Welcome quote

Welcome!

"These hymns have brought cheer in the day of trial; comfort in the time of bereavement; encouragement to live a life of greater devotion to Christ; rebuke to our coldness and oft backslidings; stimulus to enter and continue in sacrificial service for our blessed Lord and Master; and inspiration and guidance in our adoring worship and praise to the Father, through the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit!"
- Alfred Gibbs (from 'Hymns: Their Use and Abuse')

Note: The names for tunes indicated are not their formal designations.

Purpose

Colossians 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."

 Kolose 3:16
"Biarlah firman Kristus diam dalam kamu sekayanya dalam semua hikmat; mengajar dan menasihati satu sama lain dalam mazmur dan pujian dan lagu rohani, berlagu dengan kasih kurnia di dalam hati kamu kepada Lord."

The following outline and quotations are taken for Alfred Gibbs' booklet, "Hymns: Their Use and Abuse".

They express well the purpose of this blog to fill a great need in Christian testimony in Borneo Malaysia.

The Goodly Heritage of Hymns

"What untold blessing (hymns) have proved to the saints of God throughout the ages since the Church was formed!"

 "Who can estimate the amount of inspiration, comfort, rebuke, encouragement, aspiration and strength that these 'psalms and hymns and spiritual songs' have ministered to the people of God?"

 "A reading of a reliable 'Church History' will indicate the value and use of hymns, both to instruct the unsaved in the verities of the gospel, and also to establish and encourage the people of God to continuance in their most holy faith."

The Essentials of Hymns

1. It must be Scriptural

 "A great deal of the misconception concerning the Person and work of the Holy Spirit is due to faulty hymns which represent Him as an influence outside the believer that must be invited to enter."

 2. It must have Poetic Value

 "The beauty of diction, therefore, has its part in a Christian's appreciation, choice and use of a hymn."

 3. It must be Spiritual

 "...it must convey an experimental appreciation of spiritual realities and values, in such a way as will find a responsive echo in other believers."

 "All the truly great hymns for Christian worship will be found to possess this inspirational quality, which serves the purpose of both awakening and expressing the believer's own aspirations."

 4. It must be Singable

 "We have indeed been well blessed with ideally suited tunes for these hymns."

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