OCI Reports

Steven Grabiner

Outpost Centers International

Episode 15- Health Education Resources (HER)

Episode 14- Uchee Pines Institute & Instituto Quebrada Leon

Andrew Foulds

Capital Area SDA Church

In Harmony With God?- Music Overview

We thank you for the blessing from the service we've had this morning and we just pray that we can get a blessing out of this message.

Anoint my lips with the Holy Spirit, that I may not speak of myself or for my own glorification, but for yourself and your glorification and the advancement of your kingdom.

Let every heart be touched and create a desire in each 1 to seek more earnestly after you in Jesus name I pray amen Okay, so the title of this presentation is called in harmony with god and it's going to be on biblical principles of music and worship.

I'm a Bible instructor and associate speaker of American Christian Ministries and it's my privilege to be able to speak to you today.

Now I'll warn you this presentation has some clips of music that are not appropriate.

Now the reason why, there's no curse words or any of that stuff, but the reason why that is is to prove a point and show you the point of music.

So we're going to look at a little bit biblical worship and music.

Before that I like to tell you a little bit of my testimony just to give you a little bit of background of who I am and a little bit of my qualifications for speaking on this subject.

I've been a Seventh-Day Adventist for just over 2 years, and before that I was a Lutheran, so I was out in the world.

And I am an ex-drummer, and I was a percussionist for almost 10 years.

And I played in jazz band, concert band, marching band, drum corps.

As a matter of fact, I even helped write the cadence for it.

So music has been something that's very, very near and dear to my heart my whole life.

Even before, I think that was fifth grade when I started playing a snare drum.

Before that, music was always a part of my life.

So music is something that is, it's a passion of mine, and that's why I'm here speaking about it today.

I currently sing, as you've heard this morning, and I currently play guitar and I occasionally practice the glockenspiel.

So my question to you, a glockenspiel, it's like, do you know what a marimba is or a vibraphone?

It's a metal keyed percussive instrument.

So what kind of music is glorifying to God?

Yep, so we have sacred instruments and we have whatever the world says usually is not necessarily the right thing.

So let's turn to 1 Corinthians 10.31 in our Bibles.

Oh, you thought you were going to read it off the slide, huh?

I always like to get physically in the Bible because, you know, when you're spending time in your Bible with God, it's a relationship that you gain with Him.

So 1 Corinthians 10, 31, it says, Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." So what this teaches us about worship, worship is not about us at all.

As a matter of fact, worship is about the king of the universe.

So that means everything we do, whether it be singing, whether it be preaching, whether it be taking up the offering, whether it be dressing for church, whatever it would be, it's to be to God's glory and not to ourself.

John 4 23 it says, but the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

For the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

So what we find out from here is that now, as it says in Romans, now is the time for salvation.

And it says now is the time that worshipers shall worship the Father in truth and in spirit.

Now we heard a very good sermon this morning that was talking about what truth is.

Romans 8, 1 to 2, it says, "'There is therefore now no condemnation to them "'which are in Christ Jesus, "'who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." So this spirit that it's talking about is the spirit of God, which means that we aren't doing things carnally of our carnal nature but we are doing things of God and of His nature following after Him.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, does anybody remember the parable that was used?

It's the parable that was used to sum up the entire sermon on the mount.

And Jesus says, somebody who follows after me and hears and does what I say, I liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock.

Jesus, and it could be even said as the Word of God.

Okay, but in your house it's probably stuff you like to do, right?

In your house, it's stuff that you like to do, not me, right?

Okay, so we could liken the house to your lifestyle.

So what he's saying is a wise man that hears my sayings and does them, He is wise because he builds his lifestyle on the foundation of the word of God.

And the worship has to be glorifying to God alone, not glorifying to ourselves and in his spirit.

It says, for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." So what does this conclude to?

In each and every 1 of us, there is a battle that is going on, and it's this carnal nature, and Romans, I love Romans, it's my favorite book of the Bible, and it talks about this battle that's going on between us, inside of us.

It's the carnal nature versus the spiritual nature.

And the carnal nature is that old man that we are to reckon dead.

But he's suppressed by the power of Christ and only through his power.

And that's why we're talking about the subject of music here.

Do we have any ideas why music might have been created?

And we'll talk a little bit more about that.

Music was created to serve a holy purpose, to lift the thoughts to that which is pure, noble, and elevating, and to awaken in the soul devotion and gratitude to God.

What a contrast between the ancient custom and the uses to which music is now too often devoted.

Instead of using it to glorify God, a love for music leads the unwary to unite with world lovers in pleasure gatherings where God has forbidden his children to go.

Thus, that which is a great blessing when rightly used becomes 1 of the most successful agencies by which Satan allures the mind from duty and from the contemplation of eternal things." Very interesting.

So what we get from that is God created music and He created it to be a blessing and it is.

The Book of Proverbs

The Ambassador Group

13. Proverbs: Women and Wine

Women and Wine Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink.

Proverbs 31, verses 3 and 4, New King James Version.

The book of Proverbs began with the teachings of a father and ends with the teachings of a mother.

In Proverbs 31, verse 1, The name Lemuel may allude to Solomon.

If so, then Lemuel's mother is Solomon's mother, and she warns her son against the 2 most serious threats to the king—wine and women.

The association of wine and women is deliberate.

To be efficient as a ruler, the king has to be careful of the influences he faces, and these 2 factors can be very powerful.

Though the right woman could be beneficial, alcohol is only trouble.

The father's introduction was concerned with the spiritual acquisition of wisdom.

Now the mother's conclusion is concerned with applying wisdom in real life.

For the spiritual principles taught by the father would mean nothing if the practical advice offered by the mother were not followed.

In many cultures, drinking alcohol is associated with life.

People raise a glass and wish 1 another a long life, though the irony is that each glass works towards destroying life.

Nicely designed bottles, poetic and funny drinking songs, clever commercials, and even some, quote, scientific findings all comfort drinkers in their idea that alcohol is good for them.

Proverbs has already warned us against this deadly deception.

Proverbs 23, verses 30 through 35, describe alcohol's effects.

They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine, look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick.

I will seek it yet again." Now the theme reappears, showing us even more damage that drinking can bring.

Listen to Proverbs 31, verses 4, 5, 8, and 9.

As you listen, think of how you would answer these questions, all these verses together.

And how does their message apply to every follower of the Lord, not just the king?

Lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy." In similar language, Job describes himself as being Eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.

Likewise, the king or those with means should help support the poor and the needy, those who are speechless in that they don't have a voice because no 1 listens to them.

The destructive effect of wine can also be seen in how it can so easily distort one's judgment.

While Alcohol is bad enough for common folks.

For a king or someone with power, alcohol can create terrible situations.

The drinking king not only, quote, forgets the law and does not know what is right, but he subsequently issues distorted judgments.

The guilty are declared innocent, and the innocent guilty.

What is at stake here is the capacity to discern between right and wrong, good and evil.

The prohibition of wine drinking has to do with basic wisdom and, as such, should apply to every human being.

It is noteworthy that this concern is precisely the reason implied in the special prohibition of drinking for the priest, quote, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, end quote.

Leviticus 10, verses 9 and 10, New King James Version.

Who hasn't seen the devastating effects of alcohol in so many lives?

How can you help others, especially the young?

Stay clear of what can bring only harm to them and to others.

A Toast to Death A Toast to Death Let's listen to Proverbs 31, verses 6 and 7.

Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

A quick reading of these verses gives the impression that Lemuel's mother allows the consumption of wine or any other alcohol for the person who is about to die, verse 6, or for the person who suffers from depression.

This reading, however, would contradict not only the immediate context—Lemuel's mother has just warned the king against wine drinking—but also the general context of the Book of Proverbs, which systematically and emphatically prohibits wine drinking.

In addition, it hardly makes sense to offer something to the perishing that would only make their health and well-being worse.

And giving alcohol to a depressed person is like giving salt to someone who is already dehydrated.

If, as we know, God cares about our bodies and our health, it doesn't make sense to see these texts, especially in context, encouraging the use of alcohol.

More important, an analysis of the use of the expression, quote, Who is perishing, unquote, in the book of Proverbs reveals that this verb is always associated with the wicked.

Proverbs 11, verses 7 and 10 When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish, and the hope of unjust men perisheth.

Verse 10 When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth, and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.

Proverbs 19 verse 9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

Proverbs 21 verse 28 A false witness shall perish, but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.

And Proverbs 28 Verse 28, When the wicked rise, men hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase.

Once again, Proverbs 31, verses 6 and 7, New King James Version.

Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart.

Through the expression, quote, who is perishing, unquote, as in verse 6, Lemuel's mother points, in fact, by association, to the wicked.

As for the expression, quote, bitter of heart, unquote, as in verse 7, it refers to the depressed person, who, like the wicked, becomes insensitive and forgets poverty.

White, writing in her book entitled Temperance, on page 12, says, Satan gathered the fallen angels together to devise some way of doing the most possible evil to the human family.

1 proposition after another was made, till finally Satan himself thought of a plan.

He would take the fruit of the vine, also wheat, and other things given by God as food, and would convert them into poisons, which would ruin man's physical, mental, and moral powers, and so overcome the senses that Satan should have full control.

Under the influence of liquor, men would be led to commit crimes of all kinds.

Through perverted appetite, the world would be made corrupt.

By leading men to drink alcohol, Satan would cause them to descend lower and lower in the scale.

For her price is far above rubies." Proverbs 31, verse 10.

Who is the, quote, virtuous woman, unquote, of Proverbs 31, 10?

A number of indications suggest that the author has more in mind than a godly woman or the ideal wife.

Following the lead of many passages of the Book of Proverbs, we have good reason to think that the virtuous woman represents wisdom.

The Passages say, in Proverbs 1, verses 20 to 33, Wisdom calls aloud outside.

She raises her voice in the open squares.

She cries out in chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city.

How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge.

Turn at my rebuke, Surely I will pour out My Spirit on you.

Because I have called, and you refused, I have stretched out My hand, and no 1 regarded.

Because you disdained all My counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity.

Restoration 2015:  Do You Mind...??

Overcoming Addictions  (Evening Meetings)

Chad Kreuzer

Restoration Ministry

Gaining the Victory

Speaking of health, I love to exercise, I love to eat healthy food.

I went for a run today and I ran out of the place where I'm staying.

And as I ran out, there was a man who was 70 years old running up the hill that I was about to run up.

I'm 34 and so immediately the first thing that came to my mind and this is not a holy ambition I thought I can't let this man beat me right I mean he's 70 years old and then it struck me I must be in Loma Linda because not anywhere is it not you know I like to exercise this is something I do on a regular basis so you know I'm running along and and the good news was that when he got to the top of the hill he stopped and I get to run past him So it worked out well for my part.

But I did end up going, then I went up into the hills, and as I went up into the hills, I would run up, and then I would walk down, and I'd run up, and I'd walk for a bit, and then I'd run up.

And when I came down, I saw the man, I was guessing he was 70 years old, and as I'm running down he's running toward me again and as he's running toward me I said sir how old are you and he said I'm 70 years old and I thought I knew it I knew it it was right and so we're in a place where health is something that you know this area is renowned for They call it 1 of the blue zones, as you may know.

I actually, I wasn't raised of this faith.

And I never had a salad in my entire life until I was 19 years old after joining this church.

But I'm not talking about health tonight.

We're going to talk about victory and something that washes away the lies that may lead to us failing.

But before we do, before we begin, let's bow our heads for a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to open your Word together.

I pray that you would guide in a very special way that Jesus would be seen.

We give the time to you, I pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

This evening we're gonna cover a topic and before we even begin I'm gonna tell you why I'm sharing this topic.

The reality is the series that we're at now is called Do You Mind?

That we're going to be talking more and more progressively as we go forward, especially during the noon meetings.

We're going to be talking about the mind, finding victory over negative habits, negative memories, all of these things, finding victory.

We're going to talk about that Saturday morning right here at 11 o'clock.

We're going to talk about some neuroscience and victory, how to find victory over bad habits and so forth.

We're going to be talking more and more about that.

But we begun with a spiritual emphasis on some of these issues.

And the spiritual emphasis that we're looking at tonight on this subject has to do with the fact that if we have false conceptions in our mind, these things can keep us down and can hinder our addictions, our habits, they can hinder our spiritual life.

So we're going to see this, if you have your Bibles, if you brought a Bible with you, and if not, let me ask you, are there Bibles and pews with you?

If you didn't bring 1, there should be some right there, I guess.

And what we discover is that the Apostle Paul, speaking to the church in Corinth, made a very interesting statement.

2 Corinthians 4, we are going to begin in verse 3.

2 Corinthians 4, Paul here is speaking, the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, and He says, but if our Gospel is hid, it is hid from those who are lost.

Now, what on earth is he talking about here?

Last night, we talked about Jesus, and we talked about Him going to the cross.

We talked about the sufferings that he went through there were much more than just physical.

They were the spiritual sufferings of the weight of the sins of the world.

And as he was going through that, he died for our sins, he rose up for us, and he says that, listen, if you receive my death, if you by faith receive that in my resurrection, You confess your sins, you turn away, you repent, you can be saved, and this is called the Gospel.

And he says if our Gospel, if our Good News is hid, it's hid to those who are lost, what does he go on to say in verse 4?

He said, "...in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine upon them." So we have this picture.

Paul tells us that the enemy, that the enemy of our souls, that he blinds the eyes of man.

And we read in Ephesians 1, verse 18, the Bible says, The eyes of your understanding being enlightened.

The Bible talks about the eyes as something that has intelligence, and it doesn't mean literally that your eyes are intelligent per se, but it means that it's like your eyes being open to something new.

We use that same terminology in the modern English language, is that right?

And so, he says, listen, but people have their eyes covered, blinded by the enemy, because they have false conceptions, and with those false conceptions, they can be led away from God and eternal life.

And I have seen people who have struggled because of past experiences, and it blinds the life that they've experienced.

I was in the state of Florida for a time, I lived there for a while, and while I was there, I was visiting with a woman.

I was visiting in her house, her name was Sue, and as I was sitting there with my friend Nathaniel and Sue there, this woman Sue began to relate to us some of the experiences that she had personally gone through in life.

She shared with us how she had been abused in every way you can imagine possible by her family.

She was abused in horrendous ways by her father, specifically her brother.

She had gone through this horrible ordeal.

And as we looked at her, you could see that she had, and she shared the story, she would take lit cigarettes and she would just burn them into her arm.

She would burn them and you could see all the scars there on her arms there.

And I think she actually, at 1 point, she told us, we could see, she had slit her wrists.

Back to Menu

All Teachings

Episode 15- Health Education Resources (HER)

13m

Episode 14- Uchee Pines Institute & Instituto Quebrada Leon

28m

In Harmony With God?- Music Overview

1h 10m

13. Proverbs: Women and Wine

41m

Gaining the Victory

50m

Preparing to Tie the Knot (Part 2)

31m

Steps to Success

1h

Spiritual Excellence

49m

Excellence in Health

1h

Business Excellence

59m

Educational Excellence

50m

Personal Excellence

52m

Sound Doctrine