Purpose of Music

Amos 5:21-23  "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.  Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols."

Had the displeasure this past Sunday of seeing how perverted fellowships have become in worship and song: "God is a Spirit they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."  John 4:24.  

This topic will be relating to music in fellowships and how perverted the "body" has allowed it to become perverted is humiliating to the body.  This is what has led to this weeks "Scripture of the Week" writing.  

Background:  Music comes to us in three parts.  There is melody, rhythm and harmony.  Melody is sent from His Spirit to our spirit, the soul reacts with rhythm and the body to the harmony.  In reading Isaiah 28:11-19 we see how music came about.  God created musical instruments in Lucifer now called satan.  Those instruments were "the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created."  Once Lucifer fell he also perverted music.  God created all in perfection, satan defiles and perverts all in creation [John 10:10]. 

Here is what was observed in this particular fellowship Sunday.  The lights are turned down [Gen 1:2].  Colored lights come up in hues of red, blues and greens.  The room [sanctuary] is dimly lit but there is moderate light on the platform.  There are four individuals on the floor using lead and base electric guitars, a saxophone, and drums.  I found that saxophones are mostly related to Jazz but have seen where sax's are in cooperated into gospel music [Family Worship Center FWC/Henderson].  What I was hearing was Jazz.  The harmony was distorted as with the melody.  I could not bring the sounds into line with any gospel music I have heard; no it was Jazz.  No one sang in either presentation I heard.  There was a rejection in my spirit that this was not right, I left mid way into the second song.  

Sidebar:  In time past I was invited to a fellowship concert done by "Eternal Covenant", a local group in western Oregon since disbanded;  Praise God!  It was not in any stretch of the imagination Christian music.  It, the music is even defined as "heavy metal" on line.  I was asked by two elders what I thought?  After giving my objective reply was three days later banned from the fellowship.  One elder when he called to inform me that I would no longer be allowed to attend, I asked him "Am I still consider your brother in Christ?"  He replied "No"  but I have heard from a reliable source that he no longer attends there either.   

Continuing then,  I went to find an elder and ask the question;  "How does this music presentation glorify God?"  Not finding an elder was directed to an associate Pastor.  Him also, I asked the same.  I was taken to a small room where a discussion began.  Several minutes later another Pastor, this time the Executive Pastor [never heard that before] came in.  I have found that a dual positioned front usually comes soon after questionable questions are presented opposing fellowship procedures.  I was told that I would be contacted later in the week [by friday] and a time would be set to further discuss the subject matter.  The executive gave me his personal smartphone number but I wasn't asked for my number [how then are they going to contact me???].

Wonder how Saul's solace would have worked out with Jazz?  1 Samuel 16:14-23  18:6-16.  "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."  2 Corinthians 6:17.

Can music be unclean?  Yes, when used in worship apart from worshiping in spirit and truth: ref John 4:24.

I was then politely escorted to a side door adjacent to the parking lot, implying to me that I was not to attend further in their services, at least that particular Sunday.  

I believe that when we have the truth and understand His Word and do nothing we are also not honoring God but are being double-minded.  When we believed and were baptized into the body ([1 Corinthians 12:12-13] we were given the duties of an ambassador [2 Corinthians 5:17-21].  Although not in this lifetime will we be held accountable but in eternity will be {2 Corinthians 5:10, watch the italic placement in the KJV, the italic placement changes the meaning.  If there are no italics as per KJ; get one as it is the best].  

In conclusion, I believe God does inhabit the music he gave men.  The devil has as with everything God has created does his best to defile and pervert.  We, the body of Christ have a directive to:  "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."  2 Timothy 4:1-5.