Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

A Christian musician who desires to upstage preaching with religious musicing should take thought of why he or she desires to “steal the show”.

Is Music the Power of God?—part 4

Is Music the Power of God?—part 4

            Although worship music should be to “one another” and “to yourselves” it should always function as a musical offering to God and not a musical entertainment for the people.  Since worship music should cause the people to “muse” or think it should never be an amusement.  It should edify (draw the people closer to God) rather than to entertain the congregation.  So, the fact that church music is not the primary communicator of grace does not mean that it is not very important or that it doesn’t matter.  On the contrary, Church Music Matters very much when it comes to the matter of communicating grace.

When music takes preeminence over preaching, as it has in many post-modern churches, that assembly of believers is following a philosophy based on the wisdom of the matrix of this present world not the wisdom which the Holy Ghost teaches.  Postmodern church philosophy considers a longer sermon and a shorter period of singing to be “weak” and therefore unwise.  I Corinthians 1:25 reminds us that, “...the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

Music is a powerful communicator and therefore every Christian musician must take note of what he or she is communicating when musicing unto God.

 

 

Is Music the Power of God?—part 3

Is Music the Power of God?—part 3

            On the authority of the Bible lesson found in Ephesians 5”19 and in Colossians 3:16, music is a communicator of grace first by teaching (didasko 1321) and secondly admonishing (noutheteo 3560) by the worshiping body of believers.  Singing should teach worshipers the Word and about the Word.  Singing should also admonish believers and sinners as it expounds the Word to the congregation.  These two aspects of church music serve a very important function in public worship.

            If psalms, songs of laudation to God, and non-carnal songs are going to communicate grace to the worshiper they must be sung and played “with grace” or “in grace” by the worshipers and they must be sung to the Lord.  Note that this Scripture teaches that these songs should teach and admonish the people.  Likewise, the Ephesians 5:19 statement:

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord.  

connects speaking (singing) to ourselves with making melody in our hearts to the Lord.  Therefore, the notion that music in worship should not communicate a message to the congregation but rather only address God is not a biblical view.  The fact that worshipers are admonished to sing unto the Lord does not negate the importance of music communicating grace to the people.

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

The fact that we know that music has such great emotional and mental power over an audience should cause the Christian musician to be very careful how he or she uses that power.

Is Music the Power of God?—part 2

Is Music the Power of God?—part 2

            The Word never tells us that music is the “power of God” for saving “them that believe”.  I want to make it very clear that I believe that sacred music can and does exert great power over the worshiping body of Christ.  Examples of music in the Bible are proof that music had great power over both true and false worship in ancient Israel.  However, it never was the main thing and should not be the main thing today.  Music has always been the handmaiden of the word of Jehovah.  Historically it has been a helper and a means to an end – NOT THE END!

            At this point in the discussion of what the “main thing” is, it is important to explain that I do not believe that the preaching of the word is the only thing.  I believe that the view that preaching is the main communicator of grace is a biblical view.  However, there are other aspects of worship that are secondary communicators of grace including: communion, confession, prayer, and, of course, MUSIC.  My praxial view that music is a secondary communicator of grace is based on the Colossians 3:16 statements:

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. 

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

When I read about Levite musicians in the First Temple, I never find anything said about them wanting to display self, i.e. the diva complex, in their public performance of sacred music.

 

Is Music the Power of God?—part 1

 Is Music the Power of God?—part 1

            1Corinthians 1:17--18 states, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”  What is God’s wisdom in the Scripture lesson above?  What is the main thing?  It certainly isn’t MUSIC.  The main thing is the preaching of “Christ crucified”.  The wisdom of the world considers it foolishness and a stumbling-block, but God still considers it the main thing since He calls it the “power of God”. 

            How did music become the main thing in worship today?  Churches that have made music the main thing are not following the wisdom or philosophy that the Holy Spirit teaches.  Can contemporary worship be truly Christian worship and give music more time and more importance than preaching Christ crucified?

            Although music is mentioned over 600 times in the Bible, the Word never even hints to us that it pleased God through the wisdom or foolishness of music to save them that believe.  No, on the authority of God’s Word it pleases Him to save through preaching of the cross and Christ crucified.

 

Prayer for this Blog in March

Prayer for this Blog in March

            I want to thank you heavenly Father for helping me to write each daily post during the month of February.  It is my sincere and earnest prayer let this blog will go around the world to places where I cannot go.  Lord, thank You that You are answering my prayer by guiding people from ninety seven countries to find and read my blog posts. Help me as I prepare a post for each day to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.  Only you know Lord who is out there ministering musically that needs a fresh anointing for musical ministry.  Help me to know which philosophical and devotional thoughts will help these busy pastors and musicians.  Lord, you know that I am not sure which aspects of music education and music ministry to write about that will stimulate and encourage the blog family.  Please anoint the blog, the blogger, and the bog readers. If it is your will I am asking that the number of page views will increase during this month. These things I ask in your great and wise and wonderful name.  Amen.

 

Thank you for a Great Month of February

Thank you for a Great Month of February

            Last month was the 26th month of my blog which contained devotional and philosophical thoughts for Christian musicians.  I am praising God for the country listed below which was added to the blog family during the month of February.  I have been praying that my posts in 2015 would stimulate new blog members and that the regular viewers would also be blessed by their content. It is my continued prayer that each new post will bring honor to our heavenly Father.  Some of my posts in the month of February were devotional but most were philosophical in nature.   

       Since we began on January 2 of 2013 we have received a total of over 44,600 page views with over 900 views in February which is less than the amount of views in January of 2015.  Since I started this blog the page views have come from 101 different countries. These views have come from Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia,  Aruba, Austria, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Colombia, Congo [DRC], Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong,  Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland (Republic of),  Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia,  Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands (Antilles) New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Porto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Turks & Caicos Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, and the USA.

             The ten countries with the most page views in February were: USA, France, Philippines, Russia, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, India, China, and Canada.  We would like to welcome new blog members from Aruba to our blog family they are the one hundred and first country to join our blog family.

          If you are from a country that has had page views in the past 26 months and has been omitted from the 101 countries listed above, please email me your country’s name.  Please continue to pray with me that God will allow this Music Philosophy Blog to continue to go places where I will never have the opportunity to minister musically in person. Please pray for me, as I have mentioned before, I am in the process of writing a general music philosophy book and a devotional book for musicians.  The fall and winter seasons have been very busy and it has been difficult to make progress on either project. Please pray with me that my proof readers will have time to also work on these projects.

        I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to view my music philosophy blog during the month of February and a special thanks is in order to those countries that faithfully view this blog month after month.  Please continue to pray that God will guide each post and allow it to reach those who need encouragement to keep ministering for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The main reason that I started this Music Philosophy blog is that, although there is much music philosophy information on the net, not very much of it is from a biblical perspective.  Please share the blog address with your friends.   If you have an area of music or fine arts philosophy that troubles you, please feel free to let me know and I will include it in our discussions.  My email address is Garenlwolf@gmail.com.