Habakkuk warned against Seeker Service-like attempts to
approach God through idols which were supposed
to awaken and speak to them. This does not prevent churches from
trying to hire human
manipulators to do the same thing:
Position Title: Worship
Facilitation Minister
"Work with the worship planning committee, the
preaching minister and worship presentation groups
(music,
drama and
technical)
to facilitate group
worship experiences which will help bring worshipers into
the presence of God.
The introduction of the organ in Presbyterian
churches was an ancient model of the Seeker Model similar to
Jubilee 98, Woodmont
Hills and Willow Creek Association.
With the addition of musical worship teams, worship facilitators
(manipulators) and other charismatic devices to attract the world,
instrumental worship is never far
behind because such churches rely upon
music-induced endorphins (morphine-like) and you need a bigger and
bigger "fix" to make the magic work.
Churches have always been plagued with
Seeker Services to catch those not interested in the Word:
"There is one fact connected with
the introduction of organs into those of our churches which have
adopted them, which is exceedingly
distressful. It is the reason which we always
hear assigned, among other reasons, for their introduction, and which
we believe has been in every case the most operative one.
It is always
urged: "we must have an organ to keep pace with other churches in
attracting a congregation, and in retaining the young and
thoughtless."
"Has it come then to this, that the chaste
spouse of Christ is reduced to borrow the meretricious adornment of
the "scarlet whore," in order to catch the unholy admiration of the
ungodly? Not thus did the Apostles devise to bring sinners to the
church.
"They were taught (and unpaid) to go
after them, into the highways and hedges, with the wooings of mercy
and love; to allure them by the beauty of holiness; to urge them by
the terrors of the law.
If we are authorized to add to
God's worship, forms purely of human device,
in order to make it more palatable to
sinners, to what corruptions shall we not give entrance
And of the addition of
drama?
"The Popish church of South
America attracts multitudes of worshippers, by gross theatrical representations.
According to this mode of operations, which has introduced organs
into our churches, a Presbyterian Church in South American might find
it necessary to imitate
idolatrous Papists, and convert God's
house into a play-house. An excuse which will
justify such an enormity as this under
different circumstances, is surely no valid excuse for any thing. We
believe that all such artifices, of
human device, to catch
popularity, are inconsistent with the
genius of the Presbyterian Church, derogatory of her honor, and
blasting to her
interests. It was her glory and her
strength, that she aimed to commend herself by her firm devotion to
truth, by the purity of her discipline, the pre-eminence of her
ministry, and the justice of her polity. If she will cleave to these
traits and rest upon them in humble faith in her divine Head, she
will prosper.
But when once she descends from the high vantage ground of
intellectual, theological, and moral superiority, to chaffer
[barter] for
popularity by human
devices, and doubtful arts, her prestige will be gone. Other
churches are better adapted to win in that race, and will surely
outrun her. R. L.
Dabney. Click Here for the
complete article.
The evidence is clear that God calls noise and loud rejoicing down on people who
are deliberately lost from His presence. Rather than personally spewing His wrath upon people
He sends them strong delusions through strong deluders. However,
Jesus Christ, as the Abiding Comforter lives within the human heart
as Father-Son-Spirit to dismiss those who "took away the keys of
knowledge." We no longer need to go to the temple to try to find Him.
In English:
Facilitation meaning 2. Psychologically increased
ease of performance of any action resulting from the lessening of nerve
resistance by the continued successive
application of the necessary
stimulation." (Webster).
Even musical churches are becoming frightened
by the attempt to manipulate the minds of the worshipers to fool them
into believing that they have had worship performed for them. For
instance, in an article entitled:
IDOLS IN THE CHURCH
Keith Green warns: "My dearest family in Jesus,
why are we so star
struck? Why do we idolize Christian
singers
and speakers? We go from glorifying musicians in the world, to
glorifying Christian musicians. It's all
idolatry! Can't you see that? . . Satan
is getting a great victory as we seem to worship these ministers on
tapes and records, and clamor to get their autographs in churches and
concert halls from coast to coast.
Perhaps Habakkuk Chapter Two Speaks a Final
Warning
I will stand upon
my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to
see what he will say
unto me, and what I
shall answer when I am reproved. Habakkuk 2:1 Click Here for
More
And the Lord
answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon
tables, that he may
run that readeth it.
Habakkuk 2:2
For the
vision is yet for an
appointed time, but at
the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it;
because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:3
Lifting up or shining like
Lucifer is bound up in the Hebrew
halal which is often translated as praise. However, it is
usually the self-praise or boasting to convince God that you are
worthy of His immediate attention. Believers live by faith and not by
sound and fury and sight:
Behold, his soul
which is lifted
(elated) up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4
Joseph Campbell, in Myths to Live By, notes
that words can become powerful, mystical affect images or code words.
These are used to manipulate the mind of the superstitious ignorant.
New wineskins is such an affect image flooding the pages of the
internet. By flasing the "mystery" word certain immature people can
be "intoxicated" or "exhilarated" just by hearing the "code word" of
the change agents. The wine image has always been powerful.
Therefore, Habakkuk "brings God near" and warns that:
Yea also, because he
transgresseth by wine, he
is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but
gathereth unto him all
nations, and heapeth unto him all people: Habakkuk 2:5
The kings of Tyre and Babylon were "agents" of
Lucifer. They used music to tranquilize the customers to cheat them.
However, even those who joined in with the "celebration" of a
commercial business deal really hated
the king. When the king was cast into
Sheol with his prostitute harps, where "the worm dies not," the
customers gloated over him and were happy that the "take over" had
failed and they could trade with honest dealers.
Mocking songs
or proverbs was a common way to "sing" to the enemy to
triumph over them:
Shall not all these take up a
parable against him, and a taunting
proverb against him, and say, Woe to
him that increaseth that
which is not his how long? and to him
that ladeth himself with thick
clay! (pledged goods or promises to
keep?) Habakkuk 2:6
Shall they not rise up suddenly
that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties
(plunder) unto them? Habakkuk 2:7
Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all
the remnant of the people shall spoil
thee; because of mens blood, and for
the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
Habakkuk 2:8
Empire builders never have an interest in those
being used as "fodder" for their cannons. The Lucifer-Complex in
Habakkuk caused him to elevate himself over others and thereby over
God:
Woe to him that coveteth an evil
covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that
he may be delivered from the power of evil Habakkuk 2:9
Thou hast consulted shame to thy
house by cutting off many
people, and hast sinned against
thy soul.
Habakkuk 2:10
Josephus notes that the musical Levites
appealed to the self-elevating
pride of the king to add musical
worship to the temple again:
"Now as many of the
Levites, which is a tribe of ours, as were
singers of
hymns, persuaded the
king to assemble a sanhedrim, and to give them leave to wear linen
garments, as well as
the priests for they said that this would be a work worthy the times of his government, that he might have a memorial of such a
novelty, as being
his doing. Nor
did they fail of obtaining their desire; for the king, with the
suffrages of those that came into the sanhedrim, granted the singers of hymns this privilege, that they might lay aside their
former garments, and wear such a linen one as they desired; and as a part of this tribe
ministered in the
temple, he also permitted them to learn those
hymns as they had
besought him for.
Now all this was
contrary to the laws of our country, which, whenever they have been
transgressed, we have never been able to avoid the punishment of such
transgressions.
(Antiq. XX.ix.6). Click Here
for more details.
The modern revivalist and collectivists
movements seem to have "God-Complex" in seeking to break down the walls
between the church and whatever. Like loud music, breaking down the
walls is a judgmental sign of lostness beyond redemption. It was in
Amos 5-6 and in Isaiah 5. God broke down
the walls when the people turned to
wine and music. However, this cannot happen without building new walls
For the stone shall cry out of the wall,
and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. Habakkuk 2:11
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity Habakkuk
2:12
Behold, is it not of the Lord of
hosts that the people shall labour in
the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? Habakkuk 2:13
From Mount Sinai and beyond, when the people
"sent beyond the seas" for someone to come and teach them new
knowledge and new methods, it was a sign that they had ignored the
Word "which has been preached to you."
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the
glory of the Lord, as the waters cover
the sea. Habakkuk 2:14
Nevertheless, men want to make church worship
like wine in a new wineskin just bursting to exhilarate and bubble
over. The symbolism fits all ancient calls to worship the gods with
fertility rituals; Joseph Campbell would say that the symbol of "new
wine in new wineskins" is as powerful as real wine.
However, God said:
Woe unto him that giveth his
neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him
drunken also, that thou mayest look on
their nakedness (break down the
barriers) Habakkuk 2:15
Thou art filled with
shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered:
the cup of the Lords
right hand shall be turned unto thee,
and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. Habakkuk 2:16
For the violence of Lebanon shall
cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because
of mens blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of
all that dwell therein. Habakkuk 2:17
The Worship
Facilitator and Jubilee 99 is intended
to "help bring the worshiper into the
presence of God." This is the most
common theme of ancient religions. The gods could be called to their
temple with music.
However, remember that when Solomon dedicated
the Temple with music, the priests could not minister because of the
darkness. However, the people prayed outside the temple and
God heard from heaven. When the true Temple was built in the hearts of
believers there would be no human mediator or facilitator. While the
priests are busy with the rituals the overwhelming majority of people
pray from the factory, the plow or the office and God hears from
heaven.
The common weapon or instrument for mounting a
god attack prompted Habakkuk to ask:
What profiteth the graven image
that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a
teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make
dumb
idols? Habakkuk 2:18
Woe unto him that saith to the wood,
Awake; to
the dumb stone, Arise, it shall
teach Behold, it is laid over with gold
and silver, and there is no
breath at all in the midst of it.
Habakkuk 2:19
But the Lord is
in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
Habakkuk 2:20
Chapter three
begins:
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet
upon Shigionoth. Hab 3:1
Shigionoth is
a poem set to music and signals a
judgmental message:
Shiggayown (h7692) shig-gaw-yone' from 7686; prop. aberration, i. e. (tech.)
a dithyramb or rambling poem: -
Shiggaion, Shigionoth
Shagah (h7686) shaw-gaw'; a prim. root; to stray (caus.
mislead),
usually (fig.) to mistake, espec. (mor.) to transgress; by extens.
(through the idea of
intoxication) to reel, (fig.) be
enraptured: - (cause to) go astray, deceive, err, be ravished,
sin through ignorance, (let, make to) wander.
But they also have erred through wine, and
through strong drink are out of the
way; the priest and the
prophet
have erred
through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are
out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble
in judgment. Is.28:7
WINE is a mocker, strong drink is
raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not
wise. Pr.20:1
Like the Psalms, Habakkuk has an ending
instruction for singing this judgmental song:
The Lord God is my strength,
and he
will make my feet like hinds feet, and he will make me to
walk upon mine high
places. To the chief singer on my
stringed instruments. Hab 3:19
Consistent with this, Isaiah 5 shows that when
God sends a song it is a taunting proverb against those who have gone
astray through wine and music as they ignore God by ignoring His
Word.
In his always-lostness, David wrote:
(A Song or Psalm of David.) O God,
my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise (strike the strings),
even with my glory. Ps 108:1
Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. Ps.108:2
Psaltery is from:
Nebel (h5035) neh'-bel; from 5034; a skin-bag
(wineskin)
for liquids (from collapsing when
empty); hence a vase (as similar in
shape when full); also a lyre (as having a body of
like form): - bottle, pitcher, psaltery, vessel,
viol
David's nebel is from the Hebrew
word:
Nabal (h5034) naw-bale'; a prim. root; to wilt; gen. to fall away,
fail, faint; fig. to be foolish or (mor.) wicked; causat. to
despise,
disgrace: - disgrace, dishonour, lightly esteem,
fade (away, - ing), fall (down, -ling, off), do foolishly, come to
nought, * surely, make vile, wither..
David's singing is from the
Hebrew:
Shuwr (h7788) shoor; a prim. root; prop. to turn, i. e.
travel about (as a harlot or a
merchant): - go, sing. See also 7891.
The story of Jubal often retold as the story of
Genun (Jubal, Jabal, Tubal-Cain, Naamah) shows that he "handled" the
musical instruments without
authority much like he would
handle a woman. Satan is universally seen as the true father of
musical attempts to triumph over God who speaks in whispered words so
that only those with their mouth shut can hear:
"Yobal (Jubal). (Note: Jubilee or "a blast of
trumpets" is from Jubal which means "to lead with triumph or
pomp.") and Tobalkin (Tubal-Cain), the
two brethren, the sons of Lamech, the blind man, who killed Cain,
invented and made all kinds of instruments (or metal weapons) of
music.
The oldest harp ever found was in Ur. It
literally went into sheol with the kings female musicians who had
been buried alive. The harp had a bull image with "settings and
engravings" to make it very valuable. Such instruments made of wood,
silver, gold and precious gems was often the idol of the gods and it
was supposed to speak from the gods to the worshipers (for a price,
always for a price)?
"Yobal made reed
instruments, and harps, and flutes, and
whistles,
and the devils went and
dwelt inside them.
When men blew into the pipes,
the devils sang inside
them, and sent out sounds from inside
them.
"Tobalkin made cymbals, and
sistra,
and tambourines (or drums). And lasciviousness and fornication
increased among the children of Cain, and they had nothing to occupy
them except fornication--now they had no obligation [to pay] tribute,
and they had neither prince nor governor--and eating, and drinking,
and lasciviousness, and drunkenness, and
dancing and singing
to instruments of music, and
the wanton sportings of the devils, and
"the laughter
which affordeth pleasure to the devils,
"and the sounds of the furious lust of men
neighing after women. And Satan, finding [his] opportunity in this
work of error, rejoiced
greatly,
"because thereby
he could compel the sons of Seth to come down from that holy
mountain.
"There they had been made to occupy the place
of that army [of angels] that fell [with Satan], there they were
beloved by God, there they were held in honour by the angels, and
were called "sons of God," even as the blessed David saith in the
psalm, "I have said , Ye are gods, and all of you sons of the Most
High." Ps. 82:6 (In Rev 18 the craftsmen and musicians will go with
Babylon into Sheol). Click for
more.
Rather than a sign of superiority, all mass
meetings are made up of those lost in their futile search to find the
gods. This is the direct result of the clergy-produced spiritual
anxiety which Jesus came to destroy. We sincerely worry that Jubilee
99 and such schemes show that people are now in the end-time and
fatal "search from sea to sea" and "travelling to and from" to find
the lost god.
Rodney Howard-Browne himself has stated that he doesn't care if the devil is
present at the meetings. He comments:
"You can't have revival without
stirring up the flesh....When revival comes you will see manifestations of
these three things in
meetings: (1) the Holy Spirit; (2) the
flesh, and (3) the devil. But, I'd rather be in a church where the devil and the
flesh are manifesting than in a church where nothing is happening
because people are too afraid to manifest anything...Don't worry
about it. And if a devil manifests,
don't worry about that, either. Rejoice, because at least
something is happening!" [Rodney Howard-Browne, "The Coming Revival"
(1991), page 6]
It is a fact, however, that the burden Jesus
came to deliver believers from was: "Anxiety created by religious rituals." In the mind of Jesus nothing was supposed to happen
under the name of worship to attract the Seekers to keep the
evangelists from "Getting on their donkey and going into all the
world." Sure and certain judgment awaits any paid professional who
seeks to call the seekers unto himself so that he doesn't have to
obey the absolute command to "go
preach."
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