Is Singing A Lesser Gift?

If there is a question that comes with arguments and controversy in Christian circles - and especially among those concerned with singing and worship service in the church - it is this one.

It punches worship leaders in the face.

I have even heard that it punches some so heavily to the extent that they are convinced to altogether forsake singing in church in exchange for "the pursuit of a greater and more influential gift...;" because (seemingly) it has been "revealed" to them that music, as a service, is not worthy a crown of glory when we meet Christ on the last day.

What is it all about anyway? What is this pursuit for a greater gift all about?

A pastor teaching a worship team on the importance of the music ministry in the Church

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It may be true that we place less emphasis on the importance and difference of/between gifts and services in the church or that we choose to play middle ground when addressing this matter. The latter is due to avoiding strife on doctrinal matters and therefore covering up our fear with negligence and abandoning the course of teachings on such matters.

Somewhere, you may hear one or two (or several) pastors (music pastors or pastors in general) bellowing: "this or that gift is superior to this or that gift" and so forth and so on, while trying to convince their congregation about gifts and services. 

Elsewhere, another couple of men of God will be heard exalting the significance of the Holy Spirit in empowering Christians in service; and that any one with a gift or a service can be effectively used to bring glory to God in one or many other ways.

There is a third group though. This one denies that singing (or as we love calling it, worship) is not a gift and it therefore has no room among the "major gifts" in the Church. This, they support with a Scripture we all know quite well: Ephesians 4:11-12 (NKJV) "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ..."

Although it does not descriptively and categorically mention that these mentioned above (apostleship, prophesy, evangelism, pastoral work and teaching) are the so-called "five major gifts" in the Church, this group jumps up with this Scripture in defense of their aptness in such matters. It is therefore a dogma among its members that music (or any other gift or service whatsoever) holds no seat amongst the "big five gifts."

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In trying to defend the language with which Christ through His Spirit speaks in many places, and while in some other way attempting to solve this mix-up, I can give us one example which is very practical: in Acts Chapter 10, the apostle Peter is hungry one afternoon and is caught in a trance which leads to the following conversation between him and the Lord (Acts 10:13-15) "And a voice came to him, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' But Peter said, 'Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.' And a voice spoke to him again the second time, 'What God has cleansed you must not call common...'"

Why am I bringing up this story? Consider this...

Christ and Peter could look at the same thing (food) and funny enough, both agree and disagree on what it stood for. According to Peter, the food that was being presented him was unclean. And he was right: God had initially proclaimed the food unclean (Leviticus 11); but now, in this very encounter, the Lord declares the food clean. Was God contradicting Himself? No, I don't think so. Why then was it both "clean" and "unclean" at the same time? It fights logic, right?

Okay, I think it was because the Lord wanted Peter to become flexible to His voice and understand deeply why at all the food could be both clean and unclean. That His voice mattered more than the food. That the issue of clean-ness  and unclean-ness was less important as compared to the ultimate goal that was being sought after. 

...His voice matters more than the food...

This sounds paradoxical yeah, but it is the truth.

When we keenly consider the above conversation, we can, to a considerable extent, draw a conclusion and say that they are both wrong and right all who say, "singing is a lesser gift" and that "singing is not a lesser gift..." Because just as food (in its being clean or unclean) does not really matter in Peter's case but the One who created and serves it to him that afternoon, so does the "less-ness" or "greatness" of music as a service or gift matter to the One who gives it to us for His own glory!

It doesn't matter whether the gifts/services being used in the Church are "major" or "minor"; what matters is whether they are being used effectively for the purpose for which they are/were intended. 

It doesn't matter how many talents the servant was given in Jesus' parable below. What matters is whether the talents were put to work or not!!

Matthew 25:14-15, 19-20, 22, 24-26: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.

And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'

He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'

Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'

But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed."

In another example, the apostle Paul notes the following to the Corinthian church to show them that every gift (whether important or less important) mattered in the house of God, and that the weaker/lesser gifts (as the Corinthian church was convinced to see them) were being used by God for a greater purpose and to fulfill the unity of the Church...:-

1 Corinthians 12:21-25: "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you,' nor in turn can the head say to the foot, 'I do not need you.' On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential, and those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our unpresentable members are clothed with dignity, but our presentable members do not need this. Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member, so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another."

...God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member, so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another...

Whether our enthusiasm in service through singing is in any case killed or promoted due to our doctrinal standings, it is all upto us. We may choose to mumble and fumble in indecision with which side to take, but it's all irrelevant to Christ. We may choose to take no stand at all - it really doesn't matter to Him. What matters is how well our ears are inclined to the voice of the Spirit of God as He attempts to align our tiny theological standings on the part music plays in the Church to His own, for the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is greater than men (1 Corinthians 1:25.)

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The other few things that are good to understand and put mind as we follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit concerning music in the church are the questions answered below:-

1. What is a gift (or a spiritual gift)?

A gift, in Christian service, refers to the ability given to a Christian by the Holy Spirit towards serving the body of Christ. Also, according to this post and this one I wrote earlier on on discovering your abilities, gifts and talents, talents can compliment or grow into gifts.

References: Romans 1:11,  Romans: 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 7:7, 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, 1 Corinthians Chapter14.

2. What are services?

A service is work done by a Christian (as one person or group) that benefits another person, group and/or God.

References: Romans 12:1, 2 Corinthians 9:12, Ephesians 6:7, Revelation2:9.

3. Who gives gifts and services?

Christ/God through the Holy Spirit.

Reference: Refer to the Scriptures above.

4. Why are gifts and services given to the Church?

(a) For edification (uplifting, encouragement and enlightenment) of the church (1 Corinthians 12:7)

(b) Declaration of both God's goodness and commands (1 Timothy 4:13)

(c) For the betterment of our relationship with God - Him talking and walking with us, and us doing the same (Romans12:1 and Hebrews 13:15-16.)

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As I finish off, here is what C S Lewis had to say one day:

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

So it is whenever God uses our gifts and services in His presence: it is all for His glory.

Note: Most Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

End note: If you have ever tried to think that singing/ministering in music is a lesser gift, try telling that to the 24 elders and angels in Heaven.

Bonface Morris.

Music & Worship: The Power of A Song

I have heard it said that, "Religion is the opium of the people"(Karl Marx), but now more than ever, I'm convinced that it is not religion that opiates society, it is music.

If there is something everyone is so familiar with, something everyone loves, something that reveres and taunts both the old and the young, something that does not necessarily need a struggle to get along with; something sweet and comforting and memorable, something that gladly helps kill our sorrows and bury our pains, something that mediates the healing of our wounds and the clothing of our nakedness; something that echoes the un-echoed and verbs the unspoken, something that arouses feelings of peace and declarations of war, something that batters and scatters, while yet again, smothering and pampering; something that expresses our deepest fears and buries them altogether, that something should be music; yeah, it should be a song...

Who never sings a song? Who in the heavens and on earth never sings or loves a song? Who has no song to sing? Who is it that has no song they relate to? Who refuses a song its pious coddling upon their hearts? Who? Huh? I have not found one and there are not many, because even the absence of 'singing' is music in itself: the song of silence... ;)

Music is the art of the soul expressed in earth's most tangible and influential mode: words. The repetitiveness of a theme resounding in one's soul is what births a song, or in many cases, music. Music can be an impetus impeding or supporting the flow of emotion within someone. It is the best "psychological breather" so to say.

Sometimes music need not to be words. Sometimes it is just that sound of harmonious instruments bringing a melody that offers a stylized atmosphere. Sometimes it is just a moment - the stillness of a heart battling or rejoicing within itself...

I have a feeling that music, when endowed with the right words and atmosphere, has power beyond our natural understanding. I am sure that the combined influence of music to a given society has not been fully explored: it has not been fully known what a song can [absolutely] do to a soul, (but partially so, I will try to elaborate in this post) whether perishing or begetting life. It has not been fully understood, but allow me to somehow help you see it...

I am sure that if we were to anthropologically research on music and society, the outcome will be that, of all arts, music fits best, is the most influential and is the most adopted art in a society. Actually, almost every situation and/or season in life has a song attached to it regardless of the society one lives in: that is why Andrew Fletcher once said "Let me write the songs of a nation - I don't care who writes its laws..." That's how influential music can be - it defines a society... Maybe in my own small words I can say, "I will read through and sing the songs of a nation, then therein I will know the heart and mind of that nation..."

A good song or a reckless song forges a season and an atmosphere with it. There are songs of war, songs of peace, songs of celebration, songs of lamentation...

If one gets used to singing songs of lamentation, grief becomes his/her DAILY food; but if someone chooses to echo the songs of joy, joy will become their portion. If a young unmarried person loses himself/herself in songs of love, love will be stirred within them and uncontrolled passions may soon emerge. Happy songs CREATE moments of happiness and joy. If we sing songs about God and His faithfulness, Faith is built in us and we can start seeing Him as He really is and therefore make it easier to win our war against the enemy (Marvin Sapp in his song "Praise Him in Advance" says, 'Praise will confuse the enemy...'); but if we sing songs of despair and gloom, our hearts and minds will tend to move towards that direction. If we sing songs about clubbing, raping people (God forbid), fornication, adultery, drinking and such things, don't be deceived (and don't lie to us either): your mind will remain attached to and thinking about such things. Do not underestimate the power of a song.

We somehow have a lesser power when it comes to what we hum as determined by the kind of songs we listen to. Our subconscious creates rhythms within us that are transferred to our lips based on what we listen to. That is why when a worship leader tells me, "I can't remember any song to sing right now...!" I normally ask them, "What have you been singing from morning? What about what you've been singing the whole week long...!!??" Any music writer will tell you that above 70% of the music they write is influenced by the type and genre of music they listen to: to make music, you listen to music - unless you are super-creative... The best memorable songs carry the emotional turmoil or aptness of moments, telling stories the singer so dearly beholds to his/her audience; and when mixed with poetry, music (or songs) becomes a true definition of someone's (or a society's) inner being...

Side note (to the worship leader/song writer): We can't lead people to sing and love what we don't sing and love!!  

There is a reason as to why I post a lot of what I listen to on social media. It is not all about boasting that I know quite a bunch of artists and the great songs they sing, but the storyline is this: I create my mood for the day by the kind of music I listen to from morning right into the night. That music keeps on replaying in my mind all day long hence mostly influencing my thinking (and behavior) in that day.

A song with a theme of thanksgiving for my morning makes me have spontaneous moments of thanksgiving all day long - mostly happening in my subconscious, and occasionally exploding into loud singing. People will tell you that I mumble rhythms a lot...

There is one thing that I want us to understand: listening to music that buries your heart in sorrow and other negative behavior has been known to bring about suicidal tendencies. This article (please click on the link to read) tries to illustrate how listening to heavy metal music contributed to several suicide cases in a certain people who listened to that music.

The words in a song (because words carry a force - a force that is the basis of them being used) have so much power upon our being that we should not neglect them. Illuminati feeds on our ignorance of the power that words in music have on our lives (read: thoughts, actions and behavior) and has left many people (mostly young) to think that "a song and words in a song are just like words in every other song..." That is not true. Words influence you depending on who is/was their source and the purpose for which they were intended...

I know that the greatest and deepest songs have not been sung yet. Heaven has its endless songs and the earth too has its songs. Be it as it may, music, unlike most of us have been made to believe, is not a lesser gift - whether in Heaven or on earth - because it is the only art that is eternal. Music will he sung in Heaven as well as in hell; so, as we all know, eternal things are not "minor" but "major".

In Christianity, music consolidates all other gifts. Music is a gift that has its portion and a part to play in ALL the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. Side note: Bear with me on this one because I don't have enough time to delve into that for now...

Music, song and poetry are revealed in the following verses of Scripture:-
1. Shouts and music by the Israelites brought down the walls of Jericho and gave them victory (Joshua 6:20). 
2. The prophet Jeremiah (a renowned "man of grief") says this in Lamentations 5:14 [ESV]: "The old men have left the city gate, the young men their music..."
3. The Apostle Paul referred to music and poetry in many occasions:
(a) Acts 16:25-26 [ESV]: "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened."
(b) Ephesians 5:19 [ESV]: "...addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart..."
(c) Colossians 3:16 [ESV]: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
(d) Hebrews 13:15 [ESV]: "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."
(e) Acts 17:28b [ESV]: "...as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are indeed his offspring...'"

Although I don't have enough time to elaborate every moment as described by Scriptures above, we can all see that the Bible too is full of music and poetry. In fact, the Book of Psalms has the most memorable parts of Scripture (my own research) so highly beheld by both Christians and non-Christians and forms the central part of all Judeo-Christian faiths and worship. This means that music is as important to God as it is to man. He expects us to forge our lives around the right kind of music, and such that comes from deep within so that even if our mouths won't open to sing to Him or about Him, our lives can still be a song that is pleasant to Him - that which stirs Him up to action on behalf of His people, that which draws Him nearer to us:
John 4:23 [ESV]: "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him."

Have a musical day/night people! ;)


Bonface Morris.  

Let the Worshipers Arise

One of the albums I’ve ever listened to so much is this one done by Phillips, Craig and Dean, one of my favourite gospel rock trio, in 2004 - Let The Worshipers Arise. Before I went out to get the music, the title tilted my soul a bit – let the worshippers arise? Had they fallen? Had they grown cold? Had they fallen asleep? Had they been succumbed to some death or something? I wanted to get it in the music. Maybe there I would get the answers I was seeking for...
At such a time as this when church philosophy is being changed by the day and people have diversified their views on Christianity and the act of worship, it is of great value that you and I define our terms of worship. Of course there is music. Then there is singing. Then there are instruments. But worship is not any of those. But it may be inclusive of either or all of them.
Matt Redman, the man who composed, ‘Heart Of Worship’ at a time when his church (or congregation in his case) had lost meaning in singing with instruments; and while in a time of ‘no instruments worship’, found out that the heart needed to sing more than the instrument and the music...That music was just a tool, an aid to lubricate devotion. He found out that devotion itself had to be nurtured first...
So has your worship risen within you? Is it rising or is it asleep? Is it dying or is it alive?
I know you expected me to quote John 4:4-26 – the famous passage where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman and there follows a conversation on who is ‘worshipping’ a true God and in the right way... And Jesus, who happens to know motives and thoughts, is more of a ‘mysterious man’ to this lady (the Samaritan woman) – He knows too much about her! The story ends not with argument, but with confession, “Come and see the man who told me everything I ever did”... But that’s a story for another day. In that conversation, it is evident that worship in Israel had arbitrarily died. No one was doing anything as inscribed in the Torah. The 653 laws had become too hard to keep, huh? Israel was in a recess period where no-one cared about God, or the temple, or worship, or the mountain...No-one.
But Jesus had come at such a time as that to ‘let the worshippers arise’. To raise such a people who will give their all to God as influenced by the Spirit of God. To lift us an army, a people, who will do it in Spirit and in Truth. To raise a people who will do it in Love. Such a people who will take the interest of others at heart and not just their own. Such a people who will listen to the voice of their Shepherd. Such a people who will become heirs in a Kingdom that was to come. Such a people... who will be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, consecrated for the glory of their God... Jesus had come so that the worshippers may be raised from their death beds, from their gloom, from their slumber, from their lack of vision; from their stillness and ineffectiveness... he wanted them raised!
And He is here telling us to arise. To arise and worship. Maybe with a song. A new song. Maybe with a guitar. Maybe with a musical instrument. But majorly with our hearts. With our whole hearts. Let the worshippers arise! Are you rising?