Theology of Worship

We know that God is one God, the only one worthy of praise and glory. When we understand His power, majesty, holiness, sovereignty, grace, and faithfulness, we usually have a desire to respond to Him. We want to thank Him for all He does, and we desire for Him to intervene in our lives. All of this is tied up in this idea of worship.

What is worship in its most general sense?

o   Romans 12:1-2: Paul calls upon Christians to offer bodies as a living sacrifice. He labels this action as spiritual worship. Our daily lives are an offering of worship to God.

o   So “worship” is not just from 11:00-12:00 on Sunday morning. Not just when using phrases/concepts like “worship songs,” “worship service,” various postures of worship or places of worship

Why then do we gather on Sunday for a time of corporate “worship”? 

OT: God always had a location, methods, and reasons for His people to worship Him. There were specific times (or after awesome experiences) to praise Him—usually through sacrifices.

Jesus came and changed the structure entirely. We now have continual access to God. Worship can occur at any time because Jesus is the greatest Priest.

So can’t I magnify God’s name on my own? Yes. Can’t I worship God through service throughout the week? Yes. We just learned that “worship” should be done 24/7.  

What is the added benefit of coming together for worship? Edification. When I see someone else praising God or praying/expressing dependence on God, I realize I am not alone. It builds me up in faith. It’s impossible to have a thriving faith journey alone. 

Is this only done through singing? No. We have prayer, preaching, fellowship. By focusing our attention on our great God, our spirit is refreshed, recharged, and sent back out to share Him with others.

What’s the responsibility of the church member as he or she comes into the building? On one hand, they have been loving God and neighbor, serving others all week long. They have been “worshipping” each day, so nothing changes. There is nothing special about the building or specified hour, because God is always with them. On the other hand, this is the body of Christ and an opportunity to grow in faith more than you gain throughout the week. This is where we disciple others. And “recharging” as a body requires focusing on God and engaging with His truth in song, prayer, and exhortation.

What’s the responsibility of the worship team and/or pastors? Is their job to hit the perfect notes? To smile? To give the most dynamic analogy? It doesn’t hurt (I’ve sat through some doozies, and you know what? It’s always okay. Sometimes the best Sundays are when mistakes happen. We are not perfect, nor called to be. But it doesn’t hurt to check the slides for typos.) But that can’t be primary. The most essential job is to help everyone who walks in the door to engage with God. He can resolve their worries, stresses, burdens, temptations, pains, and afflictions. In a phrase, remove distractions. Get them from Mon-Sat mindset to seeing glory of God.

What’s the different between excellence and perfection?

Goes back to that phrase “removing distractions.” If we are pursuing perfection, then we come across as ingenuine or a business model of church.

On the other hand, what are some distractions that churches can work on removing? Well, that’s where we talk about practicing songs. Proper temperature. Smiling. Time of service. Putting songs in keys that people can sing, and not making it performance based. (Any hint of selfish desire, and worship is tainted.)

So our goal is to connect people with God week after week (and with other people). Doesn’t everyone agree on this? Why is there so much disagreement over worship services?

The best direction we were given was from Jesus. Worship in spirit and truth. “Truth” means what we proclaim has to be true. We’ll come back to that. “Spirit” means we must have the proper mindset or attitude towards God while worshipping. We can’t just move our lips or be mindless.

But beyond those two things, Jesus didn’t give the “How?” So there is disagreement on the “best” ways to direct people’s attention to God. How do we best do that? What style of singing is best? What songs do we sing? What value is there to emotion in music? All questions have merit. And the answers really don’t change, depending on what century you survey.

I was always taught that a sermon was supposed to Feed the Mind, Stir the Emotions, and Challenge the Will. Is it possible for music to do the same?

·         Feed Mind: Jesus did say “Be true.” It should point us to the truth. Lots of debate over types of songs that we sing. 

Where is the line of “poetic license”? Do we require song writers to have theology degrees or to quote the Psalms?   

Hymns with Bad Theology (Just a few examples)

o   Alfred Ackley: “He Lives” written from frustration with preacher who denied resurrection. Personal experience is valuable but cannot be our primary apologetic. We will be considered insane.

o   Blessed Assurance:

      Perfect submission, perfect delight
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love

o   Jesus cried as a baby, too. So no more “Away in a Manger.”

Modern Worship Songs with Bad Theology

Kari Jobe: Forever

·         One final breath He gave 
As heaven looked away
The Son of God was laid in darkness
A battle in the grave
The war on death was waged
The power of hell forever broken

·         Above All: “Like a rose, trampled on the ground, You took the Fall and thought of me above all.”

·         What a Beautiful Name: Hillsong “You didn’t want heaven without us, so Jesus, you brought heaven down.” Is God not self-sufficient, or this just license for how much God loves us?

·         Typical arguments against worship songs: repetitive, modern romance language for God, not theologically deep, man-centered/ not God-centered. We can go to the Psalms and hymns with the same arguments, but yes, these are fair critiques. Each song should be critiqued on its own merit.

 

·         Stir Emotions: Where is the balance here? We are humans. We have emotions and feelings. David gave us all the emotions in Psalms: anger, worry, fear, joy, despair, confidence. We can’t be stoic in worship. Is there a line we shouldn’t cross? Is it simply “distractions” or are there other metrics? (Maybe 1 Corinthians 14–decently and in order comes into play). 

·         Challenge Will: This may be considered the weakest point, but how can music provoke us to action? (And not just dancing, haha)

For the sake of the question, let’s consider Christian music. If we are singing about God’s power, love, Christ’s death, etc., a particular lyric may encourage us to surrender our life, to forgive someone, to pray, to have faith.

Once we nail down a theology of worship, both how it affects daily life as well as why we gather for corporate services, we can plan those services accordingly.