The Advance of the Gospel
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Philippians 1:12-18 ESV
In recent months, I have been confronted by the question of motive, not my motive, but the motive of various music publishers and their production of Christian music for worship. Recently, I learned that not all music publishers are what they seem. For example, one of the best known publishers of music for the church is actually owned by Smirnoff—one of the largest sellers of vodka in the country—and with this new found information; I was confronted with a problem: should I continue to buy music published by this company, or should I avoid them? The underlying problem is motivation. The parent company is not really interested in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ; however, the anthems sold by this company are oftentimes some of the best available. Aside from the reasons that should prevent the purchase of a particular anthem—Theological accuracy, sing ability etc—I am now confronted with a concern over motivation. On the surface this seems difficult, but, as I prayed over it and reviewed scripture, I have to say that it isn't difficult at all.
In Luke 9:49-50, the disciples reported to Jesus that they had rebuked someone who was casting out demons without being with them, and Jesus rebuked them:
49John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us." 50 But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you."
Luke 9:49-50 ESV
Why would Jesus make this decision? I believe that the decision is based on the fact that it was not the place of the disciples to interfere with the actions or motivations of the individual casting out the demon. The Minister of worship is not any better that the disciples were; therefore, it is not our place to pass judgment on the motivation or attitude of the ones writing the music we use. In the case I mentioned concerning my seminary class, the question arose, or rather the statement was made that because the owner of the music publishing house was in it "for the money," instead of for the glory of God, we should not be purchasing music from them. My response is from Philippians 1:15-18 in which Paul points out that as long as the gospel is being preached he doesn't care what the motivation of the one preaching is, as long as Christ is being preached.
15Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Philippians 1:15-18 ESV
I believe the same thing applies here. As the Worship Pastor (or whatever the title), it is our job to make certain that the music we select is theologically accurate, able to be sung by our congregation, and above all glorifying to God; however, it is not our responsibility to judge the music based upon the parent company of the publishing house, neither is it our right to judge the motivation of the one who composed it. We as Worship leadership have to be very careful that we don't add clairvoyance to the lists of spiritual gifts, as we cannot be caught in the trap of determining what is going on in the minds of the composers and/or publishing house when we determine the usability of their product. Only God knows the inner workings of the heart; therefore, only God can pass such a judgment.
