“Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and teach them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” Ezekiel 44:23 NASB2020
There has been a lot of debate about popular worship groups in the news. There are some Christians who have criticized groups like Hillsong, Bethel Music, Elevation Worship and recently Maverick City Music. Some of the criticisms stems from the failings of leadership in those houses of worship, other criticism is the embrace of secular artists and their music being popular in the public. It can be a very tense debate and is not always easy to understand all that is happening.
When a song is written specifically for worshipping God, then we should agree that song is Holy and set apart for God. Many of these worship groups and Christian musicians have provided wonderful songs for the Body of Christ to sing. The groups mentioned above were made popular by the church before going mainstream. How does one handle the fame of a new song that captivates millions? That is the tension in the Worship Music Industry.
We should use scriptures as our guide. In Leviticus and again in Ezekiel God instructs the priests to teach the people the difference between what is Holy and what is common, what is clean and what is unclean. Worship songs created for worship are to be Holy. They are set apart for God. These are songs that should not be played for the common use of people in dance clubs and parties. As we have seen throughout history these worship songs have supplied the church as a whole with new sounds to worship God. There are various genres but most of the time these worship songs transcend culture, language, and generations. Think about the old hymns that we still sing today like “Amazing Grace.”
However, we must also recognize that there are Christian artists that have decided to go into the mainstream music industry and make songs for the consumption of the public. The idea is to offer songs that are uplifting and free of many of the things we hear in music today (violence, sex, foul language, etc.). There is a fine line and always a danger in going into the music industry because it is an industry that is full of demonic strongholds. What other industry can you think of that has so many premature deaths due to addiction, mental illness, tormenting spirits and violence?
First we must recognize that we cannot bring things to the altar that are common and present them to God. We cannot take music that was made for the world and come and bring that into the sanctuary and try to cover it with Jesus’ name. This happens when we try to take popular songs and Christianity them to attract people to the church. Our worship belongs to God, not to man, not to the world. We should be signing songs that glorify God. Also we should not be bringing people to worship God because they play well in the club. We see this in the church when secular musicians are “hired” to play for churches. Again what we bring to God is to be Holy and Clean.
Once these worship songs are popular we should not take them and rewrite them for fleshly desires for the sake of hearing a good sound or making them popular to play in clubs. Those songs have been set apart for God, not for the world. We must distinguish between the Holy and the common, the clean and the unclean. That why it is a good thing to see many churches around the world playing songs that were intended for the glory of God.
Of course not every song created by a Christian artist is created only to be played in the church. It really does depend on the intent of the artist. We do have Christian artists that want to sing for the world and speak about their faith. Instead of condemning them, let us pray for them because the industry is full of demonic strongholds and various spiritual hosts of wickedness. They need prayer in how to navigate the industry and to be salt and light. However, there are times that it will be necessary for them to set themselves apart from others in the music industry and stand for what is right. They cannot be afraid of being canceled by the public because of their faith and stance with God’s word. They must be Holy as God is Holy. That can cause tension for Christian artists in dealing with secular artists and producers in the music industry.
That is why it is important that we teach what the difference is between what is common and Holy, what is clean and unclean. To provide support for our fellow brethren in the face of darkness in the music industry.
Finally, for the songs that are created for the sole expression of worshipping God, we should not cancel out those songs because of the moral failings of leaders or members of the worship band. God provided a way for the priests to atone for the sins of the people through sacrifice and mandates to be made clean. Now we have a High Priest in Jesus that makes us Holy and Clean before the Father. We should remember that those that have fallen can and should get back up. Remember Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We should pray for their repentance and restoration. Remember those songs are offered to God and not to man. We sing worship songs that glorify God and make His name known. The status of our sin condition does not change the value of those worship songs we offer up to God. For He alone is worthy of our praise.
Let us continue to war in the spirit, especially for our fellow Christians in the music industry. They need our prayers and our battle is not with them but the principalities at work in that industry. Let us bring down these strongholds in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let the church create a sound that not only heaven hears but the world hears as well – that our God is great, that Jesus is King.
Reflections 