BRING ME A MINSTREL

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             BRING ME A MINSTREL

There is a vivid illustration in the Bible of what good music can do for a
congregation of saints, or for an individual believer.

I use the term "GOOD MUSIC" intentionally, for it is my opinion that there is
far too much "beat of the heathen" in much of the noise that is being passed
off as music for worship in these days.

I never studied music, but in my Pastoral years I did learn that music can
set the mood for a congregation, either to promote PRAISE, or to promote
WORSHIP.

There is a distinct difference between PRAISE and WORSHIP.  Both are
beneficial and necessary, but neither one to the exclusion of the other.

The use of fast, higher pitched songs will tend to promote a happy atmosphere
where folks want to clap their hands, tap their feet, or run around the
building.  That is very good in its place, but, over the long haul, it
produces relatively poor Spiritual stablility in the saints-- especially the
younger ones.

Conversely, the slower, lower pitched songs tend to promote more of an
atmosphere of WORSHIP, which is more conducive to the bringing forth of the
Gifts of Utterance in the congregation.  We are nigh starved to death for
lack of hearing the Voice of the Spirit in many of our congregations.

Experiment with the 23rd Psalm.  Pitch it high, and speed it up.  It produces
an exuberance of spirit right away.  Try it again, low pitched, and quite
slow.  It calls forth an entirely different mood immediately.  What it does
for the individual, it will also do for the congregation.

Elisha, and perhaps others of the Prophets knew this about music.  When two
kings called upon him for advice about a forthcoming battle, he NEEDED
something to counteract his utter contempt for one of the kings.  He possibly
asked the minstrel to sing Psalm 23.  ?????

II Kings 3:14 And Elisha said, [As] the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I
stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king
of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.   But now bring me a
minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the
LORD came upon him.   And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full
of ditches. 

Do you want the Moving of the Spirit in your congregation?  Set the mood for
it.  Do you want excitement and jubilance?  Set the mood for it.

You will have to LEARN HOW to WORSHIP, and then TEACH YOUR PEOPLE HOW, for it
is almost a lost art in our present day Church culture.

ps. I do not get Higher-fire mail.  Comments should be directed to
fretwell@aol.com