Congregational worship by Richard Roy

A PEOPLE OF WORSHIP Reading: Romans 15:5-13 (also Eph 5:18-20; Col 3:15-17; Heb 2:9-12; 13:15). Introduction: There’s crisis in contemporary congregational worship. For example, regarding the content of current Christian worship songs, co-founder of Tabor College, Dr Barry Chant, says, Sadly, contemporary Christian songs are often biblically and theologically shallow. Alison Clark has clearly shown that during the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a sharp and marked decline in the number of songs specifically portraying the gospel. After an examination of nearly 2000 compositions, she concluded that whereas in the 1950s, some 50% of songs made specific reference to either the cross or the blood of Christ, by the early 1990s, the percentage had dropped to a mere 19%.1 Similarly, well-known song-writer, Graham Kendrick, adds, A lot of people are asking some very good questions, for instance about theology. Some are saying: ‘Whatever happened to a Trinitarian understanding of worship?’ It’s never mentioned in our songs. There’s a rich doctrine of worship in the book of Hebrews that is pretty much absent from our worship songs.2 In addition, the lyrics of Matt Redmond’s famous song, ‘Heart of worship’, suggest his journey of rediscovering the place of Christ in contemporary worship. Recall, for instance, his lines (and his story): I’m coming back to the heart of worship And it’s all about you All about you Jesus. I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it When it’s all about you All about you Jesus.3 Recently we commenced a journey to discover and reestablish as far as possible with the help of each other and the Spirit, NT congregational worship in a contemporary setting. Here, I outline the reasons for this journey as well as the nature of it so that we may be aware of the rationale (theology). This study will not refer to ‘music’ and styles, although this is an important topic, but to the content of congregational worship. So, in light of the above, what are our considerations for congregational worship based on our readings (i.e., Romans 15:5-13 (also Eph 5:18-20; Col 3:15-17; Heb 2:9-12; 13:15)? 1

Dr Barry Chant, ‘Retuning the Church’, paper presented at the annual conference of the Association of Pentecostal and Charismatic Bible Colleges of Australasia on Friday 19 May 2000; Alison Clark, What are we singing? (Sydney: Tabor), 1995:75ff. This is an important piece of research and merits close study, says Chant.

Graham Kendrick, ‘Music and worship: it’s about time to get real’, in Challenge Weekly, ed. John McNeil (New Zealand: March 2007).

Matt Redmond, The Heart of Worship, URL: http://lionandsling.home.att.net/Writings/heart.html, accessed 16 May 2007.

Worship in its fullest understanding is the devotion of our entire lives and service to God (Rom 12:1-2; Col 3:17). Such worship may only be offered through Jesus Christ and empowerment of the Spirit of God (John 4:23-24; Phil 3:3). Included in our definition of worship is what we usually call worship, that is, congregational worship in a regular church gathering. In this study, our focus will be on this narrower definition, particularly music and singing. (Preaching, prayer, giving and communion are also vital components of congregational worship.) Regarding congregational singing, the Spirit of Christ is presently restoring to the church the meaning of public worship as revealed in the Psalms and the NT (e.g., Eph 5:18-20; Col 3:15-17). The reason that we need restoration is due to our departure from a biblical worship practice, which has taken place gradually over the last two or three decades. The first point we note from Scripture about congregational worship is that it is directed to one another, not to God alone (Eph 5:18-20; Col 3:15-17). This doesn’t mean that songs are sung literally to each other (although at times this may happen, as in special items or responsive readings and songs) but that we are aware of our corporate unity as we sing to God (cf. Rom 15:5-6). The way we do this is by singing words that enrich one another; specifically, words magnifying Christ and the gospel. Our worship to God in song will serve to strengthen everyone present through declaring scriptural truths about Jesus as Lord and his saving work. Individualistic love songs to God (vis-à-vis to and about Christ) generally fail to build up someone else’s faith at all even though they may engender considerable emotion. Second, congregational worship is an activity of the Spirit. Believers offer worship together in their gatherings because the Spirit of Christ inspires them. This inspiration begins at conversion when Christ and the gospel are made real, inspiring songs of salvation (Psa 32:7). Further, the immediacy of the Spirit’s inspiration is available in congregational worship. Hence it is crucial to invite and depend on the Spirit to motivate one another, inspiring the songs (1 Cor 12:3, 14:15-16; Heb 13:15). This kind of singing will result in spontaneity and enthusiasm. Public worship is joyful praise, not a dreary affair! It is affirmation of Jesus as Lord and involves warm hearts and faculties, including emotional engagement, and upraised hearts, hands and heads. Since the Spirit’s work is to glorify and show Jesus to his people, the practice of public worship will reveal Christ (John 15:26, 16:13-15; Col 3:15-17). Inspired by the Spirit, a congregation sings about the nature and work of Christ and in doing so, he will be revealed in their midst. Congregational worship, therefore, will be an encounter with the living Christ, a spiritual experience. Engagement with the living Christ involves the emotions but the focus will not be on feelings but on transformation by the inward power of the Spirit. As Jesus’ glory is seen, believers will be transformed being strengthened in faith, hope and love (2 Cor 3:17-18). In this regard, the so-called enthronement psalms (e.g., Psa 48, 93, 96, 98) provide us with a significant example. These psalms were used periodically to proclaim the ‘enthronement of Yahweh’ in the midst of Israel’s congregational worship. Israel thus proclaimed Yahweh enthroned afresh in its worship and did so with ecstatic joy and enthusiasm. For example, Psalm 93:1 declares, ‘The Lord reigns’, or more accurately, ‘Yahweh has *just+ become king’.4 4

Sigmund Mowinckel, The Psalms in Israel’s Worship, 2 volumes in one (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1962, 2004), i:107-116; Walter Brueggemann, Cadences of Home: Preaching among the Exiles (Louisville, KY:

In other words, Yahweh was not merely being proclaimed here as Israel’s covenant king, but that his re-enthronement had just been experienced by the congregation. As Christians who have been urged to ‘sing psalms’ (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16), we have even more reason to expect a manifestation of the kingdom in our worship in the person of the king, Jesus Christ. Can our worship, then, be anything less than celebratory, buoyant and transforming? Third, since public worship (as all worship) is an activity of the Spirit, the songs will be about Jesus and his love (E.g., Psa 59:16, 89:1, 118:14, 119:54). The Holy Spirit’s role, as Christ’s replacement now that Jesus has returned to his Father, is to glorify and educate about Jesus (John 15:26, 16:13-15)! Therefore, the Spirit will point us singularly and relentlessly to Christ and his cross. Our songs will reflect this inspiration of the Spirit in an unmistakeable manner. Our songs will not just be about ‘God’, ‘me’ or ‘works’, but about Jesus and his works. This area requires serious attention in the church today. Fourth, Spirit-engendered worship will use a key provision of the Spirit, namely, the Book of Psalms (Eph 5:18-19; Col 3:15-17; James 5:13). In the Scripture we have a God-provided hymn book. Consequently, a current and crucial need exists to restore the Book of Psalms for contemporary worship, using psalms as did the Early Church but in a manner suitable for contemporary congregations. In addition, we need to recover the genius and the wisdom of the Psalms (see example above) as teaching tools and as instruments of lament and complaint both for the building up of the church and its healing. In summary, our congregational worship – specifically our music and singing – is on one hand is directed to one another for mutual teaching and strengthening specifically regarding the person and work of Christ (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16). On the other hand, our singing is directed to God, giving honour and glory to him especially for the work accomplished through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection (Eph 5:19-20; Phil 2:6-11; Col 3:16-17). Both of these facets of public worship, like all worship, must be motivated by the Spirit of God. SUMMARY: 1. Worship is the dedication of our lives and service to God (Rom 12:1-2). 2. Worship includes congregational worship, particularly, for the purposes of this study, music and song (Rom 15:9, 11; Eph 5:19-20; Col 3:16; Heb 2:12; James 5:13). 3. The NT indicates that public singing is directed to one another, not only to God (Eph 5:18-20; Col 3:15-17). 4. True worship, including our music and song, is motivated by the Spirit of Christ (John 4:23; Eph 5:18; Phil 3:3). 5. We meet with Christ in our public worship because our congregational worship is a product of the Spirit and encourages enrichment through the Spirit and the word (1 Cor 12:3, 14:15-16; Heb 13:15). 6. Public worship, inspired by the Spirit, will be spontaneous, alive and enthusiastic (Acts 16:25; Eph 5:19), a veritable re-enthronement of Christ in the midst. 7. Congregational worship will use a key provision of the Spirit, namely, the Book of Psalms with the focus on Christ and his redemption (Eph 5:18-19; Col 3:15-17; James 5:13).

Westminster John Knox, 1997), 85-87.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Explain the fuller meaning of the word ‘worship’. 2. What focus on the word, ‘worship’, did we give in our study and how may this focus be related to its fuller meaning? 3. Is our congregational singing directed solely to God? If not, where else might we direct it, for what reason and how may we practise this? 4. Describe the ways in which the Spirit inspires our singing? 5. Who and what is the central theme of congregational worship and what will be the fruit of this in the congregation? 6. What facets of congregational worship need to be recovered to achieve a more biblical model?