Crisis In Worship 2

Worship In Crisis-Part Two

As I was driving down the road the other day, I went past a church that had the following “advertisement” on their billboard.

“Three styles of worship, one just right for you”.

I tried to call them to see what they were, but there was no answer. My guess would be that the three styles were traditional, contemporary and blended. If you do a search online, you will find more than three, here are some of the others I have found, Taize style, coffeehouse style, liturgical, etc. The list goes on. Here is a brief list of how I interpret the styles-

Contemporary means more upbeat, similar to what I call soft rock, with a full band,

Traditional means hymns and chorus’, usually with a piano,

I would guess that coffeehouse style would be an acoustic sound, with acoustic guitars, and less amplification,

Progressive style leans more toward rock and roll, full band, with lots of bass, drums and heavy amplification.

Taize style- look it up online yourself.

Again, I will emphasize that we have lost the original meaning of the great Biblical word “worship”.

A person can worship God without any of the mentioned styles, or without any instruments or music at all. I used to think about people that are deaf and dumb and think that they were missing out because they couldn’t worship God, I know that sounds absurd, but sometimes it takes the absurd to bring a point across. From what little research I have done, it appears that muscal instruments really weren’t used in the church until about 200 years ago. It wasn’t allowed.

For most of us, we understand what that billboard means, and we ourselves are governed by some of those styles. Most of us, when we are looking for a church, take their style of worship as one of the most important factors in whether or not we will attend there. We equate certain styles of music as more spiritual than others. And unfortunately, it is governed by our likes and specific tastes in music.

To me it would be wise to call our music and singing something other than “worship”, we can certainly call it praise or celebration, which would be more appropriate. Why diminish our understanding of what true “worship” is?

When Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4 ²³“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. ²⁴“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” was he making any reference whatsoever to music and singing? Absolutely not, yet that is how we think of it.

In the Old Testament, God Himself laid out all the laws and requirements governing their “worship”, down to the smallest details. If we make “worship” into something that is governed by our likes and tastes, or our dislikes, we are in great peril. Worship is God’s requirements placed on us, not our preference in what feels good to our liking. What other Biblical word will replace the true meaning of “worship” if we lose it? What are we teaching the next generation?

Some of the most difficult times of worship in my life were not accompanied by any music or anything that felt good. Much like when Abraham went to offer Isaac, it was a time of very severe inner turmoil, as was the case in the life of Joseph. If you read that story, there were several instances where Joseph wept bitterly before he told his brothers who he was. What was he going thru? Was he tempted to get revenge? Could he get past that, as he thought of what they did to him? Giving forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it, even though they in fact are guilty, is an act of obedience and worship to God. What manner of dealing with God brought Joseph to the point where he recognized in Genesis 45:7 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance? ⁸“Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God;”  In the same manner Jesus prayed to the Father, “Forgive them, they know not what they do”. These are examples of true worship, obedience to God; even though it might be at great peril to ones self.

So what is the end result? Well, we are certainly still able to enjoy the music and singing as much as we ever did. It can still be an expression of praise and adoration to Him. But, we have to understand that our music and singing is not really a necessity in worshipping God. It is a blessing that we have and maybe put too much emphasis on. Remember the saints in China, when they gather, can not sing or have music, because they are in hiding. And, the deaf and dumb are not able to enjoy what we enjoy. But they can still be true worshippers of God, and even be more committed to God than we who sing. Selah

Niels Prip

His Presence

   It is possible to be in a service and join in the praise and celebration, but not truly be a worshipper of God. It is not possible to be a worshipper of God and not praise Him.

    When we say worship, it is usually interpreted it to mean that part of the service where we have the worship team playing and we join in and sing. That in reality is probably better described as praise and celebration. And it is wonderful that during those times,  we sometimes do experience the presence of the Lord. Some songs are really suited to quiet our souls before Him and to help us turn our eyes toward Him. Then He fulfills His promise to us, “Whenever two or more of you are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of you”. His presence in our meeting is based on His promise. Music is a great tool to help us turn our hearts heavenward, and too express worship.

     The unsaved can come into that meeting and sense His presence as well. Just like in Corinthians, when we are told by Paul, “But if we all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all”. It is a wonderful thing to have His presence in our midst, and the unsaved are not excluded from sensing Him when we are moving by His Spirit.

   That one that is unsaved can join in and sing, yet he is not yet a true worshipper of God. He can be in a meeting where the Spirit is moving, and be convinced by it. Convinced that Jesus is real, convinced that he is a sinner and convinced that he needs Him.

Job, The Righteous Father.

   There is a very short description in Job 1, revealing Job’s position as a father and as a covering for his household.

Job 1:⁴His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

   Interestingly, even as my own children have become adults, the burden still rests on me to some degree, to guard over them, as with Job, “ just in case they have sinned against the Lord”. I confess that at times, I have thought that once they were grown up, they would be on their own, that I did not have to worry about them anymore. Then I was reminded of how, long ago, the Lord had shown me this verse, and that this was once my prayer for them.

  Those of you who may stumble across this humble post, take on the prayer of Job for your family and children. When they are young, we are ever striving to raise them up in the ways of the Lord. When they leave the nest, continue to pray like Job.

np

Crisis In Worship

Crisis In Worship

Part 1

   In the December 1999 issue of Charisma Magazine, is an article on the Christian band Delirious and the future of worship in the church. Everything in the article is about how worship is changing in the church, and how it is being taken to the streets, and to venues not normally associated with Christianity.  These are all good things, because music is such a good tool to use to present the Gospel.

   I remember all thru the 1970’s, I played in a Christian band that traveled regionally thru the various coffee houses in the Chicago and Milwaukee and all around the Midwest. In 1977 we did a trip to Sweden and Denmark that lasted about 6 weeks. There we were able to play in the public schools and various other venues. In a 5 week period, we played 42 times, sometimes 3 different places in a day. The thing is, we never called it “worship”. It was an expression of worship, at times, other times it was a tool for evangelism. Music is a universal language, but I fear we have become confused about what “worship” is.

   Today, when someone talks about “worship”, they usually mean the music and singing. You hear phases like, “a powerful time of worship” or “I can’t wait for the worship to start” or “I love to worship”.  A lot of times, powerful worship means ear deafening music that you literally feel the vibes from. These are things I enjoy, it makes me feel good and it is fun. In a lot of ways very similar to be in a rock concert, that is fun too. Don’t get me wrong, nobody likes music better than I do. You can ask my wife! I usually go to sleep with a headset on. I have been a musician for over 45 years, and have been involved with Christian music since 1971.

   What really concerns me here is this. We are losing the true meaning of one of the great biblical words, and that word is “worship”. It has been redefined to mean less than what God intended for it to mean, and if we continue on this course, it will weaken the church and the body of Christ.

   In Genesis 22, it says the following.   ¹And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.  ²And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. ³And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. ⁴Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. ⁵And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

    This verse in Genesis is the first mention of the word “worship” in the Bible. Usually that means that it sets a precedent or understanding of what that word ultimately means. Here it is easy to see a few things clearly. God was testing Abraham, and in that test, would Abraham obey and give sacrificially.

   In Genesis 18 ¹And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; ²And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground…

   The word “worship” in Genesis 22 is the same Hebrew word “bowed” in Genesis 18. So we have a basic understanding of “worship” from just these few verses. A bowing prostrate, in obedience and sacrifice unto the Lord, in all things. Even in tests and trials as great as those of Abraham.

    The New Testament says the following In Matthew 2   ⁷Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” ⁹After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.

   One thing is very clear in all of these verses, there wasn’t any music being played or songs being sung, it was more solemn and more reverent. Has the modern church lost those things? If we lose the original meaning of “worship” and the importance of that word in our modern church, we are at great peril. Worship involves humble obedience and sacrifice in our lives in all circumstances, in times of wealth and in times of poverty, when we have plenty or when we have little. When we have trials and are tested of the Lord, that is when our worship is shown. It is how we live when no one sees us, day to day, walking with him.

    Now out of that walk with the Lord, music can be used as a great way of expressing our joy and adoration for Him. Worship can be expressed thru music and thru praise, but we must never confuse worship, with music and praise. They are two different things. True worship is of the utmost importance, outward expression thru music is a privilege. I know missionaries in China, when they meet together with believers, they can’t sing or have music because they are in hiding, but they still worship the Lord. When you speak of “worship” with them, they don’t think of music and singing.

   The future of “worship” in the church is in the past, in the foundational teaching and understanding of a great biblical word.

Jeremiah 6   ¹⁶  Thus says the LORD,

     “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,

     Where the good way is, and walk in it;

     And you will find rest for your souls.

Blessings,

Niels Prip