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Why I Have Decided To Change My Music Standards.


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There is an order given in the Bible...which I believe shows the importance that God places on each part of an arrangement...

 

1. Melody 

2. Rhythm 

3. Beat 

 

Psalms 68:25
The singers went before1, the players on instruments followed after2; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels3.

 

1 Chronicles 15:16
And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers1 with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps2 and cymbals3, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
 
Unfortunately, CCM reverses the order.
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I come from a very musical family-my parents were classically trained, very operatic in style, ad were always the leaders of the music programs in church. We ALL sing, a few play instruments. My sister was offerred an apprenticeship under some piano master in Europe, but she turned it down, but continued to play.

 

At some point in all the singing I did in church, I began to notice in myself a pride and udgmentalism toward other singers. I never sai anything aloud, but inwardly I would critique everything they did, from tone to emotion, even vibrato. And the Lord made clear what I was doing, so I stopped singing in church altogether, at least in choirs or specials, and spent a lot of years in a self-imposed moratorium, and prayed that the Lord might just let me appreciate the spirit behind the singing, to remember it wasn't for me, but for Him, and to glory in Him as I listened.

 

As I consider where I am now, in a church full of people who can't carry a tune in a bucket, I would have been quite useless to Him had I insisted on always high standards in such things. Today I lead the music, but only because, well, as I said above, no one else can, nor wants to, and I Do believe a music leader ought to at least be able to, well, lead music. But we also very much downplay music in the assembly, because I ust don't see it playing a large part in the early church, and I believe it has taken way too bog of a slice of the meeting in many churches, regardless of the type of music.

I'm in this same spot, Brother. I started singing special music in church at the age of 17. This was a large "first Baptist" church. Typical Sunday morning turnout for the first service being around 500 people, with another 80 or so seated in the choir loft. Just being in the choir required passing an audition. The process through which you were granted special status as a soloist was brutal. I was critiqued, ridiculed, critiqued some more. I had to practice an additional hour after choir practice. I had to have all solos approved by the pastor ahead of time, because they had to match the topic of the sermon. One time my track messed up in the sound room and I had a back up cassette tape. I got a tongue lashing after the service for changing the song to something that wasn't "sermon appropriate". I remember after singing a solo one Sunday morning the pastor got up after I sang and said, in front of the entire congregation, "You have potential. I imagine you'd actually have a good voice if you'd take vocal lessons". The music minister once told me if I couldn't stop "sounding like the tornado siren" I would have to be bumped down from 1st Soprano to 2nd. 

 

After singing became such a performance art where perfection was expected of you every single time I got burnt out. I quit singing. I sang a Mother's Day special at a friend's church once when I was 23 as a favor, and didn't sing a solo again until this past Resurrection Sunday. I'm 33 years old. I sing about once every four to five weeks, if we go on a regular rotation. My biggest thing is that I never want my singing to become "The Jennifer Show", especially since my dad is the music leader at our church. It makes me very uncomfortable when I'm approached by people after the service and they gush, "you're the best singer this church has ever had! You should record a CD!" We have a handful of very talented singers who love singing for the Lord. We simply all have different vocal styles, is all. I never, ever want to feel like it did at the big fancy church where the other soloists bore holes into your back with the stink eye the entire time you're singing. It was awful!

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I never, ever want to feel like it did at the big fancy church where the other soloists bore holes into your back with the stink eye the entire time you're singing. It was awful!

 

Wow...what a sad testimony...for that church!

 

Music has its place; however, too many churches "place" it above everything else. I might be wrong, but I'm aware of only one instance in the New Testament where music was part of a "service"...

 

Matthew 26:30 (and Mark 14:26)
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
 
This was right after the Lord had instituted the Lord's Supper. What's interesting to me is...
  1. They sang after the "service"...not before.
  2. They sang only one hymn.

The "service"...or the words from the Lord...took the precedence.

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Amen to that! At our church we sing three congregational hymns and usually one special, if a soloist is available. We have a choir, but we don't do choir specials. At the big church we did one special call to worship, five congregationals, one hymn was sung while the offering was being collected, we would sing "I'm So Glad I'm a Part of the Family of God" during handshake time, then we would have a choir special, then there would be a solo, then the sermon, we'd sing a hymn of invitation and then sing a closing hymn as everyone filed out. Some hymns would be out of the hymnal, while others were "praise and worship" songs, like "How Majestic is Your Name", "Our God is an Awesome God", or "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High". 

 

There was so much focus on music, I reckon the sermon lasted all of fifteen to twenty minutes.

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I just literally got dizzy reading about the songs you sang at the big church!  :nuts:

 

I had to go back and read it again so I could grasp it all.   :icon_confused:

 

I want to say this before anyone gets the wrong idea...I'm not opposed to music in the church...I just don't think it should take the priority that it has been given.

 

JimsHelpmeet and Joseph Redgate's examples show how far the priority can go for music. Disgraceful in my view...but that's me. 

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Is there anywhere within scripture where music is a command?  If it is not a command, it would be my suggestion, in this day and age, that it be avoided.  If we have to ask ourselves how close to sin we are allowed to get, then maybe it would be best to avoid it all together, so as not to even give the slightest hint of sinning.  

 

Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:11 to flee a list of examples and follow after righteousness.  Are we not to flee from the mere hint of unrighteousness?  Unless something is commanded of us, I think it would be much better to abandon it altogether.  This is merely my opinion.

 

There is this...

 

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.
 
So music can (or should) be used as a method to teach and admonish others...which begs the question why some churches aren't more discerning concerning their music. Whatever their music choice or style, whether they realize it or not, they are "teaching" the hearers...but what are they teaching them?  :scratchchin:
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Thank you for posting that verse.  Now, my question is, "Is that a command?" Is that something that would be wrong to omit, or is it a suggestion similar to how Paul promotes the idea of being single?  I know that vocal inflections cannot be heard within text, so I hope I do not sound like I am being difficult.  I am honestly wanting to know.

 

Good question...hmmm...

 

At my present understanding, it seems to me that he is saying to do it, so that can be viewed as a command. Whether it's an actual command or a strong encouragement...I don't know.  I would lean toward it being a command just for the fact that we are told to do it, but I'm not going to be dogmatic about it.

 

Sorry to be so wishy-washy on it...maybe someone else has studied this more than I and can give a better answer.

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Thank you for posting that verse.  Now, my question is, "Is that a command?" Is that something that would be wrong to omit, or is it a suggestion similar to how Paul promotes the idea of being single?  I know that vocal inflections cannot be heard within text, so I hope I do not sound like I am being difficult.  I am honestly wanting to know.

 

James 5:13

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Wow...what a sad testimony...for that church!

 

Music has its place; however, too many churches "place" it above everything else. I might be wrong, but I'm aware of only one instance in the New Testament where music was part of a "service"...

 

Matthew 26:30 (and Mark 14:26)
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
 
This was right after the Lord had instituted the Lord's Supper. What's interesting to me is...
  1. They sang after the "service"...not before.
  2. They sang only one hymn.

The "service"...or the words from the Lord...took the precedence.

Keep in mind, its not always the church, having myself been the guy 'boring holes' in the person singing. Granted, a church can allow it to go too far when we forget that we are doing what we do for the Lord not for man. Perfection for the Lord is a good thing, but the Bible, as I like to remind people, tells us to make a joyful noise to the Lord, not a pleasing sound for men's ears. Its great if you can sound good, but many who sound absolutely etheral may have hearts that cause the Lord to reject that sacrifice of praise, while someone who doesn't sound so good to me, may be offering a sweet sacrifice unto Him.

 

In my case, I had to change, not the church. Though I agree that it does sound as though that particular church is going in a bad direction. Musically, anyways.

 

We don't do any 'special music' in our church currently, but we do a morning reading from Psalms every Sunday, read by a different person each week. Some don't read so well, read too soft, don't understand punctuation, etc, but I still encourage it and thank them for it, because it is a sacrifice for many of them just to get up and read aloud.  (I do 119, by the way-it usually becomes the morning lesson.)

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There is no command to have music in church - but there is no command not to. There is biblical precedence for music in worship, based on OT practices. I realize that we are not in the OT, and church services are not the same as the OT tabernacle worship (and we have had this discussion before  :icon_smile: ), but I believe music can have a place in corporate worship.  Whether or not it does would depend on each individual church, and how it's done would also depend on each individual church.

 

We do a few congregational songs (can't remember how many, but not lots...three, maybe four).  Plus we have a choir special. And the instruments play while the offering is being taken.  And we have one special right before the service.  That special is rarely a solo.

 

Our (former) pastor (our current would be the same) always said that he would stop the music program if he felt that pride was becoming a part of the singing, etc.  There have been times when those who sing special music have been removed from the roster due to issues (I remember one time when one of the singers seemed to be almost laughing while singing...our pastor got on him privately, and publicly told us that singing was to be done to the Lord, taken seriously, and was not to be taken lightly...that person no longer sang in specials.).  There's been more than once that, during a sermon, he spoke directly to the "music people" (as he calls them) and exhorted them to be sure they were right with God and were not singing for pride's sake, etc.

 

I like the way our church does the music.  I don't think it's too much. I have been in churches where all they did was sing. IMO, that's not a service. It's just a time where people have gathered to sing together.  And it's all emotion.  I'm thankful our pastor keeps things decently and in order.

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