John 3:23-24 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. 24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Psalm 29:2 Give to the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Everyone is called to worship in spirit and in truth in the beauty of holiness. It is more than the songs we sing. It is our life onto the Lord. Having said that, lets address the songs we do sing. Keep in mind that everything said is spoken in love. The intent is to edify the body of Christ.
To begin, this blog does not call into question anyone’s heart or motives. It is a call to awareness.
The are a number praise and worship songs sung in corporate settings. Furthermore, people listen to many of them through various mediums (radio, CDs, Mp3 players, etc.). Question: of those numerous songs, how many of them line up with the word of God? This is important to consider on at least a few levels. There are more than what is presented here. On one level, it pertains to praise and worship leaders in a corporate setting. Yes, this also includes the songwriters. Another pertains to participants and listeners.
In the church setting, before any preparation or practice to lead the song service, does anyone ask the Lord what He wants done? If Jesus is Lord of all (and He is), then He should be the Lord of the songs we sing. Do we sing certain songs because they’re popular in the Christian culture, or because we love the melody? Who are the songs meant to please? Do the lyrics align with Scripture? Have you ever experienced a time when you sang a song and found you could not sing a portion of it, because the lyrics did not line up with the Word?
There is much talk about the unity of the Church. If we are going to worship together as one, we need to be in agreement with God.
We can actually have a consensus of the songs we sing, and still not be in agreement. Ephesians 4:3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We are supposed to walk in the unity of the Spirit and of the faith. That means true agreement aligns with God. If the lyrics of the songs we sing are contrary to the word of God, how can they be in agreement with Him? It does pay to filter the songs we sing and write through the Bible. That includes the music to which we listen. What we sing or to what we listen can influence our thought life, good or bad.
The point is to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying and compare the music with the Bible. By coming together to agree with Him, we can worship as one Body. It is not about trying to avoid certain songs, especially in a religious sense; it’s about being led by the Spirit. Galatians 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
