Ready! Set! Go!
"They shall mount up with wings like eagles" 
(Isaiah 40:31)

 

Volume 5—Number 9—October 2003
 
 
 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
 

       READY:  Purpose of Authorized Music in the Church 

SET:   Heaven and Hell 

GO:  TFTW and the Internet
 

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A Monthly Publication of the Church of Christ  at Duluth, Georgia 
to equip the saints in reaching 
the lost through example and evangelism. 

Editors 

Skip Andrews 
3239 Highway 120 
Duluth, GA  30096 
770  476-2159 
email: Skip Andrews

Bobby Wood 
1410 Flat Shoals Road 
Conyers, GA 30013 
770 922-8341 
email: Bobby Woods 

Produced under the oversight of the 
elders at Duluth, GA
 
 

Rod Rutherford
Dennis Hatchett
Skip Andrews
 

This paper is sent free to all who request it.

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Truth for the World Mission Forum 
“Far and Near”
November 7-9, 2003

Friday, November 7
      7:00 PM Mission Reports
      7:30 PM Broadcasting the Gospel—Jim Dearman
Saturday, November 8
      9:00 AM Working Among the Chinese—John      Grubb
    10:00 AM Working “Down Under” - Rod Kyle
    11:00 AM Working in India—Ken McAfee
    12:00 Lunch 
      1:00 PM Georgia Missions—Bob Gray
      2:00 PM Working in Murmansk, Russia—Billy      Bland
      3:00 PM Mission Reports
      3:30 PM What Youth Can Accomplish—Far and      Near—Jason Roberts
  BCC Teacher’s Forum—Jimmie B. Hill
      6:00 PM International Dinner 
Sunday, November 9
      9:30 AM TFTW Report
    10:30 AM Keynote:  “Far and Near”—Don 
    Blackwell
      5:30 PM Singing
      6:00 PM Growth of the Early Church—Gary      Young
 
 

NEXT ISSUE:  Look for two very special announcements about new publications coming from Duluth as inserts in Ready! Set! Go!
 

• Families Matter
• A New Commandment

First, singing is to praise the Lord. This is the most obvious purpose. When we come together as the church, hopefully we come for the purpose of worship, and a part of our worship is singing. Thus, what is said about our worship should be true with our singing. The rightful object of worship is God. Jesus said, “the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). However, when folks make statements like, “I just like the piano and organ,” then the focus of their worship has turned from praising God to pleasing self. The writer of Hebrews expresses the rightful direction of singing when he wrote, “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (2:12). When Paul and Silas were in the Philippian jail, they “prayed, and sang praises unto God” (Acts 16:25). While being persecuted, their worship was still directed towards the rightful object. Again, the writer of Hebrews conveyed the same thought and the same rightful object of worship when he wrote, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (13:15). 
 Second, singing is to edify one another. Paul writing to the church at Ephesus wrote, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). In Colossians 3:16, Paul clarifies the statement “speaking to yourselves.” He wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Thus, singing is to teach and admonish. The action in these verses is not reciprocative but reflexive. The idea is when we sing, we are to teach and admonish others and ourselves. “Reflexive” includes self-teaching and self-admonition. A proper application of this idea eliminates any type of choruses or choirs. They are simply not authorized. Because of teaching and admonition, Paul said, “I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:15). We need to understand what we are singing! We can just as easily teach false doctrines in our singing as in our preaching and teaching. Therefore, let us be careful and understand the words of the songs we sing. Also with application to denominational teaching, mechanical instruments of music do not teach. A person listening to a piano, organ, or harp will not be instructed or admonished. Furthermore, the same application should be made for “be bops” and noise (not words) made with the mouth such as many special music groups are doing today.
 Third, singing is to express joy. James wrote, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms” (5:13). Normally, singing is associated with joy and cheerfulness. Most likely, this verse is about the same person or persons. When afflicted, they were to pray, but after affliction was over and joy came, then they were to sing psalms.
 God not only authorized singing, He also authorized the purposes of singing. The rightful purposes of singing include praising God, edifying one another, and expressing joy. Therefore, let us have the courage to simply do as God instructs, nothing more and nothing less.
 
 

Truth for the World 
and the Internet
 
 
 

The Internet is (at the moment) the new means to reach a larger audience. It represents communication that is cheap, fast and worldwide. It provides a means to communicate in a variety of ways - audio, video, text and interactivity. It covers every continent on the earth and its growth is explosive.  Where there is a phone line there is the ability to connect to the rest of the world - except in some countries where the government has closed such access. The cost to broadcast over the Internet is only a fraction of radio or television (the cost is decreasing year by year), and there are no time constraints. On the Internet you do not have to worry about time slots or even getting prime time - the Internet spans the earth therefore it is always prime time. When North America has gone to bed, Asia, Australia and the Pacific rim are awake and active on the Internet. A page of text posted on the Internet can be read on every continent. A sermon broadcast over the Internet can be heard in Greenland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, or in multiple countries around the world. The potential of the Internet for those who want to reach the lost is vast. The local work can be benefited because neighbors in town have access, but the word is broadcast across the earth and evangelism is done on an international level.  The thing to keep in mind is that the Internet is international and we are, through Duluth and TFTW, addressing people who have English as a second language.  The Internet is in its infancy, but it is constantly improving. As it grows from day to day new capabilities are developed leading into uncharted directions. Options that were not possible six months ago are now possible and common on the Internet.   It is truly a realm of surprises. The world is embracing the Internet because it sees advantages and seeks those advantages for a better life and higher opportunities. What is seen by so many in the world is not a collection of trivial bells and whistles produced by technological toys, but rather economic and educational advantages. For many in this country the Internet represents a hobby, a luxury or another high-tech gadget in the house. But to so many in other countries it represents access to development and economic survival. The Internet is the direction in which the world is heading because it brings viable, understandable, practical and real benefits to people’s lives. Remote areas now have contact with the rest of the world. Contact goes beyond the voice of the radio, or images of a television set. The Internet offers communication on multiple levels. It is becoming the new medium of mass communication. 
There are great efforts in developing nations to create the backbone structures needed to have Internet technology for their governments, businesses, schools and homes. It displaces so many other means of communication. Quite literally developing societies will go from the campfires to the Internet. Thus it is important for New Testament Christianity to have a powerful presence on the Internet. With something this powerful and with such potential we can not hold back the gospel from it. True Christianity does not need a meager showing in its message to the world. We must be on the edge of technology and take a powerful stand as though we are committed to the message and confident that the world needs it. A message this imperative and vital to the world needs the means to be sent to the world. The message that has fostered faith and disciples must now be carried by those disciples to the rest of the world.
We have been given blessings and with those blessings come responsibilities. Let us be good servants of God and commit ourselves to His work using the tools and talents He has given us. Let us take advantage of the technology handed to us by the providence of God for the purpose they were given - to reach the lost.
    William Howard—TFTW
 
 

NOTE:  William Howard works with our Internet broadcasting, as well as in many other technical aspects of broadcasting.  This has become such a good and important part of our work that we have added Dave Komisak to the staff.  He has just begun his fund-raising (he and his family, Nancy and Katie, have been at Duluth for many years).  We hope you will want to help in this part of world evangelism by assisting William or Dave in their support.  Please contact us through the information on page 1.  
     

         — Skip Andrews —

Do you need help with discouragement, fear, lack of faith, family problems, etc.?  This is a series of 12 video lessons using “five smooth stones” to conquer these “Goliaths.”