WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB

by Charles Robey
(Trussville AL, USA)

Washed in the blood of the Lamb
Faith answers the call, Grace was the drawl
Washed in the blood of the Lamb
The Holy Spirit pleas, From all sin evil frees
Washed in the blood of the Lamb
The enemy never wins, Conquered was his sin
Washed in the blood of the Lamb
Now may all respond, Evil ways to abscond
Washed in the blood of the Lamb
By faith grace is free, By love He saved me
Washed in the blood of the Lamb
I'm looking to the sky, To this world good by
Washed in the blood of the Lamb
To sup with the king, To Him crowns I bring
Washed in the blood of the Lamb
Will you with me go, Love to Him bestow
Washed in the blood of the Lamb

The church conference began on time, with a record number of attendees. For you see, word had all ready leaked out, and the issue was "the blood". The blood of the cross that is. Should the mention of the blood be removed from the church hymnals ? Should the congregation still sing about the blood ? Or, does the issue really matter ?

As you can imagine, the membership was rather divided on the issue. The seniors wanted the hymn books to remain as is, with the "old time religion" hymns. The middle agers really didn't care, as long as the old hymns were mixed with some of the more modern contemporary type lyrics. And the younger generation wanted more 7-11 type "Praise and Worship" songs. You know the ones, lyrics that have 7 words or phrases repeated 11 times.

Then it came down to the vote. But before the vote, Pastor " Old Fashion Joe", as was his nickname, ask to address the congregation.

"Dear beloved, I love you all, from the youngest to the oldest. You may feel this issue is of trivial concern, but it is not. Our entire personal salvation is grounded in the blood of Christ, quoting (Ephesians 2:13) and (Hebrews 10:19). And whether you choose to sing about it or not, He still shed His precious blood, on a cruel cross for you and me. In doing so, the sacrifice of His shed blood washed away all our sins, and assured us a home in heaven with Him forever. So, why not praise Him, by thanking Him in song, for His ultimate sacrifice for you and me. What harm could be done in doing so ?

About that time, the littlest tot in the congregation suddenly stood up and started singing this very appropriate Praise & Worship tune:

Open the eyes of my heart Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
Open the eyes of my heart Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up
Shining in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
as we sing holy, holy, holy

This spontaneous display of courage was suddenly joined by the entire congregation, in singing. Some standing, some sitting and some even on their knees. Some crying, while others raised their hands and gave praised with cries of "Amen: and " Hallelujah" throughout the entire sanctuary. And guess what ? Pastor Joe was never referred to as "Old Fashion Joe" again.

Church conference dismissed !

http://ccrobey.wix.com/themessage

AUTHOR'S POST SCRIPT

Hymnal or hymnary or hymnbook is a collection of hymns, i.e. religious songs, usually in the form of a book. The earliest hand-written hymnals are known since Middle Ages in the context of European Christianity. The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, together with the growing popularity of moveable type, quickly made hymnals a standard feature of Christian worship in all major denominations of Western and Central Europe. The first hymnal of the Reformation was Achtliederbuch, followed by the Erfurt Enchiridion. An important hymnal of the 17th century was Praxis pietatis melica.

So, how can a Christian antique, as important as the Christian Hymn Book, not include the full gospel theme of the blood ( 1 Cor 1:1-4). That is the spilling of our Savior's blood, while on the cross, for the remission of our sin (Ephesians 1:7).