Music is a powerful medium or tool that is either used for the Lord or Satan. In order for us to fully understand what music is, and more importantly, what Christian music is, we need to understand what Jesus says about ‘true worshippers’ in John 4:24. These are the kind of worshipers whom the Father is seeking… those who worship Him in spirit and truth.
When Abraham took his son Isaac to offer him before the Lord as a sacrifice (Genesis 22), he said to his servants, “Stay here… we will worship and then come back to you.”
Worship is a sacrifice, not a feeling. Whether we feel like worshiping or not, we worship by faith. The writer of Hebrews says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)
Who is the author of music?
The Lord is the author of music. In heaven, the angels and elders are worshiping before the throne of God day and night (Revelation 5:11-12). We were created to praise Him: “This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.” (Isaiah 43:21)
In Isaiah 14:11-21 and Ezekiel 28:12-19, we see that Lucifer was an angel created by God, and he was created with music in him. On account of his beauty he became proud, and led a rebellion in heaven against the Lord.
Satan, or Lucifer as he was called before the fall, was an archangel together with Michael and Gabriel. Satan rebelled against the Lord and was thrown out of heaven down to earth, he and those angels who rebelled with him (Revelation 12:7-12).
As a result of his fall, Satan no longer has a pure creative anointing in him. Satan is a liar and the father of all lies (John 8:44). There is no truth in him.
Consequently, Satan, who is the god of this world system (2 Corinthians 4:4) and the prince of this world, is now at work in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). Those still in darkness follow him, as he is their master. We need to have a clear understanding of this.
Now Satan distorts and corrupts music and everything else that he can, as he is acutely aware of its power. The message of today’s music, especially among the youth, is predominately rebellion, sex, drugs, violence, etc. All this is a fruit of who the devil is.
True praise and worship brings us before the throne of God, and we are filled with adoration for who He is and what He has done on the cross. Hallelujah!
Compromise
Paul said in Romans 11:16 that if the root is holy, the plant is also holy. This is why we need to stay with the root and keep the root holy in our praise and worship.
If the roots of the music we play in church are of the world, then the beat and the rhythm will be worldly, and this will cause our flesh and our emotions to come alive, not our spirit. We will find ourselves singing a song to a beat or a rhythm that doesn’t bring us close to the Lord at all, but rather excites our flesh.
The music of the world and the spirit of the world should be kept far from the church, never to be mixed in order to accommodate the youth. The spirit of the world and the Spirit of the Lord will never mix, just as darkness and light have no fellowship. I don’t believe we are called to compromise on this issue (2 Corinthians 6:14 and 1 John 1:5).
Christian lyrics = Christian music?
Many Christians today, young and old, listen to “Christian” music with “Christian” lyrics. It can be rap, rock, soul, funk, pop, heavy metal, etc. There are so many different types of music in the world today, and many Christians are deceived into thinking that because the group who are singing are “Christians” and the lyrics are “Christian”, that it must be ok.
This all depends on what you are wanting in your relationship with the Lord. For me personally it’s not ok because the root is no longer holy. The root is imbedded deeply in the spirit of this world – it’s birthed in the flesh and emotions of man.
If we are desiring to worship and praise the Lord with a pure and clear heart, and if young people are going to come out of this world fully, then the music that they listen to will need to change. This needs to be a personal revelation and desire for each one of us to clean up the music we listen to, in order that we may become true worshipers of the Lord, who want to worship Him in spirit and truth.
Remember that a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9). If we allow the spirit of the world into our Christian music and worship, that worldly spirit will take over and corrupt us. This will prevent us from becoming true and pure worshipers.
Spiritual worship, emotional worship and freedom.
We have been called to freedom, but we are encouraged not to use our freedom to gratify our fleshly desires (Galatians 5:13). Far too many Christians are either ignorant or deceived in this area of music – consequently the enemy has a great stronghold in the lives of thousands of wonderful, sincere “born again” Christians, who in “freedom” listen to all kinds of secular and Christian music to their spiritual detriment.
True worship will cause us to sing and praise the Lord from our hearts. We will be full of passion once again, and we will have a true zeal to serve the Lord and love Him.
Many Christian groups and bands are singing songs that have “Christian” lyrics, but when you listen to it carefully and use a bit of discernment, you can feel that it’s devoid of the anointing of God. It doesn’t take you before the throne and cause gratitude to fill your heart, but it simply stirs up your flesh and emotions.
We are not looking for entertainment in church, are we? Surely this is not the race we have been called to run? We come to church to meet with the Lord and His people. When we are in His presence – the presence of a Holy God – we can see our true spiritual state, and if need be, we can repent before Jesus and grow into a spiritual people.
Worship in the church today… IT’S NOT A SHOW!
True praise and worship is sadly deficient in most churches today. God’s people, especially leaders in the church, have compromised the very heart of praise and worship.
Praise and worship is not an outward show of jumping up and down, or screaming, shouting and dancing. However, if the Spirit of the Lord leads us that way, then great, but we cannot do this by law or technique. Remember that it’s neither by might nor power, but by the Spirit that we enter in and praise Him (Zechariah 4:6).
Praise and worship is an attitude of heart before the Lord – we come before Him by faith, not by our feelings. Our praise and worship is an expression of our hearts and lives. We are stating how grateful we are before Him, and how our lives are broken because of His grace. This is truly wonderful.
We should always be so grateful for our salvation, and appreciative of His Spirit that lives within us. If this is not the case, we simply worship and praise the Lord with instruments and our emotions and flesh.
The Lord wants to raise up true worshipers and worship leaders. It’s not about how well you can sing or play an instrument, but it’s about how much you are allowing the Lord to work in your heart and in your life. This brings a fragrance of worship.