Thousand Oaks Baptist Church
Music in God’s Work
Chapter 4
The practical IMPORTANCE of good Christian music
In previous chapters, we examined what the Bible says about music. We also revealed the essential nature of music itself. In this chapter, we'll move on to understand the practical importance of good Christian music in our lives, in our families, and in our local church.
IV. Let's look at the practical importance of music. Why is good Christian music so important to us? Can we listen to any kind of music we want to and still be able to grow in the Lord and serve Him acceptably? Or do we need to be selective in what we choose to hear, sing, and play? If we need to be selective, what criteria should we use in our selecting?
A. Jesus said that we speak of those things that fill our hearts.
"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." (Mat. 12:34)
"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." (Luke 6:45)
From this truth, I have concluded that out of the abundance of the heart the composer composes, the poet writes, and the musician sings and/or plays.
B. In Ephesians 4:29, 31, the Apostle Paul said:
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." ... "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice..."
Since we have seen that music is indeed communication, these verses set God's standard for what we can and can not sing as obedient Christians.
C. In Colossians 3:17 and 2:23, Paul gave us another criterion for our music.
"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." ... "not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh."
Clearly, we see that Christian music - indeed all the music that we as Christians use - should be responsibly composed, arranged, played, and sung in such a manner that Jesus would be pleased to have His holy, righteous, loving, gracious name associated with it. Our music should be such that obedient, mature, Spirit-led, Spirit-filled Christians can give wholehearted thanks for it. Our music should be of such a nature that the lusts of the flesh are not satisfied by it. If these criteria are not being met, then we really need to reexamine our hearts and our music.
D. Leviticus 10:10 reminds us to put a difference between the holy and the unholy, between unclean and clean. This certainly applies to what we write, compose, play, sing, and choose to listen to.
E. Galatians 4:9 gives us further standards in determining the character of our music, based on its source and its results.
"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"
The world's music is certainly an element of the world. We cannot use the unsaved world's forms of music to do God's work or to minister to God's people or to edify the church. And being enslaved to the world's evil music is not to be desired, but instead avoided.
F. This world is under the control of the evil one, Satan. The music of this world, which is also under Satan's control, expresses all that is in the world:
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:16)
Neither the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, nor the pride of life are of God. These cannot bring glory to God or blessing to God's people. They cannot lead lost souls to Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:19 says that the whole world lies [literally] in the wicked one. John 8:44 says that the devil's children will do the devil's lusts. But 1 John 3:8 says that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. The world's music is the devil's music, and someday Jesus will return and destroy all of it. In the meantime, the Holy Spirit intends to take the world's music out of the Lord's children.
G. Perhaps you noticed that when I discussed the essence of music, I did not even mention words. I want to say something about words at this point.
1. I think most Christians can agree that the words of worldly songs hold nothing of blessing or of spiritual help for the Christian. These words minister only to the flesh and to the carnal mind, which is working against God (Rom. 8:7).
2. What we don't always agree on are the words of many of our Christian or religious songs. We need to carefully examine our songbooks and compare the words of our songs with what we really believe. Let's compare the words of our hymns and spiritual songs with what the Bible clearly teaches.
If we will do this, we will find that many so-called Christian hymns and songs say little or nothing, have no Gospel in them, and have no genuinely Scriptural, spiritual content. Some even contradict clear, fundamental doctrines of the Bible. Some portray ideas and express feelings entirely out of line with Biblical teachings. Let's be sure to at least try to sing with the Spirit and with a true understanding of what we are singing.
3. But that's enough for now about words. We are talking about the music, and the music includes the words, the melody, the harmony, the rhythm, and the timbre.
H. What does good Christian music do for us?
1. Good Christian music provides a pleasing, satisfying means of expressing our praise to the Lord. It gives us a way to express our desire to love and serve Him. It indicates that we enjoy the Lord and our Christian life.
2. Good Christian music is also an important medium for witnessing to any unsaved folks who will listen. Sometimes Christian music is the only thing that will touch their hearts.
3. Good Christian music also provides education, exhortation, and encouragement to Christians, especially to those who have burdens and problems for which no other type of spoken word can provide help. This is simply because music goes straight to the heart.
4. Good Christian music, if done right, can set the entire spiritual, emotional, and even physical mood of the church service. The Holy Spirit needs and desires and can use this to prepare the hearts of everyone who will hear the message that the Lord has placed on our pastor's heart.
a. The Lord leads the pastor to the right Scriptures, to the right subject, to the right preparation for the right message. In just the same way, the Lord leads the Spirit-filled song leader and choir director and soloists to the right music and to the proper performance of it.
b. As we have already seen, music is one of most powerful forces in human experience. Even without words, music - all by itself, and in conjunction with various visual and vocal stimuli - can produce any emotional or physical or even spiritual response. And this is done at the will of the song writer, the musician, or the conductor. Love or lust, anger or meekness, wrath or forgiveness, rebellion or submission, excitement or relaxation, and all the rest of the emotions and spiritual responses, can be evoked by manipulating the musical environment.
All of us are subject to it; none of us is immune to it. It really does affect us.
c. I believe God intends for us to use the medium of music to bring glory to Him, to bring souls to Christ, and to bring edification to believers.
d. And since each one of us is a spirit-soul-body totality, and since God intends to take control of us completely and use us completely - body, soul, and spirit - then we dare not overlook, minimize, or misuse the tremendous potential of godly music, sung by God's holy people, in God's sacred service.
e. Next to preaching and teaching empowered by the Holy Spirit, a Spirit empowered ministry of music has more potential than any other ministry to be used by the Spirit to evangelize, teach, encourage, convict, and motivate, because it is ordained by God to reach the whole person.
f. The ministry of our teachers is vital in imparting truth and changing lives. The ministry of the nursery is vital in allowing parents to give their undivided attention to the services. The ministries of the ushers and the deacons are vital in meeting the needs of our people. The ministry of missions groups is vital in helping to keep our missionaries supplied and empowered and protected in their fields of service. Ministries to various age and societal groups provide a sense of belonging to those who need it.
g. But I believe that the music of the services of the church - the congregational singing, the choir, the soloists and special groups, the prelude, the offertory, the invitation song, and the postlude - is second only to the sermon in importance in the services of our local church.
h. And the theology and emotions of the music we choose to use will be what we really believe and feel and practice.
Please click here to proceed to the Conclusion.