What role does music play in christanity?

[Floatingaxe]

Just curious as to everyones answer...

What role does music play in christanity (or any religion)? and this is only in terms of praise/worship/religious music. I was discussing this with a friend and thought I'd post the question here. Basically this is pretty general, so I'm hopeing the answers will all be quite different.

make a joyful noise, our job is to glorify God, with music, with song, with words, with praise, with worship with our entire being.

music is just one of many.....

David even had people playing instruments to keep the music going for the others that he had as singers...

Music is (should be ) uplifting to the heart......

Praise and Worship and Singing and Music and Tithes and Offering and such is our portion we give to the Lord.......

the Sermon is God giving to us...............

it is a shame that we are ready to stop singing after only one or two songs, and really have no clue as to how to raise Gods Name above all others, we Praise Him, but how many really Worship God????

most music we sing is not singing to God but singing about God, actually not even Praise Music, more what I would call "Witness" music.... good for witnessing, but not really praising Him, singing praises about Him, but not To Him...

ie: my God is an Awesome God..... singing about Him....

Lord I lift Your Name on High, ..... singing to Him....

satan hates us when we actually get in and Praise the Lord, for that was his job, until he got big headed about his status, and began perverting his station..... we have taken (suppose to have) over the job of Praising.

mike

Excellent, mike! Praise and Worship of our Lord Jesus Christ is where He comes to meet us in a mighty way! We are actually commanded in God's Word to worship with loud voices, shouting, instruments, and jumping, spinning, dancing before the Lord!

Sometimes it's a sacrifice of praise, but it's something we are instructed to do. Once I get in there, it's not a hard thing to fully enter into!

In our church, we all meet for prayer at least a half-hour before worship--exuberant prayer! Then, having had communion with the Lord in prayer and worship, we go into the sanctuary and continue to meet God in praise and worship--for about 30 minutes. (No stop-watch!) Sometimes we become so rapt in worship, that we have dispensed with the rest of the morning's (or evening's) plans, and continue right on with dancing and singing before the Lord until we are pooped! Love it when the Holy Spirit takes over like that!

[Gerioke]

I think it's important to be involved with the lord when worshipping. I find too many people concentrate on the musicians/music and don't involve themselves with the actual worship.

[swordbearing1]

I think it's important to be involved with the lord when worshipping. I find too many people concentrate on the musicians/music and don't involve themselves with the actual worship.

You are right, but think about the fact that the musicians are also worshiping with their instruments! What a joy to be able to do that!

[Gerioke]

I think it's important to be involved with the lord when worshipping. I find too many people concentrate on the musicians/music and don't involve themselves with the actual worship.

You are right, but think about the fact that the musicians are also worshiping with their instruments! What a joy to be able to do that!

I wonder how you would distinguish between an annointed musician and a talented musician who is not annointed?

[nebula]

I wonder how you would distinguish between an annointed musician and a talented musician who is not annointed?

I can tell. I don't know how to explain it, though. I have a sensitivity to worship that I have noticed many others don't have.

The only comparison I know of is the difference between a pond, a lake, and a river. A pond can be beautiful, but the water is stagnant. Talented music without the anointing is like that. With anointed music, it's like jumping in the river . . . it carries you away from whatever your life was going through atg the time. The lake? Well, that's when it's somewhere in between.

[Floatingaxe]

I wonder how you would distinguish between an annointed musician and a talented musician who is not annointed?

I can tell. I don't know how to explain it, though. I have a sensitivity to worship that I have noticed many others don't have.

The only comparison I know of is the difference between a pond, a lake, and a river. A pond can be beautiful, but the water is stagnant. Talented music without the anointing is like that. With anointed music, it's like jumping in the river . . . it carries you away from whatever your life was going through atg the time. The lake? Well, that's when it's somewhere in between.

YES!

[shazza]

I really LOVE Praise and Worship

I become so focussed on Worshipping God that all distractions are drowned out and the words and the music become your own private Worship, like there is no one else there but you and God. It is the most amazing experience.

I go to a Apostolic Church and Worship is a time of opening yourself up to God.

I love Christian music and listen to our Christian Radio Station here in Aus called Sonshine Radio and I also love Michael W Smith and Mercy Me!! I am coming to the States next year for a holiday and my friend is taking me to SWC Christian Music Festival which I am so looking forward to. To possibly see Mercy Me in concert WOW!!!

[heartofstone]

Just curious as to everyones answer...

What role does music play in christanity (or any religion)? and this is only in terms of praise/worship/religious music. I was discussing this with a friend and thought I'd post the question here. Basically this is pretty general, so I'm hopeing the answers will all be quite different.

Praise and worship.

Worth doing a study on these and realising the difference between them, this will in itself answer your question when you know the difference.

As to praise and worship being good for depression it may not be so good to understand the reason why this is so.

Saul, when an evil spirit from the Lord came to torment him had the lad David play his harp. The evil spirit was calmed.

Saul should have sought the Lord instead of therapeutic praise and worship music, his soul was in jeopardy and he took the advice of foolish men.

Music does nothing for the soul, it calms evil spirits which torment the soul but for the good of our soul we need another Spirit.

Blessings, H.

...

It's interesting to read the other posts, and the ones with the more simple answer for the purpose of music in praise and worship, but I have to wonder too about the sort of thing that was being said about the nature of the music... if it still had something to do with the tunes or just how it's played, maybe even the instruments and how it doesn't matter if the words are changed to those which offer praise, kind of like what Bravida might have been saying? I mean, you can recognize the music (wihout lyrics) from a famous and very particular song even in secular genres, right? and so if someone else were to take a tune (I am not musically inclined so I have no idead of what other words to say, lol) from a well-known rock song but added different words to it, even worshipful ones, wouldn't some of us be able to realize what song the tune/thing originated from? So, what if a satanist or someone involved with demons (even if he didn't know it) had coined a tune like that and put the music out there and it was reused by others, wouldn't it still be as bad as if the bad lyrics had been left in?

But then again, I see what nebula's saying with how it has to do with the singer and if he's really coming from that background, really is worshiping God or not... dunno, it's confusing, lol, at least to me.

I have heard people do that, actually, changing a popular rock tune and putting Christian lyrics to it. I agree that it's more about the heart of the singer than the tune itself! I was there for some very meaningful worship sessions where those songs were used, and you could totally feel the Spirit move! I don't believe that a tune can be inherently evil.

On the simple matter, I really miss the hymns that I used to hear when I was a kid, but so many churches that tend to be made up of young adult parishoners mostly nowadays will only play contemporary music and new songs. Most of the time I don't think they're the same as the old hymns... it's like some of it only tries to be too upbeat and give the one-sided message of Jesus Christ's ministry and purpose, just my warped opinion though...

I've been to churches where that's the case, too. As I said before, though, there are still churches that use the ol' hymnals, and use them well! Hey, I found one

Yeah, it really doesn't make sense to think that a tune could be inherently evil, lol. But it is good to hear worshipful lyrics that come from the singer's heart, even if it's to contemporary music. Heh, I hope I find one of those churches that still use hymnals, when I get out on my own, they're still nice to hear.

[nebula]

I have heard people do that, actually, changing a popular rock tune and putting Christian lyrics to it.

Ever hear of the group Apologetix?

That's all they do!

Song: Elvira

Appologetix version: Elijah

Song: Hotel California

Appologetix: Hotel Can't Afford Ya (The Christmas story from Joseph's perpective)

Song: Bohemian Rhapsody

Appologetix: Bethlehemian Rhapsody (singing the account of David and Goliath)

Song: Eye of the Tiger

Appologetix: I Have to Die First (Jesus telling His disciples about His forthcoming death and resurrection)

"Rising up" / That's what He said / It's My time / Let's commence this / Just like a grain of wheat has to die / I must die so the wheat can arise . . . // He said / I have to die first to fulfill all the signs / Rising up through the power of My Father / And in the last lonely hours / I'll be praying tonight / And I warned you before to know / That I had to die first . . .

Song: Gangsta's Paradise

Appologetix: Shepherd's Paradise (Psalm 23 - I cracked up so hard listening to the rap: "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want" - or however they crafted the words with the tune)

And my favorite -

Song: Devil Went Down to Georgia

Appologetix: Devil Went Down to Jordan (About when Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness)

There's a slew more . . . but that'd take too long!

[nebula]

Oh - had to add one more -

Song: Barbara Ann

Appologetix: "Baa-baa-baa baa-baa we're lambs"