favorites is the song by Keith Green, Oh Lord, You're Beautiful, in which he sings:

"Oh Lord, please light the fire
That once burned bright and clean
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns with holy fear"

What a beautiful prayer that you can pray to God, as you seek the fire of God. It's bright and clean, the lamp of your first love for Jesus, which burns with holy fear.

Fire of God
Then there is the Vineyard song called Fire of God written by Craig Musseau. In this song, Eddie Espinosa sings:

"Fire of God, burn away what is not holy
Jesus, take our hearts and make them new."

That's what the holy fire does inside of us, it burns away what is not holy.

Refiner's Fire
One of Brian Doerksen's songs called Refiner's Fire says:

"Purify my heart
Let me be as gold and precious silver
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold, pure gold

Refiner's fire
My heart's one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You, Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You, my Master
Ready to do Your will

Purify my heart
Cleanse me from within
And make me holy
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from my sin
Deep within"

Brian Doerksen, the writer of this song, said: "This song was both a gift, because the inspiration came so strong, as well as a challenge to me over and over again. It’s really about the bride getting herself ready and desiring purity for the wedding day ... and when I struggle with temptation I find this song is on my lips and helps bring me back to my deepest desire ... to be set apart for God."

I also encourage you to listen to this brief excerpt with Brian about how the Lord inspired him to write this song.

Holy Fire
Another Vineyard song is called Holy Fire. It says:

"Holy fire from heaven
Descend to us we pray
Let us burn again
Holy fire from heaven
Consume our hearts today
Let us burn again, let us burn again."

Lord, Light the Fire Again
Here is another Vineyard song about the fire of God:

"Don't let our love grow cold
I'm calling out
Light the fire again

Don't let our vision die
I'm calling out
Light the fire again

You know our hearts, my deeds
I'm calling out
Light the fire again

I need Your discipline
I'm calling out
Light the fire again

I am here to buy gold
Refined in the fire
Naked and poor
Wretched and blind I come
Clothe me in white
So I won't be ashamed
Lord, light the fire again"

Light the Fire in My Heart Again
Another Vineyard song called Light the Fire in My Heart Again says:

"So light the fire in my soul
Fan the flame
Make me whole
Lord, you know where I've been
So light the fire in my heart once again"

Holy Spirit Come With Your Fire
An English Christian devotional song says:

"Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, come with Your fire
Holy Spirit come with your fire
Holy Spirit come with your fire
Come, Holy Spirit, let Your fire fall
Come, Holy Spirit, let Your fire fall
Let Your fire fall
Let Your fire fall
Let Your fire fall."

All Consuming Fire
A Hosanna Integrity song written by Randy Wright and sung by Kent Henry called All Consuming Fire says:

"All consuming fire
You're my heart's desire
And I love You dearly, dearly Lord
You're my meditation
And my consolation
And I love You dearly, dearly Lord."

Zion, Holy Mountain, Holy City
A song by Ann Liddell called Zion, Holy Mountain, Holy City says:

And I have counted the cost
I want to leave all this behind
I want to drink from your cup
And be baptized in your fire.

O Lord, Tell Us What You Need
A song by John David Coupland called O Lord, Tell Us What You Need says:

"Oh Lord, tell us what You need.
Oh Lord, we’ll follow where You lead.
You own the Sun, the Moon, the sky, the rain,
The hills and valleys call Your name,Yet still there is one thing that You desire.

Till every heart that beats is truly Yours,
And every tongue that speaks is truly pure,
There burns within Your breast this holy fire.
We are Your desire.
Alleluia, alleluia."

Refiner's Fire
There is another song called Refiner's Fire written by Randall Dennis and Jon Mohr, and sung by Steve Green, which goes like this:

"There burns a fire with sacred heat
White hot with holy flame
And all who dare pass through its blaze
Will not emerge the same
Some as bronze, and some as silver
Some as gold, then with great skill
All are hammered by their sufferings
On the anvil of His will

Chorus:
The Refiner’s fire
Has now become my souls desire
Purged and cleansed and purified
That the Lord be glorified
He is consuming my soul
Refining me, making me whole
No matter what I may lose
I choose the Refiner’s fire

I’m learning now to trust His touch
To crave the fire’s embrace
For though my past with sin was etched
His mercies did erase
Each time His purging cleanses deeper
I’m not sure that I’ll survive
Yet the strength in growing weaker
Keeps my hungry soul alive"

Holy Fire: Keep Me Burning

I have written and produced a song called Holy Fire: Keep Me Burning, several years after initially writing this article.

Verse 2:

Let holy fire consume my heart, 

The Spirit's flame You'll now impart.

Lord, You came to cast fire on the earth, 

You brought my soul to a second birth.

Like the pillar that guided by night,

Make my heart Your dwelling of light.

Bridge:

Though the world rejects the holy flame,

Let Your fire in us remain.

In holy fear we kneel in awe,

Before Consuming Fire enthroned.

Spirit of Grace, O holy flame,

Kindle a love that bears Your name.

Putting it All Together
As you can see, the holy fire is not a new idea that someone recently came up with, nor is it a false teaching from some strange heretic preaching doctrines of demons. It is a wonderful gift of God that is promised for all the saints who truly love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and follow Him. The saints have been singing about this for centuries, as well as praying for it and receiving it. If you are a disciple of Christ who has never received it before, I encourage you to ask and receive today. If you have already received the holy fire, then let me encourage you to keep crying out for more until Jesus comes back for His Bride. As you do so, I hope these song lyrics will help you.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like my other post called Holy Fire: Keep Me Burning, Holy Fire Baptism, as well as The Burning Ones, The Happy Hunters on Fire, The Refiner's Fire, and The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer. These are all part of The Holy Fire Series, where you will find more edifynig articles about the holy fire. You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Attribution Notice: All lyrics are property and copyright of their owners. All lyrics provided for educational and commentary purposes only. 1) Oh Lord, You're Beautiful, written by Keith Green, Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group; 2) Fire of God written by Craig Musseau, Copyright © 1990 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured., 3) Holy Fire, written by Steve Mitchinson and Brian Doerksen, Copyright © 1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire), International copyright secured. All rights reserved. To reproduce this music setting for church usage, both a Church Copyright Licencse and a Music Reproduction License are required. To obtain a license or for further information visit www.ccli.com; 4) My Faith Looks Up to Thee is in the public domain; 5) Search Me O God is in the public domain; 6) All Consuming Fire copyright© 1987 Integrity's Hosanna! Music; 7) Refiner's Fire written by Brian Doerksen, copyright © 1997 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured; 8) O For That Flame of Living Fire is in the public domain; 9) Refiner's Fire written by Randall Dennis and Jon Mohr, 1989 © Jonathan Mark Music; 10) The Fire is Burning is in the public domain; 11) O God of Burning Altar Fire, is in the public domain; 11) Faith, Hope, and Love is in the public domain. See The Sale of Christian Music and Art -- A Robbers' Den?

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Is Secular Music for Christians?

Dear God-seekers,

Many Christians these days don't seem to have any problem listening to or playing secular music. Some listen to any kind of music they please, including heavy metal rock. Others may feel that certain types of secular music are permissible, such as easy listening, love songs, country music, the blues, or the oldies from the 1950's and 60's. Therefore, I would like to address that from the Word of God, in order to determine what the standard is in the sight of God.

In Psalm 137, we can find insight into this matter. The Israelites had been carried off into captivity in a foreign land -- the land of Babylon, because of their sin. They later penned this psalm describing the conditions:

"By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.' How can we sing the LORD'S song In a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy." (Psa 137:1-6)

In the World, Not of the World
This psalm describes the proper attitude that every true follower of Jesus Christ should have. This world is not our home. We are not from here. Our home is Zion in heaven. We may live in the world, but we are not of the world (Joh 17:16). We do not belong to this world any more than Jesus did.

The psalmist wrote, "By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion" (Ps 137:1). This describes their posture and attitude of mourning and longing for home while in a foreign land. When I was in the military as a young man, stationed overseas, I recall at times feeling home sick, wanting to be back home in the United States. The best way to deal with it was not to think about home, but sometimes it was hard to do so. And here the psalmist describes how the Israelites felt when they remembered Zion. They sat and wept.

This should also be the attitude of every true disciple. We should be looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Heb 11:10). We are just passing through as pilgrims and strangers here. As the apostle Peter wrote, "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." (1Pe 2:11). Therefore, let's not be partakers in The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness.

Refusing to Play for the World
The psalmist said, "Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.' (Psa 137:2-3). In their distress, as they sat and wept, they hung their musical instruments in the trees beside the rivers of Babylon. They were not playing them. There is a time for everything, a time to laugh and a time to weep. This was their time to weep, and it was appropriate. They were being punished by God for their sin and it was very difficult to endure.

But the psalmist gives us the reason why they hung up their harps. He says, "For there our captors demanded of us songs..." (v.3). The reason they hung their harps was that they refused to play Hebrew songs for the Babylonians, who were of this world and wanted to hear these songs for entertainment purposes. The Israelites knew that the joyful songs of Zion were for the Lord and his people, not for the entertainment of the world or the gratification of the flesh.

Yet the main reason why people play, sing and listen to secular music is for entertainment purposes and enjoyment. It's not to bring glory to God. On the other hand, the songs of Zion are for the Lord and our worship of Him, and should not be used to entertain the world.

This next verse describes their complete refusal to play the Lord's songs for the world. They said, "How can we sing the LORD'S song In a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy." (Psa 137:4-6).

The psalmist actually pronounces a curse over himself if he should ever forget Jerusalem, which is the Holy City and represents heaven for us. He also preferred to have his tongue cling to the roof of his mouth rather than forget the city of God's temple. He would rather become mute and be unable to sing at all than to fail to remember Jerusalem and exalt that place above his highest joy. If we forget heaven, and we go back to the world, we will surely perish. Therefore, the psalmist would rather that his right hand forget its musical skill with the instrument than for him to forget the Holy City. How many Christians have that same attitude toward heaven, whereby they would rather they forget how to play their instrument or their music than forget heaven? Do we prefer to be mute and unable to sing at all, rather than fail to exalt heaven, the celestial city, above our highest joy?

You can choose to deny that this psalm has any application to us today with regard to secular music, but I believe it has a definite application for us. It not only shows us that we should refuse to play the Lord's songs for merely entertainment purposes, but it also has application to secular music. For if we refuse to play the Lord's songs for entertainment, then how much less should we play or sing secular music, which is merely for entertainment and enjoyment, rather than the worship of God?

No Friendship with the World
The psalmist tells us that the Israelites in captivity refused to be friends with the world. The Babylonians hated Jerusalem and tore it down, so the Israelites knew that when they asked them to play songs from Zion, they had impure motives for doing so. The psalmist wrote:

"Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. 'Tear it down,' they cried, 'tear it down to its foundations!' Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us. Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. (Psa 137:7-9, NIV).

The Israelites in their captivity, as depicted in this psalm, were not interested in being buddies with the Babylonians. Yet when we use music for entertainment, we are essentially becoming friends with the world. The apostle James said, "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (Jas 4:4)

Music is Meant for Worship
Music was created by God for worship, and the devil has altered it to be used for worship of him, as I have written in my articles, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music and The Rise and Fall of Lucifer the Musician. Secular music serves the devil's purposes well by redirecting praise from God to himself. It promotes his agenda of sin and rebellion against God, and takes our minds off the Lord and off of heaven. It provides something in this world to love and takes us away from God. Yet the apostle John said:

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1Jn 2:15-17)

Scripture also teaches us to be filled with the Spirit, and the Spirit-filled life is one in which we are "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father." (Eph 5:19-20). Notice that the Spirit-filled life is one of singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. It is not one in which we are singing and making melody in our hearts for the gratification of the flesh.

Putting it All Together
Although the Israelites were not being asked to play secular music, their response to the demands of their Babylonian captors to play songs of Zion gives us insight into the proper attitude for saints to have, and it provides us with lessons that we can apply to our own lives today as disciples of Christ. Although we are in the world, we are not of the world. We should refuse to play music for the world's entertainment. We should exalt heaven above our highest joy, and glorify God with our songs. If we do not make heaven our highest joy, then we should prefer rather not to play any songs at all.

As for secular music, it doesn't glorify God and it isn't holy. It gratifies the flesh and promotes sin, including idolatry and rebellion. It takes people away from God. It contains many idle words and nonsense, and the Lord said we would have to give an account for every idle word we have spoken (Mt 12:36).

If you still aren't sure about all this, then I suggest you read my articles, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Five Divine Revelations and Avoiding Worldly Worship. They will make it abundantly clear to you that God hates worldly worship, as well as worldly music. He does not approve of rock, rap, and reggae, not even for the purposes of worship or evangelism. The saints of God don't play these kinds of music in Zion up in heaven. We should be living here on earth the way they do in heaven.

I hope you will take this message to heart, pray about it and ask the Lord, if you are still not sure. The Lord is coming back right away, and He is calling us to repent and make the necessary changes so that we will not miss heaven. May the Lord show you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. May He help all those who are His to depart from iniquity and live in holiness, righteousness, and truth as He requires.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other verses taken from The Holy Bible -- NIV. Photo of Yes concert, Indianapolis, August 30, 1977, by Rick Dikeman, courtesy Wikimedia.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separation from the World, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Five Divine Revelations, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Avoiding Worldly Worship, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music, The Rise and Fall of Lucifer the Musician, For the Glory of God Alone, The Straight and Narrow Path, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Remember Lot’s Wife, The Rise of Antichrists, and One Thing. I highly recommend reading, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies and Holy Fire Baptism. You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Avoiding Worldly Worship

Dear God-seekers,

Today I'd like to discuss a very pertinent topic for this time that we live in, which is avoiding worldly worship. These days, the seeker-friendly movement and churches consider it very important to make church services relevant to the world.  It's as if relevance were a biblical mandate to them, as if it were a necessary means of winning souls. But that's because men think they are saviors, and they think they must attract the lost by being like them.

However, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior. We cannot save souls, but He can and does. His Holy Spirit brings the conviction for sin and people come to know the Lord through the Scriptural approach. The Scriptural approach is the gospel, which Paul called the power of God unto salvation.  The Lord will never condone worldly practices. He will never bless evil, nor will he anoint evil behavior in order to bring souls into His kingdom.

Yet these days it's common for churches to have what amounts to a rock band that plays rock music for worship. These people are often dressed in a worldly manner, playing their instruments in the worldly way, and playing songs with a worldly style. Some churches even have the sanctuary darkened, and have various multi-colored stage lights shining on the band, fog machines running, LCD screens flashing multimedia images, and the music turned up very loudly. Some have invested a lot of money for such state-of-the-art systems.  It all resembles the rock concerts I used to attend when I was in the world. I read of one famous pastor of a mega-church in Washington, who enjoys so-called Christian punk rock worship music. Remember Lot’s wife, who looked back and became a pillar of salt.

Someone might argue that Paul said he became all things to all men so that he might win some. That may be true that he related to people for the sake of the gospel, but he did not become sinful, evil, or worldly in the process of becoming all things to them. We are not supposed to conform to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  The apostle Paul wrote about true spiritual worship:

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom 12:1-2)

True spiritual worship begins by offering your body as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. It does not include conforming to the world in any manner.

"Yes" in concert

Jesus said, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Joh 4:23-24)

Be careful what you call worship in truth.  Jesus Christ is the Truth (Jn 14:6).  True worship is defined by Him in the Word of God, not by the latest styles. And be careful what you define as "worship in spirit", only the Holy Spirit can properly direct us in worship, and obviously He is holy.

One of the warnings God gave to the Israelites through Moses was to avoid worldly worship. He said, "When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?' "You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods." (Deu 12:29-31)

Moses warned them not to inquire after the gods of the nations to learn how they served their gods, so that they might do likewise. He explained that the world had done every sort of detestable, despicable act for their gods in worship, including human sacrifice of their own children.  All these practices are repulsive to God, and He did not want His people to behave that way toward Him. He did not want His people following the world in the way they worshiped Him, because He hates those practices. He is a jealous God!

We would do well to heed this same warning and not copy the world in our worship. Don't worship the Lord according to worldly patterns.  The Lord is coming back right away, Church! And He is only coming for the holy ones. It's high time we sought holiness and consecration, and repent of these evil practices in our worship.  Come, let us return to the Lord. Confess our sin to the Lord and He will restore us. Seek His face always. Worship Him with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Photo of Yes concert, Indianapolis, August 30, 1977, by Rick Dikeman, courtesy Wikimedia.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Is Secular Music for Christians?, Black and White, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separation from the World, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Two Divine Revelations, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Popularity of the Gospel, Come Out of Her, Garments of Godliness, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, Keeping Sundays Holy, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Faith Works!, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, The Straight and Narrow Path, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Remember Lot’s Wife, The Rise of Antichrists, and One Thing. I highly recommend reading, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies and Holy Fire Baptism. You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.