NGU Skyliner

Christine Parks
Staff Writer

Worship is offering oneself as a living sacrifice to God. Paul says in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is true worship”.

The connection a believer has with God through a personal relationship with Christ is worship – nothing else can claim that position, not even music. Music, however, has a vital role in the way believers worship God.

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts”. The music Paul is speaking of in Colossians flows from the Spirit and out of the heart of the believer. If the heart of a believer is not centered on God, then the music is simply music, not worship.

Music, in itself, is not worship, but worship can be expressed through music. A conflict, however, has grown from the misunderstanding that music is the equivalent of worship. The different styles used to lead worship have become a common disagreement in Christian culture. Sadly, many have become so focused on whether or not the style pleases their ears that they are no longer focused on the unchanging God who has been worshiped throughout all centuries regardless of the style of music.

A believer should not focus on whether the music is from Jesus Culture Band, out of a hymnal or any other style or band but should focus on God. The focus should be on who He is, what He has done, what He will do and the truth spoken through the lyrics.

Deuteronomy 5:7 says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Worship must revolve around the Creator and not the created. If worship revolves around anything other than God, it is an idol. When the focus is no longer on one’s self or another idol, the style of music is no longer an issue because the worshipper becomes aware of God’s worthiness to be praised at all times.

In fact, believers are commanded to praise God. Deuteronomy 6:13 says, “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His Name” and Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”

This command should greatly encourage and relieve believers. A believer is not asked to praise God if they feel like it or if the music is good enough – the command states to praise God. A believer who praises God and worships His Name when they do not feel like it is giving Him a sacrifice of praise.

The reason for worship is that God is worthy and not that the music is good enough for individual standards. Revelation 4:11 states, “‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’” In essence, worshipping God is living a life given to Him, which includes every area in a person’s life being focused on God’s worthiness (which goes back to Romans 12:1).

Worship is not dependent on music but on the connection a believer has with God through Christ, His worthiness and the command to praise Him. Thus, everyone at all times can constantly worship Him.

God is faithful to keep His promise of salvation. Therefore, a believer is permanently sealed by God through the Spirit as a deposit “guaranteeing [their] inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13, 14).

During a youth group night, I asked God to teach me about worship. That night I took the stage to lead worship and I missed my cue to come in on the first song. Halfway through, I asked to start over.

The moment I stepped off the stage, God revealed to me that everything was okay because worship is not a performance. I began to understand that worship had very little to do with how well I sang but more so with my heart, attitude, life and God.

When I  struggle to praise God, I ask the Lord to help me worship Him in Spirit and Truth. I continue to ask this from Him as my struggles ebb and flow. He is faithful to help me worship Him regardless of circumstances, and I am confident He will help you as well.

Tags: Spring 2010, Vol. 110 - Issue 11

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 and is filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.