thread from the music lounge

[SabianKnight]

Guys there is a thread in the Music Lounge asking are gospel musicians more talented than secular...



We have had similar topics here before but I wanted to post my reply from that thread here (http://forums.learngospelmusic.com/index.php/topic,21289.0.html) :

Anytime a question along these lines comes up I think church folk tend to try and determine how and whom God has blessed or the direction/place he has callled someone to be. We have to learn to leave that learned/assumed aspect out of the equation because their are some truley saved and annointed musicians working in the secular arena for God's purpose which is beyond our understanding.

Beyond the forementioned the answer to this question is in preparedness. Truth be told secular musicians more times than not are more knowledgable and more skilled in the their instrument and the craft/art of music. Secular musicians take on mmor responsibility and accountability to the stewardship of the gift. I find that church musicians/singers use the anointing as a crutch when God gave them responsibility to nurture the gift and produce/multiply. We are directed to seek wisdom... We are warned that we perish for lack of knowledge... We are promised that wisdom will exault us... We are taugt that Jesus even as a child sat with the scholars and said that He had to be about His Father's buiness. Elisha submitted to the teaching/training/guidance of Elijah yet most church music ministers (directors/singers/minstrels) do not subject themselves to learning  what the promote/present/proclaim. Yet they say they are working for God. That lack of preparedness is a disrespectful tribute to the Father because it is not ones best.

Ministries should truly raise up their own by investing in proper and full teaching of all it's ministers especially the music ministers which usher/invoke the Presence of God and the presentation of the Word. Disciplined teaching and proper professional instruction especially with the youth. Train a child (which we all are regardles of age) up in the way they should go. We have allowed situations and short-sightedness (yes I made up a word...) to direct us down this wide path of lack in real musical/music ministry development. This is why questions like these keep coming up. Doing less than the best God meant for us is flat wrong.

How do you know what greatness God has for us? One word, dominion. We were meant to walk in dominion on this earth. Dominion is mastery. It's not about ego it is about accepting/maintaining our rightful and pre-ordained position. Reading and writing music, speaking in proper terminology, conducting ourselves in professional musicians  etiquet/procedure(s) so that the Holy Spirit can do it's right work in and through us. We are accountable for our works which are being recorded. Let us bear good fruit and much of it instead so many ill-prepared cliche players that inherit the curse of ill-prepared music ministries. When yo uknow better d obetter. By some books and intstructional DVDs and go to professional clinics instead of PlayStation, X-Box and some a fake-shout infested concert that needs a drive-oiling before God can move. (I am repping for the drummers but this isn't about instruments it about purpose and responsiility)

Be blessed.

[ChannelOne]

Great post, doc!

By some books and intstructional DVDs and go to professional clinics instead of PlayStation, X-Box and some a fake-shout infested concert that needs a drive-oiling before God can move.

...and if you can't say Amen, say "ouch"!

[Eccentric-Rhythm]

Great post, doc!

By some books and intstructional DVDs and go to professional clinics instead of PlayStation, X-Box and some a fake-shout infested concert that needs a drive-oiling before God can move.

...and if you can't say Amen, say "ouch"!

I was thinking the same thing... 

God Bless.

[kadman92]

Sabian....

I'm glad you feel so strongly, it's not about if we are better than secular musicians. 

Secular  musicians are motivated by the love for music and the love of money and fame.  Not all but most.

some Gospel musicians are motivated by the same things unfortunately but not nearly as many.

I am motivated by my love to serve and see my gift used to bless and tear walls down so that people can receive what God has prepared for them.  I thank God for the ANNOINTING he adds to my gift so that my music has power that secular music can only dream of havinig.   Even on my WORST day, I would get compliments on my playing, it's the annointing that took what I played and made it better.

so to ask if gospel musicians are better is mute.  If you are not annointed or allowing the annoiting to control your gift than you're making the same noise as the world and controled by pride.

[SabianKnight]

Sabian....

I'm glad you feel so strongly, it's not about if we are better than secular musicians. 

Secular  musicians are motivated by the love for music and the love of money and fame.  Not all but most.

some Gospel musicians are motivated by the same things unfortunately but not nearly as many.

I am motivated by my love to serve and see my gift used to bless and tear walls down so that people can receive what God has prepared for them.  I thank God for the ANNOINTING he adds to my gift so that my music has power that secular music can only dream of havinig.   Even on my WORST day, I would get compliments on my playing, it's the annointing that took what I played and made it better.

so to ask if gospel musicians are better is mute.  If you are not annointed or allowing the annoiting to control your gift than you're making the same noise as the world and controled by pride.

 I respect that.

I have however seen secular performances that have come from pure motives and pure hearts and people's lives have been changed for the better. There is no denying that that was God having blessed that purity. So many times we discount the lack of mentioning God to be an absence of God. We have to remember that His Word says that not all whom cry Lord, Lord are for/with Him. (By no means am I questioning your motives etc kadman2). We Christians have to be careful not to box God in is my point.

Personally I don't generally use the word anointed because it is so frivilously thrown about by folk in church that have not committed to working/developing themselves in their giftings/path/purpose. They all too often relegate the term to nothing but an excuse. In my opinion. we should expect to see God's best in the church environment. It should be presented better than in the "world" yet, more times than not we don't because people make excuses for ourselves and one another. This happens in the best of ministries. I hope this situation is addressed by more individuals within our churches.

We are all finished works under renovation,  .

[kadman92]

I do feel ya sabian.  We do have  to master our gift through practice and education.

  I learned to play the keyboard/piano when I was yet a child in the world.  I became an average musician, I could read music, slowly, but I could read.  I had a good ear and could finger most songs out.  My bigest mistake was focusing on buying sheet music of popular music and learning from that.  I should have continued my studies, rather than thinking it was to boring and tedeous. I later played in the Navy on my ships band and enjoyed just playing music again.  I loved just the music.

  After being born again I was astounded of what I was able to do while playing for church during praise and worship.  I told folk I didn't  know HOW I did that run but it just happened.  I was later told it was God's annointing.  True annointing can even EDUCATE in some ways.   I have continued discovering NEW runs, rifs, chords, progressions.. you name it.  I have retained the things that I have discovered while playing in God's service.  However, I want to go back to school and posibly make Music one of my majors other than engineering and art.  I have procrastinated at the fear of going back to school and made excuse after excuse.  I'm 35 years  old and God as my witness I will do these things before I reach 40