The Place of Music in the Church

 

The Place of Music in the Church

By Pastor Michael W. Wilson

Music is one of the most misunderstood ministries in any local church. This is due mainly to the roles that music plays in secular society, ones that we have too often allowed to colour our own attitudes as well. Out in the world music serves five main purposes:

1.       To entertain the participants and listeners.

2.      To fill silence with background sound so that people do not feel alone.

3.      To provide an outlet for the talents and creative urges of musicians, so that they

            can feel adored and appreciated.

4.      To provide heroes for the public to “worship.”

5.      To make money for the musicians, song writers, promoters, and publishers, etc.

Obviously, none of these is a worthy motivation for any ministry in the church. They are all self-serving and/or greed driven. In the Body of Christ everything we do should be for the purpose of building up the Body, edifying believers, winning the lost, equipping the saints, and bringing glory to God rather than to ourselves. We seem to grasp this concept in other areas, such a preaching, teaching, and leading, but lose it when it comes to music.

The tools and building blocks of music such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre are all gifts from God. He Himself is the Chief Musician. The world did not invent music. Humans merely discovered what God has given us for our enjoyment and for His glory. In the church, music holds a special purpose, which has little, or nothing to do with the purposes it serves in the world.

In the context of the church and the worship experience music is a “bus” that carries people and their praise-offerings into the throne room of God Himself. Music is like a vehicle or a conduit. It is like a telephone line, which carries messages in both directions from us to God and from God to us. However, the thing I really want to emphasize is that music is not an end, but a means to the end of helping the congregation truly worship God in Spirit and in truth.

Now we all know that there are many different means by which to ship the same cargo: by truck, by airfreight, by train, by barge, or even by pack mule. These are all simply vehicles, containers, or means by which to move a shipment from one place to another, of from one person to another. In the same way, music provides a variety of vehicles by which we can move a message to a specific person or group of people. The music is not the end; it is the means to an end. The content is what is most important. The music is the packaging of the message, just the outer wrapping.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee once remarked that when the devil fell, he landed in the choir loft. What he was saying was that all too often music in the church stirs up controversy, jealousy, and discontent. This owes in part to the fact that musicians themselves are often temperamental people and not always easy to work with. But even if they were all perfect and awesomely spiritual, they would still be up against an impossible challenge because they cannot please everyone. Generational differences, style preferences, tastes in volume level, etc. all make it difficult to scratch where everyone itches, at least at the same time.

Music - What is it?

1.       Harmonic combinations of audible tones (sound frequencies), with a regular rhythm pattern, that pleases the ear [think of cacophony vs. harmony/music].

2.      A means of communication by which the heart expresses itself (love, happiness, sadness, frustration, adoration, etc.).

Christian Music - What is it?

1.       Definition = It is music that expresses the message of the Gospel, of praise, or of testimony with musical credibility. It is simply a vehicle that transports a precious cargo.

2.      Christian Music is a combination of ART + SCIENCE + SPIRITUAL MINISTRY

·         If it is not art, beauty and brilliance will be lacking. Art requires creativity.

                        and dedication.

·         If it is not science, it will lack precision and technical virtuosity.

·         If it is not spiritual ministry, it will lack the power of the Spirit and will

accomplish nothing, therefore having no reason to exist.

·         Observations about it being art:

Ø  A work of art has value in and of itself because is a work of creativity.

Ø  Every work of art expresses the world view of the artist.

Ø  The fact that something is called a work of art does not automatically make it sacred. (Example: Handel’s “Messiah” sung by non-Christians)

Ø  Criteria for critical evaluation of the worth of a work of art:

ü  Technical excellence - Is it well crafted?

ü  Integrity - Does it truly show the artist and reflect his worldview?

ü  Content - What does it say? Is it biblically accurate?

3.      Christian music is a form of communication that presses for a response from the listener as well as from the musician. That is, it should affect both the musician and the hearer in a definite and positive manner, stimulating action. If it does not provoke a response or reaction, it has not achieved its goal.

4.      Theologically speaking, music is not a spiritual gift, but rather a natural, God-given capacity through which any spiritual gift may be exercised; however, musical talents need to be developed and used or they will atrophy.

Key Verse = 1 Corinthians 14:15

“What is the outcome then? I shall pray with the spirit, and I shall pray with the mind also; I shall sing with the spirit, and I shall sing with the mind also.”

Why do we sing? - THE RIGHT MOTIVES

1.       To glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31) - through praise, adoration, gratitude, lifting up the Lord, and honouring Him.

2.      To build up believers (1 Cor. 14:26).

3.      To proclaim the Gospel to the lost world (Romans 1:14-16).

To whom to we sing? (Who is the audience?) = THE RIGHT DIRECTIONS

To explain this part, I want to focus our attention on two main texts. The first is Ephesians 5:18-20— “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. ¹⁹ Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The second text is Colossians 3:16-17– “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

These two passages contain the same four elements. They just say the same thing in two different ways. It boils down to this... The fullness of the Spirit in a Christian’s life, plus the continuous ministry of the abiding Word of God will cause the believer to communicate his joy in three directions:

1.       UPWARD, to God - Not merely with songs about Him but directed to Him as well, songs of praise, thanksgiving, and love. [Psalm 51, 98:1]

2.      OUTWARD, to other people - “...teaching one another and exhorting one another” [Colossians 3:16]

·         Believers

·         Non-believers

3.      INWARD, to ourselves - “...making melody in your heart...” i.e. We sing to encourage and strengthen ourselves because we are overflowing with joyful music in the inner man.

Both of these key passages talk about singing to the Lord in “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” Let us see if we can come up with working definitions of those three terms.

The three biblical categories of sacred music:

1.       Psalms = The Scriptures in musical form, i.e., singing God’s Word, using the Scriptures themselves for the lyrics, regardless of the tune.

·         E.g., Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!”

·         Psalm 34:8, “The Lord is good, the Lord is good, blessed is the man...”

·         The original “songs of Zion” have long been lost but since the time of the Early

                        Church Christians have been singing the Scriptures. In fact, the Psalms of                           David were the hymnbook of the primitive church.

·         For years this was almost lost to the Church. Thankfully, there has been a

                        resurgence of Psalm singing in the past 30 years. Today many of our songs                         and choruses are taken directly from Scripture. A “Psalter” is a hymnbook                          with all the songs taken straight out of God’s Word.

2.      Hymns = Songs directed specifically toward God, as opposed to merely being about Him. Hymns allow us to express prayers of...

·         Contrition - “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour” “Cleanse Me” (Confession of sin and asking for forgiveness]

·         Dedication - “Just as I Am” “I Surrender All” [Submitting our lives to His will and to His service, and declaring His Lordship]

·         Adoration - “My Jesus, I Love Thee” “O to Be Like Thee” [Expressing our love for Him]

·         Praise - “I Exalt Thee” “Great Are You, Lord” [Telling who He is and what He has done, emphasizing His person and His works]

·         Gratitude - “How Can I Say Thanks (My Tribute)” “Thank You, Lord, For Saving My Soul” [Giving thanks to God for all His blessings]

·         Petition - “Fill My Cup, Lord” “May the Mind of Christ, My Saviour” [Asking from God those things that we have need of]

·         N.B. Our English word “hymn” comes from the Greek word, humnos, (ὕμνος) and by exact definition means, “a song or prayer of praise addressed to God.” Notice that the length and style of a piece of music are not what define a song as a hymn, but rather, the content. It may have one short chorus or 5 verses and a refrain. That part does not matter. Using this as our definition you will see that many of the songs in our so-called “Hymnbook” or “Hymnal” are not really hymns at all, but rather are in fact...

3.      Spiritual Songs = Songs directed to other people expressing...

·         Our testimony = How much we love Jesus, how He saved us, what He has done for us, what we were like before salvation, the joy we have in knowing Christ, telling of special blessings, rejoicing in our hope of Heaven, etc. (e.g., Psalm 40:1-3)

·         Bible Doctrine = Instructing, teaching by means of music, telling what the Bible teaches on a subject (e.g., Heaven), etc. But we must be incredibly careful about the doctrine in our songs! Sounding nice and making us feel good is not enough.

·         Exhortation/Encouragement/Motivation = To excite, comfort, warn, challenge, persuade, give courage, to strengthen people amidst difficult circumstances, to encourage us to witness to others, etc.

The minimum quality level that is acceptable:

THE PRINCIPLE = Look at 2 Samuel 24:24 where King David says, “...I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

1.       We are to give the best that we can possibly give to Him.

2.      Whatever we give must be a genuine sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2).

3.      Observation: For most hearers, the quality of the musical presentation will affect either negatively or positively their perception of the quality of the rest of the worship service. That is why we are concerned with maintaining a high level of musical quality.

Common Erroneous Ideas About Music in the Church:

1.      “Anyone who deeply desires to participate should be allowed to sing, play, or lead music in the church. If they are sincere and really want to sing or play, we should let them.”

·         RESPONSE: Look at 1 Chronicles 15:16-24, 27-28. The musicians were chosen, hand-picked. In fact, they were all priests. Verse 22 says, “Chenaniah...gave instruction in singing because he was skilful.” NOTE: We would never use this fallacious argument about preaching, teaching, or leading. Why should there be a different standard for those who perform music?

2.     “The quality of the musical presentation is not as important as the sincerity of the musician.”

·         RESPONSE: Yes and no. Read Psalm 33:1-3. It says, “Play skilfully.” A musician must practice and rehearse if he wants to improve! There is no excuse for being a lazy servant. God always required unblemished sacrifices. For the musician, this is part of his/her “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1-2).

3.     “Spontaneity is the sign of the presence and direction of the Holy Spirit.”

·         RESPONSE: The Bible says that God is “not the Author of confusion.” In the Old Testament the high praise was always well rehearsed and well prepared in advance because they believed that God is worthy of our best sacrifice.

·         Read 2 Chronicles 5:12-14 and pay attention to the result of their preparation.

4.    “In the worship service music can be used to fill space and cover noise.”

·         RESPONSE: In my opinion this is not a legitimate use of music. This practice devalues the ministry of music. Using it this way causes it to become utilitarian and banal, like the songs played on elevators and in waiting rooms.

5.     “The Christian singer is a kind of “star” that presents his/her songs before an audience (i.e., the congregation).”

·         RESPONSE: Our musical presentation should be, to the degree possible, of high quality, but not as a show to entertain. We must remember that God is the audience, that all the people in the congregation are the actors on the stage, and the musicians are merely the “prompters,” whispering cues from the wings.

·         One of the NT words for worship is the Greek word leiturguía, (English word “liturgy”) composed of leos (people) + ergon (work/labour). Thus, worship is “people work.”

Ø  People = Because all the believers are to participate.

Ø  Work = Because it is difficult, requiring energy, thought, and planning.

·         Philippians 2:17 = “service”

·         Hebrews 9:21 = “ministry” 

6.    “Those responsible for the music in the church are the worship team, the choir, the music minister, and the musicians.”

·         RESPONSE: The whole congregation is responsible! The people have the responsibility to sing joyfully and to sing well (which has nothing to do with singing loud). The most important choir of any church is the congregation. When the church sings it gives an opportunity for everyone to participate together, in the same activity, at the same time, in one spirit, with one purpose. 

7.     “Music and worship are just two words for the same thing.”

·         RESPONSE: No, they certainly are not! The one is a vehicle for the other. How many times have you heard someone say, “Now we are going to have a time of praise and worship,” and then he leads the congregation to sing three little anaemic songs, all insipid, and lacking in content. Real praise, on the other hand, is powerful. It is born in the heart out of an attitude of adoration and then bursts forth from the lips in joyful praise to the living God. It focuses our love and attention on Him, as we enter His presence with thankfulness, communing with our God “in the beauty of His holiness.”

8.    “The music is less important than the sermon.”

·         RESPONSE: A well-planned worship service is like a good meal with several courses: there is salad, soup, meat & vegetables, plus dessert. Of those, which is most important part? The sermon should be seen in the context of the complete service, which includes various elements:

§  Recognition of the presence of God

§  Confession of our sins

§  Expressions of praise and adoration

§  Reading and exposition of the Word of God

§  Celebration of the Ordinances

§  Prayers

§  Dedication of lives

§  Offering up of material sacrifices

·         The quality of the congregational singing can be a good thermometer to reveal the spiritual health of a church. The goal of those who lead worship is to help each participant in the worship service have a real experience with Christ, to feel His presence, to truly worship the Lord, and to have some time to be “alone” with Him. Music has an incredible power to lift people to the presence of God (see Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7). All the musical elements of the service have this potential.

§  Choir songs

§  Solos, duets, trios, etc. (so-called “special music”)

§  Congregational hymns

§  Accompaniment and instrumental music

9.    “There are some styles of music that just cannot be used by God because they are inherently sinful, like hard rock and hip-hop.”

·         RESPONSE: Music in and of itself is neither sinful nor holy. It is a medium of communication that can be used for good or for evil. However, all of us have styles of music that we just do not like. But that is really a question of taste, not theology.

·         But, how about styles of music? Does anything go? You must remember that music styles are like different languages. They have different vocabulary, different rules of grammar, different pacing and intonation, different sounds. We must learn the language to really appreciate it. That takes effort and a positive, teachable attitude. Unfortunately, many Christians get stuck in a musical time warp and never gain an appreciation for music that is outside of their traditional comfort zone. We need to remember that Christian music is a constantly changing medium of communication that is fluid and mobile, always in flux. It changes with each generation. It changes with the introduction of new instruments. It changes as our language changes. It changes to reflect a new worldview. Because of this we must never stoop to worship the style, the sound, the rhythm, etc. because music must always be allowed to change to speak to each new generation that comes along.

THEREFORE,

·         We must always value the message over the medium (i.e., the content over style).

·         We must respect each arriving generation and allow them a certain freedom of expression, to express their Christian experience in terms that resonate with them.

·         We must respect the feelings that music produces in people, even if it does not do the same thing for us.

Four secrets of success:

1.       PLAN the music well...

·         ...in advance, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to blend with the message and theme of the worship service.

2.      PREPARE the music well...

·         ...and rehearse a lot, to perfect the technical aspects and overall quality.

3.      PERFORM the music well...

·         ...in a spirit of humility and with much prayer.

4.      PARTICIPATE well in the music...

·         ...with abounding joy and a sincere heart (like when David danced before the Lord).

We end where we began. 1 Corinthians 14:15 says: “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.” Music and singing are not to be mindless exercises. They are not to become merely emotional trips to make us feel good and forget our troubles for a little while. God gave us music that we might use it to praise Him, and to tell others about Him.

The song that follows is one that our college choir used to sing, and I have always loved it. It was composed by a wonderful Christian musician, Dr. Don Hustad, who for many years served as Director of the Sacred Music Department at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. It expresses in the form of a prayer what I believe should be the desire of each of us when we open our mouths to sing. It is entitled, “A Prayer Before Singing.”

A song is a beautiful thing—

Voices join in full throated melody,

And lift to blend in glorious harmony.

Men’s hearts are moved,

E’en lifted to ecstasy with a song,

For a song is a beautiful thing.

But when I sing, Lord,

Let it not be for this alone,

Lest fruitless I be when day is done.

Touch Thou my lips,

Thy beauty let me see,

And fill my heart with love eternally,

That men may come to know and adore Thee.

Lord, this prayer I bring.

Lord, for Thee I sing.