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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is lifting His name related to this vs? | John 12:32 | Searcher56 | 78815 | ||
Scripture ... Psa 63:4, Joh 12:31-36 ... Has anyone else heard someone quote John 12:32, then say something about us lifting His name? Out music minister does, and I have others do so. But, I do not see even an indirect correlation. Psalm 63:4 comes close ... but, I do not even know where we are told to lift His name. Any ideas? |
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2 | Is lifting His name related to this vs? | John 12:32 | Aixen7z4 | 104043 | ||
Yes. But will they listen? The only purpose of this post is to encourage us to listen to one another. This is obviously hard to do. Those who want to lift up the name of Jesus will not listen because something tells them that they should. Can't we listen to them? Psalm 34:3 allows them to lift him up that. Exalting him and praising him are the same thing. “Exalt ”equals “Lift up”. It is the same thing. "Exalt" is the same as "lift up". The idea is to talk or sing about how great God is. And please don’t say we do not need to do that. Many scriptures encourage us to do that. Our brothers and sisters want to do that and here they tell their reasons. Their main reason is they want unbelievers to hear how great God is and to be attracted to him. That idea is soundly scriptural. Can’t we listen to them? I suggest that we need to read the passages cited and just think a little bit. Swift to hear. Slow to speak. That is what we are encouraged to do. The idea of lifting up Jesus is a scriptural idea. But it is not the kind of lifting up that Jesus was speaking of in John 12:32. Can't we just admit that? Lift him up. But use other scriptures. To insist that the idea is in contained John 12:32 forces us to focus on the cross and to rejoice and feel shame at the same time. It impels others to talk about crucifying him again and bringing him to an open shame. It causes one to wonder whether conversations like this do not bring him to an open shame. What if an unbeliever comes on to read his thread? What are they to think? And yet, some tell me that our 7-11 songs are not lifting up Jesus at all. (I only learned recently that that is what they call some of our songs, where we sing seven words eleven times and there’s no substance to it). "Lord, I lift your name on high". Does that mean that we are lifting his name on high? If I say, "I am preaching the gospel" does that statement constitute a preaching of the gospel? Contrast that with the psalms. Psalm 34:3 "O magnify the LORD with me". That is the call, only the call, the alarum, the alert. "Let us exalt his name together". That is only another alert. It is a "Get ready". Psalm 34:4 "I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears". Now, that is substance. That is praise. Now, we are lifting him up. Psalm 34:5ff "They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them". That is praise. That is saying good things about him. And do you wonder why we need to do it? It is first of all to give him his due. He says (Psalm 50:23) "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me". He is pleased with it. Not with empty words that say, "I am lifting you up". Lift him up with words that tell of the character he has and the actual things he has done. If you read Psalm 103, Psalm 104, Psalm 136, you cannot help but see that there is substance there. We need to have more than "I am singing, I am singing". Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him". This is where we invite the unbeliever to listen. It is his invitation to trust. It is the second reason we lift him up. We lift him up in song. That means we sing about his great deeds, and how wonderful he is. We want our unsaved neighbors to know that. That is one reason we lift him up. Please listen to them and do not accuse them of bad things. But they need to listen also. If it has not been said before, I say this here: Put some substance into the songs. Don’t just say you are lifting him up. Lift him up. Talk of the things he has done. Describe how wonderful he is. But I wonder if you will listen. You used to sing, "O Lord my God, when I with awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars. I hear the rolling thunder. Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee, How Great Thou art! ..." But you have abandoned songs like that for songs that say you are praising God when that is all they say. This is not a put down. It is the truth. And I am suggesting here that you listen. I am not suggesting that you listen to me. I am suggesting that you listen to yourselves. And listen to each other. |
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3 | Is lifting His name related to this vs? | John 12:32 | stjones | 104051 | ||
Greetings, Aixen7z4; In our church, we sing three or four "praise songs" prior to our formal worship time. Two of them talk about lifting up the name of Jesus. There may be others, but these are the only two I know. You say that songs should not "just say you are lifting him up. Lift him up. Talk of the things he has done. Describe how wonderful he is." Tell me if these songs don't do all of that: Lord, I lift your name on high. Lord, I love to sing your praises. I'm so glad you're in my life. I'm so glad you came to save us. You came from Heaven to Earth to show the way; From the Earth to the cross, my debt to pay; From the cross to the grave; From the grave to the sky. Lord, I lift your name on high. Majesty, worship His Majesty, Unto Jesus, be all glory, honor and praise! Majesty, kingdom authority, flows from His throne, Unto His own, His anthem raise. So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus. Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus the King. Majesty, worship His Majesty, Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings. Both songs contain the essential gospel; both praise Jesus for who he is and what he has done. They are simple songs - the first something of a children's song - they aren't pretentious or sophisticated; neither is worthy of Handel or Bach. But I think their straightforward words sung with grateful hearts are pleasing to Jesus' ears: "he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.'" (Matthew 18:3-5) Further, this blanket condemnation is simply false: "You used to sing, [words from traditional hymn, "How Great Thou Art"]. But you have abandoned songs like that for songs that say you are praising God when that is all they say." This is utter nonsense. We sing "How Great Thou Art" once or twice a year. During the formal worship service, we sing three hymns from the hymnal. Watts, Crosby, Spafford, the Gaithers, you name it. We also sing the Doxology. How much tradition to do you require? Praise songs may not be to your liking, or to the liking of others on this forum who seem to think that "lifting up" Jesus' name is pure heresy. But this is a matter of taste, not substance. I am amazed at the arrogance of fellow believers who presume to dictate which lyrics or which styles of music are acceptable and pleasing to God and which are not. The fact that such narrow-minded foolishness is propogated by people I normally respect is especially disheartening. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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4 | Is lifting His name related to this vs? | John 12:32 | Aixen7z4 | 104085 | ||
It is true. They do not listen. If you say anything to them they accuse you of ignorance and arrogance. The purpose of this present post is so they can have another chance to say what utter nonsense it is. They do not listen. They do not give you a chance to listen. But they are expert at insulting. By the way, I apologize for painting all modern songs a broad brush. Some of them do have substance and honor God and I sing them. It is my fault that I have not listened to some of them long enough to catch the words. OK. Go ahead and blast me for that. |
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5 | Is lifting His name related to this vs? | John 12:32 | stjones | 104090 | ||
Greetings, Aixen7z4; No blasting. I have developed an aversion to generalities, especially blanket condemnations of "the modern church" or "most Christians", etc. But I see that you didn't intend anything of the kind and I apologize if I blasted you earlier. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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6 | Is lifting His name related to this vs? | John 12:32 | Aixen7z4 | 104149 | ||
How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! I have come to see that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are a really wonderful people. There is no sarcasm here, and I mean every word of it. If you look at an individual tree, you may miss the beauty of the forest. Not that there is no beauty in a tree, but you have to look at it very closely and carefully. Step back and take a broader view and it is easy to see the beauty in a forest. Different kinds of trees jostle together when the wind blows. But together they are beautiful. Some are older, stiffer; show less flexibility and less movement. Some are younger, whippier, more easily excited. But they are together in the wind. They all feel the wind and they want to see the others respond and move in their same direction. That is the reason they bounce each other so. It is not to knock the other down, but to move him. They want to see him move in the right direction. There is resistance and counter-shoving, but the branches and the leaves are all moving and shaking somehow. Look at the forest in the wind. It not only looks good. It is in form, in moving, so express and admirable. But it is as a body that you can judge them best, and with that they would feel more comfortable. The reason? That is what the Bible talks about. They all care what the Bible says. The wind in the forest represents what is happening as the Holy Spirit moves them. But he does not move them from without. He is like an element in their blood or in their muscle, especially the heart muscle, and he moves them from within. They still jostle and push around like trees, but it is like a body that they function. They scratch and squeeze and massage and lean and support and intertwine. But at the end of the day they are all together. It is Jesus who said they are a body and it is his body they are. His life flows through them. His blood flows through them, and they understand that, for the life of the flesh is in the blood. Each part wants to see the life flow through the other part, and that’s why they push each other so. His word flows through them too, and each part wants to see the word flow through the other. And it does, as they push against each other. They are like a flock of sheep, grazing together, moving together, under the watchful eyes of the shepherd. They bunch together here and there, but there is one flock, and one shepherd. God leads them along, Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood; some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, in the night season and all the day long. Talking about singing, some of them don’t even like to sing. Some shout and some lip-synch and some just mouth the words. Some sing simple songs and some sing profound songs. Some sing old-time songs and some go for the modern type. They all try to influence the others to be more this way or that. They want to see Jesus get more praise. Each group resists. But Jesus blends them all together, and it is music to his ears. Some don’t like the way the others sing, but when they focus on Jesus, they don’t even hear the others. However, he hears all of them, and he accepts the praise. You see, he takes it from the heart. Some are further along in their understanding of Scripture, of course, and they can’t all see eye to eye. But when they look in Jesus eyes they all see eyes of love. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Father has pity on them that are his. And all who belong to Jesus are his. They all search the Scriptures, and they know that these are they that testify of him. And some love him so much they dig so deeply they may even think they see things that are not even there. Why, this here topic they’ve been squabbling on. Each one just wants to get close to the truth. And they all know that it is He who is the Truth. They all know that he was lifted up on the cross, for them. But they all want to lift him up for the entire world to see, how beautiful he is. And I lift them up here, because they are his body. And how beautiful it is! They may say they don’t need to be lifted up or they don’t want to be lifted up or, that Scripture does not say the church should be lifted up. But I am thinking of the Song of Solomon. The bride praises the groom and the groom praises the bride. You might say they lift each other up. And I know that Jesus finds his church so beautiful, even as she finds him altogether lovely. In all of this we greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, we are in heaviness through manifold argumentations; that the trial of our patince, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, we love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. |
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7 | We are one | John 12:32 | khuck | 104151 | ||
I liked that we are one in the Spirit as we are one in Christ. Thanks Noble... sometimes it's always good to be reminded. -Kathy |
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8 | We are one | John 12:32 | Aixen7z4 | 104175 | ||
Indubitably. Indissolubly joined. For through him we all have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore we are fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To him be glory forever. |
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