Sing!

Keith and Kristyn Getty’ book, Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church, is a good one for pastors, song leaders, church members, and parents alike. The following are a few quotes that caught my attention:

“Repeatedly and throughout Scripture, we are commanded to be a singing people. There are more than four hundred references to singing in the Bible and at least fifty direct commands. We are not to disregard the command because we don't like the music or the personnel or are not in the mood... Colossians 3:16 also speaks into how we sing… “with thankfulness in your hearts to God” … Thankfulness is more than saying the words with your lips. In fact, you are not singing Christianly if you are singing only with your lips… How we sing does reveal how we think and feel about something” (14, 18).

“If our songs are not giving us a balanced, rich, nutritious diet, we will not be spiritually healthy people… Could it be that many of our services today turn people off who are suffering and seeking Christ? Do our songs present a veneer of happiness rather than a robust joy in the midst of pain? Are the fountains we point to as we sing deep enough to meet the thirst that the trials of life give us? If not, then our diet is impoverished—our words are too small” (46).

“Songs help us train children in the ‘language’ of the Christian faith. What we want to teach our kids travels deeper inside them when we sing it rather than only speak it to them… Singing together in the home is an excellent way to prompt questions and give answers and aim for depth of spiritual understanding in our children in a memorable way” (57-58).

“Our singing (even when it joyfully falls off pitch) should always, unapologetically, contribute to our sense of family and community and never be rushed through, mumbled through, or handed over to the ‘professionals’” (76).

“Biblically rich content in song, sung by people who look like they mean what they are saying, helps teach the gospel as something that is credible and powerful rather than cultural and optional” (78).

“We must actually believe and live the truths we sing, otherwise what we sing can make us hypocritical, and not only doesn’t attract non-believers—it turns them off. It is easy to sing about the Lordship of Christ; far harder to live under it” (92).

“The songs we sing together are lifelines that draw each of us back to the heart of the King we serve and to the priorities of the kingdom we are members of. The songs we sing to ourselves are what tether us to our Lord day by day. The songs we sing to others are what proclaim His kingdom manifesto in a way that reaches deep into their heads and their hearts” (98).

In the end, the question is “Will you sing?”

“Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name” (Psalm 30:4 ESV).

© 2020 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

War of Words

Thousands of new words and new definitions are added to English dictionaries each year. The Oxford English Dictionary online has over 600,000 words. There are reported to be over 7,000 languages in the world, not including dialects. Our understanding of words is influenced by our own background and beliefs. Many probably remember the presidential discussion, “What does ‘is’ mean?”

It’s little wonder that we have trouble understanding one another. In the Tower of Babel incident in Genesis 11, God said, “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech” (v. 7 ESV) We may think we’ve overcome that problem by creating dictionaries and training translators, but we still have difficulties. A recent Supreme Court ruling attempted to define what “sex” means in Title VII. Public opinion is divided as to whether they defined it correctly. That’s just one of myriads of words that get redefined based on what point one wants to make.

We all agree that words matter, and most of us want to use our words carefully in order to convey truth. But then we face Pilate’s question in John 18:38, “What is truth?” Paul told Timothy, “Charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14). Yet it seems like that is a battle we are constantly facing even within the Church. Individual churches and denominations have split over the interpretation of words (and specifically the Word), and the Church is always in tension with culture because of our application of what we believe to be the Word of God.

In the turmoil of recent days, I’ve often been reminded of Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” What I hadn’t really noticed before is that the following verses have a lot to do with words. The armor of God includes the belt of truth, that shoes of the gospel of peace, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. That is followed by a reminder to persevere in prayer and Paul’s prayer request “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” The truth of Scripture is both our protection and our message.

While we know that not everyone will listen or accept Scripture as having any authority, that does not negate our responsibility to proclaim God’s truth.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart… [By] the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:1-5).

Until Jesus—the incarnate Word of God—returns, we must abide in His Word so that we will know the truth that sets us free (John 8:31), and we must share the truth with others so that they may find that same freedom in Christ. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

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*I started reading Paul David Tripp’s book War on Words several days after writing this post, and found that he said some of the same things. No plagiarism was intended. 

Here’s something else I wrote on the armor of God.

© 2020 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Be Still

In our office chapel service this week we talked about Psalm 46. Verse 10 is well known, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (ESV). The root Hebrew word translated as “Be still” in Psalm 46 is used elsewhere as “relax” and “wait.” In the New Testament, Mark recounts the storm at sea when Jesus “awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39; compare also Psalm 107:29). The words used here have the connotation of “be silent.”

I was reminded of visits to my Grandma Rutan’s house as a child. When the grandkids were noisy, fussing, or hyperactive, she would say “Be still.” Looking back, I realize she was saying more than just “Sit down” or “Hush.” I think God says the same to us. “Be still. Relax. Wait. Be silent. Rest. Trust Me.”

That’s often easier said than done. When the world is in turmoil around us, we look for the things we can do and things we can control. We try to understand what God is doing, but we may not be able to figure it out. John Piper said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” Sometimes we can’t even see three things. How can we rest and wait on God? Most of that has to come from knowing and trusting what Scripture says about Him.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1b-3a).

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides Me there is no god… Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are My witnesses! Is there a God besides Me? There is no Rock; I know not any” (Isaiah 44:6, 8).

“Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is His name. He will surely plead their cause, that He may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon” (Jeremiah 50:32).

“[Jesus Christ] is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15).

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19).

If we trust that God is the sovereign Creator, Redeemer, and King, and that we belong to Him, we can learn to be still and wait upon Him to accomplish His good purposes in us, through us, and around us. As much as we want to understand and see what God is doing in our world, we’ll rarely know enough to satisfy our questions. Faith says “I know enough to trust that God knows what He’s doing.” I need that reminder frequently these days.

“And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You” (Psalm 9:10).

(Here’s a post I wrote a couple years ago that you might like.)

© 2020 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

What Can I Say?

I’ve been debating all week what to write. Given the current tensions in our country, I fear saying the wrong thing. I fear offending someone unintentionally because I use the wrong words or don’t know all the facts and experiences of others. But I also fear saying nothing. I don’t want to be seen as complicit in evil because I don’t speak up. I think a lot of people are in the same boat. We want to support our brothers and sisters of other races because we are all made in the image of God, but we just don’t know what to say or do.

I started reading The Peacemaker by Ken Sande, and he makes some good observations on 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 (NIV): “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

“[The] Bible teaches that we should see conflict neither as an inconvenience nor as an occasion to force our will on others, but rather as an opportunity to demonstrate the love and power of God in our lives… This passage encourages us to look at conflict as an opportunity to glorify God, serve others, and grow to be like Christ” (ch. 1).

“Rights are not something you deserve and possess for your own benefit. Rather, they are privileges given to you by God, and he wants you to use them for his glory and to benefit others, especially by helping them to know Christ… Thus, whenever there is a question about your rights, you should ask yourself questions like these:

“‘Will exercising my rights honor God by showing the power of the gospel in my life?’ ‘Will exercising my rights advance God’s kingdom—or will it advance only my interests at the expense of his kingdom?’ ‘Will exercising my rights benefit others?’ ‘Is exercising my rights essential for my own well-being?’” (ch. 4).

The Declaration of Independence and Constitution provide for certain “unalienable rights,” yet we can all point to examples where people have misused their rights and harmed others. The abuse of authority leads to wrongful death. The abuse of free speech breaks hearts and inflames anger. God calls us to a higher standard: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor… If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:10, 18, 21 ESV). “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person by quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20).

What then can I say? I’d start with “I’m sorry.” I’m sorry that people have abused their power and privileges and have caused harm and even death to your family and friends. I’m sorry that many of us have sat back and watched and not lifted a finger to help. I’m sorry that it has taken this long for me and others like me to even try to understand what you’ve gone through your whole life. I’m sorry for the times I have not spoken up when others have said unkind or untrue things or have been rude and inconsiderate to you. And I’m sorry to the young man I offended when I used a wrong term because I didn’t think how it would be heard by someone from a different background, and thank you for being gracious enough not to react to my ignorance.

I hope you know that many of us want to understand and to do a better job of loving you. We need your help to know what we can say and do to help and not to harm.

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:13-15).

© 2020 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.