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BUT worship is for God, hence we have to discover Gods divinely ordered kind of worship. We must the patterns God spelled out in His word after which we must pattern our praise and worship ministry.
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Spirit To Spirit Worship Requires: 1. Rebirth through which the human spirit once dead because of sin has been made alive again by the Spirit of God, 2. Being attune with the Spirit of God, being filled with the Holy Spirit, overflowing in the Holy Spirit. THEREFORE, divine worship is dependent upon the Spirit and the Word operating in the midst of the congregation. The order of program and the forms are spontaneously ordered by Gods Spirit.
THANKS, THANKSGIVING
a. The OT meaning for the word 'thanks' is different from our English meaning. In the OT culture, it is not merely saying to somebody 'Thank you' but it really means to tell another of what God has done. It is public acknowledgment of what God has done by TELLING others about His character or love, with special reference to His Name. To say 'I give thanks to you. Lord' means 'I WILL TELL OF YOUR NAME'. We approach God with thanksgiving. Psalm 100, The Psalm of Thanksgiving - says in v.4 - Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. The first song in the tabernacle of David is a Psalm to thank the Lord (1CH 16:7,8) That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this psalm of thanks to the Lord: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
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Thanksgiving is our response to God's REVELATION OF SALVATION. Ps 100:4 - Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Thanksgiving - to be a trademark of the church as against the ungrateful attitude that prevails among the unbelieving world (2TI 3:2). Col 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 2 Tim 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 1. 2. Thanksgiving therefore should not only come out from our lips as programmed in our church services, but must be a lifestyle of every believer. Thanksgiving must be AUDIBLE. It is inner health made audible.
PRAISE
PRAISE - is to comment the merits of, to glorify, extol the attributes of God in a way that could be either vocal, visible, audible or a combination of these. a. Character of praise:: Praise is ALWAYS ACTIVE AND DEMONSTRATIVE. It involves movements, actions, and songs, sounds that are both seen and heard. It may be audible without being vocal such as in clapping. But it can never be without being audible. Combining this concept about praise and the Bible dictionary, we come up with this definition: Understanding praise from Hebrew words translated praise: 1. HALLAL - To laud, shine, boast, celebrate, to rave about God until it seems foolish. Most common word in scriptures, used approximately 100X. 2. TOWDAH - The sacrifice of praise initiated in the believer's will. Accepting God's word without question.PS23.5 3. YADAH - To praise with extended hands, to throw out the hands. Used over 90X. PSA 142.7 4. SHABACH - To commend, shout, triumph in a loud voice, address in a loud tone. An 5. exclamatory form of praise. An exhortation even if we are shy, not because God is deaf but because He is worthy of bold expression. Used about 7X. PSA.63:3;117:1;45:4 6. ZAMAR - To pluck the strings of an instrument to praise with song. Also involves prophesying upon the instruments. Appears in Psalms 40X. Ps.l49:3; 47:7; 57:7; 68:4;98:4;147:7. 7. BARAK - To kneel down, bow, bless, salute. Jdg. 5:2;72:12-15. Reverence and quietness before God. Expecting by faith a response, waiting upon God. Used app. 70X. 8. TEHILLAH - Among the 7 meanings of based on the OT words above, Tehillah is different from among them. (PSA 100:4) Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise (tehillah). Tehillah is the praise that God inhabits. It is praise that implies that God has responded to our faith to the extent that He literally inhabits and is enthroned in the midst of our praise. It is the residual song of the Spirit and brings a new dimension of revelation and transformation of lives. It is also called the 'high praise'. Too often we fail to enter into this dimension because we are impatient or program oriented. Ex.l5:ll; 2 Chron. 20:22; Ps. 22:3. Understanding praise from Greek words translated praise. 1. DOXA (noun), DOXAZO (verb) - generally translated glory and glorify. Signifies an opinion, estimate or an honour resulting from a good opinion. Used in ascribing to God the honour due Him. Applied to Christ, it means that His innate glory is brought to light, made manifest. Luk 2:14;18:45;Acts 12:23. 2. EULOGATOS, EULOGIA - used of God alone. It means to bless, commend with words. Luk 1:68. 3. HUMNEO, HUMNOS - simply means to 'sing praise'. Mat.26:30; Acts 15:26; Eph 5:19; Col 3:16. 4. MEGALUNO - means to make great, large or long, to magnify. Luk 1:46; Acts 10:46; Acts 19:17.
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PSALIO (verb), PSALMOS (noun) - to sing praise in spiritual ecstasy or to make melody. The noun simply means a song of praise. Rom. 15:9,1; ICor 14:15; Jam 5:13. Praise is evidence of life in the believer. 1. Those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ should evidence the life of God in them by their praise - (PSA 115:17,18) It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to silence; it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. There is no praise in the heart of one who is going to hell, only gnashing of teeth. Eternal separation kills the song of praise. (MAT 13:42) They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 2. Ps 115:17-18 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD. 3. Matt 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
WORSHIP
a. Basic meaning. There can hundreds of definitions of worship but basically, worship is an expression of our response to Gods Presence, in whatever form of outward demonstration it takes. Here are some definitions: 1. The outpouring or out flowing of the whole being: spirit, soul and body under a sense of Divine favor in the Presence of God. 2. All that we are reacting to all the He is. 3. The overflow of our understanding of God as He reveals Himself. Meaning of English word 'worship' - from 2 words WORTH and SHIP which together means - to recognize the value of a person or object by expressions of courtesy, reverence or homage. Meaning from Original Hebrew and Greek words SHACHAH and Greek PROSKUNEO translated worship both carry the meaning - to prostrate oneself before an object of worship. SHACHAH gives us the picture of a person fall on his face before a king as a sign of his submission or to beg for mercy, signifying that his life belongs to the one before whom he bows. PROSKUNEO is best pictured by a dog licking his master's hands, indicating the love between the dog and its master From these, we see 3 principles on worship: 1. The worshiper is seen as one who allows the object of his worship to rule his life. Worship is performed in mutual love. Worship is an intimate thing, not distant. Worship Completes a Divine Cycle of Giving. The cycle started with God who gave His all to man through Jesus. Jesus gave His all to us (His life). Man gives his all (in worship) back to God by the help of the Holy Spirit. God gives more back to man through Jesus.
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e. Worship is the flow of spiritual life from God to us and returns to Him in worship
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Worship Part 2
Expressing Worship THE PLACE OF THE PHYSICAL BODY
QUESTION: Since the Father seeks worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth, does this mean that the body is excluded in the expression of our praise and worship. The body has an important role in worship. Some religions reduce its importance, some deny its value and consider it a hindrance to worship; some go to the extent of trying to get out of the body in order to be near God. But Scriptures teach us the importance of the body in worship, it is important that the redeemed will have their bodies resurrected. We are told to "Love the Lord, your God...with all your strength!" 1. The greatest command involves loving God with our all including our strength. Deut 6:5"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 2. Worship is spiritual in essence but it has 2 elements: the work of the Holy Spirit and the use of human faculties which include our bodies. We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices...which is our reasonable worship.. Rom 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual act of worship. 3. We were created by God with bodies. Our bodies serve as constant reminder of our humble position - made from dust and made alive only by God - thus causing us to see our need to worship our Creator-God which is our purpose for being Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 4. The body of the redeemed is the temple of the Holy Spirit and believers are commanded to glorify God with their bodies. 1 Cor 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 5. In worship, our emotions are given the highest expressions as we are involved in giving glory to God. Emotions come from the combined reaction of the body and mind. So our entire being, spirit, soul and body must be involved in worship. 6. The importance of the body is also seen in God's greatest revelation: His Son - who came in an earthly body. Christ's body was prepared to do God's will It is therefore with the body that we express obedience to God. Heb 10:5-7 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.Then I said, 'Here I am-- it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.'" 7. The different forms with which we glorify God in praise and worship involve our body parts: our hands, mouth, feet,body. Ps 63:1-5 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
FORMS OF EXPRESSIONS
The following are forms of expressing praise and worship revealed in the Scriptures. These forms are not denominational, they are Biblical. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. STANDING - a sign of respect and attentiveness (Ps. 134:1; 135:1-2) KNEELING - act of submission of will and reverence (Ps. 95:6) BOWING - to prostrate oneself in humility (Ps. 95:6) LIFTING HANDS - sign of deep longing for God, solemn declaration, in war, to lift heart (Ps.28:2) CLAPPING - applauding, calling for an encore, showing joy (Ps.47:1) DANCING - rejoice, spin, skip, jump for joy, sign of victory (Ps. 149:3) WEEPING - in brokenness of love and gratitude (Lk 7:37-38) LAUGHING - a way of releasing joy, not triviality (Ps. 126:2) SHOUTING - sign of triumph, release of joy, exultant praise (Jo6:20) QUIETNESS - holy solemnity in the presence of God, waiting and listening for the voice of God LOUD NOISE - proclaim an extreme and dynamic feeling (Ps. 98:4) SINGING - any mood of heart can be expressed in song TONGUES - personal overflow of love to the Lord, not the tongues to edify the body (1Cor.l4:13-17) NEW SONG - a song of the Lord inspired by the Spirit (Ps.33:3;40:3) HIGH PRAISE-overflow of the Spirit expressed in tongues and the song of the Lord (Ps. 149) PROCESSION - solemn ceremony in the sanctuary (Ps. 68:24). There are times when the presence of God is so powerful, that it would seem that we need to come before His Majesty the King of Kings with all that we are, and walk solemnly in procession as if we were in heaven itself, declaring our worship and adoration. 17. RESPONSIVE SINGING -1 Samuel 18:7. This was a fundamental form of singing in Israel; designed to teach and accentuate the words of the song. The repetition causes the hearers to hear the words twice, resulting to a more intelligent and thoughtful expression of worship (Ps. 145:5).
6. Spiritual maturity which is equal or higher than that of the group he is leading 7. Genuine humility - seeks to hide behind the cross that peoples attention be focused on God Must be a worshiper himself - free in his own spirit 8. Knows how to recognize Gods voice - first in his private communion with God, then while in a group.
4. When people get out of His Presence Live with Gods revelation of Himself as their inspiration for living They implement Gods decrees and pronouncements Face and defeat the enemy, dispel the attacks of the enemy through Gods decrees Worship Leading Team Sensitive to the leading of the HS Front-liner in expression Leads by example
Holy Spirit Order & dynamics of worship When & what forms Leads by quickening our spirits
Music Part 1
Sound is everywhere. Some are pleasing to the ear, others not so much. As musicians & singers, our goal is to produce music not noise. Having an understanding of these basic elements will help us produce the sounds that others will appreciate.
Rhythm
Rhythm - Rhythm is, by its simplest definition, musical time. The origin of the word is Greek, meaning "flow." Rhythm is indeed the embodiment of timely flow. As meter regulates and pulsates a poem, rhythm organizes music in much the same way. The regular pulsations of the music are called the beat. Stronger beats are referred to as "accented" beats. Measures of music divide a piece into time-counted segments. Strong beats occur in patterns. For instance, in 4/4 time, the conductor would beat a strong beat on the first beat of every measure and another accented beat - although not as strong - on the third count of the measure. Because the conductor's arms move downward on strong beats, especially those that begin a measure, accented beats are also referred to as "downbeats." Meter - Time patterns in music are referred to in terms of meter. Two beats to a measure is duple meter, while the three beat measures of a waltz indicate triple meter. Four beats to a measure is known as common time, or quadruple time. Six beats to a measure is representative of time that can be divided by three, such as six beats to a measure with accented beats on the first and fourth beats. When the melody falls on notes that occur between beats, it said to be syncopated time. Tempo - Along with rhythm comes the idea of rate or pace. Not every song is slow. Neither is every song fast. Tempo is the musical term that indicates the overall pace of an arrangement. Tempo markings include grave, meaning solemn and extremely slow or allegro, meaning fast and cheerful. A gamut of musical terms for rhythm exists. Swing Meter is not always counted in constant beats. Other musical forms use beats that are grouped into pairs creating a swing feel to the song.
Melody
Melody is a musical and successive line of single tones or pitches perceived as a unity. Its characteristics include range, shape, and movement. Range -- The range of a piece is the distance between the lowest and highest tones. Singers refer to an arrangement being in a low, medium, or high range, meaning that the notes focus on those scale pitches. A piece that has a narrow range is one in which the melody centers around a few given notes. In contrast, an arrangement calling for a wide range takes the musician from low to high pitches, often encompassing as many as fifteen whole steps on the scale. Shape -- Melody takes its own direction, or shape. When musicians talk about the shape of a melody line, they are referring to the literal geometric line that could be made if the notes were joined together as in a dot-to-dot puzzle. Notes that ascend up the scale take on an upward shape, while phrases that descend are shaped in a downward motion. If the phrase stays within a narrow range, the shape is wavelike. Movement -- Movement can be either conjunct or disjunct. When the melody moves stepwise and is connected, the movement is termed conjunct. Melody that leaps from pitch to pitch with no natural connection or flow is said to be disjunct.
Melody is structured by its length and intensity much like sentences in a spoken language. For instance, a phrase in music is a unit of meaning within the larger structure of the song in its entirety. Other examples include the cadence and the climax. A cadence is a final ending to a musical section. A climax is a high point of intensity.
Harmony
Harmony is the relation of notes to notes and chords to chords as they are played simultaneously. Harmonic "patterns" are established from notes and chords in successive order. Melodic intervals are those that are linear and occur in sequence, while harmonic intervals are sounded at the same time. Whether or not a harmony is pleasing is a matter of personal taste, as there are consonant and dissonant harmonies, both of which are pleasing to the ears of some and not others. Chords have meaning as they lead to other chords. Certain progressions are encouraged as acceptable in certain styles of music. But basic to all harmony - regardless of style - is the triad. A triad is the most common chord form. It is built on the first, third, and fifth notes of the scale - do, mi, and so - and is symbolized in musical notation by the Roman numeral I. A triad built on the second note of the scale would include the second, fourth, and sixth notes of the scale, still keeping one scale degree between each jump. A triad built on the second note of the scale is written as ii. Triad chords may be built on all seven notes of the scale (with the eighth note a repeat of the first.) Chord symbols for the triads built on the third through seventh notes of the scale are as follows: iii, IV, V, vi, and vii. The I chord is named the Tonic, and the IV chord is called by the name Sub-Dominant. The V chord is the dominant. The vii is referred to as the Leading Tone, as it is often used to change (or "lead") into a new key. This organization around tones is known as "tonality."
Dynamics
Degrees of loudness or softness. If all sounds produced by a musician or a singer, are all in one constant velocity, music will be artificial and expressionless. Even when we talk, dynamics is what differentiates the different emotions we portray. Dynamics is a very simple concept but one of the most difficult to master. Every singer and musician should be able to master dynamics into their singing/playing.
Pitch/Octave
Our modern music is based on a 12-pitch standard scale. The scale repeats itself every 12 intervals. Each interval is called an Octave. As musicians, we must consider in what octave we are playing as not to step on each others sound. If all instruments play on the same octave, we result to a muffled and overlapping sound.
Drums the drums and other percussion instruments sets the standard rhythm of the song. All other instruments SHOULD base their rhythm to the drums. Rhythm consists of the tempo (the speed of the song), the meter(the rhythmic pattern) or the swing. All of these are controlled by the drums. The drums also have a big role in setting the overall dynamics of the song. Drummers should learn when to play loud, soft or sometimes, not play at all. Bass Guitar the bass guitar supports the drummer. It also provides rhythm and feel to the song in a melodic way. The bass guitar puts tune to the drums. The melodic pattern played by the bass guitar is the basis of the harmony in the song. Keyboards this instrument can provide basic melody to a song when no singer is singing and also provide harmony through chords. Modern keyboards can produce different melodic instrument sounds. The keyboards can also be used to play short melodic loops called arpeggios. Sometimes, it also makes sense to just play a soft, long sound (technical term is pads) to set a foundational harmony to the song. Lead guitar the main instrument for soloing or for providing arpeggios and riffs. Guitar players should watch out not to step over and dominate other instruments. A good lead guitar player knows how to avoid where other instruments are playing and to fill in where the singer or other instruments leave a space. Rhythm guitar if the bass guitar gives melodic support to the drums, the rhythm guitar does a harmonic approach. Can also provide the rhythm when drums are silent. Rhythm guitars should be careful not to compete with the keyboards.
Singers
As we are a team, we work as a team. Each of us has our own unique vocal timbre and range so not one of us will be able to sing all songs. Your voice can be perfect to one song but it will be less convincing to another. Transposition of a song to a different key to suit a singers voice is not a good practice. Singers can assume different roles in a singing group. This does not mean one is more important than another, we work to complement each other. Lead vocals The dominant singer when it comes to clarity and dynamics. Being the lead vocals doesnt mean you should be the loudest. Your goal is for the songs lyrics to be clear and its emotions strong to the listener. Backup vocals provide the foundational melody to the song. There are times that the lead vocals need to stop to provide breathing space so the backup vocals should be there so that the song will still have continuity. Backup vocals can also sing in different voices to provide harmony. Backup vocals should avoid using unnecessary vocal styles as this role is foundational. Counterpoint the lead vocals or someone else can also shift to a role of counterpoint vocals. This role provides, vocal embellishments through the application of styles to make the song a little more interesting and to lessen the redundancy of the song as it progress from start to finish. Ex. Pop singers will usually just sing the first verse and the first chorus. The rest will all be counterpoint.
Music Part 2
Common dilemma of beginner musicians is what chords to play for a certain song. This problem piles up when you need to play multiple songs and gets more scary when you are tasked to play a song youve never heard before. Mastering the Nashville Number system is the first step in overcoming this problem.
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The Root chord or 1 and the 4th and 5th chords are major chords The 2nd, 3rd and 6th chords are minor chords The 2nd note is usually used as a base note for a mixed chord with the 4th. The 7th note (also known as the Leading Tone) is rarely used and is mostly used as a stepping stone for progressions or for mixed chords.
Chord Progressions
The next step in using the Nashville Number System is using it in Chord Progressions. The NSS will help you identify common progression patterns in songs. Identifying the progression is based on the bass note of the harmony. When you have identified the note that is used on the scale, knowing the chord will be an easy task. Section Intro Verse Chord Progression (Based on Nashville Number System) 16451 1245 645 654 1542 4536 4563
Singing Styles
Dynamics in singing is change in volume & accent to put emotion and feel to the interpretation of a song. Technique is necessary to facilitate style Trills, licks & runs a rapid variation in a vocal melody most commonly resembling a scale sung dynamically Pronunciation singing the words with the same personality that you would say them to your friends in a natural way. Involves dialects and accents. Attitude reflects emotion, state of mind or the confidence of a singer. Scoops a simple slide from underneath a note up to the note that is to be sung. Note bend simple momentary bending of a note up and then back down to the original pitch Vowel bends makes the song like just a conversation to the audience Falsetto is best used as an effect, not as a singing voice through and through Vibrato a rapid oscillation of pitch from the original pitch down 1 semi-tone and back up again. Proper use of vowels and consonants
Consonants
VOICED a. These have Tone + Pitch + Length (like singing) i. MM NN LL VV RR ZZ TH(There) UNVOICED a. These have Length but NO Tone + NO Pitch (lots of air) i. SS SH FF HH CH TH(Things) TT(Sometimes) STOPPED a. These have No Tone + NO Pitch + NO Length (short with a space in front of them) i. DD GG BB CK PP TT(Sometimes) WORDS THAT START WITH VOWELS a. Like the stopped consonants, use a break before and a glottal stop i. SOMETIMES YY AND WW ii. Y is always like EE iii. W is always like OO (as in food)
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Song lineup example: Target theme: Commitment to missions 1. 2. 3. 4. Run a call to the whole body to be aflame for God Shout Your fame a declaration of who this God is and a self-commissioning to telling the world about Him. The greatness of our God a personal reflection of who this God is and a prayer of humility and submission to Him. With everything His greatness and awesomeness is what gives us the reason to give our lives in dedication to the cause of making Him known.