Worship is Praising God
Worship Part 7 – Praising God through Music
Ephesians 5:19 says that when we are filled with the Spirit, we will be “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.” Music communicates with our souls, and when there are lyrics that contain falsehood, the Spirit will reject it, and the conscience will follow. The Spirit will not communicate with a false spirit (teachings).
Music can make us dance, jump, scream, and feel empowered, but the truth is that when we listen to music, we should carefully analyze the lyrics. It could sound according to our taste and make us jump, but when the lyrics are unacceptable, we have every right to reject them. Instead, we should consider songs that our heart listens to and our ears receive with joy and peace.
The taste of music can separate the members according to age; some members cannot take pop style kinds of music, and some remain to the traditional worship songs. I don’t see any division if the Holy Spirit leads the music. Different groups, based on age, have different acceptable tastes. We should already know that traditional or modern worship songs make no difference as long as we focus on the One God to whom we dedicate the day of worship.
If the refusal for the music continues and grows every service day, it is time to reconsider saving the congregation. We cannot deny the fact that worship songs have a significant impact on our congregation. However, the type of songs must be chosen carefully, and the instruments must be played harmoniously and not make a loud noise.
For example, hitting the cymbals too hard, bass, and snare drum aside from guitars and the vocals distract the concentration and the flow of the Spirit, which give excitement and thrill in our body.
To feel the Spirit is a beautiful feeling of all, and being loved is the happiest moment anyone can experience. For a music leader, choosing a song is not easy. It needs preparation as the music should be related to preaching. The band and choir members also must need time for practice and music arrangements.
There are music groups today that play powerful, alive, and theologically sound worship songs, but when you analyze them, they promote a terrible theology. We do not know if the songwriter has a different intention in promoting his music and trying to send a different message to the community. This is the part and time when we have to use our discretion and be innovative.
Do we still want to listen and allow it to be played in the church service? Is it suitable for all churchgoers of all ages?
Sometimes people judge the background of a person. However, we must be careful in rendering such judgment. Promoting evil will have a definite no answer. We cannot tolerate music that sends a wrong message to the congregation.
If promoting a lousy theology because it sounds nice can be rejected immediately. Still, if the composer lacks knowledge and understanding of what he wrote, we have to give that person a chance to correct their work and possibly feed them with the words of God. It may need a little enlightenment; maybe a little tweaking and correction will make a big difference.
Eventually, any songs or music played in the church must be aligned with the word of God.
Removal of what doesn’t belong to the church is not limited to lousy music but will eventually happen to people who do not want to embrace the truth and promote his theology inside the church.
For example, those with itchy ears, big mouths, humor-mongering, liars and more to mention are things that the church doesn’t need. The unshakable, mature and faithful Christians will remain in the church and help solve the situation instead of just walking away and leaving the church, which is a drastic decision of a faithful Christian.
Since our kingdom is unshakeable, let it be filled with gratitude and worship God with reverence and honor. Those worship songs with unbiblical lyrics will only help promote the group of unbelief; we should not be involved in any way.
Jesus said that God is a Spirit and we should worship Him in Spirit and Truth, and to worship in Spirit means with all our heart and soul. Therefore, we will not give our soul a chance, even a second, to be disconnected from our Spirit, which will eventually be a Spirit after accepting and believing that Jesus is the Son of God, the 2nd and last Adam to be our redeemer, who will then be our faithful witness at the end of the ages.
Our worship must be filled based on actual biblical knowledge and understanding of God’s will and purpose, and His existence is acknowledged not only thru the confession of our lips but from the truthfulness coming from our hearts. Therefore, it is foolish to use a worship song that does not connect to the congregations due to its unclear theological contents, which will negatively reflect the church in general. If our conscience says not to sing it, then do not sing it!
Let wisdom control in choosing the best songs for our specific congregation. We need a passion for grace and are true to ourselves to avoid being judgmental and put personal choices aside to attain self-control and help maintain healthy relations among believers.
Content of biblical worship that is true biblical worship? What does it consist of? Are all welcome to join worship? What constitutes biblical worship? Do we attend worship without clarity? Who are they worshipping? Could we observe first before committing to attend to our congregation?
Humans are into intuitively human images or statues and animals and other creatures. But, seeing that people are going to worship something or someone, it is wise to ask what is worship?— is the expression of gratitude and appreciation for having us in Him, acknowledging His authority and ownership as Creator of our universe and everything around us above and below the earth.
Worship is the highest priority for the believer to have in service. Therefore, I thank Him for the Gift of Salvation and the sacrifice made by the Son Jesus in his willingness to offer his life to cleanse us from sins that started in the garden.
Who, How, Where, and When shall we worship? God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24). The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the God that we know is one God that we worship. True worshipers will worship God our Father, that is, in heaven in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father wants to glorify Him. The apostle Paul explained that we worship by the Spirit of God (Philippians 3:3.
To worship in truth also means to worship according to what God has revealed about Himself, having a pure heart and attitude, not just following the way the heathen practice their rites and rituals. Biblical worship must abide within the teaching of truth by Jesus Christ. Sometimes we interpret it as “in the name of Jesus” should never be lost.
The way to gain blessings is to abide by the truth; 2 John 1:9, and if we do it only to be entertained and not absorb the teachings of Christ, the time we spend dancing, singing, and emotion, these things only go to nothingness. The preaching and teaching must be based according to what was written. It must be the word of God and not the word of men. “no words shall be taken out or diminish some”-Deuteronony12:32.
Worship must depend on the instructions taken from the Bible and not from church people’s modified scriptures. Worshippers must be fully aware of the identity and purpose of the people controlling the pulpit. The flesh has nothing to do with worship. It should be led by the Spirit and by the Spirit alone. The tenet may sound biblical, but it is just an opinion polished to make-belief interpretations.
We should ask the help of the Holy Spirit to alert us to unveil what is hidden and bring the truth for our improvement.
We are worshipping the true God, not to be impressed or entertained by glib talkers but to be blessed. We want our Spirit to be renewed and our bodies to be reformed. That is why we need to know who we are worshipping.
What are we worshiping- the Spirit or the flesh?
When we are in the midst of worship, and we find ourselves struggling to find the comfort of our Spirit in what we are hearing from the pulpit, from the choir singing, and the people around, we must try to focus on the One we believe, that is the one true God. We can then decide that there is no longer a challenge to stay but to find where our Spirit will lead us and eventually find our flesh to be less irritated and find ourselves in a new place where we can be blessed and feel comfort.
God knows our heart and submission to His holiness, and any they say against us for leaving, gossip, and other negative comments will be charged to them. There are consequences for people who cause division through false teachings and those who cause faithful believers to stumble.
Click to go back up: Click Here.
Continue Part 8- Worship Must be Biblical Part 9-Worship is not a Fundraising Event Part 10 Acknowledge the one true God.