Doing the Work of God Deceitfully—part 1

Doing the Work of God Deceitfully—part 1

            What many Christian musicians have forgotten is that direction determines destiny.  If you start west on I 70 from Indianapolis, you will not arrive in Columbus, Ohio, no matter how much you desire to go east to Columbus, Ohio.  Getting a crowd’s attention by emphasizing the flesh will by no means draw them to Christ.  If a performer maximizes the physical, by doing so he or she minimizes the spiritual.  If a performer sings religious music and at the same time draws attention to the flesh, he or she will get a message across to the audience, but this message will not be good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The reason one cannot successfully sell sacred things with the sensual is that the Bible states in Galatians 6:6-9 that it just won’t work.

            Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption: but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day          

           Christian musicians must get rid of the sense of the ownership of music and musicing.  If a Christian owns music he or she is truly an autonomous musician.  If I own music it is my music!  I have rights concerning music because it is mine.  If my music and the way I music is mine then I have rights when it comes to my music.  Since it is my music and my music ministry, I have the right to tell you that you are out of step with my musicing and If you do not like it you probably should worship somewhere else where you would be more comfortable with a church that utilizes an antique, out of step with reality, style of worship.  However if I am a servant musician I don’t have any rights I only have responsibilities when it comes to the music I utilize in our worship.  I am here to serve in the spirt of sharath (8334)—I chronicles 8:14, 23:6-- i.e. it is my responsibility to music in the spirit of humility as though I was a menial worshiper although I am a chief musician.

 

Music Was an Act of Creation-part 6

Music Was an Act of Creation-part 6

            When Christian musicians realize that they do not own, they recognize that they are musical servants with responsibilities rather than rights.  Music was created because God willed that it should exist. Therefore, it is not farfetched to come to the logical hypothesis that He still has a will concerning music.  Again we should remember that God created the formal properties of music i.e. the nuts and bolts of music that make what it is capable of being. However, what a musician does with them is a different matter. When we, as musicians, face Him whose eyes are as a flame of fire we will give a stewardship account of what we did with His musical building blocks.

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

            I recently read a book on worship that emphatically stated there should be no such thing as a Christian Music Philosophy.  Such thinking is without doubt a Philistine Philosophy.  Of course, non-Christians do not believe that Christ should be at the center of a music philosophy.  However, it is somewhat shocking to read the work of a Christian musician who has been squeezed into the world’s mold philosophically.  Christocentric music philosophy is not only expedient it is a must if a Christian’s music and musicing is going to be truly Christ centered and if it has any hope of consistently following Bible principles of musicing unto God. 

 

Music Was an Act of Creation-part 5

Music Was an Act of Creation-part 5

            A non-descript and fuzzy music philosophy derived from a misunderstanding of the significance of Gen 1:1 will give rise to a faulty musical ministry praxis which is one’s on purposeful way of using music as a secular art form or in one’s church music ministry.  This means that if God, by virtue of ownership, does not become Lord over all of a Christian’s musicing, as an art form and as a musical offering to God in that musician’s music ministry, it will not be very long until God will not be Lord at all over a Christian musician’s musicing.   Because of the causality resulting from faulty music praxis, it will not take very much time until a musician’s music ministry will all become anthropocentric rather than Christocentric.

 

Thinking about Love on Valentine’s Day

Thinking about Love on Valentine’s Day

Song of Solomon 1:15, “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.”

            Today is Valentine’s Day.  I want to take this opportunity to thank God for my valentine Shelia Marie Parsons Wolf.  The other night our family went out to eat and my wife wore a new outfit that I had purchased for her.  She reminded me of the Scripture above, “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.”  I was proud of her she looked so nice!  I do not deserve to have such a queen as my wife and the mother of our children, but I thank God for her today. If you are married, this would be a good day to thank God for the special one in your life.  

            There are different kinds of love mentioned in God’s Word.  Today would be a good time to do some word study of love mentioned in the Bible.   To some people love for other individuals is just a theory.  Let me let you in on a secret—God is in favor of love.  Jesus said in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”  To show us just how passionate God feels about love His Word says in 1John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” Also,1Pe 1:22 states, Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:”   So, take this day and be thankful for those in your life that love you and be sure that you also love others.

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

            If a Christian musician believes that God in His infinite wisdom created the building blocks of music, it is only that he or she should come to the conclusion that God has a will concerning the music building blocks that H created.  Furthermore, it seems logical to also deduce that if He had a will concerning the art form He created that He also has a perfect will concerning His creation.  If he has a will concerning music it is the responsibility of every Christian to study His Word to continually try to come to a more perfect understanding of how He wishes for us to worship him with His wonderful creation.  We should be reminded that is the Christian musician’ responsibility to “prove what is acceptable unto the Lord”—the “monkey” is on the ministering musicians back—not God’s back!  His Word is there to teach us and the blessed Holy Spirit is there to guide and guard us but we must do the proving.

 

 

 

Music Was an Act of Creation-part 4

Music Was an Act of Creation-part 4

             I am drawn to the logical conclusion that out of the chaos, emptiness and confusion reported in verse two of Genesis chapter one, God created and His creation included music.  God chose to create music because, in his perfect will He desired that it should be a part of His perfect creation. 

            In his objective acts of creation, God created the mathematical ratios that are the basis of what music is and what music will be like when a musician arranges the music part of music unto artistic musical patterns.  Because of this God has authority over how we arrange and use His musical building blocks.   When Christian musicians get rid of the sense of music ownership many Church music problems disappear. 

 

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

            I have always told my college students that the word “evolved is not the proper word to use when speaking of the development of music over the centuries.  The word evolved has come to connote a musical “big bang” rather than the development of a God created art form.  An evolutionary process from “musical ameba” to major symphony is a naive notion rather than a fact grounded in our knowledge of ancient world music.  The recent deciphering of ancient music by the University of Berkley Department of Assyriology (Kilmer et. al.) and the deciphering of the Bible te’amim (Suzanne Haik-Vantoura) has proven such notions to be entirely false.

Music Was an Act of Creation-part 3

Music Was an Act of Creation-part 3

             Some Christian music philosophers and practicing church musicians believe that music has evolved (from noting to something) over the centuries and that it is the product on mankind rather than a God who created it on purpose. This faulty philosophical theory effectively lets the Christian musician who is seeking autonomy off the hook philosophically.  If God did not objectively take nothing and make music out of this “nothingness” then what does Psalm 146:6 mean when it so clearly states that it was God “Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth forever”?  Strong says that asah (6213) means “to do or make” something. 

             Is there any logical reason why music is not a part of this “all” which is mentioned here?  Also, St. John 1:3&10, Ephesians 3:9, and Revelation 4:11all support the belief of a complete creation and especially, Colossians 1:16, “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.”