At least for the last solid 100 years Churches of Christ have been under brutal attack and more and more attempts to, as they say, infiltrate and divert. One magazine and instrumental headquarters used false preachers to explain HOW to transistion a happy Church of Christ into the instrumental sect. CULT, sectarian, patternist,traditionalists, bombers of abortion clinics and many more words are used to discredit churches of Christ. You cannot possibly find any other group so despised and rejected because they will not CONFORM to using instruments so that we can be "united."
Sometimes or even often when Scripture is quoted people hear "you are condemning everyone who does not agree with you." I have done that been there for my aware 83 years and that statement seems to come from people
OUTSIDE of the church or who have been "hurt" in some way. No one speaks for Churches of Christ but Christ and people work really hard to use songs and sermons to silence Him. Here is what prophecy and fulfilment says. It's ok to go ahead and say that the writers were judgmental.
Psalm 41 prophesied that Judas would attempt to triumph over Messiah and fail. However, the Levites musically mocked Jesus. The Dead Sea Version gives greater detail.
UNDER ATTACK BY THE LEVITES
Dead Sea Scroll Translation: They have overtaken me in a narrow pass (gap) without escape And there is no rest for me in my trial.
They sound my censure upon a harp and their murmuring and storming upon a zither." Ps.41:11
In a short time fulfillment by the Levites who performed at all sacrifices not commanded by God.
Mark 10:34 And they shall mock him,
empaizō , fut.
hēdonais
Paizo,
4. play on a musical
instrument,
h.Ap.206: c. acc., “Pan ho kalamophthogga paizōn”
Ar.Ra.230; dance and sing,
Pi. O.1.16.
5. play
amorously, “pros allēlous”
X.Smp.9.2
Prospaizō, prospaizousa tois ōmois komē playing over,
II. c. acc., theous p. sing to the gods, sing in their praise or honour,
Pl.Epin.980b: c. dupl. acc., humnon prosepaisamen . . ton . . Erōta sang a hymn in praise of
Eros,
Id.Phdr.265c.
2. banter , “tous
rhētoras”
Id.Mx.235c, cf.
Euthd.285a; p. ton kuna, ton arkton, , humnon pr. ton
However
IN VICTORY:
Then will I play on
the zither of deliverance
and harp of joy,
on the tabors of prayer and the pipe of praise
without end.
Latin Illudo Applied as a term of
reproach,
eloquence,
rhētor but with idea of
contempt,
caneret,”
A. Of
men: “
si absurde canat, of the
crooked race, a reed
pipe, a
guitar,
crowing of a
hen tibiae, tubae,
Gallus , i, m., =
Gallos Strab.,
A. Galli , the
priests of
Cybele Gallic:
“turma,” the
troop of the
priests of
Isis,
Ov. Am. 2, 13, 18. “
resupinati cessantia tympana Galli,” [resupinati cessantia tympana Galli, i. e. prostrate from drunkenness]
Jesus promises to be with us when we assembly in His Name and authority: for one hour out of 168 shouldn't one group get the right to respond to Jesus when He asks, "Could you not wait for Me one houre."
It is a fact that Scripture and the Greek text defines musical sounds as sorcery because it exercise a powerful effect to shut down the spiritual or rational mind. It is not cultic to quote recorded history because MANY (most) are called but FEW (almost none) are Chosen Elected or who accept the invitation to become part of the body CALLED OUT OF THE WORLD.
