Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Music in the Worship of God: Part 1

Selfish Opinion vs. Humble Worship Most people judge music based on their personal tastes and preferences Too many people think the music is the worship and judge the service based on whether they liked the music Many people claim to have the right priorities, but their actions show that personal taste, not truth, controls

Selfish Opinion vs. Humble Worship Scott Smith, Worship Leader Magazine - Are We Worshiping Worship More than We Worship God? True worship demands that God is the center of it and that takes active work - it is not passive entertainment Most of the debates in music in worship are about personal preferences, not the glory of God

Form vs. Substance Music is not worship, but it can be a powerful force in true worship or its biggest obstacle The Scriptures do not warn or even caution against certain sounds Psalm 33:3; 66:1; 81:1; 93:4; 95:1-2; 98:6; 100:1 - Noise: Teruah / ruah = trumpets blaring, people shouting

Form vs. Substance Psalm 98:4 - loud noise - patsach = the sound of something breaking All types of sound can be used to praise the Lord - there is no “devil’s chord.” No musical instruments is evil itself - People like or dislike instruments based on association

Form vs. Substance Idiophones: Cymbals, rattles, castanets - bells: Psalm 150; 2 Samuel 6:5; Exodus 39:25 Membranophones: drums, timbrel - Exodus 15:20; Psalm 81:2; 150:4 Aerophones: wind instruments - pipes, flutes, horns - Psalm 5; 150:3-4 Chordophones: lutes, harps, lyres - Psalm 92:3; 108.:2; 150:3

Form vs. Substance Musical instruments are no different than the tongue which can be used for good or evil - James 3:9-10 There is no “devil’s beat” - life is filled with all sorts of rhythms – context of its usage determines its purpose

Cautions on Communication and Form Psycho-acoustics = the effect of sounds on human behavior. Some sounds can be negative, some positive Composers use sounds in the effort to affect your emotions Romans 14:14; Mark 7:15-22 - The evil is in the hearts of men - not a particular instrument or sound

Cautions on Communication and Form Evil people use music to enhance their evil message giving that music an evil association Evil Lyrics can give a lovely melody an evil association, but good lyrics can enhance the tune

Cautions on Communication and Form Chuck Fromm, Worship Leader Magazine, Taking Music Off the Throne: Acknowledging the Z-factors Zwingli, the reformer that had been a professional musician, feared the power of music in worship Z-Factor: Music often hides rather than reveals truth. It is prone to enchantment, not communication

Cautions on Communication and Form There needs to be caution to not distort our message, but we should not be reactionary to condemn sounds Most people simply want to hear what is pleasing to them and therefore are ignorant of the dangers Z-Factor: Contemporary choruses have reduced corporate singing to mindless babble . . .

Cautions on Communication and Form Repetition comes near to being mindless chanting - more Eastern mysticism than worship of God Poetic license stretched to confusion about the meaning of the song - “Jesus is my boyfriend” lyrics

Cautions on Communication and Form A catchy tune can obscure what is contrary to Scripture and even rank heresy Careful consideration must be given to the songs used in worship lest we sing heresy to a pleasing melody

Cautions on Communication and Form Use form to enhance the message of truth, but never to obscure what is contrary to God & godliness Let us not become those who worship worship more than God

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ