Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • SOW

    Uploaded by

    Jedidiah Kosca
    9 views46 pages
    school of worship

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    school of worship

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf
    9 views46 pages

    SOW

    Uploaded by

    Jedidiah Kosca
    school of worship

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf
    of 46
    CHAPTER Z WORSHIP: ACCEPTED AND REJECTED! ‘The Bible clearly shows us that God does not accept all worship. Someone might say, "God will accept the worship and music of avy’ Christion that is sincere." Nowe the less; from the fist worship to the last worship recorded in the Bible, we see that this is not so, Our Lord Jesus said jn Joi 4:23 tat the (rue worshippers must worship in spirit and truth, However, these words of Charist make it clear that dete can also be worship that docs not meet God's requirements! ‘The first worship service in the Bible is in Genesis 4:3-5. We read from there: “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground 10 the Lord, Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain caxd his offering. And Cain: was very angry, and his countenance fell." Here we sce that God rejected Cain's worship. ‘The book of Genesis clearly shows us tat Cais, ‘was not an unbeliever. He was a believer whe talked with God, worshipped Him, and knew His y that Cain was 2 worship ieades, becaus sther Ab: followed his example and worshipped also. Even so, Ged rejected Cain's worship. presence, We can even si From a natural viewpoint we might say that God was cot being fair when he accepted one offering wd, rejected the other, Cala his produce as an ‘offering, just as Abel was a shepherd who brought au offering from his flock, But from a spiriwual rspective there were clear reasous why God rejected the worship of ove brother and accepted worship of the other. Cain's rejeeted offering was fiom the fit of the ground, which God iad just cursed in Gen3:i7, However, Abel's accepted worship was already following the example that God set in Genesis ‘whea He made an animal sacrifice to clothe Adam and Eve, Abel's offering was also prophetic of how Christ would come as the Lamb of God. There are still people like Cain in the church today who offer their natural talents and worship according to their own ideas- but God does not accept it! These believers can become anghyy: discouraged, and can backslide as Cain did unless they receive correction and leam to worship “ia spirit and in truth." Let us offer the mick, obedient nature of the Lamb of God when we worship! ‘The last worship recorded in the Bible is when the Apostle Jobn worshipped in Revelation 22:89, We read ftom there: "Naw J, John, saw and heard these things. And when I had heard and saw, [ fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me ‘See that you do not do thet .. Worship God. Here we see the worship of 2 mature apostle being rejected- because he was worshipping an angel! Jobn was ovenwhelied by the revelations he was given, and began to worship the vessel 6 CHAPTER 3 THE RESTORATION OF MUSIC THROUGH DAVID ‘The restoration of music to its proper use for worship was brought through David, who was called "The Sweet Psalmist of Israel" in 2 Samuel 23:1, Music and singing were occasionally used by the people of God in earlier times, but with no regular use or organization (in Ex.15, Judges 5, and 1 Samuel 10:5). Moses did not use singing or music in the tabernacle he built. Tf you were an Israelite who went to Moses Tabemacle to worship, what would you have heard? The cries of the dying animals, and the sound of the priests chopping. up the carcasses of the animal sacrifices! Moses never used music and singing in his order of worship. It was based on blood sacrifice. However, King David later made a new tabemacle where he organized the use of music and singing for the worship of God (study 1 Chron. 15 & 16). Because he was a man after God's own heart, he was able to see beyond the rituals that were performed in the Tabemacle of Moses. In Psalm 40:6 David wrote, "Sacrifice and offering. You did not desire; my ears You have opened; burat offering and sin offering You did not require." In Psalm 141:2 he also wrote, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” So ‘David did not repeat all the rituals of Moses in his worship, but instead brought « higher, purer form of worship through his music and singing, Centuries later the prophet Amos revealed the continuing importance of the worship that King David established in his tabemacle, when he prophesied that God was going to rebuild the ‘Tabemacle of David, ‘The leaders of the early New Testament Church understood that this was a prophecy of what the Lord was going to do in the Church. They quoted Amos 9:11 « ing their Shurch council in Jerusalem, where in Acts 15:16-17 the prophecy is repeated: "...After shis 1 will return and will rebuild the Tabernacle of David ‘which has fallen down. I will rebuild it's ruins, ‘and [ will set it up, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name..." “The early church leaders understood this to show that God did not want to restore the rituals and cactifices of the Tabernacle of Moses in the Church, If that is what God wanted, then they would have required the Gentiles to be circumcised and to obey all the laws of Moses! It was not Moses’ Tabemacle that was to be rebuilt in the Church, but the Tabernacle of David. “The Apostles and Elders also knew that the Lord did not want to literally rebuild a tent that God would dwell in, They understood that what the Lord wanted to do was restore to the people of God the spiritual expericuce that David had in his tabemnacle, And when we study all of the Scriptures about what David did in his tabernacle, we sce that the main activity organized was the sal worship of God through music and singing! Let us read some of 1 Chronicles chapter "So they brought the ark of God, and set it in midst of the tabernacle that Di had erected for it. And he [David] appointed some of the Levites to mini. before thé ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord of Israel: Asaph the chief, [also 8 other leaders]... Jehiel with strini ~ instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets... So he [David] left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark regularly, as every day's work required..." ‘This shows us a litle about the worship that David organized. Many other chapters in the Old Testament also give us much more instruction about the music and the songs (or Psalms) that David used for the worship of God. The Lord did not choose to repeat this all for us in the New Testament, but merely showed us in Acts 15:16-17 that we should refer back to the tabemacle of David to understand the praise and worship that God is restoring to His people today. Many of the problems and controversies that the Church has today about music and worship have arisen from a lack of understanding of how David restored these important truths for the people ofGod. Some Christian denominations have taught that because the Gospels never mention using musical instruments for worship, we should not use them today! Other groups on the opposite extreme say that because the New Testament gives us few guidelines for our music and worship, ‘we should follow the music and singing of the world to find what will be popular and successful Tk is true that the Gospels and the New Testament give us little instruction about music and singing for praise and worship. Yet this is because the instructions have already been given to us ia the Old Testament through what David established in his tabernacle, Thess instructions enable us to follow our Lord's command that we are to worship not only "in spirit" but also "in truth.” Ta Jol 17:17 Jesus said, "Your Word is truth." So for us to be able to worship “in truth,” we should expect the Word of God to give us complete directions for our worship! When we have not yet seen these complete directions in the Word, we need to pray with the Psalmist "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things'from Your law,” Ps.119:18. Proverbs 25:2 declares that "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,” yet it goes on to say "but the glory of kings is to search out a matier.” Ifwe want to become kings and priests who will reign with our Lord in His glorious kingdom, then part of our preparation will be to lear how to search out the hidden truths that God has concealed in His Word! DAVID'S MUSIC AND WORSHIP WAS GIVEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT When David was still a young man, the prophet Samuel anointed him. ‘The scripture then says that "the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward," | Sam.16:13. One of the results of this mighty anointing was that as David played his harp while watching over his father’s sheep, he Iearned how to worship by the power of the Holy Spirit. He wrote in Psalm 23 that the Lord anointed bis head with oil and caused his cup to overflow, and one way that the release of the Spirit of God overflowed from bis heart was through his music and singing. David learned to let the Holy Spirit move through his music with such power, that when backslidden King Saul wanted to be set fice from the evil spirit that troubled him, young David was called to the royal palace to play his music to the king and bring him deliverance, We read in or—™s—“‘=‘_O‘ECCCCtCr™sCt*sC*sCs*=SCtstCsSC*Cssss—=SC“CE would lake the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well and the evil spirit would depact from hit.” David had becn taught how to worship by the Holy Spirit during his private times when he was alone with God. We do not read that he took lessons from a famous musician, or that he learned in the palace how to play the music that was fashionable in his time. David's foundations wore that he learned to play his music and sing by the Spirit during his personal devotions to the Tord, Our Lord Jesus said that what is spoken in the secret place will be proclaimed upon the ousetops. Ina similar way, we see that what young David leamed to sing and play in his private devotions became the music of Saut's royal palace, and then later was proclaimed to the kingdom in the worship of Solomon's Temple. can remewber when Iwas @ young Christian how the Lord began to teach me how to flow in the dnointing during worship. [was bom again in a Pentecostal church that knew all about praise, tind lifting their hands, and even dancing before the Lord. Yet that did not metn that [ at first felt Somfortable about joining in with all of those activities! Instead ‘of concentrating on worshipping, eat y was embarrassed about lifting may hands, and I did not know how to try and dance ‘The desire of my heart was that I wanted to know how to truly worship the Lord, but some of the ane ae able lessons | learned as a young, Christian were when I was alone with God Thad a job sos at watchman, ‘There was very litle work involved with the job, so | actually spent most of the night praying and worshipping God. 1 learned how to clap and wholeheartedly lift my hands in His presence, ‘The Lord taught me bow to joyfully dance before Him, and shake my big key vi vnit Kena tambourine until the mighty presence of God would fil the large factory! ¥ Jeamed to worship deeper and deeper ia the anointing, until the glory of God wos visibly manifested on several 0} ions. Yes, Falso learned how to worship i the church services and meet with God there, However, the yes luabie lessons I Toamed were when I was alone with God, ‘Then I was not Jef t9 wonder er, — CC © ee er if may own heart was prepared Lo enter His presence and flow withthe anointing While itis important for us to learn to worship God alone it our personal devotions, wt should oF —r——"FC———— —_—rlh hE be very helpful for us to take lessons from 2 good instructor. The Psalms exert 5 to Team to play eta music as we seek to glorify the Lord, Ps.33:3. However, many Christian musicians and SSneors are handicapped by the wrong foundations of how they leamed their music, Perhaps they wnBeTs their music before they became saved, and they leamed how to be moved by such spiritual Jhuluences as pride, hst, drunkenness, rebellion, drugs, or depression. Others have learned how to olay md-sing while they were a Cristian, but were influenced by worldly mst that they have ey a to and mnitated. Tuese wrong spiritual foundations can cause thems to bring forth impure wae tod worship as a Christian until the Lord cleanses them and renews the spsit of theie music. this wns che case in my life and easly ministry. Before T met the Lord, I had been a Rock and Roll yuiarist and singor When Twas fifteen years old I recorded « song that T wrote, which was played on the radio, When 1 was ciebteen I was playing solo performances before crowds of up ‘0 8,000 people. Twas used to flowing under evil anointings as I sang about all the popular sins, and the music I played reflected the bondage that was in my own life. When I became-a Christian, 1 wanted to ust my musical talents to witness for the Lord. 1 orgenized several different Christian rock music groups. When we would ocetsionally play a gentle, worshipfil song, the anointing would come, and then we could effectively preach or pray for salvation. Yet when we played our usual wild music, I wondered why the anointing would not come! We could stir the people up to great excitement, yet the presence of the Lord would not, be clearly manifested through our attempted ministry. I was a Christian for six years (and a Bible school graduate) before all of the former bondage had been cleansed out of my life and my music. We need to have the attitude that the apostle Paul had, He wrote in Philippians chapter 3 that he counted all of his worldly talents and accomplishments "as dung” that he might win Christ. Do. Wwe want to "win Christ" and gain the anointing for our ministry as Paul did? Then we will have to tnlearn how to bave confidence in the flesh and in our worldly talent, so that we can worship God in the Spirit, Phil.3:3, As David continued to mature and become a prophet, his music and worship also continued to mature by the wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit. Many of the Psalms are the fruit of this growing ministry. As we study the Psalms, they can instruct us on how we can in tum develop to become "sweet Psalmisis" like David. When David later became the king of Israel, onc of the notable changes that he brought to the Kingdom was that he organized hundreds of the Levites and taught them bow to minister to the L.ord with music and singing. First Chronicles 25:1 tells us, "Moreover, David and the captains Of the army separated jor the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals..." Here we read how they leamed to prophesy with their musia, as the anointing of the Holy Spirit diseoted them. Yet not only was David a prophet, but many of the other musicians and singers were raised up by the Lord to also become prophets who were led by the Spirit in their ministries. Due of these mentioned in the scripture above was Heman, the grandson of the great prophet Ssmuel (1 Chronicles 6:33-34). The prophetic mantle from his grandfather was passed down to his generation, and 1 Chronicles 25:5 says that Heman also became a seer, or prophet. The anoint was upon his music ministry was in turn passed down to his 14 sons, They were chosen to lead 14 of the 24 groups of musicians that David organized to lead the worship in the temple that his son Solomon built (study 1 Chronicles 25). David and his fellow prophets organized their music and singing by the revelation of the Holy Spicit, They didn't just invent their own ideas! They also did not have the modern conveniences ve, where they could go to a bookstore and buy many books that would tell them about est iinovations that they could add to their worship services, They also couldn't tum on and copy ideas from the unsaved about how to use their ungodly music and entertainment (0 make the worship services popular for the crowds! We read how the Lord had Jed the directions for their music and worship in the following scripture: ‘Then ke stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with sivinged instruments, ancl with harps, according io the commandment of David, of u Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of the Lord by His prophets." -2.Chronicles 29:25 From David's humble beginnings as a shepherd boy learning to worship the Lord alone out in the fietds, he matured to become a prophet who was able to organize the use of music and singing for the worship of God. He gathered other prophets and servants of the Lord, and together they built worship team that ministered before the Lord in the tabemacle that he buill. “These teams ontinued to develop to fill maturity until they were established to lead the worship at the temple SiSolomon, We read about the glorious worship in Solomon's temple from 2 Chronicles 5:13- 4, “Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: "For He is good; for His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not ‘continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.” These Bible stories about the use of music and singing for the worship of God are to be much sore than just interesting history to us. ‘The many chapters in the Old Testament that record this ‘worship ave the blueprint that the Lord has given us, that show us what He is again raising up in the Church of the Last Days! The prophecies of Amos 9:11 and of Acts 15:15-17 declare that the Lord is restoring the Tabernacle of David to us in the Church Age, so that "the rest of mankind "seek the Lora” through the anvinted music and singing that will be heard throughout the nations as we learn to worship ke David, Then just as Solomon's kingdom of peace is a picture for ‘ype of the comiug millennial reign of Christ for 1,000 years, those who have leaned to worship ia the "David's Tabernacle” of the New Testament Church will be prepared for the fullness of their auinistry of worship to blossom forth during the millennium when "the earth shell be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea,” Hab.2:14 In Acts 13:22 we read the testimdny that David was “a man after God's own heart,” and he suthered sround himself men of similar desire and vision, These are the kind of musicians and ong leaders that our Lord is again raising up in our generatioa! They are men and women of God who have leamed to meet with God in their own personal devotions, and can in tum organize worship teams that will flow with a mighty anointing to bring the congregations into the glorious preseace of God. May the Lord give us such a vision of His true worship that we will never be content with anything lesst CHAPTER 4 HOW TO WORSHIP "IN SPIRIT" Every bom-again Christian has had planted within their heart the desire to worship and love their Heavenly Father. Moreover, every saint who has been called to a ministry position must also earn how to lead others into the presence of God during our times of praise and worship. Yet as ‘we have seen, not all worship is acceptable to God! Every maturing Christian will become aware of times when some worship services seems to "miss the mark.” Maybe the minister or song leader was not sensitive to what direction the Lord wanted to lead the service. Perhaps a musician or some of the congregation scemed to bring confusion to the service instead of joining in the flow that the Holy Spirit was bringing. However, our worship services do not have to be "in and out" or “on and off" where the anointing of the Holy Spirit comes and leaves! As we gain discernment we can consistently enter and abide in the presence of God so that the Holy Spirit will move among us. In John 4:23 our Lord Jesus told us how we could be true worshippers. He said, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth..." We see from here that one of the keys to true worship is to leam how to worship "in spirit." Let us as that will help us to feam to worship “in spirit”: 4 KEYS TO WORSIID "IN SPIRIT" 1, LIBERTY- Second Corinthians 3:17 tells us "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." If we are entering the presence of God we will have liberty, or a free spirit, in our praise and worship. The Lord does not want us te have a “spirit of bondage" where our heart seems te be in aprison. Let us leam to have a free spirit like King David, who could dance before the Lord with all of His strength! 2. SOY- Psalms 16:11 tells us "in Thy presence is fullness of joy.” As we enter God's presence, the spirit of heaviness, sorrow, and sighing will flee away, Is.61:3, Is.35:10. Our Lord Jesus is an example to us of someone who was often so full of the joy of the Lord, that His enemies accused Him of being drunk, Mat.11:19, Heb.1:9. 3. THE PEACE OF GOD- Colossians 3:15 tells us, “let the peace of God rule in your hearts." The word for "rule" means to arbitrate, or be an umpire or referee, A referee will be quiet as long as the game is being played correctly, but if the rules are broken then he will disturb the peace by blowing a whistle. Then the game will stop and the broken rule will be explained. After everything has been corrected the referee will again quietly watch as the game continues on. Ina similar way, if we do not properly proceed with our praise and worship, cn the peace of the Holy Spirit in our heart will be disturbed like when the referee blows his whistle. Then we need to fiud out what is wrong, correct the problem, and continue in the flow of the Holy Spirit 4, UNITY- Psalms 133:1-2 tells us that the unity of the brethren is like the anointing oil owing down, If all the people in the worship service are continuing together in unity, this can be another 3 indication that the anointing of the Holy Spirit is flowing. Ifwe have these 4 works of the Holy Spirit operating together in balance, we will find that our worship "Zr spirit" will lead us deeper and deeper into the presence of God. However, thet are 2 sstong balances or errors that can direct us away from the flow of the Spirit. These ean be named f formalist and emotionalism, The following diagram will help us understand these 2 errors: the 4 Presence of GOD {no peace & unity) Emotignalism Formalism {no liberty & joy) ERROR # 1 - FORMALISM Formalisu is where praise and worship becomes a ritual, following man made pattems that we jiave feared. For can slowly creep isto our services where we do not con th The service may outwardly appear correct, but inwardly the people's h from true worship. This was spoken of by our Lord Jesus in Matthew 15:8-9 where He quoted from Isaial the words "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their tips, Bue their heart is far from Me, And in vain do they worshi v | Formalism is an imbalance often found in the older, traditional churches. Some of these churches i ‘will print a bulletin that will state the hymns and the order of the worship service, and it is easy to sce that this can limit the leading of the Spirit in a service. But formalism is also a danger for churches that are called Spirit filled, Charismatic, or Pentecostal! Many times these churches can have worship services that are almost the same every week, and the Holy Spirit is given little opportunity to move in a new way. How can we detect formalism? By using our four tests Formalism will emphasize the importance of peace aud unity, but it will ignore the needed balance of liberty and joy. 9 PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS TO ESCAPE FORMALISM. Preach and teach about liberty, joy, aud the leading of the Spirit, This will encourage the people to break out from their form and ritual. 2) Use song leaders and musicians that are strong in the liberty and joy of the Lord. Different f people have difterent preferences or styles in the way that they direct a service, So if the services n to be overly formal, thew select a worship team that will help restore a true balance by being ‘land free, Include a tambourine (or several, if the congregation is large and you have several 1 : 0 EEE EE ee skillfil players) among the musical instruments. Tambourines are often mentioned in the Bible for the joyful, lively praise that they can encourage. 3) Do not always follow the same pattems or formula for the service. We all learn at least a few ‘ways that the Lord can move in a worship service, such as perhaps in joyful praise, holy worship, and in conviction of sin, But there is so much else that the Lord wants to lead us into! We need to leant (0 uot quench the Spirit, but leave room for the Holy Spirit to move. Sometimes the Lord does not want us to set atime limit on the praise and worship. Ihave been in many services where the song service lasted for hours, where prophecy and the gifts of the Spirit flowed freely. Tes aftr the Lor ha finished moving, the preacher went tothe pulit- not to preach his q prepared sermon, but to give the closing prayer! cp the praise songs fast and lively. Have the musicians begin to play joyful songs before the is to begin, to help prepare everyone to begin the service with the joy of the Lord bubbling \ from their hearts. | 5) Do not let the worship be too long or slow if there is bondage in it, Sometimes we continue on aud on with a song service, trying to get a spiritual breakthrough- but the service just gets worse 4 and worse! Be wise to know when to pass the service on to the next leader, who perhaps will be able to get a spiritual breakthrough in the next part of the church service. 6) Teach new songs, Ifthe same old songs are always sung, they can become like a sponge that j iuas had ali of the water squeezed out of it. Keep looking for new songs that have a fresh message and anointing, i 7) The leaders should not be too formal. Smile, be friendly, and relate to the congregation! ‘The Lord wants His people to come before His presence and meet with Him However, by our we suggest to the people whether God can be personally approached, or should only be be rough a traditio of worship, We are to be ambassad: people can relate to us then it will encourage them that they can also relate to Him, 8) Exhort the congregation during a song service if there is bondage, sleepiness, or a heavy spirit Encourage them to praise the Lord and get a breakthrough! 9) The song leader and everyone on the platform should be good examples to help lead the ngregation into the joy of the Lord. They need to all be rejoicing! Sometimes shouting, dancing, or even marching can help bring the victory also. Jumping, iing our bands, clappi ERROR #2 - EMOTIONALISM our soul or our flesh is Emotionalism is the opposite iobalance to formalism. It is caused wh | over 1g oF pushing away from the leading of the Spirit. We all know that politic m te move people by the natural abilities and talents of their souls. Yet we need to grow in discerament to see how Christians can ignorantly do the same, Zech.4:6, Phil 3:3. Independent soulish activities will bring unrest and confusion to the service because everyone is sot flowing together by the Spirit in an orderly fashion, I Cor.14:33, This imbalance is o:teu found in Charismatic and Pentecostal churches, which are usually zealous for God but have not always matured in discemment and wisdom, We can discem emotionalism through P 1s “using our four tests. The service that is too emotioual will emphasize the importance of liberty and joy, but it will nore the needed balance of peace and unity. “ 9 PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS TO ESCAPE EMOTIONALISM: 1) IF the services are overbalanced towards emotionalism, teach about peace, unity, order, and reverent worship. 2) Have the musicians start playing worshipful songs perhaps 15 minutes before the service is te teein This wil help them to begin to flow in the anointing, and it will also prepare the hearts of the people who are coming in and waiting for the service to begin. ‘The singers can also prepare themselves by coming to the services early and praying. When the musicians and the singers hurry Jato a service late, they often bring a hasty spirit and are not prepared to flow with the Spirit of God witen He desires to move in the service. 3) Use musicians that have smoother, more gentle music. Some musicians developed their tuasical skills before they were saved, and they leamed to make the people joyful (and perhaps ‘wid by pounding ther instruments and playing loud. But ifthe services are unbalanced by being wveremotional and soulish, itis important to choose musicians that will help restore the balance by laying peaceful music. Even the musical instruments that are chosen to be included in the vvarship team need to be carefully balanced. While many instruments (such as the keyboards and guitaz) can be either lively or geatle depending upon how they are played, other instruments (such seithe drums and electric bass) emphasize a strong rhythm that can more easily stimulate a worship service into becoming overly emotional and excited. 4) Do not let the microphones and electrical instruments be too loud or cause speaker distortion, ‘A person with litle discemment can think that a greater volume brings a greater anointing. This is because loud music can excite you and move your flesh- but just because something is happening in the service does not guarantee that itis the moving of the Holy Spirit There is a liberty of the Spirit, but there is also a iberty of the flesh that we need to beware of, 5) If the service is excessively emotional or soulish, be careful about having the song leader talking and exhorting between or during the songs. Many times the people are distracted from concentrating on the Lord because the song leader is always talking and getting the attention of the people. Moreover if there are several singers with microphones who are all adding their ‘exhortations and directions to the song service, it can become very confusing to the congregation! Having the song service go directly from song to song without a pause or distraction can often help the worship to enter deeper into the presence of the Lord. 6) Musicians should also be careful not to distract the people. The musicians of the world often Tike to play loud or complicated music to draw the attention of the people towards themselves and their talents. However, a Christian musician should be consecrated towards seeking to draw the attention of the people to the Lord! 7) Lead others into spiritual discemment and maturity. This will help them to become enlarged vessels that the Holy Spirit can move through in greater power without theit emotions or soul aking the direction of the service "off course" away from God's presence, Jesus said in Matthew: 11-7 that Joli the Baptist had not attracted the people to himself by being like a reed shaken by 16 the wind. He could be a stable, pure channel of the power of God! Immature Christians will sometimes be like a shaking reed when the wind of the Holy Spirit begitis to blow, or they will be like an electrical fuse that "blows" when the power of the Spirit is above their capacity and they shoyt-circvit! Christians gan some times “shake” or “blow up" wheu they dont know how to slain ti Caamel a gerrthd menting, nd toe ra an oe Gsracicn or cation m he sorvice. My wife and I once knew a precious sister in the Lord, who would start to sing a very high note ‘whenever she strongly felt the presence of the Lord in her heart, She would sound like a teakettle that whistles when the water begins to boil! We could sense that she was genuinely being touched by the Spirit of God, but she did not know how to channel that anointing into a more scriptural and profitable manifestation. A teakettle can only channel the power of the steam into making a ‘whistle-you need a steam engine to be able to use the power of the steam in more profitable ways. So my wife and I prayed, and the Lord showed us that she had the anointing to prophesy, although she had never learned to properly use that anointing. After we counseled with her, she started to channel that anointing in a way that contributed to the services instead of bringing distraction. 8) Ifsomeone constantly disturbs the peace and unity of the song services, privately counsel them. Some people are ignorant about how to flow together during a worship service, and in their zeal without knowledge they can disrupt the worship service while they are sincerely trying to meet with God. . ‘At other times a person who is proud may do something to attract attention to himself He might uy by isis unusual aciious to show the people how “spiritual” he-is! If 2 persou continues ta disturb the services and does not learn to stop doing this from the general teachings or ‘exhortations of the church, then he will need to be counseled with. First do this privately, as our Lord outlined the steps toward dealing with a problem in Matthew 18:15-17. Yet if he docs not submit t6 the counsel of the church leadership, then there is the possibility that the person will need to be spoken to- or even rebuked- by the entire church. 9) If confusion or something wrong is troubling your spirit, there might be an evil spirit that needs to be discerned and bound in the service. reat ‘Y#i33 tellus that” ‘miitHor afecnfusion but of peace,” but the opposite truth is that evil spirits often try to bring confusion to defeat the people of God. Sometimes a service does not scem to flow correctly. Perhaps the musicians are all playing different chords, or the singers are not in unity. Perhaps the electrical equipment is not working correctly, or the people in the congregation are not flowing with the worship team. Many times these things happen because of natural reasons, such as a lack of musical practice, At other times there can be an evil spirit who is influencing these natural situations to try to bring confusion and defeat to the worship service. ‘The cuemy sometimes even tries to counterattack and disturb a service by moving a person to make a disturbance or manifest a false gift. In Acts 16:16-18 we read about how a woman with @ gpirit of divination was following Paul's evangelistic tenm around, as she cried "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” Now most church leaders would like to have 2 member in their church always prophesying to the congregation about how the leaders are great servants of God that the people should foliow! Yet the apostle Paul correctly discerned that the source of those prophecies was an evil spirit, and he cast the 7 spirit out of the women in the name of Jesus Christ. We also need discemment so that we will allow the te gifts of the Holy Spirit to move, but will not allow the enemy to infiltrate and inisdicect the services. Even a good Christian can unknowingly lead in a wrong direction because dfthe deception ofthe enemy. Shortly after the apostle Peter was inspired by God to declare that see the Christ, we read in Matthew 16:22 how Peter told Jesus that He should not go to the gave. lesus replied "Get behind me, Satan!" because Christ discemed that Peter was ignorantly being used of the Devil. If this could happen to the leader of Christ's apostles, who of us could cent taim that we are too “spiritual for the enemy to misdirect us? We need to have spiritual Srecerament so that we can properly direct the services away from enemy attacks and into the wonderful presence of God! WORSHIP "IN SPIRIT" Liberty, joy, peace, and unity are all important ingredients in our spititual worship. Yet if we do not have ail these ingredients working together in harmony, then we will go in a wrong direction- neher towards formalism and a lifeless service, or towards emotionalism where the service Lucomes confusion or mere excitement. Itis as we learn the keys to praise and worship that is "in spirit dhat we can become the true worshipers that our Lord Jesus said in Jobn 4:25 that the ther is seeking, Let us become a people that delight the heart of our God as we enter into preater experiences in His glorious presence! a ae: a ee oa CHAPTER 5 HOW TO WORSHIP "IN TRUTH" = pirutn- ypu cnet bene GerETO eqcounier (Gawation) Ji Jobn 4:23 our Lord said, "But the hour is coming, and mow is, when the (rut worshipers will srorship the Father in spit and trath..” In the last chapter we begin te study what it meant oe tie said "the true worshipers will worship the Father i spirit” We will now go on to nee ao the second part of His teaching, where Christ seid that the true worshipper mui worship saan," There are two basic areas spoken of ere that have to be in truth: the ‘worshiper, and the worship. THE TRUE WORSHIPER ‘To become a true worshiper, you must first be a saved believer. That is why the Lord Jesus told the woman at the well that the Samaritans did not know how to have true ‘worship. In the Old ‘Testament times, salvation had been given to the Jews, Jn.4:22. Other religions have followers ‘sho attempt many kinds of worship, but to be true worshipers we need to receive Christ who is the Tush, Jn, 14:6, ‘This is the frst step in coming to the Father to worship Him. Furthermore, for someone to be a true worshiper, they must also be walkiug in the truth, 3 Jo.3-4, ‘A past experience of salvation is not sufficient unless we are presently seeking to live in the light Chile trath, 1 Jn.1:7, This is what qualifies us to acceptubly approach the presence of the Lord and office Him true worship. sed the central issue of worship when be wrote in Psalm 40:6-8, "Sacrifice and burnt and sin offering You did David ¢ offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened burnt offe: fot require, Then 1 said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the Book it is written of me. I delight aoeenens will, O my God, and Your lew is within my heart." ‘The highest worship we co offer ig. heart and life that obeys- and even delights to obvey- the wil | of God. Without this, all of our Se SE ————UC. will aaa ane rainpers who can offer our every action throughout life as worship to our God! ‘TRUE WORSHIP ‘white our life must qualify us to each to be a true worshiper, our Lord also said that ous worship veel be "in uth." In Toki 17:17 Jesus said, "Your Word is truth.” So as we mentioned is CC Cr-r_L Word of Gnd. ‘The Bible does give us many keys on how to have balanced worship that can be correctly capzessed through our singing and music, In the next sections of this chapter we will seek to give jou: some scriptural Keys to guide you into worship "i tru." KEY # |- NINE METHODS OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP ‘As we have already seen, David was "a man after God's own heart” who restored the use of se end singing for worshipping the Lord, In all, there were aine ways that David and the 19 [uractites Teamed to express themselves in their praise and worship. ‘These same scriptural methods now teach us how we can also worship "én truth.” ‘With the HANDS: With the BODY: 4. PLAYING MUSIC | 7. DANCING & LEAPING Ps.150:3-5, 1 Chron. 16:4-6 | _Ps.149:3, 2 Sam.6:14 & 16 | 3, LIFTING HANDS _ | 8. BOWING & KNEELING [_ps.47:6, 147:1, Col3:16 Ps.134:2, 63:4 Ps.95:6, Gen.24:52 | SHOUTING 6. CLAPPING 9. STANDING [es 32:11, ATA & 5,270 Ps.47:1, 98:8, Ps(134:1, 135:1-2, 33:8 PoAcioNs macnpiorstin fo vaget inbromovng Daal Deunk iaame SoS Yee 10124 9141 Vocal Actions BR. 1198 acte 2 Rem NT Po iad Age 91906 uA - E4263 yhe first column shows us three ways that we can use oUF Voices. Thanksgiving is when we peak words of gratitude, as compared to singing where we must also use musical talent (0 join ia weina soup, Shouting is another way that we can use our voice by lifting it up with strength, “The Bible says we are to shout for joy in Psalm 32:11, It is useful to study the full meaning and save of this word. ln the Hebrew itis "teruah," which means "to shout for joy in victory sane." This word is also used as the shout of a battle ory. This was the victory shout that “Joshua and the Israelites proclaimed at Jericho before the wall fell down. Proclaiming a victory shout as part of our praise is a declaration of faith. A joyful victory shout res leace the anointing, In Psalm 47:5 we are told that "God has gone up with a shout,” as the Tord arises in response to the joyful faith of our victory shout. An example of this is recorded in 2 Chronicles 13:15. There we read, "Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Juclah shouted, it happened that God ‘struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. " rivis van also work in our spiritual warfare when we are in a church worship service. An example js chown to us in Psalm 27:6, David said, "And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies ni avomul me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy [teruah, or joyous shouts] in His tabernacle... David was gaining the victory over his enemies by faith, before he went out to tattle, by shouting the victory as he sought the Lord in the tabemacle! (Study Psalm 27:1-6,) Soiactimes in a worship service the praise may seem to be lacking joy and faith. However, when someone who bas the vietory working in their heart shouts a “hallelujah!” or a "praise Godt” it san selcase a fresh anointing that can spiritually wake up the sleepy saints in the congregation Thur doce not mean that we want to always be shouting, as that can disturb the service and draw attention to the person making all of the noise. Yet a joyful victory shout released at an tporopriate moraent can help lit the prese to a higher level, On occasion, the song leader may feel to lead the catire congregation in proclaiming a victory shout together. Hand Actions second coluitu of our table shows us three actions we can do with our hands. ‘The first one is playing music. Our hauds do almost all of the action when a musical instrument is played 19 fact, the Hebrew word for playing music means "to pluck the strings." To be able to "play skillfully” as, ‘we are exhorted in Psalm 33:3, we must develop the talented use of our hands. ‘Another way we can use our hands in praise and worship is to lit them, There are several reasons why people are often told to lit their hands during natural activities. These reasons also have @ spiritual counterpart in worship. For example, liting up your hands is recognized around the world as a sign of surrender. When we worship, we want to surrender ourselves to the Lord, and an appropriate action to express this isto lift Our hands, We can also consider how people are searched before entering an airplane or a prison. A guard will usually ask you to lift up your hands to see if you have tried to conceal a gun or something prohibited, In a similar way, we are told in 1 Timothy 2:8 to be "Uifting up holy hands, without ‘irath and doubting.” Through our action we can be inviting the Lord to search us! David expressed this attitude when he said "Search me, O God, and know my heart... and see if there is any wicked way in me," in Psalm 139:24, Other purposes for lifting your hands are when someone wants to make an important speech or declare an oatls, ‘The speaker may lift his hand(s) to motion the people to remain silent or to gain their attention, Acts 12:17 & 21:40, A speaker may also lift his hand to testify to the truth of his oath, Rev.10:5-6. We may similarly want to solemnly testify to what we are singing by lifting our hands. a ‘As well as playing music and lifting our hands, a third way that we can use our hands is to clap them. We can clap along to the rhythm of the song, and use our hands as a musical instrument. ‘Anotiver use is for the congregation to all clap their hands as an expression of praise to the Lord, just as an audience will applaud someone they appreciate, 2 Kings 11:12, Body Actions ‘The third column shows us three actions we can do with our body. ‘The first action is dancing and leaping. We can easily understand that these are actions that show great joy. When the excitement in our heart cannot sit still, it can burst forth through the bodily expressions of dancing and leaping! can stil remember what my young children would always do when I retumed home after a day co perhaps after several days of ministry. When I would open the gate to our house, I would call out to greet whoever was home. As soon as my young children would hear my voice, they would run out of the house, exclaiming "Daddy's home!" while they danced and jumped about, Seeing their joy at my arrival would always fill my heart with joy, and I could not wait to pick them up in my aims and express my love to them, Likewise, we should have an expectant heart that is waiting for our Heavenly Father to come and mect with us. When we sense His times of visitation, should we not be just as excited as a litle child who dances and jumps? ‘The Bible words for dancing and leaping can also give us further instruction. In Psalm 149:3 the word for "dance" is "machowl." It mgans."to dance by spinning or whirling in a circle" Then in L Chrouicles 15:29 the word for dancing is “ragad.” This word means "to spring about; tq dance, jump, Jeap, oF skip." ( These words in the Bible show us many ways to joyously express: ourselves in dancing. and ‘eaping. However, it would also be wise to notice what forms of dancing the Bible doce oot ‘mention or encourage. There was no swinging of the hips, or sensual body movements such be shodem dancing emphasizes. These forms of dancing can seductively draw attention to the dancer's body and encourage lust. A pastors gathering I attended a number of years ago can illustrate this danger, There were about 300 who attended this meeting, of which about 95% were mea, The two song leaders for this fathering were both attractive women, They were doing a fine job leading the praise, until they Saried singing the song "God's Not Dead, He's Alive!" As they began this song, they started singing about how they could “feel Him in their head" as they pointed to their heads. ‘Then they said that they could “feel Him in their shoulders" as they pointed to their shoulders and started to wiggle them around. Next, they started singing about how they could "fee! Him in their hips" as they both pointed to their hips and began to swing them about! The mixture in their ministry was such that the pastors had to close their eyes if they wanted to remain in the spirit. ‘Church leaders should be careful to discern if someone has impure methods or motives for dancing ix church, especially ifit is at the front of the church where the dancers are more noticeable, Anotlier form of expressing our worship is in bowing and knecling, ‘The main words used in the Rible for "worship" both mean "y i "This is a form of cutwardly humbling yourself, and can be an expression of our inner worship to God Sometimes a congregation will sing about bowing doin or kneeling in God's presence. Yet many fines. the people will not do it! When we sing about scriptural expressions of praise and worship, iti good to encourage the people to be "doers of the Word’ and not just hearers, Jens 1.22. Tre fous leader and all the leaders at the front of the church shouid also be following these insumctions. This will make them good examples that will help the rest ofthe people to enter into 4 full expression of their praise and worship. A thisd way that we can express our praise and worship through bodily actions is by standing, It isan action that can show your respect towards someone. Soldiers are to stand at attention when in the presence ofa high ranking officer, and protocol usually requires people to respectfully stand yehen a king passes by. How much more worthy is our great God and King to be respectfully honored! When George Friderich Handel was composing the "Hallelujah" chorus for his musical musterpicce, the "Messiah," he told his servant that he saw a vision of Almighty God surrounded ty the hosts of heaven, The music he wrote seems to truly depict the majestic worship in heaves When Handets "Messiah" was first performed in London, the King of England stood to his fox when the "Hallelujah" chorus began. This was in respect for the Majestic One whose presence mss revealed as the choir was singing "Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! King of kings, and Lord of lords!" Wien the King of England stood, the rest of the audience also arose to stand through the chorus. The performance was a success, and Handel's "Messiah" lias gone on to become the moet fanny ee =— rr €§€'=| SE =_———————_———— rh ™™,—rr— === rls sl ‘Yer this fest originated, aot in houor of the King of England or the taleat of George Handel, but to respect the Majesty Who is worshipped at the throne of God! While standing edn honor the Lord, it can be difficult for a congregation to stand throughout # Jong worship service. A song leader should be particularly sensitive to not make the oldét saints stand for too long a time. It can often be appropriate for the congregation to be invited to sit for a while during the middle of a long worship service, and then stand again when the worship becomes more intense, We should seck to organize worship services that all the church members can fully participate in. Yet that of course is no guarantee that everyone willfully join in. Participate- Or Become Barren! When we consider the great national praise and worship service that King David organized in 1 Chronicles 15:28-29, we can see the importance of our learning how to participate. In this story we sce that all Israel joined in with the worship except for Michal. We read, “Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps. And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul, looking through a window, saw King ‘David whirling and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.” Michal rejected and criticized the praise and worship. Instead of attending the celebration and joining in, she stayed at home and only looked out through a window. I this scripture Michal was described as Saul's daughter, although she was also David's wile ‘These were the two major social positions she fulfilled in her life. Yet these two positions in her life also suggest the two natures that every Christian has. We all have an “old nature” that we were bom with, which came from Adam, This is like the first nature that Michal received as the daughter of her disobedient and backslidden father, King Saul. However, when we are bom ag ‘we also receive the "new nature” of Christ. This is ike the mew character and position that Michal received when she became David's wife. Sadly, it is clear that Michal did not let her heart and character abide in unity with David. If she had, she would have been out at the worship service dancing before the Lord with her husband! In this scripture she is described as "the daughter of Saul,” and she was also functioning in the character of Saul, Just as King Saul had despised David, his critical daughter ended up despising him also. . We face a similar struggle in our hearts and lives. In Romans chapters 6 to 8 we can study about the struggle between the old Adamic nature and the new nature of Christ that is in our lives. We need to remain dead to the old Adamic nature and united to Christ, just as Michal should have forgotten the nature of her father to be united with David. Because if we abide in a carnal, ‘Adamic nature after we become Christians, our hearts will also become hardened and critical to the things of God. We can begin to criticize joyful worship services, and end up watching a revival instead of participating in it! Second Samuel 6:20-23 tells us the end of this story of Michal. When David retumed home she rebuked him, Because of her attitude, the scripture then says "Therefore Michal she daughter of B Saul had no children to the day of her death." Michal was judged by God and became barren. Yet if we similarly reject entering into praise and worship and end up criticizing it, we can also become spiritually barren. Our lives and ministries will become unfruitful. A person or an entire church can become barren (and not grow) if they reject praise and worship, like Michal. We must be careful not to despise God's pattem of praise and worship, but join it! Encourage every meniber of the church to enter in and clap, sing, shout, dance, lift their hands, and bow at the appropriate times. If they are embarrassed or self conscious, then encourage them to practice these nine methods at home when they are alone with the Lord. Once they gain a release in their private devotions, they will uot find it difficult to express their praise and worship when they are ina public service. . KEY # 2- UNDERSTANDING PRAISE AND WORSHIP What is the difference between praise and worship? They are both similar activities, and it is oRtea difiicult to distinguish between them. The following explanations and contrasts will help give us a simplified understanding of their nature and use. ‘The words in the Bible that we translate into English_as "praise" can also be translated as “to imple, joyful boast, celebrate, approve, admire, and commend." Praise can be described as a Sipurisuse of celebration, Worship can be translated through the words "to reverence, adore, bow down, and expsess devotion.” Worship can be described as a deeper aud more meaningful activity than praise, as it involves communion with God. ‘The Scriptures make it clear that people can be worthy of praise. In Proverbs 31:30 we read that "a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." However, the Scriptures are equally clear that only God is worthy of worship! (Study Mt.4:10, Acts 10:25-26, and Rev.22:8-9), Praise is generally expressed about the actions or works of God (study Ps.7:17, 21:13, 42:5, 106:2. 118:21, 139:14). As such, praise caa be easier to begin with than worship, as itis directed at the more easily seen “external works" of God. However, worship is expressed toward the nature (or being) of God, Ex.34:5-8, Jn,9:35-38, As such, worship can be more difficult to begin with as itis directed at the harder to see "inner heart" of God. Praise uses more physical action and emphasizes a faster, livelier rhythm or tempo (study Ps.149:1-3, 150:3-5, and 30:11-12). This can help us to awake and fully concentrate on the Lord, Worship uses less:physical actions, and less rhythm or no rhythm at all (study Ps.95:6, Rev.7:11, Mt2-11), Fleshly, earthly actions are humbled and become quiet as we enter into the glorious presence of God, so that all our attention is on Him, Hab.2:20, 1 Cor. 1:29. ‘Another difference is that the one we praise does not have to be present (study Prov.31:31, 1 Cor.11:2, Eecl.4:2). Yet the one we worship must be present, Mt.2:2, Mk.5:6, Ex.34:5-8. As a cesult of this difference, we can begin to praise the Lord outside of the manifest presence of s is the situation with which we start most song services. Most services do not begin a4 with the presence of the Lord being manifested unless there has been a lot of prayer before the service, or ualess the musicians have already been playing with the anointing and have brought the presence of the Lord to the sanctuary. Many services begin with a "cold start" when we first prepare to praise the Lord. Yet while we can begin to praise the Lord outside the manifest Presence of God, our praise can cause us to enter into His presence, Ps.100:4, 95:2. ‘Then once we have entered God's presence, we can shift over from our praise to begin our worship, Ps.132:7, Mt.28:9. This is why the usual order for a song service is praise, then worship. ‘This basic progression of praise and worship is also taught us by the Tabemacle cau begin the service by entering through the gates into the tabemacle by thanksgiving, Ps.100:4 We can accomplish this through an opening activity such as thanksgiving, prayer, a scripture reading, or an exhortation, Whatever the opening activity is, it should be designed to focus the congregation into secking the Lord, Then as we enter into the Outer Court, we can begin to offer up the sucrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15) just as the Israelites offered their sacrifices in the Outer Court, ‘Through our singing and praise, the presence of the Lord will usually become manifested. At this point we are entering into the tabemacle; as the tabernacle was a covered, enclosed place that symbolized when we are covered and enclosed by the presence of the Lord. Here as we enter into the Holy Place we can first begin to worship, Ps.132:7. Yet if we want to enter further into the Holy of Holies, we must enter within the last veil, which symbolizes the end of the works of the flesh, Mk.15:37-38 & Heb.10:20. The only activity we will do in the Holy of Holies is behold ‘Him and worship. There as His glorious shekinah presence is revealed, our heart will be filied with love and communion with Him as all flesh is silent before the Lord, Zech.2:13, Ps.46:10. KEY # 3- BIBLE NUMERICS AND MUSIC God in His wisdom has created all things, including music, to conform to scientific and spiritual laws, When we study the Scriptures it is clear that numbers can have spiritual significance meaning, We will now study how the spiritual significance of Bible numbers also corresponds to the scientific significance of musical numbers. Music is formed when something (a string, pipe, vocal cords, etc.) vibrates the air. When the vibrations of a note are halved or doubled, the same note will be heard except it will be one octave higher or lower Within each octave are seven notes in the diatonic scale (the do, re, me, f2, sol, la, ti). These are the white notes on a piano or organ. Seven in the Bible is the number of completeness, perfection and rest; and in a similar way, 7 notes complete our scale. Eight in the Bible speaks of new beginnings, and similarly the 8th note begins a new octave. ‘When you also include all the half notes (or the black piano keys) we have what is called the chromatic scile, This includes all the notes on the piano keyboard, These 12 notes govern all of music, and ina similar way we find that 12 is God's number of govemment. (This can be seen in the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 founding apostles of the Church, the 12 hours in every day or night, and the 12 mionths in a year.) When you combine the proper 3 notes together, you can form a simple chord. This triad of 3 a notes blending together to form one chord is like the Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; who together arg one God. : : “The first note of a chord is the beginning note, just as the Father is the beginning of all things. The second note is called in music the "mediant" note, just as the Son is called the mediator. The third hote of each chord is called the "dominant™ note, just as the Holy Spirit is to dominate or lead us. ‘There ace 2 basic kinds of triad chords, the major and minor, The major chords have a "happy" souuid, while the minor chords sound "sad." This speaks to us of the difference between heaven (where everthing is joy and gladness) and earth (which is under the curse and is sonrowful Decause of sin), The music of this world emphasizes sorrowful music in minor keys. Even the birds and the animal kingdom confirm this. Scientists have carefully analyzed the singing of all the birds and animals, even the whales in the sea, and have found that they all sing in minor scales, Theve is a saducss that has pervaded the world since the fall of Adam (Rom.8:20-22), and this is algo reflected in its music, We need to be careful of music that has too many minor chords, for the sorrow ofthe world works death, 2 Cor.7:10. ‘The musical difference between a major and minor chord is that the mediant (or middle) note is lowered. This natural fact also has a spiritual application, Just as the lowered mediant note makes a minor, sorrowful chord; there was a time when Christ the Mediator lowered Himself to become a man of sorrows. To redeem us from the curse of sin, Christ descended from the joys of heaven to become a man on the earth. As He took upon Himself our suffering and sin and died on the cross, it was so that He could lift us out of our sorrow and sin when He was raised from the ‘lead and ascended to heaven. Now we have been raised with Christ and seated in heavenly places, and our Mediator has lifted us up from our sins and bondage so that the joys of fay by our new song. This is like how the mediant or middle note of the chord, when it is ied up, will lif up sorrowful minor chords to become joyful major music Other parallels between Bible numbers and music can be seen when extra notes aro added te 2 basig chord, In this way you change the "feel" or the "mood" of that chord. When you add 7th note to the basic triad of a chord, you can make what is called a major 7th chord. This kind of chord sounds very restful and relaxing, similar to the Bible meaning of the number 7 that can speak of entering into rest, Gen.2:2. “The number nine refers to the work of the Spirit (there arc the 9 gifls and the 0 fruit of ‘the Spirit), Ninth chords sound uplifting, and can bring a fresh release of the Spirit when tastefully used in ‘worship, Itis also interesting that ninth chords only started to be widely used by musicians at the ieginning ofthis century, when the Pentecostal experience was restored to the worldwide Church. ‘Two other kinds of chords, the 11th and the 13th chords, have a very opposite effect upon the listener, ‘They sound clashing and dissonant, and have actually been labeled the "rebel chords" by the secular music world, This evaluation also lines up with the Bible meaning of 11 and 15, as they are both symbolic of rebellion (Judas rebelled and left 11 apostles, while the first Biblical mention of te number 13 in Genesis 14:4 speaks of rebellion) [As we see the parallels between the scientific laws of music and the spiritual siguficance of Bible humbers, may we find fresh encouragement to adore the Lord for His wisdom. Let us also leam how to apply this wisdom, to use music more effectively for the furtherance of His kingdom. 26 . CHAPTER 7 ABOUT SONG LEADING ‘The song feader has a very important yet difficult ministry. Even if you never feel personally called to be a song leader, it is good for everyone who is calted to Christian Ieadership to gain sone noderstanding about the complexities of this ministry. /s the combined churcit leadership ‘ny more wisdom and spiritual discemment about song, leading, they will be able to increasingly help enide those who are called to this important respousibility. So even if your voice sounds move like a frog than an angel and you will never try te be a song, leader, be cacouraged that studying this chapter can still be beneficial for your growth in the ministry! Jheww are many factors that must be well oryanized and divected for a soug servive to “hit the ingck"” sad fulfil: all of God's plan, While singing, the song leader must gather ane fead the mtnsiciais along with the congregation, much like the conductor of a symphony. Yet the spistual

    You might also like