Deal Thoroughly with Sin

Deal Thoroughly with Sin

2Timothy 2:19  “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

          Luke 6:48 also speaks to the issue of a Christian’s spiritual foundation, “He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.”  When a Christian musician faces the on slot of the enemy who is Satan, that musician must be sure that his or her spiritual foundation is solid.  Notice that St. Paul reminds Timothy that That a spiritual foundation built upon God will be sure. 

The Christian musician must deal thoroughly with sin.  1John 1:9 states that,  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Remember that 2 Timothy 2:19 declares, “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”  The Christian musician is not capable of living a life in the Spirit if he or she is trying to hide unconfessed sin from God.  In order for a Christian musician’s spiritual foundation to stand “sure”  he or she must be completely honest with God.  Those who are honest enough to dig deep and depart from sin have this precious assurance that “…the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.”  We know this with surety because God’s Word declares that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Appropriate Musical Art-forms

Appropriate Musical Art-forms

Every music worship leader must be sure that the music being used in worship is, as Tolstoy put it, “Christian art”.  Art forms that the world considers “great art forms” are not always appropriate vehicles for worshiping the blessed Triune God.  Some religious music that may be considered a high art form that is currently being used by Christian musicians may be considered religious music, but it is not always sacred music and ipso facto Christian music.  Music, being an art form, communicates the various implications of the composer’s and/or the arranger’s world view.   An arranger and/or performer can super-impose his or her world view over the original composer and librettist’s original intent.  When this happens, the original intent of the text and/or music part of the music is so eclipsed that it is no longer sacred music but instead it has been rendered merely religious music—there is a difference.

            Worship leaders must remember that everyone who attends a worship service brings memories and previous associations.  Therefore, the worship experience is never done in a musically sterile “bubble”.  Some worship leaders use music that has previously been clearly associated with situations that were anti-Christian and are averse to “universal principles” that are congruent with the separated life of a born-again Christian which are taught in the Bible. Other musical art forms are simply not appropriate for the purposes of worship because of the way the formal properties have been arranged.  When the formal properties of a piece of music form a congruent (or incongruent) whole that is not an appropriate concomitant to the awesomeness and solemnity of worshiping a high and holy God and is clearly antagonistic to the purposes of worship it is not Christian music.  Sometimes religious music is no longer distinctly Christian because it has been fashioned in a way that makes it not compatible with the purposes of worship. Whether or not it is a developed art form is not the proper criteria for accepting or rejecting it as a worship vehicle.

Religious Music as Quality Art

Religious Music as Quality Art

               Most Christian musicians would consider that sacred music is in fact an art form.  Donald Hodges stated that Leo Tolstoy believed that great art had two qualifiers.  “It must be Christian art that (a) expresses a union of man to God and to on another, or (b) expresses universal feelings of common life accessible to all.”  Hodges quoting Leo Tolstoy in A Concise Survey of Music Philosophy by Donald Hodges, p. 153.  When I recently read Tolstoy’s beliefs about great art I began to think about the fact that religious music used in the context of Christian worship must be Christian in the completeness of its nature.  Also, its value as an acceptable art form to be used in the context of Christian worship should be judged by how well it “expresses a union of man with God”.

  I want to make it completely clear that I do not believe that high quality art music is the doorway to the kingdom of God or that the ultimate purpose of worship is about great art music or any music genre for that matter.  Furthermore, some simple, straight forward, uncomplicated, and even somewhat predictable sacred music is sometimes the best vehicle of praise and worship at a particular moment in the public worship service.  Never-the-less sacred music is an art from, and for that reason alone, its nature, meaning and value should be partially understood in that light. It should be pointed out that it is believed by Jewish music historians that musicians in ancient Israel did not think of sacred music as an art form but rather a means of becoming closer to JHVH.

Thought for the Day

I find it hard to understand why any Christian musician would be satisfied to present God with a musical three-legged lamb.  Furthermore, I find it puzzling that a Christian would want to bring God down to an earthly level by requiring Him to receive a poor quality musical offering.

The Tongue of the Wise is Health

The Tongue of the Wise is Health

 Proverbs 12:18-20  “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.  The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.  Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.”

          I learned a life lesson  from a music collegue of mine who is now in heaven.  Professor Archie Coons was a great Christian and a great music teacher.  He and I had many conversations during the years that we worked together at God’s Bible College.  There were some people whose office I avoided when possible because I always had enough problems that were capable of sending me to the slough of despond without hearing any more depressing news.  However, it was different with Mr. Coons!  He always had a smile on his face and an upbeat demeanor.  He had a lot of physical problems that were at times very serious, but he did not let them get him down emotionally.

          We would discuss all kinds of  problems, but he never said anything demeaning or destructive about anyone.  I always joked that if he saw two dead rats in the gutter, he would look them over and find something good to say about both of them.  So the Scripture verses in Proverbs describes him as a person who had “lip of truth”.  He was truly a counsellor of peace and joy.  So, if you have the opportunity to say something negative and demeaning about someone today—don’t do it.

Prayer for the Day

Lord, You are a wonderful God.  I want to thank You for giving me the opportunity to work with a great Christian like Archie Coons.  Thank You for the life lessons that I learned from him.  Lord, help me to finish my days on this earth with a smile on my face and a joyful heart.  Help me to continue to benefit from the lessons that I learned from Mr. Coons.  Please help me to mentor young musicians as positively as he mentored me.  Help me to not only music with joy , but to also mentor with “lips of truth” and a heart that is filled with words of peace and joy.  

Song for the Day  Since Jesus Came into My Heart  by Rufus H. McDaniel

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 5

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 5 

          Modern philosophy has given up on a unified field of philosophical knowledge and no longer believes that there is thesis (truth) and antithesis (a lie).  To modern man truth is relative and is always found in a combination of both good and bad, i.e. modern man believes that truth is always found in syntheses (a combination or blend).

Traditional philosophy has always believed in two contrasting worldviews

GOD                        DEVIL

Truth                        Perversion

Right                        Wrong

Good                        Evil

Now modern philosophers believe that the answer is found in a mixture of truth and evil.  The answer is neither good nor evil but somewhere in between.  Now modern man has a style of music that fits the synthesis paradigm.  The church and the satanic world now have something in common.  Both believe in worship and both are deeply committed to rock music.  The modern church no longer believes I Corinthians 6:17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”  The philosophy of the modern church no longer tolerates the “be ye separate” philosophy of the Bible.  The modern church no longer tolerates traditional church music performance but rather strongly believes in being yoked together with the world through the medium of music.  It is strongly believed by the “seeker sensitive” movement that any kind of separation from worldly music will dwarf the church of Jesus Christ.

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 5

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 5 

         Never in the history of church music has there ever been a music genre that could

directly yoke Christians and those who are antagonistic to the teachings of the Bible.  This has been made possible by a shift in some Christian’s paradigm of sacred music. No previous style of music has ever been so directly identified with satanic worship and so directly identified with the worship of God.  Rock music has successfully yoked unbelievers with Christians. This yoking together has not come about because infidels and Christians both love the LORD, but rather because they both love the heavy pounding physical beat of rock music.  Is it possible that those who hate Christ are capitulating?  Is this present sinful age turning to Christ?  Is Satan finally giving up?  Are we close to finally getting together?

Throughout the history of the world, there has always been Christ vs. the antichrist. There has always been right vs. wrong.  Have we finally found a style of music that works equally well for worshiping Satan and Christ?  Has the modern matrix finally found a unifying style of music that will unite the world of sin with the world of Christ?

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 4

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 4

It is amazing to me when I lecture to church musicians, that so many of them do not consider themselves to be rock music performers.  They do not seem to realize that if they perform rock music at any level, they are rock performers.  Somehow they have developed a mindset that, although they perform music with a heavy rock beat, somehow their music is not really the “bad stuff,” since they only perform “good” rock music.  As a matter of fact, many of the “soft rock” musicians profess to be against rock music much in the same way that the country rock musicians who perform country music with a heavy rock beat deny being country rock performers.

Truly these church musicians are “of this world” since they have developed a worldly paradigm without recognizing they have been squeezed into the world’s mold musically.

One has said,” There is none as blind as he who will not see.”  These church musicians are so numb intellectually that they only think in a reprobate manner.  I John 2:15 warns us, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”  Verse 18 cautions, “Little children, it is the last time: and ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists: whereby ye know that it is the last time.”  I believe that one of the signs of the last days is the church locking arms with the world in worshipping God. II Corinthians 6:14. Speaks about this connection when it states, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.  For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?  And what communion hath light with darkness?  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?”

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 3

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 3

          We are psychological beings.  A healthy psyche demands release from tension.  Any music that does not give the listener regular reoccurring rest from tension becomes psychologically disturbing.  No wonder that so many teenagers who listen to rock music five or six hours a day commit suicide or are constantly depressed.

          Christians should realize that adding religious words to rock music does not solve the problems of rock music being a proper concomitant to the gospel message.  Rock music was originally not created to worship God.  Therefore when we try to force sacred purposes on this music that was developed to appeal primarily to the flesh, we only complicate matters. The juxtaposition of the sacred with the profane is often very problematic. Well-meaning attempts at re-tasking music styles that were never intended to be used in the context of Christian worship often send conflicting messages to seekers who are trying to find a way to break the bonds of sin that have enslaved them and have formed a music addiction that has become a negative influence on their thought patterns and conduct.

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 2

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 2

Until the twentieth century, rhythm in sacred music was used to help build tension in music but always subsided in a final relaxation to achieve finality. As I have said before, music flowed in a forward directionality from relaxation to tension to find relaxation.  All well-constructed musical compositions have a beginning, a climax and an ending.  Rock music does not normally let you relax anywhere or at least not often in the composition.  Therefore, it is not biblical in its enactment. 

Jesus said in St. Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  He did not say, “I will give you continuous tension,” or “I will keep your heavy laden or burdened down.”  The heaviness and incessant tension created by the preponderant beat of rock music is not compatible with the good news of the gospel.  Even our heartbeat is made of tension and release.  The good news presented by sacred music should bring ultimate rest, not tension.  Music that is compatible with the Gospel of Christ or the Logos Christos must come to regular points of rest.

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 1

The Shift in Sacred Music Paradigm—part 1

            In the sacred music of ancient Israel, melody was considered to be a vehicle upon which the word of Jehovah rode into the hearts and minds of the worshiper.  Biblical research has proven that the most important aspect of sacred music in ancient Bible times was the word of Jehovah.  All the elements of music were servants or helpers of the word of God. The rhythm of Bible music was always the natural rhythm of the words.  The word, music originally came from the word “muse” which meant to think.  So, sacred music was not originally conceived as primarily an artistic rhythmic experience, but rather an artistic intellectual experience.  It was a means by which the worshiper could experience the import of God’s Word more clearly.

No Bible composer would have written a melody that would have covered up or distracted in any way from the word of Jehovah.  If ancient Israel had some form of harmonic practice in either vocal or instrumental music, no Temple musician would have allowed it to cover up words.  What does this all mean to us now that we have entered the 21^st century?  What is the biblical example given to us?  When any style of religious music accompaniment is in competition with or covers up the words of a song this music does not follow the biblical example of how sacred music should be performed.  Remember from the time of ancient Israel and for centuries, after, words were most important in church music.  Melody, being the handmaiden of God’s word, came second and any harmony came next and rhythm was normally the rhythm of the text. Rock music reverses this order.  Rhythm and beat are normally first in rock music.  Harmony is generally second and words and melody are last. Since beat is first, it is the master of words and therefore more important.  Through the use of extremely high amplification levels, beat becomes an even bigger giant. Instead of a flowing forward directionality rock music has a crushing, propelling, forward directionality.  

Metacommunication and Sacred Musicing

Metacommunication and Sacred Musicing

In the early 1970s, Gregory Bateson coined the term metacommunication to describe the underlying messages in what we say and do. Metacommunication contains  nonverbal actions like one’s tone of voice, gestures, body language, and facial expressions  that communicate understandable meaning that either enhances or hinders what we say in words.  Metacommunication can also be applied to a musician’s actions that accompany musical actions. 

One of the most important concomitants of sacred musicing is believability.  What we actually sing and play is of utmost importance, but so are the verbal and non-verbal actions that surround our sacred musicing.  The Christian musician’s tone of voice, gestures, body language, and facial expressions communicate understandable meaning that either enhances or hinders what we sing and play.  Those who hear our sacred musicing also observe how we music.  People believe or disbelieve not only what they hear but also what they see.  When it comes to sacred music and musicing, actions often speak louder than words.

Thought for the Day

When it comes to our sacred musicing, we never get a second chance to give a first impression on those who observe our musical actions.

Remembering God as the Object of Worship

Remembering God as the Object of Worship

             In the process of developing a Bible based Christocentric music philosophy and praxis the following should be seriously considered: Who is the center of public worship?  Is it man or God who is honored in the worship experience?  Who receives the preeminence?  Is worship an event or the Christian’s response to God?  Whom should the musician strive to please with his or her musicing?  Is it proper for God to share the glory of the worship experience with a performer?  Should there be any difference in the music part of the music that a Christian musician considers to be sacred or profane?  Are these differenced apparent when one musics unto God?

              When in a musician’s musicing there is no difference made between sacred music and secular music that is composed to appeal to the lust of the flesh, will this musicing be appropriate and congruent with the purposes of worshiping God?  These questions must be answered by every Christian musician who personally musics unto God and leads others in musicing in the context of public worship.  When it comes to using music as a vehicle of worship, the end does not justify the means.  The notion that sacred musicing must please the worshiper.  What about pleasing God?  What about using worship vehicles that properly represent the moral nature of God?  Somewhere in every Christians music philosophy and praxis, the concept of God as the sole object of worship must be considered.

Deliverance for Chief Musicians

Deliverance for Chief Musicians

       In Jeremiah 20:13 those who love God are told, “Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.”         The enemy of the Christian musician’s soul desires to take his revenge out on the Christian musician.  He waits for an opportunity to enticed Christian musicians into sin.  Satan is smart and he is subtle.  Jeremiah 20:11 says, “But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail.”  Although Satan is crafty by using other people to persecute the chief musician, our God is a “mighty terrible one”. Satan is no match for our Lord.  God is big enough and mighty enough to not only fight Satan but to also to win the battle for the Christian musician’s soul.

       Jeremiah was a lot like Christian musicians.  He was prone to depression

( see Jeremiah 20:14-18) and so was Elijah ( see1 Kings 19:4).  One moment their faith reached out to YHVH and in the next they were deep into despair.  We as musicians should learn from these men’s mistakes.

       When Satan begins to accuse you, you must look to Jesus for deliverance.  In the time of depression move in closer to the great heart of God and trust Him and believe his Word.  You will find strength in reading Scripture, praying, and singing His praises.  You should count your God given blessings and resist Satan in the name of the LORD as we are instructed to do in James 4:7. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  On the authority of God’s Word if we resist, Satan will have to withdraw because of the power of our God that surrounds us.

       Note that Scripture admonishes us to sing unto the LORD.  When you are oppressed and become depressed, praise the Lord with singing.  If you praise God with singing, God will “inhabit your praise” (Psalm 22:3).  Our heavenly father will abide with you i.e. he will dwell with you because Jesus is a friend that will stick closer than a brother.

Psalm Superscriptions

Psalm Superscriptions

Psalm 53:1 To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David. Psalm 54:1 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David…  Psalm 56:1 To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David…Psalm 58:1 To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David…Psalm 65:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm and Song of David…Psalm 69:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, A Psalm of David…Psalm 70:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance…

          The Superscriptions listed above are only a few of those found in the Book of Psalms. Chapter six of Music of the Bible gives the meanings of the Psalm Superscriptions.  There is a plethora of confusion that surrounds the many authors opinions about their meaning.  Frankly, although they are at times shrouded in esoteric meaning, their meaning is not nearly as exotic as many authors conjecture.  Their meaning is worth exploring because they often give much meaning to the psalm setting, its history, and musical instruction for performance.

           Some pitfalls to avoid are that they represent tunes.  This notion is totally without authority because we know that the te’amim found below and above give us the accurate precise well-preserved melodies and embellishments for each psalm.  The exotic hypotheses about the Superscriptions being tune names for secular ditties to which a particular song would be sung are totally without scholarship or authority.

          The thing that really matters is that these Inscriptions give, instrumentation, author and musical explanation of how to perform the particular psalm.  The inscriptions give us knowledge that ancients were concerned about how to properly sing and play the psalms.  This knowledge helps to put to rest the faulty notions about the ancient  Israelites singing , or worse yet screaming out, the psalm at the top of their lungs in an unartistic manner. 

Josephus on Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Josephus on Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

 Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews stated: “And now David being freed from wars and dangers, and enjoying for the future a profound peace, composed songs and hymns to God, of several sorts of meter; some of those which he made were trimeters, and some were pentameters.  He also made instruments of music, and taught the Levites to sing hymns to God, both on that called the Sabbath-day, and on other festivals.”

          Josephus follows this discussion with an explanation of musical instruments and does not explain anything about the difference in "hymns" and "songs."  One of his statements is in line with the Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 statements "making melody in your heart to the Lord" and "singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."  He explains that King David taught the Levites to "sing hymns to God."  So, at the time of the preparing of this work we have no Biblical or archaeological evidence that tells us precisely what the word humnos (5215) means.

          Finally, are the words spiritual (pneumatikos 4152) songs (oide 5603)J.  As has been alluded to earlier, St. Paul was careful in both his letter to the Ephesians and to the Colossians to carefully state that the third category of songs was to be spiritual songs.  If he hadn't, there could have arisen the belief that he was condoning the singing of secular odes unto God.  There is some conjecture among writers that there is no real distinction between the terms psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.  If this is the case, why did Paul use three distinctly different Greek words in this passage?  So ends our discussion of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs at this point.  The section on Significance of the Holy Spirit in Music Ministry in Chapter IV will discuss the phrase "singing with grace in your hearts."

PSALMS, HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS DEFINED

PSALMS, HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS DEFINED

           Let's take a look at exactly what psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are.  First is the word psalms (psalmos 5568)  is the term for a Jewish cantillation for voice and instruments.  It is the Greek word for the psalms of the Old Testament (see Music of the Bible Chapter VI Music in the Book of Psalms).  Second is the word hymns (humnos 5215).  This word is derived from the Greek word hudeo which is not used in New Testament Scripture.  Hudeo means to celebrate, so it is considered a song of praise.   Kittle gives this explanation of the word humnos "Christ's word lives in the Church's songs to God, which extol from the heart his saving work (Col. 3:16).  In Ephesians 5:19 praise is addressed to the Lord with God's saving work again as the theme."

          Delling explains that the exact meaning of the word hymns is quite uncertain when he states: “Attempts have been made to distinguish Christian hymns in the New Testament, but these are hypothetical in the absence of clearly discernible laws.  The Magnificat and Benedictus are Jewish in style.  Ephesians 5:14 and I Timothy 3:16 are in fixed form but are not necessarily fragments of songs.  Philippians 2:6ff seems to be a pre-Pauline song, and Colossians 1:15ff may be a hymn that the author has taken over and augmented.  Elements of songs are perhaps worked over in I Peter 2:21ff, and the song-like portions of Revelation (11:17-18; 15:3-4) show what form Christian hymns might take.  Yet the mere presence of lofty speech or integrated structure does not have to denote a hymn."

Musicians Known by Their Actions

Musicians Known by Their Actions

             In the process of developing a Bible based Christocentric music philosophy and praxis the following should be seriously considered: Who is the center of public worship?  Is it man or God who is honored in the worship experience?  Who receives the preeminence?  Is worship an event or the Christian’s response to God?  Whom should the musician strive to please with his or her musicing?  Is it proper for God to share the glory of the worship experience with a performer?  Should there be any difference in the music part of the music that a Christian musician considers to be sacred or profane?  Are these differences apparent when one musics unto God?  When in a musician’s musicing there is no difference made between sacred music and secular music that is composed to appeal to the lust of the flesh, will this musicing be appropriate and congruent with the purposes of worshiping God?  These questions must be answered by every Christian musician who personally musics unto God and leads others in musicing in the context of public worship.

           So, by a musician’s musical actions, he or she is capable of placing approval on what the world is doing musically that is not   congruent with what the Bible teaches about music and musicing or the changed life of a Christian.  When this happens, Satan effectively closes the mouths of Christian musicians and silences the Christian’s philosophical musical witness.  When music ministers are completely squeezed into the world’s musical mold, these musicians do not have much of anything to say that is philosophically different from those who are antagonistic toward our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, faith based musicing and, of course, placing all musical actions under the Lordship of Christ.   Hence, there is so little being written about faith-based music philosophy.

God Created Sound

God Created Sound   

               If you have read the first chapter of St. Paul’s epistle to the Colossians you will remember that in chapter one verse sixteen it states that God created the visible (horatos 3703) and the invisible (auratos 517) part of music.  Christian musicians are much more familiar with God creating the visible than they are with his creating the invisible.  Twenty-first century Christian musicians are often much more fascinated with God creating the musical notation (the te'amim) of the O.T. than with the importance of God’s creation of sound. 
              We get caught up in discussions of the possibility that Moses came down from the mountain with the te'amim engraved on the tablets. We may postulate that Jehovah possibly revealed them to Moses and that Moses added them to the Decalogue. We may wax eloquent in our notion that Moses developed the system of   notation used in the Old Testament since he could have learned about musical notation from the Egyptians. (We know from Acts 7:22 that "...Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.")  An even wilder hypothesis is that he learned notation from the Sumerians or the Akkadians since we know that they had written notation at least 1400 to 1500 years before the earliest surviving Greek fragments in a written notation.   
               However, although we now know much more about the history of world music, it is still an abstract thought to many Christian musicians that God created sound i.e. the invisible part of music.  It is what I call the "music part of music."  You cannot touch it, or see it, but it is very much there.  The invisible part gives music life and great power.  It gives our musicing the ability to function, develop, come "alive", and be efficacious.  Therefore, Christian musicians should give very serious consideration to the sounds (aoratos-i.e. the invisible part of music) that we connect to the Logos Christos.

Thought for the Day

If you wish to get out from under the complete Lordship of Christ over music and musicing, you should adamantly deny that sound matters when musicing unto God.

You Are What You Music

You Are What You Music

          It is reported that Dr. Jack Hyles said, “You are not going to be what you decide to be, you are going to be what you decide to be around.”   I want to thank God that I had the opportunity to be around Christian musicians while I was growing up that were more interested in God receiving glory from their musicing than they were with being on the cutting edge of musical worship style change.  I often wonder where I would be today if I had grown up around Christian musicians who were more interested in becoming famous or well-known than they were in musicing in ways that brought honor and glory to God.

          Musically speaking, a young church musician becomes what he or she musics.  A young musician makes choices of the music that he or she will listen to and perform.  It is sobering when I realize that Dr. Hyles was right when he said, “you are going to be what you decide to be around”.  Not is that statement true of young musicians but also of adult musicians as well.  So every Christian musician must develop systematic Bible based beliefs about the nature and value of music to help to guide his or her musicing and musicing throughout life.  There is no doubt about it, When it comes to what a musician listens to and performs throughout life will play a major factor in the development of that person’s moral character.  Every now and then the Christian musician must take thought of what the types of music he or she is involved in are doing to that person’s whole-life.  A young musician becomes not only what he eats but also what he musics. 

Prayer for the Day

My precious Lord and Savior I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity at an early age to music unto You and to sing Your everlasting truths to others.  I also want to thank You for allowing me to be surrounded by Christians who loved and served You with musical offerings that brought honor and glory to Your matchless name.  I am asking You to help me to share the rich musical heritage that I experienced with others.  Lord, thank You for giving me the unbelievable privilege to share my musical with those who did not love and serve You over many year of my life.  My heart is filled with praises to You for the many musical blessings that I have received.  These thanks I give to You.  Amen 

Music Endeavor Should begin and End with God part 2

Music Endeavor Should begin and End with God part 2

Some musicians are now so squeezed into the world’s mold that they do not seem to realize that the whole belief-system that music is amoral is the result of autonomous music philosophy.  It is no wonder that you can trust a humanist to conclude that all music endeavors begins and ends with man.  The philosophical bias of a humanist will always be that all meaning in life (if there is meaning in life) will be the result of self-actualization and the act of a person’s free will.

This musical mind believes wholeheartedly that in the beginning was “ameba” or worse yet in the beginning was “nothing”.  This musician believes within himself that man came from nowhere and is ultimately going nowhere.  It is not hard for him to believe that man exists in a purposeless universe and that he is “caught in the wheel of time”.  This musician also believes that music came from nowhere and is ultimately going nowhere. 

To this humanistic musician the only thing that really matters is “me”.  This type of thinker concludes that music is amoral since man is God and God is man therefore God is in man because man created God.  So, man is God of his music.  Any music that he composes or performs is God’s music i.e. all man’s music is created in God’s image since God is created in man’s image.  Any music that pleases man will also please God and conversely no music that displeases man is pleasing to God.  So, if you can wade through all the previous mumbo-jumbo, you will be able to understand why a synthesis thinking religious humanist, who is autonomous, believes that all musical roads lead to heaven – why there is no profundity in music – why all music is appropriate for public worship and ultimately why music is all a matter of taste.

Thought for the Day

A musician will either say to God, “Your will be done in all my musicing” or God will say to that musician, “You can have your own way if you are going to refuse to retain my knowledge in all your musicing.”

Music Endeavor Should begin and End with God

Music Endeavor Should begin and End with God

Christian musicians often question the necessity of developing a series of systematic beliefs concerning the nature and value of the whole of music.  Furthermore, they often seem to believe that those values set forth by major public colleges and universities are adequate for Christian musicians.  After all, aren’t the elements of music the same for Christians and non-Christians?  The philosophy of a musician who does not bring all of his musical endeavor under the Lordship of Christ should never be trusted. Not only can you trust a communist to be a communist, you can also trust an unregenerate musician to be worldly in his or her philosophical basis.

            Remember, direction determines destiny!  Any musician who believes the end of all human endeavors is the gratification of self will ultimately come to different philosophical conclusions than a musician whose life is sold out to Christ.  For the committed Christian, music begins and ends with God.  To the humanist, music begins and ends with self.  The musician who has submitted his or her music to the Lordship of Christ believes that all church music is sung and played to glorify God since God owns music.  Conversely, the secular humanists (and the religious humanist) believes that music belongs to man’s true humanness since all music is about self-actualization.  This type of thinker owns his or her music.

 Thought for the Day

 Certainly any quality music endeavor should bring a measure of satisfaction to the musicer, but that does not mean that music endeavor should be about the gratification of self.

God’s Strong Identity Part 2

God’s Strong Identity Part 2 

          God was faithful to Moses who had seemed to lose his courage and identity by expressing to Moses His strong identity, “I AM THAT I AM”.  Adam Clarke gave this lengthy and wonderful explanation, “These words have been variously understood.  The Vulgate translates EGO SUM QUI SUM, I am who am.  The Septuagint… I am he who exists.  The Syriac, the Persic, and the Chaldee preserve the original words without any gloss.  The Arabic paraphrases them, The Eternal, who passes not away; which is the same interpretation given by Abul Farajius, who also preserves the original words, and gives the above as their interpretation.  The Targum of Jonathan, and the Jerusalem Targum paraphrase the words thus: "He who spake, and the world was; who spake, and all things existed."  As the original words literally signify, I will be what I will be, some have supposed that God simply designed to inform Moses, that what he had been to his forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he would be to him and the Israelites; and that he would perform the promises he had made to his fathers, by giving their descendants the promised land.  It is difficult to put a meaning on the words; they seem intended to point out the eternity and self-existence of God.” Clarke’s Commentary, by Adam Clarke, Vol. 1, p. 306   As I read the above explanation of how scholars have rendered the Hebrew words, EHEYEH Asher EHEYEH my heart soared with praise unto the God who is.  This is the identity of the God who spoke from the midst of a burning bush to the confused, lonely, and insecure Moses.

          If you are questioning who you are and what God wants you to do at this time in your life, lean hard on the Lord God’s strong power, sure identity, and strong name.  There are two name of god recorded in YHWH (3068) which means the self-existent independent eternal god who now is and  Elohiym (430) which means the supreme exceeding God.  He not only was during Moses’ lifetime, but He also is right now.  This strong existence and identity separates Him from all other false gods who are now dead.  They are incapable of helping you because they are dead—they do not exist now so they cannot say “I AM”.  However, I AM is sending you into this sin curse wicked world to testify of His strong name and identity.

Prayer for the Day

LORD, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  The Book of Common Prayer 1892, p. 176

Song for the Day    So Send I You by Margaret Clarkson

Thought for the Day 

It is my opinion that every Christian musician is called by “I AM” to music unto Jehovah Elohiym.

God’s Strong Identity Part 1

God’s Strong Identity Part 1

In the third chapter of Exodus Moses said in the eleventh verse, “Who am I…”  Moses was raised in the palace of Pharaoh and became the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  Moses was treated like a son in that palace but he became estranged from Pharaoh when he slew an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave.

          Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh to the west side of the Midian desert to a place near to the mountain called Horeb.  There he transitioned from being a prince in Egypt to being a shepherd of Jethro’s sheep.  Somehow Moses seemed to lose his identity and self-respect.  While he was in this state of mind he asked God, “Who am I?”  In his change of situation from being the son of Pharaoh’s daughter to being just Moses the sheep herder, he became very insecure.

          In the midst of all this change and insecurity, Moses saw a bush flaming but not being consumed.  Moses saw an angel of YHWH in the midst of this bush so he went to see this unusual sight.  “And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I” (Exodus 3:4).

Prayer for the Day

“Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope for everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.” The Book of Common Prayer 1892, P. 54

Song for the Day  I Belong to the King  by Ida Reed Smith

Thought for the Day

  I have a strong identity because I am a child of the King whose name is Jehovah Elohiym.

No Room for Jesus at Easter-part 3

No Room for Jesus at Easter-part 3

The last two blog posts have been reminders of how those in ancient Bethlehem and all of us in this century have treated Jesus.  It is one thing for the un-regenerated to ignore Jesus, but is another thing for Christian to unintentionally push Him into the background during the Easter season. 

Luke 21:34 warns,” And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”  Hopefully, those who call themselves Christians aren’t guilty of drunkenness or surfeiting (kraipale 2897) i.e. a headache caused by getting drunk.  However, we are susceptible to letting the “cares of this life” push Christ into the background during the Easter season.  So, musicians should make sure that the musicing  during the Easter preparation is much more thorough than a few songs about resurrection on Easter Sunday morning.

No Room for Jesus at Easter-part 2

No Room for Jesus at Easter-part 2

You may be wondering just why I am presenting this discussion so early in April.  Before I continue, I want to simply say that I am presenting this for Christian’s consideration  early enough so that musicians can make sure that the worship music leading up to Easter Sunday helps to prepare worshipers hearts and minds of the real reason that we celebrate Easter. 

St Luke 23:33-34 records the real message behind the celebration of Easter, “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…”  The message of Easter is truly the “greatest story ever told” because it is a story of mercy and forgiveness.

Ephesians 2:1-5 tells our story, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).”

Thought for the Day

Sometimes we may want others to think that we were always a nice person.  However, since God sees us in His divine “Ground Positioning Satellite”, He knows the rest of the story.

No Room for Jesus at Easter-part 1

No Room for Jesus at Easter-part 1

St. Luke2:7 states, And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

       Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus were certainly good people.  Why did God the Father let Jesus, His only begotten son, be born in a cattle shelter which was perhaps a cave?  From our very finite understanding it would seem that there could have been at least a tiny room that no one was using.  However, God the Father let His only son be born in obscurity and humility.  On this blessed day of days, we should remember that, regardless of our circumstances, most of us were not born in a place of humility like Jesus.

       We enjoy the Bethlehem story at Christmas time, but we have a tendency during the Easter season to do the same thing to Jesus.  If we are not careful, we will get so involved in new Easter outfits, Easter baskets, coloring eggs, and patching holes in those awful blow up yard toys, that we forget the real story of Easter.  We won’t admit it, but we are so busy that we may not tell the good news of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection that brought complete victory over sin.  Romans 6:23 reminds us, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”   

ARE WOMEN MUSICIANS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE? Part 6

ARE WOMEN MUSICIANS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE? Part 6

            Women in the Bible were reported as singing a low kind of music.  Even at its best it was for dancing or funeral mourning and at its worst to aid in the sensuous appeal of harlots on the street.  Isaiah's satire (23:15) states, ". . . after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot” (or KJV margin, "It shall be unto Tyre as the song of an harlot") It is no wonder that women were not used in Temple worship since it was so closely related to paid dancing at weddings and funerals and was associated closely with harlotry in ancient Israel.

            The question of importance to Church Musicians today is, should we or should we not use women in church music?  Should we consider the disuse of women in the music of Temple worship, and the Biblical silence about women in public worship as "proof" that women should not be used in church music today?  The Bible is silent concerning the use of women in Temple worship.  However, this silence does not implicate that women should not be used in church music today.  Remember that part of the reason that women were not used in Temple music was because of the type of music they sang and played and the association of women's music with harlotry.  However, the ancient customs of Israel concerning women did not allow for them to be used as Temple musicians.  It is safe to conclude from the research that there is no evidence given in the Bible to cause us to exclude women from church music today.

Thought for the Day

The most important issue of church music today is not who we use in our musicing unto God, but rather how we use music in our musicing unto God.

ARE WOMEN MUSICIANS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE? Part 5

ARE WOMEN MUSICIANS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE? Part 5

            Now let us look at some reasons why women were excluded form music in the Temple.  Although we know that women were involved in non-Temple public religious music, Curt Sachs explains some conservative changes in the music of the Temple.  "Firstly, almost all musical episodes up to the time of the Temple describe choral singing with group dancing and drum beating. . . And secondly, this kind of singing was to a great extent women's music. . ."  Curt Sachs, The Rise of Music in the Ancient World, p. 90. He stated furthermore that, "The essential fact is that such a species of music exists and is strictly separated from men's music both in style and performance."  Ibid. p. 91.  Sachs also quoted Dr. Lachmann, a writer on Jewish cantillation, "The production of the women's songs is dependent on a small store of typical melodic turns; the various songs reproduce these turns - or some of them - time and again."  Ibid. p.91. He also quotes Lachmann as saying, "The women's songs belong to a species, the forms of which are essentially dependent not on the connection with the text, but on processes of movements.  Thus we find here, in place of the free rhythm of cantillation and its very delicate line of melody, a periodical up and down movement.”  Ibid, p. 91.  Finally, he quoted Lachmann as saying, "The women accompany their songs on frame drums or cymbals which they beat with their hands."  Ibid, p. 91.

Thought for the Day

It is a strange and novel thought to many church musicians that men’s and women’s music was essentially different in ancient Israel.