Teaching Our Own to Minister Musically—part 8

Teaching Our Own to Minister Musically—part 8

In this dispensation, the church musician should present the message that God wants delivered through the medium of music.  This kind of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is far different than the musicing of a self-centered musician who selects music on the basis of how it displays his or her talent.  Prophetic music making requires a human sensitivity to the Holy Spirit who guides the work of the musician until it is effectual music making rather than pompous performance by a heady, high-minded musician trying out his wares on the worshipping body of Christ.  You may ask, what would lead us to believe that music in the New Testament dispensation should still be God’s message to the people?  Ephesians 5:15-19 states:

v. 15     See that ye walk circumspectly not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

v. 16     Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

v. 18     And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

v. 19     Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

In verse sixteen, church musicians are warned not to be foolish but rather to “understand what the will to the Lord is”.  How are musicians to come to a knowledge of God’s message of music for the people?  Church musicians are admonished not only to be filled with the Spirit once but too also be continually filled with the Spirit by maintaining a life in the Spirit.  Colossians 3:16-17 states:

v. 16     Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

v. 17     And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

Notice that the church musician is admonished in verse sixteen to let the Logos Christos dwell (enoikeo 1774) to inhabit this or her heart richly (plousious 4146) which means abundantly or copiously.  In order to find the will of the Lord Jesus concerning the message of music, the word of Christ must inhabit the thought life of the ministering musician in all wisdom.  The whole life of the musician must be a life in the Spirit, i.e. it must be a spirit controlled life.  This Scripture explains that the word of Christ must abundantly inhabit all forms of wisdom both higher and lower.  The Spirit-filled life results in an abundant Holy Spirit controlled whole life wisdom.  This wisdom or sophia (4680) is brought about by the Christian musician developing a philosophy based on the “Word of Christ”.