Joshua Law
Modern Applications of the Book of Micah
Most of Micah’s charges against Israel and Judah involve injustices against civilians in those countries — unfair business dealings, looting, abuse of women and children, and a government that takes advantage of the hard work of its own people to live a life of luxury.
Where is the injustice in your own life? Who is the humblest person in your life? Do you need to repent like the Israelites and Judah did? Micah’s impassioned plea to God’s elect to repent will bring many of us to accusation. Most of us don’t decide to lay off workers or find ways to commit injustice every day. Instead, we do it out of habit. Let’s let Micah’s words break our indifference to justice and kindness to others and move toward a world more like the coming millennial kingdom. Let us resolve to live according to God’s will. Live like Christ – “do righteousness, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8).
The Book of Micah makes it clear to the modern world:
7:1 “Alas. I [or Israel – (God’s chosen people – the church)] are as if the fruit of summer has been gathered up, and as what is left after the grapes have been plucked. There is nothing to eat. I envy the first-ripening figs.
7:2 The godly are destroyed on earth, and there is no upright man in the world. Everyone lies in ambush to kill and shed blood. They all hunt their brethren with snares.
7:3 Their hands do evil. Kings show affection, and judges want bribes. The big one spit out malice. They are all connected to each other to do evil.
7:4 The best of them is thistles. The most upright is but a hedge of thorns. (America’s newest Supreme Judge can’t/dare not tell the difference between men and women) Your watchman says the day has come. They will be disturbed.
7:5 Do not depend on your neighbor. Don’t trust close friends. Keep your mouth shut and don’t tell your wife in your arms.
7:6 For sons despise their fathers, daughters against their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mother-in-law. A man’s enemy is his own family.
7:7 As for me, I will look to the LORD, and I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will answer me.
7:8 Do not boast to me, O my enemies. Although I fall, I will get up. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD is my light.
Matthew quoted this verse (7:6)
Matthew 10:36 A man’s enemy is his own family.
People in the family (who live together) face each other day and night, and all their shortcomings can be clearly seen. As the saying goes, “It’s good to meet each other, but it’s difficult to live together.”
What is the difference between believers and unbelievers in this area o concern?
Believers dedicate themselves to God, not to the church. Unbelievers dedicate themselves to their Godless ideology.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. It is right that you serve in this way.”
What God gives us through faith is eternal life, not a career, not a way of life, not a philosophy, not a script.
This eternal life is spontaneous, God (not the church) is the Father, Jesus is the brother, the Holy Spirit is the indwelling Spirit of understanding that dwells within us forever, and the Bible is the revelation of God. Indwelling of the Holy Spirit:
John 14:16,17 “I ask the Father, and the Father shall give you another Comforter, [or as a comforter] to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept. Because they don’t see him, they don’t know him. but you know him. For he is with you always, and he will be in you.”
Because it is a new life within, we want to often read the Bible alone, commune and pray with the Holy Spirit in our hearts, confess our sins to God often, and be reconciled and communicated with God.
Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”
We need to separate God from the church, offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, not to the church. If we offer it to the church, we will be disappointed. If we offer it to God, we will have the power of eternal life in Christ. Believers are dedicated to God, they do not devote to the church. Does that make us lonely? Never. With the indwelling, guidance, of the Holy Spirit, if we communicate and reconcile with the Holy Spirit and let Him take the first place, we will be more than conquerors. Not only that, but believers also live like Christ within and outside of the church and use their lives to lead people to the Lord:
1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify Christ the Lord in your heart. Always be prepared to answer anyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and reverence.”
The church leads few people to the Lord. The church should be a team of believers who support and care for each other and are of one mind. If there is no unity, the testimony will be lost. (Frequently happens) Many believers lead people to the Lord with their lives. Therefore, believers should live more and speak less. They should always be prepared. Live a day like Christ, is better than listening to many sermons. The church should be a team of believers who support each other and are of one mind. If there is no unity and mutual support, the testimony will be lost. Lead people to the Lord by the leadership of the Holy Spirit. It is extremely difficult to bring people to the church because the church has lost a great deal of its testimony.
The Spirit and Soul of Christian Music – What Songs to Use for Worship
Influence of Secular Music on Christian Music
The Spirit and Soul of Music in
Christian Worship by Joshua Law
Introduction:
- Church Life Must Have an Emphasis on “Spirit and Mind”
For the highly spirited behaviors in the church, such as speaking in tongues, Paul requires an interpreter (so to be connected with the mind for understanding.) He advocates that the church’s worship life must involve both the spirit (Gk. pneuma) and the mind (Gk. nous).
1 Corinthians 14:15 “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”
For the present day, since English is an international language, the Bible has been translated into majority of languages, and mass communication media is extremely wide-spread and available, this spiritual gift seems to be much less in need. But the principle of prayer and singing that Paul talked about is, of course, the golden rule, because no matter what the medium may be, the audience’s understanding is the most important.
The highly emotional style of classical music of the Romantic Period has the same negative influence on worship as the soulful popular music in the modern church. (The devil is an expert in tempting humans into sin and leading them astray through emotions to defeat the human spirit and understanding of the truth). These two types of music have influenced the quirks of modern addiction to the romantic mood of music. This quirk for emotional feeling usher people to lose their ability for spiritual reasoning (spiritual wisdom) and turn to feelings as a guide to pursue truth. To many churches, worship means just to sing a random selection of love songs to Jesus. The congregation enjoys “spiritual pleasure” watching the worship leaders acting like super pop stars. Many classical music fans enjoy listening to classical music (especially music of the Romantic Period) as a form of worship, and many enjoy the ecstasy inspired by Christian pop rock (particularly the explicit and direct love song lyrics), thinking that it gives them a spiritual high. Therefore, music of the classical Romantic Period or our contemporary popular song lyrics used in churches mostly focus on love. The warm and fuzzy love emotion have misled our congregations into emotionalism instead of spiritualism. And, somehow, the many other ways/stanzas of worship such as confession, reconciliation, salvation, prayer, dedication, etc. are being left out and neglected.
Continue reading西洋古典浪漫音樂影響現代教會音樂
羅天樂著
聲明:
保羅對教會裡的屬靈高峰氣氛行為,如說方言,他說必須有翻譯才行,他提倡教會敬拜生活必須要有靈與悟性。靈(spirit-pneuma) 及悟性(mind – nous)。(林前14:15) 14:15 “這卻怎麼樣呢.我要用靈(spirit)禱告、也要用悟性(mind)禱告.我要用靈歌唱、也要用悟性歌唱。”
古典音樂浪漫時期的音樂作風專注感情和現代教會的流行音樂哲學有同出一竅的不良影響力。(魔善用人的感情意志來攻破人的靈與悟性),此兩類形的音樂開始了現代人沉迷在浪漫情緒裡的嗜好。此嗜好驅使一般人失去靈性理智,(spiritual wisdom)悟把感覺變為追求真理的途徑。(我們得救不能靠感覺,乃是靠信心)在教會裡很多時候敬拜就是唱歌,對耶穌,對上帝唱情歌。會眾羨慕領敬拜者(如歌星的心態和行動)唱歌所產生的精神快感變成了靈性高峰。在教會裡欣賞古典音樂(尤其事浪漫期音樂)給予的精神快感和流行搖擺樂(的氣勢和愛情歌詞)激發的狂喜常悟導信徒,以為是屬靈的高峰感覺。因此教會裡使用的古典浪漫期或流行形式的音樂歌詞多以愛情為主題,着重感性(魂)而忽略了靈與悟性(spirit and 的真理內容,如認罪,和好,救恩,禱告,獻身等。
其實西歐浪漫期音樂以前,(甚至中國主前儒家的音樂哲學)教會使用的音樂措施,有結構,着重歌詞內容的音樂已比較適合教會所用,至於如何使用,下文分析。(中國音樂已嵌入語言文字裡面,不像西洋文化,把音樂和語言分隔,此題要分題討論,)
研究這主題的心理準備:
此文章的目的是把古典浪漫時期的音樂通過Ragtime, Jazz, Blues和Pop連接到現代音樂和教會音樂的一般狀況,這是一篇從世界音樂學和神學的角度評估教會音樂的失誤過程及提出解決辦法。請存客觀態度彼此切磋。
這裡所舉的例子都可在Youtube找到,連接也並列於文內,請自便。
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