Music | A People for His Name

Tim Fisher on “Christian Rebellion?”

March 13, 2018

In 1992, Tim Fisher wrote the following about CCM:

Christian Rebellion?

If it is true that rock music is the music of rebellion, then it follows that Christian rock music is the music of Christian rebellion. Christian rock exploits the generation gap that the secular rock culture has done so much to establish. The early arguments in favor of Christian rock pointed to it as a tool to draw masses to Christ and into the church. Twenty-five years of observation have shown just the opposite to be true. CCM is robbing our churches of their young people and turning them against their authorities—parents, pastors and Christian school teachers. CCM is breaking apart Christian colleges and organizations. It is polarizing the church into CCM supporters and nonsupporters. Pastors tell me regularly that no theological issue is breaking up their churches and causing people to leave like CCM.

—The Battle for Christian Music, 84-85

Is “Christian” rock “Christian” rebellion?

In CCM, Quotes

Music Commands in Scripture

March 9, 2018

Scripture has more than 40 commands to people to sing to God and more than a dozen commands to minister to Him with musical instruments.
Meditating much on this wealth of data is vital so that we will have a proper mindset about the importance of music to God.

Exo 15:21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Deu 31:19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

1Ch 16:9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

1Ch 16:23 Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.

Psa 9:11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

Psa 30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Psa 33:2 Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

Psa 33:3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

Psa 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

Psa 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

Psa 66:1 <To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm.> Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

Psa 66:2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.

Psa 67:4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.

Psa 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

Psa 68:32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:

Psa 81:1 <To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph.> Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

Psa 81:2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

Psa 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

Psa 96:1 O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.

Psa 96:2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

Psa 98:1 <A Psalm.> O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

Psa 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Psa 98:5 Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

Psa 98:6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

Psa 100:1 <A Psalm of praise.> Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Psa 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Psa 105:2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

Psa 135:3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

Psa 147:7 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

Psa 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

Psa 149:3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

Psa 150:3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Psa 150:4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Psa 150:5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Isa 12:5 Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.

Isa 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

Isa 27:2 In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.

Isa 44:23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

Isa 49:13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

Isa 52:9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

Isa 54:1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

Jer 20:13 Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.

Jer 31:7 For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

Zep 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Zec 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

Jam 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

In Discipleship, Music

How Much Do You Know about Acceptable Music for Corporate Worship?

February 27, 2018

After the first 5 classes of my 15-week class on acceptable music for corporate worship, my students have learned specific Bible answers to each of the following 20 questions. How many of these questions are you able to answer?

What 5 truths about the book of Psalms show us that music is important to God?
What are the 9 periods that span all that the Bible teaches us about music?
Does the Bible teach that Jubal invented the musical instruments that he played? Explain your answer.
How do we know that music without words is not neutral or amoral? Discuss at least 2 passages that teach us this truth.
Who is the most important human musician in Scripture? In what ways does Scripture stress his importance?
What two passages teach us that human culture making activities are not guaranteed to produce things that are good just because the product was made from good things that God made? Explain how they teach us this vital truth.
How does Scripture teach us that no musical instrument is inherently evil? Which book specifically teaches us this truth and how does it do so?
Who is the earliest recorded person to command God’s people to sing to the Lord? What else is important about what this person did when this command was given?
What are the four lengthy song texts that are in the first ten books of the Bible? What is one specific truth about God that all of these songs emphasize about Him?
What passage teaches what a musical instrument is and what characteristics music that is ministered must have in order for it to be fit for ministry? Explain its teaching about both of these points.
What key passage stresses that we cannot follow the practices of wicked people in what we do in worshiping God with music?
What passage teaches us about the power of instrumental music to affect humans and angels? How does it teach us this truth?
Why is Psalm 40:1-3 not the salvation testimony of a lost person who became a believer?
Why is Genesis 1:20-21 important for our understanding of music?
How do we know that music is not a human invention?
What key passage commands us three times to use musical instruments in divine worship? What else does it teach about the use of musical instruments in worship?
What key passage commands us five times to sing praise to God? Who is commanded to do so in this passage?
Who are the four classes of living beings that Scripture records engage in musical activity? List one passage for each class that records such activity.
What passage teaches us that demons influenced humans to produce unacceptable music for corporate worship? How does this passage teach us that demons played a role in what took place on this occasion?
Why is rock music not acceptable music for corporate worship? What passages show us that it is an ungodly style of music?

In CCM, Discipleship, Music

On the Importance of Singing Scripture in Worship

February 24, 2018

Tim Fisher expresses well the importance of singing Scripture in worship:

We have departed so much from the Word of God and the instruction of Scripture that probably not one church in a hundred ever sings Scripture at all! What a shame, since the New Testament tells us specifically that we ought to be using Scripture in our worship songs (not just scriptural thought, but Scripture). The only church hymnals in existence until 100 years ago were either primarily or totally Scripture passages or paraphrases. Songs of “human composure” were not even allowed in public worship until the nineteenth century. How far have we departed from the biblical ideal in such a short time! I am not advocating a total return to the Psalters, but I am insisting upon some return to songs of Scripture.

—The Battle for Christian Music, 46

In CCM, Music, Quotes

The Use of The Vocative “O” to Address Deity in the Psalms

February 14, 2018

The Psalmists address God with the vocative form “O” in at least 100 of the Psalms (>66%):

Ps. 3:3, 7; 4:1; 5:1, 3, 8, 10; 6:1ff; 7:1, 3, 6, 8; 8:1, 9; 9:1f, 13, 19f; [7]

10:1, 12; 12:7; 13:1, 3; 16:1; 17:1, 6f, 13f; 18:1, 15, 49; 19:14; [7]

21:1; 22:3, 19; 25:1, 4, 6f, 11, 22; 26:1f, 6; 27:7, 9, 11; 28:1; [6]

30:1ff, 8, 10, 12; 31:1, 5, 9, 14, 17; 33:22; 35:1, 22, 24; 36:5ff; 38:1, 15, 21f; 39:12; [7]

40:5, 9, 11, 13; 41:10; 42:1; 43:1, 4; 44:1, 4, 23; 45:6; 48:9f; [7]

51:1, 10, 14f, 17; 54:1f, 6; 55:1, 9, 23; 56:1f, 7, 12; 57:1, 5, 7, 9, 11; 58:6; 59:3, 5, 8, 11; [7]

60:1, 10; 61:1, 5; 62:12; 63:1; 64:1; 65:1f, 5; 66:10; 67:3, 5; 68:7, 9f, 24, 28, 35; 69:1, 5f, 13, 16, 29; [10]

70:1, 5; 71:1, 5, 12, 17ff, 22; 72:1; 73:20; 74:1, 10, 18, 22; 75:1; 76:6; 77:13, 16; 79:1, 9, 12; [9]

80:3f, 7, 14, 19; 82:8; 83:1, 16; 84:1, 3, 8f, 12; 85:4, 7; 86:1ff, 6, 8f, 11f, 14f; 88:1, 13; 89:5, 8, 15, 51; [8]

90:13; 92:5, 9; 93:3, 5; 94:1, 5, 12, 18; 97:8; 99:8; [6]

101:1; 102:1, 12; 104:1, 24; 106:4, 47; 108:1, 3, 5, 11; 109:1, 21, 26; [6]

115:1; 116:4, 16; 118:25; 119:12, 31, 33, 41, 52, 55, 57, 64f, 75, 89, 107f, 137, 145, 149, 151, 156, 159, 169, 174; [4]

120:2; 123:1, 3; 125:4; 126:4; [4]

130:1, 3; 132:8; 135:13; 137:7; 138:4, 8; 139:1, 4, 17, 19, 21, 23; [6]

140:1, 4, 6ff; 141:3, 8; 142:5; 143:1, 7, 9, 11; 144:5, 9; 145:10 [6]

These Psalms have 277 verses in which the Psalmist addresses God by saying, “O . . .” These vocatives for deity occur at least 295 times in the Psalms.

This data instructs us that Christian music used to worship God should regularly use the vocative form “O” to address God.

In Interpretation, Music

Acceptable Music for Corporate Worship class

January 22, 2018

Lord willing, I will begin teaching a 15-week Bible college class Acceptable Music for Corporate Worship this Thursday! Through this class, I hope to disciple several Spanish students to know, understand, and do what the Bible teaches about this vital subject.

The students in this class will read the book of Psalms and La Batalla por La Música Cristiana, the Spanish translation of The Battle for Christian Music by Tim Fisher. They will memorize select passages about music, They will also write a paper on what the book of Psalms teaches about acceptable instrumental music for corporate worship.

I praise God for the opportunity to teach a college-level class on this subject!

In CCM, Ministry, Music

New Hymnal Supplement and My First Published Hymn!

December 21, 2017

Praise Glorious is a new hymnal supplement that my church Mount Calvary Baptist produced this year! I am very grateful that it includes my first published hymn O Sinner, Hear!, a song that I wrote more than 10 years ago.

This hymn has been sung in several churches, including as a special at my church. The hymn highlights how God wants all mankind to hear His urgent message to repent and turn to Him because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through the Man whom He raised from the dead and has appointed to be the Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 17:30-31).

In Christian Books, Mount Calvary Baptist Music Ministry

Adult Beginning Guitar Class!

December 16, 2017

Lord willing, I will be teaching an adult beginning guitar class for Majesty Music Academy in Spring 2018. If you know of anyone in the Greenville, SC area who might be interested in learning guitar by enrolling in a guitar class, please let them know about this opportunity.

In Guitar Music, Ministry

Should Christians Use Good Music from Ungodly Sources?

November 9, 2017

Balaam professed that the Lord was his God (Num. 22:18). Yet, both Testaments record that he was a wicked man who harmed God’s people greatly (Num. 31:16; Rev. 2:14).

God gave profound authentic revelation about the Messiah through him (Num. 24:15-19). God has even inscripturated that revelation for all time in the Bible.

Theologians have rightly used the authentic revelation given by God through Balaam in spite of his wickedness. We can and should learn doctrine and edify one another through the recorded oracles of Balaam that God has given to us in Scripture.

Similarly, God’s people have used songs or musical pieces that accurately convey truth about God even though they have been written by otherwise perverse people.

Given that the former practice (using divine revelation given through Balaam) is indisputably proper, are there any valid reasons to hold that it is improper for us to use good music that has been produced by ungodly sources? Should Christians use good music from ungodly sources?

In CCM, Discipleship, Theology

Oboe, Cello, Viola, and Guitar Quartet of “Always the Same”

October 4, 2017

“Always the Same” is a beautiful hymn by Ron Hamilton that extols how Jesus is unchanging. Recently, four of us from my church ministered this hymn as an oboe, cello, viola, and guitar quartet.

In Guitar Music, Mount Calvary Baptist Music Ministry

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