Music In The Church

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I can hold. A daily program powered by the Truth Network. This is kind of a great thing, and I'll tell you what. Where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. Speak your mind.

And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. Welcome to Truth Talk Live. This is Peter Rosenberger. Glad to be with you today. I trust that you are all digging out from the ice storm.

Those of you who are in the way of that and the wintry weather, we still haven't had it here in Montana. I had 50 degrees yesterday. It's. It feels like spring out here. I mean, when you have 50 degrees in Montana, that's picnic weather.

And I'm stunned.

So we're either going to pay for it with a very, very snowy February, March, and April, and May, and June. or we're going to have a terrible fire season this summer. I don't know which, but I trust that you are okay, and I'm glad to be with you today. 86634 TRUTH 866-348 7884. I want to talk today about church music.

Now, we talked about this a little bit ago, and I'm circling back to it because I don't think on the last time we talked about it, I don't think we unpacked enough of it. And the phone lines lit up. A lot of people wanted to talk about this some more.

So I want to spend a little bit more time on this subject. And I'd like to hear from you if you sing, if you're a guitarist, if you play keys, bass, drums. Banjo, I'll accept banjo. And an accordion, well, we'll see. But if you're in the choir.

Does your church still have a choir? Do you have an organ like a B3 with a Leslie speaker? Or do you have a pipe orchid at your church? You know what's going on in your music program at your church? And if this is something that is important to you at your church, the music program, and if you're a pastor who oversees worship, I really want you in this conversation.

And Here are a couple of questions I'd like to ask you. If you're a guitarist, and you're playing in your church's worship team. Do you bend a note?

Well, you bend a note. You're playing a praise song, and you'll bend a note. Would you do that? Do you do it timidly or do you really go after it? Do you feel comfortable doing that?

If you're on keys. will you throw a flat nine into the mix? Here's what a flat nine sounds like. And would you would you play these kind of chords on a worship song? Does that fit the decorum of your church?

Does that fit the style of worship that you have at your church? And if not, would you like it to? Or if so, would you like it to stop doing it? I'm interested to get the temperature on this, and I'll tell you why. A long time ago when I was studying music in Nashville, we were I was at Belmont University, what used to be Belmont College then, but I got a buddy of mine who just an insanely good keyboard player.

ended up playing big stuff on the road with with major artists and ju just really good. And he was playing at a local church right down the the road really from the from the university. And it was a very big church. Um I won't tell you what type of church it was. It just, the name of the church rhymed was Smaptist.

How about that? But it was a big church. And he threw in a major seven chord like this. A major seven chord. And he just was throwing in a little bit of color to the song that he was playing.

And he, this guy, I can't tell you how good this guy was. I mean, he really was, and he still is. And we just actually talked about this. Here we are 40 something years later when this happened. And the pastor, the senior pastor, called him into his office and just chewed him out.

for playing what he called those barroom courts. Barroom Courts I didn't know a major seven was a barroom core, but that's okay. And I thought, well, surely we're past that now. Surely we're past this thing where. We've had contemporary music in our church services for a long time, and You know Surely we're not there.

But not that I mean to call you Shirley. Uh but yet I've I'm hearing more that we still are. That people are getting worked up by what kind of chord we play in a church. Are you? Does that bother you?

I remember one time I was playing this back when I lived in Nashville, and My pastor had asked me to play At our church, as people were coming into the sanctuary, because it was real loud and boisterous, and he wanted something to kind of calm it down, to give some reverence to it. And I do a lot of hymn arrangements, so I'm playing. And I throw in all kinds of courts.

Now, this is at, well, I'll tell you, the church it was at. It was the church where that shooting was, the coveted. School there in Nashville was at the sanctuary of that church. You go out and look at it. It's a very formal church, beautiful seven-foot Steinway at the front.

And, you know, people are, it's a Presbyterian church, so we're not exactly, you know, Presbyterian, the dead in Christ shall rise first. And that's where Presbyterians come in.

So we're going to get to heaven first. You know, if we have motion sensor lights in a Presbyterian sanctuary, they're going to go off, you know. A third of the way into the service, and we'll just have to sit there in the dark until the sermon's over because there's not a lot of demonstrative things going on there.

So I'm playing these hymn arrangements that I do. And he came across the front and he was lighting the candles there right over my left shoulder. And I'm kind of, the piano was. There and I'm my left side is facing to the congregation, and he's right over my left shoulder lighting a candle. And I'm playing a hymn arrangement.

I thought it was a very nice arrangement. And I play very reflectively, I'm not up there doing. Keyboard gymnastics. And I hit this really nice flat nine. Progression that I was doing.

And I kind of whispered over my shoulder: I said, You know, I can get brought up on charges for that court in some churches. And he put his head down and started laughing while he's trying to light the candles. You know, I love music. I love all kinds of music. And I think it has a place.

in our worship service For skilled musicians, I go back to Psalm 33:3, play skillfully before the Lord. And I'm curious to see what the temperature is for so many churches. I watched at the Charlie Kirk Memorial last fall that there was a, I think they had a lot of different kinds of big worship songs and so forth. And then something remarkable happened. They had a.

point where they just sang a hymn a cappella. And you had all these thousands and thousands of people singing a hymn, a cappella, and it was glorious. And I thought Does the church have some work to do in this area? Are we kind of phoning some things in? Are we really going deep?

Are we pushing our musicians to play better? Are they skilled at what they do? but then don't really know The gospel very well, but they're really good, so we let them play. Or are they Really sincere and earnest, but they really could use some work with their skills and their chops. The church used to be a place where music was taught.

You know, I remember when I was young taking piano lessons, I went to a church. to take piano lessons. That's where the piano teacher was. You know, the church was the place that cultivated so much of Western music. And we've gotten away from that.

And I I'm I'm a big fan of letting Kids get up and sing at church and play instruments at church because when you find kids that have talent, Here's the deal. They're either going to play in bars or they're going to play in church. Which do you prefer? And who's instructing them and who's training them? And are we training them on why music is important?

What does it do for the service? What's going on there? Do we have rules about music theory and the type of chords that we use or the type of beat that we use? But we don't have An understanding of theology that we're imparting to our musicians. Is this something that That you ever think about?

Or is it something that bothers you? Would you sit in church and listen to the music being played? Does it engage you? Do you want to sing with it? Do you know the songs?

And is there a difference in the way you respond when you hear, for example, a contemporary praise song? versus a hymn. That you've known your entire life, do you respond differently to that? I like at that Charlie Kirk Memorial where people just started singing a cappella. with the great hymns of the faith.

And you could tell there was just an Just a real zeal for that. I've played a lot of funerals in my life. And every funeral I've ever played, people want to hear. hymns of the faith. Do you know them?

Do you like them? Are they played well at your church? Um do you play them? And what are some things that you do to incorporate that? 866-34-TRUTH, 866-348-7884.

This is Truth Talk Live. We'll be right back. Truth Talk Live. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live.

This is Peter Rosenberger. Glad to be with you today. If you want to be a part of the program 866-34-TRUTH. That's 866-348. 78, 84.

We're talking about music in church and whether or not you see. Changes, people need to do something different, or you want to see something different, or you have some concerns about it, whatever's on your heart and mind. Let's go to Matthew in Dayton, Ohio. Matthew, welcome to the program. What do you know today?

Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. I was just reflecting on what you were saying. I'm a teacher at a school and of course we have chapel and worship and I know that there's a fine line between uh really there's a challenge among the the worshiper leader to you know, lead worship. Perform well because if they don't perform well, the audience tends to struggle to worship.

But also uh worship themselves while they're performing. But then sometimes that becomes too much of a performance. And that can become a distraction and It also seems like that people who are musician and musically gifted. Um the more the better.

So, and I don't know much about music, and I heard you talking about chords and those things, and I don't know very much about that. I'm sure if I were more musically gifted, I would want to. show what I've learned and what I've achieved over the years. Um but sometimes it feels like especially among the singer, where all of the extra that they do Um can really maybe even unintentionally draw focus on them Rather than the glory of God. Not that that's what they're trying to do, but just from somebody who's in the audience, that's sometimes the feeling.

That I get.

So, you know, singing a hymn without music a few months ago, we lost sound in our worship service. And to me it was awesome. I like hearing the voices. I hear you. I love it.

I love a cappella singing. And that's one of the reasons I don't particularly like playing electronic instruments because when the power goes out, you're out of luck. But I mean, you know, that's part of it. I mean, I'm a pianist, so I play an acoustic piano. I mean, I play keyboards and all that kind of stuff.

Our church will want us to invite people at Christmastime, and I always feel like that's the least. I'm least interested in inviting people at Christmas time because sometimes we have this Loud rocking Service And I and I was a rocker back in my day. But um It it just doesn't seem to fit the um I don't know the reverence Uh of of that occasion. And I'm aware that when we go to heaven, there might be several stages Of different types of music and different types of people worshiping. And I know, of course, if you go to different churches, you know, culture is different.

And what may seem ostentatious to me might just be joy and celebration to somebody else. It does, and I think you know, as we talk about this, Method, and I'm listening to you. You know, pastors don't have to know how to teach music lessons, they don't have to know about music. That's not what they're called to do. They're called to preach the gospel.

and make disciples. And one of the things I sense a lot of times is that a lot of people in the music ministry. would benefit more from being discipled And less being managed musically. I mean, there's got to be a point where you really know your instrument before you. Get up on stage and start playing for people.

I mean, there has to be some level of skill there. But the more you plow into them the understanding of the worship service. what we're here to accomplish. What's what is the goal here? And once you have that conversation with people, it it changes the way they play.

And so then you find those people and you encourage them to continue developing their skill set, but it's always under the tutelage of what are we trying to do here? You know, and if you get it, like you said, when you get something that gets a little bit more performance-oriented, it's almost like they're auditioning for America's Got Talent. And you see that. I've seen it all over the place. You see it in Christian music, you see it in churches, you see it on Christian television and media and everything else.

But but Then you'll see those ones who are just Absolutely. uh determined to lay back They don't have to over play, they don't have to over sing. And I've noticed that there are some churches that really get that, and then some that, unless they're just yelling and screaming and. cavorting and everything else, they don't feel like they've had church. Exactly, right.

And so, where do you go for that? What is that?

So, how do you steer that? You know, what are your thoughts?

Well, how would you steer that? Yeah. No, no, I think what you're saying is true about All the members of the church, the worship team, the custodial staff, the teaching team, that everybody would have. A level of discipleship and just drawing closer to Christ, and allow that to be the guide rather than everybody's opinion. 'Cause everybody has opinion about the worship.

And so it's a difficult task. I always just felt like there should be a genuineness that comes across, and how do you communicate that? I'm not sure.

So even though if I'm listening to worship and it's not my preference, I try not to be critical of it because I think, well, I wouldn't know how to do it any differently or any better.

So I do try to separate preference from For example, Is that are those appropriate lyrics? Are those even biblical lyrics? Does this tone of the music seem to fit the occasion, or is it striving for something? Maybe less glorifying of the Lord, and maybe more glorifying. of ourselves which, like I said, can be done unintentionally.

It can be. It it's done a lot of times out of ignorance. They they really don't know. I'll give you an example. I was watching some years ago on Christian television, and there was a group up there, and I think I mentioned this one time on the air, but It bears repeating because it was such a memorable moment.

And there was a group up there just wailing. I mean, the base was thumping. They were grooving. I mean, it was like, you know, my goodness, Greg. I mean, like, you know, earthwind and fire level.

I mean, they just really get. And they're thumping around, and everybody's singing, and just you know, the whole everybody's clapping and everything else. Here's what they were singing: here are the lyrics they were singing. I have been crucified with Christ. I have been crucified with Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ. And the bases, I have been crucified. And I thought, they have no idea what they're singing. Those lyrics are not matching up with that music. And I'm all for it.

I mean, get out there and thump with the bass and just do everything you got to do. But make sure you understand. What you're singing? What what are you saying? I have been crucified with Christ.

Well, because I work with young people, I certainly see and hear the conversation of That was good worship. Why? Because I felt it. Rather than that was good worship. Why?

Because because of the message of the lyrics or because You know, so it's like, are we trying to create a feeling Well, and I'm not opposed to feeling, but yeah, but CSM has covered this. He covered this in the abolition of man in the first chapter, Men Without Chest, and he had this this discourse about a guy, the way the way we're describing things, we're describing it and giving it value because of the way it made us feel. And it's worth your time to take a read on this. Is it good because it made me feel good? Exactly, yeah.

Or is it good because we glorified God and it instructed the people and it equipped the people to endure? And there is a difference. And um Huge difference, by the way. And so your mind could. Your mind could then say, well, because I don't feel good, I don't have to worship.

Which you're not commanded to feel good, then worship. You're just commanded to worship. Right. Go ahead.

Well I'll give you an example. Um when my wife came out of surgery After losing her remaining leg.

Now, she's already been a single amputee for four years, now she's going to be a double amputee. And they're wheeling her out of out of surgery and taking her into the ICU. And I was there, I watched it happen.

Now my wife's a no-kidding singer, and she can throw down with the best of them. But she's on the gurney and she had her hands raised and she's singing The Doxology. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. All blessings flow. It wasn't about her feeling good because I promise you she didn't.

She just lost her remaining leg. And yeah, but good theology always results in a doxology. And that's Truth Talk Live. Thank you, Matthew, for the call. We'll be right back.

You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome to Truth Talk Live. I'm so glad to be back with you, 866-34-TRUTH, 866-348-7884. We're talking about music in the church. And do you have a thought on that?

Do you have an opinion on it? Have you run into challenges with it? Or have you seen things that are saying, oh man, that's the way it needs to be done? And everybody's got thoughts on this. You know, whether or not you want to express them or not, that some people feel a little bit nervous about it and say, well, I'm not qualified.

Well, there's qualified musically and then there's qualified. To be able to speak with discernment into it and to help people better understand. what the purpose is. And and I am of the mindset that Pastors are not called to give music lessons. They're called to give the gospel.

And the more you plow the gospel into your musicians, the more it's going to change the way they approach the worship service. Oh, if you want to weigh in on that, 866-34 TRUTH. 866 3487884. And I closed the last block, and I was telling you about Gracie singing the doxology when she came out of surgery after giving up her remaining leg. Praise God from whom all blessings flow and she's got her hand raised on the gurney.

She it wasn't about her thoughts. Feeling like she had worship. It was about her worshiping. Period, no matter how she felt about it.

Now I'm going to tell you another story, because I just you just heard Johnny Erickson Tata's Wheel for Wheels for the World ad that she did on this program. And uh I know Johnny very well, and she does wheels for the world.

Well, we started a prosthetic limb outreach. After Gracie gave up her legs, she wanted to be able to help her fellow amputees. And we started in West Africa, in Ghana. We've been doing it now for over 20 years. And there was a man that wrote A A letter to me from an internet cafe.

Some of you don't even know what that is anymore because internet is so widely available, but at the time, He had to go sit in a place and write me a letter, and we corresponded literally for months and months and months trying to work this out. And his son was twenty one years old. Who was working as an electrical lineman, and there was an accident, and he was electrocuted, and both of his arms. Were amputated. He was electrocuted so much that this is what happened.

So he lost his hands below the elbow. And he asked if we could help provide hands.

Well, we do prosthetic legs. The ministry is called Standing With Hope. hands very much. But because it's a little bit more involved, the parts-wise, and then the other thing is there's not the bang for the buck, if you will. Um because you can't reproduce prosthetic light was at least at the time what you can with feet.

For example, Gracie can get up and walk. She even learned how to snow ski as a double amputee, but with hands, you don't have the dexterity of your fingers. You know, we haven't, technology hasn't really gotten that far, and it's certainly not at that time. But this boy was basically having to cup a bowl to eat like a dog. And he couldn't take care of himself.

And so we thought, okay, we'll make him the hands, the hooks. and that way he can care for himself. better. And so we did this, but there's a lot of little pieces involved. There was a whole bunch of things going on that we the power kept going off, and we had to keep.

adjusting I mean there were it was it was pretty involved to do this. On the last night That we were there, the power went off for the, they shut it off for the whole weekend. And so we're just, this is on a Friday night. There's no more power, but we had already made the arms. but we hadn't quite attached em yet, and I had two prosthetists with me, Um and they they were working on each arm.

And trying to put him on, make the straps, and you have to do it so he can learn how to flex his muscles and all those kinds of things to make the hooks open up so that he can use them and properly care for himself.

So we had to move outside. And we moved out on a excuse me on a ramp. That was made by Johnny and friends team. They had just been there the summer before and they built this ramp because there used to be just a board going into this place where the prosthetics were made over a ditch. Which is pretty dangerous for people missing limbs and wheelchairs and everything else.

And so Johnny and friends had made this ramp, a concrete ramp.

So we wheeled this guy out there. And well, not wheel, but he walked out there, but we set him down, and I had a prosthetist on each arm, and we had the headlights of the van. on him so we could see. And then I had my nephew there and he had a video camera that he was holding. This is back before our phones did all these things, and he would use the light from the video camera so we can see closely.

And we we did it. I I think we hold the record still for building two prosthetic arms by headlight in Ghana. I think we probably hold the record for that.

So we got it done. And then I held out my keycard for my room that we stayed in uh at the hotel there in in Accra. And he reached out with his new Hook. On his hand, and he was able to get it. and with by just flexing his muscle grab it from my hand and hold on to it.

It it was it was quite extraordinary. And then The father looked at me and he said, You you gave me your word that you would do this for my boy and you did it. And then there was a spontaneous eruption of praise. And for everybody there, family, and the kid, and and the father, and everybody, the team members, and they all sang the doxology. Praise God from whom all just like Gracie did.

of years earlier when she lost her remaining leg. And so this kid's got his two hooks raised to heaven Sitting on this ramp made by Johnny and friends. with two new arms provided w by standing with hope.

Now, I want you to think about all the kind of things that went involved in that. A woman with quadriplegia launched a ministry. that helped people with disabilities and they ended up one of their teams building a ramp, a woman missing both legs and 98 surgeries.

now has launched another ministry to help people get prosthetic limbs. And here's this boy. raising his hand, singing the doxology. That's That hymn was is universal. and it's universal in everything about it.

And it was one of those moments where the music captured everything. And God got the glory. There was no vocal gymnastics, there was no band, there was no sound system, there was no flat nine chords or anything like that. There was just people giving praise to God. In the midst of great difficulties, and we don't have to say the worship made me feel good.

The guy's still missing his arms, Gracie's still missing her legs, Johnny's still in a wheelchair. But we're giving glory to God for something greater than all of these things. And what does Paul say? This stuff is not even worthy to be compared to what awaits us.

Now that's his testimony of this, because God showed him these things. And the question we have to ask is do we believe that?

So is worship meant to make us feel good? Are we supposed to say, well, that worship was good? It made me feel good. It made me feel like we had church. Are we supposed to be edified?

as we worship God corporately. By by growing stronger, being able to endure and to stand firm. and to to give glory to God in this. Was God glorified in this, or were we just made to feel better? And those are hard questions to ask, but they need to be asked.

They need to be asked of every musician who gets up on a stage because, as Matthew said, you know, sometimes it can get a bit fleshy. You know, when you got people out there clapping for you and all that kind of stuff, it gets a little bit. There you go. Seductive. And you got lights, and you got all kinds of stuff, and you're doing all kinds of performance stuff, and it can be a bit seductive.

So what are we doing here? And how do we help people like that? How do you manage people that are really, really, really talented? And I'll give you an example of somebody. He's called the father of church music.

Do you know who that is? It's back. Buck was the father of church music. and he was pretty hard to handle. At one point he was trying to leave one of the places where he's working and and the guy got mad at him, put him in prison.

I mean, he had him incarceration. I mean, he wasn't technically in bars and chains, but they they had him under arrest for about a month or so. And during that time he wrote the The Well-Tempered Clavier. Uh a lot of that piece is what they say. But You know, how'd you like to supervise that guy?

mean, this guy set the standard. There's nobody even like him. And and he was very committed to Church music giving glory to God. He signed all of his pieces SDG, Solo De Gloria. Which is one of the five pillars of the Reformation.

He was an ardent. A student of Luther who died a hundred years before Bach was born, but he was committed to making sure his music. Glorified God. that was i and and it sets the standard for it. But he would have been very hard to supervise as a pastor, don't you think?

But let me tell you something about Bach. You may not know this. He came home from one trip. and found that his wife had died and had been buried. And he married twice in his life after his first wife died, but he had twenty children by both women.

But only ten of em made it to adulthood. The father of church music had to bury ten children.

Now think about that for a moment. He didn't need A music teacher. for his pastor, but he did need a pastor. He did need somebody. to share with Him the faithfulness of God.

the things of God. The things that sustain us when looking at unspeakable tragedy, buried ten. children and his wife.

Well, he didn't even get to bury his wife. She was already buried when he got there. That kind of grief You know This is this is where I think we have in the church an opportunity here to help These enormously talented people. Be able to walk steadfast in the things of God.

So that when they get out on stages and when they're out there performing, that they're able to effectively point people to the Saviour. And when you're playing for applause, it's hard to do that. And you're not there to create a feeling where you got, you know, I'm just going to get the mood right.

Sometimes I feel like that's what happens a lot in churches. This is what Matthew alluded to: that we want to generate a feeling, whether it's through loud music or something that's really kicking and get everybody all excited like a pep rally, or we want to just hang out, you know, and just, you know, you've seen it when you go. But everybody just stay right here. And we'll just do this for about, you know, 20 minutes. You know it's just and then after a while you just gotta like Come on, John.

I mean, can you can you at least resolve the you know... You know, resolve the song. I mean, play the song. We want to manipulate people's emotions on that. Is that what we're here to do?

Are we there to Give them truth. to help them understand the gospel better. And um You know, I'm all for soft music and things like that and setting the tone worship-wise. But Do we stop? Do we allow nice warm fuzzies?

to eclipse the the proper instruction of the gospel. Am I learning and growing? Am I being discipled through this music? That's why I love the hymn so much. And I'm a big fan of playing and arranging the hymns.

and giving them some texture to it. But I love the text of it and it always starts with the text. 866-34-TRUTH, 866-348. 7884. What are your thoughts on this?

866. 34 Truth. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is Truth Talk Live, and we will be right back. Truth top line.

You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. This is Peter Rosenberger. Glad to be with you, 866-34-TRUTH, 866-348. I'm seventy eight, eighty four.

86634 Truth. We're talking about music today in church music. It gets there's been a lot of conflict in churches over music. You have a lot of fights because you'll get the music director wants to do this, or the pastor wants to do this, whatever. And these are hard things.

um to to wrestle with at times. But I'm convinced that we have an opportunity here to Not train them to necessarily be better musicians. That's outside sometimes of the purview of those involved, but to be. better theologians. I think we're all called to be theologians at some level, maybe not, you know.

At an institution like a seminary or something like that, but we are called to learn the things of God. When you play in church, what are you trying to serve first? The song, the moment, or the people singing? And you know neither was serving the Lord. It is unto the Lord.

Um You know, is it something that when I play particularly when I take a hymn, for example. I I look at the text. Always start with the text. And say, okay, what is this text saying? What are we doing here?

And What is this going to mean to the people? And you've got to remember the person I play for the most is my wife. Who is dealing with the aftermath of now 98 surgeries? Both her legs are gone.

So when I played for her, and a lot of times I played for her in the hospital room, I brought keyboards into the hospital room. If it doesn't If it doesn't equip and strengthen, and fortify somebody in the ICU. Then why are you doing it? Does it does it do that? Uh I told you the story when her leg, she was in surgery following the surgery last year, one of the 11 she had last year.

And they took the stitches out, the plastic surgeon. She was laying down with it when the plastic surgeon had just left. And I came in and she wanted to sit up, so I helped her sit up, and the entire leg just split open. I mean, it was ten inches, at least. Minimum.

And and Four inches wide, and it reminded me that day of why I went to music school and not medical school. And and she's about ready to, you know, hyperventilate here. as you can imagine. And I'm immediately Helped her lay back down quickly and I went and stuck my head out the door. Called for the nurse and immediately directed everybody to get the surgical team back in here and so forth and so on.

And I went around to the other side of the bed because her left leg was closest to the door.

So they're all coming in at this point. I mean, we got a whole. bunch of people in there. and she's over there just breathing or trying to keep it together. And I grabbed her hand.

And I I said, don't look down, baby. Don't look down. Let me go here to the caregiver keyboard. And I said, Don't look down. And I didn't have the keyboard at the time, and I didn't really know what else to say.

So I just did this song. In my Light. Lord. Yeah. Glorified, and that's all I could think of.

So I'm just leading this, and she starts singing with me, and she's breathing hard in. Ma Lord, be glorified. And then she started singing this in My Leg Lord be glorified be glorified and and you you've These people have heard. Every kind of reaction. In a moment of crisis, they've seen people screaming, crying, passing out, throwing up, cussing, everything else, but I promise you.

That team of surgeons and nurses and everybody that was crowded in that room have never heard what they heard that moment. A simple little song In my leg, Lord be glorified.

Now why could she do that? what went on in her life and my life that that's where we went to. And I would love to take credit for it, but you know I can't. Y'all know me by now. You know I can't take credit for any of that stuff.

That's what happens when the Holy Spirit. is Working in our lives to redeem what was and making us more like Christ. And so I was able to properly Point her to someplace where she could just where she could find that strength and that endurance and that hope. That's the whole point. of all of this.

That's why we do music. And that doesn't mean you don't do fast songs. That doesn't mean you don't do up-tempo songs. Those are all fine. I love doing them.

Love playing them. But there's also a point of what are we trying to accomplish here? What what's the goal here? What are we trying to accomplish? You know that hymn, This Is My Father's World.

You know that one? Mm. This is where my fathers were. You know that one? Y'all know that one.

And uh... But if you think about it, you take it a little bit slower. This is my father's world. Oh, let me. Never for That Though Duh.

Wrong seems often so strong.

Now, if you're doing this at church, Do you think about how many people are out there in the congregation who are seeing things in their life that are wrong? that are hurtful, that are painful, and you sing that line, that the the wrong Seems oft so strong. God is the rule. Yet. And then you get to this course.

By the time you get here, this is my. Father's word The battle is I don't. Mm. Jesus. Is us Who died?

shall be satisfied. And earth and heaven. Be one. That is not done to make you feel better. And I don't know what the reaction is as you're listening to this over the radio, and probably saying, man, that boy needs some singing lessons.

And That's not done to make you feel better. That's done to tell you this is my Father's world. The battle is not done. Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven will be won. That this is my Father's world.

Oh, let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems all so strong, God is the ruler yet.

Now, what do you think that does to people who are just in anguish? It bolsters them, it strengthens them. particularly if you understand it yourself. When you're singing it, when you're playing it. And that's what we equip our musicians to do.

So if you're gonna s if you're gonna play something that has a groove that is just Insane. like Sir Duke from, you know, Stevie Wonder. If you got something on that level, Great, play it, but play it with understanding. Play with understanding of a theology of the gospel. Of what you are communicating, and also the dual understanding of.

Who is listening? Who is singing? Everybody is, Longfellow said. Every man leads life a life of quiet desperation.

So, if you're on the stage at your church and you're looking out at the congregation, just understand that. The statistics show that virtually everybody out there is dealing with something. And there are people there that are in marriages that are teetering. There are people out there that are involved in sexual sin. There are people out there that are involved with addiction.

There are people out there who are going through all kinds of things. And is your music speaking with clarity to that? Is what you're playing touching that. And if it's not, then why are you doing it? You don't have to play like Bach.

You don't have to be a studio session player. You don't have to do that. You can be, like I said in the last block, just standing outside a prosthetic clinic watching a young man with two prosthetic hands lifting him up to heaven and singing the doxology. because you understand the doxology. You understand the nature of our redemptive.

uh the redemptive work of God through Christ in our lives.

So the job, I think. based on all that would make more sense. That the goal is to not have so much music practice exclusively. But to have discipleship for your musicians.

So that the more they understand, the more they can take their amazing talents. and use them to the glory of God to edify and instruct the people. That's Church music. That's why Bach wrote at the end of all his pieces, S D G.

Sola Dea Gloria, To God be the glory. And are we doing that? Are we fostering that? in our churches. I gotta ask you, are we doing it?

And if we're not, Why not? Why not? Does the music Reflect the message of the sermon. Has there been that kind of communication between the musicians and the pastor? What are you preaching on this Sunday?

Okay. Let me find a song that amplifies that, that punctuates that, that that wraps around that. and drives that point home. How many times have you heard, This is my Father's World?

Now how many times have you thought about the lyrics that I just sang to you? That though the wrong seems all so strong. Because let me tell you something, there are a lot of people listening to this show right now. who were looking at wrongs that seem all so strong. You don't need to know how well I play the piano.

But you do need to know that God is the ruler yet. I don't like to tell people what they need to do or don't need to do, but we all need to know that God is who He says He is. And he is the ruler yet that though the wrong Seems oft so strong, He is the ruler. Yet. And that That is.

Truth Talk Live. And this is Peter Rosenberger. Thanks for spending an hour with me today. I appreciate it very much. If you want to see more about what I do, go out there to standingwithhope.com.

Standingwithhope.com. And you can see more of the prosthetic work, our work for caregivers, hear some great music. and more importantly, be ported to the light. We'll see you next time. Uh