Based on many years of study, here are three that come to mind.ġ) Likely in the late nineteen century, an agnostic named James Proctor wrote some lines of verse mocking the gospel.īut he didn’t believe that–until, some time later, he put his faith in Christ. Only rarely did a writer speak of things he did not personally believe. The writer is pointing out that their experiences, just described, bear witness to the value of trusting in the Lord.Īs to our hymns, whether they’re masterpieces or more commonplace, in the vast majority of cases, they’re a personal testimony given by the author, a sincere expression of his (or her) beliefs. The word is used in more of a courtroom sense. Not that they’re surrounding us now, witnessing what we do. 12:1), he’s likely speaking of the people of faith spoken of in chapter 11.
When the writer of Hebrews says “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Heb.
Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up–if in fact the dead do not rise” (I Cor. “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. The Lord’s resurrection was essential to the truth of the gospel. This they proceeded to do, particularly focusing on His resurrection, and the fact that they had seen the risen Christ (e.g. Just before the ascension of Christ, He commissioned His followers to bear witness to what He had done and what He’d taught (Acts 1:8). Surely the willingness to stake one’s life on the validity of a testimony is a strong indication that it’s true. The New Testament word is a translation of the Greek martus, sometimes translated “martyr” (Acts 22:20 Rev. In the Bible, witnesses are spoken of 170 times. When this is done in a court of law, it is a criminal offense and can bring a severe penalty. In contrast, perjury is the willful giving of false testimony, or the act of swearing to a statement known to be false. As a verb, to witness is to give that evidence, or serve, personally, as the evidence. As a noun, a witness is a person who has seen or heard some event, or can give first-hand evidence about it. The term comes from an old usage of the word “wit” which, a thousand years ago, referred to knowledge or understanding. Likely some readers have had the experience of being called as a witness in court, as the present writer has. His heartwarming expression of love for the Lord ends in triumph, in “mansions of glory and endless delight.” Note: Ralph Featherstone, a resident of Montreal, wrote this song as a teen-ager, after his conversion to Christ. Wordwise Hymns (for another article see here) And, for more than three dozen reasons why congregations should still use hymn books rather than merely projecting words on the wall, see The Value of Hymn Books. As others have contributed ideas, this wonderful resource has grown to over 80 items now. If you can help with the cost of developing and maintaining this site, click on the “Support” tab above and the page will show you how.Īlso see 30+ Ideas for Promoting Hymn Singing in your church.
(More being added all the time.)ģ) Topical Articles are opinion pieces on many aspects sacred music.Ĥ) To Donate. But you can find many others by clicking on the Index tab. There is always a current article on a hymn. The blog will tell you what happened in hymn history on that day.Ģ) Reflections. Click on the month you want in the side-bar, then the specific date.
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