Is music taking over the church?

[ImThankful]

I am a musician as well as a praise singer..I sure don't feel like we are performing at all. In fact, when the spirit begins to move as we all worship with the congregation we are more than happy to lay down our instruments , raise our hands like everyone else. Sometimes we don't have music at altar service as its certainly not music where the power of God lies and music sure cant save us. It can only usher us into his presence. Musicians still come to the prayer room 30 min before service and pray along with everyone else.

I have unfortunately been in places where I have seen what is described in many of your posts. I pray we never become perfomers but rather vessels where Gods spirit can flow through us and he gives us the anointing to know what people need.

[imreedemed]

Originally Posted by Originalist

Do you guys have to try to hijack EVERY thread on this board? If you want to start a thread debating on whether or not the Father is being honored, bring it on.

For those of you who don't get it, this poster is a unitarian of the hemphillian persuasion who thinks we are all worshipping God's son to the neglect of worshipping the Father. They say we are "idolators" because we "give worship to the Son that is reserved exclusively for the Father".

They try to spam every discussion board out there with their heresy.

This is too good a thread to get distracted by his nonsense. Let's not take the bait.

Yep. I visited the guys website last night and found similar information backed with scripture. It's saddening

[Michael The Disciple]

Originally Posted by ImThankful

I am a musician as well as a praise singer..I sure don't feel like we are performing at all. In fact, when the spirit begins to move as we all worship with the congregation we are more than happy to lay down our instruments , raise our hands like everyone else. Sometimes we don't have music at altar service as its certainly not music where the power of God lies and music sure cant save us. It can only usher us into his presence. Musicians still come to the prayer room 30 min before service and pray along with everyone else.

I have unfortunately been in places where I have seen what is described in many of your posts. I pray we never become perfomers but rather vessels where Gods spirit can flow through us and he gives us the anointing to know what people need.

Altho no one seriously wants music to TAKE OVER the Church, I believe having the most awesome worship (in the spirit of course) possible. God has always been much blessed by the praises of his people. Musicians and singers need to approach what they do just as the Preacher does.

Many times its been the music whether it was the praise and worship type that I love or just maybe a collection of songs I have in my car going here to there or when Im sitting in it on my lunch break at work.

The more (quality) music the better!

And yet how wonderful it would be to find real quality New Testamant teaching! And how awesome to have real New Testament body ministry and prayer!

[renee819]

I just read the first page. I will go back and read the rest later,

But n. david said it like it is,

My Pastor just had a great online discussion with those of us in the music department about this. There's a good article we read, "Why Men Have Stopped Singing In Church."

SOURCE LINK
Quote:
Before the Reformation, laypersons were not allowed to sing in church. They were expected to stand mute as sacred music was performed by professionals (priests and cantors), played on complex instruments (pipe organs), and sung in an obscure language (Latin).
Quote:
Reformers gave worship back to the people in the form of congregational singing. They composed simple tunes that were easy to sing, and mated them with theologically rich lyrics. Since most people were illiterate in the 16th century, singing became an effective form of catechism. Congregants learned about God as they sang about God.
Quote:
A technological advance – the printing press – led to an explosion of congregational singing. The first hymnal was printed in 1532, and soon a few dozen hymns became standards across Christendom. Hymnals slowly grew over the next four centuries. By the mid 20th century every Protestant church had a hymnal of about 1000 songs, 250 of which were regularly sung. In the church of my youth, everyone picked up a hymnal and sang every verse of every song.
It goes on to say now we have projectors and digital lyrics, and we have a library of 250,000 songs that no one knows, instead of the 250 hymns that everyone knew. There are so many great songs we hear and want to do that sometimes we have to be reminded that it's not a concert, it's not meant for us to entertain to congregation; but it's a time for everyone to sing and praise God together.

There has been a sad shift from congregational singing to this one-man vocal, band-led concert type of "worship." Several non-denomination churches I've visited in the past few years have extravagant light shows and fog while the band is singing. The main lights are off, while strobes, gobos and color washes light the band on stage.

In many of the churches, there's no presence of God in the place. It's a rock concert, complete with some guy in skinny jeans that are too high, boots and either a tattered button up shirt or some t-shirt.

Worship leaders have to be cognizant of the congregation and their role as that of including everyone in songs of praise.

When I walk into a performance, and hear the “worldly music' even though they do put good words to it, IT GRIEVES MY SPIRIT. I believe it is really grieving the Holy Spirit in me.

And it reminds me of a scripture in the OT.

Amos 8:3 (KJV)
3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.

The churches that I have been in where their music is close to the world, has always reminded me of this scripture.

One church, after the performance, the Pastor and his wife got up and sang one of the old songs with harmony. Later I complemented them and told them “ Now that was harmony. The world has lost it's harmony, therefore (to me) the modern music is “howlings” in the wind.

[MissBrattified]

As in all things, balance is important. There are times when I like to sing with the congregation, there are times when I want to just listen to a song, and there are times when I sing to the congregation as a form of ministry. To me, claiming that we can only worship "vertically" and/or corporately is as absurd as saying that we can have no sermons; only corporate prayer or group Bible reading. There's a time for singing together and it's perfectly acceptable to enjoy a "sermon" within a song--sung by someone else.

I DO agree that it has gotten over-complicated. Also, while I do see value in pursuing excellence, I thoroughly dislike the air of superiority that has crept in to a lot of church music programs. There is a lot of beauty--and room for ministry--in simplicity. On the flip side, simplicity can be monotonous after awhile, so the occasional complexity is a nice change.

It's important to remember that God is the One who gifted musicians and singers with their talents, and I'm sure that's for a reason. I seriously doubt it was so they could be hidden with the rest of the congregation, afraid to lift their voices lest someone think they are showing off or "performing." Balance; yes. Suppression of God-given gifts? No. Music is a powerful thing. God can use stellar voices and skilled musicianship to touch hearts. It's amazing how He can take something mechanical and turn it into an emotional connection.