Different Cultures Are Glorifying To God

Rev 7:9 (NIV) After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Culture is not the result of sin; culture, though, is influenced by sin.

In Genesis 11, is the story of the Tower of Babel. The people in ancient history had united behind building a tower that could reach the heavens. However, God caused them to speak different languages, thus, giving them reason to separate. Their unity was based on seeking a god in their own way. God, instead confused them by making them speak in several new languages. This caused the people to separate and spread out over the earth.

The people, by concentrating their occupation of the earth in one spot, Babel, were disobeying God’s command to Noah:

Genesis 9:1 (NIV)
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.

By spreading out, peoples would naturally become different from other peoples. Gradually, people would speak with different accents, then languages. Foods, crafts, design, art and music would be different. God desired mankind to spread out, and, as a by product, to have diverse cultures.

God, as a designer, works with a diverse creation yet united in commonality (DNA, golden mean proportions). There are different kinds of trees, fruit, climates, and rocks. So, different cultures and languages are not wrong. However, sin has influenced people and cultures. Arts and music, philosophies, and governments have been influenced by God-less or man-only perspectives.

In the end, in Revelation, sin-less nations, different cultures, all worship the one God. The sinful part of those differences have been eliminated, leaving the differences that are glorifying to God.

Is “All I Need Is Jesus” True?

Hillsong United:

“All I need is You

All I need is You Lord

Is You Lord”

Heritage Singers:

“Jesus is all I need 

Jesus is all I need 

I need no other friend 

I need no other one 

Jesus is all I need”

I am well aware of the poetic use of hyperbole, exaggerating in order to make a point. We see Jesus using this in the Bible when he declares we must hate our parents (Luke 14:26), or cutting off ones hands to prevent sinning (Matt 5:30).  These can be explained better elsewhere.  So, a song such as “He is everything to me” can make sense, in the spirit of that ‘bigger than life’ saying.

However, it is not necessarily true that God is everything.  That is another worldview, not Christianity.  Hindu, I believe, sees God or god as all encompassing.  In Christianity, God is Creator of all creation, but He is not created but is self existing, and set apart - holy.

A. J. Swoboda, in his book, The Dusty Ones, is quite outspoken about the use of the phrase.

“Only a perverted form of Christianity would say that all one needs is God and nothing else. Nobody actually believes that nor is it even close to being true.  I could have God but no food and I would die. Such a theology departs entirely from the life of Jesus, God in the flesh. Jesus himself modeled the life of needing. As Christians, in this time and place we have been provided a kind of script. The script, whether we are aware of it or not, is one of complete self-completion and needlessness. Again we may or may not be conscious of it but we all need but we all read from this script.

“This conception of faith - of being people without needs - raises a bunch a perfectly legitimate questions. Is faith really about self-fulfillment? Is Christianity about making people who don’t need others? If so, isn’t this different from the way Jesus lived his own life?

“A disciple must learn the lesson that God isn’t primarily in the wants business.  Hopefully, reexamining the life of Jesus - a life marked by real needs - will help the age old belief that all we need is God retreat into the obscurity it so deserves”.

from The Dusty Ones, A. J. Swoboda, Baker Books, 2016, pp 116-117

As an amateur songwriter, I am concerned about the words I use, and whether they are biblically true.  I look to other Songwriters and their songs for examples.  Gloria Gaither is one of the top Christian Songwriters.  Here is how she explains what she thinks about this familiar phrase.

“When I was young we would sing “Jesus is All I Need.” I never really like that song much. I argued In my mind whenever we sang it, Well, I, for one, need a lot more. I need someone to love me. I need a warm body, a friendly face, someone to talk to at breakfast, and, more than that, someone who will talk back. I need quiet walks on the beach and a good cup of coffee with a friend to whom I don’t have to explain myself.

“How shallow I was.  Over the years I have come to notice that in the Gospel accounts, whenever someone had a need, Jesus answered with the ancient God words: “I AM.” And life is teaching me why Jesus answered with the words “I AM”. 

“I can hear his disciples. Around the campfire on the Sea of Galilee, they’re singing the chorus, “Jesus Is All That I Need,” and Peter says—-in his typical blurt-it-out fashion—-“Well, that’s all well and good, but I for one need some supper!” And Jesus answers simply but with a certain finality, “I AM the bread.”

“There is the woman at the well. As she lifts to the surface the heavy bucket brimming with sweet water, she thinks, How lovely to have this deep well that has survived all the generations. I may be an outcast, but it least I have this well. I need this water. Suddenly the stranger who has just Asked for a drink says, “If only you knew, you’d ask Me for a drink. This well is temporary, but I AM the Water that never runs dry, and I quench thirsts that no water can satisfy.”

from page 55 and 56 of Something Beautiful by Gloria Gaither, FaithWords, 2007

Not only is Jesus the Bread of Life to Peter, or is He giving Living Water to that woman at the well, but Gloria also mentions that He is the Resurrection and the Life to Martha, “I AM” the Way to Thomas, and “I AM” the King and the Truth to Pilate.

However, if given enough thought, I believe that Jesus is saying that the need for Him and God, in general, is paramount but not the only needs we have.  It’s like the diagrams for evangelism that show a circle with God’s throne in the center, and all the other needs within the circle, but to the sides.  I think the “I AM” statements referred by Gloria Gaither mean instead that God is the LORD of our needs.  While our need for God is big, we also have other needs.  God does supply our needs, as He promised, but these are in addition to our basic need for Him.

In certain areas of the world, it might not be as needy as in other areas.  We must not diminish people, whose needs seem to be more, by dismissing their physical needs by saying, ‘God is all you need’.  Yes, we are His hands and feet, and He can use us to meet others needs.  The incarnate Jesus had real needs, and He also supplied His disciples with fried fish for example.  Jesus never said He was our only need.  But those who know Him, know Him as Lord.

Here are some other articles:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/factchecker-is-the-i-only-need-jesus-declaration-christian/

http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/commonsensechristianity/2014/02/jesus-isnt-all-you-need-hes-all-youve-got.html

http://www.christianitytoday.com/iyf/2008/fall/37.8.html

Keith and Kristyn Getty - Songwriters

I picked up the new book, Sing!, by Keith and Kristyn Getty, and I was amazed what it said about their songwriting.  Back towards the end of the book, in Track Four: Songwriters and Creatives it mentions Keith’s productivity.  It says that for the last 17 years, he has written between 500 to 1000 songs a year, but 95% of them are not public.  Wow!  That’s about 2-3 a day.  I wonder how far he gets with each song. Words? Chords?  Kristyn, likewise, collects word ideas for songs.

In an article,  Modern hymn writers revive lost art of Christian music 

Modern hymn writers revive lost art of Christian music NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Most songwriters in Nashville want to get their songs on the radio. Keith and Kristyn Getty hope their songs end up in dusty old hymn books. The Gettys, originally from Belfast, Ireland,

Keith tells that he writes 5 musical ideas per day.  This does not seem to be the same as the songs mentioned above.  This would be the tunes picked out on guitar or keyboard, that seem interesting.  I think it is from these that the 2-3 songs a day are developed.

I only pick out about one interesting tune a month (this year, anyway), and all these get to be songs.

Blessings,

Dave Davis


Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad

Let Heaven and Nature Sing

1 Chronicles 16:31-34 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! ESV

Resolving Bible Contradiction: Wait Onshore Until Dark?

There seems to be a contradiction in the bible between Matt 14 and John 6.  This is the passage between the feeding of the 5000 and Jesus walking on water.  After the feeding of the 5000, Jesus sends the disciples away, and then after dismissing the crowd, goes up the mountain to pray alone. This time alone goes past sundown and into the night.   During the night, Jesus sees the disciples rowing out on the lake, and He comes to them, walking on the surface of the water.

Between the miracles of feeding the 5000 from just a few loaves of bread plus a few fish, and the miracle of walking on water, is a small detail almost missed.  John 6 seems to say that Jesus told the disciples to go to the lake shore and wait for him, but after dark, they went ahead and crossed the lake  by boat.  Matt 14 and Mark 6 seems to say that Jesus sent His disciples to go in the boat and cross the lake.

To reconcile these passages, the reader would have to guess that Jesus told His disciples to wait for him by the lake shore until sunset, while He went away to pray.  Then, if He didn't come to them by dark, they were to start to row the boat across the lake towards Bethsaida.

Now, the reader knows not to add to scripture or put words in Jesus' mouth (like some popular Christian books do).  So, the contradiction must be left as is.  Yet, the reader also expects God not to contradict Himself.  So, we are left with an educated guess that Jesus' disciples would obey him, waiting for Him on the lake shore until sunset, and then, if He didn't show up by then, casting out from shore and rowing across the lake.

This is a small example of a bible contradiction that can be resolved.  This one is easy.  However, there are many passages that seem to conflict.  There are aspects of God which seem to be at odds.  How can one resolve God's holiness with His mercy, His loving kindness with His sovereignty, His omniscience with His listening to our prayers?  All I can say is if one little contradiction can be resolved, then the harder ones are possible, too.

1 Corinthians 13:12
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1corinthians13:12&version=NLT

John 6:16-17
That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him.
But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john6:16-17&version=NLT

Matthew 14:22-23
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home.
After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew14:22-23&version=NLT

John 6:16-17
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john6:16-17&version=NIV

This contradiction shows up in the New Living Translation, and in the Living Bible.  It doesn't seem to show up in John 6 of the NIV and other bible versions.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

'Amuse' Is NOT "to not think"

There are several web sites, mainly Christian, which redefine the word 'amuse' as "not thinking". This is unfortunate and wrong.

 I don't think that the word 'amuse' is the opposite of 'muse'. I looked it up in the dictionary and found that it came from French. So, the 'a-' is not meaning 'Not' like in Greek (e.g., a-millennial means 'not millennial'). The 'a-' instead means 'at' or 'to'. So, the French meaning is more like 'at thinking' or 'cause to think'.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=amuse

Now, I understand that there is a tendency for people to sometimes seek too much diversion, and thus to not think too seriously. But on the other hand, sometimes people can worry too much. I think Jesus was 'amusing' (getting the people to think straight) His listeners with the truth when he mentioned the lilies of the field and the birds of the air (Luke 12:27).

I believe there is a wrong assumption that serious thinking can only be good, and thus, non-serious thinking is bad. However, not only worry, but also, anger, fear, pride, and guilt are certainly serious but not necessarily good. In the bible, it mentions that God laughs or is amused (Psalms 2:4). Smiling and laughing is part of human nature. There is a time to laugh and cry (Ecc 3:4).  Amusement can lead away from God or it can lead to clearer thinking.

So, not all amusements are wrong. It's just that there is a tendency in fallen human nature to escape, to pursue vain glories. The need to be amused is exaggerated because of the effects of sin. Laughing at somebody or something other than ourselves temporarily relieves our consciences or our worries.

However, laughing at ourselves seems to be healthier. That kind of amusement happens when personal issues are dealt with. The humility here is real and lasting, not the temporary relief with distractions. Instead of escaping to minor attractions, we find our strength outside ourselves, and we can learn to lighten-up in a more lasting way. I'm not talking about hero worship, which is also temporary. What I mean is dependence on God. God's yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt 11:30).

I also wonder how the word 'music' has to do with 'muse' and thinking. Doesn't 1 Samuel show how David's harp playing helped King Saul draw his mind away from his despair of his deselection as king and his jealousy of David? Except, with Saul, the music acted more like a drug, and the evil thoughts came right back when the music went away. Perhaps, it was not just the music, but also the presence of a godly David that cheered Saul. Saul had lost the presence of God, and had gained evil thoughts. David spelled 'relief'.

So, I think the word amuse actually means to stimulate thought that is more balanced, a diversion from ones own perspective. One just has to enter "amuse" and "to not think" in a search engine to find quite a few web sites which try to redefine the word 'amuse'. However, that word is suppose to mean "to cause to think". It is my hope that people will have a reason to rethink what amusement means, not to assign it off as merely wasting time.

Internet 'Chain Letters'

I remember, as a child, receiving a chain letter in the mail, though it was addressed to my parents. I don't remember, perhaps it was anonymous. But one thing I remember is that it was very gray like it had been photo-copied many times. It stated that it was important to send copies of this letter to, say, five or ten other people. It said that, if one don't do this, there would be a curse. So, to avoid this curse, one had to copy and re-send this letter.

Nowadays, I receive emails from some well-meaning people, Christians, about issues that are alarming. Some of these issues are: religious freedoms being lost, malware in cyberspace, and other political and social issues. Usually at the end of the letter, there is a call for people to re-send this email to all their email contacts. Though there is not a curse warning, there is an urgency for people to share this information to their friends. When one gets this letter, there is implied guilt if one doesn't go ahead forward this information with their email contacts.

Unfortunately, many times this information is bogus; sometimes it is dated and no longer true. I have learned by experience that if the subject is about the FCC making religious broadcasting illegal, or about a particular malware that will destroy the contents of ones computer hard drive, or about some miracle cure, or another political/social issue that seems incredible, maybe this deserves an inquiry first. Why do people forward emails like this without wondering if it is true? Maybe, they trust it because it came from a friend.

However, a true friend would check out the facts in the information first. One way to do that is to take some or all of the letter, and copy/paste it into a search engine such as google. In the search results, there might be a reference to some web sites that check out the veracity of the claims in the email. Sites such as http://www.snopes.com/ evaluate the truthfulness of the facts in the email. Anyone who deals with the Internet needs to be weary of Urban Legends. These are stories regarding issues, that if unchecked, are nothing more than gossip.

Imagine the embarrassment of one who finds out the email he/she sent on was found out to be false. Well, imagine the denial, then. If more people check out to see if such emails are true, then more people might guard their reputations and check out to see if they're true, too. Especially for Christians, who represent Christ, who is Truth, isn't it important to present truth in ordinary life.