THE EXCELLENCE OF GOSPEL MUSIC

BODY, SOUL, SPIRIT AND INSTRUMENT

Main Readings: 2 Chronicles 5:11-7:3

The passage gives us a beautiful picture of what is required for excellence in Christian Music: At the dedication of Solomon’s Temple there was a body of musicians drawn from the Levites, the tribe of priests in Israel. They were charged with handling voices and instruments in order for their song to be heard in clarity as if it was one person that was singing. They presented themselves appropriately and cooperated with one another without discrimination.

The sound of their music produced two effects: The glory of God filled the house of God like a cloud, and the priests were so affected that they could not stand on their feet to minister. King Solomon then clarified their presentation with a missionary prayer that reflects God’s purpose to reveal Himself to the world through Israel. Then the glory of the Lord manifested the second time, this time as fire, and the priests could not enter the house of God.

In this piece, I highlight briefly the necessity of wholesome presentation of Gospel music in order for God to use it as a vehicle for saving souls and living in them.

THE BODY

This refers to the persons who sing or play different roles in presenting the songs. They are to so prepare that their song is heard in perfect harmony (or unison, as the situation may require), singing as one man, the words of their song can be distinguished even from afar). This requires practice to cooperate with one another, such that none is unduly loud or hasty, nor do they deploy disfigured voices. More important than their voices however is the musicians’ character. They must all be people devoted to the Lord’s work, their lives reflecting the faith, grace and purity of the songs they sing; otherwise they confuse their hearers and may be taken for mere entertainers.

THE SOUL

The soul is the seat of intellect and emotions: It is particularly affected by the appeal of well-crafted music, and is cultured to appreciate style or poetic nature of musical presentation. Music aids relaxation, concentration and memorization, and people tend to appreciate music according to the cultures they have been raised in. It is important therefore to shape Christian music to be appealing to the target culture, and care must be taken not to discriminate against types of music simply on the basis of style of presentation. We must also watch out not to assume the effects of the music’s appeal per se as its spirituality.

THE SPIRIT

The spirituality of Christian music is in its message or words alone. As the Lord puts it, “the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). The same words that give life are those that we are commissioned as Christians to preach.

As Jesus was always careful to present a message that met the ultimate needs of the people – the salvation of their souls – so must we ensure that the consumers of Christian music encounter the message of Christ, the truth, in our music (1Pe 1:23-25; 3:16,17).

All Christian music must therefore point to Jesus Christ, as our Savior, Lord, God, Healer, Giver of the Holy Spirit, etc. When the hope of our music is examined, the hearer must not fail to meet a sold doctrine that is able to impart eternal life.

THE INSTRUMENT

There are a number of instruments that enhance the appeal and reach of a song, and these now include sound equipment, such as mixers, amplifiers and speakers. Excellent musical presentation also depend on these, and therefore their handlers must be adequately trained to do a good job, especially in the settings of congregational music.

Current technologies also enable music to be stored (recorded), transmitted and shared in ready-made media (audio and video) forms. It is important that such recordings and transmissions are given particular attention and handled with similar painstaking care as is deployed in playing the musical instrument in order to achieve the desired effect.

CONCLUSION

Music is precision art, as it pertains to organizing otherwise incoherent sounds (and motions) to achieve a desired effect. Because of its universal appeal it is a strong vehicle for also transmitting the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Christians sing for joy in their salvation, pray to God their Father when in distress, and encourage and admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ja 4:13, Col 3:16).

If left unattended, Christian music can suffer from four key defects as relates to the persons that present it, the appeal of presentation, the message and the instruments. Preachers of the Gospel must be concerned about all channels.

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