You go to a concert, clap your hands, relax for a couple of hours, meet the performers, buy a CD, and go home. You have fun and get entertained. But have concerts become too entertaining? Has the "fun" aspect of a performance become too important? There's nothing wrong with having fun. I'll be the first to say that. But this is Christian music. Should we be at a concert more to worship God, or more to have a good time?
In the book of Psalms we can find the word "praises" 22 times (I used the King James Version) We find the word "praise" 160 times, usually in reference to praising the Lord, or his name. "Praised" is found six times. This is just in Psalms. There are other verses throughout the Bible, that talk about giving thanks, or praise to God. Hebrews 13:15 says:
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
In Luke chapter 19, as Jesus rode into the city, people were shouting praises to him. The Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke them and he said:
"I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." (Luke 19:40)
God is worthy of praise, and he loves it when his children praise him. It used to be commonplace for people to shout and praise the Lord and even run the aisles. This doesn't happen much anymore. People, today, don't even like to testify.
And I think this has happened to an extent with Gospel concerts. I think the "praise" part been pretty much removed. I think in some people's cases it has been replaced with praise and admiration for the performers. Of course there's a time and a place for testimonies. I don't think a concert, with hundreds of people, is the right time for someone to give their life story. But we can still praise God in our hearts, raising our hand when a song speaks to us, or saying "amen" instead of cheering and screaming for an encore to “Didn’t It Rain.” :)
On the other hand, we don't always have to be reading a book on theology, or handing out tracts in the inner city. We should make time to have fun, and a concert can be a legitimate place to have it. Christian's need solid entertainment, instead of the junk the world is trying to shove in our faces. Life can be hard, and music has a way of cheering us up. We go to church three times a week (or at least my family does), where we praise God and are fed spiritually. But this can still be something to think about when you attend the next concert.
Are we praising God, or praising the people singing?
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