Is Music Worth Anything?

Its an interesting thing to see what is going on in our generation with the cost of music.  It used to be that the only way to listen to the music you like on demand was through buying the artists' album, but now with YouTube and other streaming services you can listen to virtually any music off of any album whenever you want to for free.

So while some people are still buying albums, overall sales are way down.  And its gotten to this point where we think "why should I buy the album when I can just get it for free on YouTube?"

So we have artists not being able to generate the same revenue they used to because sales are down and ultimately there is this looming idea in the air that "music isn't worth anything".

What is interesting about this is that there is such a parallel between the situation music finds itself in and the way the Church has always operated.  I find it fascinating that people get offended when the Church asks for money.  Its fascinating because usually when people go to an air conditioned hall to sit in cushioned chairs listen to live music and hear someone talk about something they are interested in with their families it usually costs at least 25 bucks.   If you wanted to go to something like TED talk conferences then that is going to cost you $8,500.00. 

But what's the difference between going to a TED talk and hearing a pastor?  Sure TED talks normally feature those who are pretty educated in their field, but often times so is your pastor.  Many pastors have doctoral degrees in theology that it took them years of studying multiple languages, history, geography, etc to acquire.

So what is the difference really between TED and the Church?  Its that the Church won't withhold the Gospel from you unless you pay.  Its that the Church holds the ultimately most valuable thing in the universe that men would give anything for if they knew its value and it gives it to you for free.

So we find this thing that we see in the music industry present in the Church -- because we don't refuse to give you Word unless you pay us to get in people think its not worth spending any money on at all.

Apart from the Truth that the tithe is a Biblical commandment (which is my first motivation for giving -- I want to obey God) the reason to give to the Church that has always made the most sense to me is found in Matthew 6:21 and says "where your treasure is there your heart will be also". 

That truth about "your treasure" I think is multi-layered.  In one sense it means that "where you spend your money reveals what you actually think is valuable".  And that is true and should be a profound litmus for any of us who want to really go hard after God to see if we are actually valuing the things of the Kingdom.  But I would go even further and say that the principle of receiving grace applies to the honor that you give to the vessel that it comes through.

Do you feel dry at your Church as if the pastor isn't speaking to you and the worship is stale?  It might have something to do with the level of value that you are showing the ministry by your lack of giving.  Its not that you buy the Presence of God on worship and the Word when you choose to show honor by giving but rather you are positioning your heart to receive it.

I believe this to the point that I can see a difference when I pay for a book online and read it verses some of the books that I read online for free on PDFs.  Does one book speak to me better than the other?  Its possible, but there seems to be a principle that I get much more out of what I pay for than what I've simply gotten for free.

So is music valuable and should you pay for it even though you can get it for free? Yes.  But even more profoundly is the ministry of the Church valuable and should you tithe even though you can get all of that without charge too?  The answer to this is also a yes.

Amen.