A Response

I appreciate those of you making comments online and those who have been making comments to my personal email. For those that might not have my personal email address, I would invite you to send private responses to n5nbm50@comcast.net Since the last comment from Mike was more involved than a couple of statements and extremely important, I wanted to take time and address the things he brought up in a new post. Sections taken from his post will be in italics and then followed by my thoughts. By the way, when I say my thoughts, nothing more is implied but what my current maturity allows me to believe at this time.

Hey Mike, this is not aimed at you, but more at the collective conversations buzzing around that I have been hearing lately.

One of the reasons I began writing the blog was because the nature of our humanity causes us to talk about things in our “private” circles and for years in my life, these topics which I think affect the overall health of the group eat away and end up creating dissension among individuals.

I have a concern about the tone of some of the things I'm hearing and reading, and it's not directly related to doctrine or what is or isn't permitted.

If what you are hearing has not been related to doctrine or what is or is not permitted, then it is still in the realm of things I haven’t heard. Everything mentioned in my presence has dealt with things that people believe should be forbidden or allowed and my opinion is that we have gotten off task when this becomes a consideration. Two examples of this have been women praying in the congregation during prayer time and the playing of a DVD with instrumental music background. Our tradition has taken the bible and developed doctrine to condemn both of these things taking place. What has not been stated often enough is that if we do not like these things it is alright but don’t speak out against those who participate and initiate them.

I think it is a blessing to realize the liberty and grace that God gives to us, and to understand the difference between tradition and God's will. However, being blessed with a true understanding also requires that we have tolerance for those who study, and pray, and do their best to understand what God wants, but have a different understanding for us. That tolerance goes both ways, for example people who feel strongly that we should not clap while singing should love and respect the people who feel like we should be able to clap while singing, and vice versa.

Only two words really bother me in the statement above and they are the ones I believe create a problem within the body. When you say “for us,” in the second sentence quoted above, it becomes a problem. The bible gives no one the right to make this choice of how we respond in the liberty of Christ “for us.” In fact, even elders are cautioned against this in 1 Peter 5:2-3 when we are told, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” (NIV) The instruction is not to tell others what they can and cannot do, but set the example in their own lives. I think it good for all of us to be an example instead of demanding our own way. Unfortunately, as has happened in many places, those maturing into leadership want something different from what we (I) have been comfortable with and those who have born the burden of service in our congregations in the past (like myself) have to be ready to step out of the way and not force our “comfort” on those reaching their maturity in Christ. I think our youth have been taught well and have their hearts focused on Christ. Worship/praise offered up to God from a heart close to God has always been acceptable to God regardless of the clapping, instruments, dancing etc. that might bother some and we need to be encouraging them to love God instead of putting out the fire filled passion of love towards God because they might not meet our likes and dislikes.

I went to the housetohouse website and reviewed most of the material, and the vast majority of it I believe to be correct. I did find some places where the writer strayed into gray areas/disputable matters and presented his opinion as if it were a fact. To their defense none of these mistakes occurred with anything that would be considered a matter of salvation.

On the surface, I have to agree. I can remember the first time I looked at the site and it looked specifically good to me because that is who I was and accurately defining the doctrine or “creed” of the group I was associated with was more important than learning to be Christ in my life. When I looked at the site just recently, having been on their site previously prior to changes taking place in my life, I saw how much of their site is dedicated to “who we are” type information and hearing from those who have used their service, I am convinced the focus is to hold on to the truth of what I would call “Church of Christism.” In fact, I know that the articles specific to the congregation that can be included are changed to meet the ideals and belief pattern of the organization, even to the point of changing scripture quoting from NIV and NASV to KJV (the Authorized Version). The hearts may be honest but the goal is to salvage those things developed in our heritage and not promote others coming to know Christ.

To label those efforts as hateful or condemning, in an odd way to me is hateful and condemning on our part. When our differences are over gray areas/disputable matters, I think it is wrong for us to condemn them just the same as it would be wrong for them to condemn us for having a different understanding after praying, studying, and searching God's will. Also remember, this website didn't condemn anyone, they merely stated a belief that they held.

I probably came off condemning them or might have actually stated that in my blog but the only thing I condemn is spreading information not completely supported by the Bible. I honestly believe that all of us searching to please God with study and service as we take the message of Jesus to others should be encouraged and not condemned. I do believe, if anyone wants to give it a try, that upon reading what I have said in my blog writings, they would tell you I was off the straight and narrow (as some of the readers here might think) going straight to hell, “do not pass Go!” Knowing of their actions in the past, I am assured none of my comments would be allowed on the church specific section of the document to be mailed because they are FULL OF ERROR! (according to their doctrine and not the bible)

They did not follow up and say if you clap your hands and have instrumental music you will go to Hell. I think it is wrong for us to look at someone else's ministry, who studies, prays, and works to the best of their ability and understanding to do God's will and characterize it as hateful, just because they understand some of the minor details differently than we do.

I ask a simple question of whether it is sinful to tell a lie and most people would say yes. Due to teaching presented on this website, there are those who will tell me to my face that I am going to hell. One of the most spiritual men I have ever known in our own congregation would not call me a brother because I associated and played my horn for Baptists, Methodists and others in worship. He always referred to me as friend and it was because of this teaching. Most of us are not too young to have heard the “instrumental music is wrong” sermon and yet the distribution materials that would be going to our neighborhoods would bring messages like this to our community. As stated before, you may believe it wrong (I don’t know) and I may believe it right. With the bible being silent on this issue (specific to one period in time) I am not at liberty to tell someone it is wrong or right. If I do, it is a lie and sinful. In fact, I will go one step further since you added Romans 14 to your comments and say that if someone was to get out a guitar and start playing along with us next Sunday, it would be sinful for anyone in the congregation to get up and tell him to stop his worship to God. It may not be what we like or what we want but none of us has the backing of God to act for God!

verse 1....accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.....clearly instrumental music, or hand clapping, and some of the other issues I would call disputable/gray area matters that are certainly not matters of salvation. verse 22...So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves......

You are correct! One problem that has come from this and made it a problem is the effective way I was brainwashed in my youth. I was told that if anyone plays an organ in service, everyone plays an organ in service and this is total nonsense. The next time we sing a song and people lift their hands it will be easy to recognize some do and some don’t. The same is true with instruments and if some do it does not mean others are! If I was deaf I wouldn’t hear the instrument or notice it and if I was blind I would not see the hands or notice them so what does Romans 14 actually say? It says we will actually take notice of things happening that would not be right for us and yes, we keep our mouth shut! Is this done? Would this be done Sunday? I don’t think so, because I think someone would open their mouth and condemn the person praising God unlike themselves. You even hear people accuse us of wanting to go instrumental and why would they make this accusation if there was nothing “sinful” about the idea?

what do we gain by speaking out or campaigning for a liberty that we believe we have, when someone else does not believe it? If you believe you have it...then you do and that is between you and God. Our job is not to convince our brother to think like we do on disputable gray matters. For matters of salvation, we should fight with no compromise. If we try to convince a brother to think like we do on one of these gray matters, we introduce a potentially large problem.

I think you may realize why I saved this away from the previous comment and realize the campaign I bring is to be honest with everyone about our tradition. When we say “we will not do this or that,” we simply support the lie and I think openly sin. If we all are told and reminded that what we do is tradition and if we decide to add instruments some day or if we decide to take communion on a day other than Sunday some day, it will be due to the fact we want to do something different as a whole and not because it is right or wrong. We have been pitied for too long because these things rule over our hearts and we (I) have held them to the level of being God’s truth. It has so controlled me that I have not been Christ to my community but rather a CEO of Church of Christism! It is the lie I speak out against and to which I do not want our children bound.

The Bible never says we can't do it, and it doesn't provide any examples of that type of worship. This brings it squarely into the realm of common sense/judgement/disputable matters that should be kept between you and God, not forced on others.

Absolutely, and yet it has been forced on us for all time. In my past, I have even judged as sinful those churches who took a vote on some of the things they wanted to do. Do you think we would take a vote in our congregation as to whether we wanted a service with instrumental music? If not, then I would ask why not? My assumption is that we would rather force our will (like my singing with notes requirement) on others and this is what has always taken place. Unfortunately, my spirit was shut down as a child and I have been part in the past of shutting down our teenagers for what they want to do for God. If they want to get some Christian bands up to the building on Saturday night and glorify God, I would be encouraging them to do it instead of saying “you can’t do that.” Others would declare, FOR GOD, you can’t do that. You can hear the conversation “why not” and the answer would be either “we don’t do that,” “we don’t allow that” or probably in some circles “it is wrong!” Look to the bible and you already know what is said; NOTHING!

This has gone on even longer than I expected so I’m going to stop for now. Maybe there will be a part II but Mike’s thoughts are correct. We should focus on God and keep our mouths shut when we things are done not according to our own personal choice! Romans 14 is very clear in that we will be around those doing these things and so we don’t have to stop them or leave because we don’t like them.