Norman B. Rohrer & S. Phil Sutherland

What is a new song then? It can only refer to the person who sings. It’s the song that bursts out from a "new heart" and a "new spirit" (Ezek 18:31). It’s the song of the "new man" who is a "new creation" in Christ (Eph 4:24; Col 13:10; 2 Cor 5:17). It’s the song of the pilgrims who have found a "new way" (Heb 10:20) and walk therein in "newness of life" (Rom 6:4c).

What’s a new song? It’s worship born out of experiences of the new man. It’s a Song of Deliverance, a Song of Delight, a Song of Devotion, a Song of Dependence, a Song of Dominion, a Song of Discipline, a Song of Doctrine, a Song of Declaration, a Song of Dedication, and a Song of Distress.

Under part 1 of this article which appeared in the last issue of this Magazine we studied the first five. We will study the remaining five in this part.

Our old life was characterised by disobedience and disorderliness. We were called the "children of disobedience" (Eph 5:6; Col 3:6). Possessed with a spirit of rebellion we were going our own way. The wrath of a righteous God was to come on us. But in His mercy and love He got our attention with the rod of affliction and chastisement (Heb 12:7,10). Our soul in appreciation of God’s strict but gracious dealing breaks forth into singing —

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word... It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes... I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me" (Psa 119:67,71,75).

As long as we walk in stubbornness resisting the voice of the Spirit, our spirits will be a stranger to the Song of Discipline. David confessed, "When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long" (Psa 32:3). But when he acknowledged his sin before God, he could shout for joy (v11). In his famous Psalm of sin confession he cried out, "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; and my tongue shall SING aloud of Your righteousness" (Psa 51:14).

The Song of Discipline celebrates the fatherhood of God. He loves His sons and daughters too much to let them go astray. The Song of Discipline celebrates the lordship of Christ. He cares for His disciples too much to let them walk in disobedience. The Song of Discipline celebrates the companionship of the Holy Spirit. He guards His saints too much to let them backslide. Under the trinitarian God we delight in discipline rather than dread it! We sing about it rather than sigh under it!

Unfortunately, songs on discipline, discipleship, self-denial and cross-bearing are rarely composed these days. Is it a sign of confusion so prevalent in Christendom today?

The lengthiest song in the Bible is the 119th Psalm. Everyone of its 176 verses is about the Word of God. The Nelson Study Bible gives this introduction to Psalm 119: "It celebrates the Word of God in a way that is almost exhaustive. This very lengthy poem is an acrostic: For each of the twentytwo consonants in the Hebrew alphabet, there are eight verses beginning with that letter. ... The Psalmist cannot stop praising God for His mercy and goodness in providing His people with instructions for living."

One weighty reason for the non-stop worship of David was the immeasurable greatness of God’s Word. He said, "I will PRAISE You with my whole heart ... I will WORSHIP toward Your holy temple... Because You have magnified Your WORD above all Your Name" (Psa 138:1,2). God reveals Himself primarily through His Word. "In the beginning was the Word!" Jesus Christ who is the express image of the Father is again "the Word which became flesh" (Heb 1:3; Jn 1:1,14). The written Word of God alone is infallible and any other source of revelation cannot have such a claim. Worship flows out naturally from a heart filled with the Word. That’s why we are admonished, "Let the WORD of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching .... SINGING with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col 3:16). This is the Song of Doctrine.

The modern Christian world of songs and music is flooded with songs and choruses which are doctrinally unsound, theologically incorrect and Biblically anemic. They of course excite the singers, but fail to exalt God according to Biblical revelation. This is why I constantly tell Christians that we cannot afford the luxury of setting aside the hymns of bygone days.

Fill your heart with the Word so your mouth may be filled with acceptable worship. Memorize Scripture passages which speak of the attributes of God and use them freely in worship. Let your own words be few, but saturate your praise with the very words of the Scripture. The Word of God is never outdated and it is always new and fresh (Mk 13:31; 1 Pet 1:24,25). The Song of Doctrine is thus ever a new song!

Of the over sixty hymns of Bishop William Walsham of the 18th century one of the most favourite is —

O Word of God Incarnate,

O wisdom from on high,

O truth unchanged, unchanging,

O light of our dark sky;

We praise thee for the radiance

That from the hallowed page,

A lantern to our footsteps

Shines on from age to age.

Psalm 96:1-3, "Oh, sing to the Lord a NEW SONG ... PROCLAIM the good news of His salvation from day to day. DECLARE His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples."

Psalm 40:3, "He has put a NEW SONG in my mouth — praise to our God; many will SEE it and fear, and will trust in the Lord."

The unregenerate man is blind to the things of God, deaf to the voice of God, and dumb to declare the praise of God. When he is brought under the power of the gospel, and freed from the shackles of sin, he shouts Hallelujah! He is not ashamed of Christ. He takes a stand for Him publicly. He identifies himself with God’s minority and declares His glory to those in the devil’s majority. He is out to plunder hell and populate Heaven. He hates being silent or neutral.

Witnessing for Christ is actually worship in public. It’s singing the Song of Declaration. Apostle Peter graphically explains this : "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may PROCLAIM the PRAISES of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light" (1 Pet 2:9). This is the theme of the "new song" of the twentyfour elders in Heaven who represent the saints (Rev 5:8-10).

Oh for a come-back of open-air singing as in the early days of Salvation Army! Let each local Church take out an open-air procession, atleast once a month, with all its members following the musicians and the choir across the main streets of the town. With so many Churches in each locality, such an exercise will make the gospel the talk of the town. With proper permission and as long as we don’t attack other religions, this will be an effective means of diffusing communities with the aroma of Christ (2 Cor 2:14). It would be better if preaching is not combined with such processions. Don’t sing about Zion or Jerusalem. It will be Greek and Latin to non-Christians. Choose songs on the love of God, His power, His salvation, and so on. Mobilising the entire congregation for such a monthly procession will be the first step in making each member a soulwinner. Shall we do less for the One who carried a heavy cross on His bleeding shoulders across a dusty road?

Singing songs of declaration on the streets will add a new dimension to our worship inside the sanctuary. It is then that the singing of choruses like, "From the rising of the sun to its going down," and "He is Lord ... Every knee shall bow..." will give us an enlarged understanding of the missionary heart of our God. A glorious poetry in the New Testament is a Song of Declaration (1 Tim 3:16) —

God was manifested in the flesh,

Justified in the Spirit,

Seen by angels,

Preached among the gentiles,

Believed on in the world,

Received up in glory!

Psalm 51:15,17, "O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall show forth Your PRAISE... The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a CONTRITE HEART — These, O God, You will not despise."

When we are born anew we come under a new management. Because we are purchased by God with the blood of His Son, we do not belong to ourselves any longer. Christ is not an addition to our lives, but He takes full control. If He is not Lord of all He is not Lord at all.

Psalm 45 is a song of love. True love demands total dedication. This Psalm begins as, "My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King" (v1). Verses 10 and 11 call for renouncing everything else: "Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him."

By giving away His only Son, God has proved to us that He withholds nothing from us (Rom 8:32). He has blessed us with "all" spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3). In that He has given us everything, He expects us to reciprocate it with total surrender. Jesus said that the greatest of all commandments was to love Him with all our heart, all our might, all our mind and all our soul (Mt 22:36-38).

The Song of Dedication from the depth of our heart is what pleases God most. Whatever we would do for Him must flow out of dedication. Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved Him more than anything else. Only after ascertaining this He commissioned him to feed His sheep (Jn 21:15-17).

Psalm 103 is another Song of Dedication. We repeat its first two verses so often in our prayers and songs. Let such repetitions serve as reminders to keep our dedication in tact. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME, bless His holy Name!" (v1). God is faithful to His covenant with us, and we must be faithful as well (v18). Fanny Crosby calls "perfect submission" as "my story" and "my song" in her world famous hymn, Blessed Assurance.

We must not think that the new song always means delight and jubilance. Both in the Scripture and in history, songs born out of distress and adversity have become more popular than songs of joy because there’s no human being without pain and problems. Not only non-Christians but also "we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves" (Rom 8:23).

The Book of Psalms is filled with songs of distress. For example, Psalms 3,11,12,27,46,49,59,64,91,121,139&146 speak of anxiety and fear; 16,92,102&130 — disappointment; 12,42,55,86,107&142 — discouragement; 7,9,10,17,35,52,56,94&109 — injustice; 3,13,17,25,27,69&91 — loneliness; 22,23,41&116 — sickness; 6,31,71,77,94&123 — sorrows and grief; 12,24,31,34,43,56&84 — stress; 10,86,90,94,126,138&142 — troubled spirit; 4,23,62,70,102&138 — weakness. These poems sound like our autobiography!

Let’s learn to turn our worries into worship, problems into praise, anguish into adoration, and trials into thanksgiving. When we thus make all our anxieties known to God through prayer and thanksgiving, the ununderstandable peace of God shall protect not only our hearts but also our minds from sinking in distress (Phil 4:6,7). Our mourning turns into dancing (Psa 30:11,12).

Norman B. Rohrer & S. Phil Sutherland

The imperfections you may be suffering today are nobody’s fault. Blaming your parents is futile, for them they must blame their parents until finally responsibility is lost.

In one sense you are not to be blamed either for your shyness. Your choices to be passive toward people were made long before you were capable of understanding the implications or the far-reaching consequences. You are responsible not for the past, not for the future, but for the present. What you do today is your complete responsibility. If you continue seeing yourself and your environment as you have in the past, your future will be the same as your present.

If you consider these 12 points, shyness will be only a minor problem, and your life will blossom into new and exciting dimensions.

Reminder 1: People of all ages experience shyness. Most hide it, but no one has escaped at least occasional anxiety.

Reminder 2: Shyness can be an asset. Shy people listen, create, reflect, plan, further science, scrub, and beautify the world. They are sensitive to social needs and are among the most helpful, nurturing people in our society.

Reminder 4: Shyness results from a vast number of causes. No two shy persons are alike. Each grew up with different adults and surroundings, each responded differently to the environment, and each will solve the problem of shyness differently.

Reminder 5: Though shy people tend to consider the non-shy to be in better mental health, extroverts are often more disturbed and suffer more intensely poor self-concepts than the shy. Extreme extroversion is generally a method of avoiding an honest look within, fearing the discovery of disturbing inadequacies.

Reminder 6: Shy people are not victims of measures beyond their control. Each chooses the behaviour and the world vision that seem efficient at the time. Thousands of choices from infancy to old age shape our destiny.

Reminder 7: Most bashful people feel they were intimidated by their environment and robbed by others of a chance to develop conversational skills. But shyness is not a problem primarily of verbal skill. It is more wide-ranging. It is a deliberate choice to remain passive in the presence of other people in order to maintain the fantasy of perfect relationships.

Reminder 8: Shyness is often maintained to cover up bad feelings. Most are willing to endure the anxiety and embarrassment of shyness because it masks the frightening anger and depression that lie near the surface.

Reminder 9: Shyness is a device to avoid what the timid consider to be threatening changes in how they view themselves and the world. They would rather cling to fantasies that test them by being active.

Reminder 10: Any experience that forces shy persons to fail in maintaining hypocritical human ralationships fosters growth. It can cause beneficial change in their representation of themselves and the world. Maturity comes from interaction with other people. Feedback from other people is absolutely necessary for growth.

Reminder 11: Changes occur gradually. Dramatically swift changes rarely sustain themselves. Piece by piece, bit by bit, slowly ... slowly our view of ourselves and the world becomes more realistic.

Reminder 12: Do not be afraid of who you are at the moment. You are constantly changing. Next year you will not be the same person you are today. As you move toward maturity, many transpositions will alter your perspective. Face each one fairly. Accept yourself today and you will better accept tomorrow.

Pray that God will send experiences, situations and people into your life to help you become less shy and give you a deeper appreciation for God’s wisdom and love in creating you the way you are.

Pray that you will be able to drop your defense so that you can enjoy life as God intended.

Ask God to help you approach nearer and nearer unto mature stature so you will be able to enjoy fully the world our heavenly Father created for you.

(From DECISION, April 1979)

Joe White

1. When your child is participating in an athletic event or musical performance, be there watching.

2. Help your son or daughter learn a new skill such as riding a bike, making a cake, or fixing a flat tyre.

3. Leave an "I love you" note in your child’s school lunch box.

4. Read a chapter together from your child’s favorite book.

5. Find a new way to trust your child by granting a new area of responsibility that he or she would both enjoy and benefit from.

6. When your teen-aged son or daughter comes in after meeting a girl-friend or boy-friend, have popcorn together.

7. Go out in the snow together and throw snowballs at a target (even a few at each other).

8. Listen to your child—with all your attention.

9. Help your child wash his or her bike (or tricycle).

10. Snuggle in bed together as you tell a good-night story.

11. Have a water-pistol fight. (Let your kids drench you).

12. Make up a secret code language and write messages to one another.

13. Say, "I’m proud of you!"

14. Prepare your child’s favorite dinner menu twice in one week.

15. Make up and tell stories with your kids as the heroes.

16. Bring home your child’s favorite candy bar.

17. Take an evening walk together.

18. Have a pillow fight together some night at bedtime.

19. Play games together.

20. The Bible’s love chapter says that love "is kind" (1 Cor 13:4). Think of a special way you can show kindness to your child today.

21. Take nature hikes together and collect leaves, acorns, rocks, moss, sticks, or whatever.

22. Spend a special time praying together for others—for the leaders and teachers in your church, for government officials, for any missionaries your child knows, for neighbours, for friends, for family members.

23. Keep a scrapbook of your child’s awards, newspaper clippings, photos and so on. Get it out often and look at it together.

24. Invite your son’s or daughter’s friends to your home to spend an evening.

25. Build a "Faith Growth Chart" on which you list prayers and answers in one column and memorized Bible verses in another. See your child’s faith grow!

27. After a scolding, tell your child, "Did you know I love you even when you’re naughty?" Then give him or her a hug.

28. Build and fly kites together.

29. Show your child a special card or picture he or she has given you that you’ve kept for a long time.

30. Give your child your full attention when he or she tells you what happened at school today, and provide a thoughtful response.

31. Compliment your child’s attempt to keep a tidy room.

32. Show your child one of his or her baby pictures and tell why it’s one of your favorites.

33. Help your daughter fix her hair in a special way.

34. Take a winter’s afternoon off and do a puzzle together.

35. Take your child out to breakfast (just the two of you) before school.

36. Before a big event in your child’s life—a birthday, a competition, a big test at school— decorate his or her room with crepe paper and posters.

37. Allow your child to plan the day for your family.

38. Go on a bike ride together around the neighbourhood.

39. Take your child out for a cricket match, and go out for dinner afterward.

40. Display (on the refrigerator or in another prominent spot) the artwork or other creations your child made at school, Sunday school, and so on.

41. Ask for your child’s opinion on a big family decision.

42. Cook breakfast together on Saturday morning.

43. Tell your spouse how proud you are of your child for something he or she did, and let him or her overhear your remarks.

44. As you notice your child making or doing something creative, call other family members to come and see.

45. Give your child a hug when he or she is feeling down.

46. Make pack lunches for you and your child, and enjoy them together at a local park.

47. Plant flowers or vegetable seeds with your child. As you together see the plants sprout and grow, talk about your child’s own growth — physically, intellectually, socially and spiritually.

48. Talk with your child about what you believe about God.

49. Talk openly with your child about your most significant convictions, and ask for his or her opinions in response.

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