Evaluate Worship songs

The first thing to realize is that music is not neutral. Music is a outflow of ones life. A spiritual life will develop spiritual music, worldly mind develop worldly music. If music was neutral, God could not have used David's music to ward off King Saul's pestering evil spirits. The Lord left Saul victim to these tormenting spirits. Good music chased them away.

1Sa 16:23 So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

The prophets' ministry combined with worship with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre 1 Samuel 10:5

If you think this is the influence of the culture, we should see what the heavenly culture uses.

Re 5:8 And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Re 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.
Re 15:2 And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had come off victorious from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.
Re 18:22 “And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer;

The harps and harpists fill heaven. We need to see that the high melodius pitch helps communicate heavenly truths while the low, base and strong pulsating rhymths of today tend to distract from God and meditation upon His truths. Why is it that we think music is neutral? We have bought at the expense of our children's lives and the advance of His ministry worldly compromise.

• Words - script

We can see from the scriptures several examples of worship songs. Along with these are the numerous Psalms which of course literally means songs.

Identify the different characteristics of these songs and psalm. Do you not see how filled they are with address to the Lord ascribing praise for who He is and filled with statements of truth.

This is in great contrast to many popular songs which focus on oneself rather than God. I recently sang one song filled with the empty address of "You." There was no addressing which spirit one is worshipping. This is highly dangerous. There was no mention of the great glorious Lord and His works. It all focused on what "you" means to me.

• Tune - music

One song that is passionate and strong in calling us from a lukewarm state filled with scripture and allusion to biblical truths is very instructive. The problem with this song is that a contrary beat leads the song. Let's think about the things that make good music.

Becasuse meditation of God and His truths are important, then we ought to use music that enables us to further these goals. Any music that draws attention to itslef because of the beat or sound or contrasts, must be put aside. Perhaps it could be briefly used to describe the depression and anguish of confused souls as in a Psalm but it is not what we regularly need.

Loud music along with beats and counter rhythms all take the lead in the songs rather than taking their place of support. We have to face the fact that many people who grew up in the world are now playing the same way but in our churches. They need to be trained as to the purpose and means of worship. Base guitars rarely are played correctly. They are so rarely needed that they should regularly not be included.

Beats. The offbeat has been characteristic of much of modern music. It stimulates the flesh, but it also does something more than this. A song has its emphases. This is where the most important truths are placed. What we find is that the offbeat places a heavy beat countering the word. Instead of affirming truths, it ends up taking precedence and denying truths. Think of the counter beat as "but" or simply put as rebellion.

Loud and beat driving music is known to be stimulating to the flesh. It actually gets the adrenaline going. This 'drug' effect like others needs more and more to be stimulated. Each generation of rock music gets heavier and heavier. We can almost laugh at the Beatles' songs. Today I cry at the heavy beats sounding off alarms as the cars going down the street. This same beat is repeated in sanctuaries.