Tulsa Workshop Michael Blakley. Acappella Worship Standing In the Holy Place: Michael Blakley. Acappella Worship Leader. See notes on 2006 Tulsa Workshops"Ashamed October 12 2004, 5:47 PM
I am from the Tulsa area, and attended the workshop for the first time this past year. Mr. Lancaster was leading singing the night I was there. All I can say is I actualy was embarrased by the actions on stage. I can't for the life of me imagine how our leaders seem to think they are more important than they really are. people a Song leader aka worship leader is not there for our amusement (entertainment) If I wanted to be entertained I would go somewhere else. It is a song leaders job to start the song and get the CONGREGATION into an active worship. It seems like some of these guys think we should just sit back and let them perform. The dancing actualy made me blush in embarasment. I actualy thought to myself Man I hope nobody I know sees me here, and Man I'm glad I didn't invite anyone to go with me to this. What a absolute tragedy.
I'll take my small congregation of singers over you and your praise team any day of the week and twice (literally) on Sunday.
As for those of you who have dealt with these problems on a daily basis. I'm sorry for you, and I pray God gives you strength.
See the pagan Dionysia Theater
See the fight against the end-time "holy whore" who, in John's Revelation, was Circe after which CHURCH is named and WORSHIP is modelled at Concerned Members. If you have any input please join Armageddon by clicking here. This "new style worship" invented by Lucifer the "singing and harp playing prostitute" or ZOE confesses that they are forcing the HOLY SPIRIT TO COME (yes!) and induce the audience into a "sexual climax" just before "giving of means."
Kenneth Sublett, Piney.com, Hohenwald, Tennessee
See how this system parallels witchcraft and neo-paganism.
The only collective worship with singing, playing instruments, playing with one another as Instrumental-Trinitarian-Perverted Idolatry. This worship of the Golden Calf was a SIN BEYOND REDEMPTION.
Chr. 20:18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.
Dan. 2:46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar FELL UPON HIS FACE, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
Rev. 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and FELL before the throne on their FACES, and worshipped God,
Rev. 11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, FELL UPON HIS FACE and worshipped God,
IN ALL OF SCRIPTURE THERE IS NEVER "A DAY OF WORSHIP."
SABBATH or PAUO in Greek means A DAY OF REST quarantined from all pagan-sexual days of worship.
No one is ever said to worship Jehovah--including David--by singing or playing an instrument. No one was ever paid to PERFORM their own songs or sermons. This, says Jesus MARKS the sons of the Devil
Heb. 12:27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Heb. 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb. 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Reviewed Michael Blakley---Part TwoI just hate to interfere with such intensive, works-oriented effort to make our worship WORK. However, after seeing all of the massive legalism going into "worship" I feel evil to inform all of the self-seekers that> Music is NEVER an operative worship word connected with God,the Old Testament, the New Testament or most of church history.
> And making me feel more evil is having to inform the new legalists that "music" is always (yep) connected with telling God: "We will not listen to you" to children's games, to women's frolics or most powerfully as a "carnal weapon" of prostitution.
> Worship means to "give heed to God" or to "give attendance to the public reading of the Word." This is true of all commended or recommended "worship" in both testaments.
> The Jewish civil system did not "worship" with music even when making animal sacrifices. "Under the law" worship was literally falling on your face. That falling can be spiritually in giving heed to God.
> > If you are "standing in the holy place" claiming to "lead the worship" you might as well "stand in another's bedroom and be their love making minister."
> > People come to God's presence in the "holy place" or naos which is the human spirit or mind (nous) one at a time. If a "clergy musician" even stumbled into this holy place he would have been run through with a sword. Trying to do it is presumptious and probably beyond redemption.
> The common people never worshiped with "singing and instrumental accompaniment" in the temple: they were put "outside the camp." No, not even "a cappella" which was the 1700s invention of the Pope to USE castrated boys to be his "synthetic organ" or "vocal band" where instruments were outlawed in the Sistine Chapel.
> The common people "synagogued" throughout Israel's history which was "school" and not pagan worship center. "There was no praise service in the synagogues" nor in the Christian synagogues.
> Therefore, "musical worship leaders" or "teaming up on the flock" is a product of ancient and modern paganism. It is created by the theatrical crowd pushing their way into the 'holy place' and trying to make a role of religious respectability in the churches.
> All musical or theatrical performance in a religious sense was always the arena of women or effeminate males. And this is why your endorphin-creating (morphine, etc) music creates the impulses of fight, flight or sex.
> You run men away from the church and "steal the church houses of widows." You create a spiritual "climax" for the effeminate as they give heed to you and your words replacing Christ. And for the masculine mind you just enrage. That is why you deliberately sow discord among brethren and God will never forgive it.
> When you restore the "sacrificial music" which was just noise, you might as well restore animal sacrifices. In Hebrews that would make being "musical ministers" or Levitical Musicians an unforgivable sin.
You face danger in Navigating the winds of change to give your church of Christ made up of lambs a second incarnation as a theater of "opium for the people" for the goats.
You are repeating the most ancient story of Satan or Lucifer who formed mix-sex choirs, provided instruments, wine and the fine gowns of the theatrical performers to seduce the holy Sethites away from the Living Word of God.
This is how to join the family of Canites. You have to have masses of people to dissociate (as at PK in Atlanta) like a football mob before you can slink the serpent (Sophia) and the Beast (Zoe) past the unconnscious rational (spiritual) brain and directly into the emotional brain using music-induced endorphins.
Hitler would explains it this way:
"But the community of the great demonstration not only strengthens the individual, it also unites and helps to create an esprit de corps.
"The man who is exposed to grave tribulations, as the first advocate of a new doctrine in his factory or workshop,
absolutely needs that strengthening which lies in the conviction of being a member and fighter in a great comprehensive body.
"And he obtains an impression of this body for the first time in the mass demonstration. When from his little workshop or big factory, in which he feels very small,
he steps for the first time into a mass meeting and has thousands and thousands of people of the same opinions around him, when,
as a seeker, (Als Suchender.' A Wagnerian phrase, which Hitler was apparently determined to use at all costs)
he is swept away by three or four thousand others into the mighty effect of suggestive intoxication and enthusiasm,
"when the visible success and agreement of thousands confirm to him
the rightness of the new doctrine and for the first time arouse doubt in the truth of his previous conviction -
then he himself has succumbed to the magic influence of what we designate as 'mass suggestion.'
The will, the longing, and also the power of thousands are accumulated in every individual.
The man who enters such a meeting doubting and wavering leaves it inwardly reinforced:
he has become a link in the community. For the rest of the Post-Modern Promise Keepers, Jubilee, Hitler, etc.
Hitler knew that the leaders must be rational thinkers but the "goats" or followers or human material must be emotional: others must be killed.
> This is why that when people just once let their brains make the connection between music as "the works of human hands" and spiritual worship, the drug high will never again permit him to "keep silence before the Lord" or believe that God's Words are more important than his/her words.
> Not that God will not redeem but those willingly trapped will never come to repentance. The human pride whil permitted them to "stand in the holy place" pretending to be "worship leader" will never let him/her back down.
> In the Genun or Jubal story, even the conviction of a mortal sin just causes them to try to collect more of the doomed to share the misery. This story is told in the Bible in the musical idolatry at Mount Sinai, in Amos 5, 6, 8 and in Isaiah 8 where rejecting God's Vineyard meant killing the heir to get the glory.
Here is a site blending "commerce and Babylonian religion" prophesied in Revelation 18. The following notes show how the "abomination" moves into the "holy place" which in church architecture is the "podium, pulpit and Lord's Table." The Lord's Table often has to go to make room for the second incarnation of Genun's (Jubal) team.
"We went through several stages of trying to define our primary purpose. [Would they had consulted Jesus.]
- First, we thought our job was to lead singing.
- Then we thought our job was to encourage more of our church to sing.
- Finally, we decided upon our third and present focus. As Praise Team members, our job, first and foremost,
- is to worship God and encourage others to join us in worship.
"If the rest of the church worships with us, that is great. And if they don't, then we just can't do much about that. [You could sit down and shut up] You must define your purpose and constantly examine it for validity.
Jesus said that God only seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. In spirit is in the mind and in truth is defined by the only clear "worship" word as seeking or giving heed.If people are seeking your talent or giving heed to you and your words then they cannot be giving heed to God: no, you cannot think of two "people" at the same time and you cannot "give heed" to Christ words (spirit and life) by giving heed to silly and often erotic "praise songs" as one of the world's oldest superstitions: propping up the failing God.s
Therefore, you are, as Willow Creek confesses, the images or idols of what they want a "christian" to be. You have made yourself into idols and you are not "worshiping" but promoting the idolatry of talent.
Finally, as the Levitical "sounders" were really tyrants or slave drivers even during the animal burning times, the "praise team" isn't functioning unless it TAKES CONTROL:
"For 14 months, I talked to our Praise Team about stage presence, taking control of the room,
and taking responsibility for the quality of music for our church. But I could not put into words what I wanted and needed them to do for our church on Sundays.
Worship is private: in spirit and in truth. You canot "do worship for them" and it is terminally arrogant to try.This is an example of "women and children ruling over you" and they will emasculate your whole group until you are "taken captive" by some denomination.
See Chapter XIII.-Origin of Idolatry.
See Alexander Hislop The Great Red Dragon
"But when all these things were done, men turned again to impiety; [There is a similar chapter in Homily IX. 7, but in a discourse: on the following day.-R.] and on this account a law was given by God to instruct them in the manner of living.
But in process of time, the worship of God and righteousness were corrupted by the unbelieving and the wicked, as we shall show more fully by and by.
Moreover, perverse and erratic religions were introduced, to which the greater part of men gave themselves up,
by occasion of holidays and solemnities, instituting drinkings and banquets,
following pipes, and flutes, and harps, and diverse kinds of musical instruments, and indulging themselves in all kinds of drunkenness and luxury.
Hence every kind of error took rise; hence they invented groves and altars, fillets and victims, and after drunkenness they were agitated as if with mad emotions.
By this means power was given to the demons to enter into minds of this sort, so that they seemed to lead insane dances and to rave like Bacchanalians; hence were invented the gnashing of teeth, and bellowing from the depth of their bowels; hence a terrible countenance and a fierce aspect in men, so that he whom drunkenness had subverted and a demon had instigated, was believed by the deceived and the erring to be filled with the Deity.
Chapter XXVI.-Evil Angels Seducers.
"Now therefore, since you do not yet understand how great darkness of ignorance surrounds you, meantime I wish to explain to you whence the worship of idols began in this world.
And by idols, I mean those lifeless images which you worship, whether made of wood, or earthenware, or stone, or brass, or any other metals: of these the beginning was in this wise.
Certain angels, having left the course of their proper order, began to favour the vices of men, [Comp. Homily VIII. 13.-R.] and in some measure to lend unworthy aid to their lust,
in order that by these means they might indulge their own pleasures the more;
and then, that they might not seem to be inclined of their own accord to unworthy services,
taught men that demons could, by certain arts-that is, by magical invocations-be made to obey men;
and so, as from a furnace and workshop of wickedness, they filled the whole world with the smoke of impiety, the light of piety being withdrawn.
Post-Flood survival of Satan's Musical magic: Chapter XXVII.- Ham the First Magician.
"For these and some other causes, a flood was brought upon the world, as we have said already, and shall say again; and all who were upon the earth were destroyed, except the family of Noah, who survived, with his three sons and their wives.
One of these, by name Ham, unhappily discovered the magical act, and handed down the instruction of it to one of his sons, who was called Mesraim, from whom the race of the Egyptians and Babylonians and Persians are descended.
Him the nations who then existed called Zoroaster, admiring him as the first author of the magic art; trader (Canaanites excluded from NT church) whose name also many books on this subject exist.
See Edward Fudge and Zoroaster being the PRECURSOR to Christianity. It certainly for false religion.
He therefore, being much and frequently intent upon the stars, and wishing to be esteemed a god among them,
began to draw forth, as it were, certain sparks from the stars,
and to show them to men,
in order that the rude and ignorant might be astonished,
as with a miracle; and desiring to increase this estimation of him, he attempted these things again and again,
until he was set on fire, and consumed by the demon himself, whom he accosted with too great importunity.
Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. James 3:4
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth [grandiloquent, arrogant, egotistic] great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth James 3:5
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and
- setteth on fire the course of nature;
- and it is set on fire of hell. James 3:6
[This was once king Solomon's Music Grove where they burned babies playing instrumental music]
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: James 3:7
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:8
Chapter XXVIII.-Tower of Babel.
"But the foolish men who were then, whereas they ought to have abandoned the opinion which they had conceived of him, inasmuch as they had seen it confuted by his mortal punishment, extolled him the more.
For raising a sepulchre to his honour, they went so far as to adore him as a friend of God, and one who had been removed to heaven in a chariot of lightning, and to worship him as if he were a living star.
Hence also his name was called Zoroaster after his death-that is, living star-by those who, after one generation, had been taught to speak the Greek language. In fine, by this example,
even now many worship those who have been struck with lightning, honouring them with sepulchres, and worshipping them as friends of God. But this man was born in the fourteenth generation, and died in the fifteenth, in which the tower was built, and the languages of men were divided into many.
Music is never associated with spiritual worship in the Bible. It all comes from Satan: Molech, Remphan, Saturn, Chiun. Whether good or evil, it is not remotely related to the teachings, examples and "put down" of music to induce worship. When God turns you over to worship the "stars" you may be beyond redemption and you "should come out of HER."
Spiritual worship is seeking God in His Word (truth) and mediatating on it and in prayer. This has never changed in any dispensation.
- and turn the very worship of God itself into an attraction for the people of the world, an [holy entertainment] entertainment, or amusement.
It never entered into our mind that people once enlightened, and made partakers of the heavenly calling, could so easily be turned away from the contemplation (giving heed) of the ever-blessed God,
- his wonderful love for man, and the scheme of redemption; from our Lord, the Christ; all he said and did; his great sufferings for us, his death, resurrection, ascension and coronation; being crowned Lord of all, imparting gifts to men; his grace, his blood, the remission of sins, the impartation of the Spirit; the ransom of man from the grave; the change of his vile body into an immortal body; the now heaven and now earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness; the presence of the Almighty Father, and the Lord Jesus, the Christ; the pure and the holy angels, with songs of everlasting joys in the great assembly of the ransomed of the Lord, out of every nation, and kindred, and tribe, and people, from under the whole heaven, to dwell with God and the Lamb forever and ever--
- For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, Heb 6:4
- And have tasted (lived or experienced) the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, Heb 6:5
- If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. Heb 6:6
- Fawcett-Brown note that:
- "35-37. Consequent exhortation to confidence and endurance, as Christ is soon coming. Cast not away--implying that they now have "confidence," and that it will not withdraw of itself, unless they "cast it away" wilfully (compare Heb 3:14). which--Greek, "the which": inasmuch as being such as. hath--present tense: it is as certain as if you had it in your hand (Heb 10:37). It hath in reversion. recompense of reward--of grace not of debt:
- "a reward of a kind which no mercenary self-seeker would seek: holiness will be its own reward; self-devoting unselfishness for Christ's sake will be its own rich recompense (see on Heb 2:2; Heb 11:26).
we say, that we had no idea that people could be so easily turned away from the contemplation of all this, and all the pure and heavenly aspirations it inspires,
- to the mere contemplation of the [holy entertainment] pleasing sounds of an instrument of music,
- of the melodious voices of men and women,
- when trained in artistic music, and taught how to perform their part well in an operatic drama.
It appears never to occur to the multitudes who throng the assemblies to hear instruments, sweet voices and artistic melodies,
that there is no worship in it, or, at least, divine worship.
All that can be heard in a theater, in a museum, or less godly places, where there is certainly no worship. [holy entertainment]
There is no worship in music, in itself.
- There is power in it, enchantment, but as easily associated with vice as virtue, with cruelty as with beneficence, with corruption as purity.
- We find music where there are no moral qualities, either good or bad--a mere secular entertainment.
- We listen to it, and admire it for its own sake, its beauty, its delightful strains, its enrapturing sounds, its melodies,
- and the pleasing sensations it produces within us.
But there is no worship in this.
- It is simply secular, having neither moral nor immoral qualities in it.
- We listen to a fine performer to see how he can perform, and admire the performance, as artistic, dramatic, and elegant,
- and give him the praise due a good performer.
But there is nothing [412] religious in it.
- There is not a moral idea in it; it has no moral character--there is nothing spiritual in it; it has no spiritual character--
- there is nothing religious about it; it has no religious character.
- Benjamin Franklin
The Gospel Preacher, Vol. II. (1877Therefore, you cannot get the "music" which the clergy used while they were trying to "sacrifice" Jesus like a he ram without crucifying Christ afresh:
- And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation (representatives only); and they laid their hands upon them: 2 Chronicles 29:23
- And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, [This says: "This goat is dying for the sins of all Israel]
- to make an atonement for all Israel:
- for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. 2 Chronicles 29:24
- What: And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps,
- Authority: according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the kings seer,
- What: and Nathan the prophet:
- Authority: for so was the commandment of the Lord by his prophets. 2 Chronicles 29:25
There you have your authority to make a great crashing sound (still no music) but you will have to first deny that Christ died for your sins.
The first goal is perhaps sit-down team-song leading. However, it rapidly advances to encouraging the congregation. Anyone who accepts worship will suffer from worship. Nevertheless, the pride of "the idolatry of talent" leads to the third and fatal step of claiming to be "mediators" of worship.Of the Willow Creek model: "Ulrich Eggers, a leading German evangelical who served as press spokesman at the Hamburg sessions, stresses that Willow Creek's "central message has nothing to do with drama or music,
but rather with the living portrayal of dedicated Christians."
[That means make idols out of the team: then imitate the team.] Christianity Today
However, "music" was never part of the true worship of God at any time in the entire Bible. None. Never.
It is always associated with lost people saying: "We will not listen to the Word of God anymore."
Israel's "music" was an example of a nation "turned over to worship the starry host." And aren't theatrical performers called "stars"?
Therefore, this had to be a deliberate repeat of music as Satan's way to "take away the key to knowledge" as Jesus warned.
It simply is not remotely the Christian religion. It is Anti-Christian. It is Anti-American Restoration Movement and anti mature common sense.
Ask any Bible student and they will tell you that the Monarchy period of the Old Testament is a record of God permitting people to carry out the captivity and death penalty conditionally imposed because of the musical idolatry at Mount Sinai when they "rose up to play." God turned them over to worship the staryr hosts represented by Molech, Remphan or Chiun with music.
Probably the greatest damage done to our society is the emasculation of its males. They have been under taught, under used and rarely able to look a spiritual problem in the face with Biblical skills. From cradle to grave young males in our mushy society are under the tutelage, domination and therefore "gender" influence of females. Too often this is because males are not prepared to do the jobs of ministry. And, perhaps, females are easier to manage?
The problem is not Madison Church of Christ specific but a general apostasy from the Biblical principle momentarily restored in the American Restoration Movement. This may be a 100% relapse in churches generally and is a repeat of Israel's "pattern" with the elders rejection of God's rule and the demand to "set a king over us like the nations" so that "we can worship like the nations." service" as it ignores Jesus' definition of where and how one worships God.
We are not better than Jesus and therefore what we see rising from the depts of the sea for a little season is a revival of the Apollo or Apollyon or Abbadon form of Seeker Center restoraton of the tower's of Babel as an end-time blend of sexuality, false religion, musical entertainment and commerce--yep, selling books and CDs right there in the "holy places."
It is unfortunate for the "worship ministers of the world" but when people rejected the Word and turned to music, the Bible universally treats this as both a cause but primarily a sign or MARK that a people are lost and beyond redemption. None of the people lost when the elders turned to "musical performance" to replace the Word and seeking God privately are ever redeemed. You might be the one exception to the universal rule.
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