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By
David Rhodes
April 6, 2003
NewsWithViews.com
One of the signs of the "church growth movement" is the presence of a "worship leader". What is a worship leader?
First, to understand what is happening, you must know about the World Council of Churches. One of its goals is to bring all Churches, Muslin, Christian, Buddhist, Wicca, occultist and pagan religions of all sorts together under one umbrella. They don't hide this.
It was determined around 1962 that the best way to accomplish this goal was through a charismatic and contemporary music format. The best way to implement these changes was through a slow and gradual infiltration, which has become known (among other things) as the "church growth movement."
What we see today, with the rise of the "worship leader," is one of the tools that brings about change in the church. Since "music" is the key to make all this happen, then the "worship leader" will also be the "music" leader.
These people think the word of God needs a little help to reach all the "'unchurched' and 'disenchanted." The "worship leader" has also become a big part of their "outreach ministry."
One of the Deacons at my former church asked the Elders about "worship leaders." Now, these men claim not to be working in "lock step" with the "Church Growth movement," but they sure know about "worship leaders," This is what they said:
"IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANNING ALL AREAS OF THE WORSHIP SERVICE AND THEN PRESENTING THESE PLANS TO THE WORSHIP COMMITTEE. THIS INCLUDES THE LORD'S SUPPER, GIVING, PRAYERS, AND THE READING OF THE LORD'S WORD AS WELL AS THE SONG SERVICE"[4]
This is a want ad for a "worship leader:"[3]
Job Description: St Matthew's Lutheran Church is passionate about reaching out to the richly diverse and secular neighbors whom we share the freeway with. We are looking for a Minister of Worship & Celebration (Lay or Ordained) who is wired to empower heart-felt worship using today's music, multi-media and the arts. We are a grace driven ministry that relies upon team building to reach those who normally would not check out church. We tend to be a bit irreverent. We bring our coffee into worship and do not tend to attract the squeaky clean. We are looking for a leader who knows it's not about them.
There are magazines and web sites [3] dedicated to the "worship leader." This has become a big business. Here is an excerpt form a recent article in a "worship leader" magazine telling a little about what they believe:
The Spoken Voice 1. Speaking - Psalm 34:1 says, "I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips." 2. Shouting - Psalm 27:6 says, "Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord." 3. Singing - Psalm 47:6 says, "Sing praises to God, sing praises to our King, sing praises."
Our Posture 1. Bowing - Psalm 95:6 says, "Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." 2. Standing - Psalm 119:120 says, "My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws." 3. Dancing - Psalm 149:3 says, "Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp."
Our Hands 1. Playing Instruments - Psalm 33:2, 3 says, "Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy." 2. Clapping - Psalm 47:1 says, "Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy." 3. Lifting Hands - Psalm 63:4 says, "I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands."
They always give David as their license, but, God tells us in Amos 6:5--Woe to those that act like David:
AMOS 6:5 "That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David;"
You may ask, is a "worship leader" Biblical? In a way, they are. You see God created the first "worship leader".
Ezekiel 28:13-16 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
16 By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones
Note: "tambrels" are tamborines and "pipes" are wind instruments.
It's no wonder that Satan is called the "enchanter." He has been using music from the very beginning to seduce his prey. It started early with the Bablyonian and Egyptian civilizations in which they would dance, clap, sing and play to their gods. The only thing most contemporary Churches are not doing presently is bringing the gods clean cloths everyday.
From the continent of Africa, where Voodoo chants called up the evil spirits to the shores of America , Satan has always been the user of music and the "worship leader" extraordinaire.
Isaiah14:11-12 11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.
12 How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
Let's take a look at how Satan uses others to seduce us with his music:
From Musician Carlos Santana:
Santana admits that his success is tied to a spiritual entity. Santana also claims that he has contact with the spirits of musicians who have died, such as Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis. Santana has claimed that other artists who participated on his album, Supernatural, were brought to him supernaturally to be a part of Metatron's project. He claimed that they heard his music, or were communicated to in dreams, and were told they were to be part of the project.[1]
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)
Eminem is the most successful artist of the 21st century. His Marshall Mathers LP sold an incredible 1.76 million copies in its first week, which is the highest first-week sale for a solo artist in history:
" I take seven [kids] from [columbine] and stand 'em all in line. Add an AK-47, a revolver, a nine, a Mac-11 and this ought to solve this problem of mine. And that's a whole school of bullies shot up all of the time, 'cause I'm Shady�"
" I take each individual degenerate's head and reach into it, just to see if he's influenced by me, if he listens to music, and if he feeds into this sh**, he's an innocent victim, and becomes a puppet on the string�"
Rolling Stone admitted:
"A song or an album can change your life; a great concert will change it on the spot."
Tori Amos, who said that Lucifer sits at her piano and helps her with her music, said:
" Music is the most powerful medium in the world because of the frequencies. You're hitting places in people that remind them that they are more than just this functional being."
Science writer and composer, Robert Jourdain, wrote in his book, Music, The Brain And Ecstacy:
" Music seems to be the most immediate of all the arts. �Music possesses us. �It really is as if some 'other' has entered not just our bodies, but our intentions, taking us over."
Medical Dr. and brain specialist, Richard Pellegrino, who is a consultant to the entertainment industry, wrote an article for Billboard Magazine , about the power of music. Dr. Pellegrino speaks of the incomparable power of music upon the human brain, stating that music has the uncanny power to:
"� trigger a flood of human emotions and images that have the ability to instantaneously produce very powerful changes in emotional states."
Pellegrino went on to declare:
" Take it from a brain guy. In 25 years of working with the brain, I still cannot affect a person's state of mind the way that one simple song can."
Eminem states in his song, Marshall Mathers:
"I think I was put here to�destroy your little 4-year-old boy or girl."
Frank Zappa, who was quite anti-Christ, said that when he saw a fish on the back of someone's car he identified them as the enemy. He also admitted to the incredible power and influence rock music has over the human race. In an article he wrote for Life Magazine, he stated:
"The ways in which sound affects the human organism are myriad and subtle. The loud sounds and bright lights of today are tremendous indoctrination tools.
AC/DC was up-front with their fans when they made it clear that they not only found their fame in a rock band by Satan's power, but that they desired to drag their listeners into eternal damnation with them, "if God's on the left, I'm on the right�I'm gonna take ya to hell�I'm gonna get'cha-Satan got 'cha, Hell's Bells�If you're into evil, you're a friend of mine."
Michael Jackson:
"When I hit the stage it's all of a sudden a magic from somewhere that comes and the spirit just hits you, and you lose control of yourself."
"I wake up from dreams and go, 'Wow! Put this down on paper!' The whole thing is strange. You hear the words, everything is right there in front of your face. And you say to yourself, 'I'm sorry, I just didn't write this. It's there already'. I feel that somewhere, someplace, it's all been done, and I'm the courier bringing it into the world."
From these two sites [1][2] alone I count well over 85 well known and famous music performers in all areas of music, Christian, blues, and Rock N Roll, that profess to be Satanically driven, or use pagan symbolism in their performances.
This list includes people like Robert Johnson-The Father of Blues, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and even Amy Grant!
Dear Lord, please forgive us for what we have brought into your Church.
[1] They Sold Their Souls For Rock N Roll http://www.goodfight.org/
[2] What's Wrong With Christian Rock? http://www.freedomministries.org.uk/
godwin/index.shtml
[3] Experiencing Worship - A Resource Guide For the Worshiper and Worship Leader http://www.experiencingworship.com/
[4] The Deacons Beg For Answers, and The Elders Reply
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"It's no wonder that Satan is called the "enchanter." He has been using music from the very beginning to seduce his prey. It started early with the Bablyonian and Egyptian civilizations in which they would dance, clap, sing and play to their gods. The only thing most contemporary Churches are not doing presently is bringing the gods clean cloths everyday."