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Pilgrim News & Notes PILGRIM NEWS & NOTES OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MIDWEST PILGRIM HOLINESS CHURCH OCTOBER 2016 Nothing Happened By Dan Plemmons In New England, there is a plaque on which is emblazoned some words from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous Concord Hymn . By the Rude Bridge that arched the flood, their Flag to April’s breeze unfurled Here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot that was heard around the world! As you drive from place to place across this nation, you will often see markers that tell the visitor that ON THIS SPOT, a great happening took place. In Ardmore, Oklahoma, in a small Café there is a small sign that reads: On THIS SITE, in 1897 . NOTHING HAPPENED. As humorous as that may sound, that sign could very easily be posted on the outside brick wall of many churches across the United States of America accompanied by today’s date. Rev. James Keaton tells the story of a business that was preparing to close, and it was found after the clos- ing that the Secretary of the Board had written these words into the Minutes of their last business meeting: We have gathered here today to take care of some final business prior to going out of business . AND the REASON that we are going out of business, is because we don’t rightly know what our business even is! Sadly enough, there are churches which meet week after week, month after month, year after year, and they don’t even know what their business is! We have bought in to the GREAT AMERICAN LIE that says: “I got to where I am today because of blood, sweat & tears”. When we pass the panhandler standing on the corner holding a sign that says, “will work for food”, we feel pretty good about ourselves! But I would submit to you, my friends, that it is hard to maintain our pride and prejudices when we are actively involved in the lives of hurting people! I am not saying that if you pass that panhandler on the street without stopping to help him/her, that you are in the wrong, but I AM saying that if the salvation that you have does not occasionally get you out of your comfort zone and into the lives of hurting people, then you really do not have very much. Too often, we look at others who are actively involved in personal evangelism, and although we want to do something to win the lost, we just never seem to get the job done. I had been asked to sing for the funeral service of a lady that I’d known since childhood. The service was about two hours from my home, so I drove there and sang for the funeral. On the way back to my home, I 1 decided to take a different route than I came. I used to be a courier in the Detroit area, so I decided to see if the area had changed much since I made deliveries there. I took I-94 and when I reached the Livernois Rd. exit in Dearborn, I exited, and I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to see. It was around 30° outside and as I came to the stop sign, right in front of my car walked an African Ameri- can male. As he got right in front of me, I noticed that he had BIG tears streaming down his cheeks. He was carrying a very tattered duffle bag over his shoulder, his clothes were tattered, his shoes looked very old, and I felt for him as I watched the tears flow down his cheek. My FIRST thought was, “Plemmons, get out of your car and see if there is anything you can do to help this man!” I’m embarrassed to tell you that my SECOND thought was, “What can I do? I can’t take him home? I’ve just cleaned this car out!” But here is what I COULD have done, had I not been so “ME oriented” . I COULD have sheltered him in my warm car, or taken him to a nice restaurant and fed him. I COULD have taken him to a store and bought him some clothes. I COULD have taken him to the Glorious Freedom Rescue Mission, which was less than 5 minutes away... BUT INSTEAD, I did nothing. What would JESUS have done? Can you point to ONE place in the Word of God where Jesus saw a genuine need and passed on by? He DID say in Matthew 25 . Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. So - - WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED that day at the Livernois Rd. exit off of I-94 was that Jesus Christ, Himself, walked right in front of my car. He was needing help, but I passed on by. There is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. In regards to winning the lost, Everybody was sure that Somebody would get the job done! Anybody could have, but No- body did. Somebody got angry because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could win the lost to Jesus, but Nobody seemed to realize that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Every- body blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. My friends, the task to win people to the Lord has been given to US. If souls are going to be brought into the Kingdom of God, we’re going to have to realize that it is our job to bring them in. May God forgive us for our lethargy and help us to realize that it is OUR TURN to step up to the plate, to be the witness that we need to be . souls are at stake, and it is UP TO US! 2 What Role Does Music Play in Worship? By Connie Hilligoss The oldest known music is church music – music written for the specific purpose of honoring God. From the opening sounds of a reverent Sunday morning prelude to the closing chords of an invitation hymn, mu- sic is used in our services as a means of worship. The purpose of church music is to enable the congregation to corporately worship God in one voice of joy and gratitude. Music unifies. It communicates. Psalm 147:1 says, “Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!” (NIV) It is amazing how much emphasis God placed on the ministry of music in the service of the tabernacle and temple. Four thousand people were dedicated to the ministry of music in Israel in I Chronicles 23. The Lord is serious about music in worship! They used their instruments and voices to prophesy. How wonder- ful it is when the music in our church services isn’t presented as a performance to highlight personal talent, but as a message about the glory of God. Then, those who are listening are made ready to receive the Word that will be preached. Music and preaching should never be in competition, but be complimentary to each other. Music isn’t worship. It is a way to express worship. Music is a means by which a worshipping person expresses his thanks and praise to God. It enhances and enriches, but worship is an attitude of the heart, not a mood created by music. It often surpasses spoken words in expressing the emotions and feelings of the heart. Psalm 98:4-6 speaks of singing and playing instruments when praising the Lord. There are many Biblical examples of using music to worship: The dedication of the Temple in King Solomon’s time. II Chronicles 5:12-13 The disciples sang a hymn, together. Mark 14:26 Paul and Silas sang praises to God, while in jail. Acts 16:25 Harps are played and the redeemed sing a new song around the throne in Revelation 14:1-3 “The music of the redeemed is alien to the music of the world.” It is beautiful, lofty, exalted, skillful, intel- ligent, systematic, timeless. When our church music ceases to be all of this and stoops to the level of secular music it is no longer a “new song”, no longer the song of the redeemed. O worship the King, all glorious above, And gratefully sing His wonderful love! Credits: Is Music Worship gty.org; The Role of Music in Worship ministry127.com; Why Music is Im- portant in Worship lds.org 3 A Woman’s Perspective By Stephanie Burley Our Offering + His Blessing = Abundant Provision Are you feeling completely overwhelmed by a circumstance that is out of your control? Is your mind preoccupied with problems that are larger than life? Are you spending your emotional and mental energy attempting to conjure up solutions that will “fix” the issues plaguing your family, your min- istry, your career? As Christian women, we are called to bring a positive influence to the situations we encounter, but the weight of the burdens we carry can threaten to suppress the ultimate purpose God has for our lives. The truth is, we can be paralyzed by the enormity of the load and fail to effectively execute the mission for which God has equipped and empowered us. In the Gospels, we are presented with one of the most popular Bible stories ever told. Jesus had taken His disciples away for awhile, and as they walked the dusty roads, He turned and saw a multitude of peo- ple following along.
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