The New Testament Church

1. The New Testament Church Music in Worship

2. Introduction • Music has its place and purpose in the worship of the church. • The place and purpose has been created by divine authority. • One must recognize: • Kind of music authorized • Purpose the music will serve • Manner in which it shall be rendered

3. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament authorize SINGING only. • “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” {Matthew 26:30}

4. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament authorize SINGING only. • “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” {Acts 16:25}

5. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament authorize SINGING only. • “And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.” {Romans 15:9}

6. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament authorize SINGING only. • “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” {1 Corinthians 14:15}

7. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament authorize SINGING only. • “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” {Ephesians 5:19}

8. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament authorize SINGING only. • “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.” {Colossians 3:16}

9. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament authorize SINGING only. • “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” {James 5:13}

10. The Kind of Music Specified • The command to sing is SPECIFIC and EXCLUDES all other kinds of music. • “Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.” {Genesis 6:14} • Eliminated all other kinds of wood!

11. The Kind of Music Specified • The command to sing is SPECIFIC and EXCLUDES all other kinds of music. • “And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering.” {Leviticus 16:5} • Eliminated all other kinds of animal!

12. The Kind of Music Specified • The command to sing is SPECIFIC and EXCLUDES all other kinds of music. • “And he stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with stringed instruments...” {2 Chronicles 29:25} • Two types of music: vocal and instrumental.

13. The Kind of Music Specified • When something more than SING is done God has been disobeyed. • “Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.” {1 Corinthians 4:6}

14. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament Scriptures are sufficient on this point pertaining to Christian worship and service. • “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” {2 Peter 1:2,3}

15. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament Scriptures are sufficient on this point pertaining to Christian worship and service. • “To those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.” {1 Corinthians 9:21}

16. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament Scriptures are sufficient on this point pertaining to Christian worship and service. • “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” {Matthew 17:5,6}

17. The Kind of Music Specified • New Testament Scriptures are sufficient on this point pertaining to Christian worship and service. • “For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.” {Acts 3:22,23}

18. Purpose of Singing • Praise and thanksgiving unto God. • “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” {Hebrews 13:15}

19. Purpose of Singing • Praise and thanksgiving unto God. • “And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.” {Romans 15:9}

20. Purpose of Singing • Teaching and admonishing one another. • “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” {Ephesians 5:19}

21. Purpose of Singing • Teaching and admonishing one another. • “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.” {Colossians 3:16}

22. Purpose… • Music in Christian worship is to: • Instruct • Communicate ideas from one another • Admonish those engaged in it to right living • Medium of praise • Offering our thanksgiving • Making supplications to God

23. Manner of Rendition • “Unto God” directed as praise unto God and not for simple entertainment • If music in worship degenerates into an effect to entertain, it’s unacceptable to God. • We sing to please God—not the multitudes. • Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

24. Manner of Rendition • When any act of worship is not directed to God—it misses the mark and therefore vain. • How utterly abominable then to attract the world by the music of the church. • Primary desire for God to be listening! • Matthew 15:8,9

25. Manner of Rendition • “In Spirit” this involves our hearts. • With grace in our hearts • Our hearts must accompany our singing and be thoroughly in accord with the sentiment of the song being sung. • Must be done with in all sincerity.

26. Manner of Rendition • “With Understanding” one can hardly sing sincerely what one does not understand. • Study the sentiments of the song, expressed in words, and be sure that it’s scriptural. • Understand its meaning in order to make that same meaning the sentiment of our hearts. • 1 Corinthians 14:15

27. Manner of Rendition • “So as to be understood” • Speaking to one another • Teaching and admonishing • This divine purpose for singing is entirely lost unless the words are scriptural in sentiment and pronounced plainly enough to be understood by the audience. • Teaching to be done in singing must be done by the WORDS of the song—not the tune or melody—they don’t teach anything!

28. Manner of Rendition • Kinds of songs to be used • “Psalms and spiritual hymns.” • Words seem to be used interchangeably and not only convey the character in general of the songs to be sung but specify in particular that such compositions are to be “SPIRITUAL.” • Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

29. Manner of Rendition • Star Spangle Banner… • Yankee Doodle… • Popular songs of the days… • Neither light, trivial, jiggy tunes used today be classified “spiritual.” • “Christian Rock…” • “Extreme Rock…” • All such music is aim at “entertainment” and will not be accepted!