Believing that a Christian musician
has musical “rights” is the philosophical belief at the top of the slippery slope
of the false belief that one can follow a musical path that is independent of
Bible principles of musicing.
Friday, July 10, 2015
God Owns Music-part 2
God
Owns Music-part 2
Yesterday
we discussed briefly that it is imperative that all philosophical basis of
music begins with God’s creation, which includes music, and God’s ownership
which includes music. Why all this fuss
over ownership? The reason is that God
is autonomous. And that God made music.
As Christian musicians, we must give Him preeminence--that includes
music. Any other philosophical belief
will lead down the long slippery slope of humanism. Religious humanism is an
integration of humanist philosophy with religious endeavors and
beliefs that center on human needs, interests, and abilities. We, as Christian
musicians, are not autonomous and do not own music and musicing. Therefore, we
do not have the right to believe that music and musicing begins and ends with
our endeavors.
As
a Bible College music teacher for over forty years, I have seen very talented
music students that headed down that philosophical path. They found out early on that they were
talented enough to proceed without God's help. They would deny that they were religious
humanists but deep down in their heart their music and musicing was not sold
out to God. They either secretly or
sometimes openly held ownership to music especially when it came to matters of
musical style.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Thought for the day
Thought
for the day
Religious humanism in music is the outcome of
putting yourself where God ought to be philosophically.
God Owns Music-part 1
God
Owns Music-part 1
It
is imperative that all philosophical basis of music begins with God’s creation,
which includes music, and God’s ownership which includes music. To the Christian, all forms of music come
under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:16 states, “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.”
St.
John 1:3 further explains that “All things were made by him; and without him
was not anything made that was made.”
Once there was no music. God was
before music. God wanted music so He
made music. No one else made music. Therefore, no one but God has true ownership
of music. The Christian musician should
get rid of the sense of ownership of music.
No spirit filled musician, or any musician for that matter, has the
right to say this is my music. Remember, as we considered in another blog, no
musician ever has taken 'nothing' and made 'something'. He merely arranges
God's musical building blocks. He 'constructs' but he cannot create.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Song, Thought, and Prayer for the Day
Song
for the Day When
in Our Music God Is Glorified by Fred Pratt Green
Thought
for the Day
1Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour.” A Christian musician can be
vigilant and at the same time “sing for joy of heart” because as 1John 4:4 teaches,”Ye are of God, little children, and
have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in
the world.”
Prayer
for the Day
My heavenly Father, I am singing for joy of heart because
You are greater than Satan. Thank You
for caring enough for me to suffer and die for my sin on a cruel cross. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to be
my comforter. Thank You for sitting at
the right hand of the Father making intercession for me. I love You Lord. Help me to Glorify Your name with my
musicing. This I am praying in Your
great name. Amen
God’s Servants Sing for Joy of Heart-part 2
God’s Servants Sing for Joy of Heart-part 2
I remember so vividly that the “naysayers”
hinted to Sheila and I that we would never have anything in this life if we
continued to teach in a Bible college.
Worse yet, they said that our children would be bitter against the Lord
in adult life and would not serve Him. I
am “singing for joy of heart” today because God in His loving kindness has made
it possible for us to eat, drink, rejoice and sing for joy of heart over our
family.
I want
to go on record this day that Satan and all of his “naysayers” are
mistaken. God has taken care of us and
He has also taken care of our children and their wives and our children’s
children! I wat to pause for just a
moment to give praise to God for all He has done and for all He is going to do
in the future. Praise God!
If you
are a Christian musician who is truly a servant of Christ, God will take care
of you and He will also take care of your children—and your children’s
children. Regardless of what others may
hint or actually say to your face, God will take care of you! So, stay in His work and refuse to listen to
the “naysayers”.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Song, Quote and Prayer for the Day
Song
for the Day He Has
Made Me Glad by Leona Von Brethorst
Quote
for the Day
Isaiah 61:10, “I
will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he
hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the
robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a
bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
Prayer
for the Day
Lord I can “sing for joy of heart” because You have “clothed
me with the garments of salvation”.
Thank You for covering me with “the robe of righteousness” “so that I may offer unto the LORD an
offering in righteousness”. I am so
blessed to be a partaker of the Divine nature.
Although I am totally unworthy of Your grace which has been shed abroad
in my heart, I am and will ever be thankful, and my soul shall be joyful. Please accept my offering of praise. Amen.
God’s Servants Sing for Joy of Heart-part 1
God’s Servants Sing for Joy of Heart-part 1
Portions
of Isaiah 65:13-14 include the following promises to God’s servants: “Therefore
thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat…behold, my servants
shall drink…behold, my servants shall rejoice…Behold, my servants shall sing
for joy of heart, …Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart…” At this time in the history of ancient Israel
many had apostatized and has provoked the LORD God (Adonai YHVH 136 3069) i.e. the Lord and master who is the sovereign
ruler of the universe and is also the self-existent, eternal, independent
God. However, a remnant had listened and
obeyed God’s commandments. Because they
had served the LORD God He continued to pour out His blessings on them.
I believe
that since God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 1:8), He will
still pour out His blessings on those who obey and serve Him in the
twenty-first century. His love and mercy
extends to all Christian musicians who are doing His will. Every Christian musician must be sure that he
or she is doing God’s will and not merely the will of the some Christian
organization. A Christian organization may
not be happy with a conservative musician’s musical philosophy and praxis, but
that is far better than displeasing God with the way one musics. A Christian
must be doing the will of God in order to be able to “sing for joy of heart”.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Quote of the Day
Quote
of the Day
"God is not only concerned about what you believe but also how you
behave"-- Rev. Paul Pierpoint. I
say that God does not only care about what musicians believe musically, but
also how they behave musically.
Does your music philosophy have a "hole" in it?-part 3
Does your music philosophy have a "hole"
in it?-part 3
Music
philosophers are constantly struggling with the major issues that affect all
musicians who perform and listen to music.
It is inexcusable for a Christian musician to ignore these issues. Many of the concerns that surround the use or
disuse of various styles of music in public and private worship may only be
reckoned with by having a thorough understanding of the nature and value of the
whole of music. Ignoring these major
concerns will not cause them to go away.
Although many of the issues that surround many
styles of music are spiritual in nature, many others are also musical. Having a thorough understand of what the
Bible teaches about both sacred and secular music and musicing is foundational and
therefore absolutely necessary. However,
these understandings are not all that a Christian musician must have in order
to be equipped to make wise choices of both secular and sacred music. A Christian who makes musical choices for a Christian organization without
a thorough understanding of the nature and value of the whole of music is extremely
vulnerable to making musical errors that will cause destructive change in the
future of that organization. If a
Christian who is involved in the decision process of a Christian organization has “holes” in his or her
knowledge of music theory, history, music philosophy, the history of music
education, and wat the Bible has to say about music, there will doubtlessly be “holes”
in that decision makers philosophy.
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