4keys To Worship

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4 Keys to Worshipping “in Spirit” 1. LIBERTY- 2 Cor. 3:17 tells us “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” - If we are entering the presence of God we will have liberty or a free spirit, in our praise and worship. - We should not have a “spirit of bondage” where our heart seems to be in a prison. Have a free spirit like King David who could dance before the Lord with all of His strength! 2. JOY- Psalms 16:11 tells us “in Thy presence is fullness of joy.” - As we enter God’s presence the spirit of heaviness, sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isa. 61:3, 35:10 - Our Lord Jesus was often so full of joy that His enemies accused Him of being drunk. Matt. 11:19 3. THE PEACE OF GOD- Col. 3:15 tells us, “let the peace of God rule in your hearts” - The word for “rule” means to be an umpire or referee. - A referee will be quiet as long as the game is being played correctly. - If the rules are broken then he will disturb the peace by blowing a whistle, throwing a flag, drawing a card, etc. - After everything has been corrected the referee will again quietly watch as the game continues on. - If we do not properly proceed with our praise and worship, then the peace of the Holy Spirit in our heart will be disturbed like when the referee blows his whistle. Then we need to find out what is wrong and correct it. 4. UNITY- Psalms. 133:1-2 tells us that the unity of the brethren is like the anointing oil flowing down. If the people in the worship service are flowing in unity, this can be an indication that the Holy Spirit is moving. These 4 works of the Holy Spirit working together in balance give us worship “in Spirit” will lead us deeper and deeper into the presence of God. But there are two wrong balances or errors that can direct us away from the flow of the spirit. These can be named formation and emotionalism. The following diagram will help teach this: (no Peace and Unity) Emotionalism

Worship “in Spirit” 1. Liberty 2. Joy 3. Peace 4. Unity

the Presence of God

Formalism (no Liberty and Joy)

ERROR #1- FORMALISM -Formalism is where praise and worship becomes a ritual, following man-made patterns that we have learned. -Formalism can slowly slip into our services until we can no longer be led of the Spirit. -The service may outwardly appear correct, but inwardly the people’s hearts are far from true worship. -In Matt.15:8-9 Jesus quoted from Isaiah the words “these people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me” -Formalism is often found in the older traditional churches. -Some of these churches will print a bulletin that will state the hymns with the order of the worship service. It is easy to see that this can limit the leading of the Spirit! -However, also formalism is also a danger for churches that are called Spirit-filled, Charismatic or Pentecostal! -Many times these churches can have worship services that are almost the same every week and the Holy Spirit is given little opportunity to move in a new way.

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How can we detect Formalism? By using our four tests, Formalism will emphasize the important of peace and unity, but it will ignore the needed balance of liberty and joy.

Practical suggestions to escape formalism 1. Preach about liberty, joy and leading of the Spirit. This will encourage the people to break out from their form and ritual. 2. Use song leaders and musicians that are strong in the liberty and joy of the Lord. Different people have different ways to organize our worship service! - If formalism is a danger for your church, select a worship team that will bring balance by being joyful and free. 3. Do not always follow the same patterns or formula for the service. God is Creative and can give us many different ways to organize our worship services! - We all learn at least a few ways that the Lord can move in a worship service: joyful praise, holy worship, conviction of sin. But there is so much more that the Lord wants to lead us into! - We need to learn to not quench the Spirit, but leave room for the Holy Spirit to move. Sometimes we should not set a time limit on the praise and worship. 4. Keep the praise songs fast and lively. (Nations with ancient Christian traditions often sing songs slower!) - Have the musicians begin to play joyful songs before the service is to begin. 5. Do not let the worship be too long if there is bondage in it. - Sometimes we continue on and on with a song service, trying to get a spiritual breakthrough but the service just gets worse and worse! Be wise to know when to pass the service on to the next leader. 6. Teach new songs. (Old songs are like a sponge that has all the water squeezed out of it.) - Keep looking for new songs that have a fresh message and anointing. 7. The leaders should not be too formal. Smile, be friendly and relate to the congregation! - By our attitudes we suggest to the people whether God can be personally approached, or should only be honored through a tradition or ritual of worship. We are to be ambassadors for Christ and if the people can relate to us then it will encourage them they can also relate to God. 8. Exhort the congregation during a song service if there is bondage, sleepiness or a heavy spirit. Encourage them to get a spiritual breakthrough! 9. The song leader and everyone on the platform should be good examples to help lead the congregation into the joy of the Lord. They need to all be rejoicing! - Sometimes shouting, jumping, lifting our hands, dancing or even marching help bring the victory.

ERROR #2 EMOTIONALISM Emotionalism is the opposite imbalance to formalism. - It is caused when our soul or our fresh is over- active, striving but moving away from the leading of the Spirit. - We all know that politicians and actors learn to move people by the natural abilities and talents of their souls. - Yet we need to see how Christians can ignorantly do the same, Zech. 4:6 and Phil. 3:3. - Independent activities from the Human soul can bring unrest and confusion to the service because everyone is not flowing together by the Spirit in an orderly fashion, 1 Col. 14:33 - This imbalance is often found in Charismatic and Pentecostal churches which are usually zealous for God but have not always matured in discernment and wisdom. WE CAN DISCERN EMOTIONALISM THROUGH USING OUR FOUR TESTS. The service that is too emotional will emphasize the importance of liberty and joy but it will ignore the needed balance of peace and unity.

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Practical suggestions to escape Emotionalism 1. If the services are overbalanced towards emotionalism then teach about peace, unity, order and reverence. 2. Have the musicians start playing worshipful songs perhaps 15 minutes before the service is to begin. - This will help the musicians to begin to flow in the anointing and it will also prepare the hearts of the people - When the musicians and the singers hurry into a service late, they often bring a hasty spirit. 3. Use musicians that have smoother, more gentle music. Some musicians developed their musical skills before they were saved and they learned to make the people joyful (and perhaps wild!) by pounding their instruments and playing loud. But if the services are unbalanced by being overemotional and ‘soulish’ then it is important to choose musicians that will help restore the balance by playing peaceful music. - The volume mix of the different instruments can also be crucial in making a worship service more highpowered or else more relaxed. 4. Do not let the microphones and electrical instruments be too loud or cause speaker distortion. - A person with little discernment can think that a greater volume = a greater anointing. - Loud music can excite you and move your flesh but just because something is happening in the service does not guarantee that it is the moving of the Holy Spirit! - There is a liberty of the Spirit but there is also a liberty of the flesh that we need to beware of. 5. If the service is excessively emotional or soulish, be careful about having the song leader talking and exhorting between or during the songs. - Many times the people are the distracted from concentrating on the Lord because the song leader is always talking and getting the attention of the people. - Having the song service go directly from song to song without a pause or distraction can often help the worship to enter deeper into the presence of the Lord. 6. Musicians should also be careful not to distract the people: - The musicians of the world often like to play loud or complicated music to draw the attention of the people towards themselves and their talents. The Holy Spirit is like a gentle dove, we need to not drive Him away! - A Christian musician should be consecrated towards seeking to draw the attention of the people to the Lord. 7. Lead others into spiritual discernment and maturity. This will help them to become enlarged vessels that the Holy Spirit can move through in greater power without their emotions or soul taking the direction of the service “off course” away from God’s presence. Jesus said in Matt. 11:7 that John the Baptist had not attracted the people to himself by being like a reed shaken by the wind. He could be a stable, pure channel of the power of God! Immature Christians will sometimes be like a shaking reed when the wind of the Holy Spirit begins to blow, or they will be like an electrical fuse that “blow” when the power of the Spirit is above their capacity and they short circuit! These results can become a distraction or bring confusion to the service. 8. If someone constantly disturbs the peace and unity of the song services then privately counsel them. - Some people have zeal without knowledge and can disrupt the worship service while they are sincerely trying to meet with God. At other times a person who is proud may do something to attract attention to himself. - If a person continues to disturb the service and does not learn to stop doing this from the general teachings or exhortations of the church, then he will need to be counseled with. 9. If confusion or something wrong is troubling your spirit, there may be an evil spirit to be discerned and bound. - 1 Cor. 14:33 says, “God is not the author of confusion but of peace.” Confusion often comes from evil spirits! The worship team should pray (perhaps quietly) and bind the spirit, or conduct spiritual warfare through public prayer or through the song service. They should turn the people back to worship and sensing God’s presence.

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Bringing back the glory of God: the threshing floor of Chidon The bible tells us about mankind “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Rom. 3:23 But God’s plan of salvation is to bring us back to the glory of God! Heb. 2:10, Col. 1:27. How can we return to the glory of God? We can learn from how David brought the glory of God back to Israel. One important step for David to accomplish this happened at the Threshing floor of Chidon. This ‘threshing floor experience’ happened to David as he sought to bring back the Ark of God. - The Ark symbolized the presence and glory of God dwelling among His people. - The Philistines had captured the Ark many years ago as the widow of one of the priests gave birth to a son and named him Ichabod, which means ‘no glory’. The glory of God had departed, 1 Sam. 4:22 David was a “man after God’s own heart” who wanted to bring back the glory of God to his people. We read of his first attempt to bring the ark to the capitol city of Jerusalem from 1 Chronicles 13:6-13. This first attempt at revival began very impressively but it suddenly stopped when God chose to send judgment instead of blessing. THE THRESHING FLOOR : In Matt. 3:12, our Lord Jesus said that He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor and gather His wheat…but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. We serve a holy God who will tolerate mixture up to a certain time but beyond this He will choose to purify His people with swift and thorough judgment! This happens to us all! THE THRESHING FLOOR OF CHIDON= ‘something to strike with’ and comes from a root word that means ‘calamity’ or ‘destruction’. This is what happened at Chidon’s threshing floor to David’s worship! When David tried to bring back the glory of God, God Struck Uzza dead = the worship and revival ended! David named that place Perez Uzza which means “the breach of Uzza”. There was a breach or breakdown in the worship that needed to be repaired and closed up before the Lord (as signified by the ark) would continue to move, bring revival and restore His glory to the people. In a similar way , there are also reasons why revival is withheld from our life, church, or nation. Worshipping with ‘good intentions’ is not enough when we come to a threshing floor experience! 1 Chronicle. 13:9 The oxen stumbled at threshing floor of Chidon. The reason for this was that the ark was being brought by a wrong method. They had followed the plan of the Philistines in using a car, instead of following the scriptural order (compare with Ex. 25:14 and Josh. 3:6). This was the mixture in their worship! This ‘stumbling’ can be when the flow and progress of a service do not continue. Perhaps the song leader and musicians have a difficult time leading the service forward step by step. If we are using the wrong methods, we will have God’s judgment instead of His blessing at the threshing floor! When the oxen stumbled, the ark WAS SHAKEN!,= the presence of the Lord can be disturbed in our service. Perhaps the services started off well but the anointing becomes disturbed by the ‘stumbling’ of the ministry. The Holy Spirit is like a dove and the dove is a very sensitive bird. It is easily disturbed and then flies away. UZZA REACHED OUT TO STEADY THE ARK so it would not fall. The name ‘UZZA’= ‘strength’ - what do we do when the anointing is hindered in a service? Use our own strength to rescue the service?

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David left the ark in Obed-Edom’s house for 3 months. Some churches and denominations have lost the anointing for months or for many years! Yet instead of admitting their situation, the leaders have substituted entertainment and programs to seek to keep the church members happy and busy. However, the spiritual man will have no confidence in the flesh! We must hear the words of Jesus when he declared “without Me you can do nothing” John. 15:5 we need to see that it is “not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts” Zech. 4:6 DEATH! 1 Chronicle. 13:10 Uzza was struck dead for his touching the ark which was forbidden by the law of Moses in Num. 4:5 and 15. Israel had already experienced a great judgment for this very reason. 1 Sam. 6:19. Uzza knew all about this, because after their death the remaining men of Beth-Shemesh sent the ark away and it was placed in the house of the father of Uzza at Kirjath-Jearim, 1 Sam. 6:20-7:1, 2 Sam. 6:3 Uzza had grown up with the ark in his house (probably why he was chosen to move the ark) but too familiar! If we ever get wrongly casual and irreverent in serving the Lord, we are walking down a dangerous path. We can become so used to directing service after service, that we think of ourselves as professionals with all the answers instead of humble servants who should follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in all things. THE ARK STOPPED MOVING: after the Lord struck Uzza dead we read about this in 1 Chronicles 13:13-14. Sometimes the Lord will even stop moving in the church for months or years! If this happens, we should not just sit around and be content to tell stories of “the good old days” when the Spirit used to move in the services. We need to seek the Lord and find out how to correct the problems and bring back the glory of God! DAID PREPARES TO REPAIR THE BREACH: During those three months when the ark stopped moving. David sought the Lord on how to correct the situation. In 1 Chronicle.15:1, David first prepare the place for the ark of God and pitched for it a tent. When David first tried to bring back the ark we do not read that he had prepare a place for it. But our Lord is a God of order and if everything is not prepared for His visitation we may not qualify for His blessing. It is our responsibility to prepare the way of the Lord so that His glory may be revealed Is. 40:3:5. We must prepare our life, family, ministry and our church just as David prepared a place for the ark. SANCTIFY YOURSELVES. In 1 Chronicles.15:12 that tried to bring the ark to Jerusalem. He then told the Levites “sanctify yourselves”. The song leaders and musicians have a special responsibility that they must prepare themselves for. THE PROPER ORDER: we can then read in 1 Chronicles. 15:13 that David told the Levites that “the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek Him after the proper order” King David found in the law of Moses that the Levites were to carry the ark. Deut. 10:8. Before this time David had tried to use a new cart to carry the ark. 1 Chronicles. 13:7 Where did this come from? It came from the Philistines. 1 Sam. 6:7-14 Many times God’s people do not follow the spiritual order for their worship services but use the ideas of the world. Some try to make their worship services more “attractive” or “modern” by making them like a talent show, a rock music concert, a popular television program, a theatrical pageant, or a disco club. When David had used the unscriptural Philistine idea carts and new ideas, popular fads and modern entertainment but by carrying the ark (the presence of God) in our life and ministry (see Jer.6:16)

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Many churches are not searching the scriptures to find the proper order for their worship services. Some churches look at the popular forms of music and entertainment that the world is using to draw in the multitudes and then copy and follow the world! Many times churches do not directly copy the world but instead are copying other churches that are already copying the world! But the triumphant people of God will be “the head and the tail” Deut. 28:13 The church is lead the world, not follow it! We can continue to read in 1 Chronicle. 15:14 to 16:37 about how the ark moved on up to Jerusalem after David had repaired the breach. We can also study how the ark was carried by the Levites and was placed in the Tabernacle of David on Mt.Zion, 1 Chronicle. 15:1 and 16:1, 2 Chronicle. 5:2 It was there that the ark of God rested in the midst of God’s people once again to manifest the presence and glory of God. On Mt. Zion David established his order of spiritual worship with continual music and singing, 1 Chronicle. 16:4-37. It was there that many of the Psalms were first given by the Spirit to David, Asaph and others. Yet the great revival in the tabernacle of David on Mt. Zion is not just to be past history. It is an experience that is available to us now! Through the church, God has promised to rebuild the tabernacle of David, Amos. 9:11, Acts. 15:14-18 THE PURPOSE AND POWER OF THE MUSIC 1. MUSIC IS A MEDIA OF COMMUNICATION. God create music, John. 1:1-3. It’s purpose is to be a media or vehicle of communication. Just as an artis can form and blend colors to convey a message through a picture, a musician can form and blend sounds to communicate a message through a song. 2. MUSIC CAN COMMUNICATE TO THE SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY OF MAN (1 thess. 5:23) A. Godly, scriptural music can release the moving of the Holy Spirit to drive away an evil spirit (1 Sam. 16:23) or release the gifts of the Spirit (2 Kings. 3:15) Heathen music can release demonic powers. Christians with mixture in their lives and music can be influenced (and can influence others) by good and evil spirits. B. Music commonly communicates to the soul and is used to make people feel happy, sad, confused, peaceful and to have other emotions. (Gen. 31:27. Luke. 7:32) C. Music also can communicate to the body. Variations in pitch, rhythm patterns, tempo and volume can effect our pulse rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, gland secretions and respiration rate. 3.WHO USES THE POWER OF MUSIC? A. God knows and use the power of music. He created it to bring pleasure to Himself (Rev. 4:11. Gen. 1:31, John. 4:23) and to be a blessing to man (1 Sam. 16:23, Gen. 31:27) B. The world knows the power of music and spends great amounts of money to provide music for advertising, entertainment and other forms of influencing people. Our Lord spoke about this in Luke. 7:32. Music is used to control people! C. Satan knows and uses the power of music. 1. Angels were created with the ministry of music, Job. 38:4-7. 2. Satan was originally a great leader in heaven like a high priest (compare Ezek. 28:13 and Ex. 39:10-13) 3. Satan was a Cherub very close to God. Ezek. 28:14 (and those closest to God in heaven lead the worship Rev. 4:9-10, 5:8-13 4. Ezekiel. 28:13 says about him, “the workmanship of your tambourines and your flutes was prepared in you on the day that you were created”. Lucifer was also a musician. Is. 14:11 5. When Lucifer lifted himself up in pride (Is. 14:13,14) and led many of the angels in rebellion, some of his great leadership abilities that he surely used to help lead the rebellion and church splits. 6. When Lucifer fell, he kept his musical talents but they became corrupted in nature, Is. 14:11-12

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7. Satan still seeks to control and corrupt music and worship, Matt.4:8-10. Satan knows that if he can control and corrupt only the worship, he will control everything! D. The Saints Of God should understand and use the power of music. 1. To release the anointing of the Holy Spirit, 1 Sam. 10:5-6, 1 Sam. 16:23, 1 Chronicle.25:1. 2. To conduct spiritual warfare. The war between the armies of God and Satan is not fought with natural weapons. 2 Cor. 10:4. It is often fought with music and singing, Is. 30:31-32, Ps. 149:6-9, 2 Chronicle. 20:21-22. 4. WE CAN GAIN MUSIC AND WORSHIP MINISTRIES FULL OF POWER IF WE: A. Fully dedicated our lives to Christ, Roman. 12:1 B. If we renew our minds to be able to discern the good and perfect will of God, Roman. 12:2. C. If we grow in our spiritual discernment. Heb. 5:14. D. If we purify our lives and music ministries, James. 4:8-10, 1 Chronicle. 15:12, 16. E. If we seek the anointing of the Holy Spirit, 1 Sam. 23:1-2. THE HEART OF A TRUE WORSHIPPER The heart of God is seeking and longing for true worshipper, John. 4:23. We need to learn how to be true worshippers so we can meet with God and delight His heart. Then we can lead the people into worship, so they can also meet with God and delight His heart. This needs to be our vision and goal for us to be effective in our music ministries. Many singers and musicians have a lower vision or goal: • THE ENTERTAINER- Entertainers aim to please the souls of the people (with talents, beauty, humor, drama, power) instead of learning how to flow and minister in the Spirit to please God, Phil.3:3, Gal. 1:10. • THE CHEERLEADER- This type of song leader seeks to excite the people. They think that excitement equals anointing and quietness equals bondage. This is wrong, Zech. 4:6, 1 Kings. 19:1112. • THE PROFESSIONAL- Is aiming for excellence but is not aiming for the Lord! He wants to demonstrate or advertise his talent but this can be an idol. Sometimes we worship our music and talents instead of God! REJECTED WORSHIP From the first worship to the last worship recorded in the Bible we are taught that God does not accept all worship. Just because we sing and play Christian songs that is no guarantee that God will accept and bless our ministry. The true worshippers must worship in spirit and truth (John. 4:23-24). There can be false worship also! THE FIRST WORSHIP SERVICE IN THE BIBLE is in Gen.4:3-5. Here we see that God rejects Cain’s worship. Cain was a believer who talked with God worshipped Him and knew his presence (Gen.4:3-16). But God rejected his worship because it was natural (the fruit of the cursed ground Gen.4:3, 3:17) and not spiritual (like Abel’s lamb, a type of Jesus) There are many who are like Cain in the churches today, offering their natural talents and worship but God is not blessing it. These believers can become angry and discouraged and can backslide like Cain Gen.4:5-8 THE LAST WORSHIP RECORDED IN THE BIBLE is when the Apostle John worshipped an angel in Rev. 22:8-9. We have the same danger in our worship services that people will admire or praise the song leader and musicians that are bringing the anointing. However, we also have the extra danger that the song leader or musicians will accept this admiration or worship and will begin to be lifted up in pride. This is what happened to the angel, Lucifer (1 Tim. 3:6, Ezek. 28:17) Lucifer was a musician and song leader in heaven but he became proud and rebelled.

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TRUE WORSHIP IN SPIRIT Music and singing were not used at first for worship. From Abel to Moses animal sacrifices were used. Moses then added more forms of worship in his tabernacle but not music and singing. The early Jews occasionally used music and singing but with no regular organization (Ex. 15, Jude. 5, 1 Sam. 10:5) However King David was a man who could see beyond the rituals of worship to understand what God really desired Ps.40:6-7, 141:2. This is because David was a man after God’s own heart , Acts. 13:22. How did David learn his praise and worship? From copying people? NO! He was taught by the Holy Spirit! We also need to learn how to meet with God when we are alone in our private devotions! If you how to enter God’s presence when you are alone, then you can help bring God’s presence into the service- help bring the anointing. But if you do not know how to enter God’s presence when you are alone, you will not know how to lead the people into God’s presence in a worship service! Even if your music or singing is very talented and beautiful, it will not be a true ministry unless you have the anointing of the Holy Spirit! David learned how to worship “in Spirit” when he was alone watching the flock. Because of this, his ministry became recognized and requested at the king’s palace, 1 Sam.16:23, Prov. 18:16. David’s anointed music brought deliverance, 1 Sam. 16:23. When David later became the king, he was able to organize the worship services to bring the presence of God, 1 Chronicle. 15:27-28. We need to learn to meet with God alone in our personal devotions and that will prepare us for a public ministry, Matt. 10:27, Luke. 16:10. David was taught by the Holy Spirit how to worship “in Spirit”, so he was able to give us the teachings we need today, recorded in the Psalms, 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles. Now we can also learn to worship “in truth” as we follow these teachings in the word of God! Some of these important truths David learned are as follows: WORSHIP IN TRUTH 1. Consecration is needed for true worship, 1 Chronicles. 15:11-14, Ex. 29:1,20. The priests o Israel had the blood applied upon their ear to become consecrated to God, just as the blood of Jesus must cleanse us from worldly music so that we will be consecrated ministers. The holier we become, the closer we abide with God, Matt.5:8, Psalms. 24:3-5. tells us there are four requirements to visit God’s presence but Psalms. 15 tells us there are 11 requirements to abide in God’s presence! 2. There are 9 scriptural ways to have praise and worship:

With our mouth:

With our hands:

With our body:

1. Speak - Pslams.145:21

4. Play music

- Pslams.33:2-3

7. Stand

2. Sing

5. Clap

- Pslams 47:1

1. Dance Pslams.149:3

- Pslams.68:4

3. Shout - Pslams.32:11,47:5

6. Lift our hands - Pslams.141:2

- Pslams.134:1 -

1. Kneel and bow - Pslams.95:6

1. Singing- Psalms. 47:6, 147:1, Col. 3:16 2. Thanksgiving- Psalms. 100:3, 69:30, 1 Chronicles. 16:4 3. Shouting- Psalms. 32:11, “shout” in Hebrew “TERUAH” to shout for joy in victory over an enemy. Used as a battle cry: Psalms. 47:1,5, 2 Chronicles. 13:15, Psalms. 27:6. 4. Playing Musical Instruments- 1 Chronicles. 16:4-6, Psalms. 150:3-5, 1 Sam. 10:5,16:23.

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5. Lifting hands- Psalms. 134:2, 63:4 6. Clapping- Psalms. 47:1 7. Dancing and leaping- 2 Sam. 6:16, Psalms. 149:3, Luke.6:23. - Psalms. 150:4 dance= to spin or whirl in a circle. In 1 Chronicles. 15:29 dance= to spring about, to jump, leap, skip. * Note: There was no swinging of the hips or sensual body movements as in modern dancing! 8. Bowing and kneeling- Psalms. 95:6 9. Standing- Psalms. 134:1 3. Balance is needed for true worship, Psalms. 68:24-25 MAN 1 Thess.5:23

Your whole SPIRIT

And SOUL

And BODY be preserved

WORSHIP, Deut. 6:5

With all your HEART

With all your SOUL

And all of your MIGHT

TRINITY of Music

The MELODY

The HARMONY

The RHYTHM or Beat

BALANCED Music, Psalms. 68:24-25

“the singer went before” 1st melody leads

“the instruments after” 2nd harmony follows

“the tambourines” 3 rhythm (last,concealed)

STYLES of Music

Spiritual Christian Music

Soul, jazz, love songs etc.

Rock, disco. Rap etc.

EFFECT:

EDIFY

ENTERTAIN

EXCITE

rd

Here we see that man, worship and music are all composed of three parts. If there is a wrong balance, they will be carnal; as when a person is led by his body. However, if the spirit or heart is leading then a correct balance helps the man, worship and music to be spiritual. The singing (musical melody) should be the loudest, leading part of the worship. Then the instruments (musical harmony) should support the singing. Lastly, the tambourines (musical rhythm or beat) should support (not dominate) the music and singing. This is what King David learned brings the presence of God into the sanctuary Psalms. 68:24-25. Carnal music is often the opposite of this spiritual balance. Worldly music groups usually have a very loud beat controlling the music. And if the praise and worship team is too loud, the service become a concert where the congregation only listens, instead of joining in with their heart and voice. However, it is through joining in the singing that each person in the worship service can best lift their heart in worship. This is what the praise and worship team should support and encourage: that every person in the service will sing and lift up their hearts in worship, Eph.5:19. Every Christian needs to learn how to be a worshipper and the praise and worship team has the privilege and responsibility of helping them to learn and practice this. As we learn these keys to worship that is “in spirit and truth”, we can gain the heart of a true worshipper. This is what the Father is seeking, John. 4:23. Let us become a people that delight the heart of our God

as we enter into greater experiences in His glorious presence!

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