Warren Wiersbe wrote about his experience in a church that failed to understand worship:
“Be sure to be back for the evening service,” said the worship leader, with the voice and smile of a television game show emcee. “We are going to have a fun time.”
During the Sunday afternoon hours I wondered what that statement meant. “We are going to have a fun time” makes sense on a birthday party invitation, but how does it relate to a group of Christian believers gathered to worship the Lord of glory? Moses and the people of Israel didn’t have a fun time when they assembled at Mount Sinai….
John had some dramatic experiences on the Island of Patmos, but it’s doubtful he was having a fun time.[1]
In these lessons, we have seen that worship is more than a fun time, more than a particular ritual, and more than Sunday morning activity. Worship is giving to God the glory that is due him. On paper, this is easy; in real life, it can be a challenge. In this lesson, we will look at questions related to worship. As you study these questions, remember that the ultimate question is not, “What do I like?” The ultimate question for worship is “What does God like? What brings honor and glory to him?”
[1]Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000), 169-170
Worship and Culture
► Discuss the worship style of your church. What aspects of your worship are commanded in scripture and which aspects are determined by culture?
“The most difficult issue for worship in my country is cultural relevance. Most churches are importing a style of worship from abroad – whether it is contemporary or traditional. Our people adapt a style from the west simply because they want to be up-to-date, but neither ‘traditional’ nor ‘contemporary’ worship connects with the people because both are foreign. How do we worship in a way that honors God and that speaks to the world in which we minister?”
Culture or Bible?
A bride and groom were from two very different cultures. At the wedding feast, foods from the bride’s culture were served. As one dish was passed, the groom asked, “What is that?” The bride told him and then said, “In my country, this is a delicacy.” He responded with a frown, “In my country, it is disgusting!” Cultural differences can be challenging.
All of us are influenced by our culture. The reason some Christians eat with forks instead of chopsticks is not because forks are more biblical or even more efficient. They eat with forks because they grew up in a culture that uses forks. Their Christian friends in other parts of the world find chopsticks much more useful than forks.
Our worship is influenced by our culture. Many aspects of our worship are a matter of culture. Someone who grew up in a traditional American church may love the sound of a church organ. A church organ is not more biblical than a guitar; it is an aspect of culture.
In Lesotho, a church sings a call and response between a leader and the congregation. In this style, the leader sings a phrase and then the congregation sings the next phrase. That beautiful style of singing is likely never heard in an American church. If the music director at an American church tried it, the congregation would be confused. Unison versus call/response singing is a matter of culture, not biblical principle.
There are three questions that we should ask when we are examining worship style:
1. Are we confusing culture and scripture?
2. Does our culture contradict scripture?
3. How can our worship speak most effectively to people in the culture where God has placed us?
Are we confusing culture and scripture?
This question is important when evaluating a worship practice that is different than our own. In that situation, we must make sure we do not confuse culture and scripture. It is easy for us to read our cultural values into scripture and then to insist that everyone else read the Bible the same way. We are prone to assume that our way is the biblical way.
Someone might say, “The organ is the right instrument for church music. Guitars have no place in worship.” However, in many parts of the world, an organ is impractical, while a portable guitar is very useful for singing. No one can argue that the house churches of the second century used organs! Someone may like the organ, but they must not confuse their cultural preferences with biblical principles.
Paul Bradshaw, a worship historian, has shown that even in the first two centuries of the church, there were a variety of worship forms. As the church spread, it is unlikely that worship remained the same in every setting.[1]
What is the practical impact of this question? When evaluating the worship styles of others or responding to new ideas from within our own churches, we must not confuse culture with scripture. We must not reject an idea simply because it offends our cultural preferences. If a worship practice does not contradict biblical principles, then we should allow others to worship in the way they prefer.
This is not to say that every worship style is appropriate for every church. A wise worship leader will lead in a style that suits the people to whom he ministers.
Checkup
Are there worship practices that you have rejected because of your cultural preferences, and not because of biblical principles? If so, are you willing to allow other believers the freedom to worship in their way, as long as it doesn’t violate scripture?
Does our culture contradict scripture?
This question is important when we are tempted to defend a worship practice simply because it is normal in our culture. If we find that what is normal in our culture contradicts scripture, we must obey scripture rather than the expectations of our culture.
The Reformers faced this issue when they made dramatic changes to worship. Medieval culture said, “Ordinary laymen should not read the Bible; they can’t understand it.” Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, and other Reformers came to realize that scripture was for all people. Their medieval culture contradicted the teaching of scripture. The Reformers risked their lives to confront their culture with the truth of scripture.
If culture contradicts scripture, we must reject our culture! God’s Word is our final authority; we cannot compromise faithfulness to scripture in order to fit into the world around us. A paraphrase of Romans 12:2 reads, “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.”[2] We cannot let the world press us into its mold.
Checkup
Are there areas where your worship contradicts the principles of scripture?
How can our worship speak most effectively to people in the culture where God has placed us?
This question is important for reaching our world with the gospel. If we want to touch the world around us with the gospel, our worship must speak in a language they understand.
John Wesley faced this question when he began preaching in the fields. Like his Anglican peers, Wesley initially believed that the church was the only proper place for preaching. Under the influence of George Whitefield, Wesley began to understand that the Great Commission required him to preach outside the church.[3] Wesley was forced to consider, “How can I most effectively proclaim the gospel to coal miners who will never enter a church except for weddings and funerals?” The answer was to preach in the fields.
On April 2, 1739, Wesley went outside the city and preached to about 3,000 people who gathered in a field. This began a ministry that would change the English-speaking world of the 18th century.
Wesley had opposed field preaching so strongly that he once said, “I [would] have thought the saving of souls almost a sin if it had not been done in a church.” When he realized that his cultural prejudices were a hindrance to the gospel, Wesley was willing to change his practices. Many of his Anglican peers rejected this change. Within a month of beginning outdoor preaching, a bishop told Wesley that he was no longer welcome to preach in Anglican churches. Being willing to speak to your culture may be costly; it cost Wesley the respect of many of his fellow Anglicans. Jesus’ call to be light and salt is a higher priority than personal convenience.
Michael Cosper suggests three questions for understanding the relationship between our worship and the surrounding culture.[4]
(1) Who is here?
This question looks at our congregation; “Who attends our worship services?” Sometimes we become so concerned about reaching the world that we fail to minister to the church. Our worship becomes inauthentic when we try to be someone that we aren’t. Since worship should speak to the congregation, we must ask, “Who is here? Who has God placed in our congregation?”
(2) Who was here?
This question looks at our heritage. As believers, we have a heritage reaching back to the early church and stretching around the globe.
This means that we will make the effort to introduce great hymns of the past to our generation. It means that we will connect people today with the history of the church. Young Christians need to know that they are part of a heritage that started long before we were born and will continue long after we are gone. We are part of the church universal made up of believers from all generations.
Our worship heritage goes back to Pentecost, back to God’s revelation to Moses at Mount Sinai, and ultimately back to God’s revelation to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Our worship should celebrate that history. When we sing “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” we are joining the worship of the Reformation. When we recite the Apostle’s Creed, we are joining the worship of the second century. In worship we ask, “Who was here before us?”
(3) Who should be here?
This question looks at our community. As we ask, “Who are the people who should be part of our church,” we ask questions such as:
Who are we trying to reach with the gospel?
If our community came to church, what would our worship service look like?[5]
How can we be true to our message while worshipping in a way that speaks to the people we are trying to reach?
These questions are harder in real life than on paper! Look at four scenarios. Each church has faced the challenge of speaking to the community.
Church A: A church that failed to ask, “Who is here?”
Church A is located in a retirement community. The average age in the community is 70, and the average age in the church is 70. Two years ago, their pastor determined to reach young families. In a two-month period, he replaced the organ, choir, and hymnals with guitars, a praise team, and an overhead screen.
Unfortunately, the pastor forgot to ask, “Who is here?” As a result, a church of 100 senior citizens has declined to a church of 35 senior citizens singing music they don’t like, watching a screen they don’t like, and grumbling about the loud guitars.
Should Church A be reaching out? Absolutely! But the people it can reach most effectively are the unchurched seniors in their retirement community. By ignoring the people who are already in the church, they are failing to worship in a way that speaks either to the church itself or to the surrounding community. Church A failed to ask, “Who is here?”
Church B: A church that failed to ask, “Who was here?”
Church B is located in a fast-growing city with many young families. The church speaks the language of their community; their worship is exciting and enthusiastic.
Church B has a passion for evangelism. Unfortunately, the church has not asked, “Who was here?” Church B has forgotten its heritage as a church that preached a message of a pure heart and victorious Christian life. The pastor avoids preaching doctrine because he thinks, “People don’t want to hear doctrine; they want practical sermons.” The music director avoids songs with biblical depth because he thinks, “People don’t like songs with difficult words; they like simple songs.” As a result, the church has grown a generation of “baptized pagans.”[6]
Church B is growing in numbers, but few of her members are growing in godliness. Many people attend because it is an entertaining church that demands little commitment. Because Church B has no sense of her heritage, many converts soon drift to other churches that offer even better entertainment. Church B failed to ask, “Who was here?”
Church C: A church that failed to ask, “Who should be here?”
Church C was started nearly 100 years ago in a small rural community. The worship, preaching, and music communicated to the people who lived in that town. In the intervening years, the community has changed completely. Church C is now surrounded by the inner city, but its worship is still designed to appeal to a rural middle class.
Sadly, many of the people who live near Church C pass her each week without knowing that the church has the answer to their deep hunger. Church C has the message that her community needs, but she doesn’t communicate clearly to the community. If Church C could worship in a way that communicated both to God and to a needy world, she could transform her community. Instead, Church C is dying because she failed to ask, “Who should be here?”
Church D: A church that speaks to the community
Church D shares many of the attributes of the previous three churches. The community has changed dramatically since the church was planted 40 years ago. Unlike the other churches in this survey, Church D has learned to communicate well to her community.
When the pastoral staff realized that many young converts did not understand the doctrine preached on Sunday, they developed discipleship groups to bring new believers to maturity. When the music leader realized that the music did not speak to many in their community, he began to include songs that are both doctrinally true and musically appealing.
As the church grew, they planted daughter churches in surrounding towns and allowed these churches to adapt to the needs of their communities. These churches are pastored by young men who were a part of Church D. Each daughter church is different, but each church is faithful to the gospel. Church D is thriving because she learned to ask “Who is here, who was here, and who should be here?” She has learned to speak biblical truth to the community in which God placed her.
Checkup
Does your worship speak to the people who attend your church? Does your worship reflect the heritage of the Christian church? Does your worship speak to those who God wants to reach through your church?
What about Music?
Church musicians in many parts of the world are faced with the challenge of finding songs that are biblically sound and culturally sensitive. We search for music that speaks the heart language of the community we are seeking to reach. Foreign music may not be culturally relevant, and some local cultural songs may not be biblical. How do we choose music that is both faithful to scripture and sensitive to the culture in which we pastor? Here are answers from pastors who face this issue:
When it comes to selecting songs for church, one doesn’t need to choose between being biblically faithful and being culturally sensitive. With “biblically faithful” I am looking for songs that are true and clear. With “culturally sensitive” I am looking for songs that are singable and engaging for the congregation.
Biblical faithfulness takes priority, but we don’t have to choose between them. If part of the aim of singing is communication, should we not aim to choose a musical language that fits the cultural [environment] of our church? We are [foolish] if we think cultural sensitivity is irrelevant, and we will be irrelevant if our songs are untrue or unclear.
(Murray Campbell, pastor in Melbourne, Australia)
In training African pastors, we urge them to find the most scripture-saturated, God-centered, gospel-driven, edifying, and singable songs they can find, both old and new, and let them loose! In any culture, God’s people need songs that will teach them to live and to die for Christ.
(Tim Cantrell, teacher in Johannesburg, South Africa)
The repertoire of theologically solid, contextually relevant songs in Hindi is very small. Most songs that have good theology have been translated from older Western hymns or contemporary worship songs. Although the words might be faithful, the music is not indigenous, and the local people find them difficult to sing. Also, such songs only confirm people’s suspicion that Christianity is a Western religion.
On the other hand, Hindi songs that are musically contextualized are often light on theology, repetitive, and devoid of scripture. Sometimes songs pick up tunes that are used in the temples. We avoid both these kinds of songs.
The first thing I look at when choosing songs is its doctrinal soundness. If a song is theologically unsound, we won’t sing it, however contextualized it might be. If the words are good but the tune is not Indian, we will not sing it. We choose songs with Indian tunes and faithful words. Granted, there are not many songs that fall in this category, but we are slowly building our repertoire.
(Harshit Singh, Pastor in Lucknow, India)
Just as there is a verbal heart language in which a person speaks most naturally and feels most deeply, there is a musical heart language which speaks to a person most deeply.
Imagine a missionary who fails to learn the language of the people where he ministers. He might say (in his own language), “I am here to bring you the gospel. You can’t understand what I am saying, but keep listening to me talk. Eventually, you will figure out what I am saying, and then you will know the good news.” Of course not! Likewise, when we fail to use the musical language of a culture, we are making the good news more difficult to comprehend.[7]
Sadly, as Pastor Singh wrote, in some cultures there are few biblically solid songs that use a non-Western musical language. This often leaves churches with two options: biblically strong songs with tunes that sound foreign or biblically weak songs with tunes that are musically contextualized. If we want to use music to build the church around the world, we should seek out music that is true to scripture and that speaks in the musical heart language of the people. I believe that God wants to call godly song writers in every culture.
If you serve in a culture where there is little quality worship music available, you can promote new music. This may require cooperation between two people; someone to write or translate excellent texts and someone to write the music. Few great hymn writers wrote their own tunes. Find a devoted Christian musician and get them to write tunes to hymns that speak biblical truth. By doing this, you can sing a biblical message in a musical language that communicates to your world.
We must always consider Question 2 above: “Does our culture contradict scripture?” If the musical culture contradicts scripture, we must not use it. However, when there is no biblical principle involved, we should seek to lead worship in the musical language of the worshippers.
While worshipping in his father’s church, a young man preparing for the ministry realized that few people understood the songs they were singing. Rather than worshipping, they showed little understanding of the truths they sang. When the young man complained about this, his father replied, “See if you can do better.” Young Isaac Watts accepted his father’s challenge.
English-speaking people sing the hymns of Isaac Watts today because a young pastor determined to write hymns that communicated a biblical message in language that people understand.[8] In our generation, we need hymn writers who speak biblical truth in languages that touch the hearts of the non-English speaking world.
[1]Paul Bradshaw, “The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship” in Robert Webber, Twenty Centuries of Christian Worship (Nashville: Star Song Publishing, 1994), 4
[2]E. H. Peterson, The Message (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002)
[4]Michael Cosper, Rhythms of Grace: How the Church’s Worship Tells the Story of the Gospel (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2013), 176-179
[5]John Wesley faced this issue. Anglicans realized that a worship service attended by coal miners, converted prostitutes and illiterate shopkeepers would be much different from the formal worship of upper-class Anglicans. Many priests decided they were not willing to allow their worship to be interrupted by the lower classes. This led to the formation of the Methodist societies.
[6]Mark Dever’s term for professed Christians who have no biblical foundation.
[7]This example is adapted from Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror, Worship: Rediscovering the Missing Jewel (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Publishers, 1982), 168.
[8]“Joy to the World,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” are three of the 750 hymns written by Isaac Watts.
Some Closing Thoughts on Music Style
Because music is such an important part of life, many of us have strong beliefs about music. Any discussion of music styles in worship tends to cause conflict.
Those who believe that certain music styles are evil say, “Only certain styles of music can be used in worship.” However, scripture does not give specific guidelines for music styles.
Those who believe that music styles are morally neutral say, “Find the music that people like and sing it. Style doesn’t matter; sing what you like.” However, scripture makes clear that we must avoid anything that leads to sensual behavior. Because of cultural and emotional significance, some music is inappropriate for worship.
Writing about musical choices, Scott Aniol divided his discussion into two parts:[1]
1. Texts: the right and wrong issue. Regardless of the musical style, if the text does not speak truth clearly it is inappropriate for worship. This is a matter of right and wrong. There are many songs using traditional music styles that have texts that do not teach biblical truth; these are inappropriate for worship. There are many songs using contemporary music styles that have texts that do not teach biblical truth; these are inappropriate for worship.
2. Music style: the unclear issue. Since scripture does not speak clearly on the issue of music style, we should follow the principles of Romans 14. We should avoid music that is questionable because of its cultural associations. However, we should not judge others whose conscience leads them in a different musical direction.
Checkup
Are there cultural areas in your worship that limit your ability to reach your world with the gospel? Are you willing to surrender your preferences for the sake of reaching your world with the gospel?
What about Clapping?
What about clapping in worship? Is it right or wrong? Clapping occurs in two contexts, with two quite different meanings.
Clapping as part of worship
Many churches clap as part of singing; clapping is part of their congregational worship. This is part of the physical aspect of worship expressed in scripture. “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” (Psalm 47:1) Jewish worshippers were enthusiastic. Jewish worship included a variety of musical instruments, raised hands, and clapping.
If clapping is part of your worship, the worship leader must make sure that it is appropriate to the song that is sung. Clapping during a song of prayer is not appropriate to the message. Clapping during a song of joyful praise is appropriate. The question for the leader is not always, “Is clapping right or wrong?” A better question may be, “Is clapping appropriate for this song and at this point in our worship?”
Applause in response to worship
A more difficult issue is applause in response to a special song. There is no indication in scripture that Jewish or Christian worshippers applauded in response to worship.
Some cultures today are quick to applaud as an expression of thanks. In these cultures, it is natural to express praise to God through clapping. Other cultures associate applause primarily with recognition of a good performance. In these cultures, clapping in response to a choir or musician may create the atmosphere of a concert, rather than worship.
Since scripture does not directly address this issue, we should avoid absolute statements. If applause is a natural joyful response that expresses praise to God, it may be an act of worship. If applause communicates, “This person has performed well for our enjoyment,” it may detract from worship.
Both the congregation and the musician should look at the motivation for clapping. The people in the congregation should ask themselves, “Why am I applauding? Is my applause motivated by praise to God or by praise for a performer?”
The musician should ask, “Why is the congregation applauding? Did my song inspire a joyful act of praise to God, or did my song draw attention to my skills? Did I lead in worship?” As leaders of worship we should be careful that our ministry points to God, not to our abilities.
Checkup
If your church claps during worship, is it truly an expression of praise to God or is it an expression of praise to a performer?
Romans 14 and Worship Styles
► Read Romans 14:1-23.
Romans 14 offers important guidelines for questionable matters to which scripture does not clearly speak. Paul addresses those who disagree about eating meat or observing special days. He offers the following principles.
(1) Don’t judge others about questionable matters (Romans 14:1-13).
In areas to which scripture does not speak clearly, we must allow freedom of conscience to those who disagree with us. We must not be more definite than scripture itself!
(2) Don’t cause the weak to stumble (Romans 14:13-15).
Paul recognized that an immature believer might be harmed by the freedoms exercised by a more mature believer. In that case, the law of love requires us to limit our freedom on behalf of the weak. Do not destroy the one for whom Christ died for the sake of your freedoms.
Paul’s statement is a powerful model for all areas of Christian behavior; “If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:13).
(3) Act from faith, not from doubt (Romans 14:23).
This is a vital principle for young Christians. “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” We must never violate our conscience in order to please someone else. “Whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith.”
When applied to worship styles, these principles caution us:
1. Don’t judge those who use a style with which you are uncomfortable. If scripture does not speak clearly, you must be slow to judge.
2. Don’t use music that may offend a new believer. If a believer comes from a lifestyle in which certain musical styles are associated with immoral behavior, that style may never be helpful for that believer. Love for a Christian brother should inspire you to avoid anything that could hinder his spiritual growth.
3. Don’t exercise freedom when your conscience has doubts. You must not test the lines. Love for God should inspire you to avoid anything that raises doubt in your own conscience.
[1]Scott Aniol, Worship in Song (Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 2009), 135-140
Engaging Children and Youth in Worship
“How can we involve children and youth in worship? Should we put them in a separate service until they are old enough to understand the adult service? How do we encourage children and youth to truly worship?”
Many churches separate children, youth, and adults in worship. There are two reasons for this: concern that young children will distract adults from worship and concern that children and youth will not understand what is happening in the worship service.
There is nothing in scripture forbidding separate services for youth or children. However, there are at least three things that should be considered:
1. In scripture, worship was intergenerational. Scripture does not suggest that children and youth were treated differently in worship. In Temple worship, the family remained together for the ritual of sacrifice. There is nothing in the New Testament to suggest that the early church separated children or youth during worship.
2. Intergenerational worship unifies the Body of Christ. Just as offering separate services for contemporary worship and traditional worship may undermine the unity of the Body, offering separate services for children and youth may lessen their awareness of being part of the church family. On the other hand, as children and young people are included in the worship of the church family, everyone understands that they are a valuable part of the Body of Christ (1 Timothy 4:12).
3. Through intergenerational worship, the faith is passed on to the next generation. We learn to worship by worshipping. Unless it is carefully planned, a children’s service can become a time to entertain the children so that they don’t interfere with the adult service. If we do this, when do children learn to worship?
Youth and Children as a Part of a United Worship Service
Youth and children can often participate in a united worship service that speaks to all ages. This may include a short children’s sermon on the same topic as the main sermon.
When we assume that children cannot understand deep truth, we fail to give them enough credit for spiritual discernment. It is the Holy Spirit who enlightens every listener, adult or child (1 Corinthians 2:10). Even in an adult service, the Holy Spirit can speak truth to their young hearts. Including children in adult worship requires us to teach them about worship. We can explain the service to the children. We can define difficult words in the scripture readings and hymns. Even adults sometimes need those words defined! By making room for children in worship, we allow them to grow as worshippers alongside the rest of the body.
Many churches offer separate services for youth and children. These services should be worship, not entertainment. If children and youth do not learn to worship, they will not grow to spiritual maturity. Just as a child does not develop physical health with a diet of candy, a child does not develop spiritual health with a diet of spiritual junk food.
If a church offers separate adult and youth/children’s services, we must make sure that the service is truly a worship service. Youth and children’s worship should include scripture reading. For children, attractive visuals can reinforce the truth of the scripture.
The service should include a sermon or Bible lesson that applies the Word of God to the needs of youth and children. The Bible itself should be lovingly held in the hands of the teacher. Children and young people learn to respect and use God’s Word by watching it used by adults they respect.
The service should include songs that speak biblical truth. It should include a time of prayer, both praise and requests. It should include an offering that allows children to bring their gift to God. All elements of worship should be included in a worship service for children or youth.
Teaching Children to Pray: The “Prayer Hand”
The thumb reminds us to pray for those who are close to us (family).
The pointer finger reminds us to pray for those who point people to Jesus (pastors, teachers, and missionaries).
The middle finger is the tallest. This reminds us to pray for the leaders of our country, school, church, and home.
The fourth finger is the weakest. Demonstrate this by trying to lift only the fourth finger. This reminds us to pray for those who are weak and need Jesus.
The fifth finger is the smallest. This reminds you to pray for yourself.
Raising the entire hand reminds us to praise God.
This prayer hand can become a prayer pattern that elevates the prayer level of young worshippers.
Summary
If we want to see our children grow into mature believers, we must provide them with spiritual nourishment. Whether in a unified service or in separate services, we must lead our children to worship.
Checkup
Whether you have separate services for children and youth or a united service for the entire church, are you teaching your children and youth to worship?
[1]This section uses material from Mrs. Christina Black, Professor of Education at Hobe Sound Bible College.
Emotion in Worship
“People in my country are very emotional, and our worship frequently reflects our emotional way of life. Our worship music is usually fast, loud, and rhythmic. It allows us to participate and to express emotion. However, I fear that the music is only emotion. I don’t know if our music lends itself to true worship.”
True worship is worship in spirit and in truth. True worship includes emotion, but it is more than emotion. There are two errors related to emotion in worship that can lead us astray.
Some worshippers deny emotion in worship. They see worship as an intellectual encounter with God; they fail to recognize the emotional aspect of meeting God. True worship speaks to the emotions. Our worship service should allow worshippers the opportunity to express their emotional response to God’s revelation of himself.
(2) The error of over-emphasizing emotion in worship.
The opposite danger is the error of speaking only to the emotions in worship. Worship that speaks to the emotions while ignoring the mind violates 1 Corinthians 14:15; “I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” Any aspect of worship can fall to this temptation: a dramatic sermon that is not faithful to the text of scripture; emotional music that fails to speak biblical truth; worship practices that manipulate the emotions of the worshippers. Worship that speaks only to the emotions is not true worship.
True Worship: Worship in Spirit and in Truth
A biblical model of worship respects the importance of emotion while carefully evaluating the truth of what we preach and sing. Because music is an emotional medium, we must be particularly careful to evaluate the truth of what we sing. However, used properly, music can be particularly effective in communicating truth that speaks both to the mind and to the emotions.
John Wesley valued emotion in worship. He described one congregation as “Dead as stones - perfectly quiet, and perfectly unconcerned.” He believed that an encounter with truth should inspire an emotional response. At the same time, he was quick to criticize emotional expressions that detracted from true worship.
Wesley warned against either extreme; denying emotion or allowing it to control us. “Is there any necessity for our running into one extreme or another? May we not steer a middle course and keep a sufficient distance from the spirit of error and enthusiasm without denying the gift of God and giving up the great privilege of His children?”[2] This is a good model for us today: respecting the importance of emotion in worship, while avoiding extremes that distract our focus from God and his truth.
“By nature, I am an emotionally sensitive person. Music can have a profound influence on my emotions. I learned a lesson a few years ago about putting too much faith in my emotional responses.
“As I listened to a song with a beautiful melody, I was deeply moved. As the song moved through a key change, I found myself crying. By the end of the song, I felt as though I had had a deeply spiritual experience.
“However, as I listened a second time, I discovered something shocking: this song was not worship of the God of the Bible. The song was singing praise to the god of a false cult. The words at that dramatic key change were heresy.
“That day I learned that my emotions can be easily manipulated, particularly by music. That doesn’t mean that all emotional responses to music are invalid, but it does mean that I must evaluate the content of songs. I must ‘test the spirits’ to be sure that they are from God.”
Checkup
Does your worship speak both to the mind and to the emotions? Are you careful to evaluate what you sing and teach to make sure that it is faithful to scripture?
This lesson began with Warren Wiersbe’s warning against treating worship as a fun time.[1] He warned that we trivialize worship when we look for fun rather than God in our services. “Churches still use the word worship but its meaning has changed. Too often worship is only a word people use to give religious respectability to whatever they’ve planned for the congregation to do, whether or not God is the focus of the meeting.” How does this happen?
We Move from Sanctuary to Theater
Worship can happen anywhere. Christians have worshipped in caves while hiding from persecutors. Christians have worshipped in private homes or ornate buildings. Christians have worshipped while lying in the hospital, flying on a plane, or while working. Worship can happen anywhere, but most corporate worship happens in a building of some type. “Church congregations have to meet someplace, and that ‘someplace’ will become either a sanctuary or a theater.”
What is the difference? A sanctuary “is a place where people gather to worship and glorify their Lord.” A theater is a place where people gather to watch a performance. Is your church building a theater or a sanctuary?
We Move from Congregation to Audience
“A Christian congregation gathers to worship Jesus Christ and glorify Him. An audience gathers to see and hear a performance.” A congregation is focused on God; an audience is focused on the performer. A congregation consists of participants; an audience consists of spectators. Are you leading a congregation or an audience?
We Move from Ministry to Performance
“We minister primarily to express God’s truth; we perform to impress with our abilities. The minister knows that God is watching and that his approval is all that matters; the performer seeks the applause of the audience.” Ministry can become performance in many different ways: a musician who performs for the entertainment of the listeners, a praise team that seeks a particular emotional response, or a preacher who measures his preaching by the reaction of the people. Are you ministering or performing?
[1]Quotations in this section are adapted from Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000), 169-174.
Conclusion: Testimony of a Missionary - Romans 14 in Practice
“I learned a valuable lesson about judging others because of their worship style when I attended a leadership seminar with a missionary friend and eight Filipino pastors.[1]
“We entered a large convention center and found our seats high in the bleachers. Huge screens and loudspeakers were hanging from the ceiling. The worship leader was a Filipino lady backed by a praise team. They were clapping their hands and leading an excited crowd in ‘Yes, Lord, Yes!’ It was far too lively for my taste.
“The repetitive music, loud singing, and bodily movement caused me great concern. We had challenged our Filipino pastors to be holy leaders, and now we were bringing them into this kind of worship! One of the Filipino pastors, a very spiritual leader, was standing there with his head bowed. He was praying quietly and not participating in the service.
“I struggled, ‘What do we do?’ Later, I saw this same pastor clapping and singing with all his heart. His face was shining, and he seemed caught up in worship.
“That evening, we shared what we learned about leadership at the conference. During the conversation, I asked this Filipino leader what happened to change his demeanor. ‘Why did you go from not participating to suddenly worshipping and enjoying the singing?’
“His answer was powerful. ‘I was troubled by the music. But as I prayed, God showed me that the worship leader and the people in this meeting were worshipping God with all their hearts. They were giving God their best according to what they knew. The Lord said, “Can you leave them to me? Can you offer me your worship without judging others?”’
“This pastor started worshipping God with all his heart the way he usually did rather than judging those around him. Did this change this pastor’s approach to worship? No; when he returned to his church, he did not imitate the worship style he saw that weekend.
“As a leader in our churches, this man often encouraged his fellow pastors to allow freedom in worship without manipulating the congregation. He encouraged his fellow pastors to balance two principles:
1. Carefully follow biblical principles of worship in your church.
2. Avoid criticizing the worship styles of other churches.”
[1]Testimony from Rev. David Black, former missionary to the Philippines.
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