Thursday, March 14, 2013

PRAISE AND WORSHIP IN SINGING ONLY: THE MOST MISUSED IDEA


PRAISE AND WORSHIP IN SINGING MISUNDERSTOOD SONGS VS. PRAISE AND WORSHIP THROUGH BIBLE STUDY RIGHTLY DIVIDING

By: Bishop Albert B. Gran


2 Chronicles 7:2-4

2 And the priest could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.

3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they BOWED THEMSELVES with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and WORSHIPPED, and PRAISED the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord

This Old Testament citation is a proof to tell adherents of PRAISE AND WORSHIP that such is not only and can only be understood IN SINGING OR IN VIEW OF MUSIC.  

At the onset, we found that the priest BOWED THEMSELVES when they worshipped and praise the Lord God.


HOW DID YOU PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD TODAY?


This article was designed to warn today's  Christian youth  regarding the issue of "Praise and Worship"  which majority  thought  a sole activity and manifestation in the  pouring out of melodious voices to the Lord accompanied by the rhythmic banging of musical instruments . In the long run it is thereby associated like what had happened to those believers in time of Paul who spoke in tongues and yet they became like Barbarians unto the unbelieving hearers.

MUSIC AND SATAN


Ezekiel 28:11-18
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
 
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
 
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, theemerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
 
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
 
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was
found in thee.
 
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
 
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
 
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
 
The Lord God gave a word to prophet Ezekiel concerning the  king of Tyrus who in the context ascribed the anointed cherub and described in v.11 as someone who accounted the sum of angels and thus,  sealest the sum for he was known as the "son of the morning" as it read: Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, SON OF THE MORNING! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
It's good to understand the fact about the origin of Satan before he became an adversary of God connecting the sense when Ezekiel wrote about him. Lucifer, the anointed cherub of God led the angels in heaven of which in scriptures they were called morning stars. Lucifer had possessed the title as "SON OF THE MORNING", and a very special creation of God who was perfect in beauty.
 
How does this set of verses relate to Lucifer as a musician? It's clear in verse 14 and I quote: Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: THE WORKMANSHIP OF THY TABRETS AND OF THY PIPES WAS PREPARED IN THEE IN THE DAY THAT THOU WAST CREATED.

Music was already an innate passion of Lucifer and it's plain to believe how he was skillful in tabret, a tabor or small tambourine and a pipe player. It made me believed how he was chosen as a lead conductor when the morning stars (host of angels) sing to the Lord of host, our God Almighty.   
 
Job 38: 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy........
 
The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. It's very plain according to the word of God through Job how angels were accustomed to do their activity in heaven who were singing and shouted for joy such like having praise and worship.
If angels shouted for joy to the Lord in heaven why can't we as men don't do it? We should! As those adherents of praise and worship through singing emphasized like our Pentecostal friends and other charismatic evangelicals.
 

THE RHYTHM SATAN PLAYED AGAINST GOD'S WORD
 
 
Mind you, Lucifer's activity before he became Satan the adversary played a vital role to exalt the majestic name of God as the most High God, the creator of heaven and earth. He came to the point of becoming like THE MOST HIGH through pride, envy and jealousness and thus, he was lifted up with P-R-I-D-E. And because of this, God cast him down and his PRIDE made him SATAN the ADVERSARY, and THE DEVIL.
 
As music was part of his innate passion, Satan who was known as Lucifer would certainly use it as a scheme to sway all people in the world even to the point of penetrating to God's people SO THAT THEY WOULD RATHER HOLD ON TO SATAN'S MUSICAL SCHEME   using songs about God but void of understanding and had the least approach of grace and in contrast, the law still. If Satan can quote God's word in scriptures, he can cause worshippers to sing songs about God but certainly singing without understanding and his instruments were measures to cover the heart of God's people as the rhythms banging in the chambers of their hearts in a 100% wavelength AGAINST THE WORD OF GOD UNHEARD AND MISUNDERSTOOD.   

Let not this article be misunderstood  but the real intent of the author will simply give you a consideration  to think that the devil had used this element or scheme to sway many believers who rendered much praise and worship IN SOLE SINGING instead having PRAISE AND WORSHIP THROUGH BIBLE STUDY RIGHTLY DIVIDING. As the Pentecostal system emerged which popularly used  singing as the sole element of worshipping and praising the Lord,  many teens and even elderly worshippers declined the time spent  for self-edification and enhancement from the real source which is THE WORD OF GOD. The reality speaks wise even in Christian churches how much singing lessens the quality time spent for Bible study. It's very notable that PRAISE AND WORSHIP SINGING hampers the essentiality in  giving attendance to reading and exhortation to gain power and might from the Lord AND HIS WORDS.
 
It's obvious then that lapses and undisciplined Pentecostal application may turn out to be for the occasion of the flesh which is no longer evident to worship the Lord most especially when the song being sang was not dispensationally in context  as pretty obvious like SINGING  VOID OF UNDERSTANDING. 

THE ELEMENTS OF GRACE SONGS:

1. GRACE SONGS WERE SERVED TO TEACH AND ADMONISH ONE ANOTHER

Colossians 3: 16 
 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; TEACHING AND ADMONISHING ONE ANOTHER in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
 
2. GRACE SONGS WERE MEANS TO SPEAK ONE ANOTHER
 
3. GRACE SONGS WERE BASIS TO MAKE MELODY IN YOUR HEART TO THE LORD

      Ephesians 5:18-19

     King James Version (KJV)
      18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

      19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and 
       making melody in your heart to the Lord;

 Note: The issue about which one is a true type of praise and worship between DRY SINGING AND JOLLY SINGING is a childish issue in the church. To make melody IN ONE'S INDIVIDUAL HEART TO THE LORD can be done WITH or WITHOUT musical instruments. Paul made it plain how in singing THE GRACE OF GOD AND HIS WAYS IN THIS AGE OF GRACE can be promoted to anyone. The fact is: THERE IS A DOCTRINAL IMPLICATION IN VIEW OF    RIGHTLY  DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH IF YOU WANT TO QUALIFY YOUR SINGING AS WE KNEW ITS PURPOSE IS TO TEACH, ADMONISH, AND SPEAK FOR ONE ANOTHER ASIDE FROM MAKING MELODY IN YOUR HEART TO THE LORD.

Not all Christian songs in our times are savored and seasoned with GRACE in view of right division  FOR UNDERSTANDING SAKE as the instruction calls for. Hear ye beloved of God that "When ye sing, sing with understanding" and "singing with GRACE and make melody in your heart to the Lord" ( Psa. 47:7; 1 Cor. 14:15; Col. 3:16). Although in all  songs and singing renditions melody was present yet the foremost thing failed is GRACE AND UNDERSTANDING. This means that singing has to be associated with DOCTRINAL INFORMATION ABOUT GRACE AND THE GRACE OF GOD which promote and introduced who our  God is in the present dispensation of grace where we are  fitted in.  It's not a presupposed notion but a sensible and honest recognition if you do things pleasant before God in the area of singing. While the elements of singing (GRACE AND UNDERSTANDING) are gone because the emphasis were set to melodic instruments, worshippers unknowingly separates themselves to listen  God's voice from the printed copies available in KJV for English for they turn much  of their lips praising God as they claimed  things not in view of His dealings under grace due lack of understanding about GOD'S MYSTERY IN CHRIST TO PROVIDE UNTO US FULL AND COMPLETE PACKAGE OF RICHES, GLORY AND HEAVENLY BLESSINGS IN THE DISPENSATION OF GRACE.
 
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

IF YOU INTEND GOD WON'T SNUB YOUR SONG THEN SING WITH UNDERSTANDING. HOWEVER PEOPLE WILL SNUB YOUR SONG IF YOU SING OUT OF TUNE.  

MOST PEOPLE LIKED THE SONG'S TUNE THE MOST EVEN IF THE SONG'S WORDS ARE UNCLEAR BUT THEY NEVER LIKE THE SONG WHEN THE TUNE IS OUT.

Grace and peace to you.     





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