Recently, I was asked by Pastor Bruce to answer the two questions below. I believe these questions come from R.C. Sproul’s Holiness of God work book, which will be part of a small group campaign in early 2012. Since they relate directly to my perspective on worship I thought it would be appropriate to share my answers.
Question 1: Whose responsibility is it to enliven the worship service?
Question 2: What is the interplay between the Spirit, the worship leaders, the congregation and you as an individual?
These two questions concern me because they may potentially convey a misconception about the true nature of worship. If one were to ask about the nature of worship, one would likely get a wide variety of answers many of which, would, to one degree or another, center around the music segment of a corporate service. I believe this is a fundamentally flawed view of New Testament worship. The focus of New Testament worship is not something as narrow as the music portion of a corporate gathering, or even as narrow as the corporate gathering itself. So, if worship is not fundamentally what we do in at a particular time in the church service, or the church service itself, then what is it? D.A. Carson in Worship by the Book provides a definition of worship beginning with “Worship is the proper response…to God, ascribing all honor and worth…precisely because He is worthy, delightfully so.”
Regarding this definition, there are two points I would like to make. First off, limiting our scope to mankind (angels, stars, the heavens, and all created things are all said to worship God), under this definition only born-again people can be said to be true worshipers of God. Even though it can be said that mankind worships many things, and may even ascribe worth and honor to God Himself (perhaps, for the good things He has done or the good gifts He has given), none of this is the foundation for true, Biblical worship. Only those who have been given the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians. 4:6), which is a spiritual light that only God can give (John 6:44; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6), which enables a spiritual seeing of the goodness and worthiness of God, only these are the ones who can worship God for who He is in and of Himself. No one ascribes this kind of honor to God apart from regeneration (Romans 1:21; 3:10-18), and as such, only born-again people can be those who worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
Secondly, the “proper response” spoken of in D.A. Carson’s definition goes beyond heartfelt words of affirmation of God’s worth. The way we live our lives on a daily basis reflects the worthiness or value of God. The way we use our money, the way we use food, the way we use time, vacation, work, marriage, family, etc., constantly communicates the true worth of God to us. In other words, the way we live our lives is what true worship is all about. Worship is not fundamentally about singing God-glorifying songs; although, that is part of worship. Worship is not fundamentally about attending corporate church gatherings; although, that is part of worship. Worship is not fundamentally about giving, prayer, Bible study, etc; although, all of those things are a part of worship. Worship is no less than living our whole lives for His glory. Paul says it this way, “…present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1)” and “whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).”
With these ideas in mind, I am now able to address the two questions listed above. The very idea of “enlivening a worship service” seems to be incongruous with the definition of worship provided above. But, perhaps, there is a way this can be taken that is Biblically faithful. When we gather for corporate services, how we truly see God is naturally reflected. So, if the corporate service feels un-lively to you, this mostly likely says more about the state of your heart towards God than it does the skill of the musicians, the eloquence of the preacher, or others around you. In short, you are responsible to “enliven the worship service,” and this is a direct result of the depth of your spiritual understanding (knowing) of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). This kind of understanding comes about as a result of the work of the Spirit on the heart (John 3:3, 5-8), and is cultivated in the life of the believer through the practice of spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, Bible study, etc…
This leads us to the second question. The interplay between the Spirit, the “worship leader” (I hate that term – once again, because it conveys a false idea of what worship truly is), the congregation and the individual is as follows:
It is the Spirit that causes us to be born-again so that we can see Christ as He truly is. It is this that allows us to truly “taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).” Only then can we ascribe true worth and honor to God as He is in and of Himself. It is only the Spirit that can make our worship true worship – worship that is in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
It is the “worship leader” that is responsible to pick appropriate music that fulfills the purpose of music in the corporate gatherings, which is nothing less than “letting the word of Christ richly dwell in us, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual sings, singing with thankfulness in our hearts to God (Colossians 3:16).” As such, the words of the songs that are sung in a corporate gathering are far more important than the musical arrangement. At the same time, it is important that the “worship leader” conduct the music in such a way that it is not a distraction to the service, or incongruous with the service. It is the “worship leader’s” responsibility to make sure this proper balance is maintained.
Lastly, the congregant members are responsible to one another to come with their hearts prepared to minister to one another in song, admonition, and thanksgivings for whom God is, and what He has done for us in Christ (Colossians 3:16).
In the end, worship is far more than what happens at the corporate meeting level. The essence of worship is living our lives in such a way that ascribes honor, worth and value to God (I Corinthians 10:31). It is a life that demonstrates God as our treasure hidden in the field – our pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-46).
