Messed-up hymns

I grew up singing many wonderful hymns at our little country church. Many of them to this day fill my heart and mind with encouragement and strength as I remember them. However, there are some I cannot remember without smiling and almost breaking into laughter. This is because I grew up as the youngest in a family with four older brothers. My brothers almost ruined some hymns for me by singing new words to them.

The chorus of the hymn, "At the Cross," sounds out the wonder of the transformation that takes place in a person's life when kneeling before the cross and surrendering one's life to Jesus, who died there. At the cross, at the cross, Where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day! My brothers, however, thought up new lyrics. At the bar, At the bar, Where I smoked my first cigar, And my lucky silver dollar rolled away. It was there by chance that I tore my Sunday pants, And now I have to wear them every day!

The chorus of the hymn, "Bringing in the Sheaves," rings out about the joy of seeing people come to faith in Christ as we go out and share the gospel with them. Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. My brothers sang this chorus on laundry day. My mom would wash the clothes in our old ringer washer and then hang the clothes out on the lines around our house. When everything was dry, my brothers were tasked with bringing the dry clothes back into the house, including the sheets. So, they changed the chorus to: Bringing in the sheets, bringing in the sheets, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheets, Bringing in the sheets, bringing in the sheets, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheets. So, I smile every time I remember these two hymns.

Many years later, a group of young adults in one Sunday school class at my first church ruined another song for me. I love Christmas carols. The carol, "We Three Kings of Orient Are," tells of the journey of the wise men from the east who came to seek out Jesus and worship him. The first verse and chorus say, We three kings of Orient are; bearing gifts we traverse afar, field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. O star of wonder, star of light, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light. When my wife and I gathered for a Christmas party with members of this young adult Sunday school group, some of the guys began singing their version of this carol. We three kings of Orient are; Tried to smoke a rubber cigar. It was loaded, it exploded.... We two kings of Orient are; Tried to smoke a rubber cigar. It was loaded, it exploded.... I, one king of Orient are; Tried to smoke a rubber cigar. It was loaded, it exploded.... God rest ye merry gentlemen. So, now I cannot sing that carol without remembering these words.

I don't think making up silly words to go with the tunes of hymns and Christmas carols is a sin or sacrilege. However, modifying the clear teaching of scripture to gain a hearing or exploit others is quite a different thing. The apostle Peter warns that there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. (2 Pt. 2.1 NLT) The apostle Paul adds that such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests (Rom. 16.18 NLT). They distort the truth in order to draw a following (Acts 20.30 NLT), and in their greed they exploit others with false words (2 Pt. 2.2 ESV). However, many people will not notice what they are doing because they will subtly introduce destructive heresies (2 Pt. 2.1 AMP) as they try to trick others with lies so clever they sound like the truth (Eph. 4.14 NLT). By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naïve (Rom. 16.18 ESV) and their victims like wind up tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching (Eph. 4.14 ESV).

Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed (2 Pt. 2.2 ESV). Some of these false teachers will sneak in from the outside, but others will rise from within the church. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things (Acts 20.30 ESV). For a time, these evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived (2 Tim. 3.12 ESV). However, in time, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves (2 Pt. 2.1 NLT) for God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed (2 Pt. 2.3 NLT).

So, what then can the average person do to not fall prey to false teachers? Be continually alert (Eph. 20.31 AMP) to the danger of false teaching and false teachers. This does not mean being cynical and skeptical of every teacher or preacher. Yes, all teachers and preachers (even me) make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way (James 3.2 NLT). However, sound teachers and preachers know they are responsible before God for what they share. So, they try as the apostle Paul did to speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts (2 Tim. 2.4 ESV). They strive to ground all they share in the word of God attempting to present themselves to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Tim. 2.15 ESV).

Seek out such teachers and listen to them. However, do not allow yourself to become a non-thinking spiritual parrot. Compare what any preacher or teacher says with the scriptures. This is what the Jews in Berea did. These Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica. They received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so (Acts 17.11 ESV). Be eager to learn and go deeper in your understanding of the Bible, but make sure that what you are learning is biblical truth and not just human ideas and traditions (Mark 7.7-8).

Making up silly words to the tunes of hymns and Christmas carols is not a big deal. Distorting, misrepresenting and corrupting the word of God is a big deal. The goofy versions of the songs I mentioned earlier make me smile, but do not cause me any real problems. This is because I know the real versions. In the same way, knowing what the Bible really says helps us deal with false teaching. If you are a teacher or preacher reading this column, I hope it causes you to recommit with a new zeal to grounding all you share in the word of God. If you are a person who finds yourself listening to preachers and teachers, I hope this column drives you to compare all you hear with God's word.

I think I might go turn on "At the Cross," "Bringing in the Sheaves" or "We Three Kings of Orient Are" just to enjoy their original meanings.

DAN UPCHURCH is a native of Bollinger County. He and his wife, Lori, have spent many years as missionaries in Ukraine and currently serve in Poland.