Music... It is phenomena accompanying you in all days of your life, from mother's lullaby, through wedding songs, to the sounds of the funeral march that gives credit to your remains.
Music... It is a way of expressing the depths of the soul, its richness or emptiness, life creed, goals or a desperate labyrinth of hopelessness and deadlocks, emotional experiences and inspiration, character, will or spiritual breakdown.
Music... It is an instrument of influence on the consciousness and sub consciousness, creating or destroying, consoling or blowing up, inspiring or devastating.
Music... It is a mysterious language of the soul and spirits, the sounds of which come from unknown to the eye sources of existence and touch the unknown strings of the soul, inspiring with revelations, or placing into delusion, raising to the eternal Light or putting it to hell.
Music... It raises the barricades, changes regimes, is able to entertain the soul, giving hope and uniting in joy. Music is able to destroy the evil itself, is able to detract from the good, seduce, cheat and even destroy the immortal soul.
Music... It is a "key" that can open the heart of the listener, allowing to put into it the Word of Eternal God and earthly philosophies of human speculation, or a sinister lie of the devil himself who is condemned to death and shame.
A word, an idea, spirit, penetrating through music into the heart, are able to attract a human being into the eternal life full of joy and victories or to draw into the burning fire of eternal death. Music is able to soften the heart, to sow and nurture the seeds of God’s word in it, growing the fruit of love and holiness and rooting out the words of the devil, that are hateful and evil and that nurture the fruitless thorns of death.
Music is not an invention of the human race, as often presented. In the book of Revelation it is written, "And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God." The victors received the "harps of God." How many musical instruments are needed in heaven to provide for each musician! In His "mansions," God has a storage place with instruments for each of us. Are we able to play them? Apparently God has a plan to teach us how to do it. Maybe we'll go to music school in the Eternity?
Perhaps God will bestow this ability upon us. I do not know this, but I know that even the angels are engaged with the music of Heaven: "And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets." Revelation 8:2. The angels received the trumpets. I don't think they borrowed them from people, and I don’t think that God didn’t have them before musical instruments were invented by man.
Music ... If music means so much to our earthly and heavenly life, how do we, who are gifted by God to produce it, serve, not to be afraid of falling asleep and waking up in expectation of meeting with Him to Whom we must give account for the received gift? That we won’t be ashamed of what we did and what we didn’t do with this unique tool to obtain the estimate of "Well done, good and faithful servant! Thou hast been faithful over many things you: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. “If the Master gave you a talent to sing, to play the instrument, to praise the Creator, what words will He tell you when you meet? Will music become the talent for you that will bring you to the heavenly city, the blessings and opportunities in eternity, or will it become a gravestone with the words "wicked and lazy servant!". Listen Read phonetically Dictionary - View detailed dictionary If you and I are given such an instrument, what does your music bring into reality in you and your listeners? There are three specific types of service to God. See how your music serves here.
1. Building of your temple. We are the temple of God, the Spirit of Whom dwells in us, believers in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We cannot destroy or tear down this temple. Music should build us up. Often times, those who sing and play are full of pride, self-righteousness. Humility and gratitude for the gift and the right of its use is what should accompany a musician. Not us, but He, He gave it to us, and we have received, so we should not boast of what you got, but it's worth boasting in Him from Whom you received the gift of heaven, the talent and the ability to have the talent to serve God and people. You cannot hide the talent, "bury" it down, serving with it for yourself for earthly purposes only.
2. Construction of the temple, the Church. Our work is to build the Church of Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul explained Col.3.16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." We would like to stress only one thought from this text: the music helps to "locate" the word of God in the heart, so it's not so much the genres, styles, for many a lance have been broken to achieve the goal. If through pop or electronic music, the word of God infuses a modern man, then, the genre is justified, is appropriate. On the other hand, if the word does not inspire, then the choir with the best edited hymns does not fulfill their purpose.
3. Harvest. We are both builders in the staffing of God and agricultural workers. Our task is to collect the harvest on the spacious, ready, and ripened for harvest fields of God. People are waiting for "combine-harvester" of God, whether it is a choir or a folk group, a pop singer or a symphony orchestra. It is important that the word not only indwelled in the hearts of believers, but also into the hearts of believers tormented by sin and in search for answers, that people decide to come to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in His Church. For almost 20 years of my Christian life, I have repeatedly been convinced that popular music finds a narrow path to the hearts of believers no less than a chorus or a talented singer, singing in the traditional genre of Slavic worship. I have seen a number of times how pop music is reproached by those whose understanding is limited.
And, undoubtedly, the fact remains that the development of music ministry is located in the back of development plans, churches. Especially it concerns pop music. Its quality, equipment, ability to handle not easily manageable electric instruments, further alienates people of faith rooted in the belief that popular music "is not of God." Parents intentionally teach children not to pick up pop music, hindering those who would like to learn to play bass guitar, drums, and modern keyboards, electric guitar. It is hard to find someone who would know how to correctly voice the concert or service. Instrumental music, orchestras have become rare in churches. The sounds of classical, folk, instrumental, vocal, choral, brass, pop music should fill the churches and concert halls, wedding ceremonies and funerals, youth services, evangelism and youth Camps.
BUT BUT BUT! We do not want to just worry about this problem. We organized a pop band, we write songs; learn a hard matter of arrangement, vocals, improvisation, and audition. We have already invested a lot of money to create a decent standard of the technical part of the group. We're getting ready for work, so that a wedding or a concert, a youth fellowship or a night in the park became a place where God is present and where He reveals Himself to people. Trying to preserve the Slavic "roots" and traditions, we are also looking for a modern musical language. If you see the usefulness of your spiritual work or search, and if you see our participation in it, we are ready to cooperate.
Do pray for us, write us, and communicate with us. We are open to cooperate with you, that the name of our God and Lord Jesus Christ be known and be glorified, that His gospel for the salvation of people would not cease. May God keep you and enlighten you.
Konstantin Tkachenko