Post-Moderns May Consider you Dated, Dazed, and Dumb

 Post-Moderns May Consider You Dated, Dazed and Dumb 

Romans 1:16 states, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also the Greek.”

       If you are a Christian musician who still ministers with traditional hymns, gospel choruses, and gospel songs, you may be discouraged since many post-moderns consider you dated, dazed, and just plain dumb.  St Paul declared in this verse that that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.  If you desire to include more than a long string of praise choruses in your music ministry, so that you are able to music the whole gospel of Christ, you should not be intimated or tuck your head as though you were some outdated dunderhead.  (This not to say that there is anything wrong with a string of praise choruses.) However, St Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the gospel of Christ is the power of God.  Furthermore, the inspired Word of God declares very clearly that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Although praise is essential to Christian worship, it is not expository enough to fulfill all the elements necessary in complete Trinitarian worship.

       It is your responsibility to present the whole gospel of Christ who suffered, died, paid the penalty for our sin and it is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to convict and convince seekers of their need of repentance and forgiveness of sins “unto salvation”.  It is not the power of your charisma or performance ability but rather the power of the whole gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit that is the power of God.

       In order for your musicing unto God to be completely efficacious, it must contain the whole gospel.  This is the reason that a thinking minister of music includes hymns, gospel songs, gospel hymns, and gospel choruses along with praise music in his or her balanced musical diet for the assembly of believers and seekers who attend worship services.  The saint needs to be reminded of what God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit has accomplished in the plan of redemption, and the seeker needs (must) be made aware of the same things.  How can seekers have Godly sorrow that leads them to repentance if they do not know what God has done for them?

       Let me make it very clear, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a praise chorus sequence in worship.  (That statement must be qualified with the understanding that a praise sequence should not exceed the attention span of the modern audience.  Also, the notion that this sequence must drone on until the minister gets his or her desired overt emotional response from the audience is misguided philosophically.)   It is important that a congregation of believers sing of the love of God and also testify of their love of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  (There needs to be much more written about the need for Christian worship to be Trinitarian and “complete”.) 

      So, if your musicing presents a clear gospel message, and if your musicing includes traditional gospel music and hymns, take heart, you are on solid philosophical ground.  Do it in the right spirit, but square your shoulders and keep presenting the old, old story.  When you music, never be ashamed to confront saints and seekers with the claims of the gospel.