The last few decades have brought about a drastic change in the area of worship. There has been since the fall of man worship of the true God and the duplicate worship of false gods. This is true in method, manner, and music. Cain's murder of Abel was prompted because of the difference in their method of worshiping the God of Heaven. Abel's worship was pleasing to God and Cain's was unacceptable. Since that time there has been a progressive effort to worship in a manner that appeals to the flesh disregarding the approval of God. In the genealogy of Cain musical instruments were first introduced as well as multiple marriages. The second murder recorded in the Bible was also in the lineage of Cain.
This in no way implies that music, multiple marriage, and murder are connected in an inseparable manner. Yet it cannot be ignored that musical instruments had a powerful impact in the lives of Cain's offspring.
There is also evidence that the people of God worshiped Him by singing and with musical instruments. Moses led Israel in singing at the crossing of the Red Sea. Miriam led the women with a timbrel in her hand in these worshipful words, "Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously." (Exo. 15) In both instances the spirit of the singing and music was directed to the glory of God.
The women were playing and singing at the return of King Saul and David after their victory over the Philistines. (1 Sam. 18:6) Israel definitely used instruments accompanied by singing in their worship to God. Most of the Psalms are addressed to certain musicians to bring glory to the God they worshiped. These instances were also directly associated with God honoring words and actions.
The institution of the Lord's Supper in remembrance of the sacrifice of His body and blood for sinners was concluded by singing a hymn. (Matt. 26:30; Mk. 14:26) Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God after being beaten for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their praying and singing was heard by the other prisoners and their keeper. (Acts 16) Every instance here given is without doubt in true worship of the God of Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ. The holiness of God is exclusively the theme of their singing.
Many other instances can be given of bringing honor and glory to God by music and singing. Even the sound of harps and singing a new song is noted in the Revelation of the Lamb of God. (Rev. 14) Holy and worshipful music and singing has always been acceptable to the Lord and without doubt will be one of the involvements of the saved in heaven.
For years "church" music was limited to the worshipful hymns that brought honor and glory to the Lord rather than lending recognition to the performers. Saints of the past, and not too distant past in some cases, often wept legitimate tears as they sang praises to God. When "Come ye sinners poor and needy," came from the heart of concerned church members for their lost loved ones and friends, their hearts were attentive to the Holy Spirit's convicting presence. It was then that "Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me" motivated the searching of hearts. The saved remembered when they responded to the call of God and longed for others to do the same.
Because so many church goers have become acclimatized to the routine of regular church services the most prevailing thought in some minds is, "The invitation will soon be over if no one goes to the altar." Is it any wonder that many today are looking for something more "exciting" than a message challenging the hearers to holiness and sinners to salvation? Is it any wonder that Heaven and Hell are little more than a myth to many lost souls who will not heed the invitation to come to Christ?
Even though sinners are not coming to Christ through the preaching of the Gospel today as they once did does not imply that God has changed His mind about the method or the music used to reach the lost. The preaching of the Gospel of Christ is still the power of God unto salvation whether in message or music.
Humanism has made rapid and indisputable inroads into every area of American lives. Self-esteem was the cry of the psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud. The self-esteem preaching of Robert Schuller is much the same. Freud called religion a sickness and Schuller and others are trying their best to prove it by their humanistic gospel. Along with their efforts to gather followers in their respective periods of time, each have aimed their attention to separating the youth from godly parental guidance. Freud's idea of religion was "a remarkable similarity between obsessive acts and religious practices or ritual." Psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce in his address to the Childhood International Education Seminar said this: "Every child in America entering school at the age of five is mentally ill because he comes to school with certain allegiances to our founding fathers, toward our elected officials, toward his parents, toward a belief in a supernatural being,..." [Emphasis added] ("In the Words of Wolves")
This type of psychological slime has found its release in the "obsessive acts" of CCM performers and calling it a "religious practice" in a church setting. Many churches today are planning every conceivable function to attract the world to church without disturbing their style of life. The majority of these social(?) events are to attract young people. The argument is that the lost do not feel comfortable in church where folks try to look their best and the preacher calls sin by its first name and heralds biblical separation. So something must be done, they say, to make the sinner feel `comfortable in church.' The vast majority leave such a comfortable setting as untroubled about their sin as when they came. The blind man, the Philippian jailor, the woman at the well, etc. certainly were anything but made comfortable in their various dilemmas.
I have alluded to the proper worship of God in music and singing. There has been a collapse in many churches, however, of God honoring music and singing. This brings me to the subject of so called Contemporary Christian Music.
I have used the word "plague" in the title and this sub-title because this is precisely what I believe Contemporary Christian Music to be to the church. The American Heritage Dictionary gives this definition of plague: "1. A pestilence, affliction, or calamity. 2. A cause for annoyance; nuisance. 3. A highly infectious, usually fatal epidemic disease." It gives the illustration of the deadly "bubonic plague."
Frankly I believe this definition of plague perfectly corresponds to the effect caused by CCM. It certainly is a pestilence (infectious disease) and has become so contagious that many churches are being infected. A disease that has afflicted (devastated) and caused calamity (spiritual hardship) in many once biblically and musically sound churches. The dividing of churches into age groups as the old, couples, singles, and young people, etc. has developed into separate services for certain age groups. One service with old hymns, another with CCM performers and there surely must be one service where only choruses are used. Bill Gather's popular hymnal(?) will fill the bill in some churches. (Once the young and old sang the same songs of Zion.) If this was confined to Protestant churches the scourge wouldn't be so disturbing. However, many once sound Baptist churches are falling into the trap of contemporary church styling. It begins with the "dumbing-down" in appearance and continues in the "giddy-gibberish" of acting and the "noisy- nuisance" of applauding. All in the name of worship.
One of the reasons CCM (that invites attention to the performers) is such a plague is that it has a "form of godliness but denies the power thereof." That is nothing short of apostasy. The idea prevails in CCM that the louder something is the more glory it brings to God. The prophets of Baal tried this in their encounter with Elijah and it did not work. (1 Kgs. 18) Neither will this noisy, chaotic, animation bring glory to the true God of Heaven. Although the crying of the worshipers of Baal did not awake him I'm not sure but that the god of this world is both awake and pleased with the gyrations, groaning, and gymnastics of CCM. Of one thing I am certain, Satan has a better understanding and approval of it than I.
There is little doubt in my mind that the majority of the members of churches and their pastors may disagree with my assessment of CCM. That does nothing to diminish the fact that each of us will give account to God for our every assessment and action. There are obviously a number of pastors and preachers who are either in accord with the above mentioned activities or they do not have the backbone to address the problem. Patterning worship services after the world is nothing short of Israel's sin of mixing their worship with the false gods of the land they conquered. God certainly is just as displeased with this generation of churches who implement unscriptural methods of worship as with the tribes of Israel mixing false worship with true worship.
The Lord's letter to the pastor of the church in Sardis revealed, "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." (Rev. 3:1) Obviously there was a lot going on at the Sardis church but much was void of spiritual life. Churches now are involved in every thing from mud wrestling to music warbling under the head of church activity and worship. This may well define too many churches today. (2 Kgs. 17:33) "They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence." Simply because something is sponsored by a "church" does not make it acceptable to the Lord. It must be scriptural, of the right spirit, and from a biblical source. CCM is sired by the flesh, blessed by the Devil, and hatched by the heat of worldly entertainers.
It has been said in my hearing: "But we must do something for the young people!" Let me ask this question in all sincerity of all those who know they are saved by grace through faith. Was it the practice of gimmickry or the preaching of the gospel that brought you to the knowledge your sin; of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? It is the gospel of Christ that brings men to repentance. Both old and young of our nation need men who will: "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Tim. 4:2-4). Pastor/preacher are you praying or playing; evangelizing or entertaining? It does make a difference now and in eternity.