The Role of Music in Worship- part 10

The Role of Music in Worship- part 10 

       Here are some thoughts about worship that are designed to make one think seriously about ones conceptions of what worship should and should not be like. These ten statements are a bit blunt at times and probably do not pass the tests of political correctness. However, if they shock us into thinking seriously, my purpose has been accomplished.

1. Do you sing in worship or do you sit there like a knot on a log? There is no neutral ground in music worship. If you do not sing, you are hindering corporate music worship.

2. True Christocentric musical worship is not about “gimme, gimme, my name is Jimmy.”

3. Real Christocentric worship is not about my music, my musical group or what I want or what I like.

4. Real Christocentric musical worship is not about bless me, cheer me, entertain me, perform for me, fascinate me, dazzle me, or make me feel better.

5. Real Christocentric musical worship is not about singing or playing musical instruments. It is a purposeful, conscious act of reaffirming that the worshipper loves God and has made a conscious decision to live a Christ-centered life.

6. Worship is an avowal to live our lives in such a way as to become more like God.

7. The words of our musical worship should remind us of our vows to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is our response to God. 

8. Our musical worship should affirm our commitment to serve God, obey God, love God, and worship God. Jesus said in St. John 14:23 “If a man love me he will keep my words: and my father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

9. In St. John 14:15 Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” A life of worship is about keeping God’s commandments. The idea that we can come to the event on Sunday morning, sing and pray and then go out to live in a way that is the exact antithesis of the rhetoric we “spouted off” to God during the worship event is just plain WRONG! 

10. Why is it important that we keep his “words”? St. John laid the foundation in chapter one verse on when he declared, “In the beginning was the Word (capitalized), and the Word (capitalized) was with God, and the Word (capitalized) was God.” Since He—Christ—is the Word, we cannot separate Christian living from His Word. We raise our hands in avowal to God in the sanctuary. Note that the lifting up of our hands in avowal to God is a biblically supported act of worship. See, Ps. 28:2, 63:4, 119:48, 134:2, La. 2:19 and 3:42.