A Practical Guide for Multi-Media oOo in a Small or Medium size Parish oOo

Background

• 1 Chronicles 15:16 (KJV)
  ¹⁶And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
• 2 Samuel 6:5 (KJV)
  ⁵And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals
• Ephesians 5:19
  ¹⁹Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
• Hebrews 2:12
  ¹²For He says, I will declare Your [the Father’s] name to My brethren; in the midst of the [worshiping] congregation I will sing hymns of praise to You.
• John 4:23-24 (NLT: New Living Translation)
  ²³But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. ²⁴For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

For intense worship, firstly it must be noted that worship is unto God and not the musical instrument that determines worship. Donald S. Whitney in “Ten More Ways to Improve Your Church’s Worship Service“, places emphasis on planning worship only for people who can worship which must be in order (1 Cor 12:3, 14:23, 14:26), and technology must be kept in leach, hence to enhance and not to be the object or essence of worship in itself.
Thus, it is pertinent to think of all the devices (musical instruments, audio/sound engines, lighting, projection systems et al) as instruments of Worship that is in place to Enhance Worship Experience and Entrench the Word in our heart

The account in 2 Chronicles tells us that King Solomon build a magnificent edifice for God, which was the best-in-class in his days. If this were to be today, we can be sure that it has the crème-de-la-crème of musical instruments, the most crisp concise sound systems one can conceived of, most elaborate backdrop and lighting that can ever be, the best of projection system for lyrics, animation, and video, the best live video and broadcast setup, podcasting and streaming that can be put in place.

It was further noted that this magnificent edifices was not seen as the all-in-all rather it was an atmosphere for intense worship and prayer. In fact, fire from heaven ignited the offerings on the altars as Solomon finished praying.

If King Solomon has seen the edifice otherwise, as Lucifer did, then the throne would probably have been taken away from him

• Isaiah 14 ¹²How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
•  ¹³For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
•  ¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Job chapter 28 evidently shows to us that the materials of building a magnificent edifice or putting in place the most breath-taking structures belongs to God and it is at our disposal. They are mere materials of use and not the object of focus. Further, God gives the wisdom to bring them out of crude state to refine state.

This tells us that when a technical unit has the best of systems and does not sees them as instruments of worship, they would not be put to use for enhancing worship. They then merely become machines for use by the technical team to show off.

Job 28 King James Version (KJV)
¹ Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
² Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
³ He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
⁴ The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.
⁵ As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.
⁶ The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.
⁷ There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen:
⁸ The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
⁹ He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.
¹⁰ He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
¹¹ He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.
¹² But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
¹³ Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
¹⁴ The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
¹⁵ It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
¹⁶ It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
¹⁷ The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
¹⁸ No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
¹⁹ The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
²⁰ Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
²¹ Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
²² Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
²³ God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
²⁴ For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
²⁵ To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
²⁶ When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
²⁷ Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
²⁸ And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Thus, therefore, the Media (audio-visual) unit should primarily be conceived to enhance worship and to aid the capturing of valuable teaching in the church. Choir ministration, faith moving testimonies, life-changing sermons and host of other ministration would no longer be going forth un-enhanced and un-captured but they would be produced crisp clear, lyrics projected (with meaningful interpretation and context), recorded onto persistent media that is replay-able and reproduce for re-use.

•       John 4:23-24 (NLT: New Living Translation)
23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”