“HOW I BALANCED SPIRITUALITY AND SKILL IN MY MUSIC MINISTRY” – PASTOR NATHANIEL BASSEY
One of the scriptures that opened me up is gospel John 4:22 – “Ye worship what ye know not: we know what we worship…” this means, knowledge drives worship. Worship is the response to revelational knowledge.
When people say to me, “come and minister to us”, they are indirectly saying, “come and tell us what is going on between you and God in music form”. That’s where the concept or idea of the song should come from – your love and relationship with God.
You can’t be in the presence of God and not get a release from Him to you. Our songs are revelations (Ps 119:54) and the revelations you have of God impacts upon the quality of work that you do. During my training, I had a pastor who was fiercely excellent.
So we would do trainings choir practice for four hours and then he would open his door and when he comes back he would say, ‘now let’s start choir practice’. So we would begin all over again.
We would pray with him all through the night into the Service in tongues. We had a programme called “Lazarus come forth” and during the last seven days of the thirty days we were on dry fast and back-to-back vigils into the healing service. We were also hearing the word during that time. So that is the spiritual preparation.
Then when it came to the music, he (my pastor) would ask me “Nathaniel, now that you have decided to just focus on God, what are the instruments you need?” He would travel and buy me seven trumpets – expensive ones.
On the one hand I had spiritual inheritance and then, the words of prophecy I had over me was global. That’s why I say to people “if God has called you to minister globally, you can’t do things like a local person. If you want to play globally, some people don’t have patience to want to listen out for your voice. So engage excellence so that while they are appreciating the quality of the music, the anointing hits them.
The anointing can be present in your song but your quality can ruin it. I tell people that God looks at your heart but men listen to the quality of your voice. God loves you too much to embarrass you, so he won’t open some doors to you. So you will be powerful in your local assembly. You will be anointed in your vicinity because God loves you too much to open a global door to you.
I have always have this mantra for my music ministry – Spirit, skill, character, modelled after David in 1Samuel 16. It wasn’t prayer that took David to the palace, it was skill that opened the door. Skill has a way of opening doors.
I was reading some comments on Twitter about Dunsin Oyekan, and some people were like, “I don’t know where this sound is coming from (in marvel)…” It’s the anointing but it is years of practice and diligence. Skill does not come by prayer and fasting. Skill is simple repetitive task over time that becomes your nature.
When I play the trumpet, people say I am so anointed but it took me five hours of practice before the meeting. I believe our ministries will blossom when we begin to deliver our gifts in a more excellent manner. When I say excellence, I also mean excellence in character.
I believe excellence is a tool for dominion. So I tell believers, when they are sacking people in the office, they shouldn’t mention your name. When they mention your name, it should be, “if we loose this guy we are gone”. It takes a level of competence to achieve thi Pastor Nathaniel Bassey
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