As we continue our consideration of how churches recklessly pursue numbers at the expense of soundness of doctrine, today we will highlight the “worship” portion of their services. One of the key staples of the “attractional” ministry model is to have lively and exciting music. At the outset, let me make clear that I don’t believe the Scriptures are opposed to utilizing various different instruments in our worship, nor should we be limited to singing the same old songs. Ps. 149:1 says – “Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints.” And Ps. 150:3-5 adds – “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals!” So then using various instruments (even loud ones) can be very pleasing to the Lord.
My concern then is not with the instruments, nor the new songs, nor the volume with which they are conducted. My concern is with the spirit behind many of the things done that are called worship in our day. The question we must answer is: “What worship is pleasing to our Lord?” No wise or discerning Christian should disregard this question, nor should they think that it is an inconsequential one. Rom. 12:1-2 says – “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (NASB) The entirety of our lives ought to be set apart for the worship of God as a spiritual service of worship. And, as the text said, we must seek the renewing of our minds so that we can discern what is pleasing and acceptable to Him in everything. So then, if the entirety of our lives must be measured by this standard, certainly our “worship” in the church ought to be judged by the same measure. In light of this passage, we have to ask: “Is our worship designed to appeal to God or to men?”
A not-so-subtle shift occurred several decades ago in how church worship was viewed. It was thought that many people didn’t go to church because it felt too stodgy and uptight. This led several progressive-minded people to try to change that atmosphere, and they set their sights on the musical portion of the service. They saw the broad appeal of the world’s musical forms and styles and thought perhaps if they brought some of that into the church maybe people would be drawn by it. Needless to say, it was a hit. People really enjoyed hearing music more in line with their tastes, and the churches that adopted this new model grew exponentially. Now, there is a broad spectrum of how this was done in various places. Some just simply moved away from merely having a piano or an organist to including other instruments (which I already mentioned is not problematic in itself), while others on the other end of the spectrum brought in all sorts of things including exuberant and dramatic artists, flashing light displays, fog machines, high-quality video cameras, and giant screens upon which to display the whole circus that was going on. The pulpit areas were turned into stages, and what was once worship became a weekly performance. On the more grotesque end of the spectrum, there were several things lost: Reverence gave way to gaiety, order gave way to excitement, contemplation gave way to distraction, and doctrine gave way to emotion. I could name several others, but for the sake of time, I will just name one more.
The biggest loss was in the focus of it all – It was no longer primarily designed to be appealing to God, but rather to men. Instead of God-centric, it became man-centric. The lyrics of the songs so often tell the whole story – In that the subject of so many of them was not really God at all, but rather the people. Where God was mentioned, it was mostly done subserviently – Celebrating some perceived blessing from Him, rather than adoring Him for Himself. Surely we should recount the things God has done for us, but always this should lead us to praise Him for who He is. We are not blessed, simply to be blessed, but so that His name would be magnified. But so many modern songs (and modern-day worship services) are rather geared to encourage, empower, and magnify us. Is this not akin to “worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator?” (Rom. 1:25) If it is, then is it not rightly called idolatry, and the teaching that promotes it called heresy?
Look, I am all for worship that is “lively” – But let us make sure who it is that we are worshipping! If your worship is primarily designed to appeal to men then I think you have good reason to question it. If every Tom and Sally that comes in off the street, that knows not God, leaves and says, “Wow, that music was great, it really uplifted me” – You might have a serious problem. O that our worship would rather take as its primary purpose to lift up God! Every other consideration is flawed at the very root of it. And if the root is bad – What fruit do you hope to reap from it? O we may grow our numbers by appealing to men, but what do we lose if that is our aim?
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