The WORD is the Light!

There are so many passages of scripture that admonish us to "Praise the Lord", "Worship the Lord", "Give Thanks unto the Lord". These are essential elements to our relationship with God. When we do these things on a consistent basis, it allows little room for doubt, despair, anxiety, depression, worry, fear and any other negative emotion that satan may use to attack the Christian believer. All of these negative emotions represent darkness. But the Word of God is LIGHT. These two elements can not dwell in the same place at the same time. When darkness is present, there is no light. Similarly, when light is present, darkness disappears. That is the importance of PRAISE, WORSHIP, & THANKSGIVING. Not only do we Honor God and Our Savior, but it keeps us in a positive spirit of worship that does not give space for fear & anxiety. Remember the scriptures says, "Be careful for nothing [don't worry about anything], but by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known unto God. And the PEACE OF GOD which passes all understanding, shall KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7. 

~Be Blessed!!

True Worship

True worship comes from a pure heart. Our hearts must be purged from any "weights" that hold us back or hold us down. We must be open & honest before God - nothing hid. He already knows our strengths & weaknesses. We must HUMBLE ourselves and lay all of ourselves upon the altar. Lay aside our unforgiveness, our guilt, our defenses, our grudges, our need for accolades & acknowledgement, our desire to impress, our need to compete with others. The list goes on & on, but before True Worship can occur, we must be open & honest before the All Mighty God. Once we can do this, true worship & praise will take place with such power, that it will be totally beyond our comprehension. That's what took place when David praised God until he danced out of his clothes!!! When we have TRUE WORSHIP with God, we touch the HEART of GOD!!! "But the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and those who worship Him MUST worship in spirit and in truth." St. John 4:23~24 NKJV Be Blessed!

My sheep know my voice- Ministry doesn't need to mimic the world to draw sheep!

God's voice is very distinctive. In fact, EVERYTHING about God is distinct. He is above all, over all and through all. He has the preeminence over everything. Why then do some who minister the gospel through music feel that they have to sound like the world in order to attract the world? Some supposedly "gospel music" sounds so much like other genres that you can not discipher what is being heard. You must listen very closely to the lyrics in order to hear the message, which in many cases is "watered down". We don't have to be like the world to attract the world to Christ. There must be a distinct difference. The gospel, whether spoken or in music, should be distinguishable from anything else. It's message is so powerful when spoken, played or sung that there is no need to imitate anything else. It can stand ALONE. St. John 10:2-5 says, "But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear His voice; and HE calls His own sheep BY NAME, and leads them out. And when He puts forth His own sheep, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him: for THEY KNOW HIS VOICE. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him for they know not the voice of strangers." We are called to get the message out - in SPIRIT & in TRUTH. The TRUE sheep will hear. It is our job to lift Christ up, and HE will draw. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men unto me." St. John 12:32 ~Be Blessed!

Declaring the Glory of God

The perfect revelation of the the Lord is declared in God's handiwork..."The HEAVENS declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out the his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run a race. Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat. Psalms 19:1-6. NKJV
There is a saying that music is the "Universal Language". So, let the Holy Spirit speak through your ministry so that it too can "Declare the Glory of God" and be heard throughout the earth! ~Be Blessed

Let the Holy Spirit Breathe on you!

The 150th Psalm, is the culmination of the Book of Psalms. It tells us WHERE to Praise God, WHY to Praise, & HOW to Praise God. After listing all the various instruments on which to Praise God, the final verse says: Let "everyTHING" that has breath Praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord!" Do instruments have "breath"??? When a musician is TRULY IN TUNE with the Holy Spirit the "breath" of the Holy Spirit overtakes the musician, & the instrument and the musician become ONE by the Holy Spirit. I have witnessed it. It is an awesome sight to behold and an awesome sound that comes forth by the "breath" of the Holy Ghost. Musicians, get in tune with the Holy Spirit and let Him B-R-E-A-T-H-E on you!!!! Your ministry will soar!!!!

Flowing In the Spirit

Have you ever been a part of a choir, band, or praise team where the praise team leader or minister of music was not at all in tune with the spirit? How did it affect you and the service? Recently I visited a church where the music leader had no idea how to flow in the spirit. The music ministry lent absolutely no support to the man of God because it didn't set the atmosphere for anyone to be ushered into the presence of the Lord. The service was such a struggle to get through because it was like riding in a car with some one who is learning to drive a stick shift; you just keep jerking back and forth, starting and stopping. The music ministers sole focus was singing what the choir rehearsed rather than listening to what the spirit was saying. Don't misunderstand I appreciate rehearsing, rehearsing is important. But if the spirit moves in a different direction it's important to be in tune with it and to be flexible. Growing up I always remember my mom saying at choir rehearsal these are the songs we are going to rehearse but if the spirit moves a different way we will sing something else. From that I learned whenever I work with a choir or praise team it's important to build an arsenal of songs so that when the spirit moves you have something to pull from. How would you respond if your Pastor got up to preach and he said well I really am not prepared, I haven't been before the Lord, I haven't heard from the Lord, and I haven't been praying or reading the word so I'm just gonna preach this sermon I wrote down. You'd think he was crazy! Well ministering music is no different. As music ministers we have to STAY before the Lord and remain prayerful, open and flexible. We have to be able to hear His voice and listen when He speaks. It is so awesome when the pastor or minister and the music minister are both in tune with the spirit. The spirit of the Lord can flow so freely and so many souls can reap the benefits of being in his presence. A few Sundays ago our Pastor Leon M. Corder Jr. preached a sermon entitled "The Fight Is Fixed" and of course we had rehearsed a song to sing for invitation but because we were open, able to hear God, and flexible, God gave my husband a song to write, right there on the spot. We gathered quietly together and learned it and sang it for invitation and 10 souls came to Christ. That is the most important objective! The song reinforced the subject and sealed the message within the people. Church is like a hospital, people come with broken hearts, broken spirits, troubled minds, unforgiveness, addictions, and all kinds of sin. These people come with the desire to be ministered to, not just through the Word but also through song. When we minister effectively through song we begin to break down stoney hearts and break down walls and break through barriers that keep people from hearing the Word which convicts and saves souls. If we aren't in tune with what God is saying to us we cannot effectively minister to His people.

Please share your thoughts, I really want to hear what you have to say and connect with you. I want to know what some of your experiences have been and what are some of the things you do to insure you are in tune with the spirit.

Are You In The Right Ministry?

Hello and welcome to Learn Music and Ministry's brand new blog spot! We hope that you will join us and use this forum to share your thoughts and ideas as well as learn from the thoughts and experiences of others. I want to share my thoughts today about ministry and being sure that we as ministers are where God wants us to be. Or are we just singing, and playing because someone told us we were good at it. Have you heard the song "Called To Be" by Jonathan Nelson? It's an amazingly powerful song, and its really the inspiration for today's post . Have you ever asked your self if being a musician or minister of music, or praise team leader is truly what you are called to be? Most people choose a profession or office in the church based on what interests them without ever stopping to ask themselves is this what God has called me to be. Imagine how powerful our ministry can be if we are truly in touch with what God has called us to be and we actually operate in that knowledge. The scripture says in Romans 8:30-31 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Imagine going forth in ministry with that knowledge. As Ministers, Music Ministers, Praise Team leaders, Choir Members and the body of Christ it is our duty first to edify God. As we edify Him we minister to His people and they no longer see us but Him in us and that is what draws them to Christ. That is what uplifts them and encourages them to go into an intimate worship. Unfortunately my experience has been that many people sing in the choir, on the praise team or play instruments in the church for all the wrong reason without any idea how to minister. It is so important to take a step back and really ask yourself is this where I am supposed to be? Am I doing what God has called me to do? Or would I be better serving Him in another capacity. Because ultimately it's about God and ministering to His people and if we aren't doing that effectively then it's time to re-evaluate.