Biblical Worship

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.  But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:19-24

In his book, A Taste of Heaven, Worship in Light of Eternity, R.C. Sproul comments on this passage in John 4:

“He [Jesus] wasn’t saying that God used to be localized in a single central sanctuary – the tabernacle or temple, Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem – but now His people could worship Him anywhere.  That wasn’t the point.  Rather, Jesus was addressing the Samaritan woman’s superficial understanding of what worship was and always has been about . . . It wasn’t about the location or substance of the sacrifice . . . Rather, Jesus was talking about the nature of worship that is offered to God.  Genuine worship is spiritual and true . . . Christ manifested and demonstrated that sort of worship in His own life . . . In other words, the spirit of Christ worshiped the Father in truth . . . It didn’t matter where He was, He was always authentic in the honor He bestowed upon Hi Father.” (Sproul, 42)

Sproul highlights the point that worship is all about how we live our lives – our attitudes, thoughts, actions, conversations.  Authentic worshipers worship the Father through Jesus Christ, our mediator in the power of the Holy Spirit and this worship should take place 24/7.

 (Reformation Trust, 2006, ISBN 1-56769-076-9)  Also see this page for another quote from this book: http://biblicalworship.com/?p=100

It is interesting today that many conservative evangelical churches who talk about the importance of God’s Word often do not have a Word-centered worship service.  The service may have a couple of verses of Scripture quoted before the sermon and that is all the Scripture is heard in the service.   We must plan our worship services so that God’s Word has a top priority.  Scripture needs to be read, sung and preached in the service.  Dr. Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. talks about the need for a Word-centered worship service in his short book, What is a Healthy Church? (Crossway, 2007, ISBN 1-58134-937-8).  Here are some of his comments:

“…Many English Protestants in former centuries believed that the most essential part of their worship was hearing God’s Word in their own language (a freedom purchased by the blood of more than one martyr) and responding to it in their lives.  Whether they had time to sing, though not entirely insignificant, was of comparatively little concern to them.”

Dever continues, “Our churches, too must recover the centrality of the Word in our worship.  Music is a biblically required response to God’s Word, but the music God gave us was not given to build our churches upon.  A church built on music – of whatever style – is a church built on shifting sands.”  (p. 67)

As a church musician these words at first are a little difficult.  But I do agree with Dever that the Word of God needs to have its proper place in the worship service.  It should not be usurped by music or any other element of the service.  Worship planners, let your church hear the Word of God this Sunday in the worship service:  read the Scripture, pray the Scripture, Sing the Scripture, and Preach the Scripture!  (more suggestions on using Scripture in the worship service: http://biblicalworship.com/?p=233)

 What is a Healthy Church?  by Mark Dever is a quick-read packed full of practical principles for pastors and leaders in the church.

Full time music ministry in the local church is very demanding on the minister’s time.  Ministry is not a 9 to 5 job, but requires the minister to be out evenings, Saturdays, and usually all day Sunday for church services, meetings and rehearsals.  How does a minister maintain a healthy family life with the demands of the ministry?  This is a difficult question but one that must be addressed by each minister.  Our first ministry is to our wife and children at home.

Randall Bradley in his book, From Prelude to Postlude: Music Ministry’s Other Six Days (MorningStar, 2004, ISBN: 0-944529-36-4) gives several practical suggestions for the minister’s family that I think are helpful.  Here is Bradley’s list:

1. Get control of your calendar.  Plan far in advance for free Saturdays, for vacations, and for family nights at home. When these dates are blocked out in advance, then you can honestly say, “I already have a commitment for that time.”

2.  Plan special time with your children.  Look for opportunities to spend individual time with your children.

3.  Plan special times with your spouse.  Consider a monthly/weekly date during which you catch up on your week, plan the days ahead and reconnect.

4.  When you’re home, be home.  Avoid the tendency to be at home but have your mind in the office.  Screen calls and return them after the children are in bed, don’t check email from home, and turn off the cell phone.

5.  Be the pastor to your family.  In the rush of meeting the spiritual needs of others, don’t neglect your own family.

6.  Find time for worship and prayer with your family. 

7.  Involve family members in your ministry.  

8.  Develop genuine friendships.  Sometimes ministry families fail to develop meaningful relationships in their church and community.

9.  Avoid abusing the flexibility of ministry.  Many ministers abuse the flexibility of their jobs by having their children at work too often, by coming in late, or by expecting special treatment because of their status as a minister.

10.  Practice just being there.  Allow time just to be at home with no particular agenda or schedule.  Sometimes your spouse and children simply need your presence.

11.  Help your family learn to see the big picture of your commitments and recognize your job cycles.   (Bradley, page 27-28)

After spending a number of years serving on a church staff, I can appreciate every point that Randall Bradley has made in this list.  He speaks from experience and his words are great advice for any minister dealing with the day-to-day demands of family and full time ministry.

 Bradley’s book, From Prelude to Postlude is packed full of practical advice to the music minister.  If you are serving in full time music ministry or plan to do this in the future, I would encourage you to get this book.

 Barry Liesch’s book, The New Worship: Straight Talk on Music and the Church (Baker Books, ISBN 0-8010-6256-6) has a number of helpful chapters for those who lead the musical portion of their church worship service.  He gives a number of principles based on Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:18-21.  These are the passages where the Apostle Paul discusses the importance of singing “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” in our church gatherings.  Leisch shares several summarizing principles for worship songs from these two passages.  In our worship songs we should:

1. Sing to the Lord

2. Sing to one another

3. Teach and admonish one another with songs

4. Value variety

5. Recognize that grace motivates praise

Leisch unpacks each of these principles in the first chapter of his book.  He believes that “we need to take the teaching role of music and song much more seriously” and that this teaching role should transcend the issues of musical style.  “Set short and long-term systematic goals for teaching biblical content through congregational song.”  Leisch quotes R.W. Dale who says, “let me write the hymns (choruses) of a church and I care not who writes the theology” (page 51 of The New Worship).

I think Leisch is on target with the issue of teaching biblical content in our worship songs.  Does every song in the worship service have to teach deep theological truths?  I would say no, but we certainly want to make sure we have balance between simple songs of praise and songs that instruct us in the Gospel.  That is why using hymns in combination with newer simple praise songs is such a great way to achieve this balance.