By Stephen Bennett   

Lone Figure

A lone figure, clothed in a traditional costume coloured like an opal, strummed a lilting tune on a handcrafted violin. He sat in his usual vantage point, high up on his beloved Great Chinese wall, which stretched like a long meandering river into the early morning mist.

He was an incongruous splash of colour on such a vast landscape. Often playing for the tourists, he was glad for days like today when no one was around. He could see for miles and knew every inch of the vista before him. He thought of it as his land.

Sometimes he felt like his music floated all the way to Canton, even weaving its courtship of notes around the faraway buildings of Hong Kong. The trees seemed to sway their arms as he drew his little bow across the strings. The gentle morning wind picked up his soothing melodies and breathed them into the villages in the valleys way below. Some days, for some mysterious reason, he could be heard for miles around.

It was a strange thing, but this particular area was very well known for its high productivity, little or no violence, and a certain peace and tranquillity that everyone commented on when they went there. It hadn’t always been this way, though; much evil and atrocity had left its stain in the history pages.

The quiet figure high on the wall had arisen from the deep wounds of the Communist execution of his family. Some said he had found, through some long gone American missionary, the Western God of Israel who had died in Jerusalem. Some said that he spoke to God on the wall all day long, and he was sending messages to China on the wind, by his music. Some of the more hardened folk were a bit more cynical.

Whatever the villagers said about him, they all held him in high respect, for they knew somehow that he was right, a kind of good luck talisman for them. They looked after him and he ate where there was a meal, slept where there was a bed, spoke when there was a listening ear. He was never short of anything.

The authorities tolerated him, and one of his best friends was the governor of the region. Little did anyone know that the governor was also the pastor in an underground network of churches that had connections for hundreds of miles around.
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Meanwhile, in a New York underground club, heavily mascara’d Andy Warhol types were writhing to a groove pumped out by a band who were one of the hottest tickets in town. The lead singer was increasingly provocative and very charismatic and he seemed to have total control of his sweaty party time followers. His long blonde hair swished about as his big sugar cube smile flashed. His face resembled that of a well-known TV evangelist in the city. The singer was in fact, the evangelist’s son, although very few knew.

During the band break, girls rushed to the band table and draped themselves like unironed washing over the sticky bodies of the god-like musicians. The drummer asked the blonde swashbuckling vocalist which one he was going to get that night. The singer’s countenance changed and, in an unusual reaction, he shied away from the question, at the same time shrugging his female barnacle to one side.

Mr Cymbals, a little tanked on more than a few Coronas, chided him, “Hey, come on, man. You’re not gonna slip back into all that religious bull …are you? Hey, this is living, man. Look, we got babes, money… everything!” The singer got up from the table to go outside for some Big Apple air. The happy hi hat bellowed across the club, “You’re off the wall, man. You need your head read!”

Outside the singer stood in the alleyway as the steam from the bowels of the city spewed up in the dim lights around him. Quiet sobs started to well up from deep inside him, as if he was a little boy again. It had been so long since… he wiped the tears from his eyes with his golden hair as two ladies of the night giggled at him as they cantered past.

Looking up at the sky, he could barely make out the stars far away and he wondered what had gone wrong. Then he looked at the building across the street; one solid wall of brick snaking off into the distant city skyline, punctuated by flashing neon lights and the occasional window. Somehow the wall seemed to sing to him, each window like a crochet on a giant clay stave singing him a new song, beckoning his aching heart.

He began to walk, following the line of the wall with his eyes, listening to the tune wooing his aching, breaking heart. Each city block seemed to melt into the next. Chains of bondage fell from his back and the smog-peppered air swallowed him up. The two working girls worked, the alleyway was empty, and the club band never saw him again.

The Wall

‘Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built villages all around Jerusalem. The priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, the gates and the wall’ (Nehemiah 12:27-30).

In the book of Nehemiah, the wall is a type of the Church – a place of salvation. As individual believers, we are bricks in the wall, cemented to one another with Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone who holds it altogether! The story of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem from the book of Nehemiah is an amazing one and gives us an insight into the role of the musician and singer as a builder in God’s House.

Gathering for Final Purposes

This is especially for today as we see the strengthening and the gathering of the Church, as the trumpet call is sounded for God’s people to arise and awaken. Consecrated prophetic musicians and singers will gather from all around, encouraged and strengthened to take their proper place, and be leaders in spiritual authority. They shall carry a prophetic and apostolic sound – the voice of God – with strong, kingly authority in their anointing. Like the singers who went before Jehoshaphat’s army, confusing and destroying the enemy, they will produce a call that covers the wall.

The prophetic musician brings an atmosphere like in pre-world, pre-creation days in Heaven when Lucifer covered the throne of God. An atmosphere, in which the Lord can continually speak, covering and releasing people, churches cities and nations – to know Him.

‘“For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations; and they shall come and see My Glory…And it shall come to pass that from one New moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord’ (Isaiah 66:18,23.)

When they finished the rebuilding of the wall, the first thing Nehemiah and Ezra did was gather the musicians. These musicians, through their separation to God, were to rule in the Spirit through their gift!

The musicians work, or role, did not just begin at the dedication of the wall, but in the building of it and its ongoing maintenance. They were not off-the-wall, but on the wall musicians!

Building = Work

‘So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work’ (Nehemiah 4:6.)

Anything to do with building the Lord’s people – His Church – will take work. That’s the stuff that makes you sweat! The musician is included in that! The Lord may have you doing any task on your journey with Christ which, as you serve in that task faithfully, will prepare your heart to be a mighty Holy Ghost melody maker for God! There will be warfare involved, but be encouraged and be on the ball, on the wall!

‘Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night, then Judah said, “the strength of the labourers is failing, and there is so much rubbish, that we are not able to build the wall.” And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease”’ (Nehemiah 4:7-11).

Building = Resistance

The Devil and the powers of darkness get very upset when you set your heart to build things God’s way. Satan has tried to keep gaps and divisions in the Church for centuries. Anything with a hint of real oneness in the Lord by the Spirit will send him up the wall in fury. The Devil will want to destroy you, confuse you, make you think that you have no strength in your music and the direction you are taking.

Prayer, and continually staying in the heartbeat of God, is your answer. Prophetic people will be resisted, so resist back in the Spirit and the Devil will flee. Problems may arise when a new thing is happening, because the spiritual rubbish from the old will seek to block the new, not wanting to be neatly fitted together in the new wall. Things like: “You can’t have that percussion; it’s from Africa, isn’t it?!” Or “Stick the drums in the corner, stuff them full of blankets and put a tea towel on the snare. You can’t have a big band – they will make too much noise!

Synthesisers! What about the organ? We paid a fortune for it! Build a barrier around the musicians that will hide them a bit and keep everything neat and tidy, and not too offensive!” Dealing with this takes time and patience!

Building = Everyone Warriors

‘So it was from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armour; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. Then I said to the nobles and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. Therefore, wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us”’ (Nehemiah 4:16-20).

The continuation of the building of the wall (the Church) required all the people to become warriors, including all of the artists; it was the whole church working together. Those who were actually on the wall were the front-liners, in the place of vulnerability – the place where the musicians and leaders worked with one hand and were ready to fight with the other. Warfare is a constant, a lifestyle, where you are pushing the envelope and stretching the tent of life!

Where there was separation, the trumpet sound rallied all the people together. God hates it when there is schism and division, separation and gaps. His heart is to close the gaps so unity can command a blessing!

Building = Guard leadership Relationship

The prophet musician was right along side the leader. There was a recognition of this call; they worked together. This relationship the devil hates, and will attack it vehemently to destroy the platform for the voice. The loud prophetic sound of the proclamation of the Lord covered the people and the Lord did the fighting, just the way He likes it! Today the sound of war, the prophetic voice and the song of power will do the same thing, coming from the top of the wall, a place of authority. You will need to be close to the Lord, under His banner of protection, because it is a place where the enemy could shoot you down because your impact will be great and the Devil will hate you.

Building = Servant Heart

Nehemiah was a prophet, a powerful man, but his character and power came from his servant heart. He was a wine taster for the worldly king of Babylon, King Artaxerxes – or King I’ll tax you to the excess!

To be in this job, this royal court of authority, his attitude had to be such, that he was willing to lay down his life for the one in authority – if the wine was poisoned, he would be the first to go. He knew how to submit to the authority of a king. He was a praying man and he wouldn’t do anything until he had consulted God so that he could do things the right way. Nehemiah didn’t know the song I did it my way!

Because of his servanthood Nehemiah didn’t count his life his own and was able to reign as a prophet with great authority. So it is with the musician who desires to be a mighty warrior and wall builder!

Successful Building = Be Wary of Compromise

‘Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of the enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (although at the time I had not hung the doors in the gates), that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm’ (Nehemiah 6:1-2).

When you are going well and the enemy can’t seem to touch you, he will try and entice and draw you aside. I know of a very anointed prophet musician who was offered large amounts of money by a non-Christian record company.

The contracts were on the table, but in this situation it would have meant compromising his music and direction to fit their agenda, which from a corporate investment point of view is perhaps fair enough. However the Lord spoke to him and his answer was “OH NO!” He decided to stay on the wall and leave the Ono plain alone, because in the long term, it would have diluted the focus of his calling. The Devil hates the warrior prophet; if he can’t beat you he will try and charm you with sugarcoated lies or opportunities to compromise.

In this story from Nehemiah, it’s interesting that Tobiah’s name means the goodness of Jehovah, a good thing, precious, wealthy, favoured, yet he is a type of devil in this situation. He was a person of influence who pulled weight with the leaders and nobles of Judah. He had married into royalty but he was a snake in the grass – a political manipulator. We can certainly see that he didn’t live up to his name! His heart was definitely not after the good things of God.

Building = Disheartens the Enemy

‘So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God’ (Nehemiah 6:15-16).

‘But the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits’ (Daniel 11:32b).

A strong church disheartens the enemy because the enemy can see God is in it. Not religiosity, not as if things haven’t changed for the past fifty years, not the old songs, not the old oil, but a new wall – fresh living stones with a new, strong mortar of faith and power. It is amazing how quickly changes can take place when you put your hand to the plow with a God-given strategy.

This incredible work of rebuilding the wall was done in a little less than two months! All the people around looked away from the false prophets of Baaldom, the religions that had blinded them for so long, and said, “God is really God. Look what He has done”!

The Lord will do a quick work in these last days and people will see the truth in you and they will hear it in your song! The Devil will perceive God in what you do and will say, “Oh no, maybe I should retire!”

Great works can be wrought by the prophetic musician!

Strong Gates of Authority

‘Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the door, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed’ (Nehemiah 7:1).

The gates speak in type, of authority, power and praise. When real authority and power was in place in the house, the same was in the music. When King David began establishing the Tabernacle of David in praise and music, there came a place in time for an appointment of responsibility for the musicians. As the Church grows in power and authority, so should the music and the musicians in their lives – to carry the anointing that is relative to their situation. Where there is a house of power, the Lord will make sure the right musicians come! If you lack musicians, believe God for them and they will come. They may even have wild long blonde hair searching for a home!

Fill the Houses

‘Now the city was large and spacious, but the people were few, and the houses were not rebuilt. Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy…’(Nehemiah 7:4-5).

A strong Church – a real place of salvation – will gather the people who are captive: the backslidden, the hurt, those who have been ripped off, the bruised in heart and those floundering in the world. The wall will be operating with love in action – being real! It will have a heart to gather the spiritual leaders in communities and cities of the world, which will work together for the purposes of God, so the houses of God can be filled.

The churches that are empty and dry can be breathed back to life through a strong, genuine, prophetic apostolic people, who have the interests of the Body of Christ at heart, and not their own self-consuming agenda. With this heart will come the songs that will gather nations, declaring boldly that God is God.

There will be anthems of praise that will be a sweet aroma to God and man in the city. With this gathering of the people will come a oneness of heart, mind and purpose, and an openness to have an ear to hear a fresh word from God for the city. The Body of Christ, the Church – the House in the city!

‘Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel’ (Nehemiah 8:1).

The Word of God Became Clear

‘And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands, and they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin (what a great name!), Akkub, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book, in the law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading’ (Nehemiah 8:5-8).

The Word was brought out in the open, pure and easily understood, in a place of authority where the living water of God flowed. It released the people to stand up on the inside and worship God, perhaps like they had never done before.

Not everyone will always embrace a new thing straightaway. For example, when a new style of worship comes in and challenges the old organ thinking! Music leaders you need to teach your musicians regularly. Don’t just teach all the how-tos and the mechanics of playing, singing and the PA system; teach them who they are in their function in the House of God from the Word of God!

The Levites, musicians and singers – the creative types – helped the people understand the Word; they were teachers in the Lords House, skilled in the Word. Who better to teach it than those who are doing it! The prophetic trumpet call of the 90’s is not a sound everyone will hear and understand. Warfare and the understanding of militant praise, even the role of the prophetic musician will not always be understood.

The learning curve is never-ending! Having a love and heart for Gods people will help you be a part of something that could bring great liberty and change to your church, city and even your nation.

Hunger for Truth

‘Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God, and they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner’ (Nehemiah 8:18).

With a revelation of the Word of God and what the Lord wanted to do, there came a hunger for truth on a day-by-day basis. Revival is the recovering of truth – of doing things God’s way. The meetings became sacred; the music had a depth of God in it unlike anything they had heard before. They were not just gathering to have another meeting for the sake of it, but the gatherings had life and they began to change the hearts and lives of the people.

Fasting, Repentance, Change

‘Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads, then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the book of the law of the Lord their God, for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshipped the Lord their God. Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God’ (Nehemiah 9:1-4).

When people really have their eyes opened, fasting and a repentance of heart will be the order of the day, as people will want to know Him more and come back to that first love. Many churches can have it looking good, running smoothly and sweetly, declaring the name of Jesus, but as Christ Himself said to the Church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation chapter 2, they had left their first love.

Repentance and getting things right with the Lord is often an important time of preparation for what is to come, which enables us to execute God’s plan with real strength and power in Christ. Repentance washes the vessel, gives the house a spring cleaning, to allow a new tenancy of the fresh Wind of God to dwell within. This freshness brought strength that had the people living in a place where they knew who they were and where they were meant to be in their calling in life. They could see where they themselves were at; things were clear because the light of God was upon their lives.

New Song and Worship

What also follows on out of new covenant relationship is new song and worship that is passionate, free and loud, with clarity in it about who God is. You can’t mistake it. God is clearly in it as with the thirtythree verses in Nehemiah 9:5-38. It was God’s revelation of who He was, what He had done, and what He would do. Prophetic music that tumbled out of the musicians and singers who had cleansed, repentant, consecrated hearts!

‘Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever and ever! Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, the Heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things in it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of Heaven worships you’ (Nehemiah 9:5-6).

This was the start of a big, big song. You couldn’t sing this sort of stuff and make it boring. The rhema revelation of God rode on the words. This was an anthem, a big classical rock number that was full on and powerful! The people knew their God like they never had before. The prophet musicians had come into a new dimension. The end of the song finished with a revelation of where they were as servants of the Lord, which brought a desire to make a new covenant to change things.

Eat the Fruit as Servants

‘Here we are, servants today! And the land that you gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit, and its good things, here we are, servants in it’ (Nehemiah 9:36).

Their revelation was,“Wow Lord, what you promised to our fathers, that’s us now, we’re living in it, prophecy now – alive and kicking!” That’s ruling and reigning thinking. That’s knowing the authority of God! The land is now for us. It’s time to live in it – being a servant in the good things of God! The prophetic musician will eat the fruit of good things. Your call and gift is to serve God, the good things are on the guarantee!

New Level of Relationship

‘And because of all this, we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our leaders and our Levites and our priests seal it’ (Nehemiah 9:38).

This is a new level of covenant relationship with God – a serious contract that could not fail! “God is a sure thing; we have a new vision; let’s write it down so that we can run with it” But not with the ways of men or the formulae of market forces and tradition.

The musicians were right up front with the leaders; they had a handle on the vision and sealed it with them.

Part of this covenant was the fruit of the land, which provided the needs for the building and ongoing growth of the Lord’s houses. So that the leaders, musicians and singers would not have to worry about their next meal or how they were going to pay the rent whilst they were given to the ministry of God!

Provision to the Musicians and Singers

‘…To bring the firstfruits of our dough, (don’t you just love the Lord’s sense of humour!) our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. For all the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers, and the singers are; and we will not neglect the House of our God’ (Nehemiah 10:37,39).

Often the music in churches has not been given the provision it should have to really become the music of God. How many anointed, but frustrated musicians and singers have given up and turned their backs on organized church after trying to be faithful, yet find they keep beating their heads against a brick wall?

The attitude of leadership towards music has often been second rate, sometimes making do with shoddy equipment and cheapskate gear because it’s just church, and it is only a small part of the life of the church – a filler before the really important things. The devil is trying with all of his might to destroy the power of church music. If the leaders really don’t understand the music department and don’t attend to it with the vehemence of Nehemiah, they will always have trouble trying to hold it together.

Many are the musicians who have a call upon their life to be full-time in the ministry of music, but a lot of the available support goes to the glitz and glamour of spiritual entertainment. The gift that is meant to be shaking the heavens through prophetic musicians, is often measured by the crowd size, guaranteed sales of merchandise, and the return of investment. These are legitimate things in their right context, no doubt, but what about investment into the spirit where eternal things are measured and valued? In the end the gift ends up playing safe music that tickles ears and sits comfortably in middle ground.

We take tithes for rents on buildings, office expenses, plush ornamentation, salaries, projects in and out of house – undoubtedly needed in the facilitation of things – but meanwhile the very gifting which, when really nurtured, can make an incredible difference, plods along just making ends meet.

Yes! Musical instruments, recording, and sound equipment are expensive, but God is bigger than that and will make a way, after all it’s His house! Look at the most progressive churches today. They generally have great music. It’s not always strongly prophetic, but the Lord is restoring the prophetic in this hour as He builds the wall!

‘Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine tenths were to dwell in other cities. And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem’ (Nehemiah 11:1-2)

Jerusalem is a place of ministry, a holy lifestyle place, a place of service for the people. This lifestyle is a ministry place in God’s heart, plans and purposes. It costs to live in this posture in life. It isn’t a normal nine-to-five, clock-on-clock-off existence. It is not just a job; it’s a whole lifestyle – a spiritual call to service, requiring a dedication and commitment that’s different. It’s not necessarily a greater calling than that of someone who is not in full-time professional ministry and is perhaps genuinely happy running a business or leading a quiet Godly life; it’s simply different.

It might mean living where you thought you would never live, or taking more aeroplane flights than you can remember. It’s living in the stronghold of Zion, taking up a lifestyle of spiritual warfare, given to the Word of God and prayer and having a constant readiness to really be effective.

It’s not always easy for volunteers or non-professionally paid ministry to carry this out and keep the focus on their ministry. Especially when working a day job and all that involves – travelling, getting ready for work and winding down on the return home – takes up to ten or twelve hours of your day.

Energy is at a premium when trying to make ends meet and the call of God is aching inside of you! Of course, there is pioneering and paying the dues, but there must come a day in the timing of all things, when the calling is blessed to be really free and fulfil its destiny.

In this book of Nehemiah we see such a time. The prophetic musician is a part of the ministry leadership as he willingly gives himself to the call and purposes of God. The people blessed all the people who were like this. These weren’t the days of a slap on the back and fifty bucks for gas and McDonalds on the way home, or “Thank you very much we enjoyed your nice entertainment this evening.” Musicians who travel solo or in bands are not all just youth evangelists or Friday night occupy the kids ministry, or “Let’s do a concert to pull in some people and get some more sheep” ministry, although these are all worthwhile notions.

The Lord raises up the prophetic apostolic musician who is a ministry unto the whole church, with an ability to stand on the wall with complete authority, perhaps not just to bless and teach the House, but the whole city – or the whole nation!

‘For it was the king’s command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers, a quota day by day’ Nehemiah (11:23). 

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Chapter Excerpt from Prophet Musician by Stephen Bennett, reprinted with author’s permission.

English-born Stephen Bennett and his Australian wife Rebecca, founded Awesome City Music Ministries in the early nineties, based in Sydney, Australia. Stephen’s gifting spans various creative fields and he is a creative prophetic and apostolic voice to a wide community of musicians, singers, artists and to the Church.