Supernaturally Natural: Rethink The Way We, The Church, Worships Corporately - Part XIX
from Supernaturally Natural: Chapter 15 manuscript by Anthony Bachman
Mindset to rethink: Is Silence a mark of reverence?
Even though the Bible exhorts us to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord”, we have nurtured this mentality in church that silence is reverence; loud volume is disturbing. I guess music has the power to create atmospheres, sooth souls, rouse passions, bring relaxation, create excitement, and even bring reverence. Although I do not recall in the scriptures where they sang a closing hymn and went into the night, music has been part of Church culture since the first century.
Music is powerful in setting up a worshipful atmosphere, but it style varies according to taste and culture. I have heard a heavy Christian rock band hold its tumultuously loud note drawing believers into an atmosphere of worship as I have heard silence call one to worship, so volume isn’t the issue.
I have heard two groups of identical styles of music play, one highly entertaining, the other group drawing its audience into an atmosphere of worship. What made the difference even though the styles of music were the same? The answer lay in whom was their audience, to whom did they play for? The entertaining group got applause, cheers, and their name glorified as the top marquee band of the night. The other group could care less what their physical audience thought or did, for their direction was “upward” to the Father and His Son seated on the Throne playing their music as “sacrifices of praise”. The Father and Son are touched and give back their musical gift to them through the Holy Spirit, and the audience before them is touched. The band’s name is not glorified, the name of Jesus is.
The key to music in worship is neither the volume, nor the beat, nor even the lyrics though all are influential, but the key is the direction to which it is played and to whom it is played for. Music played vertically can be a powerful supernatural agent to pierce the natural setting of an audience before the performer that creates the cross of Jesus Christ always producing results. The vertical is touched by the gift of music, and the horizontal is also touched by that same gift. That is true worship.
Have we forgotten that Satan was once in charge of music in the heavens? He fell from his position not because of the volume level, not because of the beat, nor the lyrics, but because of whom the music glorified. His self-gratification of glorifying himself, not glorifying the Almighty God brought his down fall. I have seen the same happen to Christian groups, musicians and singers who lost vision of whom they were playing to and for no matter how “good” they sounded or how “professional” they were.
Music is a powerful tool for worship, for through it we can hear the “heart beat” of God. We, as true worshipers, must be in tune to that heartbeat, in unity with that heartbeat, in the flow of that heartbeat. That heartbeat sets up true worship. We must not forget though that the Holy Spirit must be the conductor of such a worshipful symphony.