Thinking about music, and worshipping The Lord in dance and in song? Are you gifted to play an instrument or lead the worship in your fellowship, to express the joy of The Lord in your salvation before the congregation believing this is God’s will for you? Indeed it may well be God’s will for you, however, there are other matters to consider very carefully before wholeheartedly applying oneself in this ministry, or area of “worship”!
Romans 14:6 is a very important verse concerning worship in the 1611 King James script! “He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto The Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to The Lord he doth not regard it!
Coupled to Ezekial 20:20, “And hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am The Lord your God”, is very clear, yet CHRISTIANS are found to argue this? Everyday is now a Sabbath since our Lord gave Himself for our sins, and Christians “no longer need to keep The Sabbath because of a NEW and BETTER covenant in Christ”! “Old things are passed away and all things are made new”, without ANY question as to whether this doctrine has veracity?
Indeed it is so for those who have surrendered and repented from their dead works to believe in the atoning blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that such have entered into His rest, that everyday is a Sabbath, but do we do well to not REGARD The Lord’s Day? The Lord sees if we regard the day or not, is the message of scripture in Romans 14:6! The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath! Mark 2:27. Properly understood, The Sabbath meaning REST, REST was made for man, and not man for rest! If everyday were to be a Sabbath, when would we work?
A preacher impressed on his congregation one Sunday that obedience was the only form of acceptable worship. Scriptures calling for obedience in the believer are a great many. We all want the blessing, but are we prepared to obey to invoke the blessing of God upon our lives? This is the issue many struggling in the Christian faith, face! Psalm 133. Have we diligently sought God’s truth to obey the gospel of Christ, or are we floundering in our own truth and misconceptions in one of the many divisions of false “Churchianity”?
The essence of The Covenant God made with Israel, revolved strictly around obedience! Half the nation of Israel were commanded to stand on Mount Gezirim, and the other half had to stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce the blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience. Deuteronomy 27:12 and 13. Strictly adhered to, and enforced in ancient Israel, so much so that a man seen picking up sticks on the Sabbath Day was caught and stoned the following day to put the evil away from their midst, Numbers 15:32 to 36, it is the principal of obedience that is vital to our fulfilled Christian experience!
The danger of false doctrine built around ONE VERSE of scripture, UNACCOMPANIED or SUPPORTED by the REST of scripture, is prominently evident. Just about every “church” we visit has a drum kit, loud speakers, and microphone stands for “worship”, and these “churches” generally do not regard the Sabbath Day to keep it holy! We can visit these “churches” and get touched by the “worship”, and God’s Word says, “Take thou away from me THE NOISE of thy songs; for I WILL NOT HEAR the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream”. Amos 5:23 and 24.
If you are involved in the worship ministry the message of scripture is very clear! Have you sought the Kingdom of God first to have found the Kingdom of God within you to obey the Gospel of Christ? Simply said, are you one of the saints? Or are you following a brand of Christianity which appears to be right, but is in fact doomed to destruction?
Many go to a fellowship to visit, and get caught up in “the worship”. They feel very good that they went to “church”. Whether any good was derived from their visit to understand obedience is better than sacrifice, is another matter! Without resolve from the heart, to obey God in all God has commanded, the music and singing is truly worthless! Without OBEDIENCE as the FIRST ingredient, there is no worship, nor can we remotely hope to please our God!
Only the saints may perform music, and dance before The Lord! Scripture is clear on this! When we MEASURE the MESSAGE in HONEST study of The Word taken in The Word’s entirety, reminding ourselves that we live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, having waited on The Lord, having read between the lines, we might inquire how many times Romans 14:6 has been traversed in Bible study, yet how many have discerned that The Lord knows who keeps His Sabbath Days holy, and knows who does not?
Psalm 150 instructing true worshippers concerning the instruments of praise to be used, and encouraging everything that hath breath to praise The Lord, a seemingly insignificant point of fact is missed in Psalm 149, among several other matters of great interest!
“Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and His praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name in the dance: Let them sing praises unto Him with the timbrel and harp. For the LORD taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: Let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all His saints. Praise ye the LORD”. Psalm 149.
The conclusion honestly evaluated with Ezekial 20:20 ruling our decision making, “And hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am The Lord your God”, it is clearly the obedient that please the Lord with music and dancing! If obedience to the gospel of Christ embracing Sabbath observance is not evident in a disciple’s walk with God, that disciple should seriously consider seeking first The Kingdom of God and His righteousness, before participating in the worship ministry!
Further thoughts regarding worship in dance and in song are these. Is the world currently ruled by the righteous, or the unrighteous? Wars, and rumours of wars, pestilences, and famine, do not make for rejoicing, but mourning! Quite apart from the mournful state of our beautiful planet Earth discouraging dancing, and rejoicing, we do have the word from God that God is wanting us to hide ourselves! Isaiah 26:20. How does obedience to this word from God in this hour, fit into exhuberent congregational worship?
Having NO regard for, nor observing The Lord’s Day being The Sabbath Day, to keep this day HOLY, (set apart from the other days of the week), have we considered that we ARE having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness that have done nothing with The Kingdom of God in over 2000 years? Have we considered WHO first persuaded man to disobey God, and how this was brought about? Have we even thought we are exposing ourselves to the enemy?
Attending home congregational services in small numbers should manifest an awe filled reverence among participants united in obedient likeminded service to our Lord and King. These services are quiet and dignified! It is this that pleases our God, and the joy of The Lord follows naturally.
By Lester Oliver Thomas Flock © 2020