Be Careful!

Let me begin this post by quoting the famous phrase by the French cubist sculptor and painter Georges Braque, who said: “The vase gives form to emptiness, and music to silence.” The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said: “Music expresses the highest philosophy in a language that reason does not understand.” Music speaks directly to the soul in a way that only it understands. It can take you to different places, to the exact time you were when you heard it, the place, the smell and the taste of what you were eating. Then you remember the people who were with you and that feeling that today is called “Nostalgia” comes to mind. Music really does have this power. In fact, just listening to a Christmas carol is enough to remind us of an entire season of festivities and their customs. Using this same artifice, the film industry has been using music as a way to record marks in our minds. It is impossible not to hear some of the most notable movie themes and not remember scenes from iconic films such as Superman, Star Wars, E.T.- the Extra-Terrestrial, Titanic, Indiana Jones, among others. Therefore, music has been used and explored by cinema since its inception so that the brand being “sold” can position itself in your mind; Coca-Cola executives used to say: “The brand is worth its positioning in people’s minds”, so how much is your first thought in that product segment worth? What is the first image that comes to mind when we talk about soda? It’s as if they paid Google so that their product brand would be first in the list, except that the search engine is your mind; so you ask me, but how is this music? Simple: Marketing! When companies align their catchphrases, such as: “I love all this so much!” or “Join this party” with music, they position their product in your mind using the language of the soul. Politicians use their jingles in election years because they know that this structure works. Of course, this does not directly influence you to vote for the candidate or buy a certain product, but you remember the campaign number due to the number of repetitions and the cognitive effectiveness that the music’s message has. This is where the big problem with music lies, when and how it is used. Friedrich Nietzsche says that “Without music, life would be a mistake”, going further, without music there would be no life, as Job 38:7 says (On the morning of creation, the stars sang in unison, and the heavenly servants shouted for joy, they sang in turn, praising, worshiping and giving thanks to the LORD, with these words: “He is good, for his mercy endures forever”.) Music surrounds us even if we do not look for it, just turn on the TV, access a video on the internet or listen to the news on the radio, all media outlets have used music since their beginnings, however it is necessary to be careful and selective with what we listen to and sing. Music has its goals. In politics, it reminds you of the candidate's number. In retail, it positions the product in your mind. In movies, it sets the scene for the movie. In secular music, it sells you feelings. It makes you feel the pain that is being sung, the craziest passion or the joy of the party expressed by the singer of the song. Remember that the music itself does not express the deep feelings that the singer shows us. He may be singing the most festive song even though his heart is in the most complete depression. We have seen countless singers throughout history who hid within themselves the most devastating form of self-destruction and still went on stage to perform their shows, such as Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, etc. I remember Fernando Pessoa in his poem “The poet is a pretender. He pretends so completely. That he ends up pretending it is pain. The pain that he truly feels.” Those who see faces do not see what only God can see. So you must be asking yourself: Right; But what does this have to do with Gospel music? Everything, my dear reader; Music is a powerful tool in itself. The philosopher Aristotle himself recognized and warned that such an instrument of such magnitude, which in his language was something divine, could influence both good and bad. When music finds a worshipper in its performer and composer, it transforms into something unique, ethereal, without passion, without vanity, without lies or pretense. This is where Praise is born. Praise to God is pure, it is love without malice, without bargaining. It is when the heart is broken and finds in music the connection between our spirit and the Holy Spirit. At that moment, we touch heaven.

It is impossible to fake such a feeling in the eyes of God. Praise is Praise and Marketing is Marketing; the music industry has never invested so much in the marketing of its artists, whether secular or gospel, perhaps because of the ease of information that did not exist decades ago without the internet. Today, social media shows a beautiful and perfect image, creating layers that hide what is really there. We cannot waste time being what we are not. If we are of God, we are truly His, whether on the street, at work, in church or wherever we are, not only on social media. It is to turn away from evil, as Michael W. Smith said: “Go West Young Man”. The real question is: is what you are singing today “Praise to God” or just a “Church Jingle” that uses marketing strategies to make us sing its catchphrases and clichés linked to the ministered word? Be careful! When the church's machine is used to broadcast music, it becomes a little difficult to perceive the true messages contained therein. Praise to God must be centered on Him, for Him and to glorify Him. The Church of Christ is triumphant, but not only that. It is fearless, strong but also patient and grateful. It has an abundance of faith. It is not tearful and depressed like many worship services. It is also not frantic with unreasonable happiness. The church of Christ weeps in recognition of its sins and seeks in God the strength to be better tomorrow than it was today. It rejoices in the grace it has received and sings songs of victory for the battle won by God. The praise that the church sings cannot be affirmative in ordering God to do something. It cannot hide the intentions or ulterior motives of the divine. It does not exchange favors. Remembering that pastors, bishops, priests, rabbis, apostles or any other nickname makes them the owners of nothing and no one, much less heavenly representatives. Everyone should be pastors whose responsibility is to help God's people walk towards Christ. This should also be reflected in what the Church sings. We must pay attention to the lyrics, whether the text has a biblical basis and whether God is truly praised. The gospel is expressed in the open and for this reason it has been and will be persecuted. We must make it clear that we praise God, we must praise Him as He is, openly say that we love Him. He cannot be the hidden subject of our songs, but the present, calling Him and naming Him as He should be. Always think about what you sing, reflect, meditate and seek in the Holy Spirit the words that you should give to God. “The Christian who does not seek knowledge, does not think and does not have the courage to change, tends to repeat his mistakes until they become part of him.” (Fernando Reis)

By: Fernando Reis