Friday, February 15, 2013

Now I've done it.

First, let me say that if every winter day were like today, I would totally take back every ugly thing I ever said about January and February. It is a gorgeous, sunny, 64 degrees and I just finished drinking my coffee on the deck. I could live like this.



On to what I've done. Last time I posted, I mentioned a conversation Abbey and I had that day that involved finding a good man who reads the KJV, raising hands in church, and the worth of worship music. Abbey and I like to solve big problems when we talk.

(Leah and I do too. Just the other day we were lamenting how many people have no idea what we're saying when they ask for a spoon and we reply, "Spoon, aye" while handing them one. Most people think we're saying "spoon, I" which makes no sense at all. But those of us who have been in the military or very close to it for any length of time understand. Natasha, does your family do this too?)

Anyway, two of you have asked me to elaborate on the conversation I had with Abbey, so here it is.

My family believes the KJV is the perfect Word of God. No errors, no omissions. Perfect in every way. If it's not, then God is a liar, because he promised to preserve his Word for us. (Matt. 24:35, Prov. 30:5-6, 1 Peter 1:23, Psalms 12:6-7, Isaiah 40:8) So both of my still-single girls are looking for a good man who reads and believes the KJV. In case you were wondering, they're few and far between.

On raising hands in church, God tells us to lift holy hands (1 Tim. 2:8, Psalms 134:2), so obviously he means lift your hands. If he didn't mean it, he wouldn't have said it. Makes sense, right? This is not rocket science. If we just believe what we read, it's pretty easy. What he didn't say is "have an emotional experience." So the lifting of hands is part of worship, not a feeling we conjure up when the music is playing and we get the warm-fuzzies. This ties in with worship music, which we decided can be both good and bad. If the WORDS minister to your spirit, then it is worthwhile and pleasing to God. If the music ministers to your flesh, then it's just music that's pleasing to your mind and body. What makes the difference is the WORDS. Again, the point of worship music is not to stir up emotions; it is to WORSHIP GOD.

Abbey made a very astute observation at the end of our conversation. There's a verse that says, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24) God demands from those who worship him that we worship him in spirit AND truth. Both. Not one or the other. Both.

So here's what we have: On the one hand, we have the evangelicals who worship mostly in spirit with good music and raising of hands but kind of fuzzy on the truth. They have a "close-enough" theory when it comes to doctrine. On the other hand, we have the staunch fundamentalists who worship mostly in truth with proper doctrine but not much Spirit. In their effort to not be like the others, they err on their preferred side of caution. Both sides are lacking. It's not better to err on either side. God wants spirit AND truth. And both sides are critical of the other for what they lack. So where's the balance?

When you find it, let me know.

Be thankful ~

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks. We have been know to use 'aye', 'roger', POD, ETA, as well as many others often. I forget that not everyone speaks this way. :)

I have a question about the KJV. Why pick the KJV to be the only true translation? The original text was Hebrew and Greek. I have read that the ESV is closest the to the original Greek.
~Natasha