Hi Jim Did you have to address that question to me? lol Hope what the early church did and what God has commanded are in harmony. We have no record of the early church meeting in "church" buildings, having electrical lights or even parking lots. No power point, pulpits, or pews... but is their usage wrong? I don't think so. I believe that John has addressed the regulative pricniple. We often try to limit that which we have been given liberty in our freedom in Christ. Harry James G Drickamer <jldrick@...> wrote: Harry, > "Are we wrong to sing in our worship anything other than the Psalms?" JD: Apparently the practice urged/commanded by Paul was to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as these two verses show: Eph:5:19: Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Col:3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. > I would have to agree that there are many "hymns" in our hymn books > that I scratch my head and wonder where they came up with that. I can't > sing them. I have to stand there quiet as I can't sing what I don't > believe. On the other hand the Psalms are all the inspired Word of God and > written to be sung...Any thoughts? JD: If we follow the regulative principle, we will sing more than just the psalms. We do not insist that pastors read sermons that were originally preached by apostles. They expound on the word of God in their own words, don't they? Wouldn't consistency require that if we are not going to sing hymns and spiritual songs that expound God's word in the words of the songwriter, then pastors should not expound on God's word either? I need clarification on something. If we do follow the regulative principle, does that mean we follow what God commanded or just the way the early church did things? For example, we have no clear record to New Testament churches using musical instruments in worship. Does that mean God does not want us to use them? Or does that tell us that the New Testament churches did not have musical instruments to use? Or since musical instruments were not forbidden by God, that their use is an adiaphora? Jim -- Read the Sound of Grace pages at http://www.soundofgrace.com To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: soundofgrace-unsubscribe@... To view our online archive go to our web page at http://www.associate.com/groups/soundofgrace __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- Read the Sound of Grace pages at http://www.soundofgrace.com To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: soundofgrace-unsubscribe@... To view our online archive go to our web page at http://www.associate.com/groups/soundofgrace