The trumpeters and singers joined I N U N I S O N in unison, as with one voice, to ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ give praise and thanks to the LORD. -2 Chronicles 5:13 A devotional series for the choir, the worship leader, and anyone desiring to experience or lead in a deeper worship experience. [See the end of this file for more information on the complete series.] The In Unison series is written by David S. Lampel. #3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ L O V I N G O N E A N O T H E R "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." -Matthew 22:36-38 NIV We show our love for God by lifting up to Him words of worship and praise. We call out His attributes, thereby proclaiming His lordship over our lives. But we also love God by loving each other. Worshiping God is not limited to those times we occupy stiff-backed pews. We are given the opportunity to declare our love for Him every day as we mingle with His children--brothers and sisters in Christ. The apostle John lays it out for us near the end of his first epistle. There he tells us * how we are to love God * how we are to love His children * the Lord's commandment regarding this John begins by answering the question, "How do we love God?" Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. -1 John 5:1 NASB Anyone who believes that Jesus is God's chosen one (the Messiah) is begotten of God. This is the same word Jesus uses when He explains to Nicodemus ". . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." -John 3:3 NASB And here John tells us that we love God by loving His children. But then he goes on to answer the next question, which is, "How do we love His children?" Surely there must be many ways we can show our love for each other--as many ways as there are those who do believe. What is the one acceptable way to love each other? By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. -1 John 5:2 And there it is: we demonstrate our love for each other by obeying God's commandments. Oh really; and what commandments would that be? John again: And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. -1 John 4:21 Is the apostle John taking us in circles? Not really. What he is saying is that when we enter God's family through the blood of Christ, we enter into an intimate relationship--not only with the eternal God of heaven, but also with those who share that same intimacy with Him. And He accepts our love for each other as love for Him. More than that, He commands us to demonstrate this love. How do we love God? One way is to worship Him directly--on our knees, with uplifted hands, with our hearts open and offered up. The other way to love God is to love each other--to lift up to Him the sacrifice of grace shown to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Mortar Between the Stones "God has a special building. Do you know what it is? It's the visible, living assembly of the redeemed saints. When we come together, we constitute the temple of God in a unique way. So, we are not only individual temples; collectively we are one great temple in which God dwells." (John MacArthur, True Worship, Moody Press, 1985) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Supplement to #3 Greek 25. agapao, ag-ap-ah'-o; perh. from agan (much) [or comp. Heb 5689]; to love (in a social or moral sense):-(be-) love (-ed). Comp. Grk 5368. Greek 5368. phileo, fil-eh'-o; from Grk 5384; to be a friend to (fond of [an individual or an object]), i.e. have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling; while Grk 25 is wider, embracing espec. the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety: the two thus stand related very much as Grk 2309 and Grk 1014, or as Grk 2372 and Grk 3563 respectively; the former being chiefly of the heart and the latter of the head); spec. to kiss (as a mark of tenderness):-kiss, love. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:34-35 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit_fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. -John 15:12-17 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. -Romans 13:8 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. -1 Thes 4:9 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. -1 Peter 1:22 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. -1 Peter 4:8 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. -1 John 3:11 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. -1 John 3:23 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. -1 John 4:7 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. -1 John 4:11-12 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. [6] And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. -2 John 1:5-6 (all NIV) On how this love is expressed: "Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action." (J.R. Lowell, quoted in More Gathered Gold (Evangelical Press, 1988), p.192.) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. -Eph 4:2-3 "Love--and the unity it attests to--is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the Father." (Francis Schaeffer, Ibid, p.193.) Copyright Information --------------------- All original material in IN UNISON is Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel. This data file is the sole property of David S. Lampel. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel."). This data file may not be used without the permission of David S. Lampel for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content. Brief quotations not to exceed more than 500 words may be used, with the appropriate copyright notice, to enhance or supplement personal or church devotions, newsletters, journals, or spoken messages. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the New International Version. NIV quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. NASB quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Unison was originally written for Music Ministers and Choir Directors to use in conjunction with their weekly rehearsals. It was syndicated in printed form, camera-ready for inclusion in choir newsletters or to be read to the choir as a devotional. It has also been used by Pastors and lay-leaders in many capacities. In Unison is evangelical, and speaks from the position that the choir does not perform for its own pleasure--nor for the pleasure of the congregation--but is, instead, a "prompter" leading and demonstrating the corporate worship for the pleasure of God. Each choir member--as well as every other leader standing on the platform--is responsible to do everything to point the congregation upward to God. In Unison also encourages individual and corporate excellence, based on the premise that after His sacrifice for us, our Lord deserves nothing less. Most issues of In Unison consist of two parts: * The main article has been written to be the "public" portion--either re-printed for each choir member or read to them during a devotional time. * The Supplemental material (accompanying most issues) has been included for the director or leader to use as background to further his or her own study. There is a total of 19 issues making up the complete In Unison series, representing by the following outline: 1. With One Voice 11. Because He Deserves It 2. Up Words 12. A Longing to Be Near Him 3. Loving One Another 13. Excellence: Beginning 4. Demonstrating Praise 14. Excellence: The Debt 5. The Spirit and the Flesh 15. Excellence: For the Prize 6. Three Little Words 16. Excellence: Why? 7. Obeying Our Parent 17. To Be Like Him 8. A Fragrant Offering 18. In Spirit and Truth 9. Worship the King 19. Honesty 10. His Wish, Our Desire ------------------------------------------------------------------- In Unison is distributed free-of-charge, without obligation, in service to our Lord and to His glory. Reader opinions are always welcome, as are insights into the published material. Send all comments to the address below. We always appreciate hearing when someone has been edified by this work. ------------------------------------------------------------------- To receive the complete series via e-mail, inquire with questions, or comment on the material send your request to: "dlampel@dlampel.com" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David S. Lampel "For from Him and through Him Winterset, IA USA and to Him are all things. dlampel@dlampel.com To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Rom 11:36) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/in.unison: inu-003.txt