A Theology of Worship for the Local Church

2003-04-14

Definition

Worship is the response of the believer to God when he or she encounters Him. It is the response to God where we tell Him in a multitude of ways that we honor nothing else before Him. The revelation and response is clearly seen in the dialogue of worship in Isaiah 6. When we see God, truly we see that He is holy. An immediate response to God’s presence is to acknowledge this, that He alone is holy (Isaiah 6:2-4). In an encounter with God, He also reveals to us our sin. In Isaiah 6:5, when we see His holiness, we recognize that we are not holy, but are unclean and have sin. God reveals to us also in His goodness that our sins are forgiven. Our response is, and ought to be, great thankfulness. In Isaiah 6:8, God then challenges the believer with a message, or a call to service. The believer then submits to the call and dedicates and sanctifies himself. In Isaiah 6:9, there is a commissioning to service, where we then respond with obedience, regardless of the cost. It is clear from these things that worship is not only a response as to what God has done in our lives. Worship is central because of who God is in His holiness and sovereignty. We cannot forget the call of the elders in Revelation 4:11: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Worship is about who God is, and because of who He is, for He has done great things for us in Jesus Christ.

Another verse that speaks to worship is Romans 12:1-2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Worship involves surrendering all to Him, repenting of sin, and letting Him change us into the new creatures He has ordained us to be.

Worship is not something that is passive; it requires a response from the believer. This is the number one priority of the church. The essence of the response of the believer can be summed up in three attitudes: joy, reverence, and submission. This can be seen clearly in Psalm 95. Worship is the ultimate priority of the church.

The end of all that we do should be worship. Even take for example the threefold purpose of the church, which is kerygma (proclamation), koinonia (fellowship), and leitourgia (worship). The first two ought to be worship-motivated also. Preaching the gospel and fellowship in themselves are not worship, but often result in worship. For example, it is often said that world missions exists because worship does not. We should proclaim the gospel not only for the salvation of souls and for the encouragement of the saints, which of course is of extreme importance, but also to bring the world into submission to God and to worship Him alone. This is truly what we see in the Great Commission.

Fellowship is also the same; the end of fellowship is to lift up one another, to exhibit the heart of Jesus, so that the believer can be equipped to serve God (Hebrews 10:24-25). If this is not enough evidence of God’s working, the love seen between the brethren should also provoke unbelievers to belief, calling them also to worship the living God (John 13:35). This is why worship is the ultimate priority of the church. All our ministries, therefore, ought to be defined by our ministry to God. Remember the words of Paul: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Musical Leadership in Worship in the Local Church

Worship leaders in the church must have training or experience enough to be equipped to be used by God in a powerful way. This must be required for at least one of the leaders. The worship leaders must also work closely with the elders who might not be worship leaders in the planning of the service.

Professional full-time musicians were exactly the situation in the Old Testament Temple worship. For example, there were three singers from each of the sons of Levi set apart for the Lord to do this task (1 Chronicles 15-16). Offices such as these were hereditary, though this would not be the case today. Also Chenaniah was appointed to be the leader because of his skill (1 Chronicles 15:22). If people are going to be led in worship in a proper way, the worship leaders ought to be up for the task. The musical leaders also, as it can be seen in Levitical worship, were also the spiritual leaders. This is important for us in the 21st century church, that we do not undermine the importance of being a spiritual leader when leading worship. They ought to possess the leadership qualities of that of an elder or deacon (1 Timothy 3).

Skill is also important, because we ought to worship God the best that we can. It is most important that we have the right heart before God. However, in the Old Testament, when they offered sacrifices, they gave their best, unblemished animals, as they were commanded (Leviticus 1:3, 10; 3:1, 6). God gave His best, Jesus Christ, when He reconciled us (1 Peter 1:18-19). The hard work in planning the intricate details of a worship service is the least we can do. This would go for the music, the structure of the service, the homily, the meals and the fellowship, and everything else that is related to the local church. Therefore, hard work and rehearsal from skilled musical and spiritual leaders in the right heart before God is the sacrifice we can make to the Lord.

Music in Worship

The issue with music in the local church is an issue of worship. Music is not worship in itself, but it is a vehicle for worship to take place. If the goal for the music is only that it sounds pleasant to us, then we are missing the big picture. If the words are pleasing, then we do get more out of the experience than just music appreciation, but we miss the aspect of worship. We need to respond to the music and the words must glorify God. This is the issue. If we are missing this, we could blame the music itself or its poetic style, but this means nothing compared to how we are doing with our standing before God. God-centeredness and doctrinally correct words are important, for we ought to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).

Hymns, gospel songs, and choruses all have their place. The hymn usually has much deeper theological meaning than most contemporary lyric. These are often the classics that our culture holds on to. The chorus often is more contemporary and more arranged in the style of modern music, though repetition of the chorus often helps us meditate on the refrain. Though often seemingly less sophisticated in theological doctrine, they may focus on one aspect of God. It is important to have both of these styles in the local church because of these differences.

There are times for both sophistication and simplicity in the local church. Sometimes there is a need to focus on one aspect of God in a form of repetition. But if we keep with simplicity all of the time, how will the people grow in their worship experience (cf. Hebrews 5:11-14)? There needs to be a sophistication that the hymn can offer. These often have a deep connection with our heritage, and people can really see the splendor of God in more detail. But there is also a time where we must simply come before God and focus on one aspect of Him. Therefore, the balance must be maintained.

There are some weaknesses to some of the styles. Often, in choruses, the expression of worship is in the first person singular, which in excess can be a problem. The main part of the worship service ought to be congregational worship-oriented. There will definitely be an aspect of personal worship in the local church service, but this is not the main focus. Personal worship involves reflection to see where you personally stand before God, which is often a prerequisite to congregational worship. Nonetheless, the songs mostly should be written from an ‘us’ perspective rather than from a ‘me’ perspective to worship the Lord. Sometimes a song can slightly be modified to fit this; other times, there will be songs that really focus on self-expressed worship to God. Personal worship-orientation in music does not have to be avoided all the time, but that is not the job of the worship service. The same can sometimes be done for the hymn.

Music should be chosen based on its words as well. The best type of lyric that exists is from the Bible itself. The Psalter along with other parts of the Bible like 1 Samuel 2; Habakkuk 3; and in parts of the early chapters of Luke are already in the form of songs and were meant to be sung. The best songs we can have are the ones that God Himself has written.

It is important that the church service ought not to be an aesthetic or musical event only for the sake of entertainment. This is what it often times turns out to be. If the congregation, acting like a group of unsatisfied customers, complain against the music and are not experiencing God, more than likely there is something they need to work through in their own lives. The congregation would need to be aware of these things so they can examine themselves and offer the worship that God wants them to offer.

Musical instruments are not as important after these issues, though they can enhance or detract from the worship experience. The organ is just as useful and euphonious in sound as the drum and trumpet can be. In Old Testament worship, they surely did not have the same instruments as we use today. The musical instruments should not be so loud that one cannot hear the words of the song clearly. Such can be a hindrance to worship, which is the main goal of the church.

Goal of the Worship Service

The focus of worship ought to be God, and to establish dialogue between Him and us, the congregation. There are three models of a service that are prominent: the liturgical, the thematic, and the free-flowing praise. The thematic model will be the one chosen for use as the prominent form. The benefits of reinforcing a theme are of benefit for the congregation, and more importantly to help them focus on God the best. There are times where it would be of benefit to do some services in the free-flowing praise style or the liturgical style, so that we as a congregation do not get comfortable and ritualistic in our worship.

As interwoven throughout the book of Hebrews, the author speaks of the High Priest that is our advocate before God. He is the one who is the true worship leader. This is what we as the congregation must realize. If we are relying on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, then we will be where His heart is, do what He wants for us, and plan the service to please Him.