Biblical Worship

When a person becomes a Christian, Jesus Christ gives that person a new heart.  In II Corinthians 5: 17 we are reminded that “if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”  Jesus Christ changes us from the inside out.  We don’t remain the same.  Often times at conversion, new Christians are inspired to write new songs.

William Featherston was converted to Christ in 1862 and wrote the hymn text for “My Jesus, I Love Thee” shortly after his conversion.  What many do not realize is that Featherston was sixteen at the time he came to know Christ.  This seems to be the only hymn Featherston wrote in his short life for he died when he as twenty-six.  His hymn was sent to England by his aunt and first appeared in The London Hymnbook in 1864.  The hymn as we know it today is set to a hymn tune by A.J. Gordon, a Baptist minister in New England and first appeared with Gordon’s tune in a hymnal in 1876.

When God calls us to die to self and live for Christ, He gives us a new heart, and a new song.

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine, 

For Thee all the follies of sin I resign; 

My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou: 

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now. 

  

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me, 

And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree; 

I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow; 

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now. 

  

I'll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death, 

And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath; 

And say when the death-dew lies cold on my brow, 

“If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.” 

  

In mansions of glory and endless delight, 

I'll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright; 

I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow, 

“If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.” 

  

William Ralph Featherston (1846-1873) 

 

This past week I looked for a student choir music book to use with our upcoming Heart of Worship Conference, Jan. 30-31, 2009.  First of all, it is difficult to find student choir music these days because there is just not as much published.  I was looking at one particular student choir collection that was published recently by a well-known arranger.  Of the 10 or so songs in the collection I don’t believe there was one reference to the Cross.  There was some mention of Jesus and his salvation but no clear-cut explanation of the Gospel in any song.

The music consisted of texts that were praise songs and some other helpful biblical themes but there was an absence of the one theme that is central to all that we are as Christians:  The Gospel.  The song texts were not unbiblical, but they were vague.  No wonder our students do not have a good biblical understanding of God, man and our desperate condition outside of Christ.  Churches that have a steady diet of songs that are void of the Gospel are churches that lean on “works” oriented practices and good moral living.  This type of teaching and thinking leads people to hell.

I am not advocating that every song must unpack the Gospel story, but a good portion of what we sing and speak as we gather to worship needs to emphasize the saving work of Christ on the cross.  We never want to move very far away from this theme.

Since our song texts teach us about our faith, we need to be diligent to find songs that effectively explain the doctrines of our faith.  The only theology some of our students learn these days is through our worship songs.  Let’s not fill their minds with vague, cloudy texts.  We need to give them intentionally clear biblical truth.  We need more songs like “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, “In Christ Alone” and “Before the Throne of God Above.”  These type of songs clearly explain the Gospel and will create a grateful, secure people who are trusting in Christ’s provision for us on the cross.

Worship leader, I challenge you to go the second mile when you are looking for worship music for your congregation and ensembles.  Let’s put the Gospel truth in the mouths and minds of our people by choosing faithful song texts that keep Jesus and His cross in the center. 

Oh… and we will find some great Gospel centered songs for the student singers who come to the Boyce College Heart of Worship Conference in January (http://biblicalworship.com/?page_id=211).

In his book, The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel, Mark Dever discusses the topic of “doing responsible evangelism.”  Dever is senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.  His comments in this section of the book describe so much of what happens in churches that will do most anything to attract a crowd.  Dever states:

“Many American churches have used entertainment-based methods of evangelism – theotainment, as it has been called by some – in sharing the Gospel with both adults and children…. Now there is no reason to argue against communicating the Gospel in an understandable, creative, or even provocative way.  But evangelism that takes the form of entertainment has some harmful side effects.  Remember – what you win them with is likely what you’ll win them to.  If you win them with entertainment, they’re likely to be won to the show rather than the message, which increases the likelihood of false conversions.  But even if they’re not won to the show, entertainment-based methods make repentance virtually impossible.  We are not encouraged to forsake our sin by having our senses amused or our preferences coddled.  The Gospel is inherently and irreducibly confrontational.  It cuts against our perceived righteousness and self-sufficiency, demanding that we forsake cherished sin and trust in someone else to justify us.”

Dever continues – “Entertainment is therefore a problematic medium for communicating the Gospel, because it nearly always obscures the most difficult aspects of it – the cost of repentance, the cross of discipleship, the narrowness of the Way…. Churches are most healthy when the Gospel is most clear; and the Gospel is most clear when our evangelistic methods are most plain.”  (Dever, The Deliberate Church, Crossway, 2005, ISBN 1-58134-738-3, p. 54-55).

I think Dever ’hits the nail on the head’ with his views of evangelism and telling the Gospel in a clear straightforward way.  This view has strong implications for worship leaders as well.  Let us strive to keep the Gospel in the center of our songs, prayers, sermons and testimonies.  Why would we settle for anything less than the whole truth clearly presented in our worship services? 

I recently came across an article by Stuart Townend on “How to Lead a Worship Team.”  Townend has been influential in the worship music field for sometime now.  I had the opportunity to hear him and his song writing partner, Keith Getty in a series of lectures on the campus of Southern Baptist Seminary a couple of years ago.  In this article Townend briefly addresses a number of issues concerning working with a worship team.  One of his main points has to do with the worship leader and team having an attitude of service.  Townend states:

“In the heat of the debate about musical styles and preference, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that playing in worship is about serving.  We can get carried away with the new thing, whether it’s ethnic instruments or symphonic instruments; but if in the final analysis it doesn’t help the congregation to worship, then it’s useless.”

“Now I do believe we must move on in our congregational worship, and that may involve introducing things which, initially anyway, may make our congregation feel insecure or uncomfortable.  We’re not there as entertainers, to play everyone’s favorite songs.  But equally we’re not there to impose our favorite songs and/or musical styles on a congregation who can’t relate to them.  Our attitude in preparing to lead in worship should be to please God and serve the people.” 

“For us as leaders, our attitude of servanthood should extend to the group we are leading.  We are to treat them with love and respect as we lead them, look for ways to develop their gifts, and seek to impart something of our own gifting and anointing to them.”

Townend’s point on the worship leader having an attitude of servanthood is so important.  When we are modeling a servant’s heart we are following in the steps of our Savior.  Lord, teach us to be servant leaders with our worship team and congregation.

To hear the lectures of Stuart Townend and Keith Getty given at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY go to this site:  http://www.sbts.edu/Academics/Schools/Church_Music_and_Worship.aspx.  Click on Institute for Christian Worship and then look for previous Institute Lectures.