Glenn on Worship

My purpose in writing the following is to hopefully bring a thoughtful word to the larger Church with regard to various issues having to do with worship. Let me begin by saying that one of the greatest gifts of grace the Christian has is to be able to participate in deep intimacy with God- privately and in unison with other believers! In many cases, the Hebrew word translated "worship" could be rendered "to kiss toward". I am an emotional person. I'm a musician. Ask my wife what I think about kissing! I really enjoy intimacy with God!

It is safe to say that for the past ten years or so one of the greatest and most important renewal movements in the larger church has been centered around worship. Tozer calls worship "the missing jewel of the church", and others have gone so far as to say that it is THE chief response of the Christian to God. I agree. Yet in all the Bible, the one place God clearly rebukes a musical offering is in Amos chapter five. The specific issue? Worship.

Once again Israel is doing "the right stuff" outwardly while their hearts and daily practice is selfish, deceiving, unjust, seemingly ignorant of God's commands as well as His heart. It is clear from this text and others that God does not always accept our offerings, not even offerings of worship? In Amos, the issue seems to be worship given from an insincere heart.

This is the sort of thing we must consider lest we find ourselves but "going through the motions" while all the while our "hearts are far from Him".

It is the practical expression or shall we say reasonable result of genuine worship that God is after in this text of Scripture. Basic things such as loving their neighbor, (the "least of these"?) the poor, and dealing justly with people in everyday life are what God is concerned with in the Book of Amos and elsewhere in Scripture. The Romans 12.1 & 2 passage that is often translated in such a way as to call us to worship God in the surrender of our very bodies in practical service must not be lost in the wonderful experiences we have with Him. Let us take care that even while we are baptized in His presence, it is not only for ourselves nor even for Him alone, but that others may know and realize Him by all we are and do as we live everyday life outside of the sanctuary.

Many have called us to think and act more in a worship mode, i.e. "worship as lifestyle". We have been reminded to worship Him "in Spirit and in Truth" on Sunday, privately in the week, in worship gatherings and all the time. Conferences, denominational gatherings and local church seminars have focused on worship and not surprisingly, one only has to take a quick look at the recordings being produced, concerts given and Christian media focus to realize that worship music has come into it's own in a Big way. There has literally been an explosion of books, teachings and songs directly accenting praise and worship. I wish to be clear- I support this!

There is no question that worship in the most biblical sense is the thing we Christians will do when we meet before God's throne at the end of our time on earth. We must learn all we can about it (from the Word of God first...) and participate rather than spectate in gatherings with other believers as well as when spending time alone with the Lord. But are there any imbalances in some of the current worship philosophies, teachings and expressions? Is it possible some of us have gotten on a tangent here or there?

Consider Proverbs 11.1: "A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight His delight".

Imbalance tends to cause confusion (which God is not the author of) and if unchecked, even error. Note that there has rarely been a revival in Church history where there hasn't been some form of extremism in both teaching and expression. Let us be humble enough to take lessons from history and not claim spiritual superiority to our fathers! There will always be those following our lead... which is why it is so very important for us to love God with all our "mind" as well as heart, soul and strength, and as best as we can, avoid extremism and spiritual tangents.

Unfortunately, when many who teach imbalance finally discover their mistakes, few of them exhibit humility enough to publish retractments of their original "word" or "vision". Therefore much of the confusion they foster remains. We must pray, think and take counsel from the Word of God, the Church fathers and those more balanced than we (and there are always plenty of them!) to the end that truth and love prevail in a time of revival.

I had a conversation with a godly pastor recently who said:"As I stood at the back of the room thankful for the moving of the Spirit and the deep worship of my congregation, I happened to notice a group really 'in to it' nearby. And then I thought about the fact that these were frankly, some of those who battle most with immorality among our fellowship." He then asked me, "Am I not responsible to disciple them as well as help them experience meaningful worship in the services?" We of course agreed that he was indeed responsible to do both.

Worshiping worship, focusing on the "high" derived from the manifest presence of God, etc., is not biblical worship. Mind you, pleasurable fellowship with God isn't sin in itself. Neither is listening to nor creating praise and worship music, enjoying the presence of God in large gatherings and such. But I have become increasingly concerned about the wording of a number of press releases claiming the "powerful anointing" on this or that worship leader or recording, and the "top ten" of worship tunes. When does glorifying God publicly become an advertisement and not actually an expression of praise to God for His grace? I don't claim to have an absolute answer nor can I judge other's motives, but I think this is an important question worthy of being asked.

Some are referring to touring worship groups as "acts"- just as they might discuss performance artists. There is no sin in preferring one worship "sound" over another, but we must face the fact that some in the church talk of the "blessing" received from this sort of worship music over another... as though God Himself is more manifest in one particular style of worship over and against another. There is simply no biblical basis for such a position, and we had better be careful lest once again, our preferences are touted as God's preferences! This is a mistake the historical church has made again and again.

I personally have serious reservations about the idea that seems to be held in some circles that a particular worship leader, band, team or choir literally "ushers in the manifest presence of God"... as if He wouldn't be there if they weren't! God is neither dependant on a personality, nor is He held hostage by His people- EVER. As much as I believe in the doctrine of free will, I also believe in the sovereignty of God, and it worries me that some seem to focus more on an individual or group of individual "bringing in the goods" while the focus should be on God, prayer for an event and simply being open IN ACCORD WITH THE BIBLE'S CLEAR TEACHING to the Spirit of God doing whatever He wishes. Cults of personality in the church happen easily enough without adding worship leaders to the list.

Let's be very careful what we're believing and saying about worship and manifest presence. Let's be cautious lest personal opinion rather than sound scriptural exegesis be accepted as "fact and reality". An example is a comment made by a solid and gracious individual on a worship team who recently alleged that the Holy Spirit was somehow "quenched" when the team did songs that were not arranged in such way that the band could play more spontaneously. As if the "anointing" REALLY happens only if/when there is little or no structure to a song??? Where is this found in Scripture? "Spontaneous" automatically equals "anointed/manifest presence of God" and "tightly arranged/rehearsed" automatically means we are "in the flesh", faithless, lacking the Holy Spirit in a worship meeting? Such conclusions must not be automatically accepted.

Let me add that as a pastor and musician (preacher and worship leader) I am fully "Spirit-filled" and happen to believe fully in the gifts of the Holy Spirit (not nine, but about 18 as the New Testament lists them clearly) yet cannot find a solid biblical basis for absolute programming OR absolute spontaneity with regard to either worship or preaching. One (or a congregation) may say they prefer one or the other in their worship and or sermon delivery, but I think we are hard pressed to find such absolutes in the Bible. Again, "balance"! And of course balance is far easier to talk about than it is to keep faithfully pressing toward!

"To whom much is given much will be required, and to whom more is given, even more shall be required of them".(Lk. 12.48) Think of that verse in the light of the fact that "praise and worship" music is selling in the neighborhood of 5 to 1 over most other kinds of Christian music. This being true, we must think even more about whether the lyrics of the songs are solidly scriptural. There are more opportunities for worship leaders, bands and choirs to travel, record, collect more money in offerings, through ticket sales and songwriting and other royalties than ever before. These musicians must be carefully discipled and held accountable at the local church level. They will also be attacked in greater measure by Satan in the areas of pride, etc..

The ability to lead worship or to sing in the choir is no guarantee of a godly, Christ-centered life! Even the High Priest had to have a rope tied to his leg as he went but once a year into the Holy of Holies to offer repentance, sacrifice and worship on behalf of himself and the people. Let's not confuse the presence of the Holy God upon someone as a measure of holiness in their life. Church history reveals plenty of lessons on what a mistake that would be.

I would agree with the critique of many that a good deal of the worship choruses that are now used in many fellowships are a bit theologically thin. Much of the lyrical base tends to be human-centered rather than Christ, God or Spirit-focused. At the same time, a lot of those doing the finger-pointing are not charismatic/pentecostal/young in years and some of their criticism sounds more like an arrogant blast than a loving, concerned call to balance in hymnody. Again, personal preference cannot be held as the ultimate standard.

Closer examination reveals that all psalms and lyrics in the Word of God are not strictly didactic (teaching) in orientation, nor must those be we write and sing today. But we must choose truth, depth and balance over sales figures or general popularity. We need the old and the new, the simple and the deep, the hard in-your-face doctrine as well as flowery prosaic lyrics. We need songs that are intimate and songs that are grand, lyrics that are classic as well as those that are contemporary in style. We need tunes that speak about God, that speak about us, that confess our need for Him. We need worship songs (consider Amos again...) that speak about justice. We need it all and so we need balance!

Writers and others in position to influence current psalm/hymn/spiritual song offerings must understand that above all else they are servants of God and the church. What is our (I include myself) personal inspiration in terms of lyric and music, and furthermore, what is the need in a particular time, place, local church, etc.?

Let us celebrate with joy and gladness! Let us enjoy all that God gives- music, teaching, powerful moving of His Spirit. But let us also tremble with reverence. Let us sing, clap, dance and all the rest the Word either directs or allows us to do... but let us also "be still and know that [He] is God"! We may stand, kneel, raise open eyes to Him or close them in respect, lift hands and voices or sit in awed silence but let us first worship HIM!

I am burdened that too many seem to be "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" even in the context of worship. I am concerned for those who seem to neglect repentance, serving widows and orphans, keeping themselves "unspotted from the rest of the world" yet "feel" God without truly serving Him and others in daily sacrificial discipleship. We should love God and enjoy Him to the fullest, but if our first focus is not the Person of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and if we will not obey the Holy Spirit (Who never calls us to do anything that is not clearly in His own Word), we are fooling ourselves about our supposed depth of worship.

I am reminded of five different fellowship gatherings I attended often during the first few months I had become a Christian. One was a Catholic church where the main priest was truly "on fire" for Jesus, and truly committed to the Bible and it's teachings. There was unquestionably some strange and unscriptural teaching there, but they held services nightly and it was the best fellowship available to me so I went, "eating the meat and spitting out the bones" of various doctrine. I had excellent communion times with the Lord Jesus and other followers there. Then there was a Baptist Bible study going on, and I was blessed with very solid teaching there.

There were two prayer meetings I attended from time to time that also offered teaching, one being an early Jesus Movement group, the other a wonderful charismatic couple and friends who had a large house and larger hearts. Finally, Sunday evenings found me at a little independent pentecostal church where sometimes the presence of God was so intense that the ministers just ended the service with no preaching or teaching because "God [had] said enough" without any! The place was packed on those nights, and I have never before or since experienced the sense of the power of God like that... but their teaching was rather weak and sometimes a bit bizarre.

There were godly leaders and solid Christians as well as "flaky" and even unrepentant people in EACH of these gatherings. The styles of worship varied, and each group had it's strengths and weaknesses. I learned a LOT from all of these experiences, but must say that by God's grace sought direction, answers and guidance in the Bible in order to have a sense of balance and safety. I didn't expect (nor do today) to find a perfect church, perfect worship, teaching or believers in any assembly, but began to realize strengths and weaknesses when checking the Scriptures for guidance as I fellow shipped with each group.

Worship in each of these gatherings was sweet, and like anyone, I appreciated this or that aspect of the worship in one place over that in the others... but I realized early on that the focus was to be on the Person of God more than on anything else. Not how I/we felt, nor "enjoyed" a service. Furthermore, if I must choose, truth is more important to me than comfort, for the Truth of God's Word is the reality I need regardless of the conditions, personal feelings or "spiritual zap" in my relationship with Him. I feel the presence of God nearly daily and have for many years! It's wonderful... but my life in Jesus (and for that matter, commitment to my local church) is not solely built nor based on the sense of "manifest presence" I get out of meetings any more than my marriage is on the pleasures I receive from my wife!

Please understand, I am no Stoic! I fully enjoy pleasure- especially God-delivered pleasure! I just love God and His Truth more, and think it His will that I do.

Remember that "the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true".(Acts 17.11) How noble are we? How often do we take time to seek biblical basis for the "new things" we so often include in our doctrinal positions, liturgies, worship practices? I suggest that worship and our concept of it should be near the very top of the list of things we wouldn't take lightly in terms of belief and practice.

We have the Bible. We can check church history. There are worship newsletters, magazines and Web sites available to study. There are plenty of books and others means by which we can find good and not so good information and concepts to consider. Let's be careful to use our brains AND hearts!

Worship as an activity has far more appeal to the average Christian than does hospital or prison visitation, caring for widows and orphans, evangelism and missionary activity. I argue FOR worship, not against it! Yet biblical worship is far more about God than it is about us. It involves centering our thoughts, feelings, activities on Him, not on ourselves.

Worship is much more than "feeling God" or raising voices and hands towards heaven. Romans chapter 12 certainly clarifies this! Let's think about what we're doing and teaching others to do... for we must work toward a balanced Christian life.