Daily Devotional For Sunday, May 5, 2024

Good morning Southside. It is the “Lord’s Day” — Sunday. This is the main day when those who want to go to church to worship Jesus Christ do. Worship is not a style but an attitude. Music is a powerful force and everyone has their specific style of music they prefer, especially when it comes to church music. Unfortunately, many in the church believe worship is a style and because of this, churches have divided and split over this difference. I believe God loves all styles as long as it is not about the style itself, but the attitude of the heart. The danger when we make it about the style of worship is we can elevate the style to an idol, and that is certainly condemned in Scripture. 

For most people, they usually prefer the style they grew up on in life or the style they came to experience later in their life. For some, they prefer only hymns. I love hymns. My favorite hymn is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” For some, they prefer Southern Gospel. I grew up on Southern Gospel music. The one observation I have about it is this: it is sometimes about how high the tenor can go, or how low the bass can go or how well there is harmonization among the quartet or those singing. In other words, we get emotionally involved in the voices, the range, the harmonizations and thus it can become more about my feelings rather than about The Foundation of our faith.

Some prefer Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). I believe if the attitude is right, this style can honor and praise God too. The one observation I have about this style is loudness does not equal worship. Some prefer what is called contemporary Christian music that is played on K-love Christian radio station. My observation about this is at times some of the songs are weak in theology and can be based on feelings. Through the years, CCM has been criticized by the older generations and lauded by the younger ones. Those who oppose CCM believe it to be too worldly. Those who accept it, don’t see anything wrong with modernized music. Regardless of the debate over CCM, I believe all of us can agree that CCM is nothing like the old-fashioned gospel songs or hymns Christians used to sing.

There is danger for all of us no matter the style of music we prefer. We can be listening to our preferred style of Christian Music and suddenly, we can find ourselves really into the song for either the beat or the lyrics. The danger is this: as we are jamming with the song, we can be in that moment be moving with the music, but not worshipping God. Worship has NOTHING — NO THING — to do with making us feel good about ourselves. God is the object of worship, not us nor how we feel with any Christian song or style of Christian Music. 

We have to realize that not just because an artist claims to be Christian or because a song mentions a biblical story that it is Christian or acceptable unto the Lord. I guess sometimes we don’t take God’s music as seriously as God does or we do not ask the Holy Spirit to give us the discernment to know that not just any song will suffice. God cares about the music, the lyrics, the heart of worship, and the intent of the heart with which we worship Him. His music is holy. The musician, as well as the worshippers, must present themselves as pure and holy before His throne. Music is to worship God, and not to get high on the beat.  

David wrote this in Psalm 150:1-6:

“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! (2) Praise him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! (3) Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! (4) Praise Him with tambourine and dance praise Him with strings and pipe! (5) Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! (6) Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” (ESV).

As I said above, CCM has been criticized for being too worldly. Just like many Southern Gospel   songs, CCM can be to many only about emotion and feelings. Christian Music is not about how we connect to it or what it does for us. Christian Music is about does it bring glory and praise to God. Sometimes in all styles of Christian Music it can more about glorifying the flesh rather than glorifying our heavenly Father. 

My concern today with all styles of Christian Music is that for the most part, the Christian music industry is all about producing songs with an awesome rhythm, instrumentals, a catchy, repetitive chorus with the same chords, throwing in a word about God to make it Christian and there you have it. It’s all about selling albums, and how do you do that? By writing catchy songs that appeal to emotion.

Another problem I have with all styles of Christian Music is that in each style there is a growing tendency to paint an easy and wide path to Christ. And in CCM, there has been the infiltration of New Age Philosophy (NAP) by some. This is where discernment from the Holy Spirit and knowledge of the Word of God is required because NAP can be hard to detect. The devil and his demons know that music is a great weapon to use to infiltrated the church with a false Gospel. 

One of the ways I have seen and heard this is when Christian Music artists infiltrate their songs with ecumenism —lyrics that promote a certain denomination or church. For example, according to an article I read the following CCM artists are pushing a Roman Catholic theology or songs that will not offend our secular and pagan culture. Their goal in their songs they say is to bridge the gap between Catholics, Protestants and the lost. Here are a few: Phil Wickham, Matt Maher, One Thing conference, Jesus Adrain Romero, Alex Campos, Marcos Witt. 

My concern with Hillsong United/Bethel Music/Elevation Worship is they teach a false gospel. These either teach a prosperity gospel (I.e., name it and claim it) or no Gospel or repentance at all. If you were to read Hillsong Church’s “What We Believe,” you would not really find any problems. It is what is not printed. For example:

“The two most famous pastors for Hillsong are Carl Lentz (former Hillsong New York pastor) and Brian Houston (founder). One of the things they teach is that Jesus is NOT the only way. That anyone, not just believers in Jesus Christ, can have a relationship with God. And there’s more.

Watch and listen to what Carl Lentz said in the interview he did with the members of ABC’s “The View.” In his response, he says that homosexuality (including gay marriage) and abortion are okay. And that the church is accepting of everyone — regardless of who you are or what you believe. Brian Houston taught that a believer could become Jesus. Not like Him but become Him. “Little Gods” theology of Mormonism and the Word of Faith movement.

In 2022, Hillsong United took in $18,598,955 in concert ticket sales. This did not include merchandise sold at the concerts such as clothing, CDs, music downloads, and etc. Bill Johnson of Bethel Church and Steve Furtick of Elevation Church have said some anti-biblical heretical statements also. Steven Furtick said “God broke the law” and refers to Joyce Meyer as “the greatest Bible teacher alive today.” 

Bill Johnson of Bethel Church said, “Jesus was born again. Jesus could not heal as a human. All God’s people are prophets. It’s God’s will to heal everyone. He even explained how he told someone that they didn’t need to have faith. That he had “enough faith for both of us.” We have to remember that the music groups from Hillsong United, Bethel, Hillson Worship and Elevation Church got their theology from the teaching of their pastors” (Source: https://medium.com/@martinghoward/christian-artists-who-are-heretics-or-apostates-or-align-with-them-1a05abfaeb79). If you go to this article, it will have other links you click on to go read more on that topic. Those links in the article are underlined.

I am not against these artists getting paid. The Bible affirms they can be in 1 Timothy 5:17-18.  I would encourage you to click on the link above and read the whole article for yourself. Some of your favorite CCM artists have been associated with Hillsong, Bethel, Elevation, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer and etc. CCM artist Cari Jobe says she is also a pastor. Well, that certainly violates Scripture in 1 Timothy 2:11-15, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, 1 Timothy 3:1-2. Others such as Cory Asbury, Phil Wickham, Lauren Daigle, We The Kingdom, Tauren Wells, Zach Williams, Toby Mac, Need-To-Breathe, Chris Tomlin, Cochren and Company and even Casting Crowns have associated themselves by touring with Hillsong and Elevation Worship. 

Another thing that concerns me about any CCM is that it has gone from praising our Master to about making money. Artists and producers are pressured to sell albums, or CDs, or downloads from online locations. Money is the driving force, not making disciples of Jesus Christ. So with having tours, concerts and selling merchandise, we turn these artists of all styles into idols. We do this also by asking for their signatures, pictures, posters, and yell very loudly when they come on the stage to perform. This can take very good artists and by their own egos turn them into prideful, egotistical performers who love the accolades for themself rather than directing praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. The same could be said about Southern Gospel artists as well. 

One of  my favorite CCM singers is Keith Green. He unfortunately died in a plane crash with some of his children on July 28, 1982. He said this:

“If someone writes a great story, people praise the author, not the pen. People don’t say ‘Oh what an incredible pen, where can I get a pen like that so I can write great stories?’ Well, I am just a pen in the hands of the Lord. He is the author. All praise should go to Him” (Source: https://ihavewrittentoyou.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/keith-green-a-true-example-of-a-singer-and-servant-of-god/). He also said this: "The only thing I want to achieve is to have the Lord tell me when I stand before Him, `Well done, thou good and faithful servant!'"

So, when you come today or any Sunday or any day of the week for a worship service, are you there for you or are you there for Jesus Christ? Read David's Psalm 96:1-13 below. Notice where David puts all the emphasis in his song to the Lord as a model for us today:

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! (2) Sing to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day. (3) Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! (4) For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. (5) For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. (6) Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. (7) Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! (8) Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts! (9) Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth! (10) Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.” (11) Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; (12  let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy (13) before the Lord, for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness” (ESV).

I am not against CCM or Southern Gospel or any style of Christian Music. What I am against are lyrics that are humanistic and secular rather than lyrics that affirm biblical theology or that about making me feel good. I am against an entertainment mentality. I believe God's Word is enough whether spoken or sung to reach people for Christ. When we have to resort to lights, lasers, smoke and theatrics in any style of Christian music, then in my opinion, we have made it about us and not about the Lord Jesus Christ. 

So, when you go to worship, remember Who is the focus. It is not about our feelings or our emotions. It is about Jesus Christ as recorded in Scripture. Our enemy the devil is shrewd and a liar. Remember the warning found in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (ESV). One of the best ways for him to deceive and devour us is through our Christian Music, the lyrics and the artists. Just because it has the word “Christian” in it before the word music, does not mean it is biblical.

I love you Southside!—Pastor Kelly