Music Ministry: The Way I See It

"Music," someone once said,"is the language of the soul." I agree. It’s universal, transcending culture. Biblically, however, music begins and ends with the gospel. "Christian worship should be full of Christ," writes author/theologian, John Frame. "Christ must be inescapably prominent and pervasive in every occasion of Christan worship." Paul said, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel." (1 Cor. 9:16) Similarly, woe to the church that does not sing the gospel "because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16)

Throughout Scripture, singing plays an important role as to how God’s people express their love for Him. The book of Psalms, called by some scholars, “Israel’s Hymnbook,” is the longest book in the Bible. In Exodus 15, Moses sang, “The Lord is my strength and my song…” In Deuteronomy, just before Israel took their first steps into the "Promised Land," God instructed Moses: "Now write down the words of this song, and teach it to the people of Israel." The night before He was crucified, Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples. And in Revelation, the angels sing, “Worthy is the Lamb…” God put a song in our soul. And we’ve been singing it in response to His activity in our lives for centuries.

Unfortunately, our modern North American church culture tends to equate “worship” solely with “music/singing.” But when Paul describes our “spiritual act of worship” in Romans 12:1, he never mentions music. And when Jesus, in John 4:23-24, describes the kind of worshipers "the Father seeks" (those who "worship the Father in spirit and in truth"), He never mentions music. Simply put, our worship to God is the offering of our lives in whatever capacity God asks of us. I like how theologian/musican, Harold Best, puts it: "Music is neither an aid to worship nor a tool for producing it. It is an offering, uniquely given over to God, who is both means and ends......Music is subordinate to, and informed by, the larger doctrines of creation, worship, offering, faith, grace, stewardship, redemption and love.....This approach allows for music both to be celebrated and kept in its place."

Carolyn Cymbala, director of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, was once asked by the largest music publisher in the nation, “What’s the secret to your choir’s success?” Her reply was simple: “It’s our Tuesday night prayer meetings.” The music publisher thought Carol had misunderstood the question so he asked it again. Her response was the same. She had completely understood the question - and she completely understood where the power comes from. Music, because of its connection to the human emotion, and the creative freedom it carries, is dynamic on a number of levels. But, as Cymbala was trying to make clear to the publisher, it's only music i.e. it can't change a life or bring salvation to a soul. The "difference maker" is the presence & power of God made possible for us through the life, death & resurrection of Jesus Christ. "Abide in Me...," Jesus said, "...for apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15) Simply put, when our musical offering is driven by God’s Word and led, supported and covered in prayer, it becomes that which God, Himself, inhabits (Psalm 22:3).

Finally, Jesus never called us to make musicians. He called us to make disciples. (Matthew 28:19) No one ever came to faith in Christ through music. God may have used the music to draw a person to Himself, but “faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) Paul wrote,"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." In 2003, as I walked through the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany, where Martin Luther translated the Greek New Testament into German, I was reminded that the great Christian hymn/song writers who have gone before us - Martin Luther, John & Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, not to mention King David - were first & foremost students of the Scriptures. And it was their study of the Word, enlightened to them by the Holy Spirit through fervent prayer, that gave power to the music they penned. Harold Best writes, "Music in incapable of teaching what only truth can teach." A professor of theology and church history, Dr. Ergun Caner, said, “You cannot have good doxology without good theology. The deeper you know the Lord and His Word, the more meaningful and passionate your worship becomes.”

On a practical note, I like what Henry Blackaby once wrote about worship services: "If worship services are going to improve your fellowship with God, they must lead you to experience Him in real and personal ways. When worship services encourage passive response, when they encourage you to be a spectator rather than a participant, when they focus on people and programs rather than God, they may lead to coldness, apathy, doubt, conflict, and a host of other problems."

Personally, I’ve always loved music. As mentioned on my personal bio page, I began playing the piano in 1970, loving and playing all styles. And just as I love to play all styles of music, I love to use all styles of music in music ministry, but with a single goal in mind: to bring honor & glory to the Lord. Because Jesus said, “The Father is looking for anyone who will worship Him that way.” (Jn 4:23, nlt)

Soli Deo Gloria, Nick