Quote for the Day

Quote for the Day

“Worship is never an act of man based upon his own merit with the intension of satisfying man’s desires.  It satisfies God’s command first, and then the experience benefits man.  One does not worship because one enjoys it or it feels good (aesthetic reasons).  One worships God because He is worthy, and He expects it.”  A Philosophy of Church Music by Robert Berglund, p. 38.

Congruency in Our Musicing part 9

Congruency in Our Musicing part 9

            It should be evident to any serious Christian musician that some things that can be realized through the art of music are too secular to be properly connected with our worship of a holy and most awesome God!  Everything that a musician is capable of doing with the great art of music is not suitable or appropriate for worship merely because he or she is a Christian.  Christians therefore need to recognize the difference between secular and sacred music and learn how to utilize both in their lives.  As I have often taught my college students, the use of sacred and secular music is not either/or but rather wise choices and usage of both.  For instance, it is perfectly proper for a Christian to ride a bicycle to get to church, but it I not a proper thing for him or her to ride it down the center aisle of the sanctuary.  Why can’t musicians have the same common sense about worship music?

            Let me repeat what I have said many times, when a Christian connects a “music” to God this connection becomes an inseparable one.  A musician cannot separate inappropriate musical performance which he or she musics for personal enjoyment or aggrandizement from the fact that some music and its performance is antagonistic to the purposes of worshiping God.  When a composer or arranger, either in jest or unwittingly, amalgamates musical styles and musical performance techniques that are incongruent with the awesomeness and solemnity of worshiping a holy triune God who is high and lifted up and is sitting upon a throne in heaven, the result is most unfortunate.  Also, when a minister of music combines styles of music that are inappropriate for worship, just because he or she has the power to do so, what occurs in the sanctuary is not worship but a cheap hocking of that musician’s musical wares.  I believe very strongly that such performance jesting is sacrilegious. 

 

Quote for the Day

Quote for the Day

Plato once wrote in his Laws about those who were ignorant “about what is right and legitimate in the realm of the muses”. He observed that they were, “Possessed by a frantic and unhallowed lust for pleasure, they contaminated laments with hymns and paeans with dithyrambs, actually imitated the strains of the flute on the harp, and created universal confusion of forms.  Thus their folly led them unintentionally to slander their profession by the assumption that in music there is no such thing as right or wrong, the right standard of judgment being the pleasure given to the hearer, be he high or low.”  Music in the Western World, Annotated by Piero Weiss and Richard Taruskin, p7.

Congruency in Our Musicing part 8

Congruency in Our Musicing part 8

            For centuries music philosophers have written about their convictions that music has power to communicate moral values to the auditor.  They have over the centuries elaborated on how music goes about strengthening or weakening these moral values.  Philosophers have not always agreed about the way music communicates its power to the listener, but historically they have almost universally believed that music does have great power to communicate. 

            So when a musician connects music’s power to God by marrying it to the worship of a holy triune God, that power definitely makes a reflection on the auditor’s perception of who God is, what He is like, and what He is capable of doing.  Although music cannot change God’s moral nature, it can change the listener’s perception of His moral nature when a musician, in a willy-nilly manner, connects a music style to worship music that represents anything but wholesome moral or Christian values.  What is often done in jest by a composer, an arranger, or a performer can become a tool for Satan to distort the auditor’s view of who God is.

             Also, when church musicians have an attitude of respect for the kinds of “musics” they use to honor the triune God, this respect permeates the place of worship.  Conversely, when worship leaders have a laissez- faire attitude about styles of worship music, worship becomes more and more folksy and familiar and as worship styles are lowered so is the mental image of a high and holy God.  Perhaps the reason that this is happening is that it is much easier for musicians to bring God down to where the congregation that they are ministering too is living spiritually than it is to get the worshipers to strive to conform more and more to the image of God.  I know that it is difficult to minister to people who do not seem to care much about deep spiritual living.

 

Quote for the Day

Quote for the Day

“The writings of the Church Fathers contain many warnings against specific kinds of music…The Greek doctrine of ethos, then was founded on the conviction that music affects character and that different kinds of music affect it in different ways.  A History of Western Music, Donald Grout and Claude V. Palisca, p. 9.

 

 

Congruency in Our Musicing part 7

Congruency in Our Musicing part 7

            I am  puzzled that  so many Christian musicians in the last quarter of the twentieth century and now in the twenty-first century have believed, and now still believe, that the formal properties of music have absolutely no power or ability to communicate anything at all.  By accepting this erroneous notion, in their minds they have reduced music’s power to the potency of diluted vanilla extract.  Furthermore, they have done so without a shred of musical or philosophical logic.  Why can’t Christian musicians observe obvious actions, reactions, and outcomes that are triggered by music’s power?  I have found after studying music philosophy seriously since 1970 that the age old quip is true, ”there is none so blind a he or she who will not see.”

            Some Christian musicians have failed to recognize that once a “music” has been set into motion, it does its own communicating because it has great power to influence the listener for either for good or evil.  Therefore, Christians need to realize that the concept that music has great power is not a novel notion hatched up by conservative Christian musicians who are over protective of traditional church music.  Musicologists are aware that as far back as Plato and Aristotle music philosophers have believed that the musical mode makes a difference because it communicates meaning to the listener.  Furthermore, no music philosopher ancient or modern has made any sensible hypothesis that would discredit these ancient musical observations that resulted in the theory that music does have power.

Prayer, Song, and Thought for the Day

Prayer for the Day

 I am very thankful dear Lord that You made it possible for me to be a new creature in Christ Jesus.  Lord, I do not know how to express my gratitude for the “whosoever” of the Gospel.  Please accept my prayer of thanksgiving on this very special day.  Tis I am praying in your wonderful name.  Amen.

Song for the Day  “Come Ye Thankful People, Come” by Henry Alfred

Thought for the Day

If we would share our table with someone who needs our love today, we would be a great blessing to that person and  that act of unselfish love might be instrumental in leading someone else to our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

 

Today I am Thankful

Today I am Thankful

            Colossians 3:15 admonishes Christians, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”  Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America.  I am well aware that there are at this time there are those of you who live in the other 96 countries who read this blog that do not celebrate this day as a special Religious holiday.  I thought about it and decided that you might like a day off from my Congruency series and that it was perfectly ok for you all to be thankful all day long today.  In this post postmodern secularized generation, I am thankful for a day that has been set aside to thank God for his bountiful blessings that he has so freely bestowed on all of us!  

            If we are going to respond biblically, we all need to let God’s peace permeate our hearts on this day.  We are the world-wide body of Christ.  To him we are all equal!  It makes no difference how rich or poor we are or how obscure or famous we are. As Christians we are all His children.  He has forgiven us of all our sins and made us to be new creatures in Christ Jesus.  This is no joke because He said in 2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  Praise God, I am so thankful that my old sinful life has passed away and Christ has given me a new start!  I am blessed beyond measure today so I have made plans to be happy every minute of this Thanksgiving Day.  If you are a Christian I suggest that you make this day a Thanksgiving Day too because you have much to be thankful for today.

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

It is just as much a mistake for a conservative musician to resist all change in church music as it is for a liberal musician to resist all traditional forms of sacred music and musicing.  A Christian musician should only resist destructive changes in music and musicing.

 

 

Congruency in Our Musicing part 6

Congruency in Our Musicing part 6

            I am concerned about the writings of Christian musicians who consider themselves to be conservatives and at the same time purport that the reason they are supporting massive musical style change. They claim that these huge changes are necessary because traditional church musicians are: out of touch with reality, not seeker sensitive, and that traditional sacred music is outdated and incapable of being an efficacious means of musicing unto God.  Although there is much evidence that the musicing of many church musicians is no longer efficacious, there is no body of evidence that the culprit is the music itself.   Although there is much “death” in the musical city, this death is not caused by traditional sacred music but rather by the spiritually dead musicians who are doing the musicing.

            It is time that Christians decide what it means to truly be conservative Christian musicians.  It I also time for Christian musicians who call themselves conservative musicians to realize that one of the most important things about conservative philosophy is being consistent about life-style and that this congruency most certainly must include the way Christians music unto God.

Christmas Prayer, Song, and Thought for the Day

Christmas Prayer

I thank you heavenly Father for sending your son to be born in a manger.  Thank You Jesus, that although you were very God, You were willing to leave the portals of heaven and come to earth to be born, and to live, suffer, and die for my sins.  Lord, please help me to have a thankful heart for Your coming to earth and for caring for my soul.  Thank you for fulfilling the Father’s plan of salvation that included a sinner like me. Lord Jesus, today we celebrate Your birth, help us to look into our hearts and be sure that there is nothing there that would displease You.  Lord, this is a blessed Christmas day because you are with us and that you dwell in our hearts.  These things I pray in your matchless and wonderful name.  Amen.

Song for the Day “It Came upon a Midnight Clear” by Edmund H. Sears

Thought for the Day

It would be a good thing if we all would spend this day being thankful for what we have rather than wishing that we had more.

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

A host of contemporary writers are making fun of those who fear massive changes in worship styles that almost always remove traditional music and musicing from public worship.  However, if someone doesn’t contend for traditional music values and traditional forms of worship that have been a part of orthodox Christian worship for centuries, in a generation or two we will not be able to recognize public worship as being Christian worship.

 

Congruency in Our Musicing part 5

Congruency in Our Musicing part 5

            Christian musicians who are conservative in lifestyle are to be commended because such appearance reflects a wholesome public image and a proper image of a representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  However, I would like to remind conservatives that hiding behind a conservative lifestyle while performing music that, by its moral implications, is not also a conservative and proper representation of the God whom they are musicing about, is incongruent with the principle of a changed life of a Christian.  Hence, when a Christian performs such music it becomes a form of hypocrisy (the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform).  When I speak of conservative music I mean the music part of the music that they perform as well as the words.

            If a musician believes in separation from the world and believes that this difference must be shown outwardly, that musician should not perform music that is   strongly representative of the world and a worldly lifestyle.  I have never been able to understand why some conservative Christians believe in separation in every area of life except music style.   Such a haphazard approach to separation from the spirit of this world [i.e. aion 165] is a very incongruent music philosophy and must seem quite inconsistent to non-believers who are watching everything that Christians do.  There are several questions that perplex me about what is currently happening in the realm of church music. How can a conservative musician in good conscience believe 2Corinthians 6:17 which very clearly commands, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” and make no definite  separation in the way he or she musics unto God? Is separation from the world a misnomer (a wrong or inaccurate use of a name or term) when it come to a Christian’s musicing?  How can conservative Christians who are musicians ignore over a half century of serious concern by a host of careful believers who have observed  the alarming changes that have been made and are currently being made in church music?  Why do so many musicians take their musical cues from liberal church musicians and worse yet—nonbelievers who are not concerned in the slightest bit about spiritual things or the direction of church music?

 

Quote for the Day

Quote for the Day

Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

 

Congruency in Our Musicing part 4

Congruency in Our Musicing part 4

             I am weary of watching and listening to Christian musicians as they receive the preeminence when they are performing what they call worship music.  I am reminded that God has declared in Isaiah 42:8, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”  Many Christian musicians who consider themselves to be conservatives have subscribed to the popular “musical idol” philosophy.  As a result of accepting this worldly philosophical view, worship leaders set about the task of drawing the listener to themselves rather than to Christ-- thus they become an “idol” to the audience rather than a humble servant of  Christ.  I find it impossible to successfully worship the Creator of music while God is being upstaged by heady high-minded musicians who are performing the artistic medium that God created.

            Now we should consider what is meant by the tem secular music.  This term simply means music that is not addressed to Deity or to sacred acts of worship or adoration of the one true God.  There is absolutely no philosophical problem with a conservative Christian musician performing secular music as long as it is not music that is antagonistic to the changed life of a Christian.  Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with a performer receiving praise for a secular performance.  Honoring a performer for his or her secular performance is perfectly in order because God is not the object of this performance.  I would like to remind Christian performers that they must never forget that while God is not the object of secular performance, He is the creator of music and therefore philosophically music as an artistic form ultimately belongs to Him!  So, Christian musicians should not act like they own music.  All music in the life of a Christian musician belongs to God and therefore comes rightfully under the Lordship of Christ.

Quote for the Day

Quote for the Day

The world renowned musicologist Curt Sachs once stated in a discussion of ancient Hebrew, Egyptian, and Babylonian music, “But one thing is certain, wherever a higher class of musicians was distinguished from a lower class, [in the context of his writing it is evident that he meant high quality] wherever the official standard of an educational center was respected, there must have been law and logic, measure and reckoning.”  The Rise of Music in the Ancient World, p. 64.

 

 

Congruency in Our Musicing part 3

Congruency in Our Musicing part 3

            Since the conservative Christian musician is not pluralistic in his or her view of God, to him or her there is philosophically no possibility of a plurality of gods or musicing unto a plurality of deities.  Therefore, since much of religious world music does not address or concern the only true God, although such music is religious in nature because it in some way or another addresses religious things, it cannot possibly be considered sacred music by a Christian musician.  So, a music composition that may be rightfully considered sacred music is music that is inseparably connected to the only true God, is theologically accurate, and is suitable to the awesomeness and solemnity of the worship of a triune God.  It is not sacred if it is connected to a plurality of gods, to mere religious function, to music performance, or merely to religious acts or processes.

            Religious music is that large and indiscriminate conglomeration of musical compositions that are concerned with some form of religious usage.  Religious music and musicing may address itself to any god or to any false religion.  It may also address itself to any form of religious-pseudo-speak, or it may concern itself with the performer   or the musical composition itself.  Such music and musicing is in direct violation of the clear Bible principles of sacred musicing taught in Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  Sacred music and sacred musicing, as taught in this passage of Scripture, is God music rather than an artist hocking his or her musical wares before an audience who is enamored by the performer’s artistic abilities.  Although it is musiced before an audience and to an audience i.e. “to yourselves”, sacred music is sung “to the Lord”.  We must never forget that sacred music is God Music—it is always addressed to God and is about extolling God rather than about aggrandizing the performer or worshiping or admiring the artistic content of the music.

Quote and Thought for the Day

Quote and Thought for the Day

Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”  A Christian musician can perform both sacred and secular music if both are “acceptable unto God”.

 

Congruency in Our Musicing part 2

Congruency in Our Musicing part 2

            The conservative musician must realize that although a Christian musician’s entire life and his or her musicing should be ultimately a sacrifice of service unto God, sacred and secular music are not one and the same and therefore secular music is not always suitable to be used in worship.  When a Christian lumps the whole of music into an erroneous “musical stew pot”, enormous philosophical problems occur.  Although philosophical consideration of music must include both sacred and secular music, to treat them both as some kind of indiscriminate glob as though they were the same is a huge philosophical mistake.

            Before we venture any farther into this “deep woods” called the “whole of music”, we should define the terms sacred and secular music. We will define the term sacred as, “music connected with God or dedicated to the purpose of extolling and worshiping the triune God and hence worthy of and deserving veneration.”  Many dictionary definitions consider religious and sacred music to be the same phenomenon.  Religious and sacred music are not the result of a single perception of all composers, arrangers and musicers. Musicians who consider religious and sacred music as equals try to make an erroneous philosophical amalgamation of  these two distinct “musics” that are the result of two different perceptions and hence  are unlike, although somewhat similar on the surface.

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

It seem strange that when one refers to politics there is considerable agreement  about what the word conservative means, but when one refers to the same term in the context of sacred music or spiritual things, a host of twenty-first  century Christians plead complete and  total ignorance.

 

Congruency in Our Musicing part 1

Congruency in Our Musicing part 1

            Although I do not often use my blog posts to “blow off steam” I am going to do so today and possibly for a few days to follow.  I like to consider myself to be a conservative Christian musician.  Those who know me best know that I often contend for the value of traditional sacred music in this century (I also contended for the same in the last century).  I have often said that what a musician really believes is revealed in his or her music and in the way that a musician musics unto God.  I believe in a conservative lifestyle but I also believe that being a conservative Christian musician goes far beyond how a musician dress or looks when he or she musics unto God.

            However, before I elaborate on lifestyle and its relationship to a Christian’s musicing, perhaps the first order of business should be to give a clear definition of the terminology conservative Christian musician. I believe an accurate definition of a conservative Christian musician is one who holds to and highly regards traditional attitudes and values about sacred music and is therefore cautious about, but not necessarily antagonistic to,  change or innovation in sacred music and musicing.   We should also consider that this conservative musician is first a Christian and secondarily a musician, artist, performer, music director, music educator, composer, arranger, and church musician.

Quote for the Day

Quote for the Day

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.

“In dulci jubilo”

 “In dulci jubilo”

The Latin hymn “In dulci jubilo” i.e. “God Christian Men Rejoice” was written I the fourteenth century.  It was translated into English by John  Mason Neale in 1818.  The words that touch my heart in this Christmas hymn are, “now ye need not fear the grave”.  Why do we not need to be afraid?  Because, “Jesus Christ was born to save!”    Who will He save?  This wonderful hymn declares that He “Calls you one and calls you all to gain his everlasting hall.”  Thank God, because of the who-so-ever of the Gospel, none of us have to miss the joys of heaven!   If you cannot rejoice when you read the text below, I have good new for you--you can if you will only give your life to Him. Below are the word of this wonderful old Latin hymn:

Good Christian men, rejoice

with heart and soul and voice;

give ye heed to what we say:  

Jesus Christ was born today.

Ox and ass before him bow,

and he is in the manger now.

Christ is born today!

Christ is born today! 

 Good Christian men, rejoice

with heart and soul and voice;

now ye hear of endless bliss:

Jesus Christ was born for this!

He has opened heaven's door,

and we are blest forevermore.

Christ was born for this!

Christ was born for this! 

 Good Christian men, rejoice

with heart and soul and voice;

now ye need not fear the grave:

Jesus Christ was born to save!

Calls you one and calls you all

to gain his everlasting hall.

Christ was born to save!

Christ was born to save!

 

 

Quote for the Day

Quote for the Day

Ephesians 5:6 “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”

 

 

MUSIC PHILOSOPHY TERMS

MUSIC PHILOSOPHY TERMS

Below is a very abbreviated list of terms that pertain to music philosophy and philosophy in general.  Christian musicians need to be aware of the meaning of these terms because they appear in philosophical writings.  This abbreviate list is only a “drop in the bucket” but they are the ones that come to mind this morning. 

Aesthetics (esthetics)—the theory of beauty.

Arousal Theory—is the belief that music arouses in us feelings of emotion.

Autonomous Freedom – freedom that is without restraint.

Autonomous Philosophy – a philosophy that is separated from the revelation of Scripture.

Byzantine Philosophical Thought – These philosophers and theologians believed that heavenly things were “all important” to the exclusion of the natural world.

Determinism – the theory that human actions are controlled by antecedent (preceding) causes and not by the exercise of free will.

Enhanced Formalism—the theory that emotions are moved from the hearer to the music itself.  These emotions are not felt but cognized.  This view is sometimes referred to as emotive cognitivism.  This view purports that we are not emotionally moved by music.

Emotive Properties of Music—those properties of music that excite emotion or recall the memory of emotion.

Epistemology—the theory of knowledge and “knowing”.

 “Garden Variety of Emotions”—a phrase often used by the music philosopher Peter Kivy such as: melancholy, anger, fear, joy, etc. These are emotions that some philosophers (not kivy) believe are aroused in us.

Intrinsic Noumenon – pure thought not connected with sense perception.  Also, (in Kantian philosophy) a thing as it is in itself, as distinct from a thing as it is knowable by the senses through phenomenal attributes.

Isolated Disciplines – the study of knowledge in unrelated parallel lines. The study of philosophy not recognizing the necessary associations between all disciplines.

Metaphysics— a general speculative worldview which is a systematic account of all reality and experience.

Natural Theology -- a theology that could be pursued independently of the Bible.

Nature—the nature of music is the essence or quality or qualities that make music what it is.

Neo-Platonism – reviving Plato’s philosophy in a transformed manner.  Its central doctrines are emanation (the belief that the human spirit can participate in the divine) and the belief in the transcendent One which is beyond all knowledge and all being.

Ontology—the area of metaphysics that deals with the essence of being.

Persona Theory—is the belief that we hear a music performance as a human utterance.

Phenomenal – something recognized by or experienced by the senses rather than through thought or intuition.

Pluralism—the notion that reality is composed of more than one or two kinds of being.

Praxis— a Greek term meaning practice which represents an action based  philosophy of music education that stresses deliberate thinking and deliberate “doing”.

Rationalism – all knowledge and truth consist in what is ascertainable by rational processes of thought and that there is no supernatural revelation. It is the the doctrine that true and absolute knowledge is found only in reason.

Rationality- of or relation to reason based on and in accordance with reason or reasoning.

Value – usefulness or worth preserving. Inherent (existing as a permanent characteristic or quality), an essential (necessary i.e., one cannot do without it) value. 

 

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

There would be much less trouble with church music if church musicians would spend as much time learning to know God as they do learning their music.

 

 

We must Worship the Creator part 3

We must Worship the Creator part 3 

The worshipper must know the fundamental truths about God and His nature before musical worship can be authentic or real. Furthermore, the worshipper must be living in fellowship and relationship with God before musical worship can be authentic and real.  I have often said that it is one thing to know about God, but it is completely another to actually know God.  The musician who does not know God in by having a personal relationship with Christ cannot sing from first-hand experience.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that “Ye worship ye know not what.” Jesus said in St. John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Paul told the Corinthian church in I Corinthians 14:15b “I will sing with the spirit (4151 pneuma - spirit, Holy Spirit), and I will sing with the understanding also”.  The Greek word nous (3563) translate intellect here means to sing with the Christian musician’s intellect, i.e. mind). Also, Psalm 47:6-7 states, “Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.” The Hebrew word sakal (7919) means that the musician must be circumspect and must walk with prudence, skill and wisdom.  This word connotes that a Christian musician must sing with intelligence.

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

Christian musicians should not have any trouble worshiping the Creator of music rather than worshiping the music itself because God is worthy of our worship.

 

 

We must worship he Creator part 2

We must worship he Creator part 2

Have you ever pondered on the thought of why we include music in our public and private worship of God? Why don’t we just speak all our worship to God? Why do we music unto Him? Musicing unto God helps us to understand and express effectively who God is and what He does. In the act of musicing we are able to express our response to the claims of God upon our lives. Sometimes words alone cannot fully express the depth of our response to God-- so, we music unto Him.

Genesis 1:1 states that “¹In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Colossians 1:16 tells us “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” Hebrews 2:10-12 further explains why we music unto God when it says, “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.”  Verses 16-18 continues, “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. ¹⁷Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.” Hebrews 4:14-16 caps it all off with these words, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Thought for the Day

Today is Sunday and most of us are going to go to Church today.  We must be sure that we worship God rather than merely worshiping worship.

We Must Worship the Creator part 1

We Must Worship the Creator  part 1

             There is much talk about what worship is all about because all Christians desire to worship.  Because of the reality of God’s presence in our lives, we worship! We worship God for who He is, what He has done, and what He is presently doing now in our lives. We pray, we read Scripture, we preach the Word, we confess His name, and we also music unto Him.

             We worship the Creator not the created things. Romans 1:25 tells us about what happened to those who worship created things rather than the one who created all things.  They historically been those, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature [i.e. the created] more [rather] than the Creator, who is blessed forever.” Music is a created thing. It is dangerous to worship music. As a matter of fact, it is idolatrous to worship music. Worshipping musical performance is the result of a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of Church music in worship. The listener-performer phenomenon is a misuse of music in worship.

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day 

Although we sing about forgetting about ourselves when we worship, those kinds of statements are easy to sing about but much harder to actually do in the context of our worship attempts.

 

Musicing unto God

Musicing unto God 

Those who plan Christian musical worship around “seekers” who are not saved may be having a religious musical event, but they are not musicing unto God in spirit and truth.  Musical Christian worship that is real is a response to God. We confess who He is and what He has already done. We do the responding; we do the worshiping; we do the praising, and we do the extolling of His wonderful name. We bow our heads and hearts before Him. We prostrate ourselves before Him. We raise our hands in avowel to God in the sanctuary. If we do not know Christ, all our musical clap-trap is just an event. It is by no means Christian worship.

Also, we need to remember that God doesn’t have to do anything for us when we music unto His name. He has already done His part. He has fulfilled His commitment to us. He left the portals of glory, He was born of a virgin and suffered without the gate that He might sanctify His own people by His own blood. He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane; He suffered and died on the cross for our sins, arose and ascended into Heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God. When we music unto God, we need to get rid of the self-centered ideas like bless me, tickle me, please me, cheer me, and entertain me and concentrate on Him.

Quote for the Day

Quote for the Day

“We make a vast mistake if we think that the Holy Spirit’s work is limited only to salvation”.  Names of the Holy Spirit by Ray Pritchard, p. 35.

The Promise of the “Spirit of Truth” part 3

The Promise of the “Spirit of Truth” part 3

             Another fact worth mentioning is that in St. John 16:7 Christ explained “…It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (parakletos 3875)  will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”  In order to complete the Father’s perfect plan for man’s redemption and spiritual care and guidance, Christ needed to return to His Father’s side where He could perform His office as our divine advocate (parakletos 3875) with the Father.  Notice that in 1 John 2:1 Jesus said “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate (parakletos) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”.  However, in St. John 16 Jesus promised in to send another parakletos-the blessed Holy Spirit- to be our Comforter while we are on this Christian journey in this life.

            I have taken these three days to encourage Christian musicians that God has made more than ample provision for our spiritual welfare and guidance.  The Holy Spirit is with us and in us as our guardian and guide.   Romans 8:26-27 explains that, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession (huperentugchano 5241) for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he [God] that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

             Every Christian musician needs to remember that God the Father cares about our infirmities i.e. our moral and or physical weaknesses.  Also, God the Holy Spirit is pleading our cause in the glory world with unspeakable grief and groaning at this very moment. Hebrews 4:15 declares “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling (sumpatheo 4834) of our infirmities (astheneia 769); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”  Although Crist never sinned, he cares about us and has compassion and symphathy for us in our morally frail condition.

Quote for the Day

Quote for the Day

“Many believers live far below their potential because they have never discovered the Holy Spirit.  They know nothing about His power, His indwelling, His anointing, His intercession, His gifts, and the fruit He longs to produce in them.” Names of the Holy Spirit by Ray Pritchard, p. 7.

 

The Promise of the “Spirit of Truth” part 2

The Promise of the “Spirit of Truth” part 2

            Yesterday we rejoiced in the fact that Christ promised to not leave His Children comfortless.  The word translate comfortless in the AV is orphanos (3737), which means one who is bereaved by being left fatherless or parentless.  So, Christ promised that He would pray the Father to send the Spirit of truth.  Praise God, Christ not only promised to send a comforter but that this comforter would be the Spirit of Truth (pneuma aletheia, 4151 225).  From these two Greek words we know that the blessed Holy Spirit is the Spirit of verity.  What does this mean to Christian musicians?  It means that the true truth found in the Bible is not relative; it is attainable; it is sure because it comes from the Spirit of Varity; the leadership and guidance that the Holy Spirit gives the Spirit filled Christian musician can be trusted completely because it comes from the Spirit of Truth. 

            Regardless of the fact that post postmoderns believe that all “truth” is relative, we can come to a knowledge of “true truth” because the Holy Spirit is with those of us who Know God as our personal Savior. Before Christ ascended unto His Father in heaven after His resurrection, He promise in St. John 14:16 “… I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever”.  Praise God, our Savior did not leave us on this earth to wallow in our questions and problems alone.  On the contrary, Christ sent us another comforter to guide us through this present sin cursed world.

 

Prayer,Song, and Thought for the Day

Prayer for the Day

Our dear loving heavenly Father I want to thank You for sending the Holy Spirit as our comforter and guide.  Lord, Your Word tells us that an evidence of loving You is the amount of obedience we have in keeping Your commandments.  Lord, please help me to keep Your commandments every day.   These things I am praying in Your mighty and loving name.  Amen.

Song for the Day Holy Spirit, Be My Guide by Mildred Cope

Thought for the Day

Every Christian musician must develop a life in the Spirit because the Holy Spirit is what I call the Spirit of “true truth”.

 

The Promise of the “Spirit of Truth” part 1

The Promise of the “Spirit of Truth” part 1

                St. John 15:26  gives Christian musicians a wonderful promise from Jesus, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” Before Jesus was crucified, rose again and ascended into heaven, He gave Christians who were living at that time and all of us who were to come to know Him as their personal Savior trough out the ages to come the promise that He would send from the Father the blessed Holy Spirit to be with all Christians.  There are many implications from his loving act of our Savior Jesus Christ.  On is that God loves us so much that as Jesus said in St. John 14:18  “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

            Notice what our Savior explained in St. John 14:15-17 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”  This is a wonderful promise for Christian musicians who love God and keep God’s commandments.  Tomorrow we will consider more about the Spirit of Truth.