The Clarity of the Trumpet

The Clarity of the Trumpet

9/11/18

It is well known that the trumpet is one of the largest sounding instruments that one can play, but do we take it into consideration that if the player of that instrument is not confident in its performance, the resulting sound can be just as telling.  Trumpets represent a vast number of areas concerning the human and at the same time give direction to those waiting for instructions.  God uses our lives as a trumpet to the dying world and from the looks of our world we have not blown God’s directional instrument very often.  It is God’s desire that everyone know which direction they are headed and if they would only believe in Him and obey the commands of the trumpet our lives would be filled with everlasting victory unlike what this world can offer.

For a good portion of my younger life, I played the trumpet and followed in my mother’s footsteps for she played the cornet.  I remember when I first began playing this instrument way back in the late 1970s in Salinas, California.  After I “graduated” from the old tonette portion of my band setting, I chose the trumpet because there was not many of them in the school band.  By the time all of the kids had chosen their instruments there were four of us who had picked the trumpet.  The horn that was given to me was really beat up and was in terrible shape and since I had no idea about what care the trumpet needed the horn did not work very well.  Add to the fact that I could not even play the instrument at all played into the fact that the instrument would not operate correctly until I mastered some of the basics of playing this instrument.

Mom and dad eventually bought me a trumpet and I fell in love with its looks and its sound after I had formed my lips to its mouthpiece.  After a while, my grasp of the instrument grew and I was on my way to becoming a fine musician where it came to this specific instrument.  I realized something about the trumpet early on and that is if you have a shaky confidence in yourself or the instrument the notes that the instrument gives is heard by everyone listening or that is in the immediate vicinity.  This error in musical notes cannot be missed for one of the key features of the trumpet is that does not allow for gross mistakes due to its piercing and tenacious sound.  I admit that when I was practicing for all those years my parents must have covered their ears a few times for when my frustrations arose I just let out a loud pitched blast that had no meaning or rhyme at all, but I do have to admit that it was kind of fun doing it.  Of course, there were times where I thought that I would just lay down that beautiful horn and never pick it back up again but overall I could not do that because for some reason it became a part of my life, enough that it warranted my playing for a very long time to come.  Over time I learned that this loud noise the trumpet made could actually be heard and would stand out during any band performance which kind of made me a tad timid but on the other hand I wanted to advance so I played as loudly and proudly as I could. 

Back in the early 1980s, there was a Christian music group called The Imperials and they had a series of musical hits that propelled them to the center stage of Christian music.  One of the songs that was popular at that time was called “The Trumpet of Jesus” and it was very contemporary, upbeat and frankly loud songs that could be played.  One part of the lyrics to this song states that “I listen to the trumpet of Jesus while the world hears a different sound”.  It is this clarity and sound that the lyrics present gives us the knowledge that this topic is going to be presented for we must understand that no matter what we may believe about taking sides or that we can straddle the fence where God is concerned we shall always present a sound to which Kingdom or kingdom we represent.  Also, whether we know it or not when our trumpets are played that we are actively participating in the kingdom that we represent; therefore, it is imperative that we fully understand and acknowledge the realities of each kingdom a process that not many people can accurately describe when asked.  It is this type of note that is recognizable to other ears when played and it should be no discourse about which sounds are protruding.

One can compare the trumpet to the human voice for if it does its job correctly it should give off the exact same penetrating sound as the other.  When we refer to the bible for such examples it does not take very long for us to find an example that fits perfectly.  However, if the sound of the voice is not sure and precise then it becomes a clanging sound which has no rhyme or reason and thus cannot project its true meaning to those who wish to hear it.  It does not matter what type of trumpet one decides to play, its sound will always resonate through the area and will grab the attention of all who can hear.  This is why the voice can be compared with the trumpet for it too can resonate through the dark hallways of the human being and what it portrays will send a direct signal to those who can hear.  So, one can see that it is important to have a clear voice like a trumpet blast and that clear voice should be directional at all times.  It also can be stated that what the voice protrudes comes from the heart and since this is a fact its projection shall be as clear as a trumpet in what it promotes.  If our voices protrude a divided kingdom how can our words stand when it comes time to tell others about God?  God is never shaky nor does He come with a forked tongue or divided heart, all of His Ways are sure and true and our proclamation of the gospel should line up 100% with the word of God and 0% with the world.

In the Old Testament, we find that the trumpet was the instrument used to sound many different callings to the people of Israel.  Everything from all is quiet and normal to the act of attention when danger approached were played and those notes had to be made with precision because if they were not then calamity could strike on any level within the earshot of those trumpets.  Now, we all know that the Old Testament times did not have the fancy trumpets of today but had mainly the horns of animals that played these notes.  If you have never heard the ram’s horn being played, look for it on one of the social media channels for it will be well worth your time.  A family in our neighborhood plays this horn on certain holidays and occasions and when I am around the area and hear it I always stop what I am doing so I do not miss the next note.  It is a penetrating sound but one that calms my spirit at the same time and to be honest, I long to hear that shofar playing for I know immediately that God is whispering eternal words to my spirit.

A popular term that is being thrown around these days is the word “triggered” and it is used in concordance with the old word offended in order to make a point or defense against something that is spoken without cause before them.  One can use this term when a blast from a trumpet is sounded for it breaks the silence of anonymity and forces one to pay attention to what is being played.  When this sound occurs and breaks the silence no one can deny that some type of activity is being portrayed to those in the area, just as a voice does when it is pleading with others in a familiar manner.  When God told Joshua to march around the walls of Jericho He also instructed to play the trumpets at a certain time thus by listening to the voice of God through obedience sounded God’s voice to those walls when they played those horns.  And when the appointed time came for God to act upon those walls, He did so through the sounds of the trumpets which shattered the ears of those who did not believe.  There was no doubt in the playing of the trumpeters for they had been efficiently trained in completing their job for Joshua knew that it was through their lungs that God would show His mighty power and provide a miraculous victory for the children of Israel.

What do you think would have occurred if those trumpeters did not have a confident voice behind their horns?  What type of message would that have set into motion for the other warriors who were present in the area that day?  Can you imagine just how frightening it would have been to follow the lead of a quivering attack message?  See, even though it was God who brought down those walls of Jericho He does nothing quivering or shaky He does everything in a bold and pure manner so this method of announcing the obedience of His people had to be completed with His authority and stamina.  The same is required as we speak of the gospel of Christ to those that are lost, we cannot be divided or shaky on any level for if we are and we present the gospel on such ground we give our enemy the footing he needs to end such witnessing process before it even gets started.  If we speak with the voice of the world on any level when we present the gospel to others, we will be inflicting a spiritual tie and false belief to those who want to hear.  This off note tune may not be heard by everyone and to be honest may even sound normal and good to the ear but it is one that shall be ingrained into another’s heart possibly for eternity.  I am not saying not to share the gospel with others but we need to make sure that what we share with others is actually the truth.

1 Corinthians 14:6-8 gives us a beautiful example of how our voices are to protrude as non-quivering trumpets with a clear, loud, and precise message about the gospel of Christ.  A trumpet that waivers in its protraction cannot deliver an effective message, no matter what the cause for the sound warrants.  In the case of this passage the overall plan is to sound to arms the people for battle; however, the issue with this passage is that many misinterpret it as a call to the verbal battle or even to the physical battle against those who do not know the Bible or the gospel of Christ.  It is this time that our trumpets sound a call that had shaky terms behind it and one that will not yield praised reports of converts for Christ in the manner in which Christ meant for them to be reached.  If we do not understand exactly what our warfare is then we cannot sound our trumpets clearly this has been proven many times over throughout Church History; they did not get it then and not many of us get it today either.

The children of Israel who marched around the walls of Jericho knew exactly what was going on and they also understood their mission and what do to in order to complete it.  It may have looked silly or plain ridiculous to the ones inside the walls of that city, but God knew exactly what He was doing and through the obedience of His army those walls came down just as they will to those who are lost today if we follow the sound of God’s trumpet and do as He says for us to do.  Obedience is the key in which knowledge resides and then resounds for if this equation is mixed in any way then the results shall be disastrous.  The passage in 1 Corinthians tells us that if we do not have our facts correct before we begin to witness it will serve others no good for they will not be able to understand the true meaning of salvation and restoration even though we may have a clear sound resonating from our lungs.  It is vitally important that we know what Kingdom we are representing before we begin to speak about eternity for if we do not then 1 Corinthians 14:6-7 will be presented in such a manner that will prove destructive instead of one of salvation.

It is also in this passage of 1 Corinthians that we should be made aware that our message to the Church should be of the correct Kingdom as well.  It would make sense that if the words that we present to those who know God do not line up with His Word then how can it be expected that they go out and proclaim the true gospel.  When you have one side of the issue not participating in correct alignment with the other side – pulpit and pew being the sides – how can one expect to blow a loud and clear message to the dying world?  This last statement also gives rise to the truth that if this state occurs then it cannot be represented as anything other than a divided kingdom.  How can we fulfill the command of Jesus to go into the entire world if we do not have the correct Kingdom inside our hearts?  If our reputation is not intact when we go out into the world we cannot expect anything less than to be laughed at when we sound God’s trumpet to them.  What message will we be sending to them if it is mixed with both kingdoms inside the trumpet sound?  How can we stand tall and true if we are first divided, wanting to converse to another divided being about becoming whole again?

It is visibly clear that many people who make up the Church of today live within a divided kingdom and thus cannot adequately and purely dress and keep their own dominion in order to effectively speak the eternal truth about God and what He has for our lives.  It is plain and simple that if we do not have a clear trumpet sounding when we speak to others about Christ we will not have very much success in accomplishing what Jesus commanded us to do.  Jesus knew this and spent almost four years teaching His disciples to live in this undivided Kingdom status so that after He was gone they could provide an excellent pattern for the future Church to extend the eternal vine from God.  A vine produces one type of fruit and the fruit is either good or it is bad and if we do not fully understand what God is saying in His Word then we have a problem when it comes to telling others about His Word.  It is this lack of knowledge about God and His Word that should drive us into the Bible more so that we can tell others about what God has done in our lives and what He can do for their lives as well.

We are not doing this at all and God wants us to understand and to recognize that He sees this pattern of ours and is not satisfied with our progress.  Taken in remembrance that the world can only produce confusion and anxiety, how can we teach peace and eternal happiness if we are not solely promoting the Kingdom of God?  We are not doing what we need to do Church and we are not living in the manner of a righteous Bride either.  It is time we turn around and direct our hearts back to God so that He may teach us what to really say to the dying world, not what we think is right.  We have the ability to blow the trumpet of God to everyone and now more than ever we need to do such a thing with the utmost of clarity.  The modern Church is not producing very good examples of Christ these days and it is our responsibility to ensure that the true message of Christ is being given to the world, Church let’s change our hearts before we have to witness God’s hand on our lives.  Let us be clear in the message that our voices (trumpets) make so that all around us will understand the good news (notes) that Jesus Christ came to save everyone from their sins.  It is this message that my trumpet shall continue to play what will be yours?

DLB