Just how important is music in the life of the
believer? Is it important to have music during church services?
And finally, how important is the role of a musician? As I share
answers to these questions, I do so not only as a Christian broadcaster
but also as a music minister, a musician and a listener.
Let me begin by giving
my definition of Christian music. Christian music is sound produced
by various instruments which create an atmosphere conducive to
worship, praise, celebration and/or renewal. These instruments
may be man made or created by God. The sound may be fully orchestrated,
or just one instrument. It may even be a sound not normally thought
of as musical at all, without melody or rhyme.
The vocal chord is a
musical instrument. The piano is a musical instrument. Even water,
wind and various sounds of nature are musical. God can be glorified
in his creation of many beautiful sounds. I love the sound of
morning birds singing in the early spring, waves crashing at high
tide and the soothing sounds of a quiet stream. Even the gentle
sound of rain can be renewing to the spirit, helping to reduce
the impact of stress and anxiety.
The sound of fall leaves
crunching under foot on a crisp fall day, as children play during
twilight is a sound I remember from childhood. We played touch
football until our noses were bright red and our hands were so
cold it hurt to catch the ball. We kept playing until either we
couldn’t see in the darkness or the first mom broke up the
teams with a loud call to get ready for dinner. This sweet memory
is almost always triggered when the temperature is right and the
leaves are crunchy. It is a sound that is music to my ears.
It is important that
music be pleasing to the ear regardless of its form. Music is
not necessarily about beat, tempo, or style. It is about communication.
The crunchy leaves communicate a peaceful memory to me, where
it might communicate the laborious task of raking and bagging
to someone else. The same holds true for the various forms of
recorded music. Much of today’s rock music communicates the
wrong message. It encourages the use of drugs inappropriate behavior
and violence. A great deal of today’s Country music promotes
promiscuity, alcohol indulgence and infidelity. It is not the
style of the music that is wrong but rather the message it communicates.
From time to time I
will receive a letter from a listener that basically says WWEV
shouldn’t play upbeat music because listening to rock music
provoked them to sin when they were young. Let me reiterate. It
is not the music that causes us to sin. The message communicated
in the music promoted sin. The music was being listened to in
an environment conducive to sin. And was listened to in the company
of sinners. Please don’t let the beat of a song prevent you
from enjoying one of God’s greatest gifts, music.
Music is a beautiful
gift from God which has been robbed of its proper place in the
lives of believers. If music was not such a great communicator
Satan wouldn’t be using it to attempt to destroy God’s
people. Many families have been torn apart over music issues.
Teens and their parents breakdown communication often because
the kids are forbidden to play “their” music. But, if
the same rock music that is credited with causing people to sin
is filled with quality Christian lyric that promotes walking with
the Lord, and living a positive Christian life, and is heard in
an atmosphere conducive to a Christian walk, and heard in the
company of Christians, the outcome will be quite different. The
same holds true for Country music, popular, easy listening, big
band and any other style of music that has been “sinned”
to. We are free to enjoy the musical style we choose. But as Christians
we should desire to listen to music that communicates Jesus.
Throughout Biblical
history, music was an important communicator. Of course there
weren’t many quartets, electric guitars, pianos, saxophones,
accompaniment tapes, or high wattage amplifiers. But there were
quite a few different musical instruments. In Genesis, we find
tambourines, harps and organs. To this list we add tabrets found
in I Samuel, cymbals in Jeremiah, pipes in I Kings, trumpets and
coronets in I Chronicles, ten-stringed instruments and lyres in
Psalms, flutes, sackbut, psaltery and dulcimer in Daniel and viols
in Amos. We find reference to musical instruments throughout the
Bible. The message they communicated was varied but had one thing
in common, the building up of the followers of God.
Musicians were called
on to dispel evil spirits, lead a parade of prophets, worship
the Lord, create an atmosphere of praise, lead men into battle
and herald an approaching king. They were moved to celebrate joyous
occasions and sad occasions, even play or sing a dirge to lead
the funeral march. In short, music was an important part of the
lives of believers from the cradle to the grave. And the musicians
who provided the music were honored people. When Saul was being
troubled by a distressing spirit, the following dialogue was recorded:
I Samuel 16:14-17 NKJV.
14. But the Spirit of
the Lord departed from Saul and a distressing spirit from the
Lord troubled him.
15. And Saul’s
servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit is troubling
you.”
16. Let our master now command
your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a
skillful player of the harp. And it shall be that he will play
it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon
you, and you shall be well.
17. So Saul said to
his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well and
bring him to me.”
Of course, that man
turned out to be the Chief Musician David. And when David played
for King Saul the spirit left.
Music today is equally
important in our lives. Imagine Christmas without all its wonderful
music. Weddings are certainly made all the more beautiful with
the appropriate music selections. And a church service without
music would not be the same at all.
I believe music turns
the soil in our spirit and prepares it to receive the seed of
the Word. A church that has spent 30 minutes praising and worshipping
the Lord produces fertile grounds ready for planting. As we praise
the Lord through music we are better able to focus our total attention
on Him. It changes our perspective from being a person in church
to being a servant in the presence of the King. Then the “things
of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory
and grace.” We stop thinking about the office, home and our
problems when we “Turn our eyes upon Jesus.”
When we take time to
listen to Christian radio, tapes, or CDs of Christian music, we
allow ourselves to once again be ushered into the presence of
the Lord, turning our homes and cars into sanctuaries of worship.
When we take the time to praise Him, He inhabits the words as
they pour from our lips because the Word says, “He inhabits
the praises of His people.”
Musicians play skillfully
and don’t faint from your call. Use your talents and gifts
that God has blessed you with for His glory. Singers, sing skillfully
so that the Lord may be glorified in your voice. And may all who
hear be blessed. Praise Ye the Lord!
