DEDICATION
This book is
dedicated to young believers like me all around the world who the Omnipotent
God has tremendously endowed with unimaginable measures of potentials in
sciences, arts and technology so that in all, glorious pleasures might be
returned unto Him even as we live a life worthy of worship to Him while
impacting our world and edifying the body of Christ.
PREFACE
Having grown
in a Christian family where music is considered as hereditary and in a very
churchy environment, I became a music lover and over the few years of my
existence, I have developed into more of a music minister than a well skilled
musician. Growing concerns for the church of Christ in relation to music and
music ministry has overwhelmed my heart for these years. I have always wanted to
know all of these: who really is a ‘Minister of God’? What actually is the
place of music ministry in the church and how important is this ministry to the
church? Why does it seem like music ministers are not great Christians? Why
does every problem in the church have a direct or indirect link to the choir?
Why do we refer to the sermon time as ‘the time we have all been waiting for’
and not the worship session? Why is the time and seriousness accorded to the
sermon greater than that of worship session? Why do we pray for our preachers
before, during and after ministrations but not so much for music ministers? Why
is it that often times music ministers are not considered for leadership
positions in the church? Is the Holy Spirit relevant and important in the music
ministry as much as in the fivefold ministry? Why is secular music having a
field day over Church music? How come we are daily losing our music ministers
to the world’s music system? Words have already failed me to express all that
is in my heart begging for answers. The story remains the same across the
Christian faith with little or no difference.
I have been
part of various church choirs, playing all kinds of roles at different times;
asked so many questions from music ministers and reverend people who could
counsel in the lord, prayed and searched the scriptures, read all the
‘readable’ in order to gather information that could help me and the church at
large all to no avail.
As I continued
in my search, the good Lord that has always been faithful to reveal to me
truths even in areas different from music has enlightened the eyes of my
understanding and as such answered every question in my heart. The word of the
lord has brought me to a place of great fellowship with Him; he has given me
dealings that have worked wonders in my Christian walk, making me to see myself
first as a minister unto the lord and not unto any man. He says to me:
Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be
any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned,
and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with
you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
Oh what a
great relief to know that I was created to worship God, to give Him pleasure.
He has shifted my attention from the ills I saw in the church music into making
me a better Christian and now I can say I know better.
As I saw my
fellow Christians battling to maintain a balance and making tireless efforts
over the up and down Christian life, I keep having this unexplainable prompting
in my spirit. I explained over and over again to as many as cared to listen to
all the wonderful truths that I have found and some got into the same
experience with me. Hallelujah! While others who are just so used to the old
ways of human efforts of working things out couldn’t see what I saw. Worst
still, some others do not see reasons for this new found truths of mine as they
are mainly concerned about the ephemeral things that concern the music
ministry. To this end I have decided to reach out to all Christians, sharing
these new found truths so we can know the essence of music in the church of
Christ.
It is with
great humility and fervent prayers that we send this book out to bless your
soul and spirit in rendering worship unto God, open up a new life in Christ
unto you and make you a better minister unto the lord.
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