Instrumental Worship - is it Biblical?

Originally I considered taking Judith as a screenname.
Would have been mighty usefull in this case.

Aaron, James Reed! You lay one finger on my tambourine and I'll cut your head of!!

Ofcourse this only makes sense to those who have read the Apocrypha.

 

No need to discuss it further. You've already answered my question. Incorruptible "pearl" or "gold" is not literal gold or pearl as we know them. They're something else never seen by man, nor conceived in his heart.

Christ did not make wine from nothing. He turned water to wine. It was wine. Literal and natural wine just as we know wine. First, we're presented with historical narrative in that account. Second, had the wine been left long enough it would have spoiled just like literal, natural wine as we know it does.

Au contraire! I do accept Revelation at face value—symbolism, just as I take at face value the statement that Christ is "the lamb of God." Obvious metaphor there. You are the one who is trying to make Revelation something that it's not.

No need for me to get involved in another one. Once you start the thread there will be others to set you straight about Revelation. At the very least, you will see why the main support of your argument for instruments in Christian worship is inadequate.

 

Whether or not there are literal harpists playing in worship before God is irrelevant to the discussion. The most important point to note is that the concept of instrumental worship as it is presented through imagery in Revelation is a holy and acceptable one.

 

Both in the imagery in Revelation (Which I believe to be an attempt at a literal description of what we will see, even if the Queen's English can't properly describe it) and the Psalms demonstrate Instrumental music used in Worship. Don't see how it could be construed as not Biblical.

 

Do you actually sing to one another, or do you sing just like the rest of the churches (basically, into the air), only without intruments and choirs to guide you?
As I said elsewhere, if you take Eph. that way, then song books are "another form of music", and the music is not really in your heart, but you are just reciting it mechanically, and it is thus a hindrance. With amplification devices; the majority of the sound is coming from a vibrating speaker, not the vocal chord, which are drowned out. It is teachinically, another type of INSTRUMENT.
The Churh of Christ has just made up it's own mind what is "expedient" and what is an "addition", and bends the criterion at will to justify the traditions that they are already familiar with (which they overlooked), and exclude only what others do that they do not do. It is just a silly, carnal issue to raise, and itself is not "expedient".

 

It has been stated in this debate that a musical instrument cant bring praise or glory to God. This of course is in direct conflict with Psalm 150 (and yes Aaron I have read every page and post). The Scripture says to praise God with the "sound of the trumpet", the lute, timbrel, stringed instruments and flute, and (heaven for bid) loud clashing cymbals. Seems pretty clear as to the direction of worship and what God desires/allows when His people worship Him. Of course as has already been stated true worship begins in the heart any thing else with or without instruments is not worship.

In the NT Paul says in Ephesians 5:19-"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"

Clearly here the main intent is to the Lord as Paul says, but he also instructs us to do this to one another. His first portion has to do with psalms, if psalms are to be used in the NT church they must be understood in the context and method they were given which takes us back to Psalm 150---pretty clear Paul had no problem with use of psalms in the NT church and clearly they would have been expressed as the psalms were always expressed. Not with voice only but with the musical instruments.

Bro Tony

 

Isaiah 17:7-8 at that DAY shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either groves, or the images

I believe the day came when christ said in John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

I believe we worship god in a temple not made with hands nor do we worship him with our hands but with the spirit making melody in our heart. not our stoney hearts that he said he would remove but with that fleshy heart which he gave us with the circumcision of the heart by his spirit.
Christ said in Luke 17:20 The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 said its with in us. so then we must sing with the spirit within us making melody in our heart not with our hands that is flesh but in our heart with the spirit.
This is the only way i understand to worship god. I believe alot of natural things in the old taught spiritual things in the new.
in the old they burned incense, i believe this is a type and shadow of the saints prayers going up to heaven. in Rev. 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. but i don't believe we need to burn incense when we pray nor do i believe we need to play musical instruments when we sing but the spirit is the only thing we need to provide all things. we need not build an alter but in the spirit we come to the alter of christ. we need not a high priest but christ is our high priest. I am a simple man with out great learning. I can not argue or debate and prove anything. I walk by faith looking to god for all understanding not from flesh and blood but from god. I will let man have what ever he wants but i want not what i want. But desire god to reveal to me his will and help me deny my self. .........brother jeremy