PASTORS: Worship Music...Oh PLEASE!

[ScottA]

HIGHER VOLUME does not make for better worship. It makes it worse. Please allow me to explain:

Worship leaders and teams have been pumping up the volume like we are frogs in a pot of water on the stove...and many have crossed a line. That line is the difference between music and worship as a "production" or a "performance." Worship should not be a concert...except of those worshiping. In other words, if people are singing along they are actively involved. But if they can't hear themselves singing, if they all don't have the microphones and earpieces the "band" does, they're mostly just listening because you have cut them out of the actual worship.

When Eric Clapton unplugged his rock and roll, he did it for the same reason--because the music had become noise. Just noise.

When the rock group Foreigner recorded "I want to know what love is" they had a congregation join with them. They wanted them to be heard. In fact there are no women in the band--but one of the most heart-felt lines comes from a woman in the congregation. Listen for it--see if you can catch it: I Want to Know What Love Is. What a shame if they--if you--drown out the voice of those God wants most to hear.

So--Sound Guys (and Gals)--that means no earpieces for you who set the volume for the congregation. That means if the audience is just an audience, you failed. That means the only roar should be from the congregation. You aren't lifting the worship up to God--the congregation is--the body, not you.

Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.

 

[MatthewG]

John 4:23-24 is something that comes to my mind concerning what Jesus said about God and worship.


I dont mind if people sing hymnals or whatever but I am not a fan of those things... Those things dont make you further or closer to God. In my opinion anyway.


faith is supposedly measured... there are many measures of faith.
Rom 12:3


To me that would mean there are people out there with weak faith that are close to God, and there could be people with strong faith but are a bit father from God.



Make sense?

There is some type of measure.

 

[Rockerduck]

Congregational singing is part of worship in the church and has always been a part of worship. Only now in the last days, the devil has gotten into the church so that musicians and singers on stage wear the same clothes on stage as they wear to Walmart. Nobody on the worship teams dress like they are meeting Jesus. They have no regard for way worship is supposed to be.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

HIGHER VOLUME does not make for better worship. It makes it worse. Please allow me to explain:

Worship leaders and teams have been pumping up the volume like we are frogs in a pot of water on the stove...and many have crossed a line. That line is the difference between music and worship as a "production" or a "performance." Worship should not be a concert...except of those worshiping. In other words, if people are singing along they are actively involved. But if they can't hear themselves singing, if they all don't have the microphones and earpieces the "band" does, they're mostly just listening because you have cut them out of the actual worship.

When Eric Clapton unplugged his rock and roll, he did it for the same reason--because the music had become noise. Just noise.

When the rock group Foreigner recorded "I want to know what love is" they had a congregation join with them. They wanted them to be heard. In fact there are no women in the band--but one of the most heart-felt lines comes from a woman in the congregation. Listen for it--see if you can catch it: I Want to Know What Love Is. What a shame if they--if you--drown out the voice of those God wants most to hear.

So--Sound Guys (and Gals)--that means no earpieces for you who set the volume for the congregation. That means if the audience is just an audience, you failed. That means the only roar should be from the congregation. You aren't lifting the worship up to God--the congregation is--the body, not you.

Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.

Your putting your finger on one of my biggest gripes against Charismatic Churches that I used to write about. I would not frame it in terms music volume as Calisthenics where the music leader is saying "clap Here", "give me a shout", and basically playing a game of Simon Says. This kind of thing was a contributing factor in becoming more traditional in my worship to the point of going Orthodox / Eastern Christian later on.
One of the big reasons for this thing in the Charismatic world is the idea "That Excitement" = "The Anointing" aka presence of the Holy Spirit. But that very concept is Shamanistic by nature and that is very funny/ironic because there have been a lot of talk in those churches "About witchcraft" in the Church. By that statement they tend to imply manipulation, domination of other people psychologically speaking which does not fit the Biblical definition of "Pharmacia" sorcery, it was about taking drugs (herbs of various kinds, potions, mushrooms etc.) to reach altered states of consciousness to bridge the Spirit World to work magic etc. But that kind of thing can be done via other means like loud music, physical activity e.g. jumping up and down), shouting and other stuff that produces endorphins.


This kind of thing also is part of the Rick Warren / Purpose Driven Church model, which I have written about in the past.


Independent Contractors for Christ
I want to explore a fundamental divide in ecclesiology between most Protestants (especially non-sacramental ones) and those rooted in Apostolic Tradition. For many Protestants, the church is viewed in starkly utilitarian terms—like "Independent Contractors for Christ." It's essentially an organization established by Jesus to carry out His mission, but with little that's inherently divine or supernatural about it. The church exists primarily to "do His work," guided by key directives like the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20), the Sermon on the Mount, or other "red-letter" imperatives. These function like a corporate mission statement for any for-profit or nonprofit entity: efficient, task-oriented, and measurable.

But this model falls short because God Himself isn't a utilitarian. He frequently operates in ways that defy efficiency or pure functionality. Consider the sacred—a dimension often sidelined or dismissed in utilitarian frameworks as mere "superstition," "religion," or "religious bondage." Yet the sacred is central to Judeo-Christian spirituality, infusing everyday acts with divine mystery and holiness.

 

[amigo de christo]

Your putting your finger on one of my biggest gripes against Charismatic Churches that I used to write about. I would not frame it in terms music volume as Calisthenics where the music leader is saying "clap Here", "give me a shout", and basically playing a game of Simon Says. This kind of thing was a contributing factor in becoming more traditional in my worship to the point of going Orthodox / Eastern Christian later on.
One of the big reasons for this thing in the Charismatic world is the idea "That Excitement" = "The Anointing" aka presence of the Holy Spirit. But that very concept is Shamanistic by nature and that is very funny/ironic because there have been a lot of talk in those churches "About witchcraft" in the Church. By that statement they tend to imply manipulation, domination of other people psychologically speaking which does not fit the Biblical definition of "Pharmacia" sorcery, it was about taking drugs (herbs of various kinds, potions, mushrooms etc.) to reach altered states of consciousness to bridge the Spirit World to work magic etc. But that kind of thing can be done via other means like loud music, physical activity e.g. jumping up and down), shouting and other stuff that produces endorphins.


This kind of thing also is part of the Rick Warren / Purpose Driven Church model, which I have written about in the past.


Independent Contractors for Christ
I want to explore a fundamental divide in ecclesiology between most Protestants (especially non-sacramental ones) and those rooted in Apostolic Tradition. For many Protestants, the church is viewed in starkly utilitarian terms—like "Independent Contractors for Christ." It's essentially an organization established by Jesus to carry out His mission, but with little that's inherently divine or supernatural about it. The church exists primarily to "do His work," guided by key directives like the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20), the Sermon on the Mount, or other "red-letter" imperatives. These function like a corporate mission statement for any for-profit or nonprofit entity: efficient, task-oriented, and measurable.

But this model falls short because God Himself isn't a utilitarian. He frequently operates in ways that defy efficiency or pure functionality. Consider the sacred—a dimension often sidelined or dismissed in utilitarian frameworks as mere "superstition," "religion," or "religious bondage." Yet the sacred is central to Judeo-Christian spirituality, infusing everyday acts with divine mystery and holiness.

Rick warren , the seeker friendly , all of it was bad news . meant only to allow leaven to remain and grow
and to remold the churches from within .
But they are not alone . You better beware them popes and scores of others as well .
In fact i suppose i can sum it up real simple .
BEWARE THE ECUMEINCAL MOVEMENT of which ALL sides now do its bidding .
You think the nar realm is bad . OH YES IT IS . It is just doing the will of its mother and preparing
them all unto a harlots interfaith call .
OH yes their doctrines are different , their song and dances might differ
BUT THE SAME LIE is being presented to them all . And many are now buying into such a lie .
Would you like to know what it is they are buying .
THE IDEA that SOMEHOW GOD IS IN ALL RELIGOINS , from buddism to; any other ism .
That HIS PLAN is for us all to merge and be one and find common ground for world peace n safety .
And if anyone had even eyes to see
THEY HAD SEEN its interreligous dialgoue of intefaith
FLAT OUT DENY to all religoins as well as to chrisetendom THE DIRE NEED TO REPENT and beleive ON JESUS the CHRIST .
NOPE . it lied to them all . IT said the christain religon is no better than the muslim , buddists or any other .
IT said they all coming to GOD differently .
NOW about the only one i know , the only god i know , the only christ i know
that would say that is , the dark one , anti christ and many anti christs . AND all under the guise
OF PEACE .
You do remember that it is by PEACE this son of perditon shall destroy many .
YOu do realize that WHEN they are saying peace n safety , SUDDEN DESTRUCTION shall come upon them all
and they will NOT escape . i hope this encouraged you my friend .

 

[ScottA]

John 4:23-24 is something that comes to my mind concerning what Jesus said about God and worship.


I dont mind if people sing hymnals or whatever but I am not a fan of those things... Those things dont make you further or closer to God. In my opinion anyway.


faith is supposedly measured... there are many measures of faith.
Rom 12:3


To me that would mean there are people out there with weak faith that are close to God, and there could be people with strong faith but are a bit father from God.



Make sense?

There is some type of measure.

Music does have a way of lifting ones spirit, changing a mood, etc...but I totally get your point. Interesting to consider in terms of a measure of faith. Hmmm.

 

[Rockerduck]

Music does have a way of lifting ones spirit, changing a mood, etc...but I totally get your point. Interesting to consider in terms of a measure of faith. Hmmm.

Have ever went caroling at Christmas? That was an extension of the church once upon a time. The choir normally went out. I still say congregation singing with the choir was a wonderful experience that bound the church together. There were some good voices in the congregation that were not in the choir too. Everyone thought is was normal for a church service until this entertainment mentality entered the church. Strangely, I complain about it and others agree with me, but nobody changes anything.

 

[Marvelloustime]

Rick warren , the seeker friendly , all of it was bad news . meant only to allow leaven to remain and grow
and to remold the churches from within .
But they are not alone . You better beware them popes and scores of others as well .
In fact i suppose i can sum it up real simple .
BEWARE THE ECUMEINCAL MOVEMENT of which ALL sides now do its bidding .
You think the nar realm is bad . OH YES IT IS . It is just doing the will of its mother and preparing
them all unto a harlots interfaith call .
OH yes their doctrines are different , their song and dances might differ
BUT THE SAME LIE is being presented to them all . And many are now buying into such a lie .
Would you like to know what it is they are buying .
THE IDEA that SOMEHOW GOD IS IN ALL RELIGOINS , from buddism to; any other ism .
That HIS PLAN is for us all to merge and be one and find common ground for world peace n safety .
And if anyone had even eyes to see
THEY HAD SEEN its interreligous dialgoue of intefaith
FLAT OUT DENY to all religoins as well as to chrisetendom THE DIRE NEED TO REPENT and beleive ON JESUS the CHRIST .
NOPE . it lied to them all . IT said the christain religon is no better than the muslim , buddists or any other .
IT said they all coming to GOD differently .
NOW about the only one i know , the only god i know , the only christ i know
that would say that is , the dark one , anti christ and many anti christs . AND all under the guise
OF PEACE .
You do remember that it is by PEACE this son of perditon shall destroy many .
YOu do realize that WHEN they are saying peace n safety , SUDDEN DESTRUCTION shall come upon them all
and they will NOT escape . i hope this encouraged you my friend .

@amigo de christo

 

[shepherdsword]

Music is good if it brings one into the realm of the Spirit.

David's music were songs of deliverance for Saul:

1 Sa 16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him

Elisha requested one to get the anointing flowing:

2 Ki 3:15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.

@ScottA However, I agree that music can also degrade into a form of commercial entertainment that lead to this:

Eze 33:31-32
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

Instead of this:

Jn 4:23-24
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

[Lizbeth]

HIGHER VOLUME does not make for better worship. It makes it worse. Please allow me to explain:

Worship leaders and teams have been pumping up the volume like we are frogs in a pot of water on the stove...and many have crossed a line. That line is the difference between music and worship as a "production" or a "performance." Worship should not be a concert...except of those worshiping. In other words, if people are singing along they are actively involved. But if they can't hear themselves singing, if they all don't have the microphones and earpieces the "band" does, they're mostly just listening because you have cut them out of the actual worship.

When Eric Clapton unplugged his rock and roll, he did it for the same reason--because the music had become noise. Just noise.

When the rock group Foreigner recorded "I want to know what love is" they had a congregation join with them. They wanted them to be heard. In fact there are no women in the band--but one of the most heart-felt lines comes from a woman in the congregation. Listen for it--see if you can catch it: I Want to Know What Love Is. What a shame if they--if you--drown out the voice of those God wants most to hear.

So--Sound Guys (and Gals)--that means no earpieces for you who set the volume for the congregation. That means if the audience is just an audience, you failed. That means the only roar should be from the congregation. You aren't lifting the worship up to God--the congregation is--the body, not you.

Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.

Amen. There is a world of difference between a "concert" and worship. Everything seems to be a performance nowadays....from so-called worship, to the preaching and prophesying. The bad fruit - love of fame & money, and sin in the camp, is being exposed - it's all very sad. "Mega-ministry" is not Christianity, it is more rather the exploitation of Christianity..... and it destroys souls...the souls of the so-called ministers of it as well as their followers. Compare all that worldly glitz and glamour, hype and emotionalism with the simple, humble self-sacrificing, Spirit filled ministry of Jesus and the apostles......they are not the same at all, not even close. I believe the Lord is driving the money-changers/merchants out of His Father's house as we speak, in the end of this age. May the Lord awaken and rescue souls out of all that mess.

 

[ScottA]

Music is good if it brings one into the realm of the Spirit.

David's music were songs of deliverance for Saul:

1 Sa 16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him

Elisha requested one to get the anointing flowing:

2 Ki 3:15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.

@ScottA However, I agree that music can also degrade into a form of commercial entertainment that lead to this:

Eze 33:31-32
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

Instead of this:

Jn 4:23-24
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Here's another:

That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; (KJV)​

You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. (NIV)​

 

[ScottA]

Amen. There is a world of difference between a "concert" and worship. Everything seems to be a performance nowadays....from so-called worship, to the preaching and prophesying. The bad fruit - love of fame & money, and sin in the camp, is being exposed - it's all very sad. "Mega-ministry" is not Christianity, it is more rather the exploitation of Christianity..... and it destroys souls...the souls of the so-called ministers of it as well as their followers. Compare all that worldly glitz and glamour, hype and emotionalism with the simple, humble self-sacrificing, Spirit filled ministry of Jesus and the apostles......they are not the same at all, not even close. I believe the Lord is driving the money-changers/merchants out of His Father's house as we speak, in the end of this age. May the Lord awaken and rescue souls out of all that mess.

Very well stated--much appreciated!

As for "concerts"--concerts are fine, and if it encourages worship, even better. But the call of service on the Lord's day where the body gathers to worship--that is not the call.

That Lord's day call is also not a "social" event purely for "fellowship." That, like concerts, is all good too. But the call that weekly rings throughout the land--that too is not it. That call is specific--to spread the good news, to tell of the great sacrifice of Christ, and to give witness--of which it is written, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony"--"and they did not love their lives to the death"--and all that now goes on on Sunday mornings. The scriptures should be read, even explained by the Spirit in one called to do so...while men and women remain silent, allowing, "he who has an ear, let him hear."

And music? "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!" Which will probably require turning the volume of the band down.