I can’t begin to explain the frustration I undergo when perusing through the music section of my local “Christian” store in search of quality Christian music-it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. I’ve listened to snippets of some of these albums (which only confirms my apprehension of the obvious) and God is scarce in the majority of these contemporary songs…”Christian” music has been reduced to little more than PMA with very obscure references to God and little to no doctrinal content. The artists themselves seem to be in competition to look very much like the world or whatever fad seems to be dominant at the time (when did we become so obsessed to be like and look like the world?).
OK, ’nuff ranting, here’s what I want us to take notice of in contrast to the song by Phillips, Dean, and Craig (and most “christian” music today). I want to examine “Come, O Thou Prophet of the Lord” by Charles Wesley Sr. (1707-1788) in light of scripture just to show how far Christian music as strayed from biblical truth-note how intertwined with doctrine this Hymn by Wesley is:
Come, O thou Prophet of the Lord (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22)
Thou great interpreter divine, (Luke 24:27)
Explain thine own transmitted word, (John 16:13-15)
To teach and to inspire is Thine; (Luke24:32; John 14:26)
Thou only canst Thyself reveal, (2 Peter 1:20)
Open the book, and loose the seal (Rev. 5:5)
What’er the ancient prophets spoke (2 peter 1:21)
Concerning Thee, O Christ, make known
Chief Subject of the scared book, (John 5:39, 46)
Thou fillest all and Thou alone (Ephesians 1:23; 4:10)
Yet there our Lord we can not see, (1 Cor. 12:3)
Unless Thy Spirit lend the key (Luke 11:52)
Now, Jesus , now the veil remove, (2 Cor. 3:13,14) (Romans 1:21)
Unfold the wonders of Thy love, (Psalm 119:18)
The knowledge of Thyself impart; (Ephesians 4:13)
Our ear, our inmost soul, we bow, (Proverbs 22:17)
Speak, Lord, Thy servants hearken now. (1 Samuel 3:10)
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