Menu

You May Have the Joy Bells

Words: J. Edwin [or Edward] Ruark (b. _____, 1849; d. _____, 1914)
Music: William James Kirkpatrick (b. Feb. 27, 1838; d. Sept. 20, 1921)

Note: This song was published in 1899. We know nothing more about the author of the text. Likely this is simply one of many offerings passed on to William Kirkpatrick to see if he’d be willing to write a tune to fit. He may or may not have been personally acquainted with Mr. Ruark.

(1) You may have the joy-bells ringing in your heart,
And a peace that from you never will depart;
Walk the straight and narrow way,
Live for Jesus ev’ry day,
He will keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

Joy-bells ringing in your heart,
Joy-bells ringing in your heart;
Take the Saviour here below
With you ev’rywhere you go;
He will keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This is a song about living a victorious and joyful Christian life. The author says we should live righteously (“walk the straight and narrow way”), and live for Jesus (1). We should show the love of Jesus to others, speak kindly and do deeds of mercy (2). God is with us in times of trial, and He will give sufficient grace to deal with life’s challenges (3). Be a good representative of Christ, and own Him as Lord of your life. A good testimony (a pure and clean life) can be the means of drawing others to the Saviour (4).

(2) Love of Jesus in its fullness you may know;
And this love to those around you sweetly show;
Words of kindness always say;
Deeds of mercy do each day,
Then He’ll keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

Though this is not a complete picture, it highlights some things well deserving of our attention. Living this way will bring the joy of the Lord to our hearts. The wellspring from which true joy flows is a conscious awareness of fellowship with God, and of the presence and power of God in one’s life. Once experienced, any diminishing of that closeness brings pain and sorrow. Knowing the Lord will be central to the believer’s joy. Consider what the Bible says.

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isa. 61:10). “[You are] kept by the power of God through faith for salvation….In this you greatly rejoice.” That salvation is found in “Christ, whom having not seen you love….[and in whom] believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (I Pet. 1:5-8). “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him” (Ps. 28:7).

Appropriately, the birth of Christ brought the shepherds, “tidings of great joy” (Lk. 2:10). And as the wise men came from the East, seeking the newborn King, “they saw the star, [and] they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (Matt. 2:10). Later, when the crucified Saviour rose from the dead, His followers “ran quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy” (Matt. 28:8). There was a similar response to the good news of salvation in Christ. When Philip preached in Samaria, “there was great joy in the city” (Acts 8:5, 8).

Even facing opposition, the early Christians were found “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). That is in keeping with the teaching of the Lord Jesus: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matt. 5:11-12). This is where it becomes evident that spiritual joy is not merely a response to pleasurable events. In spite of suffering, believers in every age have been able to rejoice in service for Christ.

(3) You will meet with trials as you journey home;
Grace sufficient He will give to overcome;
Though unseen by mortal eye,
He is with you ever nigh,
And He’ll keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

(4) Let your life speak well of Jesus ev’ry day;
Own His right to ev’ry service you can pay;
Sinners you can help to win
If your life is pure and clean,
And you keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

Questions:

  1. What is the opposite of Christian joy, and what is its cause?
  2. Of the things that Ruark mentions as bringing joy, what is (or are) the most important?

Links:

Complete in Thee

Words: Aaron Robarts Wolfe (b. Sept. 6, 1821; d. Oct. 6, 1902)
Music: Hesperus (or Quebec), by Henry Baker (b. June 6, 1835; d. Feb. 1, 1910)

Note: The Cyber Hymnal suggests three fine tunes for this hymn. Hesperus is also used with Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts. The tune Duke Street is commonly used with Jesus Shall Reign, and Hamburg is used with When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Also check out the Cyber Hymnal note on Aaron Wolfe for a life-changing incident in his life.

Seventy years after the hymn text was written, James M. Gray, added a refrain that is rich in doctrinal detail. Dr. Gray was president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, at the time. A music teacher in the school, Talmadge J. Bittikofer, wrote a tune that included the refrain. The song in this format was published in the excellent Worship and Service Hymnal (1957).

I have included a discussion of James Gray’s refrain in this article, though it does not appear in the Cyber Hymnal. Bittikofer’s tune, however, does appear in the Cyber Hymnal with another hymn, called We Worship Thee.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This hymn was inspired by these verses from Colossians:

In Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Colossians 2:9-10

“In Him,” or “in Christ” is Paul’s familiar way of describing positional truth. That is, when we are saved, we are placed into Christ, in a legal or positional sense. When God looks at us, He sees His dear Son, because we have been, in effect, clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).

The balancing truth, which we won’t go into here, is our condition in daily experience. While our position is constant, depending as it does on a work of God and the Person of Christ, our experience is different. We are only able to grow spiritually and consistently live to please God as we walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25).

It would be impossible, in a short article, to treat all of the texts that use the phrases “in Christ,” or “in Him,” in the way described, but here are a few of them.

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). “Of Him [God the Father] you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God–and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (I Cor. 1:30).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new…. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:17, 21).

“Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ….In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:3, 7).

“We, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Rom. 12:5). “To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints [or simply “called saints”–God’s set-apart ones]” (I Cor. 1:2). “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).

What a wealth of blessings! All ours because of our position in Christ. We are justified (pronounced righteous by a holy God) because of Christ’s righteousness being credited to us. We are sanctified positionally, set apart for God forever. Further, we are united to the body of Christ and become one with other believers, in Christ. And what is begun in Christ for us as individuals is guaranteed to be brought to completion in future glory (Rom. 8:29-30; Phil. 1:6).

(1) Complete in Thee! No work of mine
May take, dear Lord, the place of Thine;
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And I am now complete in Thee.

Yea, justified! O blessed thought!
And sanctified! Salvation wrought!
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And glorified, I too shall be!

(4) Dear Saviour, when before Thy bar
All tribes and tongues assembled are,
Among Thy chosen will I be,
At Thy right hand, complete in Thee.

Questions:

  1. What to you is the greatest blessing of being viewed by God as “in Christ”?
  2. Do you believe this is a truth that needs greater emphasis in our churches?

Links:

Blessed Calvary

Words: Avis Marguerite Burgeson Christiansen (b. Oct. 11, 1895; d. Jan. 14, 1985)
Music: Lance Brenton Latham (b. March 21, 1894; d. Jan. 15, 1985)

Note: This gospel song was written in 1921. It combines the gifts of two outstanding servants of God, Avis Christiansen and Lance Latham. There are good biographical notes for each on the Cyber Hymnal, and the Wordwise link has cross-links to even more information.

The two lived near each other, in the Chicago area, and their lifespans are almost identical. (They died only a day apart.) Mrs. Christiansen’s output of gospel songs is significant. She began writing them around 1916 and continued doing so for over sixty years. Lance Latham’s ministry as a pastor and youth leader, as well as a musician, is well documented in the book, Lance: A Testament of Grace, by Dave Breeze (published by the Awana Youth Association, 1978).

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Today, we are unable to look at the physical site of Jesus’ crucifixion. Possible locations for Calvary (also called Golgotha) have been proposed, but so far not with any certainty. We know it was outside the walls of Jerusalem (Heb. 13:12), but in various reconstructions since, those walls have moved. Tour groups are taken to a possible spot, but that is all.

And, of course, we are unable to view the fearful events taking place there nearly two millennia ago, in AD 30. Even the Scriptures don’t help us much, if we’re looking for a graphic picture of what happened. Crucifixion was an all too familiar horror. The writers of the New Testament did not need to go into detail. We are simply told:

When they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

Lk. 23:33

Details such as Christ’s burning thirst, the soldiers gambling over His clothing, and His occasional spoken words, these are given mainly to show the complete fulfilment of prophecy in His death, and to underline the nature of that death.

On the latter point, it is stressed that the Lord was not killed by the Romans, but rather surrendered up His life willingly to God the Father. He told His disciples, “I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (Jn. 10:17-18). Thus, of Calvary, we read:

When Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.

Lk. 23:46

The focus of the Bible is not on a grisly elaboration of what happened, but rather on the reason for Christ’s death, and what it means to us today. That is also the focus of this gospel song.

(1) I look at the cross upon Calvary,
And oh, what a wonder divine,
To think of the wealth it holds for me—
The riches of heaven are mine.

Blessèd Calvary! Precious Calvary!
’Neath thy shadow I’ll ever abide.
Blessèd Calvary! Precious Calvary!
’Twas there Jesus suffered and died.

In and through Christ, “the riches of heaven are mine” (1). “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32; cf. II Cor. 8:8; Phil. 4:19; Eph. 1:3). We are able to enjoy many of these blessings now, but many more are reserved for our enjoyment in heaven (I Pet. 1:3-4).

God’s saving work was motivated by His deep love for us ((2); Jn. 3:16), and it was all of grace, His undeserved, unmerited favour (Eph. 2:8-9). “No merit have I of my own” (3). Instead, “the shed blood of Christ [is] my only plea” ((3); Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:18-19). “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified [declared righteous] freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-24).

The song reminds us that we have, in Christ, present victory. There is “blessed victory, and grace for each step of the way” (2). Here, the author is thinking of the other aspect of grace. It is undeserved favour, and also divine enablement. It’s what the writer of Hebrews speaks of when he says we are able to before God’s throne “that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

Finally “The cross is my hope for eternity” as well (3). The “It is finished” of the Lord Jesus (Jn. 19:30) assures us that our debt of sin has been paid. Christians will not be faced with any unpaid bills, when we stand before God.

(2) I find at the cross blessèd victory,
And grace for each step of my way.
The fount of God’s love is flowing free,
And sweeter it grows day by day.

(3) The cross is my hope for eternity,
No merit have I of my own;
The shed blood of Christ my only plea–
My trust is in Jesus alone.

Questions:

  1. Do you ever wear a cross, perhaps on a necklace or pin? (Why? Or why not?)
  2. What other hymns about the cross are special favourites of you or your church?

Links:

Rejoice, the Lord Is King

Words: Charles Wesley (b. Dec. 18, 1707; d. March 29, 1788)
Music: Darwall, by John Darwall (b. Jan. 13, 1731; d. Dec. 18, 1789)

Note: Published two years before simply as a poem, the hymn we know was published in Hymns for Our Lord’s Resurrection, in 1746. Most hymnals use (1), (2), (3) and (6) of Wesley’s original. None that I know of have us singing about our bosoms swelling with seraphic joy (5)! And for simplicity’s sake Wesley’s ending for the last stanza (“We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice; / The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!”) is dropped by most editors, and the ending common to the other stanzas is used.

Though, in my experience, the tune Darwall is used for this hymn, the tune Gopsal by the great composer George Frederic Handel (1685-1759) is common in Britain. The latter name may look like a corruption of the word “gospel,” but it’s not. Gopsal Hall was the home of Charles Jennings, who arranged the texts for Handel’s superb oratorio, Messiah. Handel apparently named the tune in honour of his friend.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This fine hymn contains a multitude of scriptural allusions, and also seems to reference the part of the Apostles’ Creed that states of Christ:

“He ascended into heaven, and sittest at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”

Most prominent of the biblical references in the song is Philippians 4:4, with the call to “rejoice [be glad],” a summons with which each stanza begins and ends. It’s a word Wesley uses fifteen times. And some form of the word “rejoice” is found over 260 times in our English Bibles. Those who are the recipients of God’s grace, who have been brought into fellowship with Him, and who look forward to Christ’s coming reign as King of kings and Lord of lords, have much to rejoice about! “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4).

The first stanza of the hymn calls upon us to rejoice that the Lord is King. He was born to be King, and rules now in the hearts of those who own Him as Lord, yet awaiting the full realization of His messianic kingship at His return.

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isa. 9:6-7; cf. Lk. 1:31-33

(1) Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice, give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

(2) reminds us that “when He [Christ] had purged our stains, He took His seat above.” The Lord Jesus is seated on His Father’s throne (Rev. 3:21), at His right hand (Heb. 1:3). His ascension to that place of honour and authority assures us that His saving work is complete and is fully accepted by God the Father. It is also in that place that Christ ministers as Head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23).

(3), “His kingdom cannot fail.” If a prominent theme of Wesley’s hymn is rejoicing, it is also about the Lord’s coming rule over the earth at His return. John Lawson, in his fine book The Wesley Hymns, says that “this message of divine hope is the gospel of the Kingdom,” and he lists over sixty texts that relate directly to what the hymn says, line by line (pp. 72-73). For example:

“Behold, a king will reign in righteousness” (Isa. 32:1). “Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah [Think of that!]” (Ps. 24:10). “He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law” (Isa. 42:4). “And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be–‘The LORD is one,’ and His name one” (Zech. 14:9).

(3) His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

As noted, there is a sense in which Christ rules now. He rules in every heart that recognizes Him as Lord (Rom. 10:9, NIV), and He has been declared the Head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23). But in the closing age of this world’s history, the Agent of God’s rule on earth will be the Messiah, at His second coming, made clear in many passages.

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen” (Rev. 1:7). “For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (I Cor. 15:25-26).

(6) Rejoice in glorious hope! Our Lord the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Questions:

  1. What is there in the message of this hymn that should be reassuring and encouraging today, giving the conditions in the world?
  2. How should the reign of Christ be reflected in our lives day by day?

Links:

Pentecostal Power

Words: Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (b. Aug. 18, 1856; d. Sept. 15, 1932)
Music: Charles Hutchinson Gabriel

Note: This hymn was first published in 1912. Some books credit the authorship of the words to Charlotte G. Homer, but this was simply a pen name for Gabriel.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

I debated with myself about whether to include this hymn on the blog. My goal is to provide articles on the traditional hymns and gospel songs found in the main non-denominational hymn books over the last sixty years or so. This one is certainly found in a few of them. But the title itself is so sectarian-sounding, it seemed outside the range of what I wanted to discuss.

It would be one thing if it were merely saying that the church needs an ongoing ministry of the same Holy Spirit who did a special work on the Day of Pentecost. Needs it in order that we today may be able to live for Christ and serve Him. But the word Pentecostal is more clearly associated with Pentecostalism than with Pentecost. And a number of specifically Pentecostal doctrines can be identified in the song–teaching with which I disagree, and which I don’t believe is biblical.

Pentecost (Acts 2) was a historical event, not to be repeated. It marked the birthday of the church. And the apostolic era that followed involved a transition between Law and Grace, between Judaism and Christianity. This means that the nature of the period was unique in a number of ways.

1) A cleansing, purifying flame. First, a debatable point regarding the “tongues as of fire” that came to rest on each one present in the upper room at Pentecost (Acts 2:2). They were symbolic of something, but what? Charles Gabriel says they were for “cleansing and purifying” (1). That certainly is one purpose of fire that has its use in spiritual imagery. Paul speaks of a burning away of the dross of our works at the judgment seat of Christ (I Cor. 3:11-15), but that is in the Christian’s future.

There is another intriguing possibility that fits the situation in Acts. In the Old Testament, the Israelites had one central place where God revealed Himself. As a manifestation of His presence, the glory light of God (called the shekinah) shone forth from the holy of holies, first in the portable tabernacle, and later in the temple in Jerusalem (Exod. 40:34; II Chron. 7:1). But with the birth of the church there was no longer one single central place where the Lord revealed His presence and power. Now, we are each called temples of the Holy Spirit and the glory of God is to be revealed in our conduct (I Cor. 6:19-20).

Further, the cleansing of the believer occurs not with the Holy Spirit descending upon us, since He is already indwelling each and every believer. Cleansing comes with our confession of sin (I Jn. 1:9), whenever that becomes necessary.

2) Take possession of Thine own. The hymn invites the Spirit of God to “take possession of Thine own, and nevermore depart” (2). Again I part company with the author. The Word of God tells us, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9). Or as the Amplified Bible puts it: “If anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God].”

The indwelling Holy Spirit is God’s seal of ownership upon us, the guarantee that He will complete in us what has been begun (Eph. 1:13-14). If we are Christians, we are already “His inheritance” (vs. 18). That is surely “possession” enough!

3) All self consume all sin destroy. The prayer to consume self and destroy all sin (3) represents the holiness teaching of perfectionism that I have dealt with before in this blog. The idea is that we can ask God for a second experience after salvation, in which the sin nature is eradicated and we are empowered to live sinless lives. I once met a man who boasted that he had not committed a single sin in seventeen years. My immediate thought was, “I think you just did!”

When we’re saved God implants a new nature within us, born of the Spirit. But He does not eradicate the old nature. That won’t happen until we’re promoted to heaven. Meantime, we are to daily walk in the Spirit (trusting in and yielded to Him). When we do that, we will be able to live in victory over the old nature (Gal. 5:16, 25). When we stumble, we are to confess our sins and take up our spiritual walk again (I Jn. 1:9).

4) Before Thy throne we wait. In the context of Pentecostal doctrine, this waiting likely represents their practice of “tarrying.” Those who teach it say believers must tarry or wait for the second blessing, the gift of the Holy Spirit (sometimes called the baptism of the Spirit)–which they will know they’ve received by gaining the miraculous ability to speak in another tongue.

This teaching represents a triple error of Pentecostalism. First, waiting for the Holy Spirit’s special work is mentioned in Luke 24:49, but that is a unique, historical, one-time situation. There was a ten-day period between the ascension of Christ, and the birth of the church at Pentecost. The Lord Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for that. But He was not saying that all Christians, for all time, would be required to do this in order to get the Holy Spirit.

Second, a distinction must be made between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and His filling. (Both apparently occurred at Pentecost.) Now, post-Pentecost, the Spirit’s baptizing work happens once at conversion. It is the placing of the person into Christ, and uniting him with the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-13; Gal. 3:26-28). The Spirit’s filling (and fulfilling) work is His enablement for life and service (Eph. 5:18-21; cf. Exod. 31:1-5), and it can be repeated as often as necessary (Acts 2:4; cf. 4:31).

Third, the gift of tongues at Pentecost (now so controversial) was a special sign of God’s judgment on the nation of Israel (I Cor. 14:20-22; cf. Isa. 28:11-12). Because the nation rejected her Messiah-King, the Lord opened the door for those of all nations to trust in Christ and become a part of a new body, the church of Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 2:5-8). Tongues speaking was not a gift intended for every Christian (I Cor. 12:4, 11, 18, 30), therefore it cannot be a sign of the baptism, which is.

(1) Lord, as of old, at Pentecost,
Thou didst Thy power display,
With cleansing, purifying flame,
Descend on us today.

Lord, send the old-time power, the Pentecostal power!
Thy floodgates of blessing, on us throw open wide!
Lord, send the old-time power, the Pentecostal power!
That sinners be converted and Thy name glorified!

Links:

O Breath of Life

Words: Elisabeth Ann Porter Head (b. Jan. 1, 1850; d. June 28, 1936)
Music: Spiritus Vitae, by Mary Jane Hammond (b. _____, 1878; d. Jan. 23, 1964)

Note: “Bessie” Head (as she was known) was an English hymn writer and a member of the Anglican Church. Her husband, Albert Alfred Head was an insurance broker with the Henry Head Company, and he was chairman of the Keswick Convention (a holiness group) for a number of years. Mrs. Head’s hymn was written around 1914, and first appeared in a hymnal in 1920.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This hymn is a penetrating and powerful prayer that God would equip and use His church in the world of today, by His Spirit. It’s a prayer for revival and renewal, a prayer for cleansing and equipping, in light of the words of the Lord Jesus:

Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest”? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

Jn. 4:35

The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.

Matt. 9:37-38

(1) O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us,
Revive Thy church with life and power;
O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,
And fit Thy church to meet this hour.

But instead of the missionary zeal of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, we see, by and large, a weakened and compromised church. There is doctrinal compromise, a setting aside of the fundamentals of the faith with the plea, “Let’s just get together and love one another.” Forgotten by many is the exhortation that we are to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).

There is also moral compromise in the church. Things are permitted and even endorsed by Christians that violate the holy separation God expects (II Cor. 6:17). Indeed, too often, the world has made more of an impact on the church than the church has on the world. Paul faced that in the Corinthian church (I Cor. 5:1-8), and it is still around.

The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

I Pet. 4:17

The church in North America is relatively free of concerted and organized persecution–at least in comparison to many other parts of the world. But the Bible teaches that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (II Tim. 3:12). And the Lord may permit it, in the days ahead, as part of His loving chastening.

You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.’…Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Heb. 12:5-6, 11

(2) O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,
Till humbly we confess our need;
Then in Thy tenderness remake us,
Revive, restore, for this we plead.

(3) O Breath of love, come breathe within us,
Renewing thought and will and heart;
Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
Revive Thy church in every part.

Christ is our example, as One who demonstrated holy love (Jn. 13:34-35), and brooked no compromise with error (Jn. 8:44; 17:17; cf. I Jn. 1:6). He is also our source of strength, and the One in whose authority we can seek mercy, and grace to help in time of need (Phil. 4:13, 19; Heb. 4:14-16).

(4) O Heart of Christ, once broken for us,
’Tis there we find our strength and rest;
Our broken, contrite hearts now solace,
And let Thy waiting church be blest.

(5) Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating
While harvest fields are vast and white?
Revive, us Lord, the world is waiting,
Equip Thy church to spread the light.

Questions:

  1. What is the major hindrance to this kind of renewal and sacrificial Christian service in our day?
  2. What can be done to stir the church to renewed action?

Links:

Walk in the Light

Words: Bernard Barton (b. Jan. 31, 1784; d. Feb. 19, 1849)
Music: Manoah, published by Henry Wellington Greatorex (b. Dec. 24, 1813; d. Sept. 10, 1858)

Note: The hymn was written in 1826. In most versions now (2) (which seems to imply the achievement of sinless perfection in this life) is omitted. It says:

(2) Walk in the light: and sin abhorred
Shall ne’er defile again;
The blood of Jesus Christ, thy Lord,
Shall cleanse from every stain.

The tune Manoah was published in Greatorex’s Collection of Church Music, in 1851. Its origin is debated. Some suggest it is based on a theme from classical composers Rossini or Haydn, but no certain source has been identified as yet. (Manoah was the father of Samson.)

Bernard Barton also gave us the beautiful hymn about the Word of God, Lamp of Our Feet. He was a friend of many of the literary luminaries of his time, Charles Lamb, Robert Southey, Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, and Sir John Bowring. His style was critiqued in a periodical of the time as follows:

Mr. Barton’s style is well suited to devotional poetry. It has great sweetness and pathos, accompanied with no small degree of power, which well qualify it for the experience of the higher and purer feelings of the heart.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Mr. Barton was a Quaker, and evangelicals would disagree with him on the Quaker notion of “the inner light.” They teach that in every human being God has implanted an element of His own “spirit” or energy, and that God is in everyone. Quakers do not believe that the natural man is separated from God by sin, calling the concept of the sin nature in man “an invented and unscriptural barbarism.”

The inner light teaching is based on a misinterpretation of John 1:9, in which Christ is described as “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” That statement does not mean that everyone has received knowledge of Christ, or has had some spiritually illuminating experience. Rather, “everyone” means all without distinction. John is saying that the Light is provided for all, regardless of national or ethnic background, gender or social standing.

Even so, “He came to His own and His own did not receive Him” (vs. 11). “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (Jn. 3:19). And those evil deeds arise out of sin-darkened hearts (Mk. 7:21-23). “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9; cf. Rom. 3:10-18). In that fallen condition, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Cor. 2:14).

All human beings (apart from the incarnate Son of God) are sinners (Rom. 3:23) and, as such, are “without strength” (Rom. 5:6), enemies of God (Rom. 5:10),“dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). There is no inner light, only darkness for unregenerate men and women. This is not “invented and unscriptural barbarism.” It is the clear teaching of the Word of God that our sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:2). The sinner is “without Christ,” “without God,” and “without hope” (Eph. 2:12).

However, having said this, the hymn is still found in orthodox Christian hymnals. The reason is that the “light” spoken of need not be thought of as coming from within the sin-darkened heart. It can legitimately refer to the born again believer. When an individual trusts Christ as Saviour, the Spirit of God comes to live within. The indwelling Holy Spirit becomes the believer’s Teacher and Guide, illuminating his understanding of the Word of God (Jn. 16:13; Rom. 8:14; I Cor. 2:9-10; I Jn. 3:24). The Spirit is also his source of power to apply and obey that Word to life (II Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:22-23).

In a Bible verse that provides Barton’s opening line, we read, “ if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us [continues to cleanse us] from all sin” (I Jn. 1:7). Walking in the light involves born again believers living in daily obedience to God’s Word (cf. Ps. 119:105). When we sin, we step away from the Lord into darkness. Not that we lose our salvation, but we are out of fellowship with Him, and need to confess our sin and claim His forgiveness (I Jn. 1:9).

(1) Walk in the light: so shalt thou know
That fellowship of love
His Spirit only can bestow
Who reigns in light above.

(6) Walk in the light: and thine shall be
A path, though thorny, bright;
For God, by grace, shall dwell in thee,
And God Himself is light.

Questions:

  1. The symbolism of light is applied to several different things in the Bible. Can you name a few?
  2. What does Mr. Barton mean by saying that the believer’s path may be thorny, though bright?

Links:

Nearer, Still Nearer

Words: Lelia Naylor Morris (b. Apr. 15, 1862; d. July 23, 1929)
Music: Lelia Naylor Morris

Note: Lelia Naylor gave her heart to Christ at the age of ten. At the age of nineteen, she married Charles Morris. In her adult years, she became not only a gifted poetess, but a gifted musician. This song was published in 1898, in a book edited by William Kirkpatrick and Henry Gilmour. The latter was the man who encouraged Mrs. Morris to become a hymn writer. The phrase “Haven of Rest” is in quotation marks in Lelia Morris’s hymn, because it references a song, written by Gilmour. He had produced The Haven of Rest eight years before.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The presence of God may be thought of in at least a couple of ways.

First, the Bible clearly teaches His omnipresence. “‘Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?’ says the LORD; ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the LORD” (Jer. 23:24). As God, He is always and fully present everywhere. That is, it’s not simply that God is so large that part of Him can be found in every part of the universe. There is no place where all of God is not present at all times, and fully aware of all that happens there.

But there is another level or aspect of His presence to consider. One that involves an interpersonal relationship, when the Lord’s presence is perceived, or at least acknowledged by faith. The believer relates, not to some obscure and distant deity, but to One in whose active presence he lives and moves. As David the psalmist recognizes:

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell [sheol, the place of the dead], behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 139:7-10). “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (Ps. 145:18).

Notice in the latter text that for fellowship with God to be established and maintained, the believer must desire and seek it. As the Apostle James puts it, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Jas. 4:8).

The sinner who looks to Christ in faith for salvation is “brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). That has to do with his established legal standing before God as His child. But for intimate and personal communion to occur, there needs to be ongoing interaction. It’s the same, of course, in relationships at the human level. One can be his parents’ child, and yet be cold and distant from father or mother. Things like mutual trust and love take time and effort to grow and maintain.

When we go our own way, in disobedience to God, that fellowship is broken. That happened to Israel as a nation, when they went after other gods. But the Lord called to them in love and mercy, “‘Return to Me,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will return to you’” (Zech. 1:3).

Restoration is not a matter of performing the right rituals. It’s possible to read Scripture or sing hymns in a cold and formalistic way. Many in Israel were doing that, and the Lord said, “These people draw near with their mouths and honour Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me” (Isa. 29:13). No one who reads this blog can doubt that I love the great hymns and gospel songs of the church. They can stir the heart and provide a devotional vocabulary that enlivens our worship. But only if the truths they contain are accepted and internalized.

We see that in Lelia Morris’s hymn. The Saviour is “precious” to her (1), but she longs for a deeper, and richer relationship with Him. There is a recognition that it is sin that prevents this. But she can only come to the Lord as she is, with her “sinful, now contrite heart,” and seek His cleansing (2). Sin has it’s “pleasures,” but at its root is pride. The author sees her need to turn her back on sin, concluding that Jesus her Lord is enough to satisfy her heart (3).

As with many hymns, so here there is a recognition that even the highest and best relationship with Christ in this life is not ideal. We are weak and wayward so often. But more and better is coming up ahead, when “in glory [our] anchor is cast” (4).

(1) Nearer, still nearer, close to Thy heart,
Draw me, my Saviour–so precious Thou art!
Fold me, oh, fold me close to Thy breast.
Shelter me safe in that “Haven of Rest;”
Shelter me safe in that “Haven of Rest.”

(4) Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last.
Till safe in glory my anchor is cast;
Through endless ages ever to be
Nearer, my Saviour, still nearer to Thee;
Nearer, my Saviour, still nearer to Thee!

Questions:

  1. How is this close fellowship with the Lord maintained in the Christian life?
  2. What other hymns come to mind that relate to the subject of fellowship with the Lord?

Links:

Make Me a Channel of Blessing

Words: Harper Garcia Smyth (b. March 16, 1873; d. Aug. 25, 1945)
Music: Euclid, by Harper Garcia Smyth

Note: This gospel song was written in 1903. Ten years later, Harper Smyth would become the music director at Euclid Avenue Baptist Church, in Cleveland, the street name giving the tune its name. This song seems almost to combine the words–or at least the themes–of two others: Ira Wilson’s Make Me a Blessing, and Mary Maxwell’s Channels Only.

(1) Is your life a channel of blessing?
Is the love of God flowing through you?
Are you telling the lost of the Saviour?
Are you ready His service to do?

Make me a channel of blessing today,
Make me a channel of blessing, I pray;
My life possessing, my service blessing,
Make me a channel of blessing today.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

It’s a truth the Bible affirms a number of times–that we can only give, either to God or to others, what He has equipped us to give. He is our Creator, and the Creator of all things. All that exists comes from His hand, either directly or indirectly.

When Abel offered to the Lord the firstborn of his flock (Gen. 4:4), it was a gift from the world that God Himself had made (Gen. 1:24-25). When David gathered the materials that his son, Solomon, would use to build the temple in Jerusalem, he offered a prayer of thanks, recognizing the same truth:

Now therefore, our God, we thank You And praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.

I Chron. 29:13-14

Giving to others is no different. The Lord told Abraham, “I will bless you…and you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). Out of the rich blessing of God, Abraham was able to minister to others around him. In the days of the early church, the Lord gave the apostles miraculous powers, which functioned as confirming signs, showing that they were representatives of Christ, and that they spoke with His authority (II Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3-4). Peter exercised this gift when he healed a lame man at the temple gate.

Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth [i.e. by His authority and power, as His representative], rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them–walking, leaping, and praising God.

Acts 3:6-8; cf. 4:10

It was in connection with the ability to present these same miraculous signs that the Lord told the disciples, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8). They were to minister to others out of the bountiful provision of God.

In his song, Harper Smyth makes a very specific application of this truth–that the gift we have been given is the gospel of grace, the good news of salvation through faith in Christ. Paul saw the gospel he proclaimed in that way. He told the Corinthians, “I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3).

Paul was very clear that the gospel was not something he himself invented, nor did it come from human sources of any kind. It was given to him as a revelation from God. “I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11-12; cf. Matt. 10:20).

The apostle considered this message a precious treasure that he was commissioned to share. “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake….But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (II Cor. 4:5, 7). He became the channel through which God spoke to others, just as we are to be.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

II Cor. 5:20; cf. I Thess. 4:1

(3) Is your life a channel of blessing?
Is it a daily telling for Him?
Have you spoken the word of salvation
To those who are dying in sin?

(4) We cannot be channels of blessing
If our lives are not free from known sin;
We will barriers be and a hindrance
To those we are trying to win.

Questions:

  1. When a fire is put out, does the fireman’s hose get the credit for putting the fire out? How can this illustration be applied to our gospel witness?
  2. Is there too much tendency in evangelism today to focus on the channel? What can be done to correct this?

Links:

Jesus, and Shall It Ever Be?

Words: Joseph Grigg (b. circa 1720; d. Oct. 29, 1768); amended by Benjamin Francis (b. _____, 1734; d. Dec. 14, 1799)
Music: Federal Street, by Henry Kemble Oliver (b. Nov. 24, 1800; d. Aug. 12, 1885)

Note: John Rippon, pastor of Carter Lane Baptist Church, in London, produced a hymn book in 1787 with the long title, Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors, Intended as an Appendix to Dr. Watts’ Psalms and Hymns. Another pastor, Benjamin Francis, contributed several songs to the collection. One of these was his amended and much improved version of Joseph Grigg’s beautiful (and convicting!) hymn.

The tune, Federal Street, is fine, but I encourage you to check out the beautiful hymn tune Rimmon, which is given as an alternative on the Cyber Hymnal page.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The original hymn was reportedly written when Grigg was only ten years old. It had seven stanzas, of which five are now commonly used. Clumsy though some of the rhyming was, it was a strong statement of moral responsibility and faith. Grigg’s second line in (5) read, “When I’ve no Crimes to wash away.” (And yes, he capitalized the word.) One author looks down his adult nose at young Joseph Grigg, calling this a hangover from Calvinism, and:

[The] morbid sentiment of a boy who thought he had crimes to be washed away at his early age.

The Gospel in Hymns, p. 71, by Albert Edward Bailey

But these belittling objections can be refuted, both from a theological point of view, and a linguistic one. As to its biblical foundation, never mind blaming John Calvin. what does the Bible say? It declares that we are all born with a fallen nature that is prone to sin. We are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3; cf. Ps. 51:5; 58:3). And the fruit of that nature can be seen quite early on, in the rebel disobedience of childhood.

But what about the word “crimes” itself. Our English word comes from the Latin word crimen, meaning an accusation, or charge, or the guilt from such. In modern usage, it not only applies to breaking the law of the land. According to the dictionary it identifies any offence, serious wrongdoing, or sin. So young Grigg was right on target, though the later revision of the hymn substitutes the word “guilt.” (Isaac Watts used the same word in Alas, and Did My Saviour Bleed?, asking “Was it for crimes that I have done / He groaned upon the tree?”)

The author attached a Bible text to his hymn, as originally published:

Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.

Mk. 8:38; cf. Lk. 9:26

There is a legitimate question as to what quality or degree of “shame” is in view here.

One might, for instance, suggest the extreme position that the phrase “ashamed of Me [Christ]” identifies the unsaved person, one who has chosen to remain a part of “this [spiritually] adulterous and sinful generation.” The parallel of Christ being “ashamed” of this individual would then be eternal condemnation, and a Christless eternity in the lake of fire. And “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (vs. 36). If we reject Christ, how can we expect Him to claim us as His own.

But, having said that, the subject in Mark is discipleship (cf. Mk. 8:34). There is something here for Christians too. Verse 38 comes after a call to identify ourselves with Christ, even if it will mean suffering for His name’s sake. Even if there is an application to the extreme case, the words also relate to the believer’s readiness and willingness to say a word for Christ, to be willing to identify ourselves, among unbelievers, as a follower of Christ.

How sad for one of us to be ashamed of the One who died to save us. Yet surely we can all think of times when the “fear of man” (Prov. 29:25) caused us to hold our tongues, and miss an opportunity to reflect praise and honour to the Lord. John addresses this concern in his first epistle.

Little children, abide in Him [maintain your fellowship with Christ, through a holy walk, and confession of sin], that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

I Jn. 2:28

May the Lord give each of us the grace to be faithful “ambassadors for Christ” (II Cor. 5:2), and “be ready to give a defence [an answer] to everyone who asks [us] a reason for the hope that is in [us]” (I Pet. 3:15).

(1) Jesus, and shall it ever be,
A mortal man, ashamed of Thee?
Ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise,
Whose glories shine through endless days?

(4) Ashamed of Jesus! that dear Friend
On whom my hopes of heav’n depend!
No; when I blush, be this my shame,
That I no more revere His name.

(5) Ashamed of Jesus! yes, I may
When I’ve no guilt to wash away;
No tear to wipe, no good to crave,
No fears to quell, no soul to save.

(6) Till then, nor is my boasting vain,
Till then I boast a Saviour slain;
And O, my this my glory be,
That Christ is not ashamed of me!

Questions:

  1. What is your understanding of the application and intent of Mark 8:38?
  2. What can we do to insure that we are faithful in living and speaking for Christ when opportunities arise?

Links:

Load More