We’re losing the Faith of our Fathers

When was
the last time your church sang some of the old hymns?
So much of what qualifies as "praise and worship" music
is nothing more than Christian bubble-gum music. You know what I
am talking about. The songs that are used in so many
"contemporary" services do nothing more than stir our
emotions.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am all for music that stirs my
soul, that brings joy to my heart, that encourages me to overcome
the personal battles that we are to walk through. I enjoy drums,
guitars, and horns during the worship service. But there is a
real dearth for the Word of God in today’s church, and the
elimination of the old hymns from "modern" churches is
not a good thing. Many of them were laced with Scripture.

On a recent weekend I was given the honor of speaking at the
annual banquet of the Christian Civic League of Maine. Mike Heath
and his mighty crew are holding back the forces of evil in the
land of the lobsters. May God bless his stand for CHRISTIAN, not
conservative, values.

On the Sunday morning I was invited by Pastor Kevin
O’Brien at the Augusta Church of the Nazarene to share my
heart with the folks he shepherds. During Pastor Kevin’s
opening announcements, I picked up a hymnal in the pew and began
to skim through it. The Words of Hymn 396 leaped off the page at
me. I could not get away from the burning in my soul. When it
came time to step into the pulpit, I still could not shake the
internal rumbling. I asked Mike Hein, administrator of the
League, who was in attendance, to please open the hymn book and
read hymn 396. Mike looked at me questioningly, but I exhorted
him to stand up and read. The words - Stand up, stand up for
Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, it
must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory His army shall He
lead, Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord
indeed.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the solemn watchword hear; If
while ye sleep He suffers, away with shame and fear;
Where’er ye meet with evil, within you or without, Charge
for the God of battles, and put the foe to rout. Stand up, stand
up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; Forth to the mighty
conflict, in this His glorious day. Ye that are brave now serve
Him against unnumbered foes; Let courage rise with danger, and
strength to strength oppose.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone; The
arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own. Put on
the Gospel armour, each piece put on with prayer; Where duty
calls or danger, be never wanting there.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, each soldier to his post, Close
up the broken column, and shout through all the host: Make good
the loss so heavy, in those that still remain, And prove to all
around you that death itself is gain.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song.
To those who vanquish evil a crown of life shall be; They with
the King of Glory shall reign eternally.

From victory unto victory His army shall He lead, Till
every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

What has happened to the fight in the church? No bubble-gum
music in the old hymnals. The Church once sang and preached of
victory, of battle, of the GOD of the Battle. Today we sing
"Open our eyes Lord, We want to see Jesus," sissified
music, for a sissified Church. There was a time when the Church
knew there was a war and they sang songs that celebrated it.
Today we want to "feel" spiritual and our music
reflects the effeminization that permeates Christianity.

Want more evidence? How about these?

Open up a hymn book. They are replete with songs of war and
songs of victory. There was a day when the Church used to
resemble a battleship. Today it is a cruise ship. Could it be we
are hearing a different Gospel than the one the early church
preached? Have we traded the hymns of the past and the wisdom of
the Senior Saints that sang them, for a more modern,
emotion-filled Christianity, designed to reach the Oprah-ized,
self-help seeking American?

Read Psalm 18:34 "He teacheth my hands to war, so
that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given
me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me
up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my
steps under me, that my feet did not slip. I have pursued mine
enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they
were consumed. I have wounded them that they were not able to
rise: they are fallen under my feet. For thou hast girded me with
strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that
rose up against me. Thou hast also given me the necks of
mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate
me."

Where did this sissy, defeatist, nicer-than-God form of
Christianity come from? Let me ask you this. Do you see the
Gospel of Jesus Christ as ever-expanding, or have we reached the
zenith and are now on the down slope of the mountain peak? How do
you deal with Isaiah 9:6-7 "Of the increase of
his government and peace there shall be no
end!" The Bible says the Gospel is
ever-expanding!

Today we are hearing a different Gospel, a Gospel of peace,
prosperity, and pabulum. If America is ever going to reclaim the
blessings of the Lord then we must return to the Faith of Our
Fathers. What was their Faith? It was a story of victory in the
midst of the struggle, of success built on sacrifice, of triumph
over trials.

Somewhere along the line the Gospel was changed. The Faith
Hall of Fame found in Hebrews 11 is a list of warriors who died
for the sake of the Gospel, nameless heroes "Of whom the
world was not worthy". Their battle was real. Somehow I
don’t think that Moses and the boys sat around the
campfires and discussed the "prosperity Gospel," their
"healing ministry," "how to live their best life
now", or better yet, "finding a purpose for their
lives". They were soldiers of the Cross. They knew what that
meant. It cost them everything and they proudly paid the price.
We owe all that we are to those who believed in that "old
time religion." Shouldn’t it be good enough for
today?

I often hear Christians say "Don’t be
discouraged, Coach. I read the last chapter and we win!"
"Oh Yeah?" I usually respond. "You better
read it again. He wins, not us. We just get to be on his team.
And what makes you think that there is something so special about
America? Is it possible America could disappear and the world
would still have not have "vanished away?" The only way
we win is if we fight. Otherwise, we are nothing more than
spectators."

The Faith Hall of Fame is full of heroes of the battle. I
wonder what David sang before he faced Goliath? I’ll bet it
wasn’t one of today’s sissy songs like "Open
my eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus. To reach out and touch Him,
and say that we love Him. Open our ears Lord, and help us to
listen, Open our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus."

Not me. I don’t want to look in His eyes. "His
eyes were as a flame of fire". The next time we see Him
it won’t be pretty. Someone changed Christianity and it
wasn’t me. I say enough already, of sissified- Christianity
and their bubble-gum songs. Give me that fire and brimstone
religion.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the solemn watchword hear;
If while ye sleep He suffers, away with shame and fear;
Where’er ye meet with evil, within you or without, Charge
for the God of battles, and put the foe to rout. Amen!

Coach Dave Daubenmire, President of Pass The Salt
Ministries www.ptsalt.com and is host of the high octane Pass The
Salt Radio Show heard in Columbus, Ohio. In 1999 Coach Daubenmire
was sued by the ACLU for praying with his teams while coaching
high school in Ohio. Reprinted by persmission.