THE PURPOSE OF MUSIC IN WORSHIP

Psalm 100

The worship of God is every believer's highest pleasure and responsibility. The components of worship, however, are easily and often misplaced. It is a mistake to think that true worship rests upon the style of music, lighting, drama, or the use of hymns or choruses. The chief instrument in the worship of God is the human voice.

There is a great misunderstanding in many churches as to the purpose of music in worship. Some churches advertise that their “life-changing” or “dynamic” worship will “enable you to enter the presence of God and change your life.”

The problem with this kind of advertisement is that these kinds of promises reveal a significant theological error. Music is viewed as a means to facilitate an encounter with God; it will move us closer to God. In this schema, music becomes a means of mediation between God and man. But this idea is closer to ecstatic pagan practices than to Christian worship.

Today there is a popular but mistaken notion that music and the worship experience are means by which we enter the presence of God and receive his saving benefits. There is simply no evidence whatsoever in Scripture that music mediates direct encounters or experiences with God. This is a common pagan notion and far from biblical truth. There are consequences to viewing music as an encounter with God. Every Christian, pastor, and worship leader should be aware of this and take great care when it comes to worship.

Worship and music are as essential to each other as worship and preaching. It seems there is always tension between time dedicated to music and time dedicated to preaching. In our world today preaching is being marginalized, shoved into a smaller and smaller time constraint while it seems the services are filled with what amounts to little more than an emotional rock concert. The truth is, that preaching and Christ-honoring music are not adversaries. Music and preaching should complement each other.

Our assurance is threatened if we associate God’s presence with a particular experience or emotion, what happens when we no longer feel it? We search for churches whose praise team, band, or music produce in us the feelings we are chasing. But the reality of God in our lives depends on the mediation of Christ, not on subjective experiences.

When music is seen as a means to encounter God, worship leaders and musicians are vested with a priestly role. They become the ones who bring us into the presence of God rather than Jesus Christ. Understandably, when a worship leader or band doesn’t help me experience God they have failed and must be replaced. On the other hand, when we believe that they have successfully moved us into God’s presence they will attain in our minds a status that is far too high for their own good.

If we identify a feeling as an encounter with God, and only a particular kind of music produces that feeling, then we will insist that this same music be played regularly in our church service. As long as everyone else shares our taste then there is no problem. But if others depend upon a different kind of music to produce the feeling that is important to them then division is cultivated. And because we routinely classify particular feelings as encounters with God our demands for what produces those feelings become very rigid. This is why some churches succumb to offering multiple styles of worship services. By doing so, they unwittingly sanction division and self-centeredness among the people of God.

Scripture is full of exhortations to God’s people to sing and make music to the Lord. God has been gracious to give us this means to worship Him. But it is important to understand that music in our worship is for two specific purposes: to honor God and to edify our fellow believers. Unfortunately, many Christians tend to grant music a sacramental power that Scripture never bestows upon it.

How wonderful it is when music in our services is not done as a performance to highlight the talent of the musician but as a message about the glory of our God. We need to be so careful that music, the lyrics, and the musician have as their goal to praise God. In so doing, those who hear the music are made ready to receive the Word that will be preached. Music and preaching are not in competition in worship; they are complementary to each other and allow for Christ-honoring worship.

“Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power… Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” (Psalms 150:1, 6)