ARE GROUP SINGERS(CHOIRS) AUTHORIZED FOR THE CHURCH ASSEMBLY?

Is it wrong to have a group of singers to inspire and console people? no. What about in the Lord’s church? no, we can have but not to sing for us whiles we remain idle during worship or church assembly. When many of us were in the denominational churches, we were in the choirs and sang during church services; therefore, we are used to that. We find it comfortable and exciting to worship in the church assembly with only a group of singers who only sing whiles the rest of us stay idle or sing alongside whiles the choir sing. As a Christian, I must always do things with bible principles using direct commands, apostolic examples, and necessary inferences.

Let’s comb through the old testament and analyze the principles used by our Patriarchs before checking up on the new testament. Of relating to the Messianic age of singing praise to the Lord in Isaiah 12:1-6.

“ Sing to the LORD. For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth”(Isaiah 12:5).

This means each individual must acknowledge the good works of God in his or her life in singing, that is praising God as in our songs to show appreciation.

Verse six (6) also says that , “ Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!” (Isaiah 12:5). Here we sing to show reverence to God.

Again, in Psalm 51: 14 – 15, the chief musician David said, “ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteous. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.”

This text shows individuals singing to praise God.

The joy of going to the House of the LORD as a song of ascents of David in Psalm 122:1 also states that “ I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the LORD”.

This means a group of people together to sing whenever the is an opportunity.

History tells us that the type of music authorized for church assemblies by the New Testament  Scriptures is that of congregational singing. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus and Colossae about how to sing when they come together to worship in Ephesus and Colossae(Ephesians 5:18-19 and Colossians 3:16).

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3: 16 [NKJV]). According to defending the faith study bible commentary, page 2212, “ this verse articulates the divine will with regard to corporate church worship. The church worship assembly is envisioned, as evidenced by

1. The use of three plural participles (“teaching, “ “admonishing,”  “singing” )which imply the whole church.
2. The reflexive pronoun is used reciprocally (“one to another “), requiring a plurality of people gathered together
3. The use of en humin (“ in you “) implies the entire church
4. Paul’s contrast between their assembly and his absence from that assembly (2:5)
5. Paul’s call for the letters to be read in the church assembly (4:16). This verse enjoins congregational singing.

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5: 18 – 19 [NKJV]). This bible verse is also a clear example of congregational singing. We sing to speak to one another during worship, I speak to you and you speak to me. If a group sings for us during worship, they speak to us but we don’t speak back to them which is contrary to the scripture.

The unknown writer of Hebrews made us understand that each individual has to give his or her sacrifice to God. No one does it for any. When we meet as a church, we all make our sacrifices to be holily and acceptable to God. “ Therefore, by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name (Heb. 13: 15 [NKJV]).

According to James Burton Coffman’s Commentary, the sacrifice of praise is another kind of sacrifice, being differentiated from the sin offering, supplied by Jesus in his atonement; and this other type of offering is similar to the various thank offerings that were made under the Law, but with this difference: theirs were offered only on certain stated occasions and according to certain established rules; but ours is offered at all times, “continually”, in words of praise and thanksgiving, with confessions of Christ’s love, mercy, and blessing, plus all other forms of giving God the glory through oral testimony. It has been repeatedly revealed in Hebrews that a Christian’s conversation, in the last analysis, is not merely a measure of his devotion but also a means of increasing both his own faith and that of others. (see Hebrews 13: 13). Every hour of every day the child of God should seek occasions to speak humbly and lovingly of the wonderful blessings in Christian service, of the love and mercy of God, of God’s goodness, and of the peace and joy in believing.