Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the Lord
Praise God for the gift of music and its ability to transform lives when empowered by the Spirit of God.
Music helped to inspire and transform the life of David who, at different times, cared for sheep, killed lions, bears and giants, led armies, and became the greatest of Israel’s kings. In great measure, music helped David in times of trouble and molded him into a man after God’s own heart. No one knows for sure how many of his recorded psalms and those of others in the Book of Psalms have musical settings.
Throughout the Bible we find at least 500 references to songs and singing, musical instruments, dancing and other forms of musical expression. Matthew and Mark tell us that in the Upper Room during the Passover meal, Jesus and His disciples sang a “hymn” before they left to face Jesus’ garden agony, trial, and crucifixion. That song of praise most likely came from Psalm 113-118, commonly used at that time during the Passover.
This transforming spirit of praise and worship motivated the dedication of the Cummings School of Music at India Bible College and Seminary in September 2022. The school is named to honor three generations of an American family who have continuous friendship with the Abraham family, and have supported India Bible College and Seminary since 1950. The family has long interest and experience in worship, music education and performance.
One of the school’s features is to invite talented and Spirit-filled musicians to IBC to inspire and aid students in developing their musical gifts and biblical vision in using music as a catalyst to introduce people to Jesus Christ and inspire genuine worship of God.
Two of such people recently invited to the Cummings School of Music was Fletch Wiley and his wife, Kathryn. They came to IBC in June 2024.
Fletch Wiley is a prolific musical artist on various instruments, talented composer and producer who has worked for decades in both secular and Christian arenas. His experience includes writing, arranging, producing and playing for recordings and musical productions. He has served as a musician for well-known artists, directed worship and arts in various churches, and is President of Visual Music Productions.
Among other things, for many years, he has written and directed music used for the Easter Sunrise Service at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
For years, he was involved in the drug culture until an experience with Jesus Christ transformed his life. That transformation came through music. He knows from experience the powerful ways that Spirit-led music can become a catalyst to change lives and culture through genuine worship.
From his own experience, he has come to identify worship with the definition voiced by William Temple (1881-1944) who served as Archbishop of Canterbury during World War II:
“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God. To feed the mind with the truth of God. To purge the imaginations by the beauty of God. To open the heart to the love of God. And to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
Fletch Wiley strongly disagrees with the superficiality of many present-day Christians who equate “worship” with merely singing praise songs, raising our hands, and being entertained by musical showmanship and virtuosity with a religious twist. Unless the whole life is involved in worship, it isn’t worship at all, and it is not acceptable to God.
He insists that true worship involves forming a worship team in which each member embodies a life of worship, humility and servant’s heart, innovation, involving others, bringing their best both musically and spiritually. As they embody these things, they should seek an anointing of the Lord through their music that heals, teaches, fills others with God. Only such lives, devoted to worship in all of life, can lead others into true worship and not just a religious experience.
They must learn to practice personal spiritual growth seven days a week in family, work and school, not just on Sunday mornings. Each person on the worship team must be accountable to one another for this.
A worship team must seek the Lord to make sure they bring music that is appropriate for the need of the hour, inspiring brokenness before a Holy God, humility, joy, thanksgiving, healing restoration and repentance.
The Wileys consider themselves “music missionaries.” They travel the world wherever they are invited to worship through music.
At the invitation of IGO President Valson Abraham and the Cummings School of Music, Fletch and Kathryn Wiley came to India Bible College and Seminary. He spent six days (June 8-14) explaining and demonstrating these concepts. The entire student body and faculty was asked to attend this event because music is a universal language with the potential to affect all their ministries, wherever and however God is calling them.
He began by presenting his foundational topic, “Biblical Concepts of Worship.” Over the next few days, he explained how these biblical concepts relate to music theory, the development of good musicianship, ensemble playing, arranging, production and other topics relating music to a powerful expression of worship and evangelism.
During this time, he participated with IBC’s worship team in bringing the student body and faculty before the Lord.
At IBC, Fletch and Kathryn Wiley expanded everybody’s ideas of music as one of God’s means of bringing people into new and renewed relationship with Him. They did it with spirits of love, encouragement, prayerfulness and Holy Spirit persuasion that was very evident. Everyone was blessed, and hopeful that one day, the Wileys would return and continue what they had begun. Fletch noted, “The musicians were hungry to talk to someone from the outside.”
After his time at IBC, Fletch said, “Different in so many ways, but the same Spirit.” Kathryn said, “We were impressed by their service to the Lord and others...how kind and generous everyone was.”
Pray that Fletch and Kathryn Wiley’s visit to India Bible College and Seminary will have profound and lasting impact upon the lives and callings of all who participated in the Wileys’ six days of ministry.
Pray for a revival of true worship of God in all of our lives, whether we live in India or elsewhere.
