Bible Believers' Newsletter 860
"We focus on the present Truth – what Jesus is doing now. . ."
ISSN 1442-8660
Christian greetings in the precious Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Your brother-in-Christ
Our main article last week, "The Rock 'n Roll Church," has raised a question on sacred music and instrumentation leading to this week's main article, "Atmosphere – Worship to the Heartbeat of God." Separately we respond to several questions from another believer.
Among this week's news items are two important, lengthy articles. First is President Vladimir Putin's frank address to the final plenary meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club's XI session introduced by Dr. Paul Craig Roberts who was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy in the Reagan Administration. The meeting's theme was "The World Order: New Rules or a Game without Rules." Following this is an edited abridgment of Dmitri Orlov's "How to Start a War and Lose an Empire," presented with pictures, captions and comments by Lasha Darkmoon. You are encouraged to read the Full story in all of our news items and all links and Scriptures in our main articles in order that you may have a clear revelation established and proven by historical facts and current affairs correlated with Scripture that you know what Jesus is doing now and recognize your personal position in the Body and in relation to the chronology of prophetic events coming to pass in real time.
This Newsletter serves those of like precious faith. Whoever will receive the truth is welcome to feed their soul from the waters of the River of Life. Everything here presented should be confirmed personally in your own Bible.
Anthony Grigor-Scott
Vladimir Putin is the Leader of the Moral World
October 25, 2014 — In his introduction to President Putin's address Dr. Paul Craig Roberts who was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy in the Reagan Administration stated: "These are the remarks of a humanitarian political leader, the like of which the world has not seen in my lifetime. Compare Putin to the corrupt war criminal in the White House or to his puppets in office in Germany, UK, France, Japan, Canada, Australia, and you will see the difference between a criminal clique and a leader striving for a humane and livable world in which the interests of all peoples are respected.
"In a sane Western society, Putin's statements would have been reproduced in full and discussions organized with remarks from experts such as Stephen F. Cohen. Choruses of approval would have been heard on television and read in the print media. But, of course, nothing like this is possible in a country whose rulers claim that it is the "exceptional" and "indispensable" country with an extra-legal right to hegemony over the world. As far as Washington and its prostitute media, named "presstitutes" by the trends specialist Gerald Celente, are concerned, no country counts except Washington. "You are with us or against us," which means "you are our vassals or our enemies." This means that Washington has declared Russia, China, India, Brazil and other parts of South America, Iran, and South Africa to be enemies.
This is a big chunk of the world for a bankrupt country, hated by its vassal populations and many of its own subjects, that has not won a war since it defeated tiny Japan in 1945 by using nuclear weapons, the only use of such terrible weapons in world history.
As an American, try to image any known American politician, or for that matter any professor at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, or Stanford capable of giving an address to an educated discussion group of the quality of Putin's remarks. Try to find any American politician capable of responding precisely and directly to questions instead of employing evasion.
No one can read Putin's remarks without concluding that Putin is the leader of the world. In my opinion, Putin is such a towering figure that Washington has him marked for assassination . . . The immoral, wicked, and declining West is incapable of producing leadership of Putin's quality. Having defamed Putin, assassinating him will cause little comment in the Western media. . .
Full text of President Putin's address plus answers to questions: kremlin.ru
Russia Rising
October 24, 2014 — The entire thrust for world domination had the mark of international Jewry upon it, for it was through their control of America that the Jews sought to control the world.
Apart from a handful of Jewified non-Jews such as Cheney, Rumsfeld and Jeb Bush, the neoconservatives behind PNAC—the animating spirits, so to speak—were almost all Jews: Bernard Lewis, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Elliot Abrams, William Kristol, and the crypto-Jew Rupert Murdoch.
Right now we are at a dangerous cross-roads. If the wrong road is taken, we can expect Armageddon: a Jew-created catastrophe such as the world has never known.
In the chilling words of William Rivers Pitt: "There will be adverse side effects . . . The American economy will be ravaged by the need for increased defense spending, and by [its] constabulary duties in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Former allies will turn on us . . . As the eagle spreads its wings, our rhetoric and their resistance will become more agitated and dangerous. Many people, of course, will die. They will die from war and from want, from famine and disease. At home, the social fabric will be torn apart in ways that make the Reagan nightmares of crack addiction, homelessness and AIDS seem tame by comparison. This is the price to be paid for empire" (William Rivers Pitt, The Project for the New American Century).
Every century or so some nation forgets its history lessons and attacks Russia. The result is always the same: lots of corpse-studded snowdrifts, and then Russian cavalry galloping into Paris, or Russian tanks rolling into Berlin.
Who knows how it will end this time around? Perhaps it will involve polite, well-armed men in green uniforms without insignia patrolling the streets of Brussels and Washington, DC. (THUS SAITH THE LORD by His Prophet, William Branham. . . This time it will end with the United States DEFEATED and briefly occupied). . . Full story: darkmoon.me
Comment: The United States is a "rogue state." God's Prophet William Branham taught us that the United States and the once Christian world are morally defeated by Jewry. Recent issues of this Newsletter have explained how the banksters of their 'City of London' are preparing an alternative base of operations with the blind assistance of US and NATO, and the BRICS Development Bank as an alternative to the WB and IMF. Non-Semitic Khazar Jews of 'the City' boast they are 'Gog' as illustrated by the effigies Gog and Magog paraded through 'the City' either side of the Russian Bear. Daniel and Ezekiel prophesied Jewry's re-conquest of Khazaria (Ukraine) and Russia, "the king of the North"; Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "Once we squeeze all we can out of the United States, it can dry up and blow away".
"Wait till Russia is setting out here taking over the nations and things like that, and this country because of its backsliding and you'll see what was right and wrong. That's right. You'd see whether your lukewarm religion will pay off, or not" (The Invasion of the United States, p. 19:142).
"Wave after wave of ship loads of soldiers; wave after wave of airplanes would land in this nation. The women would be ravished in the streets. What would you do? It belongs to them. Kicked out of your home, they'll take it over."
"What'll happen to you young girls and you young men and all of you at that time? Sin has to be paid for. No matter what nation it is, or who it is, it does it, individually, or a nation, it's going to be paid for. And a bunch of brutal, ungodly, whisker-jawed, communistic soldiers would grab your wives and ravish them, your young girls. And you'd stand and like it; there's nothing you can do about it."
"What causes that? Because you have listened to such stuff as these television programs on rock-and-roll and sin, and some cold formal preacher not able to interpret the supernatural. The handwriting is on the wall. That's right. And we are weighed in the balance and found wanting" (Handwriting on the Wall, #14:7, p. 11:85-87).
Canada: Decoding Harper's Terror Game. Beneath the Masks and Diversions
October 28, 2014 — Stephen Harper is the most deeply reviled Prime Minister in Canada's history. On the world stage, he is the servant of Big Oil . . . He is the most despotic and toxic first minister in the life of our country . . . Harper also owes his political life to the RCMP. After a non-confidence vote triggered the 2006 election, RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli instructed his staff to include former Liberal finance minister Ralph Goodale's name in a news release announcing a criminal investigation. This reversed the stench of the Harper regime's continuous scandals and corruption onto the Liberals by a false RCMP smear. As a former top insider of the Tory party advised me, 'the RCMP won the election for Harper' [who (left) displays his allegiance] . . .
Harper certainly needs an accepted domestic enemy to save him from the rising revulsion of the thinking public against his rule. His regime's record of destroying the life substance of Canada piece by piece cannot be denied. One already knew what was coming when Harper immediately called the crazed run-over of soldiers in Quebec on October 20 'a terrorist act' about which he was 'deeply worried'. In fact, it was the act of a criminally insane loner run amok in a small Quebec town without any evident objective as required under the law's definition of terrorism. But with the foreknowledge of his addled Islam by the RCMP and CSIS, he seems to have been an ideal patsy for Harper's home 'terrorism' claim. He had already been arrested and his passport cancelled in June. We can imagine how an effective undercover agent might have whipped him into a Jihad frenzy knowing he would soon be full of holes and unable to report what happened.
One can more clearly see such a scenario in the case of the clinically insane, drug-addicted petty criminal living in a homeless shelter in Ottawa who had warned a judge in front of the police back in 2011: 'If you can't keep me in, I'm going to do something'. Who could have been a better tool for the events to come, on October 22 after the first? As a 'radicalized terrorist' attack, a double-barreled shotgun impossible to hide that no-one saw before ended up in the hands of Micheal Zebaf-Bibeau. The rest is history. He went on a killing spree with no known blood testing afterwards for the drugs he was evidently driven by in the video record of his frenzied and super-charged behaviour, just as there was no known test of the body of crazed drive-over killer, Martin Couture-Rouleau. How extraordinary. How unspoken in the lavish profusion of other details and official false connection to ISIS.
'Terrorist' stops the mind, and 'jihadist' locks it in. Harper's first invocation of the mind-stopper was, as always, strategic. Although blood tests for a substance-abuse driving offense are automatic, none was reported although the videos show every sign of chemical possession. Bibeau too went crazy and was dead with countless bullets through him before any questions could be asked. All such strange coincidences are part of the now familiar covert-state MO.
Since Harper publicly claimed an 'act of terrorism' two days before the sensational Ottawa murder and crashing of Parliament and as soon as the Quebec killing occurred, questions arise. The normally zipper-lip Harper did so long before any forensic facts were in, and before the idea even occurred to anyone else. Why? Revealingly the federal security state had been running war games exercises depicting just such attacks weeks before the crazed murders (Canadian Authorities Ran War Game Drills Depicting ISIS Attack Scenarios Brandon Martinez, Global Research, October 24, 2014). Lone-wolf nut cases, killings out of nowhere, unknown motivators and arming, and the state leader most profiting from mutation of the demented murders into 'terrorist acts' before anyone else—who joins the dots? . . . Full story: globalresearch.ca
Canadian Fear Campaign: 'Islamic Extremists' and the Dubious Role of Intelligence Agencies
October 24, 2014 — With the killing of a Canadian soldier in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, on October 20, and the shooting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on October 22, the Canadian authorities and the mainstream media have already decided. Without evidence, they are blaming 'Islamic extremism' for both incidents, even though we know practically nothing about the two men who acted alone . . . If the authorities went as far as confiscating their passports for fear they would commit terrorist attacks abroad, didn't they fear that they would commit attacks here?
. . . new research on who becomes a suicide terrorist showed that . . . nearly all emerged from communities resisting foreign military occupation . . . attacks are being used as a pretext for increased police state security measures and an integration of border security with the United States. The Ottawa shooter was actually identified by US sources even before the Canadian police had identified him. This raises serious questions on the extent to which the US and Canadian intelligence services are integrated . . . Knowing that most terrorist plots in the US are orchestrated by the FBI, as the extensive Mother Jones research showed, this integration between the two countries is far from reassuring . . . We should also remember that NATO has a history of false flag terrorism. Operation Gladio, NATO's secret army . . . The ultimate goal was to have people turn to the state for more security and reject communism. (See also Tony Cartalucci: Canadian Terror Wave: a Modern-Day Gladio). . .
In the past two days, in addition to calls for increased security measures, we are clearly seeing the glorification of the Canadian military, which has taken part in illegal bombings in the Middle East for many years in the name of democracy and other false humanitarian pretexts. Far from being a solution to terrorism, the Canadian Forces are part of the problem. The bombing of Libya, to cite the most recent example, helped fuel terrorism in the region.
And last but not least, why is it so easy for extremists to use Facebook and other social media to issue death threats and apparently radicalize young fragile minds when until recently Facebook 'moderators were told to ban images of breastfeeding if the nipples were exposed'? Full story: globalresearch.ca
Comment: Changing the criterion for the granting of citizenship is a dangerous and slippery slope the historic record has shown that the suspension of civil liberties has been used for ulterior motives.
As a final note, the same people inflating fears of terrorism in Canada have also supported it overseas. It should never be forgotten that Prime Minister Steven Harper and his cabinet supported the 'terrorists' they now claim to oppose. The Harper Government tacitly encouraged Canadians to fight in Libya and Syria for the sake of assisting Washington's foreign policy of regime change. Canada even armed the militants linked to Al-Qaeda in Libya with drones and weapons in 2011 and allowed private security firms (mercenaries) to assist them. This should not be overlooked when people question how such a state of affairs has arisen. Full story: globalresearch.ca
Comment: Foul-mouthed anonymous witness at Canada's parliament fears for his life.
Kill Kyoto Liabilities
October 27, 2014 — The Kyoto Protocol was dreamed up by the Climate Jet-set in Kyoto, Japan in 1997. One of the first decisions of born-again-green PM, Kevin Rudd, was to commit Australia to Kyoto Phase 1 in 2007. This treaty required signatories to reduce production of carbon dioxide to 5% below 1990 levels by 2012.
As a late joiner, Australia got a lower target, involving no actual cuts. And they achieved that easy target by robbing Australian landowners—they stole carbon credits from landowners by imposing tree clearing bans. That larcenous trick can't be pulled twice.
Ironically, the death notice for the Kyoto misadventure was posted by Japan, the birthplace of Kyoto, when they announced at Cancun in 2010 that Japan would not agree to any further targets. Japan was shocked at the billions in liabilities they had accumulated by not meeting Kyoto 1 target cuts. Undeterred by this warning, another ALP/Green government agreed to Kyoto 2 in 2012—5% below 2000 levels by 2020.
Mining and mineral processing, agriculture, manufacturing, transport, tourism, electricity generation, cement, forestry and fishing are the backbone industries of Australia. Not one of these industries could maintain production while significantly reducing their production of carbon dioxide, unless Australia embarks on a crash program of building new hydro and/or nuclear power stations. The chance that green regulators or politicians will allow either of these options any time soon is zero. Use of carbon fuels, more than any other indicator, measures the growth and health of modern economies. The only way to kill carbon is to kill the economy—close industries or send them overseas. The Global Financial Crisis probably did more to reduce the use of hydro-carbon fuels than Kyoto will ever do. Japan's exit from Kyoto obligations was soon followed by Canada and Russia. USA never signed, nor did China, India, South Africa or Brazil.
Full story: carbon-sense.com
Serbs turn out in Force to protest Gay Pride
October 2, 2014 — "In Serbia, the gay pride parade was held last Sunday, the first in the last four years . . . "What this unbridled debauchery tends to promote is the destruction or perversion of the Christian faith and, above all, Orthodoxy. To join Sodom and Jerusalem is impossible. Sodom has fallen in ancient times and now the revenge is being prepared—the assault of Jerusalem . . ."
"7000 police officers plus the army and armored vehicles with a helicopter were deployed to protect 200 gays from the Orthodox Serbian people," said Alexey Komov, representative of the Foundation of St. Basil the Great, the executive secretary of the Patriarchal Commission on the Family of the Russian Orthodox Church
Full story: pravoslavie.ru youtube.com
I have some Questions
1. According to Acts 2:38 we need to repent and baptize in Jesus' Name for the remission of our sin then we shall receive the Holy Ghost. So, should we follow that order? Because many times people receive the Holy Ghost first then baptize in Jesus' Name as when Peter addressed Cornelius.
I find most candidates for water baptism are born-again before they are baptized as on the Day of Pentecost "there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). From Romans 10:17 we learn that "faith comes by hearing and understanding the revealed Word of God." The command of Acts 2:38 contains a promise to those who believe and are obedient to God's unchanging Word so that if they press on from belief to understanding the Word for their day, which is faith, our gracious Lord will regenerate their soul and fill them with His Spirit, which is the new birth (John 1:12-13).
God's Word is His Spirit in a form we can receive by faith, so the "new creature" is delivered by a clear revelation of the "present Truth"—what Jesus is doing now (II Peter 1:12; I John 1:7), making your life "a written epistle" manifesting the Word prophesied for your day.
2. Can you give me the detail information about how the whole creation was created by God according to Genesis Chapter 1 and 2?
Please study "In the Beginning".
3. What is the correct way of fasting?
As far as possible situate yourself in a space where the things of the world will not distract you too any great degree. Brother Branham used to go into the woods where he could be alone with nature which is God-created as distinct from human infrastructure such as buildings, factories or machinery which are man-made, bear his mark and attract spirits—for instance the spiritual atmosphere of the cricket pitch or family activities, business, ringing telephones, television, radio, or other background distractions. However some may have to fast in their work-a-day world. Drink plenty of water, pray, sing to the Lord and meditate on His Word asking Him to speak to your heart and reveal some mystery you wish to understand or to settle a particular situation. Have pen and paper with you, and if possible, your Bible.
Fast, one, at most two or three days otherwise the Enemy will seek to oppress you. If you continue longer you may find yourself developing a mild headache and become enervated and impatient as your mortal spirit and body rebel. However, a fast in the flesh is a feast with the Lord; it will clear your head and help you concentrate your mind in study for revelation so you should not feel hungry. If you find yourself sleepy, weak, or craving food, then break your fast.
You fast for a purpose, either because you feel the Lord would have you fast, to discipline your body and mortal spirit, or for health and hygiene. There is no point in fasting for the sake of fasting. A fast should be for a definite purpose.
Atmosphere – Worship to the Heartbeat of God
Brother Branham said, "Put the right kind of a music on the piano, the organ, and everybody in the atmosphere that Jesus Christ is there and going to meet everything that they have need of, something will take place: atmosphere . . . the hardest thing to do is to get people in that atmosphere, the atmosphere of worship, the atmosphere of believing."
"And that's the reason sometimes a divine life that's been called and set aside has become a fanatic, or crazy, or a mystic, or something to the eyes of the general public is because you're considered, I'd say a neurotic, or a insane person, is because that you have changed your dwelling place and got into a different atmosphere. And your own motive, your one thought is to stay in that atmosphere. Any person that ever come into that atmosphere one time will never be satisfied nowhere else. And that's why I believe that we should have our churches under control by the Holy Ghost. That men and women in their work and wherever they should be, should continually desire, and they will, if they've ever once come into that atmosphere."
". . . many times defining our own ranks of Pentecost, that sometimes our atmosphere becomes an emotion instead of a worship. And that soon dies out, and the members become one thing and another. But if we could ever get a group of people together where was genuine Holy Spirit atmosphere, a sacredness and sincerity and worship, and men and women setting in there are God conscious, and know that the great omnipotence of God is present, ready to do all things without one shadow of doubt, it'll even have an effect upon the unbelievers that's setting in this evening. You can never come into that atmosphere without something happening" (The Supernatural, #56-0129).
We should take our seats in church fifteen to twenty minutes before service, pray, read our Bibles and compose ourselves in expectation that God will speak to us personally, answer our prayers and feed us Spiritual Food in due season. As Psalm 46:10 instructs: "Be still, and know that I am God".
Our individual and collective demeanour creates the atmosphere in the building, not our external presence only but our state of heart and mind. An atmosphere of holiness should pervade services; if we empty our minds of worldly concerns and focus our thoughts and expectations upon Him we will be sensitive to the Spirit. God wants to commune with souls and we must lay aside the five senses of our mortal spirit in order to clear the line of communication, as Brother Branham often said, "My gift is to be able to get myself out of the way."
Soul is what we are: you are your soul and I am my soul. Our sin-born body will perish, our mortal spirit will be no more—replaced by theophany, but our soul continues. Once our soul is born-again it must begin to fulfill God's commission and "take dominion over the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 2:28), commencing with that lump of clay called "body" that is the house in which we live. This is achieved by sanctifying the five senses of our mortal spirit under preeminence to God's unchanging Word then taking charge over our own body so that its actions conform to that standard.
Our mortal spirit is given by God but it is not "of" God. It is the power that energizes, activates and directs the members of our body as the Holy Spirit motivates and directs the members of His Body. It operates the filing system called "mind," defining motive and objective to discipline memory, conscience, imagination, reasoning and affection in order of holiness. Once our redeemed soul in union with Christ is effectually ruling our spirit we command it to discipline the body bringing its five senses subject so that its actions "manifestly declare us to be a letter of Christ, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not on tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of human hearts" (II Corinthians 3:3).
Speaking of atmosphere the Prophet said, "You've got to create an atmosphere, and your faith will do it. They were all in the upper room with one accord, when suddenly there came from heaven as a sound of a rushing mighty wind; the atmosphere was right. It takes a atmosphere to do anything" (Divine Love, #57-0305).
Let the people bathe in that atmosphere of reverence in the sweetness of the Spirit.
Have you ever seen people that you just love to be around? It's the atmosphere they create around them. Others are nice people that you just can't stand to be around. They create that by the way they live and the way they think. It's a little atmosphere you live in.
Abraham turned God and his two messengers aside and said, "Come in and set down. Set under the oak a little while and let me fetch a little water and wash your feet, and I'll give you a morsel of bread. And just rest a little bit, then you may go on your way." Oh, when he set Him down there, though they didn't look any different from any other men, because they were dressed, dust on their clothes and come from some other country, probably their feet dusty and their clothes ragged, but Abraham knew inside there, there was something real. The Spirit declared it. Why? He kept hisself in a spiritual atmosphere all the time, that he could recognize right from wrong, all the time."
"That's the way the Christian ought to do today, is keep yourself prayed up, under a spiritual atmosphere. Always—never seeing the bad side, looking to the good side. You are children of God, expecting His blessings" (Is Anything too hard for the Lord, #60-0328).
It is a blessing to read these early quotes made years before the opening of the Seven Seals because they fulfill the prophetic dream Brother Branham shared with us in his 1962 sermon, "The Greatest Battle ever Fought." In his dream two of the brethren wanted him to go to Switzerland in a little white canoe . . . And the boatman come back; he said, "Tell you what you do." Said, "They love you; they believe you," but said, "if you try to cross in the power boat, they'll try to follow you in that canoe; they'll both die." See? Said, "They can't follow you."
And I said, "Well, what must I do?"
And this boatman at the dock, he said, "You go back up there." Said, "There's only one little storehouse in all this country, one little storehouse. And just lay in plenty of supplies," said, "and they'll stay here. They'll stay here, while you're gone," but said, "you'll have to lay in supplies."
And I was just ordering all kinds of cabbages, and turnips, and radishes, and things, piling them in there like that; and I woke up. I didn't know what it was, but I do now. See? We're laying in the supplies, brethren. This is a life that you have to walk alone".
The "one little storehouse" was Branham Tabernacle, and it was pre-Seals Spiritual Food that the Prophet was storing up for this hour in which "The Lord God has sent a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the Words of the Lord" (Amos 8:11).
Brother Branham recounted another experience to illustrate the Supernatural influence of attitude creating atmosphere. "One day I was mowing my yard with the lawn mower. And I was trying to lawn mow the front, and I would make a few rounds and somebody'd come in to be prayed for. I'd have to run, change clothes and pray for them. Well, the front was growing up before I could get to the back. And it was on a hot summer afternoon. Gene, Leo, and them, the boys here been to the place. I took off my shirt. No one could see me back there in the back. And I was running this power mower. And I'd forgot that right down at the end of the fence was a big nest of these hornets hanging there."
"And I was running this mower real fast to get it cut real quick, and I never noticed them. And I (not home too much) and I slammed right into those hornets. Was aiming to burn them, get them out of there. And I hit that hornets' nest now with no shirt on, and just in a moment, the whole around me was covered with hornets. Anyone knows that one sting can kill you."
"Last summer a man was stung on the lip by a honey bee that broke up some kind of a blood affair, died before the doctor could get there. A hornet will knock you flat on the ground when he stings you. And here a whole hive of them over me. But now instead of being afraid . . . I don't know what you going to think of me after this. It doesn't matter, 'cause I'm telling the truth. You'll have to answer with God about what you think about it."
"Them hornets all around me, and instead of wanting to fight at them, something happened. I wasn't afraid of them. I loved them. I thought, "Little creatures of God, stinging is the only way you got to protect yourself. That's your God given weapon. And I disturbed you out of your house." I said, "Now, I've got to pray for God's sick children. I'm the servant of the Lord. Now, in the Name of our Creator, Jesus Christ, go back into your nest. I'll not bother you no more."
"And when I meet you at the judgment bar . . . Them hornets whirled around me, and took circle, and made a beeline, and every one of them went right back into their nest. Why? The atmosphere had been changed."
You said, "Brother Branham, that sounds silly." That's the reason you don't know the Bible. Did not the lions come after Daniel and could not touch him? The atmosphere was changed. Could the fire burn Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? The atmosphere was changed. And the God of Daniel still lives tonight. He's the same God" (Love, #57-0519E).
If you are "an epistle written in the hearts of Christ's apostles, known and read of all men: manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by His apostolic saints," your presence will evoke the love of Christ and the Token of His Life on display will create the welcoming atmosphere of His divine Presence. "Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag, and is not arrogant, does not behave itself unseemly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices with truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Brotherly love never fails" (II Corinthians 3:1-2; I Corinthians 13:4-8). Atmosphere.
In response to last week's Newsletter a pastor enquired, "Is drumming OK in the Church? I mean drum set".
In 2012 another Brother enquired, "Just want to know whether the native drums can be used in worship (that is during praises and worship).
At that time I replied, "I should think this depends on how they are played, whether they are catering to worldly beats and rhythms and sensations, or leading one into an atmosphere of reverent worship. I am sure many of the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches use them, and most probably in the wrong way. I have seen videos of some of the 'miracle'-working Nigerian ministers and how excited the people become as if they were at a dance or rock 'n roll concert, but I am sure the Holy Spirit will guide you, and redirect you into music pleasing to Him and a blessing from Him to the Brethren.
Upon reading the Bible is appears that the apostolic saints avoided using instruments of any sort and there is no mention of dance in the New Testament Church. In this present day the music of the world is a constant intrusion into our lives—in the car, in the office, in stores, elevators, restaurants, on radio and television. God's House should certainly not be more of the same but a place of meditation and listening for His "still, small voice" to whisper His secrets to us personally. There the music ought to be distinctly His; meaningful doctrinally sound great hymns of the church fit that criterion and celebrate the triumphs of faith over many centuries as they rejoice in God's grace to us in the Message and ministry of God's Prophet.
We must avoid turning spiritual ministry through the sacred words of a hymn into a more sensual experience through the rhythm of the music. Our aim after all is to glorify the Lord and edify the souls of our fellow worshippers, not to excite their bodies and mortal spirits. The exhilaration of our singing should arise primarily from an appreciation of the revelation conveyed in the words and the atmosphere of His divine Presence.
Pastor Don Elmore wrote last week, "Music in which the melody is emphasized, not the rhythm, is the preferred kind of music." Music that emphasizes rhythm and a continuous back beat bears little relation to the words of the hymn and does not enhance its Message, and the wonderful experience of the harmonious singing of God's praises, in which we are able to appreciate the contribution of all is overwhelmed and lost.
My good Catholic friend Lou who gave us invaluable help in the preparation of our PowerPoint presentation,
"The Second Coming of Christ" is a drummer himself and although he admits, "my experience of playing music in Church has been mainly on guitar." He adds, "Unfortunately a lot of drummers play way too loud . . . which tends to be distracting in a worship setting. The only advice I can give to a drummer playing in church is to play quietly and respectfully with control. And practice, practice, practice".
We need to leave worldly experiences behind us and enter into the Spirit of the Lord. Music conducive to creating the appropriate atmosphere may set your toes a-tapping and your body a-swaying with hymns of rejoicing, but it is primarily the revelation of the Words rather the music that should move your soul and lead your mortal spirit. We can sing praises to the glory of God with or without instruments.
Under the Old Testament the timbrel, tabret or (Heb.) tof (from 'tophet' meaning to smite) were hand drums on a one to two foot frame played by women as when Moses' sister Miriam worshipped after God had delivered the children of Israel through the Red Sea (Genesis 31:27; Exodus 15:20). Dancing by men and women together was unknown as the oriental seclusion of women from men would alone have suffices to make it seem indecorous. In the joyous feast of Tabernacles the women danced separately in an apartment above, the men below. Here is the trailer for the new Israeli moving picture version of the song "Miriam's Drum." The last frame states, "The full version is for women only . . . email for private link koltziona@gmail.com," so hop to it sisters (pun intended).
I also spoke with Brother John who was a professional drummer when I baptized him in the '80s. He explained, "Music is an expression of frequencies within a set rhythmic pattern.
Most commercial music, be it Christian or whatever, is written in what is called 4/4, or common time. This means the music melody has four beats to the bar, and the music must stay within this time. Take for example the hymn, "There is Power in the Blood"; as you sing it to yourself you find the first and third beats are accented. With music in 4/4 time, there are four beats to the bar, which are counted, 1,2,3,4, 1,2,3,4.
On the other hand we find the hymn "Amazing Grace" is written in 3/4, which is waltz time. The rhythmic accent is on the first beat of the bar, followed by two more notes to produce a pattern. This is counted by the musicians, 1,2,3, 1,2,3.
In commercial music, be it slow or fast, the accent is provided by the drummer, on the second and fourth beat, which gives the music momentum. That is called, 'SWING', which, like marching music, encourages the listener and musician to tap their toes, and move in time with the rhythm. This is accentuated in Rock music, with a heavy DOWN beat on the second and fourth beat of the bar.
Drums do not have to be played in such a way, with such accent on these two beats, and, if played correctly, will fit with any form of music. The upbeat is called the 1; 2 is the downbeat, three is up, four is down. If a drummer plays softly, avoids accenting the 2 and 4 beats, they can positively contribute to Christian music, without developing that HEAVY, ROCK-oriented pattern.
As with drums so it is with bass. If the bass is played melodically, not overpoweringly, it can be a viable contribution to any fellowship's music program. It is all about delicacy, melodic harmony, as ALL music, fast or slow, in whatever time signature, must maintain a rhythmic foundation or it is not music.
I am really very pleased that Pastor Timothy and Brother Sam have written on this important subject. Following my visit to your country it was my intention to address this subject but was precluded by the pressure of work and time overtook the occasion.
Christian worship is living as a written epistle of the Word for their hour displaying the Token of the Life of Christ offering the sacrifice of praise to God continually, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his Name. God is depending on you and me to project His love to the sinner. As Sons and Daughters of God you are co-creators under preeminence "making increase of the Body unto the edifying of itself in love" by the atmosphere you generate. nl860.htm
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Brother Grigor-Scott is a
non-denominational minister who has ministered full-time since 1981, primarily
to other ministers and their congregations overseas. He pastors Bible Believers' tiny congregation, and is available to teach in your church.
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