Seven-Eleven Music: Ephesians 5:19
Susan and I are having a great study together in the book of Ephesians. I have come to believe that Ephesians is the go-to book for a new ministry. It seems like the basics are all there: the gospel, prayer. our resources in Christ, unity, eschatology, church polity, the dynamics of biblical change, and even music.
Music has never been my big thing in the Christian life, and I always assumed it was just a preference issue until Susan and I got to verse nineteen of chapter five, then it hit me. The apostle Paul commands us to sing in the midst of the following context: edification. The primary purpose of music is to edify. This should be obvious (though it never has been to me) because Paul said to sing to each other in “psalms.” What is a psalm? It is truth set to a hymn, and without a doubt, Paul had the book of Psalms in mind. The book of Psalms is deep theology.
How ironic; in many churches, they preach from the book of Psalms, but the singing in the same churches will be set to “Seven-Eleven” music, or seven words repeated eleven times, otherwise known as “praise and worship” music. But to be honest, it is likely that churches who sing Seven-Eleven music also preach the same way: the same truth said different ways and repeated all year long. We call that “milk,” and not spiritual meat. Like the praise and worship music of our day, and the accompaniment of similar preaching, much of it will always be about one thing; the gospel, preached and taught 104 different ways per year. We call this Historical-Redemptive preaching (sorry, couldn’t help but to slip that in).
Music is a powerful way to remind us of truth. How often do you leave a department store with the difficulty of getting some tune out of your head, and often, a song you don’t even like! But even though the facts of the gospel are glorious, along with all of the trappings / blessings that come with it, I really think, “ok, we got it.” My point is this: church music should do more than jack us up emotionally, it should edify and replay truth in our heads all week long, with the great joy it also invokes.
The edifying songs are out there: A Mighty Fortress; Take My Life and Let it Be; Count the Cost; Praise Him in the Storm, and many, many more. Pay attention to your church’s music. Is it Paul’s kind of music, or 7/11 music?
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
Paul, I think I agree with you on this. Except, I’d take it about 9 yards further: When a church is not discipling people to do the hard work of becoming like Christ in our character, that we would be like Him in obeying as He obeyed the Father, I think most if not all of the music gongs hollow.
That’s why I prefer not to know the details of what is practiced at the churches I visit. When I know the truth, it makes my heart sink. If I don’t even ask that question, there’s a greater chance I can just focus on praising the Lord. But I would find it difficult to commit to a body that doesn’t approximate obeying that portion of the Great Commission.
In other words, if that body is getting discipleship right, the words will be right, even if the words holy, awesome, and amazing are repeated 70 times 70 times. After all, He is those things. I just don’t feel we can avoid clanging our hypocrisy gongs if we aren’t doing what His disciples are commanded to do. If He’s so holy, awesome and amazing, why don’t we respond to those observations by seeking to disicple folks in becoming more Christlike? Why do we, at best, give them the placebo of a mere Bible study instead? … tw
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