Instrumental music in worship?

[Willie-T]

Thank you, nice of you to say that, and I'm so glad the Lord led you out of that, and that you are taking those lessons and putting them to good use to help others like us here, and to God's glory.

It's good for God's kids to dwell in peace together.

Sorry for the few 'words' before, I'm still a work in progress.
And before anything else ever gets said,
let's let it always be, 'WHAT words'?
God bless you. Thank you, Jesus. Peace.

I was pretty much an As***le in much of that, so I am fine with your suggestion.

 

[Dino246]

Give me scripture to support your analogy!

It's an analogy; it doesn't need specific Scriptural support. Did John Bunyan provide Scripture references for every point in Pilgrim's Progress? No! The whole point is that it is consistent with the overall message of Scripture; that God has provided a way for us to come to Him: through Christ. Our work does not make us acceptable to Him, and it never could.

 

[tourist]

We are making cookies for God and I know the kind of cookies he wants us to make because he gave us the recipe! And he says there is one body one God and one church! One kind of cookie.

If that's true that I hope that they're chocolate chip.

 

[posthuman]

I have already countered all of these comments

nope.

no, not you haven't. you haven't "countered" a single one.

it is not written in scripture that instrumental music is evil.
in fact, exactly the opposite is written.
so, you are adding to scripture -- your own words condemn you.

 

[posthuman]

One kind of cookie.

God loves music. He rocks out to it while He exercises judgement.
He's the hardest rocking God of all time.

And every stroke of the appointed staff that the LORD lays on them
will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres.
Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them.
(Isaiah 30:32) ​

He approves of it - His scriptures say so.

It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
(Psalm 92:1-3) ​

and He doesn't change.

I the LORD do not change.
(Malachi 3:6)

​

the spirit of the world doesn't change either.
humans add laws that were never given by God, and pretend to practice them
((though they themselves are hypocritical even in this))
so they can boast in themselves of their false righteousness
thinking they have 'earned' standing with God.
such people will be suddenly and irrevocably destroyed.

 

[Nautilus]

We are to sing in songs hymns and psalms making melody in our heart .... No where does it say we are to use instrumental music in our worship ..... In revelations it speaks in metaphors (the four horsemen and such)

Nowhere in the NT does it say to get on a computer and fill the internet with these stupid teachigns from a heretical church, but yet here you are? Fantastic how dicey this whole 'not in the NT' argument is.

 

[Willie-T]

Nowhere in the NT does it say to get on a computer and fill the internet with these stupid teachigns from a heretical church, but yet here you are? Fantastic how dicey this whole 'not in the NT' argument is.

That's a little too strong, in my opinion. I know the CoC as well as anyone on here, and probably way better than most. They are not heretical. Misguided and prone to biased misinterpretations, maybe (as are a HUGE portion of all churches), but they certainly are NOT heretical.

 

[Demi777]

​Lets let this thread die.. wont do any good to keep it going will it?

 

[posthuman]

Yes but if in worship we were told to chop vegetables with a plastic knife and we chose to do it with a metal knife it would be sin

__________________

 

[santuzza]

You want to ignore the worship in the Psalms because it is OT, but the NT tells us specifically to sing Psalms.

Your entire argument is ridiculous and illogical.

 

[peacenik]

there simply is no valid argument for prohibiting musical instruments in church services - none whatsoever

 

[emjcares]

there simply is no valid argument for prohibiting musical instruments in church services - none whatsoever

emj actually agrees with peacenik! Hallelujah, musically inspired miracles in the family of God!

 

[hornetguy]

I have been in the Church of Christ all my life. My dad was an elder in the church for 30+ years. I went to a private school from kindergarten up to college that was run by churches of Christ. I have been taught all the arguments and know all the reasons given for no instruments.

Through my studies of scripture, much to the consternation of my mom, I came to the conclusion that there is no scriptural reason that we cannot have instruments in our worship assemblies. Singing and making melody in our hearts is just as possible whether there is an instrument being played, or not.

Personally, I don't care what David did in the OT. And I don't care what is predicted in John's Revelation. There is no scripture saying or indicating it is wrong.

Using an instrument as an "aid" in worship is no different than using a songbook, or an overhead projector to put the words and music on a screen. Or, a pitch-pipe to set the correct pitch.

Simply because the Word doesn't say you CAN, doesn't mean you CAN'T...

Our congregation has started having one worship service on Sunday as an instrumental, and one as acapella. My wife and I decided to try out the instrumental one, so we've been attending it for the past 6 months or so. We both have come to the conclusion that we much prefer the acapella service. It is simply more uplifting to us. To those that have never heard a large congregation singing acapella, you have missed one of the great blessings of worship.

Where I believe using instruments is wrong, is where the instruments and band become "the show".... and people simply rock out and don't participate in singing praises to God. The worship to God has become a concert, and we might as well sell tickets and popcorn.

If people are truly singing and praising God, they can do it just as well with instruments as without. It's all about attitudes and our love for our Lord and Savior.

 

[Willie-T]

I have been in the Church of Christ all my life. My dad was an elder in the church for 30+ years. I went to a private school from kindergarten up to college that was run by churches of Christ. I have been taught all the arguments and know all the reasons given for no instruments.

Through my studies of scripture, much to the consternation of my mom, I came to the conclusion that there is no scriptural reason that we cannot have instruments in our worship assemblies. Singing and making melody in our hearts is just as possible whether there is an instrument being played, or not.

Personally, I don't care what David did in the OT. And I don't care what is predicted in John's Revelation. There is no scripture saying or indicating it is wrong.

Using an instrument as an "aid" in worship is no different than using a songbook, or an overhead projector to put the words and music on a screen. Or, a pitch-pipe to set the correct pitch.

Simply because the Word doesn't say you CAN, doesn't mean you CAN'T...

Our congregation has started having one worship service on Sunday as an instrumental, and one as acapella. My wife and I decided to try out the instrumental one, so we've been attending it for the past 6 months or so. We both have come to the conclusion that we much prefer the acapella service. It is simply more uplifting to us. To those that have never heard a large congregation singing acapella, you have missed one of the great blessings of worship.

Where I believe using instruments is wrong, is where the instruments and band become "the show".... and people simply rock out and don't participate in singing praises to God. The worship to God has become a concert, and we might as well sell tickets and popcorn.

If people are truly singing and praising God, they can do it just as well with instruments as without. It's all about attitudes and our love for our Lord and Savior.

I wholeheartedly agree with all of this. My wife (also a cradle CoC, with an "Elder" father) and I also much prefer a Capella singing...... though we much prefer the rest of the contemporary services. There truly is almost nothing like good a Capella (not the tired, dead stuff, though.)

We haven't been to a CoC (except for funerals and when we visit old friends in Tennessee.) since 1988, or so, and to this day, we still maintain we have yet to know real "family" like we experienced there.

And, of course, serious Bible Study is, by comparison, almost non existent anywhere else we have attended.

 

[emjcares]

I wholeheartedly agree with all of this. My wife (also a cradle CoC, with an "Elder" father) and I also much prefer a Capella singing...... though we much prefer the rest of the contemporary services. There truly is almost nothing like good a Capella (not the tired, dead stuff, though.)

We haven't been to a CoC (except for funerals and when we visit old friends in Tennessee.) since 1988, or so, and to this day, we still maintain we have yet to know real "family" like we experienced there.

And, of course, serious Bible Study is, by comparison, almost non existent anywhere else we have attended.

Wow, there's some revealing things here regarding the church, the body of Christ, and it's got me wondering, (maybe a new thread should be started, I don't mean to go off topic here),

but in this post, it makes me wonder WHY so many cults and 'christian offshoots' seem to take bible study so much more seriously than a lot of us regular old Jesus loving Christians?

And so many study deeply but never seem to get any closer to the simple saving grace and knowledge of God's 'Paid in Full' redeeming love.

There is a scripture that mentions 'ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth', but I don't know if that's a good reference here, and don't want to take it out of context, (I'll have to look it up and study, lol),

but it seems they 'Study study study' and then get
'Worship like this, don't worship like that,
get dunked or get damned, obey this but not that,
Jesus said this so you better do that,
go speak your reality into existence while I go buy a wig or a toupee (with your 'seed of faith love gift'),
Jesus isn't God (but some of us can become God) etc.,

and yet a lot of us are less diligent in study, (I refer to Myself especially, I Really need to do more) but we bop along happy in our salvation, as well we should.
Maybe it's because many of us came out of legalistic backgrounds, in church or even just in life, relationships, employment, etc. and bible study seems like another task, or a reminder of struggling in school and homework.

There's also a degree of laziness, rebellion, or even just the honest busy-ness of the days distractions, but whatever the reason, it IS the Word of our Savior, and He probably wants us to know it at least as much as some of the cultists out there.
Your post was a bit of a wake-up call how lacking I am in proper study and application. Thanks. There's warfare going on, and His Word is our Sword and Shield.

 

[hornetguy]

The Church of Chhrist is not a cult.

 

[peacenik]

emj actually agrees with peacenik! Hallelujah, musically inspired miracles in the family of God!

Well, it's like I always say: if you want me to believe anything I say is wrong, just show me the "proof".

 

[Willie-T]

Wow, there's some revealing things here regarding the church, the body of Christ, and it's got me wondering, (maybe a new thread should be started, I don't mean to go off topic here),

but in this post, it makes me wonder WHY so many cults and 'christian offshoots' seem to take bible study so much more seriously than a lot of us regular old Jesus loving Christians?

And so many study deeply but never seem to get any closer to the simple saving grace and knowledge of God's 'Paid in Full' redeeming love.

There is a scripture that mentions 'ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth', but I don't know if that's a good reference here, and don't want to take it out of context, (I'll have to look it up and study, lol),

but it seems they 'Study study study' and then get
'Worship like this, don't worship like that,
get dunked or get damned, obey this but not that,
Jesus said this so you better do that,
go speak your reality into existence while I go buy a wig or a toupee (with your 'seed of faith love gift'),
Jesus isn't God (but some of us can become God) etc.,

and yet a lot of us are less diligent in study, (I refer to Myself especially, I Really need to do more) but we bop along happy in our salvation, as well we should.
Maybe it's because many of us came out of legalistic backgrounds, in church or even just in life, relationships, employment, etc. and bible study seems like another task, or a reminder of struggling in school and homework.

There's also a degree of laziness, rebellion, or even just the honest busy-ness of the days distractions, but whatever the reason, it IS the Word of our Savior, and He probably wants us to know it at least as much as some of the cultists out there.
Your post was a bit of a wake-up call how lacking I am in proper study and application. Thanks. There's warfare going on, and His Word is our Sword and Shield.

You are so right.

I would say to any of this sort of thing: If we do not know at least as much as another man of the only record God ever left for us to know, how can we presume to call anything that man says, "wrong"...... or even, "right," for that matter?

 

[Willie-T]

The Church of Christ is not a cult.

Not by a long shot.

 

[emjcares]

The Church of Chhrist is not a cult.

I never said it was.

You are so right.
I would say to any of this sort of thing: If we do not know at least as much as another man of the only record God ever left for us to know, how can we presume to call anything that man says, "wrong"...... or even, "right," for that matter?

Yeah, I read this over and over, still not getting what you're saying, exactly. lol But I'll keep trying. I notice that you use the word 'we' a sometimes in your posts, and that throws me off a bit because it comes off vague to my dense little skull and I'm trying to decipher code. I'm probably like some people in the bible, I don't often get the parables, and I'm just like, ' Will you please tell me plainly what you're getting at, Lord? You KNOW I'm a knucklehead!'