Several times over tha last months I have heard the repeated phrase, "The greatest problem the church is facing is a difference in music and worship." If we can not feel the tension at our home church, then we can notice it with churches announcing new services called 'Contemporary Worship." Behind each little phrase is much contention. How are we to biblicaly understand this tension? Perhaps even more than affirming the good or bad of one service over another, we need to develop a proper way of discerning our own worship services and praise times.

A study of Psalm 150 which gives rise to many arguments on the use of different instruments during praise actually says a lot more. We will use both study questions to get to the heart of the passage.

Psalm 150:1-6

1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!
(Psalms 150:1-6).

Study of Pslam 150

Look at Psalm 150:6 and discuss if God wants us to praise Him?

Verse 6 is a command from God calling us to praise Yahweh. To be sure it includes not only people, but every living thing that has breath. (Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7).


Does everyone parise Him? Why or why not?

Romans 1 clearly tells us that most people do not worship the one true God. They do not know Him. They don't worship Him. They worship things of their own making including their own selves.

If these people play and sing beautiful worship songs, does it bring glory to God? The Mormons with the Metropolitarian Choir bring blasphemy to God because they do not live consistent to truths in the songs they sing. God is not pleased.

Who does Psalm 150 say that we are to worship? How do we know this?

How are we to get to know this LORD?

Where can we find Him to worship Him? (Where is His sanctuary?)

From verse 150:2 what are we to praise Him for?

What deeds of the Lord are you personally impressed with? Are you really impressed? Are you awed? Does the latest movie (eg. Star Wars) cause more excitement and awe than these things? How often do you think, meditate and talk of God's awesome things with others? How much do you personally thank and praise Him for these things.

Conclusion

The fact is that we are much more impressed with things around us than the things of God. When we can stop a prayer meeting or cell meeting and then congregate and talk more excitedly about things other than God, we show that we are more impressed with these other things. (Please note I am not saying it is worldly to speak of them but it is idolatrous to speak of them more fondly than the latest movie or song.)

What makes worship worship?

Listen to street sounds.

What is it that you hear?

Is it praise? Why or why not?

Listen to some rebellious rap (swearing and vulgar terms).

Is is worship? Why or why not?

We will find that sounds on their own do not bring praise. A bus' diesel engine does not bring glory to God in and of itself. A landing airplane does not glorify God. They are mere sounds.

Loud music does not necessarily bring praise to God. We would all say, I assume, that the terrible lyrics of the above rap song does not glorify God. Did you ever think why? What if you turned the words off? What about then?

Many of us would conclude that sounds are neutral unless they are colored by evil words. Read Daniel 3:1-7. After reading it, write your conclusions. Can music or sound be not neutral?

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language,
5 that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
6 “But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”
7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
(Daniel 3:1-7, NASB).

Write your conclusions here:

Personal input.

We have a difficult time understanding whether music is or is not neutral. This is largely because we are untrained. The argument that seems most pervasive is one in which we use our eyesight. Are things we see neutral? We can take a list of letters. They are held to be neutral. For example: s f u t a h i . They are neutral as the mere components. But once we assemble them, then they begin to carry a meaning and purpose. They become vessels for which their author had intention. We can from those letters write a word that conveys a nice meaning word 'hat' or one that is vulgar. The same is true with a painting. Most of us familiar with computers know that they are just mere dots when printed out. These are the mere components. They can be assembled to bring awe to God or increase the lust of man. The same is true with music. The notes are the mere components, but when they are assembled, then they become moral.

Conclusion: Anything man touches becomes moral. Either something glorifies God or doesn't.

For clarity, let me just mention that some people might distort the purpose of the original author. The word itself doesn't necessarily convey evil, but the sentence or purpose or usage of the sentence does. The speech of an ungodly man, for example, does not glorify God. It insults God because it does not take God into full consideration.

Do instruments on their own bring glory or praise to God? Are songs 'sentences' of expression? Do they not stem from either a biblical or unbiblical purpose?

Our personal history.

Let each person write down two or three people/groups or resources that have largely influenced your preference for each of the following areas connected to worship:

• Worship and praise style.
• Lyrics or words in praise songs.
• Praise instruments and manner of being played.
  

Try to go back as far as you can. For example, if your youth leader likes one group, then mention that group as well as your your leader's preference. In this way, one can go back and trace the reason most of us have different preferences. This is important that we can see why we like things and why other people have different tastes.

For example, Chinese people do not like cheese products. They are not acquainted with them early on. However, most North Americans do not like tofu products. They have not desired an acquaintance with them early on.