MUSIC
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Galatians 3:16
More than anything I could say, this verse captures the heart and philosophy of the music ministry of Providence Church. Let’s take it line by line…
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom and similarly in Ephesians 5:17-18 … But be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs…
According to what Jesus said in John 4, true worship requires spirit and truth. It is amazing that in the two passages of the New Testament where the phrase ‘psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs’ is mentioned one begins with letting God’s word indwell in us and the other letting His Spirit fill us. Worship requires the head and the heart. It requires thinking about what He has said and letting our spirit be controlled with His Spirit. This means that worship does not begin in the service but rather is something we can take part in all week long.
teaching and admonishing one another
Our entire service is meant to be a teaching time, not just the pastor’s message. We want the music of Providence Church to edify the saints. That is why we desire to bring vibrant and doctrinally enriched songs to the table every week. This is why we strive to correlate the message with the music. We wish to equip the saints with a time to stop and realize who He is, and simply respond in worship. To us, music is not a ministry without the message.
in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
We want to sing all of them. From melodies sung directly to God, to celebrations of who God is, to spiritual songs, our goal is to have balance, a balance of variety of songs filled with nothing but truth.
with grace in your hearts
We sing because we have been changed. Our lives are stories of His grace and we want our music to reflect and glorify that amazing grace.
to the Lord
More than anything our music is for Him, just as the rest of our lives should be. This point seems so often forgotten in churches today. The music is not about us. It is not about our preferences, our style, or our musician’s image. It is about Him. It is not that He needs our song, but that He is worthy of it. It is not that He needs our worship, but that we desperately need to think on and enjoy the greatness of Him.
If you would like information on how to be a part of the Providence Worship Ministry, you can contact Ben Raborn at worship@providencenc.org or at (704) 467-2180.