The issue I take with brothers and sisters who attack contemporary P&W is that they simply Assume worship leaders exalt themselves and its all about them.
Davids wife assumed the same thing and she was stricken barren for life, maybe that is why so many in the church today are Barren, because they cannot get past themselves in Praise and Worship and assume too much.
CCM and worship today was exactly as it was during the time of the Red Sea crossing until David. Habakkuk was a prophet worship leader, who played loudly on his 10 stringed instrument. David routinely told the worship leaders of his time, how his Psalms should be played and which instruments they should be played on. It was no single harp and all pious and stern and rigid. Many of the Psalms are directed to be played on guitars, drums, cymbals, tambourines, horns and accompanied by shouting, clapping and dancing.
If you were to put modern day music to the song of deliverance Miriam sang when the Red Sea closed, some of you all would stone her. The same could be said form many of the Psalms and songs of Moses.
Jesus loved worship and praise and I bet he was not nearly as tight in the seat as most Christians today. The only time he got angry was when the temple was turned into a den of thieves.
Do not even get me started on how most of the old Hymns and southern Gospel of the Gaithers and others actually keep people in self righteousness and works mindsets, because there is no deliverance until we git over thar....hogwash!
To be clear, I do not think all the old Hymns are like this, but many were written and composed by those that believe/believed we were still under the law and it is completely reflected in the hymns. These hymns are then interpreted by those preachers and song leaders which still believe we are under law and not under grace.
The most interesting thing I find with that brothers and sisters that are against most CCM P&W today and say its all about bringing the world and nothing but worship leaders exalting themselves and lyrics are bad and like rock music and do not exalt God, etc is they do not know their Bible. Our worship team do the Chorus No Longer Slaves by Bethel, which is a very powerful worship chorus that touches many. I received complaints from the usual crowd, where is God in this song!?!?!There is no Bible in this song, it's just to exalt people!!! Oh really I said, Open your Bible to Romans 8, 1 John 4.18, Exodus 14 & 15, Jeremiah 1, 2 Cor 5, Colossians 1.13, and Psalm 107 now read through those passages and compare the lyrics.
Silence was the answer. Why? Because you cannot argue the Word of God adn this song is nothing but the Word of God, and I have watched many come to Jesus with this song!
The lyrics to NO longer Slaves are below
Verse I
You unravel me, with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance, from my enemies
Till all my fears are gone
Chorus
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
Verse II
From my mothers womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again, into your family
Your blood flows through my veins
Chorus
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
Repeat Chorus
Bridge
You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
My fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me
So I could stand and sing
I am child of God
Repeat Bridge
I am child of God
I am child of God
I am child of God
I am child of God
I am child of God
Chorus
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
David danced with all his might before the Lord and he made it just fine.
The Frozen chosen are going to be in for several surprises in the coming age and loud praise and worship will be one of them.
They best get on board, because the Jesus train is coming and the revival it is bringing, will not look, smell, taste, act, or be like anything, the self righteous crowd has ever experienced.....