Author: Texas Gospel

The Book of Matthew

Does Matthew 10:24-23 apply to me or is it talking about someone else?

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 10:24-32

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Matthew records Jesus giving his apostles instructions as they get ready to preach to the lost children of the House of Israel.  Part of those instructions are recorded in Matthew 10:24-32.  Here we see Jesus telling his Apostles it will not be an easy road for them. Let’s take a close look at what else he said, and how we know his words have meaning for us today.

In verse 24, Jesus tells the apostles a, “…student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.” (Matt. 10:24 NIV) I believe Jesus is letting them know just how bad it’s going to get for them because in the next verse he says, “It is enough for the disciple that he may become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!”  It seems clear to me He’s telling them, if people accused Jesus of this, then the apostles can expect to be called the same, or even worse. This is what Jesus told his apostles, but how do we know these verses have meaning for us?

Jesus gave these instructions to his apostles as they were heading out to preach specifically to Jewish people. Our directive today is quite different; we are to preach to all. It is also true we are disciples, not apostles. A disciple is anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. An apostle is someone Jesus directly sent to preach. Jesus’ instructions here are clearly for his chosen apostles for a specific task. I think it’s reasonable to infer from these verses that we may face persecution, but we need to recognize that an inference from scripture is not scripture itself. I am not saying that no one today is persecuted; far from it.  My point is these verses are Jesus’ instructions to his apostles and they are told they WILL be persecuted. While we may experience persecution, we are not always going into places comparable to the places the apostles went. Today we do not always meet the kind of danger they faced. I would argue that it depends on where one goes to preach. In most countries today we are not likely to be handed over to the government for prosecution.

I think it’s important at this point to mention that the above text is from the New International Version, and it says a “student” is not above the teacher.  The NASB uses the word “disciple.” I think the word disciple, used in this context, tells us that the warning of persecution applies to us as disciples when we are in a similar situation; that is, when we present the Gospel to those who’s doctrine and authority are questioned by God’s Word. I hope my reasoning here shows just how much care we should use before saying “the Bible says” to assure we do not unknowingly add to it. This requires a close reading.

Jesus ended his set of instructions in verses 32-33 saying, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” I hope I don’t sound like I’m splitting hairs with this next question.   In this context, when Jesus says “Whoever,” does this mean to whoever the apostles spoke, or does this include anyone, including those to whom the apostles have not spoken? I think it is most likely talking about anyone who acknowledges, not just to whoever the apostles spoke, because of what we see in other scriptures. God demands acknowledgement. It doesn’t matter if we are speaking of Old or New Testament.  Proverbs tells us, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” In New Testament books like Luke we see Jesus telling people, “…everyone who confesses Me before people, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God; 9 but the one who denies Me before people will be denied before the angels of God.” Is it not clear that God demands confession before others?

Do his words apply to us?  I believe so. I also believe they should not be presented without context or we risk changing their meaning.  What are your thoughts?

Retirement of Dixie Melody Boys

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SPECIAL: DAYWIND RECORDS

Ed O’Neal announced Tuesday the retirement of the name of The Dixie Melody Boys.

Mr. O’Neal has been a part of the fabric of southern gospel music for more than 60 years. He was inducted into The Southern Gospel Music Hall Of Fame in 2004 and has won the prestigious Marvin Norcross Award. He says, “The past few years have been very challenging. I appreciate the promoters and pastors who have supported The Dixie Melody Boys, especially over the last few years, and I commend the guys who have worked really hard to keep the legacy of The Dixie Melody Boys alive. They have represented Ed O’Neal and The Dixie Melody Boys with class, and I appreciate that, but after a very deliberative, thoughtful and prayerful period of time, I feel the best thing to honor the heritage of the Quartet is to retire the name.”

Mr. O’Neal is 86 and sites health as the primary reason for his decision.

Southern gospel fans won’t soon forget Ed O’Neal and The Dixie Melody Boys.

The Inspirations to release retrospective collection, Ageless Treasures

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CROSSROADS RECORDS

Arden, North Carolina (March 14, 2023) — Throughout the last few years, the latest generation of storied Southern Gospel quartet The Inspirations were a highlight of the National Quartet Convention, featured on the cover of Singing News magazine, and winners of the publication’s fan awards for favorite album and favorite young artist. As the group prepares to record new music, they are pausing to look back at decades of music with Ageless Treasures, a two-disc retrospective of fan-favorite songs set to be released April 14. It’s now available for pre-order, add or save.

Since forming in 1964, The Inspirations‘ distinct sound has always been instantly recognizable and has changed little across 57 years of recordings — no matter who was singing. This sound carries through the 30 songs on Ageless Treasures, which features #1 songs “I’ll Not Turn My Back On Him Now,” “If You Only Knew” and “I Have Not Forgotten”; fan favorites like “We Need To Thank God” and “In The Twinkle Of An Eye”; and classics such as “They’re Holding up The Ladder” and “I’ll Have A New Life.”

Says lead vocalist Roland Kesterson, “For the last 22 years, The Inspirations have been blessed to have been on the Horizon Records label. Over the span of two decades, we have recorded some songs that have become fan favorites, songs that we still stage today and have requests for each night. Every song we sing is special to us, however, only a few stand the test of time and become ageless, in other words songs that never get old.”

“As you listen to this collection,” he continues, “it’s our prayer that each song not only blesses your heart but fills your mind with memories of the first time you heard them and how God has used these songs to minister to you as well as us. We hope you can once again enjoy our Ageless Treasures.” 

The Book of Matthew

The danger of out-of-context Bible verses

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 10:16-23 NASB

Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves. 17 But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings on My account, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking in you.

“Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

“But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 10:16-23 tells us Jesus gave instructions to his disciples as he sent them to preach to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He warned them they will face persecution and opposition; that they will be as sheep among wolves. I want to use these verses today to illustrate some important things about scripture reading.  Scripture must be understood within context, sometimes we have questions that require us to look at other books of the Bible, and it’s important to know the difference between inferring something inferred from the Bible and the Bible itself.

Let’s start with Context. It is important any time we read the Bible. It’s one of the reasons we should be careful accepting someone’s message based on a Bible verse without understanding the context of that verse.

Matthew tells us of Jesus giving instructions to the 12 apostles. Some of what he says in Matthew is clearly specific to the apostles only for the job they are about to do. I say this because Jesus told them when they preach, “Do not go on a road to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of Samaritans.” But after the apostles finished their mission, and after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus told them, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…” The first instruction that the apostles not to preach to the Gentiles and Samaritans was meant for them, not me. It was also meant for them at a specific time for a specific purpose. Consider that the order not to preach to the Gentiles will contradict the second instruction to preach to everyone if the reader ignores context. There are well-meaning Christians who hear a scripture and make dogmatic statements based on it without taking time to understand its context. Some things, like Jesus’ telling the Apostles not to preach to the Gentiles, do not apply to you. What I’m saying is you must consider who is speaking to whom and for what reason or you can inadvertently add or subtract to God’s word. We are fortunate that there is more than one account because more than one apostle recorded what he saw. Sometimes the context of another apostle’s book sheds light on how a verse should be understood.

Consider Matthew’s recording of Jesus’ promise to his disciples that the Spirit of the Father will give them the words to say when they are called before rulers and authorities. Is this an instruction to the apostles only? Does this instruction apply to me? Matthew is speaking directly to the Apostles about the journey they are about to take, so I understand this to mean his words apply to them only. So, let’s look at what another apostle had to say and consider inferring from it.

One could say Luke cleared this up when he told a crowd, “The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say at the moment when you need them.” But again, he was speaking to a group at a specific time for a specific purpose.  I could infer from this that it applies to me because he was speaking to a crowd, but I can’t say the Bible tells me so because my inference could be mistaken. I see nothing wrong with inferring things from scripture as a guide as long as it is not presented as being scripture.

The message in Matthew’s writings is very relevant. It is important enough that we should use care to understand it beyond a superficial reading, and certainly not through snippets removed from context.  That’s a sure way to misunderstand any important writing.

What are your thoughts?

On the web:

CROSSWALK: What Should Pastors Know about Matthew 10?

The Kingsmen revisit classic songs on Decades, a stunning retrospective

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SPECIAL CROSSROADS MEDIA

Arden, North Carolina (February 21, 2023) — One can hardly begin to count the ways in which the world has changed since 1959, yet at least two things have been constant from then until now: the already timeless message of the Christian Gospel, and its powerful delivery through the music of Southern Gospel greats, The Kingsmen. Now, as their newest lineup prepares for its full-length debut release later this year, the legendary quartet and their label of some 30 years, Horizon Records, offer Decades, a stunning 2-disc retrospective full of highlights from that storied career, some neglected treasures — and the reappearance of some of the group’s very first recordings, unheard for over 60 years. The album is now available for pre-order, add or save ahead of its March 24 release. 

“For the last couple years, we have been trying to get into the studio and re-record some of our favorites,” says baritone singer Alan Kendall. “Yet due to timing never quite being just right, we came to the decision that we would rather focus our recording efforts toward recording more new material. 

“However, when Drew Laney, Thomas Nalley, and Cole Watson joined us, we began looking for some Kingsmen material from years past that we felt would fit them stylistically — and wound up thinking that re-releasing some of these old favorites in their original form would be something that the fans would enjoy. We have not only selected some of the greatest hits of the Kingsmen, but also some of those ‘forgotten gems’ that we felt needed to be heard once again.”

“We also came across a 1959 EP on 45RPM, while visiting at the home of original baritone Raymond McKinney, with music that hasn’t been heard in over 60 years: Reece McKinney, bass; Raymond, baritone; Frank Cutshall, lead; Jack Henderson, tenor; and Eldridge Fox at the piano. This early quartet, even under such primitive recording conditions, was an outstanding singing group, and we are thrilled to add all four of these largely-unheard performances to the collection.”

“In 1959, the Kingsmen were appearing regularly on WHBK Radio in Marshall, NC, and performing whenever we were given the opportunity,” recalls Raymond McKinney.  “We would rehearse at my house weekly, and one night, we recorded four songs during one of these very rehearsal sessions. We had no idea what lay in store for the Kingsmen in the years ahead, but I am fully convinced that God has had His hand on the Kingsmen ministry from the very beginning. I hope you enjoy this collection of music by the Kingsmen Quartet down through the years, including the four songs from 1959 which have not been heard in more than six decades.”

Opening with one of those precious historical recordings, Decades winds through the years, sampling the group’s supremely rich catalog of long-retired and still active songs and lineups, right up to the current decade’s previously-unreleased “Shaking Off The Clay,” recorded during the session for 2021’s More To The Story. Mixing studio performances with spirit-filled live recordings that range from the homespun classic quartet sound to elaborate arrangements, it’s both a reminder of The Kingsmen’s unique legacy and contribution to Southern Gospel, and a token of contributions still to come.