Music And DiscipleshipSample

"Melody and Harmony"

Melody is the foundation to music. Melody is one note sounded by itself, whereas notes sounded together produce a chord, or harmony. The foundational harmony in music is the triad, where 3 notes make 1 chord! There’s something of the Trinity hidden in the very fabric of music.

In Genesis 1:26, God sounds the first melody. God is heard like an audio concert saying, “let us make man in our image.” As ONE, he sounds in a Triune chord of “harmony”—let “us” make man in “our” image. 

Music teaches us that something can be both ONE and MANY at the same time. The most important thing for us to do to make beauty is to form to the shape of the Triune melody. A disciple cannot develop without the “other.” The Christian therefore is undoubtedly supposed to harmonize every part of their life to the image of God in order to produce the greatest symphony of joy.

Though we cannot fully understand the way the Trinity works, I do believe we can derive some biblically unifying principles that can be helpful to our own formation in regards to how the Trinity holds together in their unique melodic plurality. For simplicity I’ll use the acronym C.R.O.S.S.

C = Community 

God is united in how he relates in communion and friendship, and is devoted to the individual and the other in unyielding covenant.

R = Reasoning 

God is united in how he does things in how he works in all areas of the creation experience: family, faith, government, media and the arts, education, and business etc.

O = Organization

God is united in how he organizes in a way that preserves both authority and submission.

S = Scripture

God is united in what he believes to be true about himself (his identity) and his creation (his actions).

S = Signature Mission

God is united in his mission to make known his purpose; which is realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Understanding music helps us to contemplate how the body stays unified and builds itself up. If God has a way of loving the other, a way of doing things, a way of preserving both authority and submission, a way of truth in himself, and a purpose of glorifying Jesus by the Spirit unto the Father, than we should consider this melody, and look to see that our life moves in harmony.

Download the Tempo of Discipleship Ebook here @ http://www.gardencityproject.com/thepress