The difference between Christian music and Worship Music

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Nancy

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Does anyone else see the difference between the two? For instance:

WORSHIP MUSIC:

CHRISTIAN MUSIC:

I personally love both for different reasons. Worship music is connecting with God in reverence and honor to Him.
Christian music can lift our spirits as well yet, it seems to have many more I's, Me's and My's in the lyrics. I love both.
Anybody relate to this?
 

Pearl

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Does anyone else see the difference between the two? For instance:

WORSHIP MUSIC:

CHRISTIAN MUSIC:

I personally love both for different reasons. Worship music is connecting with God in reverence and honor to Him.
Christian music can lift our spirits as well yet, it seems to have many more I's, Me's and My's in the lyrics. I love both.
Anybody relate to this?

I've been saying this for many years. There is a difference between music you may listen to in your private time; music that may move you, bless you, inspire you and guide you as you listen. It is sort of like letting the Holy Spirit sing to us.

But true worship music, as Nancy says, connects us to God in a different way; it is us opening our hearts to God and telling him how much we love him, how worthy he is, how great he is, how awesome he is and it lifts our spirits as we worship so that God is glorified and we are uplifted.

To me it is vital that the churches see this and do something about it. Many years ago I read a book called "The Power of Praise and Worship" by Terry Law. He was a worship leader when he was directed by God to throw out of his repertoire anything that was not a praise or worship song and was surprised at how many there were to get rid of. Many of these throw-out songs would no doubt make good listening for those private times but it seems God didn't want them in church.

He describes how amazed he was at the changes that came about through obeying this command and the power of God was brought back into the church and the meetings he guested at. Powerful stuff and not to be taken lightly.
 
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Episkopos

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Worship music is directed at God. Spiritual songs are for other people in the sight of God. These may be edifying or instructional....inspirational.

Paul says...to sing with hymns AND spiritual songs. And not just to God but also to one another. But all as unto the Lord.


Eph. 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
 

Nancy

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I've been saying this for many years. There is a difference between music you may listen to in your private time; music that may move you, bless you, inspire you and guide you as you listen. It is sort of like letting the Holy Spirit sing to us.

But true worship music, as Nancy says, connects us to God in a different way; it is us opening our hearts to God and telling him how much we love him, how worthy he is, how great he is, how awesome he is and it lifts our spirits as we worship so that God is glorified and we are uplifted.

To me it is vital that the churches see this and do something about it. Many years ago I read a book called "The Power of Praise and Worship" by Terry Law. He was a worship leader when he was directed by God to throw out of his repertoire anything that was not a praise or worship song and was surprised at how many there were to get rid of. Many of these throw-out songs would no doubt make good listening for those private times but it seems God didn't want them in church.

He describes how amazed he was at the changes that came about through obeying this command and the power of God was brought back into the church and the meetings he guested at. Powerful stuff and not to be taken lightly.

Awesome, this is just what I was trying to get across...and you did it much better and at length :)
xo
 

Nancy

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Worship music is directed at God. Spiritual songs are for other people in the sight of God. These may be edifying or instructional....inspirational.

Paul says...to sing with hymns AND spiritual songs. And not just to God but also to one another. But all as unto the Lord.


Eph. 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

For sure! How are your recordings coming along Epi?
 
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Episkopos

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For sure! How are your recordings coming along Epi?


Slow...had a bad cold for a few weeks which set me back. And I'm trying to finish the jazz project before tackling the new guitar project. Until all the elements are present...it's hard to not postpone the final release. It will happen...Lord willing! :)
 
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quietthinker

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Does anyone else see the difference between the two? For instance:

WORSHIP MUSIC:

CHRISTIAN MUSIC:

I personally love both for different reasons. Worship music is connecting with God in reverence and honor to Him.
Christian music can lift our spirits as well yet, it seems to have many more I's, Me's and My's in the lyrics. I love both.
Anybody relate to this?
The I's, Me's and My's are indicative of where the focus is.
 

amadeus

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@Nancy I see the difference but the line is Not always a clearly defined one. Some music will straddle the line, while others be definitely on one side or the other. Of course, some music is outside of both.

Then again some music found within the realm of one or both positions described for one person may outside for another inside.

According to the heart then...
 
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Nancy

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Slow...had a bad cold for a few weeks which set me back. And I'm trying to finish the jazz project before tackling the new guitar project. Until all the elements are present...it's hard to not postpone the final release. It will happen...Lord willing! :)

Sorry you have a cold :( I have faith in you, you will get it done!
 

Nancy

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@Nancy I see the difference but the line is Not always a clearly defined one. Some music will straddle to the line, while others be definitely on one side or the other. Of course, some music is outside of both.

Then again some music found within the realm of one or both positions described for one person may outside for another inside.

According to the heart then...

The last Church I attended were picky with which songs they allowed. The didn't like some of the contemporary ones that allot of us did like. Too much (according to them) emphasis on us as opposed to God. More like the kind where they sing about the blessings we ask God for, rather than blessing Him. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
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amadeus

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The last Church I attended were picky with which songs they allowed. The didn't like some of the contemporary ones that allot of us did like. Too much (according to them) emphasis on us as opposed to God. More like the kind where they sing about the blessings we ask God for, rather than blessing Him. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It can be hard thing when too many people are really not following God anyway without regard to the music. I liked some completely secular music in my youth. While some of it may not have been directly harmful, how much glory did it give to God? Even in music, it comes back to first thing first, according to God, not according to us!

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matt 6:33
 
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marksman

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Does anyone else see the difference between the two? For instance:

WORSHIP MUSIC:

CHRISTIAN MUSIC:

I personally love both for different reasons. Worship music is connecting with God in reverence and honor to Him.
Christian music can lift our spirits as well yet, it seems to have many more I's, Me's and My's in the lyrics. I love both.
Anybody relate to this?

I have noticed that much of the secular advertising these days focus around me, myself and I, making us as individuals the centre of life and society.

I have noticed that as we have tried to make Christianity popular, we have tended to make the songs coming from it centre around me, myself and I

I watch Songs of Praise sometimes and it usually sings the old hymns of yesteryear and most of them are God and Christ focussed. Many of them were written during times of revival and restoration where the focus was on God and Jesus alone and they were written by men of God who were raised up to lead the church into sacrifice, humility and holiness. I think the two go together.

More importantly, worship is not singing songs of any kind. In biblical terms, worship is complete surrender as in a King surrendering to another king who has defeated him in war. We have lost this concept entirely in the modern-day mega-church environment and it has trickled down into the smaller churches as they have embraced the megachurch form of worship. My wife's church sings all of the right songs but the meeting is as dead as a dodo.

In the church I attended in the UK before I moved to Australia, you could almost guarantee a visitation from the Holy Spirit at every meeting. Our attitude was that unless you turned up Lord it is a waste of time meeting. So we were literally surrendered, totally dependant on him for a visitation.

In Australia, most of the time we do not need a visitation because we have the programme down pat. If the Holy Spirit does not turn up and why should he as we don't really need him, then the programme will serve us well.

I can remember one meeting in Australia when we did have a visitation of the Spirit. About 10 minutes into the meeting which had about 12,000 people present, there was a physical sense of the presence of God coming into the auditorium, blanketing the people as they sang. Not only could I feel his presence, but I could also see it. it was like a big sheet floating down from heaven and falling on the people as they sang. it was awesome.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why people settle for anything less.
 
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Nancy

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I have noticed that much of the secular advertising these days focus around me, myself and I, making us as individuals the centre of life and society.

I have noticed that as we have tried to make Christianity popular, we have tended to make the songs coming from it centre around me, myself and I

I watch Songs of Praise sometimes and it usually sings the old hymns of yesteryear and most of them are God and Christ focussed. Many of them were written during times of revival and restoration where the focus was on God and Jesus alone and they were written by men of God who were raised up to lead the church into sacrifice, humility and holiness. I think the two go together.

More importantly, worship is not singing songs of any kind. In biblical terms, worship is complete surrender as in a King surrendering to another king who has defeated him in war. We have lost this concept entirely in the modern-day mega-church environment and it has trickled down into the smaller churches as they have embraced the megachurch form of worship. My wife's church sings all of the right songs but the meeting is as dead as a dodo.

In the church I attended in the UK before I moved to Australia, you could almost guarantee a visitation from the Holy Spirit at every meeting. Our attitude was that unless you turned up Lord it is a waste of time meeting. So we were literally surrendered, totally dependant on him for a visitation.

In Australia, most of the time we do not need a visitation because we have the programme down pat. If the Holy Spirit does not turn up and why should he as we don't really need him, then the programme will serve us well.

I can remember one meeting in Australia when we did have a visitation of the Spirit. About 10 minutes into the meeting which had about 12,000 people present, there was a physical sense of the presence of God coming into the auditorium, blanketing the people as they sang. Not only could I feel his presence, but I could also see it. it was like a big sheet floating down from heaven and falling on the people as they sang. it was awesome.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why people settle for anything less.

"Dead as a DoDo" LOL
My take on why people settle is because they know nothing else. Expect nothing else. Yes, worship in and of itself is a total surrender which should be something we do all day in our hearts and actions. The music though, I would say is to bring in the younger people and, to me this is the wrong approach. God never changes so, why should our "worship" music? It's like, pandering to the very self centered young generation we now have. I know that most of my nieces and nephews are accustomed to getting what they want and the parents are not far from them, in attitude. Sigh.
 

Mike Waters

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I have recently been trying to 'fit in' with a local ultra charismatic church.
The worship singing is all very 'foreign' and embarrassing to my conservative introverted nature.
A lady next to me was muttering and whining and flung out her arms in 'worship' with such enthusiasm that she nearly dislodged my glasses. Elsewhere members were gesticulating, speaking in tongues, and making other noises, with complete disregard to one another. And all the time the worship team were repeating what they were singing as if such repetition were an essential part of arousing the Holy Spirit to his 'uplifting' duties.
I must keep persevering to see if I can eventually adjust to what otherwise seems to be a nice group of Believers.
 

mjrhealth

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I have recently been trying to 'fit in' with a local ultra charismatic church.
The worship singing is all very 'foreign' and embarrassing to my conservative introverted nature.
A lady next to me was muttering and whining and flung out her arms in 'worship' with such enthusiasm that she nearly dislodged my glasses. Elsewhere members were gesticulating, speaking in tongues, and making other noises, with complete disregard to one another. And all the time the worship team were repeating what they were singing as if such repetition were an essential part of arousing the Holy Spirit to his 'uplifting' duties.
I must keep persevering to see if I can eventually adjust to what otherwise seems to be a nice group of Believers.


"that I am unable to comfortably 'fit' within any known Creed or Denomination."

neither does Jesus nor God or His Spirit.

God bless
 
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Pearl

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I have recently been trying to 'fit in' with a local ultra charismatic church.
The worship singing is all very 'foreign' and embarrassing to my conservative introverted nature.
A lady next to me was muttering and whining and flung out her arms in 'worship' with such enthusiasm that she nearly dislodged my glasses. Elsewhere members were gesticulating, speaking in tongues, and making other noises, with complete disregard to one another. And all the time the worship team were repeating what they were singing as if such repetition were an essential part of arousing the Holy Spirit to his 'uplifting' duties.
I must keep persevering to see if I can eventually adjust to what otherwise seems to be a nice group of Believers.
I don't like the sound of that.
 
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Nancy

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I have recently been trying to 'fit in' with a local ultra charismatic church.
The worship singing is all very 'foreign' and embarrassing to my conservative introverted nature.
A lady next to me was muttering and whining and flung out her arms in 'worship' with such enthusiasm that she nearly dislodged my glasses. Elsewhere members were gesticulating, speaking in tongues, and making other noises, with complete disregard to one another. And all the time the worship team were repeating what they were singing as if such repetition were an essential part of arousing the Holy Spirit to his 'uplifting' duties.
I must keep persevering to see if I can eventually adjust to what otherwise seems to be a nice group of Believers.

Hmmm, sounds a little chaotic! God will lead you to the right Church and, there is nothing at all wrong about "shopping around"...JMHO.
Welcome to the site @Mike Waters !
 
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Nancy

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I don't like the sound of that.
Me neither Pat...this is the kind of Church I attended when I first submitted my life to Christ. I actually stayed for over a year and was SOOOOO relieved when I left for another more orderly Church.
 
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