Music And DiscipleshipMuestra

"Rudiments"

Everything brings with it principles and fundamentals. In sports, the fundamentals are dribbling, shooting, and passing. In fly-fishing, the fundamentals are river ecosystems, gear, technique, supplies, and destination. In writing, there are words, sentence structure, grammar, and genre. 

Everyone may possess their own personalities, tastes, desires, and beliefs that form everything they do, but without first learning the fundamentals, any person in any craft, belief, or skill, will quickly learn they are forever hindered by their lack of knowledge in the basics. Image bearers of Christ are going to have to learn the fundamentals of God’s kingdom in order to run the race successfully.

Fundamentals in music are called rudiments. Rudiments in music are things like technique and patterns that have to be practiced over and over. Similar to music, both good and evil also have their rudiments. Colossians 2:8 exhorts us not to work according to the “elemental spirits of the world.” The word used in Greek concerning the word “elemental” in the Colossians 2:8 verse above is the word stoikhā'on—it literally is the musical term “rudiment.”

The world carries with it rudiments and fundamentals. The world even has its slogans that train us. Buisinesses may say, “have it your way.” People may say “eat or be eaten.” They may say, “I’m a good person” even though the Bible says that apart from God there is “no one good.” (Rom. 3:10). They may say “get yours.” All of these statements are fundamentals to thrive in the world’s system. This is what causes people to think they don’t need God; and they’ll leave marriages, work, or anything for that matter, out of contract when they aren’t satisfied or getting what they want. 

Mastering the fundamentals of the world, as the Scripture tells us, is to learn the ways of elemental “spirits” that are opposed to Christ. All of us, when we come to Christ, are filled up with these worldly ways, and we need to go into rehab. The rudiments of the kingdom are very different. For every impatience, God preaches patience. For hatred, God preaches love. For depression, God chooses joy. For indulgence, God chooses self-control, and for unfaithfulness, harshness, anger and the like, God gives his fruit, which is to remain faithful, to be gentle and to learn kindness. 

As you read this day’s reading, ask yourself, “what rudiments of the kingdom do I need to mature in?”