‘A Message for God’s New Testament Levites, those who Worship God in Spirit and in truth.’
I believe musicians and worshippers need a greater understanding of the wonderful calling that they have in God and His House. I’ve noticed as I have ministered in Churches around the world, a lack of understanding amongst so many musicians of the high calling that they have in God. Often there is very little thought put into how we can enter the presence of God. It’s often just a performance with no understanding of the purpose of their position. Being a musician in Church is not like being on America’s Got Talent, to show your skills at singing or playing. That is a performance. We are really there to help bring God’s people into His presence and this is a very important ministry. You can’t afford to be out of sorts with others or walking in sin if involved in the music.
God’s Levites are worshippers, singers and musicians
This message is for those involved in music and also for those who take worship seriously. I myself am no musician but have lead the music a lot of times when I pastored the Church and always longed for God’s people to enter into that ‘sweet spot’ of worship during the service. This was my mission for I knew the Father was looking for ‘Worshippers.’ It didn’t always happen, but when it did you knew you had met with God.
As a pastor I’m not looking for talent in musicians, as much as I am looking for a people who have a good attitude and put the Kingdom of God first, for this is the kind of Levite God anoints. We need to be reminded of the tremendous privilege and responsibility that we have as singers and musicians in God’s House, for we have the power to make or break a meeting.
We are of the ‘Priestly Tribe’ of Levi in Christ
In the Old Testament, the musicians and singers would have been part of the Tribe of Levi, whose responsibility it was to care for the music in the Temple. We too need to understand that we are God’s Levites today; a chosen and separated people for God.
“.. and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:6
You couldn’t be a Priest or Levite in OT days unless you were from the Tribe of Levi, but ‘Praise God’ we are now all the Children of Abraham and of the Tribes of Israel, in our union with Christ. You are part of the Priestly Tribe of Levi.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9.
Our role as musicians and singers today is often unrecognised, downplayed and diluted by the Church. They are regarded as those who are just there to fill the gap before the preaching or pump the congregation up. Often the praise and worship ends up as just a ‘sing-song.’ Little do many Churches realise that it’s our responsibility as Levites to be a Prophetic People who bring the Church into God’s presence. If we are Christians we are all God’s Levites who sing His praises, but there was another group used in the House of God for a specific purpose, that we will look at.
Worship has a warfare aspect to it
Firstly, we need to realise that music in Church has a warfare/breakthrough aspect to it. We see that King David chose Captains from his Army to select those who we to be in his Temple band. Who would have thought the army were his selection committee?
“Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, … who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals.” 1 Chronicles 25:1-2
The Levites were chosen to prophesy
Notice how these Levites were used to ‘prophesy’ with their instruments and voices in music and song. If the Levites of old were to be a prophetic people, then how much more us, in the NT when God has poured out His Spirit on all flesh? It tells us that us that 288 Levites were chosen to prophecy.
“All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288.” 1 Chronicles 25: 6-7
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:1-3 that we should desire to prophesy and that prophecy is for edification, exhortation and comfort. Music should be for the edifying of the Church. God speaks through music, so it’s a great responsibility for us as musicians and singers to allow the Spirit to ride on our music.
God’s Levites carry the Presence of God
Prophetic Musicians’ are different from worldly musicians who may have talent, but don’t have the anointing of God’s Spirit on them like we do. God’s Levites are to be a people who love the Lord, His people and His word. They have paid the price and are sold out for God. God’s not looking for talent but a ‘sold out’ people who want to build up the congregation and not just their own egos or ministries. We have the ability to make or break a meeting, for we carry the presence of God in and upon us.
The Levites of old were the ones who carried the ARK of God from place to place and so are we in the NT. We have the presence of God in our hands as well.
“Then David said, “No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever. “ I Chronicles 15:2-4 2
It was the responsibility of the Levites of old to carry the Ark of God which contained His presence when they shifted camp. No one else could do it. They were set apart for this purpose. The Ark was a type of God’s Presence, and musicians and singers today can also carry God’s presence into a meeting through their music and song. In fact, we should carry it in our lives all day long.
Levites were a people prepared
In order to do this they needed to sanctify themselves, which speaks of a period of preparation. As Levites we should be conscious of our calling and responsibility to prepare ourselves through ‘life’ for this very purpose, for without vision people perish. The greater the understanding (vision) you have of your calling the more power you have to resist temptation and get breakthrough. There is a need for Levites to prepare themselves for this awesome task and know what they are here for. They were set apart for a particular purpose.
“He said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.” 1 Chronicles 15:12-13
Levites opened and closed God’s House. They held the keys.
The Levites were really sold out for God, not involved in the things of this world and didn’t even own property, as they were given land around the Tabernacle. They lodged around the House of God and opened and closed the House of God every day. We as God’s Levites should love to be around Christ, His people and His House. This tells me that our music and worship can open and close the spiritual realm in a meeting. We can impart life or death in a meeting. It can awaken a meeting or it put to sleep. It’s not so much our music but what we carry that is so important. It’s the sound within the sound. We bring the sound to their hearts and know how to open doors - that’s our job. The key to opening doors rides in our music.
“And they lodged all around the house of God because they had the responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning.” 1 Chronicles 9:26-27
The Levites of old had the responsibility of opening and closing the house of God. We today as God’s Levites have the power to open up or close a meeting from the presence of God. We have the power to open the people’s hearts or close them. In the light of all this, I feel it necessary to stress the importance of what we are here for. If you come to the music with a bad attitude, you can mess up the meeting for everyone else and close it down, especially if you are leading the worship. If you come just to show your talent, it can also be detrimental to the flow of the Spirit. God doesn’t want your talent; He wants a separated musician who has the Kingdom of God in mind, and not his or her own agenda. We hold the keys of David and can unlock heavens of brass.
Levites hold the keys to unlock the heavens through worship
“These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.” Revelation 3:7
Also look at Isaiah 22:22. The keys were placed on His (Jesus’) shoulders. Peter was told that the keys of the kingdom were given to us as well. This is how God will build His Church.
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:15-19
Peter had the keys of the Kingdom because he knew who Christ was and who he was, as a servant of God. This is how Christ said He will build His Church – on the revelation of Christ being God. We have the keys to open up the doors so that the King of Glory may come in.
“Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty — he is the King of glory.” Psalm 24:7-10.
It’s on this revelation of Christ being God that the Church will be built and not on our clever songs or entertainment. It’s not upon atmosphere either that many try and create in meetings now days. You can have lots of lights and visual effects but still end up with no presence. It’s the privilege of God’s Levites to carry the Ark of God. The Presence is on their shoulders and that is the key that can open up the door and let us touch God and be touched by Him.
The key to ‘binding and loosing’ is to have an understanding of our calling as Levites and who Christ is. As we understand, who we are and who Christ is, we will be able to carry that authority correctly. Authority to move heaven and earth and do great exploits for God. It’s the power that shakes, moves, challenges and changes the hearts of people in a service. As we allow God to deal with us within, the presence will flow from us out to others. It’s the river of life that flows from the throne of God.
You will notice that King David was given the plans to build the house of God in 1 Chronicle 28:12,19. He didn’t have an architectural degree, nor did he really understand what he was writing, as he had it revealed to him by God. He just wrote what God told him to write.
Levites know their God
It says that David was a cunning player
“Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.” 1 Samuel 16:18.
This word ‘cunning’ is also the word ‘Yada’ that means to know, be skilful, and have the ability to ‘see’ or be spiritually perceptive.
Levites helped to purify the Temple
Another ministry of a Levite was to purify all the Holy things in God’s House and we too as His Levites can bless every area of Church life. If musicians understood this calling on their lives, then there wouldn’t be so many problems that are associated with Church music now days. If the Devil wants to spoil a Church then you often see how it happens first through the music group.
Discovering who we are as God’s Spiritual Levites is such an important revelation. Levites can help the Leadership of the Church to purify the work that is done in the Church and in the community.
“The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God. They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the special flour for the grain offerings, the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size. They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals. They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them. And so the Levites carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord.” 1 Chronicles 23:28