Musical Instruments in Christ's church

[Spinach]

Right now I'm listening to my hubby play guitar as he practices "Away in a Manger" with the children who will be part of our Christmas Eve service today. I can safely say that what they are doing is not only glorifying to God but pleases Him. I'm sure of that.

Beautiful, Ann.

I know the same when my children and I play the guitar, mandolin, and piano.

As a matter of fact, two missionary children in our group were born again while their Mother and I sang along with a piano in church a few months ago. I don't know if I've ever felt the Holy Spirit so strongly in all my life. God was not displeased!

Still reading...

 

[Spinach]

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Toppass
Worshipping and giving glory to God is a wonderful spiritual happening, whether or not musical instruments are used. IMO, saying that musical instruments can not be used in a church worship service is like saying prayer can not be said unless you are in the church building.
Those who limit themselves as to how and when they can worship God, help Satan with his plans to keep the lost from hearing and understanding the WORD.

Amen. In all I do, I seek to honor the Lord and even worship Him with all of my being. I've posted this before but I will worship the Lord with all of my heart - in church and out of church, with music and without music, with words and without words. But it is sincere worship that I give to my God.

Both so right!

Still reading... (perhaps I should make that my sig line. LOL!)

 

[Spinach]

Instrumental music, or singing with instruments, is clearly perfectly acceptable in a christian assembly. The scriptures are so very very clear that they are acceptable.

PRAISE GOD :thumbs: for all those guitar players and horn players, and keyboardists, and flute players, etc etc etc!


:godisgood:

ITA!

I can play all of those.

 

[Spinach]

Any change?
Then give up your church buildings. That is a change. Take off your shoes. That is a change. In eastern countries they still take off their shoes before entering into their churches because they believe that they are entering a "sacred place," even as Moses met with God at the burning bush. So you don't follow the Bible after all do you?
You meet in a building exclusively built for assembling the church--not Biblical.
You don't take off your shoes--like the saints of old.
You drive in cars rather than by donkeys or on foot.
You use a computer to email, instead of sending everything by snail mail.
Even todays snail mail is much faster than in Paul's day.
You don't have the authority for any of the above.

Yes, see my answer above. You cannot make an answer from silence.
You cannot make a prohibition against cars from Scripture, and therefore you use one. But you don't use instruments, and thus are hypocritical in your use of cars driving to your church building for worship. Both the car and the church building are used either directly or indirectly in worship. But you have no command in Scripture to use them--only your rationalization. You play the part of a hypocrite--pick and choose what you will obey--through the silence of Scriptures.

It leaves lots of room.
Arguing from silence means you can make the Bible say anything you want. And that is exactly what you do.

Good post!

In Eastern Europe we take off our shoes when we enter, but not because it is a sacred place. That is done everywhere because shoes are nasty. Inside of houses/churches are clean.

Still reading...

 

[Spinach]

Your use of absurd comparisons is humorous. "Rediculous," even.

When the Bible is silent on issues, you can't invent theology, and then try and justify it using the Bible's silence. (Of course, I'm really giving you a long leash here...the Bible is not silent on praising God with musical instruments. It encourages it. Oh, wait...I forgot: it upsets your apple cart, and so it is relegated to the realm of "the law," thus a no-no.



Congrats. You've just added to Scripture. You've taken something Scripture doesn't say, and you've attempted to "make" it say it.

Back to an earlier assertion: are you 100% sure that you do worship exactly the way Jesus did, no exceptions whatsoever? Think about your answer carefully.

Good post. I particularly enjoyed your passive-aggressive dig, but that's because I'm an odd duck who is used to her husband's particular brand of sarcastic humor. LOL!

Still reading...

 

[Spinach]

39 books of the Bible isn't Scripture? Last I checked, the OT counts.



Oh....you might've messed up here. If I play a piano & sing a hymn...then I'm not going any further outside a command than you are...and I'm not leaving anything out. What was that you said about our foundation being common sense? But...by your logic, it is "outside the sanctioned bounds."



Think about it, now: do you use real wine in your communion? If not, by your definition, you're sinning. Is the bread exactly like the bread used in the first Lord's supper? If not, bad news. I could go on and on, but my point is made.

Face it: the Church of Christ went goofy on the instrument issue, and they've spent decades tying theological and logical knots trying to make sense of the silly prohibition.

Now ya gone and went all logical and stuff.

 

[Spinach]

Yeah, tell that to Moses. I can hear it now:

"Well God, that's neat bush you got there that doesn't burn up though its on fire, but that's a personal experience and well, that's not a sound basis for my faith."

Or David:

"You want me to do what, God? Yeah well, I know you sent the prophet Samuel down to talk with me and I know what I've experienced personally , but that's not a sound basis for the faith that I can kill that giant with just my sling and a few stones!"

Oh wait, we can't use the OT for our experiences so how about Paul:

"Well yeah God, I know what I experienced on the Damascus Road, but personal experiences aren't a good basis for my faith. You gotta write it down for me!"

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

You might just want to rethink that idea!

Love it!!!

 

[Spinach]

I'll bet you even go to MOVIES.

And watch TV!


Where does it END??

I just choked on a Skittle, TYVM!

 

[Spinach]

Wow! That's a whole lot of Spinach! LOL!

I'm through the whole thread.

Sounds to me that someone, in the name of doing away with the law, is trying to put in bondage all that Christ set at liberty.

I've been around this type of logic before---David was under the law, so everything David did was abolished by Christ (laughable, at best). That sounds like the preaching of my youth----"Sin is fun, so therefore, to have fun, is sin." or here's one "Iced tea is a sin because it looks like a mixed drink and as Christians we are to avoid all appearances of evil." Wait, here's another "Wire rimmed glasses are a sin because they started with the hippies." And lastly, "Coulottes are Laodician because they are neither pants nor skirt."

I will not be brought into bondage. I will enjoy the liberty that Christ gave me. I will also enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit that I feel (yes, feel) in the music that we sing. If you don't want instruments, ok. It's not commanded. If you do, enjoy them! Sing to the Lord. Lift His name high. Worship Him with your whole heart. That's what He wants----our worship!

 

[MNJacob]

Have any one of you read the definition and derivation of G5568 in Strongs, Thayer, TDNT or any NT Greek dictionary?

Try it. See if that affects this discussion.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

.....

I know the same when my children and I play the guitar, mandolin, and piano....

Still reading...

Another crazy musician. Excellent. My daughter is still too embarrassed, or cool, to play music with her dad, but she took 6 years of piano lessons, and she has a mandolin and an electric guitar.


I think the music in heaven will be string based, with horns & cymbals as kind of calls to worship, or feast, but not used in the regular music. Acoustic string music is the most beautiful form, to me, without any effects or tricks.

 

[annsni]

Have any one of you read the definition and derivation of G5568 in Strongs, Thayer, TDNT or any NT Greek dictionary?

Try it. See if that affects this discussion.

Blue Letter Bible says:

1) a striking, twanging

a) of a striking the chords of a musical instrument

b) of a pious song, a psalm

Does that help?

 

[steaver]

Well I took the time to read all twenty pages and if i were sitting on the jury I would have no choice but to allow the instruments into the worship.

I do have a question for "defenderofthefaith"...

In light of your basic argument, which is God's NT word does not give instructions to use instruments with singing in worship (as a tool or anything else) and therefore it is so obviously prohibited, why is it you find the use of "male" song leaders in worship ok with God's word since this also is not commanded in God's word concerning the singing of worship songs unto the Lord?

Where does God's word instruct you to use song leaders in this worship? And where does God's word instruct you to use only male song leaders in this worship?

defenderofthefaith: Firstly, I have never heard of "song leader training" and secondly - any male member of the church may lead the songs at any time he desires, no training required.

:godisgood:

 

[Zenas]

Well I took the time to read all twenty pages and if i were sitting on the jury I would have no choice but to allow the instruments into the worship.

I do have a question for "defenderofthefaith"...

In light of your basic argument, which is God's NT word does not give instructions to use instruments with singing in worship (as a tool or anything else) and therefore it is so obviously prohibited, why is it you find the use of "male" song leaders in worship ok with God's word since this also is not commanded in God's word concerning the singing of worship songs unto the Lord?

Where does God's word instruct you to use song leaders in this worship? And where does God's word instruct you to use only male song leaders in this worship?

Steaver, I have to go with you on this.

Defender, you have the high ground on every thread you have started--except this one. Hardly anyone on this board will cut you that much slack, so you know my reaction is not the usual knee jerk, "It's CoC doctrine so it must be wrong." You cannot prevail on this issue under any objective reading of scripture and I think you and your fellow CoC apoligists would use your time and efforts more effectively by advocating those things that do have at least a scintilla of scriptural support.

 

[thegospelgeek]

Blue Letter Bible says:

1) a striking, twanging

a) of a striking the chords of a musical instrument

b) of a pious song, a psalm

Does that help?

I know I have been hit and miss on this thread, but please excuse me. I haven't been online much this week due to flu, holidays, etc. But this is something I mentioned a few pages back.

Defender answered that the word had changed meanings when Paul used it.

So we are supposed t0 believe that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use a work psallo which implies music in regard to singing psalms, which traditionally used music, to mean singing without music, when he could have used the word ado instead.

Yea, I'm convinced:thumbs:

 

[MNJacob]

Except that none of my biblical dictionaries gives a primary definition that does not include musical instruments, or states that the meaning had changed by the time Paul used the word, and for which the accompaniment instructions, instrumental recommendations, and tunes are actually in the writings themselves.

Selah!

 

[annsni]

I'll strike my tambourine to that!

 

[Alive in Christ]

I'll clang my cymbols to that. :thumbs:

 

[steaver]

Defender answered that the word had changed meanings when Paul used it.

His answer is proof that he cannot support his view without distorting the scriptures. As soon as one claims "definition changes" of original Hebrew or Greek they have outright lost the debate.

God Bless! :thumbsup:

 

[Don]

Another crazy musician. Excellent. My daughter is still too embarrassed, or cool, to play music with her dad, but she took 6 years of piano lessons, and she has a mandolin and an electric guitar.


I think the music in heaven will be string based, with horns & cymbals as kind of calls to worship, or feast, but not used in the regular music. Acoustic string music is the most beautiful form, to me, without any effects or tricks.

Don't leave out the drums. Contrary to many popular opinions, drums are mentioned many times in the bible ("timbrel"; a hand drum, not a tambourine).

(edited to add)
Don't get me wrong; I fully believe that drum sets are incorrectly used, especially in worship services. I used to be a percussionist; started out on snare drum, graduated to trap set, received a music scholarship for percussion; graduated to marimba, xylophone, and vibraphone; then joined the military, and haven't played in 20 years. With that background, I believe myself qualified to say that most drummers don't realize that they're not the center of the musical piece; and that any drums used are to keep the other instruments in time, and to support the main parts/voices of the piece being played. In fact, I'm looking for a piccolo snare to get my 9-year old son; but he'll use brushes instead of standard drumsticks.