I've been thinking about worship a lot lately. Normally, I'm not one
for Facebook notes, but I thought it wouldn't be harmful to open up
discussion on this.
I believe there are three different
types of songs in the Christian music world and that each has a
separate time and place in the church setting:
1) Performance
2) Praise
3) Worship
(1) Performance
These
are the types of songs you'll hear on The Fish or other radio
stations. They are often songs that sing about Christian life or ideas
or are songs sung from God's point of view to us. They do not sing to
or address God as the recipient of the lyrics. And that is not a bad
thing. Examples: "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot, "The Motions" by
Matthew West, "I Refuse" by Josh Wilson, "Love Song" by Third Day.
These
songs are best outside of the church setting, I think. There are rare
occasions where these performance songs can be sung in church.
However, if used properly as reflection after a sermon or other related
instances, they can be extremely powerful and influential.
(2) Praise
While
the title of "praise songs" may be debatable, these songs are ones
sung to God about His impact on our lives. They often thank God for
what He has done, praising Him for His majesty and His grace. Most
songs sung in church are Praise Songs, I think. Examples: "Your Grace
Is Enough" by Chris Tomlin, "From the Inside Out" by Hillsong, "Because
He Lives".
(3) Worship
Worship songs sing
solely to God and worship Him for who He is. They do not praise God
for anything that He's done but simply just because He is who He is.
Examples: "How Great Is Our God" by Chris Tomlin, "Not To Us" by Chris
Tomlin, "How Great Thou Art".
There are a select few pure
worship songs sung today in churches, I think. However, a lot of songs
straddle the "Praise" and "Worship" wall. Not many songs are purely a
praise song or purely a worship song. The distinction is hazy and not
really worth arguing about.
The important thing, I
think, is that we notice the distinction in the lyrics. While praise
is important, I think we need to make sure we get enough songs that
lead toward worship into our song choices. God is not amazing because
He died for us; Jesus' death on the cross is a result of His
amazing-ness (yes, I know that's not a word). He is great and awesome
and powerful all on His own. He didn't need to die for us to give us a
reason to worship Him.
I personally think that
we often sing of songs thanking God for His gift of His son Jesus and
how He has changed our lives and whatnot because its easy to relate
to. Those songs are valuable and totally acceptable. I am just
lobbying for more reverence. God is good. His goodness is independent
of anything He has done, anything we have done as a response. That
should be reflected in the songs that we choose to sing in church.
I've
been involved in musical worship since I was twelve years old. That's
almost half of my life. I've led worship since I was around
seventeen. God has gifted me with musical abilities and a voice box to
sing, and I've used it. And over the years, I've been constantly
learning. I haven't always led in a Godly manner or stood up for pure
worship in a Godly way. It's been a process. So I understand that I
need to listen more, to both God and others, on what it means to
worship.
I'm open to discussion on the topic. What have
you learned? What has God been teaching you? Maybe you disagree with
me. I think that is the beauty of worship. Worship is so varied from
person to person, yet at the heart of it, it should be the same.
