Think Biblically!

ENJOYING SPIRITUAL WORSHIP
AND MUSIC

PAUL T. P L E W

The date was June 2, 1991; glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) were causing upheaval in Russia. We arrived at the First Baptist Church of Moscow two hours before the service. The sanctuary was half occupied, and it was quiet. I sensed an awe and reverence in the room. Within another hour, the room was filled. By the time the service started, it was impossible to tell who was standing and who was sitting because the first floor and balcony were now a mass of faces—faces that longed for one thing: to communicate with God. Yes, they were happy to see each other, but their greater desire was to commune with God.

As the service started, I realized prayer was serious to them. Some stood, heads bowed; many were kneeling together, talking to God. Their attitude was one of humility in recognition of God’s greatness as expressed in Genesis 1:16. “And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.” Those last three words, “and the stars,” represent billions of stars that provide a glimpse of the power of God. These believers seemed to recognize that.

As the music began, I looked around and saw everyone standing and singing with an attitude of serious worship. I am sure many could not sing well, but that was unimportant. What was important was that they were releasing their love for God in a song.

The hymns were serious, rather heavy and weighty; they did not reflect much joy. But I was told later that the majority of the congregation had lost close family members to the heavy hand of the Communist Party.

I came back to America and vowed I that would do all within my God-given abilities and opportunities to strive to be a true worshiper myself, and then to encourage others to come together for worship in spirit and in truth.

One of the problems with worship today is that most Christians have not had family or close friends imprisoned or executed because of their faith, thus drawing them closer in dependency upon the Lord. That kind of serious involvement with God, apart from suffering, is hard for people to comprehend and experience. Furthermore, we have been influenced by a pop culture that dictates our actions. Where entertainment and a self-satisfying individualistic attitude prevail, there is a misunderstanding of what worship means, who is involved, who the audience is, what the responsibilities are, and who receives the glory.

WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP?

The word worship is a contraction of an old expression in the English language, woerthscipe, denoting the ascription of reverence to someone or something of superlative worth.¹“Worship is an act by a redeemed man, the creature, toward God, the Creator, whereby his will, intellect and emotions gratefully respond to the revelation of God’s person expressed in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, as the Holy Spirit illuminates God’s written work to his heart.”² The Hebrew word for worship means “bowing down.”³ Exodus 34:8 states that when Moses was on Mount Sinai and the Lord descended in the cloud, “Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.” Genesis 17:3 tells us that Abram “fell on his face” before God. The Old Testament teaches that humility and servanthood (Ps 95:6-7) accompany true worship.

One Greek word for worship is latreu, “to serve, to give homage.”⁴ Philippians 3:3 says, “We are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” Worship is spiritual, flowing from the Holy Spirit within the believer. If one is not walking in the Spirit, he/she will not be able to worship.

Proskune is a Greek word that means “to make obeisance, do reverence.” According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, this is the most frequent New Testament word rendered “to worship.”⁵ It conveys respect and submission. In John 4:24, Jesus tells the woman in Samaria, “God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Worshiping in spirit refers to worship being for the obedient, those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Our worship must be from the heart and empowered by God’s Spirit.

Worshiping in truth denotes worshiping with sincerity. Not only must we be children of the King, we also must be living spiritually. In other words, we must be authentic and genuine in our obedience to Christ. The phrase “in spirit and truth” relates to the heart of an individual and the outward display of his/her life. When both are in order, true worship is unleashed.

Martin Luther said, “In worship we assemble in order to hear and to discuss God’s Word, and then to praise God, to sing and to pray.”⁶ The worshiper willingly accepts God’s truth from the Word and responds in praise and prayer, and in a changed pattern of living.⁷

John Wesley demonstrated in his translation of the hymn “O God, What Offering Shall I Give to Thee?” that worship is given:⁸

O God, what offering shall I give to Thee,
The Lord of earth and skies?
My spirit, soul, and flesh receive,
A holy, living sacrifice.
Small as it is, ’tis all my store;
More shouldst Thou have, if I had more.

JOACHIM LANGE

Some present-day writers who have defined worship include the following:

Donald Hustad: “The worship service is a rehearsal for the everyday life of worship. All of life should be worship. If the rehearsal is true worship in spirit and truth, life itself should be worship with the whole person—heart, soul, mind, and strength.”⁹

John MacArthur: “Worship is the primary essential, and service is a wonderful and necessary corollary to it. Worship is central in the will of God—the great sine qua non of all Christian experience. . . . Our definition of worship is enriched when we understand that true worship touches each area of life. We are to honor and adore God in everything.”¹⁰

Eugene Peterson: “Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God.”¹¹

John Piper: “Missions is not the ultimate priority of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. . . . Missions is a temporary necessity, but worship abides forever.”¹²

William Temple: “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”¹³

Robert Webber: “Worship is a verb. It is not something done to us, or for us, but by us.”¹⁴

THE THEOLOGY OF WORSHIP

God’s Holiness

Isaiah 6:1-8 is a model, in principle, for the believer in worship. Isaiah is near the altar in front of the Temple. The doors open, and the veil hiding the Holy of Holies is withdrawn. At this moment there is a vision of God attended by seraphim. First Kings 22:19 describes a similar scene: “And Micaiah said, ‘Therefore hear the Word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left.’” God is seen with a host of angels in all His dazzling brightness, the seraphim with Him, as also in Isaiah 6:2. “Each had six wings; with two he covered his face”: They were unworthy to look on a holy God. This demonstrated a deep respect and reverence. “With two he covered his feet”: This means they covered the entire part of their lower bodies, a posture common when in the presence of monarchs as a continued gesture of homage. “And with two he flew”: Two wings were kept ready and available for instant flight for the service of the King.

Of the six wings, four were used for worship and only two were used for service. The principle exemplified by these heavenly creatures is that reverent waiting on God is more important than active service. God designed it this way for us also; worship commands a higher priority than service.

The Psalms overflow with this mandate: Psalm 145:1,”I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever”; Psalm 146:1, “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

Isaiah 6:3 continues: “And one called to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (the Hebrew is more emphatic: “the fullness of the whole earth is His glory”; cf. Ps 24:1; 72:19). This same picture is seen in Revelation 4:8, as John describes what the angels are doing even now.

Isaiah 6:4 describes God’s presence as so immense that the foundation of the Temple shook and trembled at His voice, and the Temple was filled with smoke; the Shekinah cloud was present as in 1 Kings 8:10 and Ezekiel 10:4.

Consider the spiritual, “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” The song finishes with, “Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.” The thought of the Lord and who He is caused a reverential fear. Slave workers knew what fear was. The very presence of the plantation owner caused the workers to fear and tremble—not necessarily out of respect, but out of the ever-present possibility of a whipping if sufficient work was not being accomplished. The trembling (or shaking) in Isaiah 6:4 had to do with awesome respect for the very position of the Most High God. He is holy, perfect, and without sin. This passage reflects on God’s holiness.

Besides God’s holiness, there are many other scriptural attributes of God that we can emphasize during the Scripture reading and hymn singing portions of our worship. For example:

God’s splendorous light: Scriptures could include Isaiah 60:19, 1 John 1:5, accompanied by hymns with texts such as “The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin; the Light of the World is Jesus”¹⁵ and “O Light that knew no dawn, that shines to endless day, all things in earth and heaven are lustred by thy ray; no eye can to thy throne ascend, nor mind thy brightness comprehend.”¹⁶

God’s faithfulness, immutability, and compassion: We could read Lamentations 3:22-23 and sing the hymn, “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; there is no shadow of turning with thee; thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.”¹⁷

God’s greatness and power: Scriptural passages such as Psalm 68:34 could be read. Appropriate hymns would include “How Great Thou Art”¹⁸ and “I sing the mighty power of God that made the mountains rise; that spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.”¹⁹

Other attributes of God: A number of attributes are covered by 1 Timothy 1:17 and provide a good companion for the hymn, “Immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light inaccessible hid from our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.”²⁰

God’s people need to reflect regularly on God’s attributes. Our corporate worship services should include hymns that remind us who God is. One approach to achieving this goal would be to focus the worship each time on a different attribute of God to encourage the worshiper to recognize the many facets of His character. He is much more than just a friend. He is the Lord of all the Heavenly Hosts. He is to be worshiped and adored.

Man’s Sinfulness

When confronted with God’s glory, Isaiah confessed, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isa 6:5). This must be the attitude of the believer. Isaiah saw himself as cursed unto damnation, debauched, dirty, filthy. In himself he was “like a polluted garment” (Isa 64:6). Why was Isaiah so critical of himself? After all, he was the son of Amoz, a contemporary of Jonah, a major prophet who foretold the future 150 years before it happened. His garment was sackcloth (Isa 20:2), which embodied the message of repentance he taught. Why did he see himself as a worm? Verse 5 finishes with, “for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts!” If Isaiah had looked at himself next to his contemporaries, he could have said, “I am not evil. In fact, I am better than most.” But he did no such thing. His eyes had seen the King, the Shekinah cloud. He measured himself against the ultimate standard and found himself to be unclean and unworthy.

In Zechariah 3:3, Joshua stands in filthy garments before an angel. The Old Testament word rendered “filthy” there is an adjective that comes from a root meaning “excrement,” and thus not only vile and dirty but with an offensive odor.²¹ Isaiah 64:6 says, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” Today we do not appreciate looking at ourselves as unclean. Some hymnals are changing lyrics to accommodate a softening of sin. For example, in Issac Watts’s original gospel hymn “At the Cross,” the words read:

Alas! And did my Savior bleed, and did my sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?²²

In recent hymnals the last line reads “. . . for sinners such as I” or “. . . for someone such as I.”

God’s view of man’s sin is and always has been the same. He has not moved. He has not changed. We are all dust and worms compared to the King of Glory. Yet, some worshipers see themselves as superior to others. The attitude is, “I’m self-sufficient. I am living and serving better than most.” This kind of worship could be categorized as mere ritual, dishonest, haughty, and absent of any self-examination (cf. the Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12).

God’s Solution

Isaiah 6:6-7 shows the attribute of mercy. “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” It is unknown how long Isaiah was waiting between the two verses of this text. It may have been a very short space in time. But it was an experience he would remember forever. Ronald Allen in The Wonder of Worship describes it:

Then, with a nod from God a pantomime of grace transpired. Isaiah was aware, perhaps in a dreamlike state, of the rustle of angel wings, of a fiery, searing sensation, and then of words that set his heart free of all fear. The words came from the angel, but they had the authority of Heaven’s throne. Isaiah had experienced a personal Yom Kippur, his own “day of atonement.” He was immediately cleansed of all sin. This was not because he deserved it or earned it; it was all of grace—God’s grace.²³

He was free—free to live for God, free to serve God, free to honor God, and free to worship God.

The model of knowing who we are and who God is must be the reality of every worshiper who truly wants to see God. This picture does not represent a user-friendly paradigm. It takes work. It takes commitment and dedication. It takes a deep love that is understood only when one is moment by moment in communion with God.

Isaiah 6:8 continues, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” There seems to be a sense that few would be willing to hear and accept the self-denial that was needed. This message would not be readily received by the Jewish people (cf. 1 Chron 29:5). However, the response was prompt: “Here am I! Send me.” Imagine what could happen in God’s congregation if all who attended worship services Sunday after Sunday had the same response as modeled by Isaiah in this passage of Scripture. Not only would worshipers come prepared, having confessed all known sin, ready to serve, but they would also come with the right vision of who God is.

Isaiah 6:1-8 gives the most concise vision of what worship should be:

• Verses 1-4: Adoration

• Verse 5: Confession

• Verses 6-7: Cleansing and forgiveness

• Verse 8: Decision

We are prompted by this picture to burst forth with the hymn:

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, Blessed Trinity.

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and Seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which wert and art, and evermore shall be.

REGINALD HEBER

In this nineteenth-century hymn, the melody always ascends on the words, “Holy, holy, holy.” This illustrates a good marriage between text and music. As the melody rises, the worshiper is made aware musically of the gripping reality of God’s holiness. This hymn should always be sung with increasing crescendo as we are being confronted with the vision of a holy God. We should never sing these eternal words, as John Wesley would say, “in a half-asleep manner; but lift your voice with strength.”²⁴

HOW DO WE ENJOY WORSHIP?

Private Worship

God expects and desires every believer to regularly spend time alone with Him. During this private time we need to adore God for who He is (Ps 8), confess to God sins and weights (1 John 1:9), thank God for what He has done (Ps 69:30; 1 Thess 5:18), and supplicate—ask God for strength, help, direction, and guidance (Phil 4:6; 1 Pet 5:7). Some daily worship activities include:

• Scripture reading and study.

• Meditation on a verse or two with the goal of memorization.

• Singing to God.

Yes, sing to God the great hymns and praise songs. Sing from the depths of your heart. Connect what you have studied in Scripture, and find a song that supports that theme.

A series of four hymn story books have been recently published that are valuable aids to our private worship. Written by John MacArthur, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Robert and Bobbie Wolgemuth, each book includes a CD of the music to encourage the individual listener not only to participate and sing along with the album, but also to sing with an understanding of the hymns. Each book has twelve hymn stories that reflect on the devotional, doctrinal, and historical background of the hymns. The CD features the authors’ singing supported by The Master’s Chorale from The Master’s College. The books are entitled O Worship the King,²⁵O Come, All Ye Faithful,²⁶What Wondrous Love Is This,²⁷ and When Morning Gilds the Skies.²⁸

An important ingredient of private worship is consistency—day after day after day. “I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD” (Ps 104:33-34). “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps 34:1). Acts 17:11 exhorts us to “examine the Scriptures daily.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, Paul admonishes us to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing.” Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

Corporate Worship

Corporate worship in public should continue what has been done privately all week. If we are “continually offer[ing] up . . . praise to God,” corporate worship is a natural response. Conversely, if one does not worship regularly throughout the week, how can one rise to worship with God’s people on Sunday? Corporate worship can be defined as God’s people gathered together to give homage to God because of who He is. Revelation 4:11 says, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Ezra 3:11 urges “praising and giving thanks to our LORD, ‘for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.’” Luke 24:52-53 describes the response to the ascension of Christ: “And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.” The apostle John gives us a portrayal of created beings around the throne of God in Revelation 4:10-11: “The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’” A. W. Tozer writes in Whatever Happened to Worship? :

All the examples that we have in the Bible illustrate that glad and devoted and reverent worship is the normal employment of moral beings. Every glimpse that is given us of heaven and of God’s created beings is always a glimpse of worship and rejoicing and praise because God is who he is. . . . I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.²⁹

Edifying Worship

It cannot be denied that the focus of our worship is God and God alone. He is the only one in the audience. He is the audience! So how should we meet Him? We must meet Him with prepared hearts. I usually ask the students before we present a musical offering to God, “Are you confessed up? Is your heart clean before God?” (see Ps 103:12; Prov 28:13; Heb 8:12; 1 John 1:9). Hebrews 10:22 advises, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” This verse details how to enter into God’s presence. Better said, this verse details how to prepare to enter into corporate worship. The Greek term behind “true” means sincere, genuine, and without ulterior motive (cf. Jer 24:7; Matt 15:8).³⁰ In regard to the idea of a pure heart, The MacArthur Study Bible explains:

The imagery in this verse is taken from the sacrificial ceremonies of the old covenant, where blood was sprinkled as a sign of cleansing, and the priests were continually washing themselves . . . the washing with pure water does not refer to Christian baptism, but to the Holy Spirit’s purifying one’s life by means of the Word of God (Eph 5:25-26; Ti 3:5).³¹

When you come to worship, are you spiritually prepared? Do you actually come to worship God? Consider the example of the worship in Herod’s Temple. The Outer Court, the Court of the Women, was the farthest that most Israelites were allowed into the Temple. In fact, according to Edersheim, “This was probably the common place for worship.”³² This is where friends were greeted and discussion of daily life took place.

Next was the Court of the Israelites; this was reserved for purified Israelite men to observe the ritual of the Temple Court. At a higher level was the Court of the Priests and the Temple Court where sacrifices were offered on the altar to God.

Then came the Holy Place, which contained the seven-branched lamp-stand, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense. Behind a veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies dwelt God’s glorious presence. The High Priest would go in once a year, on the Day of Atonement, and only after special preparation (Lev 16:1-34; Heb 9:7). Here atonement was “made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins” (Lev 16:34).

The second temple had five distinct levels from the Outer Court to the Holy of Holies. It is sad to ponder, but many individuals and many churches never proceed (figuratively speaking) beyond the Outer Court in their worship. They see only each other. Because of the finished work of the cross, we have direct access to the Holy of Holies (Heb 9:11-15). We have the privilege, as the congregation of God, to enter the Throne Room. Yet, the Outer Court, seemingly, is more appealing.

The next time you worship, give yourself a little test. As you enter the church and make final preparations for your own worship, consider to whom you talk more, God’s people or God Himself. He wants our worship. He commands us to worship Him:

• “Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!” (Ps 33:1)

• “Because He is your Lord, worship Him.” (Ps 45:11, NKJV)

• “Exalt the LORD our God; worship at His footstool.” (Ps 99:5)

• “Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name.” (Ps 105:1)

• “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. . . . Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” (Ps 107:1-2)

Worship is much more than an academic exercise. It is a relationship. John 21 contains the familiar passage where Jesus confronts Peter about his love for his Lord. The church today “likes the Lord a lot,” but not as Christ loves the church (Eph 5:25). In the same way Jesus was pressing Peter, “do you love me more than these” (v. 15)? Do you love Him more than family, position, status, career, or entertainment? Do you love Him enough to go to bed early Saturday night so you are not tired Sunday morning? Enough to get out of bed early enough to eat breakfast so you aren’t distracted by hunger? Enough to arrive at the church with plenty of time before the service starts? Enough to take the time to search your soul for sin that might hinder a wholesome relationship with God? A. W. Tozer, the pastor for thirty-one years of South Side Alliance Church in Chicago, wrote:

It is my experience that our total lives, our entire attitude as persons, must be toward the worship of God. . . . If you cannot worship the Lord in the midst of your responsibilities on Monday, it is not very likely that you were worshiping on Sunday. . . . My view of worship: No worship is wholly pleasing to God until there is nothing in me displeasing to God.³³

How do you enjoy worship? Get self out of the way, and focus your eyes upon Him. In the words of a missionary in North Africa:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of his glory and grace.

HELEN H. LEMMEL

WHAT IS WORSHIP MUSIC?

The first verb in the Bible is “created.” It is used five times in Genesis 1. “Made” is also used four times. Everything God made was good. Man was one of those good creations. In Genesis 1:26-27, God said,

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and overthe livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Because all humanity is created in the image of God, all humanity has some level of creative ability. However, the redeemed should have the ability and desire to create higher-quality creative works than the unregenerate, because they know the Creator in a personal way. They have the responsibility to represent their Father with the highest form of creativity and excellence.

C. M. Johansson says of music, “There is a necessity to create well because we image Christ through the notes and harmony.”³⁴ The goal of the Christian music creator must be to pattern his music after the Master Creator who is the Master Musician.

Man also has the capability to feel emotions (e.g., love and sorrow). Music brings out these emotions. We feel the emotions, and the composer expresses them for us; the deeper the emotion, the greater the craft required to express that emotion. Music that has substance must be coupled with theology that challenges the intellect. There must be a deeper complexity with our worship music to mirror the depth and vastness of God.

The worship music of the early church was mostly chants and hymns. For 1,500 years the great music was in the church. Luther preached his message of “the just shall live by faith and faith alone” through his own hymn writing. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries emphasized doctrinal convictions in music, as seen in hymns from the pens and hearts of pastors such as Isaac Watts, John Wesley, and Charles Wesley.³⁵ Whereas the early nineteenth century was more concerned with improving the literary quality of hymnody, the latter part of the nineteenth century gave way to the gospel song, which had its roots in spirituals and early Sunday school songs. Its impetus was the widespread evangelical crusades of D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey. The music was generally lighter in doctrinal content, used stanzas with refrain plus repetition, and was easier to sing.

In the twentieth century, churches had a lower view of worship and music. Much of the focus of the church continued to be evangelism, not the maturity of the saints. This was reflected in the crusade teams of R. A. Torrey and Charles Alexander, Billy Sunday and Homer Rodeheaver, even Billy Graham and Cliff Barrows. In the mid-twentieth century, church music was influenced by Christian radio, recordings, and traveling musicians. The last quarter of the twentieth century experienced the rise of praise choruses and a stronger emphasis on entertainment and the individual in the pew.

THE THEOLOGY OF WORSHIP MUSIC

The Bible states in 1 Chronicles 23 that 38,000 Levites were assigned to Temple service. Of that number, four thousand were set apart for music ministry. First Chronicles 25 records that these four thousand Levitical musicians were from three large families: Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun. From these families came 288 skilled musicians who constituted the instructional leadership of the remaining 3,712 Levitical musicians.

It is significant to note that the music leadership came from the priestly lines. They knew theology, but they also knew music. In 1 Chronicles 25:7 it is said of these Levites that “[they] were trained in singing to the LORD, all who were skillful.” First Chronicles 15:22 indicates that “Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it.”

Martin Luther knew the importance of coupling theology and music. According to Osbeck, “Luther himself said that music was one of the finest and noblest gifts of God in the world, and that young men should not be ordained as preachers unless they had also been trained in music.”³⁶ Where is the training today? It must start with our children in children’s choirs. They should be taught to sing correctly when they are young and be exposed to great music.³⁷

Frank E. Gaebelein, in The Christian, the Arts, and Truth, says that he “seldom wasted his time listening to popular music; he wanted to surround himself with art [music] that would last.”³⁸

This training should go right through to seminaries. If a pastor has not had some training in music with an underlying biblically-based theology of worship, he will be less prepared to lead worship himself or to model worship for a congregation. If music is foreign to him, he will likely attempt to get somebody else to do it. That is certainly acceptable. However, the pastor has to have a biblically-based theology of worship and music to know how to recruit and supervise an individual who will properly match music and worship. He must have knowledge and training in order to give direction and leadership.

A host of churches today have a low view of worship music. The thought is not to lift the Lord high, but to make Him equal with man, identifying the living God with our popular culture. Worship and music are capitulating to an individualist, narcissistic attitude. There is a deliberate attempt to put the intellect into a passive mode and to work solely on the emotions. We whisper our worship when we ought to be lifting our voices together in joyful sound. Much of the time the reason for this deficiency is the lack of training in music leadership. Leonard Payton has observed, “So extreme is the case now that anyone who knows half a dozen chords on a guitar and can produce rhymes to Hallmark card specifications is considered qualified to exercise this component of the ministry of the Word [lead a congregation in worship] regardless of theological training and examination.”³⁹

The rise of praise choruses has proven to be the next generation of the gospel song: a short verse, much repetition, and a single idea or thought expressed. Praise choruses are a wonderful addition to the diet of church worship, but they must be blended with the “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” spoken of in Colossians 3:16. Calvin Johansson says:

Exclusive use of choruses tends to produce a people who have the same depth of spirituality as the music they sing. The result is a faith which lacks depth, is simplistic, pleasure-oriented, emotionalistic, intellectually weak, undisciplined, and prone to the changeability of feelings. The end result of nothing but chorus singing is immaturity.⁴⁰

The emphasis seems to be this: Make it easy for the congregation. Do not expect much from them. Treat them like an audience. Perform for their applause. Get the people excited for the moment. This shift to people-centered worship harms true worship in other ways as well.

God’s people have lost sight of the contrast between the church and the world. The principle to be learned is that the Christian is different and distinct (1 Cor 8—9; 2 Cor 5:17).

There is a loss of community. Different types of services cultivate a “give me what I want” syndrome. The focus is on the wishes of the people rather than on the people being focused on God.

There is a loss of content in our singing, a loss of good poetry. Good poetry equips the words to mean more than they say. Repetition often makes the phrase seem less significant.

There is also a loss of theology. Songs are often self-centered rather than theologically-centered. The church must be assiduous about sound theological content and foundation.⁴¹ John MacArthur writes:

Modern songwriters seriously need to take their task more seriously. Churches should also do everything they can to cultivate musicians who are trained in handling the Scriptures and able to discern sound doctrine. Most important, pastors and elders need to begin exercising closer and more careful oversight of the church music ministry, consciously setting a high standard for the doctrinal and biblical content of what we sing.⁴²

ENJOYING WORSHIP MUSIC

The biblically-focused worshiper is one who is a participant and not a spectator. If you participate, you are to be in fellowship with God in a “without ceasing” manner. Sin breaks fellowship and must be confessed so there will be restoration (1 John 1:9). The heart must have the kind of loving approach that is selfless and not haughty (John 21). Enjoyment of music and worship must come from within (the heart) and not without (the applause of man). God desires to be worshiped by an active, engaged, involved, and anticipating congregation of His children.

John Wesley’s Instructions for Singing Hymns, dated 1761, still apply:

Learn the songs first.
Sing them exactly.
Sing all.
Sing lustily.
Sing modestly.
Sing in time.
Above all, sing spiritually.⁴³

We have been created to worship God. Even so, our lives on earth are merely the rehearsal; we will worship Him forever in eternity (Rev 4:1-11; 7:9-12; 19:1-7; 21:3, 22).