Welcome to ASK A PASTOR

[Forum Moderator / Kaskasero]

This thread is intended for all who have questions on spirituality, God, the Bible, ministry, church or other related topics.

Our good friend "cruiserbyker" has agreed to try to answer all your questions biblically as best he can as soon as he can so you can get insights from someone trained and experienced in studying the Bible, walking with God and being a biker - a rare combination to find in a man.

We hope we can help you find the answers you are looking for.

[Forum Moderator / Kaskasero]

Mga bro... baka gusto nyo magtanong dito or mag-pm (kung nahihiya kayo) kay cruizerByker. The man knows and follws God and is a biker as well. Feel free to ask anytime.

[elberttango]

Dear Pastor,
I know that being saved and free from sin by the blood of Jesus Christ does not mean that one should continue to sin.
God gave man laws that should be followed to please him. My question is, are we under all the law God gave to the Israelites or just the ten commandments? When a saved person has a tattoo, is he sinning since the Lord gave instructions to the Israelites not to have tattoo marks on their bodies? Or how about a man wearing earrings and bangles or even sporting a long hair? Is a man even sinning by eating pork, squid, crabs, lobsters?
Thank you and may God enlighten me on this matter.

[cruiserbyker]

NO, we are no longer "under the law". (will be explained later)

The Bible says,
Rom 6:14
...you are not under law , but under grace.
Gal 5:18
...if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law .

It has to be very clear however that it does not mean that we are now free to ignore or disregard and disobey all the laws of God. Being "not under the law" simply means that we can neither earn righteousness nor be declared righteous before God by obeying the law.

The Bible says,
Rom 3:20
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law;
Rom 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the lawNow, if the question is, do we still need to obey ALL the laws of the old testament?

First, we have to understand that the OT is composed of several 'law categories'. Some are dietary laws, ceremonial laws, civil laws, some has to do with health, etc. All of them speak about the character of God and are all important as part of His revelation to us. However, since they are given in to a specific group of people at a specific time, with a specific context, these laws needs interpretation. In other words, although the principles have universal application, most of them can no longer be applied in our time.

When Jesus and his disciples were criticized for not observing the ceremonial laws, he made the following statements

Mark 7:14-15 (read from verse 5)
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'" [applicable to dietary and ceremonial laws]

Paul had so much to say along this line...

The most important point however is this, since Jesus is the fulfilment of the law- that is, He satisfied what the law requires by becoming the atoning sacrificial Lamb of God, ALL THE LAWS regarding the temple worship and all the laws related to offering sacrifices, are no longer applicable in the New Testament. Otherwise, we would be rejecting Christ and fall from the grace of God.

Here's Paul,
Gal 5:4
4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace

In other words, trying to please God and earn righteousness by obeying the Law is tantamount to rejecting Christ and falling from God's free gift of salvation.

So? what's the answer? Her'e' Paul again,
1 Cor 9:20-22
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law ), so as to win those not having the law.

In short, not all the OT laws are applicable to us now [in that sense, we are no longer under the law].
But, all the laws of Jesus (which includes the 10 commandments... AND MORE!), we must follow them.

Now, about the tatoo, long hair, (food issue has been answered), etc, they are all OUTWARD issues. Although the New Testament had no discussion on the said issues, Paul's position on circumcision (compliance to the OT Law) is very much applicable.

Gal 6:15
15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation

Rom 2:28-29
28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.


Sana nakatulong bro.

[<<Batman>>]

^ Laking tulong

Galing ng explanation ni pastor...

[chippoy]

Puwede sa Tagalog? hehehe. Galing talaga ni Pastor!

[Forum Moderator / Kaskasero]

Amen Brother. I understood this topic even before but now in better light. Great explanation bro.

[elberttango]

FYI lang po
(May 16, 2009 Bible Study - dagdag kaalaman )
Topic: Praise and Worship

About Worship
1.Worship God actively - see Psalm 150:6 "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
2. Worship God always - see Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
3. Worship God lively
Biblical ways to worship
a)WORDS see Psalm 9:1 "I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works."
b)SINGING see Psalm 9:2 "I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High."
c)CLAPPING and SHOUTING see Psalm 47:1 "O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph."
d)STANDING see Psalm 134:1 "Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD."
e)LIFTING UP OF HANDS see Psalm 134:2 "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD."

4. Worship God accurately - see Revelations 19:8 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."


Hello Pastor, this is the Bible Study of the week of the FaithRiders.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ correct me if I understood differently.
I understand that Revelation 19:8 speaks of heavenly worship. Wherein all the saints(those who will make it to heaven) will be clothed in fine linen, pure and white for the wedding of the Lamb meaning where we will meet Jesus face to face.

Romans 12:1 commands us to present to God a worship that is acceptable. Our selves. Not because it is a Sunday duty.

Those verses quoted in the book of Psalms 47:1 speaks of singing and clapping of hands. I understand that the whole Psalm 47 speaks of victory of the Israelites over their enemies. Can this type of worship acceptable in a church?
I was once told that there is a verse in the bible that God wants "order" in the church. What is this verse? Is this the biblical basis of the church "IGESIA NI KRISTO" that even the sitting arrangement between men and women are separated? Is this the reason why some churches do the "solemn" type of worship. I am attending a baptist church and this "solemn" type of worship is what we are offering to the Lord. Come to think of it, I did observe that women in our church sit on the left hand side while men on the right. especially on wednesday prayer meeting. I'll go ask about this later at church.
Pastor, I did observe that from the verses mentioned above, God wants us to offer our voices to Him, to sing for Him, however bad or good our voices are but it does not mention that we should use musical instuments. Does God forbid musical instruments? Sometimes I am more drawn to the sound of the piano more especially when the pianist is really good. Silly me.

Dear God, thank you for your time and may you bless Pastor CruiserByker for answering our quiries.

[ichthusjanz]

I'm no Pastor but I believe that verses in the Psalms such as the ones below would cite praise and worship using instruments.

Genesis 4:21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.

Job 21:12 "They sing to the timbrel and harp And rejoice at the sound of the flute.

Psalm 45:8 All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad.

Psalm 149:3 Let them praise His name with dancing; Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.

Isaiah 38:20 "The LORD will surely save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the LORD." (NASB ©1995)

Stringed instruments were used in worship since the OT times. And yes the piano is a stringed instrument.

[rideralf]

May 19, 2009 11:58:52 GMT 8 elberttango said:

FYI lang po
(May 16, 2009 Bible Study - dagdag kaalaman )
Topic: Praise and Worship


I was once told that there is a verse in the bible that God wants "order" in the church. What is this verse?

This might be the verse you were referring to...

Let all things be done decently and in order. 1COR 14:40 (NKJV)

In my opinion, it is so easy to misunderstand a verse and take it out of context. I believe that to really understand a verse requires the reader to take in the entire context which means taking entire chapter and book, if need be.

In the first place, I believe God did not intend chapters and verses and chapters/verses were only put by human scholars to aid in our reading and understanding. Most of the books in the New Testament were letters (hence the term epistle) to the concerned people/locations and it may help our understanding if we read them in the way it was originally intended to be - a letter to the reader. Sadly, people now pluck verses out from the Bible without taking the entire context and interpreting the verse to suit their specific need.

Hope this helps...

[elberttango]

"Isaiah 38:20 "The LORD will surely save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the LORD." (NASB ©1995)"


Thank you for this verse Jandy.

[cruiserbyker]

May 19, 2009 11:58:52 GMT 8 elberttango said:

FYI lang po
(May 16, 2009 Bible Study - dagdag kaalaman )
Topic: Praise and Worship

About Worship

Those verses quoted in the book of Psalms 47:1 speaks of singing and clapping of hands. I understand that the whole Psalm 47 speaks of victory of the Israelites over their enemies. Can this type of worship acceptable in a church?

I was once told that there is a verse in the bible that God wants "order" in the church. What is this verse? Is this the biblical basis of the church "IGESIA NI KRISTO" that even the sitting arrangement between men and women are separated? Is this the reason why some churches do the "solemn" type of worship.

Does God forbid musical instruments?

before i answer the questions above, let me just say something about my background. lahat may kinalaman sa 3 questions.

1. i was once a member of the INC. some of our relatives are still members of the said church. i know how "orderly" is their worship assembly.

2. i became a Christian through a pentecostal/charistmatic pastor and i've been a member of that church. dun ako nag grow.

3. i went to a seminary, altough, non-denominational, pero very solemn ang practice of worship.

now i'm pastoring an ABCCOP church - a church whose practice is somewhere in between.

Here's my answer:

1. Can this type of worship acceptable in a church? YES

Yes, we can and we must, because
(a) we are told to offer our bodies as living sacrifices... it is called "worship" (Ro 12).
(b) we are told to use our bodies as instruments of righteousness (Ro 6). Then,
(c)we are commanded to be in communion with God all the time. Lastly,
(d) in John 4, Jesus said that we must worship God in spirit and in truth.

In other words, genuine worship is a lifestyle and it is primarily a matter of the heart. It transcends the geographical, cultural, and time issues. The questions of when, where, and how to worship God are almost NOT an issue in the NT anymore. We must worhip God all the time, anywhere, with all that we have and with all that we are. If ever there are issues relating to when, where, and how to Worship now, they must all be for practical (not moral) reasons

2. ridealf already gave the verse. and he pointed out a very important Bible interpretation principle, the context. good point.

Yes, although there are other reasons, that is where the INC is coming from. Honestly, on the OUTWARD, there is nothing wrong with the way the INC churches worship. The FORM is great - in order talaga. Comparing it with most Christian churches, i would say that the INC is more "biblical" when it comes to the area of orderliness. Of course, ibang usapan na kapag ang tanong ay acceptable ba sa Diyos ang worship nila?

Let me give you something to think about: Do you realize that despite all the celebrative, feastive sound of the book of psalms, worship inside the temple is at its most solemn level? the fear of God and reverence to the holiness of God is so intense that everything must be done as God instructed, otherwise the high priest or anyone who dishonors God will die.
Of course, that's not the case in the NT now. but, if we are using the OT Book of Psalms as basis of our worship practice today, shouldn't we also learn from the OT way of temple worship? Why be selective in choosing the Scripture basis for our common worship practice today?

sa totoo lang, your 1st question is challenging because of the phrase "...in a church", if you are refering to a sunday worship where the church gather in one place for corporate worship.

To put it simply...yes, we are told to worship God freely and joyfully but not in chaos. There must be order in everything because God is the God of order.


3. NO, God does not forbid the use of instruments in worship. But, i must admit, that in the NT, there is not one passage where we are commanded to use instruments. In addition to that, our church fathers in the history of Christianity, did not use instruments in their worship. Debates on this matter arose only in the 16th century but the actual practice of using musical instruments and gained popularity only in the mid-20th century. can you imagine, ang musical instruments ay ginamit lang ng mga Christian churches sa panahon na buhay na ang mga magulang natin... ang ilan sa mga nagpasimula at nagpasikat ng pag gamit ng mga insturmento sa mga gawain sa simbahan ay buhay pa hanggang ngayon. So, if we think that the use of musical instruments has always been a "Christian practice", we are wrong.

That is why, although OUR church worship is very contemporary, nag-iisip din ako ng husto about this.

For now, let us worship God FREELY, from the heart because that's what really matters... but not CHAOTIC. Let us be very careful not to loose our sense of reverence and fear when we approach the throne of the Most Holy and Most High God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

[<<Batman>>]

^ Very well explained, wisdom from God indeed! Thanks pastor cruiserbyker...and to janz & rideralf as well.

I'm learning a lot...so Elbert, keep the questions coming .

[ichthusjanz]

Whew... truly a man of God provides great insights to the wisdom of the Lord. Thanks to Ptr Ronnel for sharing that very detail view of worship.

@elbertango
See the musical instrutments as a tool enhance worship. But let us not think that the lack thereof (instruments) should hinder true worship.

As I see it, expression of worhip through musical instrument (just like our own voices when we sing) is the manifestation of what's in our hearts when we give reverence to God.

[ichthusemz]

well explained Pastor.... mala online BS na tayo... nextime with webcam na tayo..hehehhe

[chippoy]

Right on the dot.

[cruiserbyker]

May 21, 2009 20:10:03 GMT 8 ichthusjanz said:

Whew... truly a man of God provides great insights to the wisdom of the Lord. Thanks to Ptr Ronnel for sharing that very detail view of worship.

@elbertango
See the musical instrutments as a tool enhance worship. But let us not think that the lack thereof (instruments) should hinder true worship.

As I see it, expression of worhip through musical instrument (just like our own voices when we sing) is the manifestation of what's in our hearts when we give reverence to God.

thanks, bro. salamat sa Lord

i was reading on this subject when i came accross a british bible scholar who said something like this: "musical instruments are as good as the chairs that we use on sundays. We USE them when we worship God... very important... almost a necessity we can't worship without... but they do not worship God. We do. we just use them." I agree.

Kaya, kung paanong we put value on the PEOPLE who sit on those chairs and not on the chairs mismo (in fact, hindi na nga natin napapansin ang mga upuan), that's how we should value the WORSHIPERS... and if we can, ignore those instruments. as they are called, they are INSTRUMENTS. Along this line, we can say how "awkward" (ang bait ng term) it is when we put so much attention on the guitar, drums, keyboard/piano, etc.

I think, if God wants to listen to good music, he would not listen to us, not even to the best musician on earth. I think, as the Bible says, and as Matt Redman said in his song, "The Heart of Worship"

When the music fades
And all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless your heart

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus


(All together now, SING! ;D)

[chippoy]

When the music fades
And all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless your heart

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus

>> singing na po, baka may chords tayo diyan? hehehe

[rideralf]

May 22, 2009 13:00:13 GMT 8 chippoy said:

When the music fades
And all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless your heart

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus

>> singing na po, baka may chords tayo diyan? hehehe

[chippoy]

You're the man Bro Alfred! Thanks! Ganda nung kanta!