Attitudes, Actions, & Changes

People often desire changes. One of the basic reasons why our president was elected was that the majority of citizenry in our nation wanted a change. But not all changes are good. The same attitude persists in the church of our Lord, that is, many brethren want to change from the old paths. This attitude has permeated mankind since the Garden of Eden. The culture in which we live has pervaded the church. Brethren are insisting after a year or two of ‘in-depth’ study of the Bible that the Holy Spirit has led them to believe that certain false doctrines and practices are now accepted as being scriptural. Amazing, isn’t it. Two of the most common changes being made in the church today are the addition of musical instruments to the assemblies of worship and the use of women in the leadership of the church. Here is an example of a sister in Christ being presented as the ‘main speaker’ in a conference for ministers.

February 11-13, 2010 • Nashville , TN • Scarritt Bennett Center

Calling all ministers!
You are invited to the first-ever Peacemakers Minsters' Retreat.
Hosted jointly by CenterPeace and the Zoe Group, the Peacemakers retreat is designed to prepare leaders in youth, campus, children's, and pulpit ministry to better understand same-sex attraction. Sally Gary and guest speaker David Lewis will present large group sessions and facilitate small group discussions. There will be time for questions and answers as you share stories and ideas with other ministers. Worship times will be lead by Brandon and Sheryl Thomas of the ZOE Worship Team. Enjoy a relaxing three days with us on the beautiful campus of Scarritt Bennett Retreat Center in Nashville, TN, and you'll leave feeling better equipped to respond to these needs like these: (Emphasis, mine, RE)
How to listen to the guy in your youth group who tells you he's gay. How to equip parents to answer their children's questions about a friend at school who has two moms. How to respond as Jesus would to the two women who want to be a part of your congregation, as a couple.Sally Gary who has been a presenter with ZOE since 2002 will be the main presenter during this retreat geared toward ministers.” The ZOE Group/New Wineskins P.O. Box 41028 Nashville , TN 37204 . Please observe that the Zoe Group and New Wineskins are in essence the same in doctrine and in practice. These organizations are very influential in leading the brotherhood further into an apostasy.

The Landmark congregation has become known for having been one of the first (if not the first) of the churches of Christ in the Montgomery area to introduce musical instruments in various assemblies of worship. The elders try to make a distinction between the worship assemblies on a week night and the Sunday assemblies but there is no difference save the partaking of the Lord’s Supper and the monetary contribution that is given on Sunday. A friend of mine for many years attended the assemblies at the Landmark congregation for a lengthy period of time; however, he has never agreed to have the instrument in any of their periods of Bible study/worship. Recently he attended another congregation in Montgomery and he wrote the following words to me and I quote him in part: “I had gone there after getting fed up with the service on Wednesday nights at Landmark.

They have used instrumental music in the worship assemblies for the previous two weeks (celebration room where the entire adult classes met) and I was determined I was not going to be a part of any repeated incidents.”
I emailed my friend and complimented him for his courage in making the decision not to participate in the assemblies where the instrument was being used. No doubt, he will be worshiping elsewhere.

Several weeks ago I was in correspondence with a young friend who is a member of the Landmark church and a member of the ‘church band’. I had written an article based on an article in the Montgomery Advertiser and I found out later that it was inaccurate and had made a correction of the article I had emailed to others. This brother had written to me about the article and their use of the instrument in their assemblies on week nights. I implore you to read very carefully the first two sentences in the following paragraph:

“Again, I understand that we disagree on the use of instrumental music but, speaking only for myself, I agree with you that the day of the week does not matter. Worshipping God in song on Friday is the same as on Sunday. I just don't understand the "mental gymnastics" required to prove that instrumental music is sinful. To me, instrumental music is something that is never addressed as a negative. It is often referenced as being used in Worship (OT and Revelation). It seems to me to be a completely benign issue. Paul addressed disputable matters in Rom. 14 and warned us not to judge those things. Why it is that we have decided that instrumental music is a test of faith?” (Emphasis mine, RE)

While I disagree with my brother in Christ, I do commend him for his being frank about his convictions in the use of the instrument in the worship assemblies. I believe also that he is correct in stating that there is no difference in using the instrument in the worship assemblies on a week night or on the first day of the week. There is the probability that this attitude can be found among many of the members of the Landmark congregation; and, in time (it may be the next generation) this attitude will permeate the majority of the membership and eventually the instrument will be used in the assemblies on the first day of the week.

Shepherds of the Lord’s flock are to carefully guard against all error and unscriptural practices. They should study very carefully this passage of scripture as found in Hebrews 13:17: “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Emphasis, mine, RE).

The unity that once existed among the congregations of the Lord in the Montgomery area no longer exists and it fills my heart with sadness. The innovations introduced by some of the churches and the spirit of ecumenism being taught and practiced by many brethren are contributing greatly to the division among God’s children.

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