Okay- whoa! I ran across this video on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LQTP6Ad5Og&mode=related&search=
(Now to be fair, this is a 10 minute video that's edited down from a 45 minute sermon- so apparently all the Scriptural references are somewhere in those other 35 minutes...)
But this was interesting to watch. I have experienced many styles of worship at churches, especially considering the church I grew up going to (good old Chaguanas Evangelical Bible Church in Trinidad [http://cebctt.com/])- the one I was at for most of my teen years (http://web.archive.org/web/20070502183429/http://www.pelionbaptist.com/)- and the "megachurch" Newspring (www.newspring.cc) that I went to for a while and my current church, which offers a blend of classic and contemporary styles. (www.brushycreek.org)
I don't agree with the views in the video- because I think it's most important that your heart is truly worshipping Jesus and I don't think He really cares what kind of music you're playing- (and you know He must be God if He can stand country music and actually enjoy it when it's praising Him!
Yeah, I'm definitely NOT God. I can stand country music when it's praising God- but enjoy it? ....I don't think so! (lol- I've learned to put up with it a little more over the years- still one of my least favorite styles of music, but there are a few country songs that I like.)
I recently read through a book at the library called "Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement". Very interesting read- written by a guy who was into secular rock music, led worship at a church that did a lot of contemporary Christian music- and is now at a very traditional church that only uses traditional music- i.e. hymns.
http://www.amazon.com/Left-Contemporary-Christian-Music-Movement/dp/0852345178/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6198925-3183029?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174948872&sr=8-1
Anyway, I guess this is to say that I've been to both ends of the spectrum to some degree. I've been at churches that stick closely to traditional hymns (and by the way- "And Can It Be?" by Charles Wesley still rocks my socks off! :-)) and my current church likes to use more recent worship music (like that great song that goes "And I know that You're alive- You came to fix my broken life- And I will sing to glorify- Your Holy Name- Jesus Christ!" :-))
And I wanted to be fair and listen to the author's points. And the author of the book at least, does have some valid points. He does bring out 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Avoid every kind of evil." - Absolutely! We should definitely do this because we should do everything in The Bible. Of course, if you read the verse right before that it says this - "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
I guess I grew up as a kid singing hymns in church, along with worship choruses (like Rich Mullins' "Awesome God", "What a Mighty God We Serve", "Seek Ye First", and lots of others you probably don't know for geographic reasons ...)
Of course, as a kid we also sang the hymns A LOT faster than the way they're sung in some of the churches I've been to in the USA.
What I don't get is where these guys see that The Bible ever says rock and roll is evil? I've yet to find that verse. (And not to brag, but I have read them all at least twice- working on the third go round now....)
Who decided what was God's style of music?
I think the heart of worship is WAY more important to God than the style of music. This is the same reason God doesn't care if you sing like a nightingale or crow like a...well, crow. The important thing is not so much how pretty your voice sounds- but how pretty your heart looks. If you're truly worshipping God, I really don't think He cares beans about what style of music you're using. I mean, this is the God who created like a gazillion kinds of bugs! He made people different shades of skin. I mean, the same style of music (yes, even that beloved country-rap ) does get boring after a while. So I don't personally have any problem with different styles of music- as long as it's truly worshipping God. The lyrics really make the song for me- not the music (though having good fun music you can rock out to is cool too)
Now keep in mind that I fully believe you can sing "How Great Thou Art" every single Sunday and God would never get tired of it. I never get tired of singing it- it ROCKS!!! Because God ROCKS!!!!!
But there's nothing wrong with playing blue's licks! As Larry Norman put it "Why should the devil have all the good music?"
I can also sing "What's In a Name?" by Petra and totally rock out to it- and it definitely praises Jesus- Name above all names!
I think we do need to not be a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters (1 Corinthians 10:32- "Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God")- but at the same time Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 9:22 "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."
And then there's the Psalms.
"Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp." (Psalms 149:3)
"Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and the lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord." (Psalms 150)
Note that "Praise Him" is the most frequently repeated phrase here. That's the most important thing. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ- with the Gregorian chants, with the pipe organs, with the baby grand piano, with the acoustic guitar, with the electric guitar, with the harp, with the drums, with the violin, with the flute, with the trumpet, with the tambourine, with your own dancing- and most importantly with your life! Praise God with everything you've got!
If hymns are reaching people and bringing them to salvation in Christ- AWESOME! If Gregorian chants are reaching people and bringing them to salvation in Christ-AWESOME! If rock and roll is reaching people and bringing them to Christ-AWESOME!
Because ultimately it really doesn't matter what music you use or if you use any at all. The Holy Spirit is what draws people to Jesus and brings them to salvation. Not the music, the pews, carpet, pastor's preaching or anything else. Just the Holy Spirit. We get the awesome privilege of being His tools to witness for Him - and when we just share the Good News that Jesus Christ loves you to death- (literally on His part- but don't worry- He rose again! Talk about a love that really reaches from beyond the grave! ) then that's all that matters. The Holy Spirit uses us and helps us get the right words out and brings people to salvation. And we see that everything is about God- and we are used by Him for His purposes if we're open to Him.
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)
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ReplyDeleteGood post, Nate. I agree that it doesn't really matter about the music per say, as long as the heart is honoring God.
ReplyDeleteI would say that it helps the song to be more meaningful if the music is fitting for the words. For example, very dissonant chords played on distorted guitar along with a voice screaming "God makes me happy!" seems to not fit well with the intended lyric message, although I wouldn't say that the singer in this combination is morally wrong if his/her heart is in the right place. But the music can effect the way someone singing a song feels and how the words are meant; the words can't be fully disentangled from the music. Otherwise, it wouldn't really be a song (or at least a good, fitting one).
That's a good point, Kevin- I would agree with that. Thanks.
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