THE CALLING

"... praise Him [God] with stringed instruments and organs [pipe]."  (Ps. 150:4) KJV

WE GIVE THANKS ALWAYS AND EVERWHERE

FOR THE ORGANIST,

THE MUSICIAN WHO MAKES BREATHE

AND BRINGS FORTH SONG FROM

THE MOST STUPENDOUS,

THE MOST WONDERFUL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

EVER CONCEIVED IN THE MIND OF GOD

AND FABRICATED BY THE HAND OF MAN.

Those who begin digesting their way through the information supplied on this platform may wonder about the generous space they find devoted to explaining the pastoral dimensions of being an organist and what service playing has to do with the salvation of man.  On first thought it may seem that the mechanics of working the machine and being a musician are disparate artistic disciplines having only an indirect, if any, connection with soul-saving. 

That.  Idea.  Is.  Utterly.  False.

Faith comes by HEARING (Rom. 10:17).

Something a person HEARS

causes their faith to rise.

BUT ...

SALVATION

[BEING SAVED BY THE NAME, PERSON, WORK, LIFE, DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND GRACE

OF JESUS CHRIST ALONE]

is not of ourselves,

but the gift of God (Eph. 2:8).

The organist's CALLING

in Christian worship

has nothing to do with entertainment.

[nor is it to usurp the Holy Spirit's job

in drawing people to Christ (John 6:44)].

It's to use the instrument four ways,

as a means of

1.  expressing the joy of that gift,

2.  offering praise to God for it,

3.  teaching its message, and

4.  feeding and strengthening faith.

THAT'S.   IT.

Organists who perform for worship

are more than volunteers

and/or employees on the weekly payroll.

They are ministers

and ambassadors for the instrument

who use all the wonders of music

to reach out to the hearts

of the walking wounded of this world

to uplift their spirits

and empower them with the gospel.

There is much, very much that religious authorities and the general public do not know, understand, or even care to understand about developing and maintaining a thriving sacred music program in a worship institution.

This platform is not the place, nor is there room on this page, to essay this subject sufficiently and fairly save for saying that clergy persons and boards of directors, while they may be the musician's boss, generally know very little if anything about what's needed for or how to DO the job.

Authority does not automatically imply knowledge.

 The ubiquitous "hands off" policy is a case in point.  Obviously, true musical instruments are not toys and are meant to be played, not played with.  Their whole purpose for existence however is to be heard, and thus used.  In the case of pipe organs in the churches, due to the size and complexity of their mechanism, perishable materials (primarily leather), and regular need for wind (to remove built-up humidity in wind trunks), are almost never in absolute, fully-functioning condition, not 100 per cent of the time.  They actually enter faster into a state of disrepair when they're fanatically guarded from visiting hands and feet and/or seldom if ever played, this despite the fact that, the more the organ can be turned on and used, the more it benefits the instrument.  Even electronic organs suffer from lack of use.  Anyone seriously interested, and young people in particular, should be introduced to the organ as early as possible and allowed to play it a little (under appropriate supervision, of course) rather than strictly denied.  Access is essential, and denying it means a slow death both to the instrument and to the life of the church.  The same applies to any other musical instrument the church may own.  A reliable source and highly talented pianist has reported that the administration at a certain "church" will not let any outsiders play its 9-foot concert grand piano no matter how proficient they are unless they have a degree in music and are on the "faculty" of some school.  Those in charge at such a horrible place, frankly, are not running a fellowship of joy.  But one thing is certain: whatever it is they ARE running is self-eroding and destined to perish with them, buried in its own debris.     

The contributions organists are called to make

in filling the air with soaring beauty and majesty

in worship spaces where they exercise their art

play a critically important role in communicating

God's plan for man through Christ Jesus 

prophetically revealed in the Old Testament

in Genesis 3:15

and even more explicitly by design 

in the generations of Adam

recorded in Genesis 5:

Adam [in the Hebrew language] -- means man,

Seth -- means appointed,

Enos -- means mortal, frail, miserable,

Mahalaleel -- means blessed God,

Jared -- means shall come down,

Enoch -- means teaching,

Methuselah -- means his death shall bring,

Lamech -- means despairing,

Noah -- means rest, comfort.

When you put it all together it says,

"Man is appointed mortal, frail, miserable, but the blessed God shall come down teaching, and His death shall bring the despairing rest and comfort."

THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS

TO PRESS THE KEYS OF AN ORGAN IN WORSHIP.

IT MEANS EXPRESSING JOY, OFFERING PRAISE,

TEACHING SALVATION, AND FEEDING FAITH.

It also means something else

which no church musician is able to escape or deny ...

ALL WHO ASPIRE TO DO THIS

ARE ABOUT TO BE INVOLVED

IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

THE COVERT AGENCY

THAT FANS THE FLAMES OF HATRED AND PREJUDICE

AND FUELS THE APPALLING WICKEDNESS

AND DEPRAVITY OF THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD

IS NOT IMAGINARY.

HE IS NOT FICTITIOUS.

HE IS NOT SOME NEBULOUS CONCEPT.

HE IS A REAL ANGELIC BEING

of malevolent intent

WHO HATES GOD, CHRIST, and MAN.

WHEN HE SAW AN OPENING HE SPOKE DIRECTLY TO,

QUESTIONED THE AUTHORITY OF, TRIED TO TEMPT,

AND THEN, WHEN NONE OF THAT WORKED,

HE HAD THE LOW DOWN GALL

TO OFFER A DEAL TO, THE SON OF GOD (Matt. 4:1-11).

THE FALSE FABRICATIONS

AND CONCOCTIONS OF MAN

DO NOT COMMUNICATE IN REAL TIME LIKE THIS.

By the very Word and authority of the Lord Jesus

THE BIBLE EXPOSES this fallen angel

as the father of lies

and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).

The mystery of the grace of God [salvation based upon faith and belief in the name, Person, work, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone] was also hidden from everybody from the beginning.  Only God knew, not His prophets, not even Satan.  God kept it secret until He chose to reveal it to the apostle Paul.  If Satan knew in advance what it was all about, then he would have seen to it that Christ would not have been put to death for our sins.  The devil has been working against God's plan to redeem mankind ever since the first humans sinned and rebelled against God.  Satan tried to destroy the purity of the line of Jesus, keep Him from being born, tried to have Him killed as an infant, and was instrumental through Judas and the chief priests in the crucifixion of Jesus.  At Golgotha Satan thought he had succeeded, that he had won.  But then, the grave could not hold Jesus.  Not long thereafter it was revealed to the apostle Paul that salvation was being offered to all of mankind, not just Jews, through the grace of God, and that Paul should share it and speak it as its faithful ambassador (Eph. 6:19).  This shifted Satan's attention, and for the last 2,000 years he's been working to corrupt this hidden gospel to keep mankind from hearing the truth about salvation.  Knowing that he and all the angels under his sway are fallen creatures subject to God's justice, sentencing, and punishment, and realizing that he's been outsmarted by the mystery of grace kept concealed even from him, Satan's hatred for the three Persons in the Godhead is implacable, incurable, and beyond human imagination or description.  He automatically hates any human being in whose heart the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, dwells.  He bitterly loathes this speck of dust called a human because, with Christ indwelling, that same human soul is destined to spend eternity with the God of heaven where he, Satan, originally came from, once upon a time.  Knowing that God will not trespass upon man's free will, Satan works nonstop to distort and mischaracterize the truth, divide men over religion, fan the flames of hatred and prejudice, and project his own attitudes of pride, envy, jealousy, and greed into human societies by any means he can.  He works overtime to beguile and distract gullible human beings to love the things of this world and its ways to where they spend their fullest time, attention, and resources on anything and everything in this life but God. 

Satan is the insidious god of this world who blinds the minds of unbelievers (2Cor. 4:4) and goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour (1Pet. 5:8).  It takes a powerful being to deceive a whole world full of people (Rev. 12:9), and yet, the only power he has over man is what man yields to him by unbelief.  In the angelic world he goes about accusing man before God day and night (Rev. 12:10) while ignoring or denying ever doing anything misleading or misguiding himself in the face of an avalanche of proof to the contrary.  He instigates discontent among men, continues to act in ways that fail to match his words, uses what's near and dear to the individual as ammunition, and relies upon positive reinforcement to wear people down over time.  He attributes his own nefarious character and godless attitudes to anyone or anything he can to externalize his own guilt and responsibility.  With relentless vigor he repeatedly targets the human race to get people to question not only biblical truths but to doubting and mistrusting everything, to weaken them through confusion to where, under this constant artillery barrage of uncertainty and disbelief, any former methodization and ordering in their thinking is partially if not fully steam-rollered out of existence.   

This is called Gaslighting

[so-named after the movie "Gaslight" (1944) starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer which portrays manipulation and abuse within a marriage].

This devilish tactic of constantly promoting the lie isn't so much aimed at making people believe a specific untruth so much as ensuring that no one believes anything any more.  Satan knows that a people who mistrust everything can no longer differentiate between truth and falsehood, that they will be unable to distinguish between right and wrong, and that such a people deprived of the power to think and judge would be, without knowing and willing it, completely subject to the rule of lies.  Among such a people any maneuvering and manipulation is possible.  This obsessive, depraved nature is readily recognizable and sadly evident in human affairs in general, and politics and religion in particular.  No thief breaks into an empty house but only one which has on the inside something valuable to steal.  In the same way, Satan  doesn't bother to counterfeit what is already false -- it would be a complete waste of his time.  He focuses instead on counterfeiting what is true.  He's been at it for the last two thousand years, and during that time he's raised up an army of professing Christians of his own, lost souls who aren't in the body of Christ and never were (1John 2:19).  Whether he foments animosity among or simply prompts indifference in people, the result is the same.  The devil couldn't care less about how many songs of praise this sham-phony legion of his may sing or how much any musical instruments might be employed in their worship assemblies so long as none of these recruits of his uncover the real truth on their own from the Bible and start putting their own exegesis to work for God.  The eisegesis of the churches appropriating the name "Christian" which downplays shared testimony, independent Bible study, private prayer and meditation, and doing something with it to serve God plays right into his hands.  When people are asleep in religion one morning a week and jamb-packing every remaining hour of their lives with every recreational diversion known to western civilization they're doing just what Satan wants.  Those following this broad road of letting worldly distractions monopolize nearly all of their time and attention may proudly feel in their heart that this same routine is compensating for their latest round of sins, but they're very sadly mistaken.  

God hates this kind of stuff (Prov. 16:5).

If a mere fig tree earned the curse of the Lord Jesus for bearing no fruit when its leaves were plentiful (Mark 11:12-14), then it becomes the absolute business of everyone in the body of Christ, musicians included, to make their own individual contributions to a) carrying out His great commission (Matt. 28:18-20) to bear spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22-23) which reflects the Spirit Christ within them, and b) to teach others about the gospel of grace, the love of God, the absolute authority given to Christ Jesus in heaven and in earth, and what He has commanded.  The reason is, people all over this world are dying every day without ever receiving Him as their personal Saviour and missing their chance to travel the only road to heaven [the cross of Christ] which a holy and just God has made for the justification of sinners.

Because of His holiness God views sin very differently than we do.  The spiritual disease or condition of sin with which all people come into this world creates a great rift or hiatus between humanity and a holy God.  It makes man a criminal, a lawbreaker who in God's eyes must be punished because He is a God of justice.  But He is also a God of love Who has planted a bridge to heal that breach for those willing to change their sinful ways and embrace it.  That one and only bridge is the cross of Christ.  Those old enough and mentally capable enough of comprehending this, i.e. the true gospel, and are made aware of it during their natural lifetime but ignore or willfully reject it and die without Christ will spend eternity separated from God.  The truth is, those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells having received the down payment are destined one day to be born of the resurrection [born again] with a body like Christ's into the kingdom of God but, for the time being, are enlisted in a conflict between two spiritual kingdoms at war with each other.  It isn't about sitting on one's duff in pews week after week listening to flowery messages, singing songs, following the prescribed religious routine, being stuck in this hamster wheel minding one's own business, then leaving the assembly keeping to ourselves what we've seen and heard and what God has done for us while people all around us are perishing for never knowing about it.

NO.  Not according to Scripture.

It's about proactive enlistment for spiritual battle.

It's about deliberate, voluntary, witnessing outreach.

Satan knows if he can get sin to rule us,

any initial interest we have in the rule of God will be killed.

That's his objective in this war -- for us to die in our sins.

But if the Holy Spirit rules us, the sin in us will be killed,

crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6, Gal. 2:20, 5:24).

The pipe organ's ability to adapt to both sacred and secular contexts has allowed it to thrive for more than two thousand years.  During this time it became deeply rooted in its Christian identity because it has been churches which have provided organists with jobs, it was primarily churches that  encouraged organists to learn the organ, and it was frequently churches that were the biggest patrons of the instrument.  While precise statistics are hard to come by, the vast majority of pipe organs today are indeed found in churches with estimates suggesting that over 90 per cent of them are installed in primarily Christian religious settings due to their long standing association with such ceremonies and liturgical music.  At the same time it would be untrue to say that the organ's history is solely or even primarily Christian.  In acknowledging the vast repertoire of the instrument created during the last 7 centuries it's important not to create a false dichotomy between its sacred and secular uses.  The goal should not be to remove the secular, nor the sacred, from the organ but rather to reveal the true multiplicity of its identity.

This platform's home page has already touched upon the idea that true worship stems from a sincere heart and reverence for God, that when worship becomes focused more on performers rather than spiritual connection it indicates a departure from authentic spirituality.  But until those who are called to this specialized ministry go to God with a repentant attitude and pray the prayer of faith for instruction they cannot even begin to imagine what's in store for them up ahead.  Once a student's interest in organ playing leads them to wade into this vast ocean of learning it's inevitable that they find themselves beginning to sense -- rather sooner than later -- this conjoining between theology and organ performance, that it all fits together.  They then do more than simply admire the craftsmanship and workings of this engineering marvel that has them captured, how it's built, how it creates sound, and the beauty and majesty of the music written for it -- they start crediting it for reflecting in its design and purpose the Light of an Eternal Mind. 

The first time that anyone experiences what it's like to sit at a large pipe organ, draw its stops, press its keys in spread chords with the full organ and pedal, and be exposed to its sonic and visceral sensations, on that day "the pipe organ bug" bites them.  Once that happens, they're never the same.  Their ears, eyes, and hearts, ALL are opened up in ways not possible by any other means.  Being involved in the production of organ music feeds, nourishes, brings great joy to, and connects with listeners in a very special way.

For people called to and set aside by God to serve in this music ministry the situation however is not a simple one in this present, pluralistic, politically correct world.

By far the biggest obstacle facing them

in carrying out their God-given calling

is religion itself.

RELIGIOUS PRIDE

KEEPS PEOPLE FROM THE TRUTH.

THE SAD TRUTH IS,

MUCH ABOUT RELIGION WITHIN CHURCHIANITY

IS NEITHER BIBLICAL NOR CHRISTIAN

BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION.

RELIGION DETERMINES

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES.

IT'S THE BIBLE THAT DETERMINES

WHAT THE CHURCH MUST TEACH.

AND IT IS THIS:

THERE ARE NO REQUIREMENTS

FOR SALVATION TODAY

SAVE FOR FAITH & BELIEF

IN THE NAME, PERSON, WORK,

LIFE, DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND GRACE

OF JESUS CHRIST ALONE.

SALVATION CANNOT BE MERITED OR EARNED

BY ANY BURDENS, TASKS, OR EXERTIONS

PRESCRIBED BY RELIGION.

IT IS NOT OF WORKS (Eph. 2:9).

ANY WORKS SOMEONE PERFORMS

THINKING THAT, IN SO DOING,

IT WILL EXCUSE THEM FROM GOD'S JUDGMENT

AND ANY PUNISHMENT FOR THEIR INIQUITY 

ARE AS FILTHY RAGS TO HIM (Isa. 64:6).

WHEN A CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY TEACHES

THAT SOMEONE MUST IN ANY SENSE

PERFORM GOOD WORKS

IN ORDER TO DRAW DOWN THEIR SALVATION

IT RENDERS THE CROSS OF CHRIST OF NO EFFECT,

MAKES GOD INTO A LIAR,

AND DENIES HIS GRACE.

GOD LOOKS AT THE HEART,

FOR WHAT HE REQUIRES,

NOT WHAT RELIGION REQUIRES.

BEING DEVOUTLY RELIGIOUS

NEVER SAVED ANYBODY FROM HELL.

[THE PEOPLE WHO SHOUTED THE LOUDEST FOR THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST WERE RELIGIOUS.]

PEOPLE NEED TO RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST

to be saved.

They need to come to the cross TO KNOW HIM,

NOT with their religious trappings, precedence, & pride

but with humility.

NOTE:  Ever since the mystery of grace was first revealed both Jews and Gentiles have been saved by it.  Scripture indicates that Christ did everything needed to supply this grace by His shed blood on the cross and by His resurrection.  Whole denominations by the dozens however are being driven by a theology which teaches that this wasn't enough, that to be truly saved one must do more.

Salvation isn't spade work of any kind to be taken up.

It's a gift (Rom. 6:23, Eph. 2:8).

 Cowards are the first category of human souls listed [even before murderers] in God's Word (Rev. 21:8) who will end up in the lake of fire burning with brimstone, sometimes called "the second death."  This passage refers primarily to self-styled Christians who believe that man is only justified by the sacrifice of Jesus as a sin offering on the cross when merit-based works are super-added.  Satan the enemy has tripped them into this suspicion.  Due to their church's eisegesis in misinterpreting Scripture (Jas. 2:20-26) they are confusing faith-perfecting works with merit-based works which deny the power of God's grace.  The moment any man is suspicious of Christ's salvation like this, that same man is closing or shutting the door of mercy in his own face.  Church-goers today by the hundreds of millions don't understand this or even recognize the season they're in because the homilies they're hearing from the pew and the messaging they're hearing from the gallery contradict or barely touch upon it, if at all.  They play church, they attend services, they recite a creed, they perform a rite, they get water baptized [which portrays but does not produce salvation], they follow the routine, it makes them feel a sense of community, moral code, and humility, but in the back of their minds they're uneasy over whether or not they've ever "done enough" to make it into heaven.  God sees such people putting their trust in a works salvation like this as having a form of godliness but denying its power (2Tim. 3:5), yielding to fear, not standing firm in Christ, and headed for the lake of fire.  Some of these same congregants also pay a compulsory tithe, also called "church dues," to maintain their good standing without being aware that 16 times in the Bible the tithe was mandated by God to be only fruits, vegetables, products made from them such as wine and [olive] oil, and clean animals -- never money, gold, silver, wages, or anything else.  Nowhere in the Bible in fact did God ever transfer ownership of the tithe from the Levite to any apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, bishop, teacher, organization, church, or anyone else (2Cor. 9:7).  Those churches which promote their own eisegesis like this to the neglect of that regeneration involved in the conversion process are lifeless.  They are insentient of what salvation in Christ really means and of the need to teach it.  Those newly joined with the body of Christ aren't just devotees or admirers of Jesus -- they bear a fixed relationship with Him.  They feel the joy and peace that only His inner presence can provide (John 15:11, 16:33).  They're alive in His love and start loving Him back so much that the idea of sinning, something they know is certain to grieve the Holy Spirit within them, becomes abhorrent.  They have no misgivings whatsoever in the perfect saving power of the grace of God through faith alone in what Christ did at the cross and in His resurrection.  The faith-perfecting good works they perform (Jas. 2:26) have nothing to do with drawing down their own salvation but are simply a natural and expected by-product of Christ living His life in them.  

Jesus claimed, rightly, that HE was "the Way, THE TRUTH, and the life" (John 14:6).  We therefore have it on the authority of the holy and Spirit-filled Son of God that there is indeed such a thing as absolute truth and that HE was the embodiment of it.  The error of indifferentism, a form of heresy prevalent in some of the churches today, has to do with the big lie sweeping modern society that there is no such thing as absolute truth, that one religion is as good as another.  It rests upon the supposition that truth is relative, that it ebbs and flows and changes depending upon what the latest polls say it is or what people want it to be, and that it doesn't matter what people believe, it's what they do that counts.  The fact of the matter is, truth and error are NOT equally pleasing to God and never were. 

A great many clergy persons these days

who occupy chairs, offices, and pulpits

are promoting this same heresy as

"the church's infallible position"

at the expense of godly faithfulness.

Local churches by the thousands

have lost their attendees and closed for good

over this kind of

unfaithful progressive governance.

Some are also promoting feel-good notions such as 

"All religions have value as pathways to God,"

"The hearts of people are basically good," and

"God loves everyone unconditionally,"

NONE OF WHICH AGREES WITH

THE WORD OF GOD, which clearly states:

"No one comes to God but by Jesus" (John 14:6),

"the human heart is deceitful above all things

and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9), &

"if any person loves not the Lord Jesus,

let them be damned" (2Cor. 16:22).

Church attendance, water baptism,

volunteerism, penance, charity, good works,

feeding the poor, political/fraternal affiliations,

parents, friends, clergy, positive thinking,

being a "good person" ...

all of this helps to make the world a better place,

BUT NONE OF IT HAS ANY SAVING POWER.

Salvation [justification by faith]

means more than having one's slate wiped clean.

It means being clothed

in the righteousness of Christ,

that one may walk with Him in glory, to glory.

It's calamity enough to realize that Buddhists, Hindus, Confucianists, Islamists, unbelieving Jews, atheists, agnostics, wiccans, and profane libertines [we speak of those of sufficient age and mentality to comprehend the gospel of grace but omit ever receiving Christ as their personal Saviour during their lifetimes] have themselves on the road to eternal separation from God.  But it gets worse.  Jesus warned that many self-styled followers of His won't realize until it's far too late that they've spent their whole life soaking in unsound belief that kept them from doing the will of God (Matt. 7:21-23, Luke 12:32).  People can acknowledge the identity and spiritual authority of the Lord Jesus Christ [even demons do that], and, as stated, attend worship services regularly, sing in the choir, donate to charity, volunteer their time, and go about every performative work their religion prescribes, but without having that personal, intimate, faith-filled encounter with Christ and experiencing that instantaneous, regenerative conversion of heart and mind that results from the moment His Spirit comes to live inside them, without that transformative make-over that renews their thinking, character, and inborne sinful nature, without expressing the same fruit-of-the-Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) approach to all of life that's a direct reflection of Him, they simply DO NOT have Christ, and He DOES NOT know them (Matt. 7:21-23).  The sad truth is, much of the time spent preaching in churches these days, week after week, involves feel-good motivational speaking and/or reinforcing of unbiblical fiction at the expense of teaching about the consequences of sin and that wondrous metamorphosis of heart and mind involved in being saved from hell by the cross of Christ.  When someone's system of belief is tainted with artificial practice like this which even its own clergy cannot see through, that "church" is no better off than the fool who says in his heart there is no God (Ps. 14:1), that there's no such thing as sin, no culpability for it, no need for Christ, no need for a bible, no afterlife, no nothing.  A man can go to his grave rejecting Christ, and there's nothing God can do about it.  God will do everything in His power to warn him.  He'll put negative incidents in his life, He may even allow catastrophic loss to happen, out of love, to save that man.  But He'll never trespass on man's free will.

The church addicted to good fortune sermons and messages of thriving well-being in this world to the neglect of that miraculous process of regeneration brought about by the Holy Spirit working on the heart of each individual is no better off than the unrepentant scoffer who's so wrapped up in selfish pride, so consumed with denial and unbelief, so indifferent to what Christ has done for him, so content in his sins, so hardened of heart, so resistant to the will of God, that he's poised at the entrance to hell.

"The will of God" is that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him may have everlasting life (John 6:40).

THAT'S God's will.

Christ taught that only those who do the will of God, as thus defined, will enter His kingdom (Matt. 21:28-32) and that He looks upon such people as His own close family members (Mark 3:35).  He also taught that people can claim to be His followers and do many things in His name all the while practicing iniquity which has them on the same broad road that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:21-23).  God will be found working His will in those who have experienced that transformative renewing of the mind upon receiving Christ (Rom. 12:2) and in whose hearts the Holy Spirit dwells (Phil. 2:13).  These will sense God's tug on their heart, much like the child flying a kite so high that his eyes may not see it but feels the strong tug of it

AND KNOWS IT'S THERE.

It's a rather glaring non sequitur for an organist to "go to church" to practice the organ there.  People can go to a religious center/501c3 building to worship, fellowship, or exercise their ministry, but technically speaking they cannot "go to church."  The "church" [Gr. "ekklesia," meaning "called out ones"] Jesus said He would build (Matt. 16:18) is not a building, neither is it limited to any one communion.  It is not an exclusive club of church-goers.  It is not an agency of sectarian bondage.  It's made up of individuals peppered throughout society who have received Jesus Christ and destined one day to be resurrected into the kingdom of God.  As for former church-goers, a fair number of them do not intend to return.  When every local Christian congregation is supposed to be thinking and acting like a loving and concerned family it can be very dispiriting to learn that some attendees have received undeserved mistreatment as a result of their church memberships.  Those saved in Christ cannot afford to remain ignorant of the fact that spiritual bruises and welts have been suffered by church people and that far too many have been wounded in the house of the Lord.  Just about anybody who's "been in church" for very long has his/her own sad and painful story to tell about gossip, slander, hypocrisy, ingratitude, snubs, omissions, being forced into a mold that didn't fit, or outright discrimination.  It's a fact that these kinds of embarrassing flaws have contributed in a negative and no small way to church retention and recruitment.  If someone is seriously wronged accidentally and those responsible acknowledge it and apologize, there is room for forgiveness.  We are taught to love and forgive the trespasses of others even when no apology may be forthcoming (Matt. 6:14-15).  But if and when expectations are marred through quarrels and divisions, criticism and control, neglect and betrayal, the relationship gets shredded to where it may be impossible for those who were wronged to continue along the same lines.  From then on flinching and cringing happen among these victims at the mere mention of "church."  Musicians who may have witnessed or been subject to such misfortune to such an upsetting and destructive degree do well to remain close to God in prayer, keep in mind the positive impact their playing invariably has on their listeners, envision what the church being the church really looks like as a caring family, and be willing to seize any future opportunities to help make that dream or ideal into a reality.

Additionally, in some of the megachurches and Christian communions today, we find misguided clergy persons in the heirarchy of governance who are preaching amiss.  In so doing they presume that they and their listeners are all on their way to heaven when they are not.  Satan wants people to live their lives as if there are no eternal consequences for sin, but these teachers dwell far too much on feel-good messaging and not nearly enough on the fact that the souls of all people will spend eternity somewhere, that hell is real, and that Jesus made a way to escape it.

They are not dwelling enough upon

the 5 warning signs

that people are on the road to hell, which are:

1) ignoring Christ as the only way to heaven,

2) denying the existence of hell,

3) not having a changed life through faith,

4) living in unrepentant sin, and

5) having a hardened heart toward God.  

The prevailing worldly stance of feel-good compromise and progressive wokeism has infected the modern pulpit to the extent that the messaging from the Bible about such critical matters as the sin problem, hell, the doctrine of justification by faith -- in fact the entire host of consequential points involved in the Christian journey -- are being set aside in favor of:

1) the prosperity gospel [claiming falsely (John 16:33) that every believer through faith alone can expect uncommon financial favor and abundant good health in this world and that any shortfalls encountered in either area in the here and now indicates insufficient faith],

2) legalism [an unbiblical hybrid of law and grace involving the imposition of additional conditions for salvation such as mandatory membership & attendance, forced tithing, speaking in tongues, vain repetitious praying, and entire systems of observance],

3) hypergrace [preaching only God's love without acknowledging His holiness, twisting Scripture (1John 4:16) in contending that "love is the God we seek," ignoring the truth that He is a God of justice, and promoting the idea that those saved in Christ can do whatever they want],

4) replacement theology [the false notion (Eph. 1-3) that the body of Christ has supplanted Israel in the plan of God, thus making believers into spiritual Israel and failing at the same time to rightly divide truth from truth, and

 5) outright blasphemy [such as redefining God's Trinitarian nature, claiming that all religions are pathways to God, veneration of Mary mother of Jesus as a Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix with Him, asserting that Christ was a created Being, that He never hung from and died on a cross but on a vertical pole, or that the destiny of the saved is to become gods themselves ...

all of which are an affront to God.

The Lord Jesus, the very embodiment of truth, was quite clear about the danger of hell fire (Matt. 5:22).  In the gospels He spoke often about heaven, but He spoke 3 times more about hell than He did about heaven.  He was also quite clear about His followers, they there would be a price to pay for it in this present evil world -- that price being trial, oppression, ordeal, persecution, and the like -- NOT prosperity (John 16:33).  He said if any man were to come after Him, let him deny himself, take up his cross [NOT pole] daily, and follow Him (Matt. 16:24, Luke 9:23).  This means giving up everything for His sake, traveling a difficult narrow road, and having to bear the affliction that comes with it (and yes, even face execution, if it should come down to that).   So for those would-be new congregants who walk with God in Bible reading and prayer, who have investigated the original meanings of biblical passages recorded in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek language, understand them in correct translation and in proper context, and are clear on sound, rightly divided biblical doctrine, the dishonest gainsaying they find being preached unbiblically in too many "churches" these days is a complete turn-off (Gal. 1:9).  They know that the sins society condones, that the clergy may disregard, overlook, or excuse, or that man has made legal, are still sins in the eyes of God and have many people on the broad way

that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13).  

Any gathering of the body of Christ today is supposed to be a place where the Spirit of Christ is there, reflecting His love, joy, peace, and other attributes of the Spirit of truth (Gal. 5:22-23).  And yet, the way churches operate today, supposedly in His name, they give potential new congregants  a thousand reasons to quit attending.  As for the music, the major denominations may still have an organ of some kind in mostly or partly working condition, but most, sad to say, do not have anyone to play it.  More often than not they rely upon a piano to accompany any live singing.  As for the listeners, a fair number of them really do not prefer the "pop concert" swing-and-sway atmosphere which now pervades the church music scene.  High-tech assisted worship, for them, is unnecessarily complicated.  They want it simple, not so communication glutted, easy to figure out and easy to follow, something that doesn't get them lost.  This means a simple hymn book with music lines, a single song-leader, and plain accompaniment as opposed to the most up-to-date sights and sounds of a modern technology-glutted society.

 

To hear so many congregants talking today the well-meaning rock band performing all kinds of special music of their own, while all well and good, is, frankly, wasted on them in a worship setting.  They agree that there is plenty of room for musical creativity, excellence, and talent, but they also admit that it should work with and not compete with assembled voices uplifted in worship.  They want to hear ALL of God's people united in praise, not merely the praise band singers.  They don't want to be forced to stumble through or silently listen to unfamiliar music and words they have trouble following while gazing at lines flashing across a Jumbotron screen.  They want to KNOW the music so they can sing it from their hearts.

This is a sobering situation facing the music ministry today.  Trends like this have pushed many an organist, whether deliberately or not, out of the picture right along with the traditional hymn book.  The current so-called shortage-of-organists can be attributed in large part to the concert atmosphere that's developed and the fact that worship attendance and offerings have been dwindling.  Consequently fewer young people are undertaking the study of an instrument which consumes time and energy to develop, then maintain the several skill sets involved. but doesn't provide commensurate financial return.  There are some organists out there, of course, who attempt to make a full-time living from their music with a pay scale which provides for a part of their needs, health coverage, and other considerations, but such positions are very few and far between.  It's a fact that a great many churches these days have lost their organists because their musicians are expected to perform weekly for zero compensation.  The best case scenario seems to be relying on doing something else for a primary income which would allow someone to pursue the music ministry with a mind free of undue concern.

It's sadly astonishing that a fair number of churches today are saying that they're "no longer able to utilize" their pipe organ, a fine piece of musical equipment that may well have served and inspired countless listeners and for which so many had sacrificed to purchase and install some decades ago.  Church boards are claiming they don't want to pay to keep the instrument maintained when they can't find anyone to play it ... all the while ignoring the fact that, in order for it to attract a talented player, it has to BE in working order not to mention that, by offering no pay, they've destroyed any financial incentive for talent recruitment.  The truth is, when there are important organs hundreds of years old in Europe that are in excellent condition today because someone cared enough to preserve them, it's nonsensical, a dirty rotten shame, and a crime against music bordering on blasphemy to put a fine pipe organ out on the street and end up with worship music that's "all sauce" and "no beefsteak."  Too many congregations today find themselves under-selling if not giving away their organ, then in a few months after the music director has hit the road for obvious reasons they wish they had their organ back.  Would it not be better to keep the organ, begin fund-raising to keep it in good repair, and pay someone talented to play it?  It's a fair question.     

In terms of filling the pews every week, the very misguided disuse of the hymnal and organ in worship has been far more of a hindrance than a help.  There are probably a very great many people who don't really care whether or not they're singing with an organ, but it's as if hymnals and organs have become the scapegoats for the decline in attendance.  The resulting fallout in education has involved school faculties which seem to be more challenged than ever before to recruit organ students.  Among denominations where organ music and accompaniments are or might still be embraced, there are fewer local churches open than ever before, fewer ministers, fewer congregants, smaller choirs (where there IS a choir), greater costs for upkeep of the building and the functioning of worship, and more internal legislation on security, youth, insurance, etc.

While the musical mindset of flat-screen pastors and worship teams is no longer what it was half a century ago, it still rings true that church services have little to do with what people prefer and everything to do with what they need.  It's still true that when people reverently and routinely come together to hear the Word of God, fellowship in a spirit of joy, and sing praises to Him, this points to the use of a type of sacred song that's a) strong in doctrine, b) not mantra or emotionally driven, and c) not filled with repetitive lyrics.  These are foundational conditions, and, in churches where hymnals have been gathered up and are sitting in boxes or stacked in hallways, the ministry there would do well to remember that traditional hymns meet these requisites better than anything else [See blog, Hymns, Parts I-XII].

Hymns are theological statements set to music.

• Hymns serve as a means to teach and reinforce the foundational beliefs of the Christian faith.  Many contemporary songs simply lack the depth and theological richness that hymns provide.  Hymns can help educate and spiritually nourish congregations of all sizes.
• Hymns have connected generations of believers throughout history.  The singing of just one hymn at an appropriate moment, something approved of and encouraged by Jesus Himself (Matt. 26:30, Mark 14:26), can serve as a bridge between the church's past and its present, reminding all participants they are part of a much larger, timeless group which shares unity and continuity in worshiping God.
• Hymns are easy to remember.  Their melodies and lyrics stay with people for a lifetime.  Congregants can carry the messages and lessons contained in hymns throughout their lives, reinforcing their faith.
• Hymns can be a unifying force among a diverse congregation.  They transcend cultural and language barriers and provide an opportunity for people of different backgrounds to worship together.  They are a beautiful expression of unity in Christ among various sundry peoples that gives them a real sense of identity and belonging.
• Hymns can offer a broader musical palette and a sense of balance in worship.  They are flexible, arrangeable, and can accommodate a wide multiplicity of musical tastes and preferences.
• Hymns often carry deep emotional resonance.  Their melodies and lyrics can evoke strong feelings of reverence, joy, comfort, and pleasant memories of departed loved-ones.  They reach deeply into the soul, beckon the unsaved, and provide a safe space for people to express their emotions, a place where they can find solace and healing.
• Hymns can be powerful teaching tools.  They can be and are very often used to instruct and encourage, especially in conjunction with the preaching of sermons.  Many hymns are directly tied to biblical passages and stories, making them valuable teaching aids.
• Hymns preserve a sacred legacy for future generations.  These timeless songs of the church are a way that children and grandchildren have the opportunity to experience an unbroken musical heritage.    

   One of the best places to start

to understand a congregation's theology

and how they practice it

is to find out what they sing

and how and where they sing it.

Amish communities, for example, embrace a strict and disciplined, traditional Anabaptist Christian theology.  They conduct their worship services out of their own homes and, while they do sing hymns, it's always slowly, a capella, in unison without any instrumental use whatsoever.  All singing and preaching is done in Pennsylvania German, and their primary hymnal, the Ausbund, the oldest hymnal still in use dating back to early 16th century Reformation days, contains only the words, the melodic tunes being passed down mouth to ear from generation to generation.  Mennonites, on the other hand, hold worship services in their own church buildings and employ instrumental accompaniment for their hymn singing which is done in English in 4-parts from a variety of hymnals and song books which form their hymnody.  In North America since the 1960's they have used organs, both pipe and electronic, as well as pianos and even drums in their church services.  Not surprisingly, while they also embrace the same set core of Anabaptist theology, their practice is a good deal more modernized, more engaging with outsiders, less rigorous in observance, and in recent years has even embodied progressive trends.  

While it would be narrow-minded to think that hymn singing out of the hymnal is incapable of joining in praise with other kinds of worship music when congregations gather to offer praise to God, it does provide a great deal of spiritual depth, theological richness, timeless connection, memorability, inclusivity, variety and balance, and emotional resonance while serving as a powerful teaching tool with a living legacy.  There's also something else to consider:  just holding a hymnal during worship is important.  Practically speaking, hymn books cannot break down in the middle of a liturgy like technology can.  Musically, they teach -- looking at notes on a page as opposed to just lyrics helps people learn the basics of melodic direction and rhythmic value, giving them the first steps in learning to read music.  Theologically, congregants don't just see what the worship leader has selected but are instead exposed to the full repertoire.  They can turn the page and encounter hymns in other languages, reminding them of the church's diversity.  Seeing old hymns next to newer ones unites them with all believers throughout history.  Hymnals are also symbols of consistency.  Unlike a screen that fades or a paper bulletin which is discarded, they demonstrate that what is being sung is worth keeping around as well as reminding everyone that prayer is continuous and can't be turned off or discarded.  Hymnals are something that can and should be held proudly in the hands.  The fact that congregants have a voice and the organist has an organ which can lead them remains a very dynamic way to enrich the spiritual lives of congregations by maintaining connection with the church's roots, providing a robust theological foundation, reminding people of God's love and grace, and fostering unity and inclusivity while helping to stir souls and draw them closer to God.

At the same time, Jesus died to save sinners,

not to create the mayhem of denominations

we see today.

ORGANISTS PLEASE TAKE NOTE:

There are literally tens of thousands of communions and affiliations within churchianity today but only ONE body of Christ (Eph. 4:4).  The "church" Jesus said He would build upon the truth his disciple Simon Peter had just uttered (Matt. 16:18) is not made of brick and mortar where so many pipe and electronic organs in the world happen to be installed.  The body of Christ is neither physical architecture nor any self-styled grouping but a spiritual body with Jesus Christ as its head.  It is NOT a religious corporation with Jesus Christ as its president.  It is NOT limited to any one denomination or agreed-upon system of observance.  That idea CANNOT be true because the body of Christ crosses every partition and circumstantial divide to include ALL Spirit-led believers irrespective of gender, age, race, creed, color, country of origin, baptismal status, health status, formal education, vocation, past history, card-carrying memberships, who they're pastor is, or even if they have a pastor.  It includes EVERY HUMAN BEING of sufficient mental capacity who has received exposure to and has embraced the gospel of grace, repented, surrendered to the Lord Jesus, received Him into their heart, and is committed going forward to walking in faith and trusting Him for everything regardless of the cost.  Such people are destined to experience three miracles in their lives:  1) the aforementioned process of being redeemed, sanctified, and justified through the grace of Christ and the saving work of His cross at the very moment of receiving Him as their Savior, 2) a future moment [rapture] at which all in the body of Christ, whether living or deceased, are removed from this world, born again with a glorified body like the Lord Jesus, and are taken twice born to heaven (1Thess. 4:17), and 3) the miracle situated between these two other miracles made possible by such people taking on new life and becoming more like the Lord Jesus as the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, begins to live His life ... IN THEM.

*

It also means that organists serving the music ministry are not necessarily tied to where they can find the most lavish instrument in the most lavish building.  As for something in a portable electronic instrument for the itinerant organist or worship keyboardist where an organ with pedals is not available, it would be well to goal out for one that at a minimum came with a fairly realistic pipe organ diapason chorus aboard along with some softer ranks for preluding and more quiet, meditative moments.  It would also be most desirable if a built-in reverb engine with adjustable decay time were also aboard.  Top of the line would include a 32-foot octave, transposer button, and a row of adjustable presets to store selected combinations.  An external powered speaker cabinet, volume pedal, keyboard stand, bench, audio cables, power (surge) strip, and traveling case all would be highly advisable, if not necessary, tools.  An add-on powered subwoofer, connecting audio cable, extension cord, and a couple of 3-prong adapters for situations where the venue may only have 2-prong electrical wall receptacles, all come highly recommended.   

     

 *

It's important for organists/church musicians, wherever they're music ministry takes them, to remember this one thing ABOVE ALL:  worship music, no matter how pious it may sound, can be the front door to unbiblical deceptions.  Those in the body of Christ today don't get to follow Jesus on their own terms, neither do they get to worship God just with their heart or any other way they want.  Referring to the Scriptures, Christ taught that people must worship God in spirit AND in truth (John 4:24).  Both are necessary and non-negotiable conditions according to Jesus, which means that the Bible is conjoined with the hymnal (and comes before it).  In a great many of today's denominations being led by preachers who go along to get along, more time is spent listening to and watching Christian-based songs performed than hearing sermon messages.  Since congregations learn their theology not only by the preaching they hear but by the songs they sing it's important to bear in mind that Satan the devil, as described above, also is a musician; he knows all about music, and his workmanship in this department was prepared for him in heaven from the time he was created (Ezek. 28:13).  As a largely underestimated master of disguise, Satan is well aware that spiritual giftedness, especially in the creative arts, does not equal spiritual maturity.  So, with characteristic, unmitigated gall he cunningly and treacherously deceives and preys upon any well-meaning but unwary, underinformed, misinformed, and susceptible praise song writers.  He specifically targets their proficiency in crafting poetic and artistic language to perpetrate a hoax; he misleads them to incorporate what's theologically false into the lyrics they're matching to the latest captivating tune to issue from their pen.  In so doing, this malevolent being, working undercover, exploits the creativity of the naive musician to adroitly assemble a Trojan Horse for him.  The musical product is a very subtle, perfidious imposture which on its surface looks and sounds and seems uplifting, reverent, and honoring to God but when introduced into and performed at worship it ends up achieving the pernicious end that Satan wants; its wording, when mirrored against biblical truth, is irreverent and lacking honor to God while at the same time promoting what's untrue in such an astute and guileful way that it goes unnoticed.  This is only one way that Satan, the ruler and god of this world (John 16:11, 2Cor. 4:4) who knows that God will not trespass on man's free will, exploits churchianity.  He worms his way into the arts, infiltrates religious thinking and worship, and manipulates the people involved (including seminary attendees & musicians); he manipulates places (including pulpits & the elevated dais); he manipulates things (including seminaries, liturgies, bible translations, theologies, music, etc.) to taint the purity of biblical truth -- in this case within sung stanzas of songs -- just enough to discolor with error the purity of truth.  Incognizant singers who are duped by all of this may be charter members of their church, they may have multiple baptismal certificates to their name, have a drawer full of Sunday school pins, have never missed choir practice, and still end up, of their own free choice, missing their chance to experience God's presence and fellowship with Him forever.  As long as the result is still the same, Satan is fine with that.  As stated, the devil doesn't come on as a bad guy; he works behind the scenes masquerading as a good guy to achieve his ends; he doesn't give a hoot about how much people sing praises to God in the churches every week as long as the singing is off target.  Satan, master of fine-spun, insidious propaganda that he is, ambush predator walking about this earth seeking whom he can devour that he is (1Pet. 5:8), arrogant, brazen, back-stabbing traitor to God that he is, hates man, hates the Word of God rightly divided, and hates the true gospel, is infuriated by it, and will stop at nothing, and stoop to anything, to contaminate and pollute its message, lure people away from God, and get them to disqualify themselves by any tantalizing and nefarious means his genius can contrive.  This is because Satan knows that a) no man has ever turned away from God and found happiness, joy, and peace that was lasting and permanent, b) God has made

+  the cross of Christ  +

the road to heaven, c) there isn't any other way for sinful man to be forgiven and enter into eternal fellowship with God, d) the man or woman who refuses to accept the shelter it offers is doomed, and e) it's been made crystal clear that anyone saved by it is no longer dead in spirit (alive physically but without relationship or fellowship with God) but part of a new creature called the body of Christ, miraculously formed by grace through faith, against which no weapon formed, seen or unseen, shall prosper (Isa. 54:17).  

Is this what's really going on in the churches

and with church music today?

Dear friends, you better believe it ...

Where you spend eternity depends upon it.

If Satan is shrewd enough to talk angels out of heaven

he can talk man into hell.

He accomplishes this

by using this world to entice man

to occupy his mind with everything except God.

If any human soul ever ends up lost and in hell

it won't be because of the bad they've done.

Those sins can be forgiven by the precious blood

of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If they end up lost it's because of what they have not done,

by omitting ever receiving Jesus Christ

as their personal Saviour.

The classic hymns also have poetic and artistic language in them, but it's always combined with a reverence and an honoring to God that's sadly lacking in a fair number of the newer songs used in praise.  This is why true Christians are obliged to follow Saint Paul's example (1Cor. 14:15) when he says he will sing with the spirit and also sing with the understanding.  This is why organists who play for worship services need to be (and cannot afford NOT to be) well acquainted with true, rightly divided, biblical Christian doctrine.  When there is a proper way to worship and sing to the Lord, viz., in the spirit with both truth and understanding, then people are not to sing songs to God that they do not understand (if it's something they don't understand, then it's truthfulness cannot be determined).  People fail to catch any untruths in the stanzas they're singing in worship without knowing the truth directly from sacred Scripture.  This makes it incumbent upon organists as well as praise music writers and other performers involved in the music ministry to reflect upon the body of belief being taught where their music is being heard.   

*

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS WORTH SHARING ...

Some of our organist friends, while they cannot find any hard numbers to support it, believe that the profession of liturgical organist is dying.  In some locales a fair number of churches have either shut down completely or merged with other congregations.  Many are no longer employing the organ and are using either piano or praise band music.  Active choirs are becoming increasingly rare because of the diminished and aged congregations.  Many young organists today are completely eschewing church work and trying to build recital careers.  While understandable, they do not have the career paths of other musicians such as violinists or pianists.  As such, even our major organists cannot command the fees many up-and-coming pianists make.  The demand and audience attraction just aren't there.  The sad part is that many new organists are fine musicians, their talent is something about which to marvel, but it seems that, without a massive examination of the topic of marketing, this profession will be gone in the not too distant future.

In many locales there are some fine teachers available for organ study, but they find it discouraging because it seems that no one wants to study the instrument.  A significant issue appears to be that organists can't find full time positions with even basic benefits because so many churches can no longer afford that, notwithstanding the issue of those who just want a paycheck and have no concern for the music ministry.  The cause for this situation is multi-faceted.  In the big cities where many large and important instruments are located a fair number of congregants have grown tired of political agendas that have flown directly in the face of their faith, and, being conscientious objectors, a fair number of those able to move away have done so.  The Covid scare and the church's reaction to it also caused people to get out of the habit of attending worship services, opting instead to watch online.  The woke ideology direction some of the churches have taken also is part of the picture, many people just don't go for drag queen bible study, and these are dying by their own hand.

It's a disheartening reality that many extraordinarily talented young musicians, brimming with potential, will see their careers falter or stagnate -- not due to a lack of skill but because they do not understand how to market themselves.  Despite their musical prowess they find themselves adrift in a landscape that increasingly values visibility and self-promotion.  What's particularly troubling is that even our most prestigious music education institutions often fail to equip these gifted individuals with the business acumen necessary for building a successful concert career.  A comprehensive musical education should not just focus on the art itself but also on the practical realities of turning that artistry into a viable profession.  One of the most crucial aspects of being a performing artist is selling tickets and filling seats in a performance venue.  In today's competitive world, being excellent is no longer enough -- the recitalist must also be a magnet that can draw a wide and loyal audience.  Major concert venues will simply not hire an artist who cannot fill their halls, regardless of their talent.

This challenge extends beyond just filling seats.  Musicians must also know how to cultivate relationships with foundations and corporations to secure funding for their desired projects, many of which are not cheap.  The ability to attract patrons and sponsors, present compelling proposals, and manage funding is now as integral to a musician's success as the ability to perform beautifully on stage.  The tragedy deepens when we consider the sheer breadth of opportunities available today.  In this digital age, with platforms like social media and streaming services at their fingertips, musicians have unprecedented access to audiences around the globe.  However, far too few know how to harness these tools effectively.  Many young artists seem overwhelmed or simply unaware of the power these resources hold on shaping their future careers.

This disparity between talent and visibility underscores the urgent need for our music institutions to evolve.  It's no longer enough to teach the notes; how to be heard in a noisy world also needs to be taught.  The modern performing artist has to be a skilled marketer, relationship builder, and fundraiser as much as they are a master of the instrument.  Any time-saver [such as online educational websites like this one] which helps fast-track that mastery can be expected to help create more time for the budding professional to focus on these other career-building skills.

BOTTOM LINE MESSAGE FOR ORGANISTS:

Because it takes a lot of years to get to a point where you can use your music to make a living, even partially, you need to find a balance between what part of your music is ministry and what part of it is career.  Doing music doesn't always give instant gratification from others.  The unspoken compliments are valuable, too.  Just blessing and touching someone's heart and soul with something you play is the goal.  Let God do His work through your music.  He will give the increase.  Keep on working, and keep on enjoying what you do.  Keep your eye on the finish line and beyond.  Remember as well, it's extremely easy to get burned out with music.  It's hard work, and negative criticism hurts.  Try to ignore the negative junk.  Music is a wonderful journey but certainly not a perfect one, either.  Give your concerns whatever they are to the heavenly Father, and put your burden in His hands.  You are no accident.  God loves you.  He knew you before you were born.  He has invested you with a combination of traits and abilities unlike anyone else who has ever walked the face of this earth.  You are uniquely, almost strangely, qualified for the assignment God has in mind for you, and he has put you in the here and now, in this generation, for a purpose (Rom. 8:28-30).  That purpose may not always be clear to us, but it is to Him.  Implore His help in prayer, sincerely believe and state that it's for His greater glory and for the glory of His Son, then show Him your faith by thanking Him ahead of time for removing whatever obstacle(s) may be in your way.

Thank Him for creating a door where none is there

and opening it ahead of you.

Ask Him to show you the Way

to what's true and right and good.

With God Nothing is impossible (Matt. 19;26, Luke 1:37).

Trust Him to solve your puny little problem

in His own way, in His own good time,

and believe the answer is already signed, sealed,

and on its way.

Be mindful after that, of what happens (2Thess. 3:3).

He is faithful to move His hand to bless you.

May the good Lord bless you this day

and forever.

      *