Biblical Worship

A while back my son and I were traveling in the car listening to the ‘oldies' station on the radio.  When I was growing up this kind of music was music of the fifties and sixties.  Now it is the music that I listened to as a youth.  (A little troublesome to me, but that's another discussion).  So, when my son is hearing these songs sometimes for the first time, I can actually remember the detailed lyrics of these songs I heard thirty years ago.  Does that remind us of the power of text set to music?  It is amazing how I can remember some rather ridiculous songs from my teenage years.  This reminded me of the responsibility we as parents and worship pastors have to provide songs with great texts for our children and youth today.  

I think it is interesting that even in the days of Martin Luther (1483-1546) there was a problem with the secular music of the day.  Luther sought to give the youth of his day a Christian musical alternative.  Luther encouraged the publishing of hymns and songs for the church. He wanted to get the church singing about their faith.  In the preface of a Christian songbook, Luther wrote:

“These songs were arranged in four parts (some are in three, others in five) to give the young – who should at any rate be trained in music and other fine arts – something to wean them away from the love ballads and carnal songs and to teach them something of value in their place, thus combining the good with the pleasing, as is proper for youth…”(from Geystliches gesang Buchleyn).

Even in Luther's day there was a concern for the music of the younger generation and what it was teaching them.  What are we doing today to encourage our youth to listen to music that has a redeeming value?  If the music we learn in our childhood days stays with us throughout our lives, we as parents and music ministers should do as much as we can to give our young ones music that will help them in their walk with the Lord.

What are some things we can do to encourage them to listen to music with Christian texts?

1.  Like Luther suggested, let's encourage the writing and producing of music with great Christian lyrics in a style that is attractive to the younger generation.

2.  We should know what kind of music are children and teens are listening to and understand the messages these songs are sending.  The old adage that “I just like the sound of the music and don't pay attention to the lyrics” is not true.  The lyrics do find a way into our hearts and minds.

3.  Help our youth find music that is redeeming.  If our children are listening to non-stop music on their Ipods, let's help them download some redeeming music.

4.  In our churches we should be encouraging the teaching of new worship songs that speak in the language of today so that the younger generation finds a substitute for the tempting ‘carnal' songs of today.

All of this does not mean that we should abandon the great songs and hymns of generations past.  We should be teaching these songs to our children as well.  However, we need to also offer them an alternative to the secular worldly music that pervades all parts of their lives.  Let's give them songs that thirty years from now on the ‘oldies' Christian station will remind them of our great Lord!

This week I had the opportunity to share with the traveling teams of LifeAction Ministries in Buchanan, MI.  These teams are in training preparing to travel for 9 months sharing the Gospel in churches across the country.   In thinking about these young men and women on these teams, I thought about I Timothy 4: 6-16 and Paul’s instruction to Timothy concering Timothy’s life and ministry.   Here are several principles gleaned from this passage concerning the life and ministry of the minister and more specifically, the worship leader:

1. Private Worship- vs. 6 and 7 discuss the priority of being constantly nourished by the word of faith and doctrine.  Our private worship (time in the Word, prayer and meditation) should be a regular part of our day preferably in the morning as you begin your day.  We minister to others from the overflow of our time alone with the Lord.  We can not lead a person to a place we have not been.  Before we lead others in corporate worship, we must be spending time in private worship.  I like the example set for us by the great missionary to China, Hudson Taylor.  He was so rarely alone during the day, he would often do his prayer and Bible study time from 2-4am in the morning while his team was sleeping.  I am not advocating this necessarily, but I think this does show the importance of finding time in our day to spend with the Lord in His Word and in Prayer.

2. Personal Holiness – vs. 7 tells us to discipline ourselves for Godliness.  Our effectiveness as worship leaders is wrapped up in our character.  The well known Scottish preacher of the 1800′s, Robert Murray M’Cheyne stated: “It is not great talents God blesses so much as likeness to Jesus.  A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.”  M’Cheyne says “what his people need most is my personal holiness.”

The English preacher Charles Haden Spurgeon said “true and genuine piety is necessary as the first indispensible requisite; whatever ‘call’ a man may pretend to have, if he has not been called to holiness, he has certainly not been called to ministry.”

Are you guarding your life?  Do you have someone to keep you accountable? Our character speaks louder than our preaching.

3. Perseverence – vs. 10 says that we toil and strive setting our hope our hope on God.  Ministry can be very difficult sometimes for long periods of time.  It is not for the weak of heart.  Hebrews 12 reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and run the race with endurance.  As a ministry leader you will give up your personal preferences and find yourself tired and at times emotionally drained.  Remember that our battle may appear to be against flesh and blood, but in reality it is a spiritual battle needing spiritual weapons to fight.  Put on the spiritual armor listed in Ephesians 6. 

4.  Priority of the Word – in your ministry place the Word of God at the forefront.  In vs. 13 Paul exhorts Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of the Scripture.  This includes exhortation and teaching of the Word.  In our corporate gatherings we must allow the Word to have a prominent place.  We should be reading the Word, singing the Word, praying the Word, and preaching the Word.  Hebrews 4:12 tells  us the importance of allowing the Word of God to convict our hearts and minds.  The Holy Spirit uses the Word to change our lives.

5.  People are our ministry – In vs. 12 Paul tells Timothy to set the example of an effective minister in our conduct, love, faith and purity.  Young ministers must demonstrate to their church members how God is working in their lives.  Gain the trust of your elders in the church by setting the example of a Christ like life.  Remember that as ministers what we do is all about reaching and investing in the lives of the Body of Christ.

6.  Passion for the Gospel – Paul instructs Timothy in vs. 16 to work hard to make the Word known because it would result in the salvation of those who hear his instruction.  We bring the good news of the Gospel to those who have not heard of Christ and to those who have been walking with Christ for many years.  The Gospel must be central to our lives and central to our message.  Strive to keep the Gospel in the center of your worship ministry.  Jerry Bridges tell us that we must preach the Gospel to ourselves everyday.  It has been said that we never move on from the Cross, only to a more profound understanding of the Cross.

I had a conversation with a young worship leader a while back.   We were discussing approaches to involving singers and instrumentalists in the Sunday morning worship service.  I was advocating for involving as many people as possible in the worship ministry and he thought that we should only use a few people.  He expressed that once a worship leader has found several good instrumentalists and singers then he should only work with that group week in and week out.  Although this is probably the easier route to guarantee a cohesive group week to week, I actually think this is not a biblical approach.

As ministers we are called to “equip the saints” (Ephesians 4: 11-16).  A worship leader can equip in several ways:

1. Modeling Christ in our words, actions and attitudes,

2. Selecting songs for the congregation that will help them to mature in their faith,

3. Ministering to singers and instrumentalists who work with us each week preparing worship music,

4. Training others to participate on a worship team, and

5. Training new worship leaders.

I believe that a large part of a worship leader’s work is to be training others to do ministry.  Our influence in the congregation grows proportionately to the number of people involved in our worship ministry.  If we only use the same 7 people every week in worship leadership, we are equipping 7 people for ministry.  (That is if we are actually taking the time to teach and mentor this team of worship leaders).  What if we had rotating teams of instrumentalists and singers who were involved in our worship ministry?  Instead of having 7 people involved, we would have the potential of many more people involved. 

I heard a worship leader of a growing church here in Louisville share that they have auditions several times a year for instrumentalists and singers who would like to be involved in their worship ministry.  They have a large pool of church members who regularly participate in the weekly worship services.  This church is constantly adding to their worship ministry. 

Worship leader if you are not doing this, how are you equipping your church in the area of worship leadership?  What about the next generations of worship leaders in your church?  Do you have a plan to equip the children and teens of your church spiritually and musically to assist in worship leadership?  Equipping others is a calling that ministers of the Gospel must take seriously.  What happens in your worship ministry in 5 years or 10 years or 20 years will depend on your training efforts today. 

In God’s Kingdom less is not more.  More is more.  We want to influence as many people for the Gospel as possible and equip them to be effective worship leaders.  Involving more people in your ministry is more complicated than using the same worship team each week.  It requires forethought, good communication, pastoral care and sensitivity.  Let me encourage you to adopt a plan to be on an equipping journey in your church.  Don’t do the ministry for the people, equip them to do the ministry.

I recently talked with a worship pastor who was having an ongoing discussion with a church member about the volume of the worship music in the Sunday morning  service.  The church member was making a stong point about the worship music being too loud.  What are some guidelines on the volume of our congregational music?  How can worship pastors respond to complaints about worship music volume?

I have heard praise bands who seem to think a louder volume is more spiritual and I have heard organs and orchestras who can compete on the same volume level.  How does one determine the proper volume level of accompaniment for congregational singing?  My basic belief is that if the accompaniment is so loud that the singer in the congregation can not hear himself sing or those around him sing – then the accompaniment is too loud.  Rick Muchow, worship pastor at Saddleback Community Church had some helpful points on this topic of volume levels of worship service music in his book, The Worship Answer Book: 

1.  The music is too loud when the volume distracts from worship.   Muchow relates about a service where the congregational singing was wonderful until the organist got to the last verse.  At this verse the organist did a showy demonstration and greatly increased the volume of the organ.  Muchow said everyone began to take notice of the organist and the attention was no longer on the text of the song.  He says “the volume of the music is just right when it is not noticed.  Our bodies should feel the music, not notice the volume.”

2.  The music is too loud when it is no longer musical.  Muchow says that “high volume is not a synonym for excellence.  Beginning musicians often try to use loud volume to make up for a lack of accuracy and practice – as if the louder they play, the better their musicianship will sound.”  Muchow also shares about the plight of other musicians on stage when one instrument is too loud – they also turn up their volume to hear themselves.  Muchow suggests that musicians should seek to have varying dynamics in their music.  “When the music is only one volume, whether too loud or soft, it becomes less musical and has less impact.  Using dynamics is a great way to improve communication.”

3.  The music is too loud when it causes hearing loss.  Muchow states that “repeated exposure to loud noise can cause permanent damage and hearing loss.  If people need to shout to be heard above the music, then the volume is too loud.”  Muchow uses a decibel meter at his sound board to monitor the level of the volume in rehearsals and services.  He believes the volume limit should be at 96 decibels  (similar to a hand drill or spray painter or bulldozer).  A typical conversation is at 60 decibels while rock concerts are normally at 130-140 decibels.  Muchow says that “it would take continuous exposure to sounds at 100 decibels – such as a very loud worship band and an energetic teacher with a microphone – for about one to two hours, the average length of a church service, to cause permanent hearing loss. Church musicians are at more risk than the rest of the congregation because they are closer to the sound and are exposed to the volume longer. (p. 170-173)

I think Muchow makes some great points about sound levels for worship music.  I am quite aware of this since I work with a worship band a couple times a week and participate in worship services.  I want to protect my musicians' ears and encourage my congregation to sing.  Loud music volumes can cause a congregation to quit singing and just listen.  At this point the worship service turns into a performance. 

It is important for worship pastors to respond to complaints about music volume in worship with pastoral sensitivity.  Could the music volume really be too loud?  Does your sound engineer have a decibel meter to check the volume levels in worship? It is also true that sometimes the complaints have more to do with a change in music style the church may be making.   Is this person really struggling more with the music style change?  I would encourage you to take time to listen, be sensitive, and offer to check into the person’s concerns.  Worship pastor, attempt to build bridges, one day you may need to cross back over one of those bridges.   

Rick Muchow's The Worship Answer Book, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006, ISBN 4041-0355-4) is a quick read for any worship leader wanting to refresh his knowledge of the philosophy and practice of biblical worship.

 As we reflect on the purpose of music in worship, we realize that all music performed in worship is to bring glory to God alone.  It is an offering, a sacrifice of praise to God from a grateful people who have received the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in their lives.  When thinking about music being offered to the Glory of God, I remember one of the greatest church music composers, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).  He was very open about the purpose of his church music compositions.  In The Bach Reader (eds. Hans David, Arthur Mendel, Norton, ISBN 0-393-00259-4), a collection of letters and documents written by Bach or those who knew him, we see evidence of Bach’s goal in writing and performing music in the church.  Allow me to quote a section from the book:

Bach’s “church music was designed to deepen the worship of God and to embellish His service… Bach expressed his attitude clearly enough by regularly inscribing his scores of sacred music with the letters J.J. (Jesu, Juva: Jesus Help) at the beginning, and S.D.G. (Soli Deo Gloria:  to God alone the glory) at the end.  Even in an unpretentious little volume of pieces for the musical instruction of his first-born son, the Clavier Buchlein, he opened the first page of music with the letters I.N.J. (In Nomine Jesu: in the Name of Jesus).  He did not shed his religion when he composed for instruction or other secular purposes.” (32) 

Bach also stated “the aim and final reason, as of all music . . . should be none else but the Glory of God and the recreation of the mind.  Where this is not observed, there will be no real music but only a devilish hubbub.” (33)

Worship Leaders and musicians assisting in worship, this should also be our philosophy when it comes to music in the church.  We should offer our music for the Glory of God and strive to make sure this attitude prevails in every aspect of our music whether worship songs, instrumental preludes, choral anthems, or solos. 

Soli Deo Gloria – To God Alone be the Glory!

Jeremy Begbie, in his book Resounding Truth: Christian Wisdom in the World of Music (Baker Academic Books, ISBN 978-0-8010-2695-9, 2007) surveys music in Scripture, in historical worship practice and in contemporary culture.   In chapter 4 Begbie examines the use of music in worship by Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli comparing the music and worship philosophies of these sixteenth century reformers.

Among the three reformers, Martin Luther is known as the strongest promoter of music in the church.  Although Calvin advocated congregational singing, he was much more restrictive than Luther.  Luther and Calvin both agreed on the importance of congregational singing especially since it had been all but lost in the Roman Catholic Mass of their day.  It was common at that time for all of the worship music to be performed by professional clergy who played the instruments and sang in the choirs.  Both Luther and Calvin wanted to give the worship songs back to the congregation.

Luther encouraged the writing of new hymns and Calvin authorized the paraphrasing of the Psalms for use in worship.  Calvin would only allow Scripture texts or paraphrases of Scripture texts for congregational songs.  These new Psalm paraphrases were to be sung with no harmony and without instruments (since there are no directives in the New Testament for use of instruments in worship).  Luther on the other hand encouraged part-singing (harmony) and the use of instruments in worship.

One of the other well known reformers of the sixteenth century was Ulrich Zwingli who although he was a musician was determined to have no music or singing in worship.  In his attempt to model a worship service totally free of any Roman Catholic influences, Zwingli thought that music was distracting in worship so he simply did not have music in his services.  Zwingli was known for having the organ dismantled from the Zurich church building where he preached.

Focusing on Martin Luther for a moment, I especially liked a quote from Luther on music and ministers in Begbie’s book:

Music I have always loved.  He who knows music has a good nature.  Necessity demands that music be kept in the schools.  A schoolmaster must be able to sing otherwise I will not look at him.  And before a young man is ordained into the ministry, he should practise music in school.

(Martin Luther, Martin Luther Werke: Kristiche Gesamtausgabe, vol. 30:2, Weimar H. Bohlau, 1909, 557, no. 6248 as quoted by Begbi, Resounding Truth, 98)

I would agree that all ministers should have some instruction in music.  Why?  Luther says because he who knows music  has a good nature, but  I would go further to say that at some point all pastors will be called on to lead congregational songs.  Many pastors serve in churches where finding music leadership can be difficult.  There is always the Sunday when at the last minute the congregational song leader is out sick.  Since most pastors will at some point supervise a worship leader, it would also benefit them to understand something of what this person is expected to do as a worship leader.

We are diligent to ensure thorough theological training for our pastors (and we should).  We should also be diligent to at least give our pastors some practical instruction in congregational music leading and worship planning.  If we were to take Martin Luther’s statement seriously about music and ministers, perhaps at the ordination council the young minister should also have to pass a basic congregational music leading test.

Growing up in a Southern Baptist church in Georgia I was accustomed to hearing songs about heaven in the worship services.   We use to sing songs like “When We All Get to Heaven,” and “In the Sweet By and By.”  I would venture to say that today we do not sing songs like these very often – songs focused on our eternal home.

I was reminded of that when I came across a song written by Bob Kauflin called “It Is Not Death to Die.”  Kauflin based this song on an older hymn text of the same title written in the nineteenth century.  Why don’t we sing songs in worship like these today?  Songs that give us an eternal perspective and remind us that “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.”

Is our lack of eternal perspective related to a culture focused on materialism and pleasure-seeking?  Do we really like our earthly home better? It  seems that those who speak of heaven and spending eternity with Jesus most often are those who are in the midst of strife whether it be health issues,  persecution or poverty. 

I know that I need to keep an eternal perspective and not be so focused on the distractions of this world.  I am reminded of the I John passage (2:15-17):

Do not love the world, nor the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of the God lives forever.

I appreciate songs like “It is not death to die” which gives an eternal perspective and reminds us of our real home with the Father.  I think we need more songs like this to help us stay focused on the goal (Hebrews 12:1-3).

It is not death to die,

To leave this weary road,

And join with saints who dwell on high,

Who’ve found their home with God.

 

It is not death to close,

The eyes long dimmed by tears,

And wake in joy before the throne,

Delivered from our fears.

 

Oh, Jesus conquering the grave,

Your precious blood has power to save.

All who trust in You,

Will in Your mercy find,

That is not death to die.

 

It is not death to fling,

Aside this earthly dust,

And rise with strong and noble wing,

To live among the just.

 

It is not death to hear,

The key unlock the door

That sets us free from mortal years,

To praise You evermore.

 Original words by Henri Malan (1787-1864).  Translated by George Bethune (1847). Music, chorus and alternate words by Bob Kauflin. 

Sample of song:

http://www.sovereigngracemusic.org/albums/category/sovereign_grace_music/come_weary_saints

In my worship class at Southern Seminary I usually show the students the following quote and ask them to determine when the quote was written:

For some years it has been apparent that the rage for novelties in singing, especially in our Sunday Schools, has been driving out of use the old, precious, standard hymns.  They are not memorized as of old.  They are scarecly sung at all.  They are not even contained in the non-denominational songbooks which in many churches have usurped the place of our hymn books.

We cannot afford to lose these old hymns.  They are full of the Gospel; they breathe the deepest emotions of pious hearts in the noblest strains of poetry; they have been tested and approved by successive generations of those that loved the Lord; they are the surviving fittest ones from thousands of inferior productions; they are hallowed by abundant usefulness and tenderest memories.  But the young people of today are unfamiliar with them, if the present tendency goes unchecked.

My students are usually surprised to discover that this quote was written by Basil Manly, Jr. (1825-1892), one of the founding professors of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky (www.sbts.edu).  These words appeared in the preface of a hymnbook edited by Professor Manly in 1892.  Manly, an Old Testament professor at the seminary was concerned  that the Gospel songs new on the scene were usurping the old hymns.  It seems that the young people were singing these new songs and not learning the standard hymns of the church.  These newer worship songs (perhaps by Fanny Crosby, Ira Sankey or others) majored more on the Christian experience and less on the objective truths of the Bible often found in the hymns.  Since we learn so much of our faith through our songs, Manly was concerned the newer Gospel songs were not carrying strong biblical content.

Although this quote is an isolated incident, I think a brief survey of worship music through the ages would reveal that this controversy of what songs should be used in worship is not a new one.  The church has always had an issue over what songs should be selected for corporate worship.

So how do we make sense of this issue today?

1.  It would be great if more theologically trained pastors were writing or selecting song texts for the church today.  So many of our great hymn texts in use today were actually written by pastors (Charles Wesley, Isaac Watt, John Newton – to name a few).  Basil Manly was a good model for pastors as a hymn text writer and an editor of hymnbooks for the church.  We also need worship leaders with a healthy biblical foundation capable of filtering strong theological texts from weak ones.

2.  All songs were new songs at one point.  We should seek to “sing a new song to the Lord,” but make sure our new songs have significant biblical content.  Why spend time singing worship songs that have vague biblical content?

3.  We need to keep singing the great hymns of the church along with newer expressions of faith.  These hymns remind our young people that they are not the first generation of Christians to seek to live a Christ-like life in the world.  Also, our senior adults need to learn songs that speak to a younger generation about the Gospel.

4.  Let the focus be on song content and not secondary issues such as whether we will use an organ,  piano or guitar to accompany songs.  Sure there are a number of discussions we can have on this point, but we need to start with the song text.  Is the text true to the Scriptures?  Does the text teach the great truths fo the faith?

5.  Finally, let’s seek to be pastoral in our worship leadership – caring for the Body of Christ, seeking peace and unity in worship.  Teach deference: “I can sing a favorite song of my brother in Christ rather than my favorite.”