Bible Question: My pastor says that the music played at church is designed to bring us into the presence of God. Is that what the Lord says in His Scriptures? |
Bible Answer: Hi Sethvm, As born-again children of God, we are in God's presence already. John 14 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He lives in us now, we never have to "come into His presence", until that day that we physically come into His presence, either by death or by rapture. My previous church, which I left for a smaller, more on-fire congregation, has a list of statements of belief, including this: "We believe worship of God should be inspirational, therefore we give a great place to music in our worship." By "inpirational", I think what they mean is that they want to involve the emotions, and they intend the musical portion of the service to put us into a heightened emotional state. I wonder that perhaps this is what your pastor means when he says "to bring us into the presence of God", maybe so that we Feel like we are in His presence. There are at least 250 references to music in the Bible. A large portion, the Psalms, is of songs to sing. Many of the Psalms (songs of degrees, or ascents) were specifically to be sung as one approached Jerusalem, and the temple, and to the presence of God. But again, now, we remain in His presence. Psalm 100 tells us to "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise," and that is what much of our singing is about, thanksgiving and praise. Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord," tells us to sing to each other, to sing within our hearts, to sing to the Lord. God gives a great place to singing. I think that singing, while not actually bringing us into God's presence, since that is done by Christ's finished work on the cross, can help remind us that we are in God's presence. I think that if preachers spent more time reminding us that we are in Christ, and Christ is in us, and less time looking for the act of singing to produce some mystical, spiritual effect, the better off we would be. If music is used to remind us of our standing in God, of what great things God has done for us, as expressions of our gratitude to Him, as praise for Who He is, and as an act of worship from a heart that is bowed before Him in humble adoration, this is a good thing. When music becomes a mantra intended to change our emotional state, it is not worship, and it is not praise, and let's not say that it is. This kind of singing may still be beneficial at times, as we do sing to ourselves to minister to ourselves when we lose focus, and need to bring our Lord back to the center of our thoughts, and sing to each other, as Col. 3 teaches. But I do not think that it should become the norm for when the body gathers together. I have seen a number of different singing styles in various churches. Some are exclusively hymns of the Reformation. Some seem to favor simple choruses sung over and over and over. Some like to sing Scripture. And some have an eclectic mix defying rhyme and reason. And in spite of how it is nearly impossible for me to appreciate the endless repetition of simple choruses, I know people who relate to that, and who truly worship God in that way. And there are Psalms that repeat the same thing a number of times, but there are more that do not. As any ministry in the church, music ministry is constantly in great need of prayer support. Music is a powerful tool, and if the adversary can subvert it so that it no longer serves the purpose God intended, I don't doubt but that he will. I have sat in church listening to songs that are theologically wrong, my heart grieved to hear those words coming out of so many mouths, praying for the Spirit to move, and bring change, then to sing that song again a few weeks later with the words corrected. So for those that have issues with the music in your church, pray, and pray, and pray. And for those that do not have issues, pray also. I know that I have gone far beyond what your question asked. Following some of the recent discussion of music, and having an opportunity to climb up on my soapbox, I did. I hope this adds something. Love in Christ, Mark |
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Questions and/or Subjects for OT general | Author | ||
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Turnip | ||
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ricky1234aka | ||
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ricepad | ||
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Gods Ambassage | ||
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Lamb Chop | ||
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john 11 | ||
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NIFEMI | ||
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Rylaha | ||
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sethvm | ||
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CDBJ | ||
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mark d seyler | ||
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Just Read Mark | ||
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trigger |