SEP 21

1 John 2:15-17
Memorise Colossians 3:2
“…for the love of money is the root of all evil…”

We have understood yesterday that music composers have a great control over how their music affects their audience, especially in terms of the emotions that their music induces. Also, we made the connection that how composers write their music is dependent on their motives and what they want to achieve. Today, we want to understand what “pop” or popular music is about. As the name suggests, it is music that is designed to appeal to the majority of people. Pop music artists aim to sell as many records as possible. Who buys such music? It is the world. What is the nature of the world? God’s Word tells us it is a sin sick world. For pop music to appeal, it has to provide the kind of sinful emotions that sinful people desire. This is really what pop or popular music is about. It is an instrument to appeal to the carnal desires of sinners so as to enrich its creators with filthy lucre. It is nothing short of an instrument of Satan. We must reject it!

What we may not realise is that CCM is actually categorised by the music industry as a genre or type of pop music. We can all hear and see the similarities. CCM uses the same kind of musical “tools” that worldly pop music uses. These tools create the same kind of sinful emotions that pop music is designed to induce. If CCM uses these sinful techniques, why then are God’s children using the same tools of Satan to worship a Holy God? Will God ever accept this kind of music in worship? Of course not! In fact, God is greatly angered. It is akin to offering “strange fire” like Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1. God requires holiness. As Christians, we are told in no uncertain terms that we must never love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If we love the world, we show that we do not love God (1 John 2:15-16). Pop music, and by extension, CCM, is music that is of the world. What should we do then? We must reject CCM for worship, even for leisure.

We should instead return to the music of the Reformers; hymns, psalms and spiritual songs which were written of old by godly men and women. These men of God were used to create music that is reverential, somber and beautiful. It is music that God has given mankind that will help us worship Him correctly. It is music that will help us draw closer to Him.

Thought: Can worldly music be used to worship a holy God?
Prayer: Lord, help me to take a stand against CCM.