The Music Exchange

‘As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 4.10-11, ESV).

Just last November we put on an evangelistic concert at St. Helen’s. We try and do one of these concerts once a year. God has brought some professional musicians to us over the years, along with some music students, so it’s not a hard event to put on musically, because the players and singers can just perform some of the material they are working on at the time.

Evangelistic purpose

To make the evening more attractive to guests, we provide dinner in the interval, which is prepared and served by members of the church family. We charge a fee for dinner, otherwise the tickets are free, because the musicians very generously give up their precious Saturday night to serve.

The event serves a number of purposes, some of which I’ve only discovered recently after 13 years of putting the evenings on. The main purpose for which we started doing the concert is evangelistic — we always interview one of the musicians about their trust in Jesus. The evening tends to build up music and the musicians, but the purpose of the interview is gently to put music back in its proper place, not as a thing to be worshipped in itself, but as one of many gracious gifts of God, there for the service of God and his church. The interviewee then encourages the audience to take their trust off music and onto Jesus. This is because, ‘While music is a wonderful gift, it makes a very poor god. It can sing of redemption, but it can’t provide it’ (J.A.C. Radford, composer).

I always announce at the start of the concert that all the players and singers are part of the church family, so that all the performers are seen to support everything that the interviewee says.

Blinded by love of music

To be honest, I don’t know of any non-believing guest who has confessed Jesus as Lord on the night of these concerts. The gospel has always been very clearly communicated, so in part we have to conclude that for some of the guests, they are so in love with music that they’re blind to the infinite worth of following Jesus. For example, the man I spoke to after Saturday’s event attends five or six concerts every day, and refused to believe that the performers at our concert valued Jesus higher than music, even when one of the opera principals said that if music ever got in the way of his relationship with Jesus then he’d give up music.

For this reason we put on the event in November because Christmas is just round the corner, and for the sort of guests who come to the concert, a carol service is the most obvious next step, and where they may face a more direct challenge to worship their Creator.

The other purposes which are served by the evening are all linked with the encouragement of God’s people.

I always need to be reminded that evangelistic events are there primarily to serve God’s children as he teaches us to trust him, to pray and to encourage each other in service for his glory. To see the cooks laughing in the kitchen, to see someone offer to help on the P.A. desk, to see musicians, who are normally used to performing in front of thousands, shift chairs and mop floors — all these things are invaluable in building up the church family, as well as being immensely attractive to outsiders.

One of the musicians plays in all the major London orchestras. He said of last year’s concert, ‘That was the best gig I’ve done in years’. He explained that this was because the evening had a much bigger and better purpose than serving people with just music — that of serving Christians and non-Christians alike with the gospel.

That’s why I read out those verses from 1 Peter (above) to all the musicians as we prepared to pray together before the concert on Saturday. It was to remind us that we were there to serve the gospel that was spoken, to serve each other as a church family, and to serve God through Jesus Christ.

Amateurs are OK

You don’t need professional musicians to put on an evening like this. You don’t even really need musicians at all (though best not to call it a concert then)! An evangelistic evening is simply one at which the gospel is explained in word and deed as non-believers see our love for the Lord and each other. Musicians are a bonus — though a very pleasant bonus!

Putting on a concert?

Evangelistic purpose

Blinded by love of music

Amateurs are OK

Richard Simpkin

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