Since the musicians get paid, should all the members of the praise team be paid? What about the choir? Should ushers, deacons, security, sign ministry, camera crew, sound techs be paid?
...here's an answer for you. (I'm sure Sheen will have his point of view.lol)
1 Chronicles 23The Divisions of the Levites 1. So when David was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
2. And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.
3. Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and above; and the number of individual males was thirty-eight thousand.
4. Of these, twenty-four thousand were to look after the work of the house of the LORD, six thousand were officers and judges,
5. four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand praised the LORD with musical instruments, “which I made,” said David, “for giving praise.”
2 Chronicles 512 and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar,
clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets—
...some of you guys aren't going to like this answer but here it goes: Not all the Levites of the church were "Musicians or Singers" as you can read for yourselves above. Some were in charge of the "care and maintance" of the Temple.
...I asked on my first part of this thread if you all thought of yourselves as Levites. Here's the answer to many of you guys/gals question. If you do, you will have to understand that the Levites
a. "Studied Music from the book of Psalms (written by King David) and played out of the book of PSalms"
b. Were in charge of Praise & Worship in the "Temple"
c. They "all" got payed/How else were they going to purchase "white linen clothing"?
d. They were "Full Time" at the church. In other words, "they were Ministers of Music." Their Lifestyle was Worship. They didn't go out and play with the hottest Secular Jewish Reggae Artist. lol
...so, are we worthy of making "our" money honestly from the church? Is our Lifestyle a life of a True Worshipper?
...some of us are living the lifestyle of a True Worshipper and yet we see that we are getting payed by seeing Lives come to Christ, Families that were destroyed come together and the Sun go up and down each day. Some of us are sent on special assignments to play at so and so's church or Christian concert with minimal pay being $50 and God rewards us with $2,000 and many restored Lives after it.
...my advice to all of you is this:
Matthew 6:33 (New King James Version)
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
...these are my beliefs and as of today, I'm still seeing God bless my Life and Family in a great way. You guys do whatever you want.
At the end of the day, I know what God wants from "me" and know where His Holy Spirit is guiding "me." I know one thing, my eyes are set on God and not the cash.
...by the way, I'm not a Jewish Levite but I am a Levite in the Spirit and I have a job to do. I can only speak for "me".