Martin Luther: Role Of Music In The Bible
INTRODUCTION
Martin Luther recognized the power of music saying... "Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music." We need to cherish this precious gift of music and use it to praise and glorify our God the Creator, Savior, and Sanctifier.
It is evidence that “For many years, the music in the church has been debated a lot. First, the heart must be regenerated from its natural and sinful state and in total surrender to God,” Olabisi,(2006) There have been congregations who have built huge churches in a relatively short amount of time and have attributed the role of music as a leading factor in their growth. …show more content…
Others have avoided this trend and their music seems to be stuck in another era. In respect to this, “How should we view music in the evangelical church? What kind of music ministers are needed for today 's church? And how should this be fleshed out in the life of the local church? The term “liturgy” is commonly associated with group worship.” Osbeck, (1971, p.180).
Haven said so much on music as an essential instrument in ministry with evidences as seen in the scriptures. Ministry has also been examined above and various ways through which ministry can be carried out also with evidences and examples seen throughout the Bible. Therefore, music and ministry, a biblical counterpoint seeks to ascertain the fact that music and ministry cannot be separated. “Also, this seeks the fact that music ministry work hand in hand with their foundation and principles according to the truths revealed in the Holy Scriptures,” Johannson (1984, p. 7).
The focus on the musical end of the service should be on congregational singing. Calvin rightly stated that the first choir is the congregation. This should be fleshed out by much corporate singing. Included should be songs of praise, confession, meditation, supplication, stewardship, dedication, thanksgiving or remembrance and dismissal. These songs do not have to be present in every worship service, but over the life of the church all should be found. The inclusion of all these forms will help the believer have a full worship experience before God and will aim at transformation of the believer
These questions are necessary to be answered if the church is to fulfill its role for the glory of God. What is worship? It has been defined as “experiencing an awareness of God; to recognize his holiness and majesty and to respond in loving obedience to His leadership” Miller, (1993, p.21). Evangelical worship music should be both objective and subjective, expressing our awesome wonder and praise of God who is beyond our imagination and also our love of, and communion with, God in Jesus Christ who lives in us through the Holy Spirit.
AIM OF THE STUDY
The main aim of this work is to critically look into the state of music ministry in my church in respect to what has being happening before and the present situation of things. The Bible says, my people perish because of lack of knowledge. This work is intended to expand our horizon and open our eyes to see what make us better in our service to the Lord in the music department of the church using my church as a case study. Moreover, “According to an author, Psychology tell us that singing is a natural human behavior and is basically enjoyed by everyone.”Osbeck, (1971, p.60). I will look into the problems encountered in years past with what is happening now and bring out possible solutions to prevent such.
THE MOTIVE FOR SINGING
Singing in the Bible is not for personal pleasure nor for reaching out to the Gentiles with tunes familiar to them.
It is to praise God by chanting His Word–a method known as "cantillation." Pleasure in singing comes not from a rhythmic beat that stimulates people physically, but from the very experience of praising the Lord. "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant" (Ps 135:3; NIV). "How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him" (Ps 147:1).
Singing unto the Lord is "good" and "pleasant," because it enables believers to express to Him their joy and gratitude for the blessings of creation, deliverance, protection, and salvation. Singing is seen in the Bible as an offering of thanksgiving to the Lord for His goodness and blessings. This concept is expressed especially in Psalm 69:30-31: "I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs."
The notion that singing praises to the God is better than sacrifice reminds us of a similar concept, namely, that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22). Singing praises to God by chanting His Word is not only a pleasant experience; it is also a means of grace to the believer. Through singing, believers offer to God a worship of praise, enabling them to receive His enabling …show more content…
grace.
THE PLACE OF MUSIC IN WORSHIP
Created for His Glory
Like the rest of creation, music is designed by God for His own glory (Isaiah 48:11, Romans 11:36). Music should be used as a tool to facilitate worship, not as an end in itself. Music enhances our expression of adoration of God beyond that of the spoken word alone (Psalm 147:1.)
The Place of Excellence
Music in worship should be offered in such a way that the message of a song is enhanced. Worship can be distracted by music that is unprepared or done poorly, thus the biblical imperative to “play skillfully” implies acquired abilities, training as well as rehearsal for worship (Psalm 33:3). Distraction from the text can also be caused by pretentious performances that are calculated to engender men’s praise. Just as Paul in his preaching chose to divest himself of “cleverness of speech” (I Corinthians 1:17b) which he had acquired through his training, so musicians involved in worship leadership have a unique responsibility to reject the performance mindset often acquired in their training. Natural, un-distracting excellence that draws the listeners’ attention to the text must always be the goal of the musicians involved in worship.
USE OF MUSIC IN THE WORSHIP AND ITS BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS
Should we have music in the church? In Corinthians, Paul told the Corinthians to sing with the spirit and also with the mind (I Cor. 14:15). In Psalm 33, the Psalmist exhorts us to "sing to the Lord a new song", and "give thanks with the lyre". In addition, Paul encouraged the believers to "speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19). In Revelation 5:9, when the book was given to the Lamb, the surrounding elders and creatures sang a new song. This song is recognition of the person and work of Christ and that He alone is truly worthy. After the first Lord 's Supper, Christ sang a hymn with his disciples (Mark 14:26). We do not know the exact meaning of this song, but the example of singing is evidenced by our Lord, Jesus Christ.
In Exodus 15, after the Israelites were protected from Pharaoh and his army and were led safely through the Red Sea, it shows that Moses sang a song. He had just witnessed the great deliverance that God had ever performed on behalf of His people and Moses burst forth in a song to signify the event. In Isaiah, we see many prophecies about the coming Messiah. One of the works that he will perform is losing the tongue of the mute and enabling them to sing for joy (Is. 35:6). The ones who have been redeemed by Christ will have a song in their heart and on their lips as a response to his saving work. This list could continue for many pages, but I believe the point is adequately made, so music is a right expression for the believers to respond to God. It has been employed by the people of God throughout the bible from Moses to David and to even Christ Himself.
ORGANIZATION OF THE CHOIR
The Fountain of Peace Baptist Church Music Ministry was organized alongside the organization of the church in December, 2004. The name giving to the choir was divine love choir which is the name they are still being referred to till this day. Since inception of the church in December 2004, the church have being struggling in the aspect of the music ministry which is evidence to virtually all church members. A member of the choir was appointed to be leading the choir prior to when the church will be well stable and look for a way of averting the problem the choir department of the church is facing.
Afterward, the choir ministry is facing major challenges of knowing the right song to prepare to minister on Sundays. Though most times, they break the deadlock and minister well on Sunday but there are still lots to be done to get better in choosing the song they will sing. There are theological context of choosing songs to sing in worship, but most people are ignorant of it.
CHALLENGES IN THE CHOIR
The choir can never be underemphasized in the worship service. In view of this, “Choir in the worship of God Almighty is a form of ordination by God to the choir to perform specific duties unto Him and minister to his people.“ Olabisi, (2010 p.11) The choir ministry in my church has no choir robe which very challenging in deciding on what to wear on Sundays. This makes the choir look uniform when they minister and it is not portraying them as a genuine Baptist denomination. Most times, contemporary songs were sung in which most of the songs are not theologically sound. Singing with purpose should be the order of the day but lo, this is not the case as the purpose of singing is lost.
Moreover in a book read, it pinpoint this fact in a book by Miller “Their trend of worship as I was told was just done anyhow a there is no sense procession and recession. Christian hymns are sung by Baptists and other denominations all over the world.” Miller, (1971, page 59.) The hymns are just sung without knowing how to choose and locate the right hymn. The choir members go for rehearsals at their digression which gives me a notion that they are not true disciple. As music is the heart of worship, I heard worship is not really enjoyed because the music was not sound, though they do sing and tried their best to take the congregation to the presence of God, but their best was yet to be found.
RENOVATION OF THE MUSIC MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH
In a book read, "The growth of the music ministry depends on a thorough programme of training for all participants.” Miller, (1971, page 83). On getting to the church and hearing what has gone wrong, I brought out a policy in which all intending choir member took a form which one of the criteria is that they must have done at least a disciple program. Afterward music training was conducted and retreat was done. Now, they can at least sing simple hymns and knowing the history of church music at their level, they can really look for a good music for worship.
RECOMMENDATION
There are lots of churches who get it wrong in the aspect of music when we are in worship. Worship has to focus on God 's glory, and also true worship will give recovery of our souls. In other words, we will need to see changes of worshipers if the worship was received by God. Not only approaching the trend of today 's Christian music for worship, but also we need to approach to worshipers ' soul.
Music are chosen based on discretion of the music leader if a trained music minister who knows what need to be done is left out. Truly the soul should be met and this can be done by doing the right thing the right way. I hope if trained ministers of music who truly know the heart of worship are employed to lead the worship especially the heart of worship which is music, there would be a change which will affect the state of music positively in our local churches.
And again in Olabisi’s book it states that “The training of choir members in the musical line and having understanding of the bible is essential. Rehearsals and seminars’ teaching should be designed periodically to help the choir to be godly and committed.” Olabisi, (2006, page 31). This will be of great help to strengthening the spiritual life of the choir members. Good and reliable minister of minister of music should be assigned to lead our worship in the aspect of music ministry.
The minister of music should be characterized by the guidelines found for those charged with church leadership in Timothy and Titus. He is to be "above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, able to teach, not addicted to wine, or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money, he must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity, not a new convert.... and he must have a good reputation with those outside the church" (I Tim. 3:2-7). None of the above qualities can be lacking because the testimony of the church and its Savior is at stake.
The music minister, should view himself not as a musician who happens to be employed by a church, but a minister who happens to be a musician. He must be gripped by the great commission and see his calling first as making disciples by teaching them to obey the things of God. His primary focus should not be on having larger musical productions for the sake of musical productions, but teaching the word through music and also through his lifestyle and conduct (2 Tim. 4:2).
CONCLUSION
Music is very powerful. It influences us and it can set the stage for many things mentally and spiritually. Music can assist us in entering the presence of God. It could be used to change our state of mind and it could be used for mere entertainment. We Christians should be aware of the impact that music has on us and act accordingly. We should monitor what we allow ourselves and our children to listen to. Remember that what we listen to will affect us.
There are still a lot of churches where losing the heart of worship although their outward appearance seems rich and brilliant. God wants our real heart of worship, and we, worshipers, have to be ready to put all of our effort to find that for God. Also, we, ministers have to be ready to sacrifice ourselves for others in the service. The local church 's most visible aspect is often music program. The first element that is visitor will likely notice could be something about the music. When that person leaves, what impression will he or she have of the service? The goal for the church is that people leave not with the idea of how marvelous the production was or how finely the choir or soloists sang, but with a sense of the power and majesty of God.
Knowing that music should be a part in the worship of God, what should it sound like?
The music in biblical times did not know of electronic sounds. Their focus always seemed to be on what was sung rather than how it is was sung. When Paul instructs his readers to sing with their hearts, he was emphasizing the personal nature of right singing. Music ministry is challenging, and rewarding experience. It must be driven by a desire to please God and not men and seek to glorify Him in all aspects of life. When we look at the surrounding families and see their need, we realize that it is not a need for a more exciting church service, but a saving relationship with Christ (John 3:16). Only when we have a passion for God 's glory and true passion for those individuals without Him will we exhibit a biblical understanding of music ministry (I Cor. 10:31).
My philosophy for music ministry might have become simpler than past, but I feel more with Jesus from my recent service. I try to make my ministry becomes all about the "state of the heart" for worship first, and then state of the art. Also, I have to be ready to sacrifice myself for others in the service. Though a musician but also a preacher who can speak in music. The church has always been very good place to serve, and I thank God for giving me the most wonderful place for me to present my music to heal and save the souls. I will use my talent as much as I can in my life, and praise him where ever I may
be.
References
Adika, Philip. (2008). The Power and Abuse of Praise Night. Lagos, Nigeria: Atrik Ventures Limited.
Johansson, C.M. (1984) Music and Ministry: A Biblical Counterpoint. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers.
Miller E. F. (1993). Building An Effective Church Music Ministry, Ibadan, Nigeria: Baptist Press (Nigeria) Ltd.
Olabisi, E. A. (2006). Choir In The Worship of God. Ibadan, Nigeria: Afolabi Press Limited.
Olabisi, E. A. (2010). Raising Disciplined Choir. Ibadan, Nigeria: Afolabi Press Limited.
Osbeck, W. K. (1971). The Ministry of Music, Florida, USA: Zondervan Publishing House.
Websites http://www.pursuingthetruth.org/sermons/files/music.htm http://www.bclr.org/bclr/philosophy/worship-music-philosophy/
http://www.biblicalperspectives.com
Martin Luther recognized the power of music saying... "Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music." We need to cherish this precious gift of music and use it to praise and glorify our God the Creator, Savior, and Sanctifier.
It is evidence that “For many years, the music in the church has been debated a lot. First, the heart must be regenerated from its natural and sinful state and in total surrender to God,” Olabisi,(2006) There have been congregations who have built huge churches in a relatively short amount of time and have attributed the role of music as a leading factor in their growth. …show more content…
Others have avoided this trend and their music seems to be stuck in another era. In respect to this, “How should we view music in the evangelical church? What kind of music ministers are needed for today 's church? And how should this be fleshed out in the life of the local church? The term “liturgy” is commonly associated with group worship.” Osbeck, (1971, p.180).
Haven said so much on music as an essential instrument in ministry with evidences as seen in the scriptures. Ministry has also been examined above and various ways through which ministry can be carried out also with evidences and examples seen throughout the Bible. Therefore, music and ministry, a biblical counterpoint seeks to ascertain the fact that music and ministry cannot be separated. “Also, this seeks the fact that music ministry work hand in hand with their foundation and principles according to the truths revealed in the Holy Scriptures,” Johannson (1984, p. 7).
The focus on the musical end of the service should be on congregational singing. Calvin rightly stated that the first choir is the congregation. This should be fleshed out by much corporate singing. Included should be songs of praise, confession, meditation, supplication, stewardship, dedication, thanksgiving or remembrance and dismissal. These songs do not have to be present in every worship service, but over the life of the church all should be found. The inclusion of all these forms will help the believer have a full worship experience before God and will aim at transformation of the believer
These questions are necessary to be answered if the church is to fulfill its role for the glory of God. What is worship? It has been defined as “experiencing an awareness of God; to recognize his holiness and majesty and to respond in loving obedience to His leadership” Miller, (1993, p.21). Evangelical worship music should be both objective and subjective, expressing our awesome wonder and praise of God who is beyond our imagination and also our love of, and communion with, God in Jesus Christ who lives in us through the Holy Spirit.
AIM OF THE STUDY
The main aim of this work is to critically look into the state of music ministry in my church in respect to what has being happening before and the present situation of things. The Bible says, my people perish because of lack of knowledge. This work is intended to expand our horizon and open our eyes to see what make us better in our service to the Lord in the music department of the church using my church as a case study. Moreover, “According to an author, Psychology tell us that singing is a natural human behavior and is basically enjoyed by everyone.”Osbeck, (1971, p.60). I will look into the problems encountered in years past with what is happening now and bring out possible solutions to prevent such.
THE MOTIVE FOR SINGING
Singing in the Bible is not for personal pleasure nor for reaching out to the Gentiles with tunes familiar to them.
It is to praise God by chanting His Word–a method known as "cantillation." Pleasure in singing comes not from a rhythmic beat that stimulates people physically, but from the very experience of praising the Lord. "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant" (Ps 135:3; NIV). "How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him" (Ps 147:1).
Singing unto the Lord is "good" and "pleasant," because it enables believers to express to Him their joy and gratitude for the blessings of creation, deliverance, protection, and salvation. Singing is seen in the Bible as an offering of thanksgiving to the Lord for His goodness and blessings. This concept is expressed especially in Psalm 69:30-31: "I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs."
The notion that singing praises to the God is better than sacrifice reminds us of a similar concept, namely, that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22). Singing praises to God by chanting His Word is not only a pleasant experience; it is also a means of grace to the believer. Through singing, believers offer to God a worship of praise, enabling them to receive His enabling …show more content…
grace.
THE PLACE OF MUSIC IN WORSHIP
Created for His Glory
Like the rest of creation, music is designed by God for His own glory (Isaiah 48:11, Romans 11:36). Music should be used as a tool to facilitate worship, not as an end in itself. Music enhances our expression of adoration of God beyond that of the spoken word alone (Psalm 147:1.)
The Place of Excellence
Music in worship should be offered in such a way that the message of a song is enhanced. Worship can be distracted by music that is unprepared or done poorly, thus the biblical imperative to “play skillfully” implies acquired abilities, training as well as rehearsal for worship (Psalm 33:3). Distraction from the text can also be caused by pretentious performances that are calculated to engender men’s praise. Just as Paul in his preaching chose to divest himself of “cleverness of speech” (I Corinthians 1:17b) which he had acquired through his training, so musicians involved in worship leadership have a unique responsibility to reject the performance mindset often acquired in their training. Natural, un-distracting excellence that draws the listeners’ attention to the text must always be the goal of the musicians involved in worship.
USE OF MUSIC IN THE WORSHIP AND ITS BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS
Should we have music in the church? In Corinthians, Paul told the Corinthians to sing with the spirit and also with the mind (I Cor. 14:15). In Psalm 33, the Psalmist exhorts us to "sing to the Lord a new song", and "give thanks with the lyre". In addition, Paul encouraged the believers to "speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19). In Revelation 5:9, when the book was given to the Lamb, the surrounding elders and creatures sang a new song. This song is recognition of the person and work of Christ and that He alone is truly worthy. After the first Lord 's Supper, Christ sang a hymn with his disciples (Mark 14:26). We do not know the exact meaning of this song, but the example of singing is evidenced by our Lord, Jesus Christ.
In Exodus 15, after the Israelites were protected from Pharaoh and his army and were led safely through the Red Sea, it shows that Moses sang a song. He had just witnessed the great deliverance that God had ever performed on behalf of His people and Moses burst forth in a song to signify the event. In Isaiah, we see many prophecies about the coming Messiah. One of the works that he will perform is losing the tongue of the mute and enabling them to sing for joy (Is. 35:6). The ones who have been redeemed by Christ will have a song in their heart and on their lips as a response to his saving work. This list could continue for many pages, but I believe the point is adequately made, so music is a right expression for the believers to respond to God. It has been employed by the people of God throughout the bible from Moses to David and to even Christ Himself.
ORGANIZATION OF THE CHOIR
The Fountain of Peace Baptist Church Music Ministry was organized alongside the organization of the church in December, 2004. The name giving to the choir was divine love choir which is the name they are still being referred to till this day. Since inception of the church in December 2004, the church have being struggling in the aspect of the music ministry which is evidence to virtually all church members. A member of the choir was appointed to be leading the choir prior to when the church will be well stable and look for a way of averting the problem the choir department of the church is facing.
Afterward, the choir ministry is facing major challenges of knowing the right song to prepare to minister on Sundays. Though most times, they break the deadlock and minister well on Sunday but there are still lots to be done to get better in choosing the song they will sing. There are theological context of choosing songs to sing in worship, but most people are ignorant of it.
CHALLENGES IN THE CHOIR
The choir can never be underemphasized in the worship service. In view of this, “Choir in the worship of God Almighty is a form of ordination by God to the choir to perform specific duties unto Him and minister to his people.“ Olabisi, (2010 p.11) The choir ministry in my church has no choir robe which very challenging in deciding on what to wear on Sundays. This makes the choir look uniform when they minister and it is not portraying them as a genuine Baptist denomination. Most times, contemporary songs were sung in which most of the songs are not theologically sound. Singing with purpose should be the order of the day but lo, this is not the case as the purpose of singing is lost.
Moreover in a book read, it pinpoint this fact in a book by Miller “Their trend of worship as I was told was just done anyhow a there is no sense procession and recession. Christian hymns are sung by Baptists and other denominations all over the world.” Miller, (1971, page 59.) The hymns are just sung without knowing how to choose and locate the right hymn. The choir members go for rehearsals at their digression which gives me a notion that they are not true disciple. As music is the heart of worship, I heard worship is not really enjoyed because the music was not sound, though they do sing and tried their best to take the congregation to the presence of God, but their best was yet to be found.
RENOVATION OF THE MUSIC MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH
In a book read, "The growth of the music ministry depends on a thorough programme of training for all participants.” Miller, (1971, page 83). On getting to the church and hearing what has gone wrong, I brought out a policy in which all intending choir member took a form which one of the criteria is that they must have done at least a disciple program. Afterward music training was conducted and retreat was done. Now, they can at least sing simple hymns and knowing the history of church music at their level, they can really look for a good music for worship.
RECOMMENDATION
There are lots of churches who get it wrong in the aspect of music when we are in worship. Worship has to focus on God 's glory, and also true worship will give recovery of our souls. In other words, we will need to see changes of worshipers if the worship was received by God. Not only approaching the trend of today 's Christian music for worship, but also we need to approach to worshipers ' soul.
Music are chosen based on discretion of the music leader if a trained music minister who knows what need to be done is left out. Truly the soul should be met and this can be done by doing the right thing the right way. I hope if trained ministers of music who truly know the heart of worship are employed to lead the worship especially the heart of worship which is music, there would be a change which will affect the state of music positively in our local churches.
And again in Olabisi’s book it states that “The training of choir members in the musical line and having understanding of the bible is essential. Rehearsals and seminars’ teaching should be designed periodically to help the choir to be godly and committed.” Olabisi, (2006, page 31). This will be of great help to strengthening the spiritual life of the choir members. Good and reliable minister of minister of music should be assigned to lead our worship in the aspect of music ministry.
The minister of music should be characterized by the guidelines found for those charged with church leadership in Timothy and Titus. He is to be "above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, able to teach, not addicted to wine, or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money, he must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity, not a new convert.... and he must have a good reputation with those outside the church" (I Tim. 3:2-7). None of the above qualities can be lacking because the testimony of the church and its Savior is at stake.
The music minister, should view himself not as a musician who happens to be employed by a church, but a minister who happens to be a musician. He must be gripped by the great commission and see his calling first as making disciples by teaching them to obey the things of God. His primary focus should not be on having larger musical productions for the sake of musical productions, but teaching the word through music and also through his lifestyle and conduct (2 Tim. 4:2).
CONCLUSION
Music is very powerful. It influences us and it can set the stage for many things mentally and spiritually. Music can assist us in entering the presence of God. It could be used to change our state of mind and it could be used for mere entertainment. We Christians should be aware of the impact that music has on us and act accordingly. We should monitor what we allow ourselves and our children to listen to. Remember that what we listen to will affect us.
There are still a lot of churches where losing the heart of worship although their outward appearance seems rich and brilliant. God wants our real heart of worship, and we, worshipers, have to be ready to put all of our effort to find that for God. Also, we, ministers have to be ready to sacrifice ourselves for others in the service. The local church 's most visible aspect is often music program. The first element that is visitor will likely notice could be something about the music. When that person leaves, what impression will he or she have of the service? The goal for the church is that people leave not with the idea of how marvelous the production was or how finely the choir or soloists sang, but with a sense of the power and majesty of God.
Knowing that music should be a part in the worship of God, what should it sound like?
The music in biblical times did not know of electronic sounds. Their focus always seemed to be on what was sung rather than how it is was sung. When Paul instructs his readers to sing with their hearts, he was emphasizing the personal nature of right singing. Music ministry is challenging, and rewarding experience. It must be driven by a desire to please God and not men and seek to glorify Him in all aspects of life. When we look at the surrounding families and see their need, we realize that it is not a need for a more exciting church service, but a saving relationship with Christ (John 3:16). Only when we have a passion for God 's glory and true passion for those individuals without Him will we exhibit a biblical understanding of music ministry (I Cor. 10:31).
My philosophy for music ministry might have become simpler than past, but I feel more with Jesus from my recent service. I try to make my ministry becomes all about the "state of the heart" for worship first, and then state of the art. Also, I have to be ready to sacrifice myself for others in the service. Though a musician but also a preacher who can speak in music. The church has always been very good place to serve, and I thank God for giving me the most wonderful place for me to present my music to heal and save the souls. I will use my talent as much as I can in my life, and praise him where ever I may
be.
References
Adika, Philip. (2008). The Power and Abuse of Praise Night. Lagos, Nigeria: Atrik Ventures Limited.
Johansson, C.M. (1984) Music and Ministry: A Biblical Counterpoint. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers.
Miller E. F. (1993). Building An Effective Church Music Ministry, Ibadan, Nigeria: Baptist Press (Nigeria) Ltd.
Olabisi, E. A. (2006). Choir In The Worship of God. Ibadan, Nigeria: Afolabi Press Limited.
Olabisi, E. A. (2010). Raising Disciplined Choir. Ibadan, Nigeria: Afolabi Press Limited.
Osbeck, W. K. (1971). The Ministry of Music, Florida, USA: Zondervan Publishing House.
Websites http://www.pursuingthetruth.org/sermons/files/music.htm http://www.bclr.org/bclr/philosophy/worship-music-philosophy/
http://www.biblicalperspectives.com