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Pop-Idiom Music
In Worship and Evangelism
by Dr Peter Masters
Dr Peter Masters is minister of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London,
England (C.H. Spurgeon's church) and has kindly granted us permission
to reproduce "Pop-Idiom Music" here. If you have any questions
or queries about this article, please feel free to write to Dr Masters
at the address given below, or
contact us at Freedom Ministries.
Section 8
When Good Things Become Wrong
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Some friends protest - 'Surely
there is nothing wrong with a nice melody,
a few instruments and a strong
rhythm?'
But according to God's Word there
is everything wrong if it is a deliberate
imitation of the idiom of a godless
world.
1 Corinthians 10. 6 states: Now these
things were our examples, to the
intent we should not lust after evil
things, as they also lusted. This verse
refers particularly to the offence of the
children of Israel which is described in
Numbers 11. 4 as the marginal reference
in any Bible shows.
What exactly did the offending
Israelites lust after? Sensual sins?
Fornication? Alcohol? Surprisingly, it
was none of these sins, for Numbers 11
records that they lusted after fish,
cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and
garlics. Would anyone suggest that
such foods were morally evil? Personal
tastes aside, all could acknowledge that
these. are good and wholesome foods,
yet it was because the Israelites lusted
after these things that the judgement
of God came down upon them.
The sinful element in desiring these
foods was that the people wanted the
lifestyle of Egypt, and they complained
that the manna of God was not enough for them.
The insult to God is
all too easy to see. There was nothing
wrong with fish or melons, but they
were proclaiming that these foods
were necessary to make the manna
bearable!
It is when Christian people are not
satisfied with the wonderful, liberated
nature of spiritual worship together
with the inexpressible riches of the
Word, that they offend their God. It is
when they want to put musical garlic,
melons and cucumbers with God's provisions,
and they feel that they need
flavouring with the entertainments of
this world, that they commit a great
sin, and God is grieved.
There is no greater offence to the
Saviour as when His own people disdain
the blessings which He has
bought with His own blood and regard
them as unappetising unless augmented
by the things of this sin-sick
society. That is the offence we commit
when we dress up holy things in the
worst idiom of the fallen, godless culture
around us.
In 1 Corinthians 10 we are listening
to the Spirit of the living God denouncing
the use of worldly things to improve upon the
things of the Saviour. Once the manna was mixed
with the food of Egypt the Lord was angry
with His people, as Numbers 11 states.
This is not just an isolated Old
Testament incident; it is an example
for us. Even as the people of God
begin to relish fleshly, worldly things,
God will be angry with them. If a local
church turns its House of Prayer and
Gospel Proclamation into a place of
pop-entertainment, the Lord will be
offended and His discipline will not be
far away.
It is profitable to ask the question -
who started the lusting which occurred
among the children of Israel? Scripture
provides the answer - it was the
'mixed multitude' that started the
problem. There were many Egyptians
in the camp people who did not really
belong and who were more Egyptian
than they were Israelite in their tastes
and fashions.
Surely we are meant to learn that
the trouble is the same today. Who
started this inclination on the part of
evangelicals toward the worldly idiom?
Who started the rot; the massive
importing of carnal Christianity? It
was undoubtedly the mixed multitude,
that is, the 'wood, hay and stubble' in
our churches. It was so-called 'converts'
who made easy professions of
faith and gave no real evidence of
being truly spiritual people; they were
the ones who gave the greatest encouragement
to pop-idiom music. But many
truly converted people, who should
have known better took up their cry.
These articles remain
© Copyright Dr Peter Masters 1983
The Metropolitan Tabernacle
Elephant and Castle
London SE1 6SD
England, UK
who should be consulted before any further copying, storing or distribution, either
in whole or in part is made by any means.
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