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It amazes me that here we are in the year 2006 ... mostly through 2006 actually... and the same arguments against music are still slithering around preaching circles.

Music in church, for the most part anyway, has evolved and matured to such a level that it is almost unrecognizable. Yet, there are still pockets of christianity that believe change is amoral or "selling out".

Are your churches relevant? Are you making new converts? Are you seeing lives transform?

Musical worship is nothing more ... and should be nothing more than singing prayer. So it comes from someone with purple hair ..... you must get past the skin and bone. Worship is supernatural. It is not of this world. It is from the other side if you just open your eyes.

She stood at the entrance of the holy tabernacle with a young bull that the priest had just slaughtered, a bushel of flour, a skin of wine and her three year old son. Tears were rolling down her cheeks because she was going to leave her only son with the priest. She had been here several years previous and had wept bitterly praying that God would give her a male child. “If you give me a son I will give him to You for his entire life,” she promised God. Being barren was a horrible disgrace for a married woman. Now, she had a child – a male child.

She kept her vow and gave him up.

Grateful for her son, Hannah lifted her voice and began to sing a prayer to the Lord (1 Sam 2:1- 10). It was a prophetic song that exalted the Lord – a combination of prayer, praise and prophecy all intertwined. This prophetic prayer-song was not sung by a “prophet,” or an “intercessor” but a humble homemaker who sang by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As the wind of the Spirit of God blew through this holy woman, her prayer-song revealed the future and declared the Messiah’s kingdom.

This is the power of songs of prayer.

In the scriptures one of the original Hebrew words for prayer is “tephillah” (tef-il-law’).i In general terms it means “supplication to God” but also means “intercession, supplication for another.”

This tephillah is intercession prayer or supplication expressed in song. The Hebrews often sang their prayers (Isaiah 1:15). There are Hebrew and Greek words for prayer that suggest a direct petition or short, sharp cry of a distressed heart (Ps 30:2; 2 Cor 12:8) sung out in supplication.

Last August, a good friend of mine stood on the platform in Manila, Philippines in front of over eight thousand worshipers that had gathered for the worship seminar the Holy Spirit arose inside of him and he began to pray singing. Several thousand worship ministries had come forward for impartation. He sensed a tremendous presence of the Lord. All of the sudden there arose from those at the front a crescendo of prayer singing. He was deeply moved in his spirit as he heard the melodic cry from this crowd of worshipers. I am convinced this prayer or praise singing is a key opening up an artisan of the Holy Spirit in any situation.

One of the Hebrew words for praise “tehillah” and is one letter different from the Hebrew for prayer – “tephillah.” This word means praise, a song or a hymn of praise. It is found several places in scripture.

“He has put a new song in my mouth—praise (tehillah) to our God” (Ps. 40:3 NKJ)

“But You are holy, enthroned in the praises (tehillah) of Israel.” (Ps. 22:3 NKJ)

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise (tehillah). Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Ps. 100:4 NKJ)

This is spontaneous praise that is sung to the Lord in which God is enthroned. It is also a doorway into His presence.

A lady approached me after a Heart of Worship seminar I was teaching. As we talked, she made an interesting confession: “When I pray I often sing my intercessions. I would say to myself, ‘Stop that. You are not part of the worship team.’”

It is interesting how our analytical western world-view separates the acts of worship into prayer, prophecy, praise, worship, music and dance. In our minds we are not to step out in these areas they are only for the “gifted ones.” But, in the Eastern world – the context of Jesus and the Bible – these expressions overlapped and were part of every believer’s life. We all are too pray. We all are to worship. We all are to sing prayers and praise to the Lord. Not just those that have “talent.”

One of my friends said the reason we have dance teams, worship teams and intercession teams is because the Christians are not dancing, worshiping or interceding. We have relegated that to specialists and they do it for us. But, we all are to sing, dance and pray.

The Holy Spirit is a singing spirit. He initiates and inspires ‘spiritual songs.’ (Eph 5:19). When we begin to pray it doesn’t take long and we automatically want to chant our prayers. This is not a musical mode of horizontal ministry but a mysterious quality that is vertical and supernatural.

There is an instance where two men in the New Testament were engaged in singing prayers – Paul and Silas. “At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25 NKJV). They were not only singing and then later spoke their prayers. Their prayers and songs were all mixed up into “pray-singing.” As they were praying they began to sing pouring out their hearts to God.

The word “hymn” in the Acts passage references the Paschal hymn of Psalms 113-118 that Jesus and the disciples sang at their last Passover meal (Matt 26:30). Though their bodies were beaten and bleeding, Paul and Silas were raptured with transcend emotion which resulted in vertical prayer songs. These two witnesses were elated by the Spirit of the Lord singing their praise and intercessions.

I want to encourage you to sing your prayers to the Lord. Let the songs of the Holy Spirit arise in you with the passion of intercession and praise. It all blends together. It is all good.

"It amazes me that here we are in the year 2006 ... mostly through 2006 actually... and the same arguments against music are still slithering around preaching circles."

Show me one thing I said which contradicts the Bible. Is the Bible outdated? Furthermore, at what point did I supposedly argue against music? That is like saying because someone argues against idolatry they are against worship, or because a prophet said to tear down the high places he must be for desecrating the temple. I am all for music, just not Christian rock.

"Music in church, for the most part anyway, has evolved and matured to such a level that it is almost unrecognizable."

I am unsure what you mean by this. Is this a good thing?

The scripture says, "if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise you, except you utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for you shall speak into the air." See 1 Corinthians 14:6-12.

"Musical worship is nothing more ... and should be nothing more than singing prayer."

Prayer and worship can be expressed through music, but so can teaching sound doctrine, something which is painfully sparse in most Christian rock. And that is by design, because the supposed praise to God and favorable spiritual lyrics are merely a pretext for the age old philosophy of "whatever feels good, do it". (See Colosians 3:16 and 2 Timothy 4:3.)

"So it comes from someone with purple hair ..... you must get past the skin and bone."

Why is it the onlooker's responsibility to get over these things? If they are truly irrelevant, why do these people feel the need to make their hair some unnatural color? Apart from God's Spirit, man is only capable of looking on the outward appearance. This excludes immature believers, carnal churchgoers, and unbelievers from being able to "just get over it." The Bible places the responsibility of our appearance squarely on who is responsible, ourselves. We, and women specifically, are commanded to dress modestly and with meekness (not demanding that I have everything my own way).

1 Timothy 2:9

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.

1 Peter 3:2-4

While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

At worst, purple hair (and so many other external trappings which go along with it) is merely a manifestation of a spirit of stubbornness, rebellion, and self infatuation - in a word carnality. At best, it is a mark of childishness - something to be expected of a little girl who is fascinated with makeup, face painting, colorful fingernail polish and glitter. Rather than admonishing observers to "get past" it, you might be more effective in admonishing those who dress themselves this way that now that they are grown it is time to put away childish things.

"Grateful for her son, Hannah lifted her voice and began to sing a prayer to the Lord (1 Sam 2:1- 10)."

Finally, you resort to scripture. Yes, true worshipful song is often heartfelt and spontaneous, as opposed to prefabricated, rhythm driven, hypnotic, programmed pagan music often marketed under a Christian label by some of the same corporations peddling profanity and perversion laden secular music.

There are a variety of good cultural infuences of music. There are classical European styles. There are classical Latino styles. There are other melody led expressions from the tropics. Just like there are a variety of gifts, there is also a variety of good music. Rock music is different from these cultural infuences. ALL musical styles can be adapted to accommodate a rock beat. Beat driven music is carnal. It is fundamentally different from melody led music.

Melody led music is predominant in civilized cultures. Beat driven music is predominant in pagan and, so called, primitive cultures. Rock music took hold in pop culture after being imported from pagan cultures. Our culture is now markedly more pagan than it was before rock music became popularized.

For every instance of ecstatic experience which could be put forward as evidence of the spiritual nature of Christian rock, you can find many more in Voodoo music, Hindu music and other cultures where idols are worshiped, and worship is often accompanied by nakedness (or lewdness), sexual perversion, demonism, and even cannibalism. So ecstatic experience does not build a case at all for the spirituality of Christian rock (in a positive sense).

"There is an instance where two men in the New Testament were engaged in singing prayers – Paul and Silas."

Another good, Biblical example. Paul and Silas were not experiencing the comforts of a cushioned pew seat. They did not have drums and electric guitars. They were not lipsyncing to their ipods. They could have easily avoided being in the prison if they had not put Jesus first in their lives. Yes, this is a good example of spiritual songs. It is however unlike the type of music sweeping compemporary Christendom. On the one hand you have feel-good music, and on the other you have praise God even though I am suffering music. One one hand you have, do what feels good to you philosophy. On the other, you have a serve God no matter what the cost mentality.

"It all blends together. It is all good."

It would be easy for me to go with the flow, but this is not true.

What fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness? and what communion does light have with darkness? And what concord does Christ have with Belial? or what part does he who believes have with an unbeliever? And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? for you (plural) are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord.
(from 2 Corinthians 6)

When the Baal worshippers and Elijah had a show down, the prophets of Baal cried out and jumped and prayed and worshipped and even cut themselves. They worked themselves into a frenzy. Can you not can see a distinction between godly worship, praise and singing, and that which belongs to the world?