Did you know that God cares about the kind of music you listen to?  A wrong philosophy of music generally accompanies a misunderstanding about life’s purpose.  Contrary to what our culture instills in us, it’s not about me or you; our lives belong to the Creator, the Giver of life.

  What Is Music?  In the most basic sense, it is a mode of communication.  Obviously the words of a song communicate a message, but good science reveals that musical composition communicates as well, making it possible for a song to effectively communicate two messages simultaneously.

  As letters are building blocks for printed communication, notes and chords are the building blocks for music.  With these building blocks, the composer/performer communicates his message(s).  So, music is not just a matter of preference or taste, it is a moral issue.

  In his book, Rock: Making Musical Choices, Richard Peck says, “Drugs, immorality, satanic lyrics, backward masking – you’ve heard it all before.  Meanwhile, books and lectures about rock continue to warn that rock kills plants; rock will damage your hearing;  rock’s low frequencies affect your heart rate and body metabolism; the music bypasses your brain’s conscious control centers, and the rhythm stimulates immoral desires.  You’ve heard all of this, too.

What you may not have heard is that the real issue is holiness.  The word is seldom used today, but the Bible makes it clear that Christians are to be a holy people.  They are to be separated from the world unto God.  (Psalms 1:1, 1John 2:2-6). 

By talking about house plants, hearing, and heart rates – instead of holiness – far too much discussion of rock has focused on rock’s effects upon man rather than its offensiveness to God.  The result is that many are more interested in what God might permit than in how He might be pleased.”

  Have you spent much time in the Bible lately?  Perhaps you have noticed the emphasis on giving glory to God.  Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”  When a friend had died from a serious illness, Jesus said to his sister, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. (John 11:4).” …and then He raised him from the dead.  Paul wrote this interesting admonition to the church at Corinth, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1Corinthians 10:31).”  Imagine, eating and drinking to the glory of God!

  What does it mean to do something to the glory of God?”  A simple word study reveals that it has to do with our opinion of God.  We glorify Him when we recognize or acknowledge that He is worthy of praise, and when we hold Him in highest esteem.  What makes our God so praise worthy?  

eternal life, forgiveness, mercy, love, grace, answered prayer, a place reserved in Heaven, water, sleep, a free nation, health, strength, brothers and sisters in Christ, our homes, our jobs, our children, our churches, friends, food, shelter, clothing, the beauty of the Earth, good music, the sun, rain, snow, knowledge, wisdom, the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, peace, comfort in trouble, light in the midst of darkness, truth in the midst of error, the Bible, the gospel of Jesus Christ, protection, purpose, His plan

  There is scarcely room in these few lines to name them all, so you may want to continue to enumerate His praise worthy works and characteristics on your own.  It would be interesting to brainstorm for fifteen or twenty minutes with pencil in hand, just to see how many reasons you have, personally, to praise the Lord.  It is more than an exercise in futility; to glorify the Lord is the highest calling of man.  “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. (Psalm 150:6).”

  Occasionally, in order to describe a favorite writer or speaker, one might say, “He certainly has a way with words!” The point of course is that the communicator very masterfully makes use of the English language to convey his message. I have read many such books, but I must tell you that the book that has affected my life the most is one that you probably already own, …the Bible. You might think it strange that I would recommend the Bible for your reading pleasure. Perhaps you believe the Bible to be a boring book of theology and deep truths that are hard to understand. But I have discovered that while the Bible certainly does contain doctrine and theology, it is a book of excitement and adventure as well.

  How about love stories, the kind that will help you rather than lead you into sin? You should read the story of Ruth and Boaz in the book of Ruth. Maybe you are into Adventure? Check out the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel, or the story of a nations’s deliverance from the Pharaoh of Egypt in the book of Exodus. If you like Politics, take a look at Esther and Ahasuerus, King of Persia, in the book of Esther, or the plight of the Jews and the tyranny of the Roman Empire in the Gospels. If you prefer stories with an element of surprise, consider the donkey that spoke to a man in the book of Numbers, or the man who had a 13.5 foot bed in Deuteronomy, or 2 Kings that tells of an ax head that floated, and of the time a woman boiled and ate her son. War stories? There has never been a better one written than in Isaiah 37 when an army of 185,000 was destroyed in a single night, or in Judges, where an army of 700 left handed men was assembled. Are you into Sports? How about fishing? You could read the book of Jonah that tells of the big fish that caught a man, or maybe you’d like to read about Peter, who went fishing literally “for the money,” in Matthew 17.

  Get into the Word, and allow God to demonstrate that He, above all others, “has a way with words!” —and His Words are more than entertainment; they will answer your questions, save your soul and change your life.

  A few years ago I had the opportunity to teach a young couples’ Sunday School class. My lesson examined some current issues that I deemed either ethically, morally, or spiritually unacceptable. As I spoke, the class stirred. I could remember the day when these very topics were not even debated among serious Christians, but on this day my young class was struggling to accept what they considered my outdated point of view.

  Later, my mind drifted back to earlier years. I had just married and was feeling like my time had arrived. Every generation before me had enjoyed their day at the top, and now, finally, I was a grown-up and it was my turn to help run the world for a while. Still I could picture those old gray haired saints who carried large print Bibles and would periodically shout “Amen” during church services. In that day, there were some things going on in the world that these men considered ethically, morally, or spiritually unacceptable. I remembered well how I felt cramped by their old fashioned ideas and ideals. I simply could not see the world through their eyes, nor understand the issues from their perspective.

  My point is simply this: Every generation, including my own, is inclined to view the world as if it began in their youth and will end when they die. Moral and ethical judgments are often formulated by observing the best and the worst of our contemporary culture. The result is a continual drift in society toward liberalism and lawlessness.

  No one can deny that we have come a long way, but are we better off or worse? Obviously, we are on a path that leads forever away from God. There must be a better way—a safer way. Perhaps ours, and every generation to come, would do well to forsake the old floating standard and consider the words of the Psalmist (as they are reprinted in my LARGE PRINT Bible), “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. (Ps. 119:160).”

  Missionary Charles Wesco (44), along with his wife and eight children, had been in the West African country of Cameroon for just twelve days. They were living their dream of serving the Lord among the people of this needy land. On October 18, 2018, Charles, his wife Stephanie, a son, and another missionary, who was driving them to the market to purchase supplies, were caught in the cross-fire of government security forces and rebels. A bullet passed through the car window and struck Charles in the head. He was quickly rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

  The tragedy would be more than most could bear, but while living this nightmare, the Wesco family believes that God has promised to work all things together for their good. They have decided to get better rather than bitter. Their testimony of continued faithfulness to God and His service is an inspiration to us all.
Corinth Baptist Church has invited Ben Sinclair, the missionary who was driving the car when Charles was shot, to be with us for services on May 31st – June 2nd. Ben will be sharing his testimony of what happened that day and how the Lord has used this tragedy to effect the lives of many for good. We invite you to come and be challenged by this story of courage and sacrifice. We have chosen the theme Counting The Cost.

Missionary Ben Sinclair and Family
May 31st — June 2nd
Friday evening at 7:00pm; Saturday evening at 7:00pm
Sunday at 9:30am; 10:45am and 1:15pm
The Wesco testimony will be shared during the Friday evening service.
Please feel free to call for more information.