Worship through music

[AndrewB93]

I am working on writing an album that is sort of a reflection of my life and spiritual walk with Christ and overcoming my struggles and doubts. However, majority of these tracks are instrumental ambient songs with little to no words at all. I want to dedicate my music to God But also really like instrumental music,letting the actual notes convey the emotions and messages.

Do you think you can play songs without words and it still praise God? I know I'm not writing hymns and i don't mean to replace them or anything.

 

[/]

Of course you can.
If the song had words which reflects your point, good.
There's nothing wrong with songs without lyrics as long as it isn't too heavy, however this is personal choice.

 

[Euphemia]

I am working on writing an album that is sort of a reflection of my life and spiritual walk with Christ and overcoming my struggles and doubts. However, majority of these tracks are instrumental ambient songs with little to no words at all. I want to dedicate my music to God But also really like instrumental music,letting the actual notes convey the emotions and messages.

Do you think you can play songs without words and it still praise God? I know I'm not writing hymns and i don't mean to replace them or anything.

One can ABSOLUTELY offer up music to the Lord! Words are unnecessary, yet music is a language of the heart all to itself, and inspired by God, it can move the heart of man and of God! Go for it!

I happen to know a young man, Zac, I think who is still in his teens who is known to be a prodigy in instrumental guitar music. He couldn't play nor did he have the interest in music until he suffered a traumatic accident. Since then he has blessed many with his own creations that are raising the eyebrows of many who are accomplished musicians! (His brother is also a prodigy, blessed with an extreme gift of God as an artist in realism and he, too is garnering the acclaim of known and seasoned artists.)

https://www.facebook.com/joshtiessen

Here is a video of Zac playing to the glory of God:

 

[Lanolin]

Well, songs by definition have words but you can write music and melodies. If they are pleasing to Him, then go right ahead. If others are listening they can add their own words couldn't they and still praise the Lord.

 

[/]

If others are listening they can add their own words couldn't they and still praise the Lord.

Correct.

 

[Grant Melville]

There's nothing wrong with making music, for sure, but it's very important to be clear about what worship is, and what it isn't. A lot of things that Christians call "worship" are not in fact worship at all. Often emotion is confused with worship, and music is a very emotive thing.

I read an article recently which really drove home that point:

http://www.spectator.co.uk/life/low...hing-like-an-hour-of-rollicking-hymn-singing/

This article was written by Jeremy Clarke, a journalist who writes a column called 'Low Life' in The Spectator magazine. Mainly, the column describes episodes from his life, many of which eminently bear out the title of the column. To put it mildly, he doesn't show any signs of being a believer. In this article, he writes:

"We then rose again to sing ‘How Great Thou Art’. After the gentle warm-up of ‘Christ Triumphant’, we really let go with this one. I know the words by heart. They melt it every time I sing it. It’s that soaring chorus: ‘Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee’. It trips me up every time. Once again the old feeling of helplessness engendered by those words and that melody stole over me and I lifted my face and sang out hardly knowing where I was."

This is pure emotion, and there isn't an iota of worship in it. Yet Mr Clarke, and many church-going unbelievers like him, will believe that they're having a 'religious experience'. Some may even believe that it will contribute to their eternal salvation. That is the subtle danger of music, made all the worse by the decadent and elaborate way that it's presented in many churches.

Now, I wouldn't suggest for a moment that we shouldn't sing hymns and spiritual songs - the scripture enjoins us to do just that. I would just caution against calling music, the melody in itself, worship. So much is called worship which in reality is anything but. The threatrics of the Roman Catholic Mass are a prime example - and if there is any worship rising out of those occasions, it'll be in spite of the histrionics of the religious play, not because of them.

Worship is in spirit, produced by the work of God and the service of the Holy Spirit, and nothing outward of the works of a man's hands can enhance or contribute to it. It is purely of God, from Himself and to Himself - otherwise, He couldn't take full pleasure in it. Are we reconciled to God by the works of our hands? Surely not. Christ has done it all. So, having been brought into the presence of God entirely through the movements of divine love, grace and mercy, are we going to go back for the works of our hands which were of no avail whatsoever when we were lost sinners, and use them to praise our Saviour God? Is what God set aside when Christ came in to be brought back again? Thankfully not, because Christ is all-in-all. To suggest that we can add anything to the work of the Lord Jesus - whether in salvation or in priestly service - would be totally inconsistent with the truth.

 

[aha]

Praise and Worship.

I think I read in moderator Abdicate profile he is studying the difference of praise and worship... I agree, in fact I think there is a world of difference....

Say: in sports:
one maybe a "fan" who 'worship" a team, but it won't change a bit even one give "praise" to the other team...

that is:
giving-"praise" to a team may not necessarily mean one is a fan of that team..
giving-"worship" to a team necessarily mean one is a fan of that team...

just a thought : )

 

[Euphemia]

People have a hard time with worship because they believe for some reason that emotions need to be divorced from it. Emotions are a part of how God made us---there is nothing sinful in engaging fully in expressing our love and devotion and gratitude to God with emotion! God revels in our worship, and He joins in with singing and dancing Himself. We must be extra careful that we do not become stuffy and staid in what we believe true worship to be. True worship involves exultation with all our bodies, minds and spirits.

God has trained me in worship, and I cannot bring worship to Him without fully engaging my emotions!

Stop adhering to religious ideas and start obeying God and worshiping the way we are created to do so!

 

[Euphemia]

Here is a devotional I wrote some years ago about worship:


Shout!

Psalm 95:1-2 NLT

Come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

Yes, let’s come, gather together as one heart before the Lord and offer Him sacrifices of praise. Shout loudly in shouts of praise and adoration!

Regularly our pastors instruct us to offer up shouts to the Lord—shouts of praise, of warfare, as at Jericho, of claimed victory, of joy! When we do this, we are released into such joy in the Lord, you can almost touch it! Many wince at the thought of loud cheers and roaring, but if we can roar in a football stadium for our favourite team, we can most certainly roar with praise and adoration for our Most High God! God is pleased with it!

Yes, let’s shout our praise and thanks to our God! He, who has given all He has to secure us an eternity! He, who cares infinitely more than we do for our most basic needs and details of our lives.

Yes, let us lend our voices to music, and offer up songs and notes to our Father who revels in our worship!

Jesus Christ, we thank You and honour You!


NEW
11/20/07

 

[Big Moose]

Emotions play a big part of worship. Jesus had emotions shown in scripture. He wept, felt sorrow and compassion, anger for those defiling the temple, steadfastly barked "Get behind me Satan!", his commanding diatribe against the "Hypocrites!", and His joy when disciples answered well.
Emotions can also block your worship. Those judgmental and hateful emotions we cling and hold onto which are directed at others. Matthew 5:
23 If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee,
24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Some worship verses to consider:
Psalms 30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12 To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Psalms 149:
1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

2 Samuel 6:14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
16 And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

It is what is in your heart that matters. The music can and does often soften the heart and open it to instruction and change.

 

[Grant Melville]

Brethren... emotions are natural, and perfectly right in their place. But they're not the work of the Holy Spirit. Things which appeal to our emotions appeal to nature, and not to the work of God in us. We have to acknowledge these simple facts.

The Lord Jesus had feelings. Human feelings, as having come into manhood. Nonetheless, they were perfect and holy feelings, because He is God. He was never mastered by mere emotion - He was always subject to the Holy Spirit. His every movement and utterance was in perfect concord with the Spirit and the Father.

The believer is to have strong feelings. Body feelings. Love. Sorrow over the state of the church. These things are not natural emotions - the love which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit is not the same as natural love. It's divine love. If we're unable to distinguish between the vagaries of mere human emotion - the whims and excesses of our nature - and the activity of the Holy Spirit... well, something is sadly amiss there. It shows a dreadful lack of regard for the service of a divine Person. It goes hand-in-hand with the belief that the works of hands can contribute to the offering in worship of that which is purely Christ. I don't want to be extreme in my language, but I can only conclude that this whole unscriptural system of thought is inspired by the devil, in an attempt to dishonour Christ and displace the Holy Spirit, bringing in nature's poor offerings to share a place which belongs to divine Persons alone. It's sad to see these ideas entertained by believers in the Lord Jesus, who profess to acknowledge His all-sufficiency as Saviour and High Priest. This is a serious matter. I'd urge everyone to give it prayerful consideration, and search the scriptures to see if this doctrine has any basis in them.

 

[Grant Melville]

Praise and Worship.

I think I read in moderator Abdicate profile he is studying the difference of praise and worship... I agree, in fact I think there is a world of difference....

Say: in sports:
one maybe a "fan" who 'worship" a team, but it won't change a bit even one give "praise" to the other team...

that is:
giving-"praise" to a team may not necessarily mean one is a fan of that team..
giving-"worship" to a team necessarily mean one is a fan of that team...

just a thought : )

I've been thinking along the same lines as well recently - thank you for your post, that clarifies things. I can praise you for the clarity and usefulness of your post, but I'm not worshipping you. Paul praised the Corinthians about certain things, but he didn't worship them.

I think I should follow @Abdicate's example and study the difference between the two. I feel I have a good deal to learn about that.

 

[Euphemia]

Brethren... emotions are natural, and perfectly right in their place. But they're not the work of the Holy Spirit. Things which appeal to our emotions appeal to nature, and not to the work of God in us. We have to acknowledge these simple facts.

The Lord Jesus had feelings. Human feelings, as having come into manhood. Nonetheless, they were perfect and holy feelings, because He is God. He was never mastered by mere emotion - He was always subject to the Holy Spirit. His every movement and utterance was in perfect concord with the Spirit and the Father.

The believer is to have strong feelings. Body feelings. Love. Sorrow over the state of the church. These things are not natural emotions - the love which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit is not the same as natural love. It's divine love. If we're unable to distinguish between the vagaries of mere human emotion - the whims and excesses of our nature - and the activity of the Holy Spirit... well, something is sadly amiss there. It shows a dreadful lack of regard for the service of a divine Person. It goes hand-in-hand with the belief that the works of hands can contribute to the offering in worship of that which is purely Christ. I don't want to be extreme in my language, but I can only conclude that this whole unscriptural system of thought is inspired by the devil, in an attempt to dishonour Christ and displace the Holy Spirit, bringing in nature's poor offerings to share a place which belongs to divine Persons alone. It's sad to see these ideas entertained by believers in the Lord Jesus, who profess to acknowledge His all-sufficiency as Saviour and High Priest. This is a serious matter. I'd urge everyone to give it prayerful consideration, and search the scriptures to see if this doctrine has any basis in them.

Emotions are part of who we are, and they are all perfectly good in God's eyes. Holy Spirit in our life activates all sorts of emotions.

In worship, our emotions are stirred, and rightly so! Penning them up and pretending to be stoic when Holy Spirit is calling us with great waves of joy is wrong...and totally unscriptural!

 

[Grant Melville]

Emotions are part of who we are, and they are all perfectly good in God's eyes. Holy Spirit in our life activates all sorts of emotions.

In worship, our emotions are stirred, and rightly so! Penning them up and pretending to be stoic when Holy Spirit is calling us with great waves of joy is wrong...and totally unscriptural!

I can only speak from my own experience, but the feelings that the Holy Spirit produces in me (in worship, for example) are much more than mere emotion. Emotion is often fleeting, changing, it comes and goes. The activity of the Holy Spirit stirs up feelings which have been established in me by the work of God, such as adoration of the Lord Jesus, whom I've never seen in the flesh. Those feelings establish something in my soul which will be carried on into eternity.

When I worship, it's a feeling of being entirely free of self. Nothing is left there to hinder, I'm totally free to be to God. It's unlike any other experience in life. I know what it's like to be carried on a wave of emotion: listening to a piece of music, falling in love, seeing a stunning landscape. These things all produced a huge emotional response in me, but none of them could compare with what the Holy Spirit kindled in me in worship. That's a totally different feeling, and a much superior one. It's a foretaste of heaven, when the flesh and nature will be gone and only the work of God will go through.

 

[Grant Melville]

Whenever we discuss this subject, brethren bring in a lot of scriptures from the Old Testament. These are very valuable scriptures, and we can learn a lot about worship from them. David is a fine example, and we see precious features of Christ in him with which God was pleased. But we need to learn from David's actions and activities, understanding the spiritual import, not unintelligently imitating them. That can only lead to inconsistency. If we praise God in the way that David did, why don't we slay His enemies, as David did? We have to understand the fundamental contrast between the old and new covenants, that God has entered into a new relationship with man. It is a closer, nearer, deeper relationship - a superior relationship. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us permanently, whereas the Old Testament saints didn't. They knew God in the context of an earthly tabernacle system, we know Him through a glorified, heavenly Man - the antitype of many types. This is truth we need to practically acknowledge. If we don't, we lose out on a great deal of what's essential to Christianity. Our view of divine Persons is necessarily going to be clouded if we borrow the practices of a time when God dwelt in obscurity (Exodus 20:21).

 

[Euphemia]

I can only speak from my own experience, but the feelings that the Holy Spirit produces in me (in worship, for example) are much more than mere emotion. Emotion is often fleeting, changing, it comes and goes. The activity of the Holy Spirit stirs up feelings which have been established in me by the work of God, such as adoration of the Lord Jesus, whom I've never seen in the flesh. Those feelings establish something in my soul which will be carried on into eternity.

When I worship, it's a feeling of being entirely free of self. Nothing is left there to hinder, I'm totally free to be to God. It's unlike any other experience in life. I know what it's like to be carried on a wave of emotion: listening to a piece of music, falling in love, seeing a stunning landscape. These things all produced a huge emotional response in me, but none of them could compare with what the Holy Spirit kindled in me in worship. That's a totally different feeling, and a much superior one. It's a foretaste of heaven, when the flesh and nature will be gone and only the work of God will go through.

Don't lie to yourself. Our emotions are completely adequate to speak to us about what God is saying, when we are in close relationship with Him. After all, He created us with them after His own. As Holy Spirit has taken up residence in our spirits, our emotions need to come under His control, so that the are no longer false, fleeting feelings, but true indicators of truth, so that when we come to worship Him, we experience true joy, true elation, and true adoration.

True worship isn't a feeling...it is a decision, just like the decision we make to love and to forgive, but it involves the whole human being, and that includes emotion. Yes, it is a foretaste of heaven---instruments, dancing, shouts and song!

 

[Euphemia]

Whenever we discuss this subject, brethren bring in a lot of scriptures from the Old Testament.These are very valuable scriptures, and we can learn a lot about worship from them. David is a fine example, and we see precious features of Christ in him with which God was pleased.

Do you find that the OT scriptures are inadequate in some way?

quote]But we need to learn from David's actions and activities, understanding the spiritual import, not unintelligently imitating them. That can only lead to inconsistency. If we praise God in the way that David did, why don't we slay His enemies, as David did?[/quote]

God was pleased with the way David worshiped. He was utterly displeased with the criticism of and shame she bore at his method of worship by his wife, Michal...so much so that He closed up her womb so that there would be no more offspring from their marriage.

When we worship like David did, we are stomping on the enemy!

We have to understand the fundamental contrast between the old and new covenants, that God has entered into a new relationship with man. It is a closer, nearer, deeper relationship - a superior relationship. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us permanently, whereas the Old Testament saints didn't. They knew God in the context of an earthly tabernacle system, we know Him through a glorified, heavenly Man - the antitype of many types. This is truth we need to practically acknowledge. If we don't, we lose out on a great deal of what's essential to Christianity. Our view of divine Persons is necessarily going to be clouded if we borrow the practices of a time when God dwelt in obscurity (Exodus 20:21).

Out of the intimacy we now have with the Father through the indwelling and abundant overfilling of Holy Spirit, we can indeed worship fully with body, mind and spirit---just like David did, without the restraint that religious over-thinkers place on it.

 

[Grant Melville]

Don't lie to yourself. Our emotions are completely adequate to speak to us about what God is saying, when we are in close relationship with Him. After all, He created us with them after His own. As Holy Spirit has taken up residence in our spirits, our emotions need to come under His control, so that the are no longer false, fleeting feelings, but true indicators of truth, so that when we come to worship Him, we experience true joy, true elation, and true adoration.

True worship isn't a feeling...it is a decision, just like the decision we make to love and to forgive, but it involves the whole human being, and that includes emotion. Yes, it is a foretaste of heaven---instruments, dancing, shouts and song!

I would have to raise the question: did the Lord Jesus come into the world, go to the cross, enter into death, break its power and then rise again... all to supplement the old man? To make him acceptable to God? To present him in some enhanced form? That isn't what scripture teaches, and surely experience with God would teach us the same.

 

[Grant Melville]

Do you find that the OT scriptures are inadequate in some way?

Not at all! I hope I haven't given that impression in anything I've said. Every scripture is useful and profitable.

God was pleased with the way David worshiped. He was utterly displeased with the criticism of and shame she bore at his method of worship by his wife, Michal...so much so that He closed up her womb so that there would be no more offspring from their marriage.

When we worship like David did, we are stomping on the enemy!

As I said in my post above, God was also pleased with the way David slew and conquered those who set themselves against the people of God. Are we to take up arms against those who set themselves against God, who persecute His people?

Out of the intimacy we now have with the Father through the indwelling and abundant overfilling of Holy Spirit, we can indeed worship fully with body, mind and spirit---just like David did, without the restraint that religious over-thinkers place on it.

The Lord Himself says that Christian worship is in spirit and in truth - there's no mention of mind or body there in connection with worship. Some might call that over-thinking, but really it's just simple dependence on what the scripture actually says. We're on safe ground there.

 

[Euphemia]

I would have to raise the question: did the Lord Jesus come into the world, go to the cross, enter into death, break its power and then rise again... all to supplement the old man? To make him acceptable to God? To present him in some enhanced form? That isn't what scripture teaches, and surely experience with God would teach us the same.

Jesus did all He did to change us completely---to become a new man. THAT is what scripture teaches!