THE SPIRIT OF JEROBOAM AT QUAIL SPRINGS

I wanted to post on my blog below (after my comments) what Brotherhood News.com (formerly Word Gospel News) posted on their website the following sent by Glover Shipp to The Oklahoman in response to the story on Quail Spring’s decision to add an instrumental music service on January 27. (see story at: http://newsok.com/article/keyword/3197304/

I must admit, one of the saddest and most revealing part that to me really speaks against the actions of preacher Mark Henderson and the Quail eldership was the comments by Henderson in the newspaper article interview where he said that out of their approximately 900 member congregation, about 300 have left because of the instrument issue. Henderson said that when the elders announced the decision to add an instrumental music service, that “a certain percentage of the congregation broke out in applause and a number of people got up and left in tears.” Applause? Can you imagine that? Does it really portray a spirit of love and worship? 300 walked out in tears while their brothers and sisters clapped?? What kind of “Spirit filled” congregation breaks out in applause over such a thing? (Gal. 5:20) The applause would seem to convey a sense of victory that finally the congregation had broken free of the old, stodgy, and boring worship of the past.

I can’t help but think in all this about the comparison between this attitude and the spirit of Jeroboam. Remember how he perverted the worship in order to satisfy his ambitions and to satisfy the people?? Jeroboam plotted in his heart and said,

"If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28 So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt. 29 He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. (1 Kings 12:27-30)

By the way, his name became forever equated with a history of sinfulness for the northern kingdom of Israel. The phrase “he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin” became his legacy. (2 Kings 15:24)

Let’s pray for Mark Henderson, the elders and members at Quail Spring for once again faithfulness and unity to be found and practiced according to sincere love for one another and the truth of God’s Word. (Eph. 4:1-6)

For Christ,
Robert Prater
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BrotherhoodNews.com“Love the brotherhood,” 1Peter 2:17 (Formerly World Gospel News)

I have been in churches of Christ for all of my 80 years, and have served as a preacher, missionary, deacon and elder, presently as an elder of the Edmond, Okla., Church of Christ. I have taught world religions, the history of Christianity and our own history. I have studied at length the matter of instrumental music. I have visited instrumental churches. Here are my conclusions.

Mark Henderson is right in saying that the New Testament is silent on instruments in worship. The instruction on music in worship is found primarily in three passages:

Ephesians 5:19, which says to speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; to sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16, which tells us to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts to God.
Hebrews 13:15, which says that we are to offer the fruit of our lips as a sacrifice of praise.

One argument Henderson did not mention is historical. Here is what the Catholic Encyclopedia says in this matter:

“The first Christians were of too spiritual a fibre to substitute lifeless instruments for or use them to accompany the human voice. Clement of Alexandria severely condemns the use of instruments even at Christian banquets . . .” (X, 651). “For almost a thousand years, Gregorian chant without any instrumental or harmonic addition, was the only music used in connection with the liturgy” (X, 657).

And yet another of many historical witnesses:

Voices and Instruments in Christian Worship, published by The Liturgical Press: “From the standpoint of ritual action, liturgical music can only be monodic and vocal. Throughout nearly ten centuries of its history, Christian worship was in principle, and nearly always in fact, celebrated una voce [”one voice”- unanimously] and a cappella [without instrumental accompaniment, lit. “as the chapel”]. . . . The abundance and clearness of the texts in which the Fathers of the Church have discussed the questions can leave us in no doubt about the content and firmness of their teaching: musical instruments are to be excluded from the worship of the New Alliance” (142, 150).

Because of this historical position, the Eastern Church continued without instruments, even after the split with the Roman Church. The result is that all of the Orthodox churches, to my knowledge, continue their tradition of a cappella music. This is a major segment of Christendom. Other churches, also, deny their use, so churches of Christ are not unique in their position.

It is my observation in visiting contemporary instrumental services is that they look and sound exactly like any rock band — loud and with a heavy percussion beat. Guitars predominate, but with other instruments also used. The instrumentalists generally are not singing. Among those attending, many are not singing at all, but just listening to the music up on the stage. Finally, most have lost all ability to sing parts or even a cappella. The words of the songs are projected, but not the music. If a visitor doesn’t know a song, he or she cannot enter into the singing.

Visit the Edmond Church of Christ and hear a cappella music generally at its best. The congregation of about 1,200 members sings very well without ever turning to instruments to aid it.

We are certainly not against instruments. I played a violin for many years. Others are professional-level musicians. We choose to sing unaccompanied because of New Testament teaching on the matter, the example of the early church and its subsequent history for its first millennium.

Sincerely,
Dr. Glover Shipp

A PARTY FOR A PROSTITUTE

A fellow preacher blogger tells the following story by Tony Campolo who is an amazing storyteller and can touch your heart and challenge you with the stories he tells. This story below is a little long, but it’s well worth your time.

Campolo, tells a story of being in Hawaii a few years ago for a Christian conference. It was 3:00 in the morning, and Campolo, could not sleep. So he got up, got dressed, and left the hotel where he was staying to search for a place to get something to eat. Eventually he found a tiny coffee shop that was open. Here is his description of what happened there:

“The guy behind the counter came over and asked me what I wanted. I told him I wanted a cup of coffee and a donut. As I sat there munching my donut and sipping my coffee at 3:30 in the morning, the door suddenly opened, and to my discomfort in marched 8 or 9 provocatively dressed and rather boisterous prostitutes. It was a small place and they sat on either side of me. Their talk was garrulous, loud, and crude. I felt completely out of place.

I was just about to make my getaway when I heard the woman next to me say, ‘You know, tomorrow is my birthday. I’m going to be 39.’ Her friend responded in a rather nasty tone, ‘So what do you want from me? A birthday party? What do you want? You want me to get a cake, and sing happy birthday to you?’

‘Come on,’ the woman sitting next to me said, ‘why do you have to be so mean? I’m just telling you that it’s my birthday. Why do you have to put me down? I don’t want anything from you. I mean, why should I have a birthday party? I’ve never had a birthday party in my whole life. Why should I have one now?’

Campolo says, "When I heard that, I made a decision. I sat and waited until the women left, and then I called over to the guy behind the counter and asked him, ‘Do they come in here every night?’

He answered, ‘Yeah.’ ‘The one who was sitting right next to me, does she come in every night?’ ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘that’s Agnes. Yeah, she comes in every night. Why do you want to know?’ ‘Because,’ I replied, ‘I heard her say that tomorrow is her birthday. What do you say we do something special for her? What do you think about throwing a birthday party for her right here in the coffee shop?’

A cute kind of smile crept over that man’s chubby cheeks. ‘That’s a great idea,’ he said. ‘I like it. That’s great. Agnes is one of those people who is really nice and kind. I don’t think anybody has ever done anything nice and kind for her.’ ‘Well, look,’ I told him, ‘if it’s okay with you, I’ll be back here tomorrow morning at 2:30. I’ll decorate the place. I’ll even get a birthday cake for her,’ ‘No way!’ he replied. ‘The birthday cake, that’s my thing. I’ll bake the birthday cake myself.’

“At two thirty the next morning,” Campolo says, “I was back at that coffee shop. I picked up some crepe paper and other decorations at the store, and made a sign of big pieces of cardboard that said ‘Happy Birthday, Agnes!’ I decorated that diner from one end to the other. I had it really looking great. The word must have gotten out on the street, because by 3:15 that morning every prostitute in Honolulu was in that place. There was wall-to-wall prostitutes – and me.

At 3:30 on the dot, the door of the diner swung open and in came Agnes and her friend. I had everybody ready… When they came in we all jumped up and screamed, ‘Happy Birthday, Agnes!" Then we sang to her. And you know, I’ve never seen a person so flabbergasted, so stunned, so shaken. Her mouth fell open, her knees started to buckle, her friend had to offer her arm to steady her, and I noticed she had started to cry. When the birthday cake with all the candles was carried out, that’s when she lost it. She started sobbing. Harry, the guy behind the counter, gruffly mumbled, ‘Blow out the candles, Agnes, blow out the candles.’ Then he handed her a knife and said, ‘Cut the cake, Agnes, cut the cake.’

Agnes looked down at that cake, and without taking her eyes off it, she slowly and softly said, ‘Look, Harry, is it okay with you if I, I mean, if I don’t, what I want to ask, is it okay if I keep the cake for a little while? Is it okay if we don’t eat it right away?’ Harry shrugged and answered, ‘Well, sure, Agnes, that’s fine. You want to keep the cake, keep the cake. Take it home if you want to.’ ‘Oh, could I?’ she asked. Looking at me, she said, ‘I just live down the street a couple of doors. I want to take the cake home, okay? I’ll be right back, honest.’ She got off her stool, she picked up that cake, and she carried it out of the diner like it was the Holy Grail. She walked slowly toward the door, and we all just stood there, speechless. When the door closed behind her, there was stunned silence in the place.

Not knowing what else to do, I broke the silence by saying, ‘What do you say we pray together?’ Looking back on it now, it seems more than a little strange that a sociologist from eastern Pennsylvania would be leading a prayer meeting with a bunch of prostitutes in a diner in Honolulu at 3:30 in the morning. But I prayed. I prayed for Agnes. I prayed for her salvation. I prayed that her life would be changed, and that God would be good to her.

And when I finished, Harry leaned over, and with a trace of hostility in his voice, he said, ‘Hey, you never told me you were a preacher! What kind of preacher are you anyway? What church do you belong to?’ In one of those moments when just the right words come, I answered him quietly, ‘I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning.’ Harry thought for a minute, and then almost sneered as he answered, ‘No you don’t! There is no church like that. In fact,’ he concluded, ‘if there was, I’d join it.’

I do think sometimes we forget that we are to be a church like that. Just like Jesus did, we are to be a church that reaches out to those who are overlooked and those who are different than us. Those who look different, dress different, talk different, act different and think different. And if we really become a church where no one stands alone, we might be surprised who comes.

“…………God out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame…………….and make them come in so that my house will be full.” (Luke 14:21b, 23b)

In Christ,
Robert

BEAUTY IS THE BEAST

This jaw dropping video called "Onslaught" will hit you right in the gut and then make you want to cry. Especially if you have little girls. This is the newest short film in the Dove “real beauty” campaign. Be warned, portions of this video contain some rather brief “graphic” and “adult” images that I hope don’t cause offense to anyone but only serve to “wake us up” to this very serious problem.

This growing phenomenon is having a direct impact on girls’ self-image and even causing some to engage in destructive behavior. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund/Seventeen Body Image Survey also revealed:

• 93 percent of girls and young women report feeling anxiety or stress about some aspect of their looks when getting ready in the morning
• This could explain why more than 70 percent of girls and young women avoid activities when they feel bad about their looks including giving their opinion, attending school and even going to the doctor.
• 76 percent of girls and young women admit to partaking in unhealthy activities when they feel badly about their bodies
• 58 percent of girls describe themselves in negative terms, including words like “disgusting” and “ugly,” when feeling badly about themselves.
• Nearly four out of 10 engage in unhealthy eating behaviors, such as anorexia or bulimia.
• More than one out of 10 girls has used cutting or self-inflicted injury as a coping mechanism.
• The average person sees between 400 and 600 advertisements per day - equivalent to more than one message for every waking minute.
• The average US girl has the opportunity to see an estimated 77,546 commercials by the time she is 12 years old.

For more on this see CNN's article about this called: "Pressure to Look Perfect Drives Girls to Destructive Behavior"

I don't know about you, but the above stats make me sick to my stomach.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Prov. 31:30)

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner-self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Robert

THE BIBLE ACCORDING TO GOOGLE EARTH

Here's an interesting art series called "God's Eye View." The art work is scenes from the Bible from how God would see them, or a Google Earth perspective. Makes you wonder what it really looked like back in them days. I have to admit that I got a good chuckle by reading the comments left on the website that originally posted these photos. One guy, who proudly described himself as non-religious, said that there's no way Google maps could pinpoint the exact locations where these events took place because the Bible does not offer that kind of specific information. Talk about missing the point!

The Garden of Eden


Noah's Ark

Moses Parting the Red Sea

The Crucifixion

Demotivation

The world has come up with yet another ingeniously sarcastic idea.

"Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (Gal. 4:16)

Lighten up and smile today, I love!!
Robert

Huckabee on the Role of Women in Marriage

In the FOX News debate last Thursday night, Mike Huckabee was given a question about his electability in light of a Southern Baptist Convention statement he publicly signed, which said in part, that "wives are to graciously submit to the servant leadership of their husbands." The above video was his answer. The liberal press and media will never understand this message and will always only give part of the message. I have to admit the more I see and hear from Huckabee, the more I like him. I especially appreciate that he clearly articulates what he believes and makes no apology for it. Probably right now I’m kind of leaning either towards Huckabee or Fred Thompson.

A LOVE STORY

Here is a little laughter going into your weekend. When I saw this a couple of days ago I laughed real hard!

An 80 year old woman was arrested for shop lifting. When she went before the judge he asked her,"What did you steal?"
She replied: "A can of peaches".

The judge asked her why she had stolen them and she replied that she was hungry.

The judge then asked her how many peaches were in the can.

She replied, "6".

The judge then said, "I will give you 6 days in jail."

Before the judge could actually pronounce the punishment the woman's husband spoke up and asked the judge if he could say something.

"What is it?" the Judge said.

The husband said "She also stole a can of peas."

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:13)

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)

Robert

Turning Things Upside Down

This is an awesome video I received recently via email. It lasts about 2 and a half minutes, and you need to watch the whole thing to get the full impact. It has a wonderful message, so filled with hope. Man looks at things one way and God sees things the opposite way. .The way we see the world and tell the story makes all the difference. “Go into all the world and preach the good news!”

For Christ,
Robert Prater

West Virginia, Iowa, and Pat Robertson

I don't think you'll have a hard time connecting the two pictures. Congratulations, West Virginia. You completely dismantled my Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl. Ouch!! I'm guessing that the Sooners will never accept another Fiesta Bowl invitation after two consecutive losses there.

The sports media machine was already gearing up to say that the real national championship should have been Oklahoma and USC. Now, all that falls by the wayside. Also, since the Mountaineers won without Rich Rodriguez, I'm wondering if Michigan is rethinking their hire.

Bill Stewart WVU’s interim coach last night had the greatest job interview ever! And indeed, early this morning it’s being reported that he will named the new WVU head coach today. That was a great win for the West Virginia players. Now, in spite of all, the Oklahoma Sooners still have won more games than any team since WWII and since the AP started keeping records. They also have scored more points than any college football team. They have had more 10+ and 11+ seasons than any college team in the country. So I will remain loyal always to my favorite football team. Oh well. Sadly, for all practical purposes, college football starts again in 8 months.

But there are still a few games remaining. Tonight is a game few people outside the states of Kansas and Virginia care about. The BCS thinks that their chaotic system is good for college football because it supposedly "stirs up interest" in the sport. Instead, it creates match-ups that few people find especially compelling. USC against a 3 loss Illinois team. Georgia-Hawaii. Kansas-Va Tech. Hopefully, this one will be compelling. It's a great story for VT as a tribute to the university, families, and victims of the shootings last year. But I’m pulling for another great story that has been taking place there in Lawrence with Mark Mangino and the Jayhawks and quite frankly the Big 12. I hope they win. The big one, of course, is Monday. I'll reserve comment for now.

On an unrelated note, more people are interested in the football game tonight than the Iowa caucuses. Please--can't we come up with a better system for electing a president? It's almost like we've attempted to make the system dysfunctional purposely to hinder great potential candidates from getting involved. Speaking of which, one of my new year’s resolution is to not receive any more Ron Paul emails!!

Finally, God has allegedly spoken to Pat Robertson again, (see foxnews.com/story—January 2, 2008) This time God told Pat that there will be violence round the world in 2008, the US will go through an economic recession, and in 2010 the US will experience a stock market crash. Pat, with much respect and love, I believe that you need to readjust your "hearing aids." Do you remember when you predicted a nuclear weapon going off in the US? Or the time you said that you could squat 2000 pounds? Why does anyone listen to this guy? Why do media outlets report it? Is he that starved for attention? Do they love making fun of religious folks?

There's no conspiracy here. We're just all so interested in the oddities of life in order to distract ourselves from the severe issues facing us. Maybe we do need a little comic relief from time to time. But after a while, certain things boarder on the ridiculous. Can we stop with the "God told me there would be disasters" nonsense? Please. Do you want to know what God is interested in? Let me give you one of many passages where you can find what God wants us to know—the Bible!!

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?"~~Micah 6:8


There you go. Try this for a while and see what happens. God isn't in the destruction business. God is in the business of making all things new. (Isa. 43:18-19; John 6:63; Rom. 8:9; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rev. 21:1-5) Ah yes, there is a common link in these three random thoughts. All of them show the folly of prediction. No one can predict the future. It is not being played out from a script. No one knew WV would beat Oklahoma, just like no one knows who will be president next time, and just like no preacher knows what 2008 holds. We can forecast trends, but prediction isn't in our bag of tricks. It hasn't happened yet. Instead of guessing what might occur, we're better off living today, right now in anticipation and preparation for something we do know is coming one day: the return and judgment of Christ. Let’s all remember the apostle Peter’s admonition: “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand (i.e., destruction of the world—rp), beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked.” (2 Peter 3:14).
Those are some of my thoughts on a little sad and sour Thursday morning

God bless,
Robert Prater

CHURCH VS SPORTS

In light of OU’s big football game against West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl tonight (GO SOONERS!) and the fact that it’s being played on a “church night” (Wednesday), I present the following food for thought:

What's more important to us -God or sports?
What are we more committed to - church or our children's sporting events?

The following article below is part of a series of articles written by Wade Tannehill, entitled, “The Changing Values of the Church.” Warning: It will smack you right between your eyes.

________

“It's mind-boggling to consider the amount of money some people will spend, the lines in which they will stand, and the inconvenience they will endure, all in the name of sports. This year I attended my first Ohio State football game. As we approached the stadium, fans weren't hard to spot because so many were wearing team colors. Many were having tail gate parties, some of which began as early as five in the morning. Outside the stadium some without tickets were in tents, with generators set up to power their TVs and satellite dishes on tripods. It reminded me of worshipers gathered in the Court of the Gentiles because they couldn't get into the inner courts of the temple.

Hold on a minute! Did I say worshipers? Is sports a religion? With some, yes. One's God, or idol, is whatever one makes a priority. It's been said that the easiest way to identify your object of worship is to examine your check book register and your day planner. Wherever your discretionary time and money goes, that is your religion. Now I'm not saying all sports fans are idolaters or that there is anything wrong with being a sports fan. But some are excessive.

There aren't too many revivals, gospel meetings, or seminars on Scripture anymore. Some churches have canceled Sunday and/or Wednesday night meetings because the people just won't come out.

Some could not possibly make it through a weekly one hour Bible class, but they're parked in front of the TV three hours straight to watch football.

• Some are unable to locate key Scriptures, but they can cite sports statistics .
• Some are simply too busy to volunteer for church programs, but they can make tremendous sacrifice for their kids' sports programs.
• Some make contributions to the church that by no means reflect their prosperity, but they can somehow afford to be season ticket holders.
• Some will endure all kinds of weather to watch sports, but they won't drive to church in a snow flurry.
• Some will unashamedly walk out in the middle of a worship assembly to attend a sporting event, but how many will leave before a game is over to attend a church event?
• Some would never travel for a church retreat and would never dream of using vacation time to attend a lectureship or worship conference, but they will travel for sporting events and tournaments.
  Each year parents shell out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to keep their kids in sports. It's common for folks to make an early exit from the assembly due to sports commitments. It's common for folks to miss an entire season of Sunday worship while a sports season is going on.

Now sports season isn't all that people get excited about. I saw people literally camped out on the sidewalk of Target when Playstation 3 came out. People lined up in bookstores at midnight for the Harry Potter books. On the day after Thanksgiving, the first official shopping day of the Christmas season, people were out at four in the morning standing in lines 150 yards long.

• But who would stand in line to hear the Word of God preached?
• Who would adjust their personal budget to generously support those who preach the gospel?
• Who, these days, would tolerate a sermon that runs the length of their favorite sitcom?
• Who would sit outside enduring the elements (as they do at ballgames) to hear a sermon?
  Who would travel to hear Scripture taught?

Paul charged Timothy with preaching the Word. He told him to be prepared in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). As I write this it is football season, deer season, and the holiday season. But in our current church climate, is Scripture in season or out of season?”

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WOW!! Are your toes hurting yet? Mine are!

My intention is not to condemn anyone who watches football for three hours because I've spent many hours watching football. My condemnation is for any activity that competes and consistently wins out over our involvement in the corporate gathering of God's people. This notion that “as long as what we’re doing is morally neutral is okay” even though it takes us away from kingdom priorities must be confronted.

Who died and made sports god anyway? If you’ll allow me some great liberty to make some modern application of the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:10:13, “Was Lombardi crucified for you? Did Shula raise you to a glorious new relationship with God? Will Belicheck return to take you home to heaven?” My guess is that non of those guys know the way, or at least not the way that you want to take on that final road into eternity. "...........They followed vanity and became vain....." (2 Kings 17:15) Think about!!

For Christ and the kingdom,
Robert Prater