The Hymn Book--“Banished and Vanished”-part 4

The Hymn Book--“Banished and Vanished”-part 4 

This banned and almost forgotten book also contains gospel hymns which are another very valuable part of the worship diet.  This species of sacred music is an amalgamation of the hymn and the gospel song.  It is distinguished from the hymn by its ability to extol the blessed Trinity in at least two (or more) distinct ways.  It extolls God for who He is, what He has done, what He will do for all mankind (and especially for those who love and serve Him), and specifically what God has done and is doing for the Christian.  I marvel at how such a valuable worship tool has slipped into oblivion. 

One of the most vital elements of public worship musicing is believability—next to musicing with passion it is the hook that draws the seeker and the believer into the reality of public worship.  Personal testimony through a Christian’s worship leadership brings the good news of the gospel into real-life focus.  Nothing succeeds like believable musicing about the reality of our God who is busy drawing the seeker to himself and the believer into greater relationship with Him.

 My father used to say that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. A worship leader’s passion about who God is, what He has done, what He is currently doing in the life of the born-again Christian, and what he will do for the Christian in the future draws others into the experience of worship like a giant magnet!  Sedate, staid, somber, lethargic, long faced, expressionless, detached, perfunctory worship leadership belies the good news of the gospel and the vision of a God who is worthy of our worship. Remember in Isaiah’s vision of God in chapter six verse one he asserts “…I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple”. A study of this chapter reveals that when Isaiah received a fresh vision of the Lord as high and exalted he also saw a fresh vision of his own spiritual condition. It is perfectly acceptable for the worship leader to smile and the worship team to show visible signs that they are truly and joyfully worshiping as they sing.

So, the gospel hymn can and should be a part of balanced worship musicing because of its ability to communicate believably to both the seeker and the Christian at the same time in the same musical composition.  The seeker is made to look forward to the possibility of forgiveness and peace with God and the believer looks backward to God’s forgiveness, freedom from the guilt of sins, and redemption, and marvels at the thought of a God who “…giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. “1Corinthians 15:57.