Why Singing?

Worship is an intentional response to something...or someone. For the followers of Jesus...God is the object of their worship. So if one can worship through so many different ‘vehicles’, why do we sing when we gather as the church?

From what I've experienced and from what I read in my bible, singing has been a unique and special expression of worship for a really long time. I mean, you got the whole book of Psalms…beautiful words put to music. Exodus 15 describes how Moses & the Israelites sang a song to the Lord. In fact, according to biblegateway.com, the word “sing”, present or past tense, is used 131 times throughout the bible.

The people of God have a rich tradition of singing and making music to Him. When we sing together at our meetings, we are participating in an expression that has been taking place for thousands of years! We join an ancient chorus declaring that our God is the one true God and proclaim that He is alive and reigning!

It’s something a majority of us can do together…though some may sound better than others…everyone can participate. Even if you are unable to make noise with your mouth, the bible even says to do it in your heart. (Eph. 5:19-20)

God is obviously passionate about us singing to Him…and my bias opinion is that we should be passionate as well.

What do you think?

Do We Devalue Worship?

Do we devalue worship by saying that worship is everything? Granted…worship is a response…and in our case…a response to God…and one can respond to God in many ways that honor Him and bring Him joy. But what about the uniqueness of getting together as a larger group/body of people to worship God using the vehicle of music?

Throughout the bible, Old & New Testaments, we are told by multiple writers to ‘sing’, ‘worship’, ‘praise Him’, ‘make music.’ That’s rather specific. Paul does indeed say to do everything for God’s glory…not ours…which I believe whole heartedly we should do. But if you compare just the amount of times we are told to ‘sing and make music’ to God versus doing ‘everything’ for God’s glory, the first exceeds the later.

I’m in no way saying that worship through music is more important than doing everything to God’s glory. The only thing I’m pointing out is that, for some reason, there is a huge, specific emphasis on worshipping God through the vehicle of music & singing. The song is not more valuable than someone painting to God’s glory, or writing, or building something. BUT…using the song & music is, as shown over and over in scripture, a specifically unique response to God that we are instructed to do.

I’m going to talk about why it’s unique in my next post…as well as what can happen when we worship God through the vehicle of music.

What are your thoughts?

Shame & Worship

Shame is a huge barrier in the worship and enjoyment of God. Believe me...I know this first hand...I've experienced it & seen it. The reality is that God is a good Father. He isn't waiting to slap you on the hand for saying something wrong. He isn't setting you up for failure so He can prove how weak or stupid you are.

The fact is that God deeply loves, deeply accepts & deeply heals. He sets free. He restores. He comforts. He is gracious. He is compassionate.

It's not because of what we do that He loves us...His love is not dependent on performance or achievement. He doesn't love you because you have a 'quiet time'. He doesn't love you because you work at a church. He loves you because you are made in His image...His likeness. And because God loves Himself...He loves us...

He will never love us more than He does right now...and He will certainly never love us less.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." (Romans 8:1)

"The condemnation of shame says to cover your sin because it makes you unlovable and unforgivable; the conviction of the Holy Spirit says you are loved, so bring your sin to God in repentance and be forgiven." -Joel Balin

2 Corinthians 1:2-4 (God of comfort)
Psalm 103 (attributes of God)
Ephesians 2:4-5 (saved by grace)

Worship & Expectation

Expectations can be a good thing...but they can also be a bad thing that will lead to disappointment when they're not met.

When we come together to worship God, do we expect Him to be there & move? Psalm 22:3 talks about God inhabiting or dwelling in the praises of His people. That's rather epic. In Matthew 18 Jesus straight up says, "When two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." (Matt. 18:20, msg)

So if God - Father, Son & Spirit - promises to be wherever we get together in His name, we can expect it to be so. He isn't trying to trick or confuse us. He is simply there & present in all His 'offices'. All powerful Son of God Jesus - who heals, restores, reconciles, frees & forgives is here in our midst! We will not be disappointed because He is who He says He is!

That deserves a big 'Booya!' So awesome!

Beholding & Seeing...

If you're married, or in a relationship, you probably love looking at the other person...you behold them. Sometimes, not even saying anything.

As we see God for who He is, we can't help but behold Him...to be amazed...

But, if we're not seeing God for who He is, as shown to us in the word & by His Spirit, then there won't be much to behold...and we will be rather unimpressed and unmoved. We won't be enamoured by Him and beholding Him will become a chore or a dry ritual...

A.W. Tozer Quotes from "Worship: The Missing Jewel"

"Why did Christ come? In order that He might make worshippers out of rebels."

"Worship means "to feel in the heart". A person that merely goes through the form and does not feel anything is not worshipping."

"Worship also means "to express in some appropriate manner" what you feel. And what will be expressed? A humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder. It is delightful to worship God, but it is also a humbling thing."

"And if there is one terrible disease in the Church of Christ, it is that we do not see God as great as He is. We’re too familiar with God."

"We’re here to be worshippers first and workers only second. We take a convert and immediately make a worker out of him. God never meant it to be so. God meant that a convert should learn to be a worshipper, and after that he can learn to be a worker. The work done by a worshipper will have eternity in it. Labor that does not spring out of worship is futile and can only be wood, hay, and stubble in the day that shall try every man’s works."

Worship: The Heart & The Mind

Worship is a response to something or someone...in our case, God. God reveals who He is to us and we respond. We experience freedom, healing & restoration from Jesus...we respond. We learn who He is in His word and we respond.

The more we see and experience Him, the more amazed and in awe we are...His power, beauty, love & holiness.

Worship also involves sacrifice. Words are easy to say...but to follow through with those words with a life lived in unabashed surrender involves yielding ourselves to Him...it involves giving up & letting go.

To worship with just the mind is dry and not robust. To worship with just the heart is empty and vague.

It can flip flop either way...and worship without both the heart and mind engaged is either flat or fluff. We write off engaging the heart in order to keep things controlled and manageable. We write off the mind to keep things in 'abstracts' and never get around to knowing who we are worshipping.

I fear it going either way...God cannot be contained in knowledge, yet He desires us to know Him. He reveals Himself in His word, yet desires us to know His heart and agree with what His Spirit is doing.

I want my worship to be as big and robust as God is...

Communion Re-Cap

The Songs:
Mighty To Save
Sweetly Broken
The Wonderful Cross
I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)
Jesus Paid It All
Happy Day

'Woah' is a good word to use to describe this past Sunday at His Place. Amongst other things, I've never seen His Place be as expressive as she was on Sunday...and we sang loud...together.

Something amazing happened that morning. May His Place be a place where we experience healing, restoration and freedom...

Set List & Morning Recap

Bless His Name (Sanchez)
Everlasting God (Brown/Riley)
All Who Are Thirsty (Brown)
Above All Else (Beeching)

Worship was great this morning. How do you rate it, you may ask? Kind of a weird thing to rate...cause it's for God. I guess what I mean is that I feel like we responded pretty well to God...to who He is...what He has done and is doing.

All Who Are Thirsty was the highlight song for me. Leading into the song, I read out of Revelation 22:17...and I invited the group to have that be what we mean when we sing, 'Come Lord Jesus, Come!' That we are not asking Jesus to come and make us feel good this morning, but that we are living in light of eternity...and that we are longing for Jesus to return like He promised He would. "The Spirit and the bride say, 'come!'"

Doug started us off into our new series in Thessalonians. A fantastic start...laying out where we'll be going. I only wish we had more time for the teaching. Other things took longer than expected...and things had to get tweaked on the fly...cutting out some of the teaching time. A huge bummer...but a solid foundation was laid nonetheless.

Great morning...and great to be back in the saddle after a week off.

Set List & Recap

Angels We Have Heard On High
Holy (Brown)
All I Have (Dobblemann)
Draw Me Close (Carpenter)

It was a good morning...with a lot of communication. Something people have been saying is that we're not communicating the progress of what's going on...and therefore...some people think that nothing is being done.

So...this morning we communicated about the acoustic panels we're ordering.

We also talked about the new difference between 1st & 2nd service...and honestly...I go back and forth about it. We are going to start bringing the volume of 1st service down to 82-85dbs. And 2nd will be 92-95dbs. I'm really torn on this...but I don't want to be stubborn. On a practical level, the acoustic treatments will remedy much of the issue...so we'll check in on the issue again then.

I think my concern with it is that we should be who we are. But perhaps...by doing this...we are being who we are. Our goal is to hit 5 generations...which is an ambitious goal. And my goal is to help facilitate an environment & atmosphere where these 5 generations can intimately worship, experience & engage God. If this can help this...then I'm all for it.

Any thoughts on turning down the volume for one service and not another??

Revelation & Response

Worship is about revelation and response. God shows us who He is...and we respond. The more we see...the greater the response.

Last night we were singing Matt & Beth Redman's Facedown...amazing lyrics paired with a rather haunting verse melody line. The reality that God welcomes us into His presence is mind blowing. That a holy God would invite us into relationship and intimacy with Him overwhelms me.

I never want to get comfortable in my worship...and I never want His Place Church to get comfortable in their worship.

I have been asking our bands to be praying specifically for this: that we experience greater intimacy with the Father and in turn offer everything that we have and are to Him in worship as a response. That we don't get comfortable and caught up in preferences in music or the colors of the newly painted walls...but that when we get together it is for the purpose to respond to God's great love and experience His presence and power.

There is so much more!

It Starts Tonight...

This evening at 6:30 we begin a new worship experience at His Place. It will be different from Sunday morning in a couple of ways. We'll meet in the new Multi Purpose room, there will be a different band, extended worship/music & more interaction during the teaching.

I'm anticipating tonight...

picture: ChrisMoncusPhoto.com

Worship Set List & Recap 11/2/2008

Because Of Your Love (Baloche/Brown)
Bless His Name (Sanchez)
Your Name (Baloche/Packiam)
More Than A Friend (Riddle)
How He Loves (McMillan)
It's All About Jesus (Underwood)

This morning flowed pretty well. Doug started his series on Revelation...this week he talked about Jesus...how everything centers around Him...starts and finishes with Him.

For me...More Than A Friend and then leading into How He Loves was my favorite moment.

Again...it was another big step in the right direction for us. We've been trying to be very deliberate in creating space for people to intimately experience and worship God. I keep praying that we continue to experience freedom in His presence...He changes everything...

Worship Set List & Recap 10/19/2008

Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone (Tomlin & Gang)
Hosanna (Baloche/Brown)
Forever You (Thomson)
As Children (Riddle)
He Loves Us (McMillan?)

We’re working toward more spontaneity in the music section of our worship…He Loves Us was just that…only did the chorus…but I think it was a good taste of where we’re headed…I liked it much…

Intimate & Self-Disclosing

One of our values in worship at His Place is that we strive 'to be intimate and self-disclosing with God.' Intimacy is our highest priority in worship. I've been praying lately that we would experience that intimacy in greater ways on Sunday mornings...and soon to be Thursday nights...in our Growth Groups...and in our homes.

For someone who talks about it a lot...it still comes as a challenge to be open and honest with God. I can be quite stubborn...but I'm trying to let God shape me...

Collaboration

Had a good meeting last night with two guys from the band. We've started meeting together to talk about worship, music and church...about what we're doing well, not so well, and/or rather poorly.

I'm excited about collaborating and planning. It will be cool to have a broader perspective and talking about creative ways that we can help facilitate intimacy with God during our Sunday morning gatherings.

How He Loves Us - Kim Walker & Jesus Culture

The Kingdom Is Here...

A large aspect of worshiping God involves us recognizing, affirming & declaring that His Kingdom is here...and that we put aside our agendas, plans & sin to take up Jesus' Kingdom cause.

Those are my thoughts...now time to finally take a shower! What a great Saturday!

Set List :: Sunday, July 27th 2008

For Who You Are (Sampson)
Everlasting God (Brown/Riley)
Holy God (Doerksen)
Holy & Anoited One (Barnett)

Spontaneity In Worship

I grew up in church. This presented both positive experiences and negative. Around my Sophomore year in high school, God began really widening my view of musical worship. Instead of going verse, chorus, verse, chorus...I started seeing the songs as vehicles to take me into deeper places with God.

I've heard many opinions on corporate worship that includes spontaneity...both negative and positive.

A big part of my heart is took include & invite as many people in the Sunday morning experience as possible. So...I wrestle a lot with how far off the page to go.

Some of it is coaching the people...some is leading them...a lot is praying & trusting...

God is doing good things at His Place...and I've got a feeling it's going to be a fun next 6-12 months...