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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781463411336 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 06/02/2011 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 555 KB |
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Minstrels and Psalmists
The Key to Davidic Praise and WorshipBy Niles Bess
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2011 Niles BessAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4634-1132-9
Chapter One
Minstrels and MusiciansDefinition:
Musician—One who composes, conducts or performs music.
Minstrel—to play or strike strings, play a stringed instrument; a musician/player with the grace and anointing to move the hand of God when they play.
1 Samuel 16:23
23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
II Kings 3:15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
What is the difference?
A musician should be skilled * and a minstrel must be skilled and anointed **.
* Skill—Proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience. An art, a trade, or a technique, particularly one requiring use of the hands or body. A developed talent or ability.
** Anointed—To apply oil or ointment to the head or the person. Kings were anointed to their office by the prophets (1 Sam. 10: 1; 1 Sam. 16: 13; 2 Sam. 5: 3; 1 Kgs. 1: 39; 1 Kgs. 19: 16; 2 Kgs. 9: 3, 6; 2 Kgs. 11: 12; 1 Chr. 11: 3; 1 Chr. 29: 22; 2 Chr. 23: 11).
The anointing of the priests is outlined in Ex. 40: 15; of the high priest (Aaronic order) in Lev. 21: 10. Elisha was to be anointed a prophet by Elijah (1 Kgs. 19: 16).
I Chronicles 25:1-6 {Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries and with cymbals: and the number of workmen* according to their service was: the sons of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king. The sons of Jeduthun who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and praise to the Lord. The sons of Heman, the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.
* Workmen—those who perform manual or industrial labor for wages.
Both the minstrel and musician functions are extremely important to the Davidic worship design. There are different levels in rankings of minstrels/musicians. Regardless of your rank or level, you should aspire to the highest form of worship which is "obedience".
Stringed instruments are extremely important in the arsenal of the minstrel. The presence of God moves upon the strings as they are played or struck.
Chapter Two
The Function of a Minstrel 2 Kgs. 3: 15 But now bring me a
Minstrels are very strategic in the body of Christ. They have the grace and ability to unlock mysteries and loose judgment over God's enemies as they play. This is one of the key reasons why God positioned them to go "before" the armies were released into battle.
2 Chronicles 20: 20-24 20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
God is restoring the ministry anointing of the minstrel back into the Body of Christ.
Preparation
Preparation is absolutely necessary in order to function completely as a minstrel. You must be willing to put in the necessary time during the week in order hear God's direction clearly and accurately. This includes but not limited to Fasting, Prayer, Study of the Word, Private praise and worship.
A minstrel or musician must not despise the amount of preparation. It's important that they allow the gift, talent and grace to develop completely and come to full maturation. They must be willing to put in the time to train, practice and perfect that which God has graced them with.
Carrying the Burden of the Lord
God gave David a divine design of worship ministry in the tabernacle. The minstrels and psalmists were in charge of the song service and were responsible for communicating what God wanted to say in the service. In other words, minstrels and psalmists need to be able to hear what the spirit of the Lord is staying to the church and deliver that message. Proper preparation is key in being able to handle this responsibility.
As a psalmist and minstrel myself, I've learned through the school of the holy spirit how to function in this grace. When preparing for a service or conference, God will release his heart to me for that occasion. I then have a responsibility to release that burden and communicate his heart in that service. The key component is making yourself "available" to hear His voice! So many times I've seen worshippers move to the front and grab the microphone to release a prophetic song because the anointing is high. Once they began to sing, you could sense the anointing start to diminish. I asked the Lord during one of these occasions, "what's happening?". He told me that "I'm not speaking this right now".
When we step out to prophesy in song without the burden of the Lord upon us for that service, It's possible to grieve the spirit of God. I know that we prophesy in part and by faith but if we are not hearing His voice, we shouldn't grab the microphone. To whom much is given much is required.
Leading the "flow" of the Minstrels/ Musicians
In many of our services today, we sing an "A" and "B" selection and right when God is ready to show up and speak, we end the song and shut the flow down. It's like we are playing "ding dong ditch (running to someone's door, ringing the doorbell and then running off with God when all he wants to do is simply answer when we call. Many of us as worship leaders fail to realize that the learned song is simply a launching board into the "Flow of God".
John 7: 38 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Flow; rhe'-o (Strong's G4482) = to flow; down; to move along in a stream; to stream or well forth; to issue or proceed from a source; to proceed continuously and smoothly; to rise and advance; as the tide; to cover with water; flood
River; po-tä-mo's (Strong's G4215) = a stream, a river, a torrent, the greatest abundance, flood.
The minstrel is responsible for creating the flow. This can only be done by the holy spirit as John 7:38 clarifies for us the source of the flow. The living water is representative of the Word of God. If we are not reading and studying the word, there will be nothing there to allow the "river to flow". If your well is dry, God can't flow through you. When the minstrel has established the flow, it should be continuous. In that continuous flow, the anointing should rise and advance as the tide or as a flood. In other words, the water levels of the anointing should increase as the minstrels play.
The minstrel should always be open and sensitive to when the flow should be implemented in the service. A common scenario of when the flow should be applied is at the end of a learned song or sometimes at the beginning of the service. Knowing when to shift from one flow to another is also very important.
In a company of minstrels, there should be a captain or a lead minstrel that is directing the flow. This position is also referred to as the chief musician or the chief minstrel. Shifting and moving the music takes skill and advanced abilities in playing instruments. The chief musician should be able to clearly communicate changes to the entire band so that the flow isn't broken and it remains continuous as it builds into a giant wave and floods the sanctuary with the glory of the Lord.
Releasing Sounds from Heaven
Sound is a traveling wave which is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, orgas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.
Frequency refers to the rate at which a repeating event occurs, such as the full cycle of a wave.
I can write a whole book on this subject alone. Minstrels should always be open to hearing new sounds and musical interpretations. The important thing to remember is that releasing the new sound doesn't necessarily mean a new "keyboard" sound. It's articulating what you are hearing from heaven and translating it in a new chord pattern, vocal arrangement, dynamics, melody line, etc. All of these components make up the "New Sound".
While ministering in a Sunday service, we began to flow prophetically. We were in a familiar key using familiar chord progressions as the psalmist began to sing. The night before, I was playing before the Lord and used some chord progressions that I had not used before that moment. I remembered those chords while we were in the prophetic flow so I began to play them. As soon as I started to play those chord progressions, the anointing and the presence of the Lord increased dramatically! I was amazed at what God was doing with such a simple adjustment in the music. That's just one example but we should press for innovation and creativity in all that we do in music ministry.
The chief musician also has to stay sensitive to know that even though they are highly skilled, sometimes the Holy Spirit wants to break the atmosphere on one simple sustained note.
Frequency plays a huge part when opening the heavens. In the church today, minstrels have instruments that must have amplification in order to be heard in the service. Because of this fact, the ministry of the scribe (audio/ visual) plays a big part in the minstrel's ability to communicate with their instrument. If the sound isn't set correctly, it could hinder the flow of God in the service.
Ephesians 2
1 you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
The enemy is also known as "the prince of the power of the air". Because of this, he has the abilitytoimpactanddisruptthefrequenciesthat flow through the air. But with the power and grace of God, we pierce through the blockage and ascend in praise and worship unto the Lord Jesus Christ. We must remember who we are and walk in the dominion God has already given us.
Chapter Three
Singers And Psalmists
Singer = A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can either be sung a cappella (without accompaniment) or accompanied by musicians and instruments ranging from a single instrumentalist to a full symphony orchestra or big band.
Psalmist = A writer or composer of psalms. "David was called The Psalmist because he is believed to be the author of the Book of Psalms".
Composer—someone who composes music as a profession.
The Difference Between a Singer and a Psalmist
Singers simply sing a song as it is written. They do their part only. Psalmists not only sing but they compose and write music/psalms. Psalmists are able to hear what God is saying and communicate it in song.
Chapter Four
The Function of A Psalmist
Preparation
No one wrote more psalms than David. God called David "a man after His own heart". I believe one of the greatest keys to releasing the song of the Lord is the condition of the heart. God is seeking those in the earth that are worshiping him in spirit and in truth.
The preparation for a psalmist is very similar to that of the minstrel and is absolutely necessary in order to function completely. You must be willing to sacrifice during the week in order hear God's direction clearly and accurately. This includes but is not limited to fasting, prayer, study of the word and private time in praise and worship.
When psalmists take the time to cultivate their gift and anointing, it enhances their ability to precisely communicate the heart of God.
Releasing God's Prophetic Word through Song
Song of the Lord
{God singing to us}
The song of the Lord is a spontaneous, prophetic utterance in song whose composition is attributed to the inspiration of the Holy spirit. It is often released as part of a corporate expression of prophetic worship or unrehearsed worship. When we are singing the Song of the Lord, we are revealing Jesus Christ.
Exodus 15:2 2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him
Song of the Bride
{us singing to God}
Harp & Bowl
{singing the scriptures}
Its name derived from Revelation 5:8—is a type of worship. It is music that is integrated into prayer, the "harp" representing the music and the "bowl" symbolizing the prayer of the saints (Christians) that are constantly going up like incense before the throne of God. In other words, prayer that is sung or spoken along with music.
Song of Declaration
{Prophetically and apostolically declaring God's Word}
Declaration=the act of declaring; announcement: something that is announced, avowed
Song of Proclamation
{When you are proclaiming who God is publicly}
Proclamation=something that is proclaimed; a public and official announcement.
Song of Deliverance
{When you sing songs of deliverance over a situation}
Psalm 32:7-8 7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Minstrels and Psalmists by Niles Bess Copyright © 2011 by Niles Bess. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction....................viiChapter 1....................1
Minstrels and Musicians....................1
Chapter 2....................5
The Function of a Minstrel....................5
Chapter 3....................15
Singers And Psalmists....................15
Chapter 4....................17
The Function of A Psalmist....................17
Chapter 5....................25
12 Points of The Order of Psalmists & Minstrels....................25
Chapter 6....................37
The Worshiper's Prayer....................37