At Focus tonight we're looking at Romans 14, as Paul shows how the gospel affects how we relate to brothers and sisters who have different views on disputable matters (in the passage it's food and special days). Where often such differences can quickly end-up causing frustration and friction, Paul calls all to seek the edification of others, following Christ's example. As Paul has shown since the start of Romans 12, the gospel brings about sober-minded selfless thinking with enemies, with authorities, and here across individual churches.
In the context of Christian Unions, student mission teams dedicated to speaking the gospel of Jesus Christ across campuses and colleges, often secondary issues can hamper such critical primary aims. One of these issues is often music/worship; does the way we concieve of music at our CU meetings hamper whether our brothers and sisters feel held back, restricted, left out, relegated, ignored in the work of the CU? The great thing about Romans 14-15 is that everyone is addressed and called to be selfless, which like the marriage in 1 Cor 7.1-4, is the result of gospel-thinking in the believer.
Mark Stone, a UCCF staff worker in the north-east, did a really practical seminar session on the topic of leading music in a CU context, up here in Durham in November. You can download the two files here (1) and here (2).
Bob Kauflin, a staff member of Sovereign Grace ministries, helpfully writes here in response to the question often raised about the fact that many of the songs we sing in our churches are bold declaratory statements of commitment to God. Given the reality of our battle to be faithful, and the struggles with the flesh, is it wrong to sing 'I will worship you alone'? Have we misunderstood the extent of our sinfulness? I have a tendency to be weary of those big statements knowing that tomorrow I'll be about to make an idol of something else - is this the right attitude? Or am I giving too little time to God's grace at work in my life teaching me to worship him alone?
