Yes! As Paul regulated the worship in the churches his injunction to Ephesus (Eph. 5:19) was that their melody making to the Lord consist of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Jesus authored the Psalms, sang them with a human tongue, as a boy in synagogue, as a pilgrim ascending the Jerusalem plateau, after the institution of the sacrament He sang from the Hallel, and He sings with the great congregation (Heb. 2:12) this very day.
We in Sumas, Washington include at least one, usually more psalter settings each Lord's Day. From Bourgeois in 1551, to 2014 and RC Sproul's rendition of Psalm 91 called "The Secret Place".
My mother, a gifted, lifelong church vocalists has long said; "The only thing we take to heaven with us is the psalter!"
I urge you pastors and worship leaders to put the heavenly hymn and prayer book on the lips of your people.
Glory be to God.
A great psalmody reference is a Youtube site maintained by some of our United Reformed brothers, it is a terrific resource for personal devotion, and, worship planning.
If we think justice is misunderstood or rare, what of faith?
"And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" Luke 18:7-8
The most important thing that the Church can do is broadly sew the gospel, trusting that God will effectually call His elect in it's hearing, granting them faith. A spiritual commitment of the heart is the only place from which right behavior ensues. The classic text in Micah 6 is oft quoted without the terseness of it's contextual response to the preceeding rhetoric, showing how justice has long been confused. Spiritual blindness has always been the cause.
If the Lord tarries with His coming justice, what is that to us? He will not delay longer than is perfect, in the meantime we must circumcise our own hearts, cry out to Him, and plead with other sinners to meet Christ in His mercy now availed, so that they may be justified in Him and may be spared when meeting His swift justice.
Your essay is quite winsome a clever. Thank you for your efforts in the sphere of this network, your voice is reasoned and more typical of the average CRCNA pew-sitter than we often see in denominational media.
Regarding the firearms issue; as a pastor, I am grateful for the knowledge that a couple of fellow under-shepherds have a rod with them when we gather corporately. It is a reality of fallenness that wolves seek to devour sheep, and part of the reality of shepherding a flock, is the defense of those precious, albeit oblivious sheep.
It is wonderful that some of the respondents to this article have never incurred violence, thanks be to God, may that peace ever increase! Until eternal shalom is ushered in and consummated, we will toil in our respective contexts, some of them placid, some of them vulnerable, we trust the magistrates as the first line of defense that the Lord Himself has established to combat evil, we pray for peace and protection, and, we use the heads, hands and tools that the Lord has provided to respond to any and every situation that He providentially leads us into, knowing that His own Spirit will guide that response.
Posted in: Does Your Church Still Sing Psalms?
Yes! As Paul regulated the worship in the churches his injunction to Ephesus (Eph. 5:19) was that their melody making to the Lord consist of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Jesus authored the Psalms, sang them with a human tongue, as a boy in synagogue, as a pilgrim ascending the Jerusalem plateau, after the institution of the sacrament He sang from the Hallel, and He sings with the great congregation (Heb. 2:12) this very day.
We in Sumas, Washington include at least one, usually more psalter settings each Lord's Day. From Bourgeois in 1551, to 2014 and RC Sproul's rendition of Psalm 91 called "The Secret Place".
My mother, a gifted, lifelong church vocalists has long said; "The only thing we take to heaven with us is the psalter!"
I urge you pastors and worship leaders to put the heavenly hymn and prayer book on the lips of your people.
Glory be to God.
A great psalmody reference is a Youtube site maintained by some of our United Reformed brothers, it is a terrific resource for personal devotion, and, worship planning.
https://www.youtube.com/user/urcpsalmody/playlists
Posted in: How Do You Define "Justice"?
If we think justice is misunderstood or rare, what of faith?
"And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" Luke 18:7-8
The most important thing that the Church can do is broadly sew the gospel, trusting that God will effectually call His elect in it's hearing, granting them faith. A spiritual commitment of the heart is the only place from which right behavior ensues. The classic text in Micah 6 is oft quoted without the terseness of it's contextual response to the preceeding rhetoric, showing how justice has long been confused. Spiritual blindness has always been the cause.
If the Lord tarries with His coming justice, what is that to us? He will not delay longer than is perfect, in the meantime we must circumcise our own hearts, cry out to Him, and plead with other sinners to meet Christ in His mercy now availed, so that they may be justified in Him and may be spared when meeting His swift justice.
Posted in: Esther and the 2nd Amendment
Dan,
Your essay is quite winsome a clever. Thank you for your efforts in the sphere of this network, your voice is reasoned and more typical of the average CRCNA pew-sitter than we often see in denominational media.
Regarding the firearms issue; as a pastor, I am grateful for the knowledge that a couple of fellow under-shepherds have a rod with them when we gather corporately. It is a reality of fallenness that wolves seek to devour sheep, and part of the reality of shepherding a flock, is the defense of those precious, albeit oblivious sheep.
It is wonderful that some of the respondents to this article have never incurred violence, thanks be to God, may that peace ever increase! Until eternal shalom is ushered in and consummated, we will toil in our respective contexts, some of them placid, some of them vulnerable, we trust the magistrates as the first line of defense that the Lord Himself has established to combat evil, we pray for peace and protection, and, we use the heads, hands and tools that the Lord has provided to respond to any and every situation that He providentially leads us into, knowing that His own Spirit will guide that response.