Gospel Jazz Artist Purpose and Focus

What is a Christian Musician?

What is a Gospel Artist?

Christian Music is made up of a few different factors. It is a musical genre. Whether it be Praise, Worship, Gospel, contemporary or traditional, Pop, Rock, R&B, Alternative or any other style you might use to describe the music you play for God; it is a genre.

Christian Music is also a business. Run by Christians and non-Christians alike; Christian Music can involve record labels, booking agents, managers, and lawyers. It can look, very much like any other business run in the world, regardless of the setting it involves. You can be a Christian musician in Church settings and Artist settings.

In Church services, being a Christian musician can include basic musician politics, office politics, work scheduling, and all the business of being a musician like networking, negotiation, people skills, team development, team conflict resolution, employer employee relationships, and the like.

As a Christian Musician, I find myself in situations that look very much like the world. This is no surprise to me because we still live very much in the world. But to many, the dream of finally working within the Church or as a Christian Musician brings a picture of Heaven and near perfection, that is not realistic and damages many a Christians’ faith when confronted with a reality, so far from that dream.

My Faith has been challenged, at a few times in my life, by trying to work as a musician in the Church and Christian Music arenas. As a young man, playing in aspiring Christian rock bands, doing the local circuit and working on that big label deal; seeing the way the business was run and watching some successful Christian Musicians not walk the walk, yet talk the talk, was very damaging for this young man.

So, you might ask, “Why do it?” “Why am I (the writer) still doing it?” “What’s the point if it looks so worldly?” “What are the differences between the world and Christianity for a musician?” “Is there any difference?”

There is one huge difference between the world and Christian Music for the musician. It is our audience. As a Christian, we are not to try and please man. We are to do all we do to please our Heavenly Father. This is countercultural and not natural. What it means is, we are supposed to make decisions based on gaining our Dad’s approval, and not care about what people in the world say.

As a Christian Musician? The term starts off with a statement of faith. To be a Christian is to be a follower of Christ. To be a Musician is to play music, either singing or by the use of some instrument, and implies some level of proficiency that stands out from the normal bathroom shower, driving car, or Sunday morning Church singer, and implies the same for an instrument; more than an owner, able to play.

A Musicians audience is the world; anyone that will listen. The goal is to be a musician, to be heard, to impress, to advance, to survive, and eventually, to succeed.

A Christian Musicians audience is an audience of 1. Our Purpose is fundamentally different. We have been given a gift and we play or sing to bring glory and honor to our Heavenly Father. Our Focus should be Him. Our goal should be bringing Him the attention. Our Purpose is to please our Dad.

As a Sax Player for God, it’s not all about me. It’s not all about me, and it’s not all about me. In the Bible, really important things were often said 3 times, so I want to get this in the really important space!

Given the genre and location/environment you are playing in, the end product might be a little different. In an outreach setting, the end product might be souls saved and people confronted with the message of Jesus and challenged to give Him control of their lives. In a Church setting, it might have more to do with bringing God’s kids into His presence to worship and experience Him.

Regardless of the setting, genre, situation; the audience is 1. Not my pastor, choir director, girlfriend/wife, the old lady in the front, or the record label, newspaper reporter, the guy from the new booking agency, or the big name act you are opening for. Your audience is ONE.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, then all these things will be added to you.” King David was a Musician. He screwed up real big and often, but he had a heart after God and was called God’s friend. He danced naked before the people, pretty much forgetting the people were there, because he was aware of his audience. He tried to please God and loved God with great passion. God called David His friend.

A reminder to those that are in Christian Music Ministry. Satan was also a musician and now serves his own agenda; an agenda of evil and self that will have a very brutal cost attached to his choices. Satan was the choir director, head musician in a perfect heaven, and he fell to pride and self. He now conspires against us that know Christ. He understands musicians and serves a vicious attack to our pride and self, since it was his personal experience.

We must pray as the musician David did, “Father, search me and show me if there is any unclean thing in me!” We have an accuser and we have a Savior. We have to keep the Purpose in view and allow the Savior to shut down the world’s view of music and musician. Our audience is ONE. Play and sing to bring glory and honor to God alone. For as we seek to please our Heavenly Father, everything else will fall into place.

Be used by Him. Bless Him. As the Apostle Paul said, “Die to self. More Jesus and less me!”

Give yourself fully to the Purpose and the Focus of Jesus and commit again today and tomorrow, to bless our Father with the gifts He has so richly blessed us with!

Yes, the day to day experiences in Christian Music and Christian Music Ministry will have elements you will find in the world, but the Purpose and Focus is countercultural and fundamentally different. So we negotiate thru the maze of worldly businesses and less than perfect Churches. We deal with the problems and imperfections because there is a much greater good. We want to give back our gifts to bless our Father.

“All good things come from the Father above.” May our prayer be a prayer of focus, of purpose and of death to self. May God bless you and use you to bring many to the kingdom and His kids into His presence! May God smile as He shows off the picture He has of you in His wallet. I love my Dad and I know He loves me!!

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Greg Vail