18/05/2024
THE POWER OF MUSIC- HOW PRAISE TEAMS/CHOIR AND INDIVIDUAL BELIEVERS SHOULD HANDLE MUSIC-By Elder Banda DC
(Lengthy but worth reading!)
"I have been taught the word of God more from music 🎶 than preachers standing in Front", he said. So this is a statement from a colleague as we were discussing the power of music and that last week I felt the urge to write on this topic.
Most of us when we were young believers were told to mind the music that we listened to. Music has a great influence on our lives and should not be underrated. A pastor/musician who was delivered from occultism as a result of his previously being into secular music and not being born again testified that these secular Musicians are initiated into satanism. The music industry is rough to pe*****te, so in order to make it many are forced to join the occult/satanism. Of course not every secular Musician is into satanism. However, there is a danger of getting a wrong spirit from music and one can easily be influenced negatively.
One Sunday after church service, I asked to meet the praise team. I asked them how the praise and worship was that day. They told me it was powerful as people were dancing and enjoying the praise and worship service. Then I responded: "The service was dry and what you were doing was Bustele (Cheerleading)!" Then some of them agreed and confirmed that indeed they were in the flesh. Yes people can dance and jump up and down during praise and worship without the move of the Holy Spirit.
No wonder those in praise and worship need to take time to pray and be standing right before God. Iwe you don't pray and you have no personal time to worship God, then you think you can lead us into worship. You can't lead people where you have not been! If we asked you to preach on Sunday what will you do? Apart from researching and preparing your sermon, you will probably go into prayer and fasting. But ba praise/choir why are you so casual about ministering to us through praise and worship?
Like we stated at the begin, there are people who actually get ministered to more through praise and worship. Manje imwe you don't pray, you don't attend bible study and Prayer meetings and you are even late for church then you run straight to sing. Like seriously?!!
Many years ago, a Crusade was organised and a popular gospel singer was invited. He sang so well and people were excited. Then one elderly brother asked that he be allowed to sing the same song the musician had just sang. So he begun to sing and the people who came started crying, falling and confessing their sins. The organisers asked him what was different about him. He told them, it was because he taried in prayer. What we see with most of these praise teams is just like a variety show and not ministry! Having a nice voice and singing so well doesn't mean you are ministering. Even circular Musicians have nice voices.
Manyimbo nayo, they are coping from the world! I don't sing or dance to certain songs like nukonkha newo and Olo munizonde because they have their origins from the circular! The bible says "sing unto the Lord a new song" and that every time Angels look at the throne of God, they see a new thing and they sing to him a new song. Therefore, new songs come from worshipping God. New songs come from understanding scripture. As the Praise team, you need to sing to us in Psalms and hymns, Spiritual songs and Thanksgiving.
Tikambepo napa conduct yama praise team members! Bakashana who are not morally upright and tuma Yo-bally are destroying this wonderful ministry! Ngati nitubanyamata twa vilimba Mamama, those are worse! Very proud, arrogant and in the flesh! Recently, a brother complained that his phone was stolen in church by the boys bavilimba when he left it in their care to charge it for him. I exclaimed: "Those boys are not born again. Nituma yo-bally!" Then he agreed. Olo uniform sutufuna ovala...kabwela na chi-extra large T-Shirt na ka don't touch my shoe kalibe na ma socks na shaggy hair or unkempt dread locks...Let me leave it here! Your dress code, your appearance and conduct in and out of church should be to the glory of God ba Praise!
I have alot to say but let me me conclude by talking about how believers should respond to music or praise and worship in church. When I was young, I could be excited and dance to every song in church. Just hearing the beat, before you know it, pilikiti I was already in the aile or in front dancing! Notice how people in church get excited and ululate the moment the beat or the actual song which is most loved in your church is started. For me, it took Our Bishop to preach that we need to celebrate the word of God in the music and not just jump up to any song for me to adjust. So we need to take time to listen to the word of God in each song. We have to celebrate the word of God in the song. When you begin to do so, you will even discover that certain songs we sing have no word content. Or that making us dance to the left, to right and forward forward is not even spiritual! Also, you will notice that some of the music we call gospel is not gospel but social music!
