Saturday, November 22nd, 2014.
When visitors come to our church meetings at Grace Ambassadors Bible Fellowship, they notice many things different from traditional churches.
One is the big white Grace Hymnals in all the pews. We made our own hymnal by collecting, revising, and sometimes totally rewriting our favorite hymns so that they agree with the Bible rightly divided.
The Grace Hymnal is the first and only hymnal that is mid-Acts Pauline dispensational.
When we sing, it is normal to see new folks fumble over the chorus or verses of familiar tunes because the words have changed.
(It’s amazing how quick people can catch on through repetition and the positive peer pressure in group singing.)
Popular songwriters were covenantal, overly spiritual, confused Israel with the church, or taught a variety of kingdom doctrine. This is unacceptable from the pulpit, and so they should be rejected from the hymnals as well.
Since Paul instructs the church to sing in Colossians 3:16, we change the words so we can sing with a pure conscience (1 Tim 3:9).
Changing words to popular songs has a long history in Christianity when Christians didn’t agree with the doctrine. It is necessary for grace believers to sing with grace in our hearts and not the law or prophecy.
We taught a sermon series talking about why it matters what we sing in church. Learn about some of our favorite songs by listening to the series.
At the end of each lesson we sing the song. You can follow along with the online version in the Grace Hymnal.
None of us are the next great singing talent, and we don’t have a choir, but that is not the reason we sing. Church singing is not a performance, but a practice in sound words.
If we sing the wrong notes, then at least we sing right doctrine.
For His glory,
Justin “bass” Johnson