November 21

1 CHRONICLES 16
“Still church” it is the advertising slogan for one of the churches here in Stillwater. Obviously, both a play on the name, ‘Stillwater,’ and an attempt to attract people who don’t like the change in church culture that has occurred over the decades. If I went there here is what I would expect to find: men dressed in suits, women wearing dresses or skirts; songs sung out of a hymn book, a sermon that is somewhat emotional, an invitation to be saved or to join the church at the end of the sermon, a full blown Sunday School before the service, a bus ministry that picks up kids throughout the community to bring them to church, a highly entertaining children’s church, definitely an offering, maybe even a baptism or two during the service. In short I would expect to be transported back in time to a highly nostalgic feel of an evangelical church in the late 60’s early 70’s. It would be, “Still church.” One of the main points though would be the style of music. Admittedly the church is growing in numbers. It is attracting a number of people.
There is just something about the glory of the Lord that produces music. I love this:

4 And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the LORD God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.

Wow, they had quite the band going there, stringed instruments, harps, cymbals, trumpets and their voices. I wonder what it sounded like. But the point is not the music. The point is that because of the greatness of the glory of God a fresh creation of music flowed out of His presence. It wasn’t about the music or its style; it was about His glory. When we experience His glory, how can our hearts keep from singing? How can our feet keep from dancing? How can we keep from using instruments to increase His praise? How can we keep falling on our faces silent before Him? How can we keep from crying out that we are undone? How can we keep from crying out in ecstasy of the sheer pleasure of Him? His glory is infinite and ever different yet never changing.
Look who was part of this uproar in praise—Obed-Edom (v. 5 & 38 see the entry for November 19). Obed-Edom just can’t get enough of God’s glory. He is even recruiting others to join him:

37 So he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister before the ark regularly, as every day’s work required; 38 and Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren, including Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be gatekeepers;

May his tribe ever increase! Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren! I don’t think it means biological brothers; although, in their culture it was a possibility. The glory of the Lord is just too contagious. Not only has Obed-Edom become a ‘glory junkie’, but he has infected 68 other men so much that they are called his ‘brethren.’ They just have to have a fresh experience of His glory. When the glory comes, it flows in praise and music!
I had my first encounter with the glory of Jesus as an 8-year-old (1963) at the First Baptist Church of Glencoe, OK. I have encountered His glory time and again since then. Some of the highlights since then have been at Falls Creek, and during involvement with Campus Crusade for Christ in college, and during hard times of trust in seminary and early ministry, and during somewhat successful times of ministry in Southport, and during extremely stressful times of ministry. During all these times of highs and lows, God has allowed Himself to be found in His glory, if I sought Him. Consequently, I can feel quite nostalgic when I hear hymns being sung well with exuberance. I am motivated by the ‘Jesus music’ of the 70’s. I can be drawn into an emotional calm or high when I hear the worship music of the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. Honestly, there are forms of modern Christian music that I do not think that I will ever connect with, but if it is just the music that moves me, then I have missed the glory. The music is our response to and flows out of the glory. It is not the glory itself. If I am dependent upon my encounter with Him to still be like it was in the 60’s, then I am on dangerous ground, for I am not dependent upon His glory. His glory is new and fresh, ever different but never changing, because that is who He is, infinite, omnipresent, omniscient, omnisapient, loving, just, merciful, gracious. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 141
How does being a person who is ‘safe to correct’ relate to the glory of the Lord? When I was a sophomore in college, I was involved in the central action group (CAG) of Campus Crusade for Christ. One of the things that the staff asked of us was that we each fill out a weekly ministry report and turn it in. On the report were various questions like, “The number of people with whom you shared the 4-Laws? . . . the Holy Spirit booklet? How many people came to your Bible Study/Action Group? What are you studying in that group? There were a few other questions but the one that always made me most uncomfortable was, “What are you reading in the Word in your Quiet Time?” One week during CAG, our campus director brought to our attention that many of us were not filling in the question as to what we were reading in the Word. He wanted to know why. My immediate response was, “Well that is a very personal thing between God and me.” Immediately one of the other staff members guffawed and said, “O come on! If we can’t share with one another on that level, then we really don’t have a discipling relationship at all!”
I was immediately angry and embarrassed, but I held my tongue. He went on to explain the importance of being open with each other about our relationship with the Lord. Later I began to think on it. He was right. If I cannot open up and share with those who are ‘righteous’, then it isn’t much of a relationship. If the truth were known, it wasn’t so much about my privacy as it was that I was really inconsistent in reading the word and did not want to admit it. Also, when I did read the Word, its words often seemed silent, and it became a check on my checklist of things to get done. I did not want to admit that to anyone else, especially those discipling me, lest I be seen as less spiritual. You know, for a while I really thought that the staff member who guffawed was arrogant, but eventually I came to see that it was a wound of love. The next year, he became the who was discipling me. The year after that, I met Laura. It was to him that I went for advice when I was seeking the Lord’s will about asking Laura to marry me. You know, he gave me a number of good questions to ask about our relationship that really helped me understand what the Lord wanted. He was trustable because he was righteous. A large part of my recognition that he was righteous was that I learned that he loved me. By that I mean that he genuinely wanted the best for me. For him to have held his tongue would not have been love. His correction was followed up with genuine interest in my life, in helping me grow in my relationship with him.
I have learned through this experience and a multitude of other experiences, how to determine whether a correction is from a person who is righteous and a person who is not. The unrighteous seek only to wound. The righteous seek to wound for the purpose of bringing healing. The righteous will continue to remain in the life of the one they wound in order to help them heal. The unrighteous wound and run, or wound and drive away the victim, or wound and kill the victim. As a possible victim, the Psalmist pleads with the Lord to protect him from the wounds of the unrighteous. He also pleads for the grace to receive the wounds of the righteous, “Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it.”
But how does that relate to the glory of the Lord? I do not think that I could possibly have the humility to allow someone else to correct me unless I knew that ultimately my life was in the hands of a great God who was shaping and directing my life through the wounds of others. I need the assurance that He is the sovereign God who is in control. When I have entered His courts to view His glory and allow my prayer to rise up before Him as incense, and when I have lifted up my hands before him in the evening sacrifice of praise, I am reminded of the greatness of His glory. I am reminded that I can trust Him in His sovereign directing of my life. You see, even in my being corrected, it is still all about His glory. The same is true for you. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 3
In this vision, Joshua the High Priest is standing before the Lord in filthy garments. Should it not have been unthinkable for a High Priest to do his mediatorial work in filthy garments? Such is the nature of sin that once we have wallowed in it awhile, we no longer are aware of its filthiness. And when we do become aware, we do not have the capability of removing it from us. But the glory of the Lord is such that He will not let His people remain in their sin. But He chooses to send forth His Branch, His Stone, for the purpose of removing the iniquity of the people. Both terms are ones used of the Lord Jesus Christ to describe Him. The Branch is also used in Zech 6:12; Isa 4:2; 11:1; Jer 23:5; 33:15. The Stone is also used in Gen 49:24; Ps 118:22; Isa 28:16; Mt 21:42; Acts 4:11; I Pet 2:6. Our Jesus is a life giving branch through Whom the sap of eternal life flows, quickening us from the dead! He gives us the life and ability to live righteous lives and enjoy life more abundantly! Our Jesus is the stone which the builders rejected upon whom we can be built as a living stone into His temple for His habitation. He is the firm foundation which brings stability and usefulness to our lives which will last for eternity and His glory.
It all begins on the day when He removes the iniquity of His people. Notice that He says that He will remove it in one day. He did! He removed it in one day at Calvary. And it is applied the day that I repent and believe!

Down at the cross where my Savior died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my sin was the blood applied;
Glory to His name!
Oh, precious fact, when my Savior died,
Not only sin's debt was satisfied;
Life's flowing fountain was opened wide!
Glory to His name!
--Elisha Hoffman

Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JAMES 3
Jesus is able to use His tongue rightly. That is part of His glory. The press used to love to jump on President Bush because of his misspeaks. They loved to denigrate and belittle him over the slip of the tongue. Some of their clamor was because Mr. Bush did slip with the tongue, but most of it was just political maneuvering of the press. The religious leaders for Jesus' day were the same way. They looked for ways to trip Him in His speech. Yet, they never found it.
The masses marveled at the way He taught. He taught as one having authority, not as the scribes. Once the leaders sent soldiers to arrest Him, having come back empty handed, the leaders asked, "Why didn't you arrest Him?" Their honest reply was, "No man ever spoke like He did." When He was before the leaders in His trials, He controlled the conversation. His tongue is as a sharp sword cutting in between fantasy and reality. His words are true and just. They promote holiness and love. They divide only when men and women cling to their self-righteousness. They condemn only when He is rejected. They bring a sword only when the holiness of God is called into question. They are pure. His words seek to gently bring peace by revealing holiness and sin and then offering mercy and grace. Those who have received that mercy from His lips seek first to extend it to others, because they have come to see the greatness of His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john