March 17, 2004 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The following is an excerpt from the sermon “How to Tell the Right Kind of Music” by Evangelist Alan Ives. Alan is a musician who played in a rock band before he was saved, and he well understands the difference between sensual and spiritual music. In this presentation, Brother Ives illustrates the difference on various kinds of instruments. (This video sermon is available from Park Meadows Baptist Church, 800 Memorial Park Rd., Lincoln, IL 62656. 800-500-8853, http://www.wyldewood.org/cah/.) Alan and Ellen Ives have an excellent music ministry called CONCORD & HARMONY (328 Rosalia Street, Oshkosh, WI 54901, 920-235-5400, http://www.wyldewood.org/cah/.)

“How do you understand what good Christian music is? It ought to sound different from the rock station. It ought to sound different from the entertainment music. It ought to sound different from the easy listening station. It ought to be distinct. When we sing gospel songs in the good old-fashioned way, they don’t sound like anything that the world sings. That’s the way we need to keep them. We need to have music that gives a certain sound, so that people will prepare themselves for the battle (1 Cor. 14:8). It doesn’t matter how ‘old-fashioned’ it is as long as it is true to the Word of God and true to the spirit of our God. We want to make sure that we have pure words, beautiful melodies -- we worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness -- beautiful harmonies, that speak peace, and stirring rhythms maybe, but they ought to be march type rhythms, nothing you can dance to. If the music makes you feel like dancing, you have the wrong kind of music. Those sounds are significant.

“We can never portray the peace of the Lord with wild, discordant, violent sounds. We can never speak of the Lord’s compassion if we have cold music, careless music, unconcerned music. We can never speak of the love of God with hateful music, the goodness of the Lord with bad music, the majesty of God with low class music, the power of God with puny music, the wisdom of God with stupid music, the holiness of God with unholy music. We can never speak of godliness with ungodly music, of heavenly things with earthly, sensual and devilish music. We can never speak of the seriousness of the cross, of hell, and salvation with flippant music, or the sacrifice of our Saviour with selfish music. We can never portray that which should be beautiful with ugly music, never depict joy with sorrowful music, never speak of gentleness with boisterous music, never speak of the greatness of our God with base music. And we can never speak of being a soldier if we use dance music” (Alan Ives).