Daily Reading

To have forgiveness Jesus had to shed his blood on the old rugged cross for us. In the old testament the blood of animals was used as a sin atonement, but it never forgave sin. In Col. 1:14 we find that we have redemption for our sins through Jesus. In Col.1:15 we find He is the image of GOD. In Col.1:16 we find that He was there when the world was made. In Col.1:17 we Find that by him all things consist; he upholds all things by the word of his power; the heavens have their stability and continuance from him; the pillars of the earth are bore up by him,(John Gill) In Col. 1:18 we find that Christ is the head of the Church.

Daily Reading

Forgiveness,
Col 1:14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
Col 1:17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Daily Reading

Final Illustration
Here is one more example for us to think about! If the men of the church were meeting and I called my wife before them to lead us in a solo, would it be proper for her to do so? What if I, as a man, joined her in the solo and we sang to the men of the church? Would either of these be accepted in the true church of our Lord today? What would be wrong with it if we are not in worship? If she can sing before us, why can't she pray? Again, we are not in a formal worship. If she can sing and pray before us outside of worship, why can't she teach and preach to us? There is more to this problem than an innocent song being sung by an individual or a group. We must wake up and see that we are headed in the same direction that so many denominations have already gone! They were deceived and we are being deceived also! The fact is, God has given us a pattern. He has set order to things in His church. When we worship Him, or come before Him, it must be done according to that pattern. Let's not be caught up in the things of this world, but let us be satisfied with the simple pattern which Christ has given us!

Daily Reading

Would the same people who want choirs and solos be satisfied to just sit in their seats, without standing before another group? Would they be satisfied if everyone joined with them in the song, so that they were no longer heard exclusively? What purpose do these choirs and solos serve? They only add to the perfect pattern which God gave for our singing of praise! What a disturbing thing it is to see how young people today, all over the world, are always the ones involved in wanting such activities! How often do you see older adult Christians pushing to have choirs or solos of their own, which they will perform in? Why are we trying to be like the denominational world? Are we God's people? Are we satisfied with the pattern which He has given us? We must learn to be content with what we have been commanded to do for God. Let's not fall into the snares of the wicked nations among us.

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ARGUMENT 3 - "IT IS NOT FOR ENTERTAINMENT, BUT EDIFICATION!" Over and over we have heard brethren claim that choirs and solos have nothing to do with entertainment. If this is the case, why is it necessary for one group to stand before another? Are the ones in the choir just stretching their legs, or are they wanting to stand in front to be seen? Why is it that we clap after the song is sung? Is this to glorify and praise God, or to congratulate the choir or soloist for the excellent job they did? Who is to receive the praise? Who is to be glorified? It is one thing to tell someone he did a good job and quite another to give him the praise, glory and honor instead of God.

Daily Reading

ARGUMENT 2 - "WE REALLY ENJOY IT!" Another argument which is given in favor of choirs and solos is: “We really enjoy it;" "It encourages me;" "It's fun.” First, let's remember that just because something is enjoyable does not make it acceptable! All sin is enjoyable, but it is not acceptable to God. In Leviticus 10:1-2, Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire to God in their worship to Him. He rejected it and destroyed them! The other problem with this argument is that the emphasis is put on our personal enjoyment. The real purpose at hand is to praise God and teach others. Yes, we are to be encouraged, but are we engaging in worship for our own pleasure? There is a big difference. Encouragement is the result of doing what is right and good. If we are doing it only because we receive pleasure from it, then we are missing the purpose. God is the only spectator in worship! We are all participants. We glorify Him in song collectively to accomplish His Will. If we are not participating, we are not worshiping! No one can worship on our behalf! We must give our own offering to God!

Daily Reading

What about prayer? We would all say that we are worshiping God when we pray to Him in a formal worship service. But, if we close our service, and have another prayer, then are we no longer giving any type of worship (honor, respect, reverence) to God? For our sakes, and to be acceptable to God, we must mean and understand what we are doing! The fact is, when we engage in an act of worship to God whether in formal worship or informal worship, it should be done in spirit and truth, if it is to be acceptable. Because when we purposefully focus on God and give Him homage, we enter into a form of worship to Him.

Daily Reading

ARGUMENT 1 - "WE ARE NOT IN WORSHIP!" The first argument we always hear in favor of choirs and solos is, "We are not in worship!" Is one to believe the following: Christians can collectively sing a song to praise God in a formal worship service, and then close the service a prayer, thus declaring they are no longer worshiping? After closing the service, they can then sing same song and say it is not worship because they had already closed out the formal worship service. Can we turn God to "on or off?" Is there some way to determine whether they are worship or not? Yes, there may be some difference in the level or degree of worship in which one engages, but when we sing praises to God, are we not worshiping Him? Are we to believe that worship only takes place in our collective formal worship services? The Bible does not support the idea that worship only takes place in formal assemblies! In fact, we see that people worship at different times in different places, sometimes individually and sometimes collectively.