by Jessica
When I was in middle school I remember the music pastor of my church making statement something along the lines of this: "Christians tell more lies while hiding behind a hymnal every Sunday morning than many people do during an entire week." Though I think that may be a bit of an overstatement (and they may lie even more now looking up at a screen...) I believe there is some truth in that. We often sing about what we believe, how committed we are, claim that Jesus is "our everything," and many other profound truths and statements without even considering the implication of making such a bold claim. Sadly, sometimes we are also proclaiming un-truth. There have been great strides made in this area but there is still plenty of room for improvement including educating not only our leaders but also our ministry teams and our congregations. Even just this past Sunday I stopped myself mid phrase in a really cool sounding worship song (musically this piece was great) because I realized that I didn't agree with and therefore couldn't sing those words.
Whether we're lying about what we feel, believe, and promise of ourselves and how we live or are singing false teachings, Scripture says that we are to enter into worship with care:
Ecclesiastes 5
1Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.
2Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.
3For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words.
4When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools Pay what you vow!
5It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.
6Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?
7For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.
I was recently asked to share my thoughts on pursuing greater theological depth and breadth in the lyrical content of songs of the church. Here's what I shared:
Very early in my ministry I was challenged by a very traditional older man about some worship lyrics that were very popular at the time and even though I tried to argue with him I couldn't. He was right about the lyrics lacking in theological and doctrinal integrity and I couldn't deny that this seemed to be an alarming trend in many worship lyrics. Since that time as both a worship leader and a song writer I have sought to be a gatekeeper of the content of the worship songs that I share with others. I believe that in order to truly be effective in pursuing this goal the leader must be immersed in the study of Scripture and spending time with the Lord in order to maintain an understanding of what honors Him and to not allow any room for personal integrity to be compromised. My experience in this area has led me to deeper study of Scripture, seeking the counsel of those with more knowledge of doctrine and theology, and leading the process of weeding out inappropriate or weak songs, congregational readings, dramas, and other worship expressions in the worship repertoire or liturgy and replacing them with worship expressions more honoring to God and edifying of the Body. I believe it is a very serious sin if we allow people to inadvertently learn false teaching because we like the way something sounds or are too lazy to pursue the necessary steps of insuring the integrity of our worship.
A casual worship style shouldn't mean a casual approach to worship. Great care and attention should be given to how we invite others to participate and the tolls we give them to do so. As leaders, we are responsible for teaching truth first, not just using something that's cool. Encourage people to think about what they're singing or hearing and to be willing to challenge it in their personal lives. As worshipers we need to participate in worship through music and other expressions as though it's more than just the "warm-up" to the message. This is serious stuff, the promises you make before God, even the ones in the songs, are real and coming with humility and asking God to search your heart is an important part of our worship.
6Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake.
