Distinct Sounds

“And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (I Corinthians 14:7-8)

The other day I was “toolin’ around” in my car and listening to some great tunes. I like all kinds of music, and my “play list” would be quite diverse. That would not include country music; I just never developed a taste for it. I don’t like rap either. I don’t consider rap to be actual music. It is awesome poetry. The ability of rappers to craft the language is outstanding. But all their “songs” have the same mundane “beat”. You could put any set of words to the same tune and have a rap album. We joke all the time at church about my total and complete lack of music skills, but that does not extend to the ear. I can listen to music, and you might find just about anything in my CD player. The selection of the day was Kenny G. No one can play the saxophone like him. His sound is unique – very distinct. I can pick out a Kenny G. tune in less than six notes. In fact, one time I was in a place when one of his latest CD’s was playing that I had never heard before, and it immediately resonated. I said, “That’s Kenny G.” I was right. I could do the same thing with the guitar of Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin or the voice of Michael McDonald or Whitney Houston. I am sure you could do the same with some of your favorite artists. Many of them have such a distinctive and unique sound that it immediately registers.

The Christian world we live in today is so confused that it is a wonder all of us are not living in one of those nice rooms with padded walls with those really fashionable white coats with the long sleeves. As the verse above tells us, we have a battle to fight. It is not waged with physical guns, but with the “sword of the Spirit”; the word of God. But there is an “uncertain sound” coming out of pulpits and Bible schools. Pastors are not equipping their people for the daily warfare they must fight against sin in their lives. We have found so many diverse and strange doctrines in the body of Christ today. Because everyone wants to stand out as someone special, churches and pastors have gone off the deep end trying to find some new revelation that no one has ever seen before so they can prove that they are smarter than the rest of us. Everyone is looking for that unique “niche” ministry and church that will satisfy every single personal whim they have. The result is no consistency in preparing the troops to “fight the good fight of faith”. No two churches are exactly alike, nor should they try to be, but when we lose our distinction in our sound, the result is a disorientation in the body that robs us of our ability to live as God intended.

Paul said in Ephesians 4 that the church should, “…be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” The body of Christ is like that today. Every group seems to have its own peculiar twist on the truth, and sound doctrine is hard to find. Christians today are tied up with every goofy “ism” under the sun. There needs to be a “certain sound” coming from our pulpits about salvation by grace through faith in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It should be recognizable. The world may not always like us and certainly will not agree with us, but there should never be a time when our message is not recognized. The ear should pick up immediately the sound of a believer in Christ reflecting the life of his Saviour.

Christians sit in the pews today with dozens of different Bible versions. The pastor quotes a verse from his favorite “version du-jour”, and it doesn’t match yours. Then you look at the Bible of the guy sitting next to you and his doesn’t match yours or the one you just heard. And you wonder why we have so many problems in the body of Christ? Where is the “certain sound” preparing us to the battle? I urge you to find a place you can serve, find a Bible you trust (I can tell you which one if you ask), and most importantly, give out the certain sound of the Saviour to a lost and dying world. They need it. You have it. Sound it out!