- Worship in song is just a small sliver of overall worship (1 Cor. 10:31).
- This is the difference between worship continual and worship corporate.
- Continual worship refers to the entirety of your life bringing glory to God.
- Corporate worship refers to the Church gathering together and partaking in the Word through:
- the Word Read
- the Word Preached
- the Word Sung
- the Word Seen (ordinances)
- the Word Prayer
- In other words, corporate worship is a subset of all-life worship, and worship in song is a subset of corporate worship.
- Corporate Worship -
- Worship in Song -
Why We Sing in Church
The E's of Congregational Singing
- Encourages Unity - we unite in praise and fellowship as we speak to one another about God through song
- Evangelizes the Lost - we expound upon the life-breathing gospel through song
- Educates the Saints - we teach doctrine and truth through song
- Exhorts the Saints - we instruct and inspire in the faith through song
- Engages the Mind - we encourage godly thinking and worship of the mind through song
- Excites (creates) & Expresses (channels) Emotion - we stir truth informed emotion and affection for God through song
...just to name a few
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How to Assess a Songs Worth for Church
Ask... the 2 A's
Is It Accessible
- Lyrically
- is the language too outdated/antiquated to be properly understood?
- is the language clear and the thought developed well?
- Musically
- does the bulk of the song exceed the range (too low-too high) of the bulk of the congregation? If so, you will be leaving your congregation watching instead of participating.
- is the melody of the song memorable and worthy of memorization?
- is the melody too convoluted and technical to be learned and practiced by the bulk of your congregation?
- Biblically
- does the song say true things about God and our relationship to Him?
- does the song misquote or proof-text scripture or somehow mislead into error about God? If so, then don't do it.
or more simply, the 2 S's
Is it Scriptural?
Is it Singable?
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Balance in Corporate Worship
- Historic AND Contemporary
- Horizontal (Manward) AND Vertical (Godward)
- Sober AND Celebratory
- Personal AND Corporate
- Faster AND Slower
- Revelatory AND Responsive
Try to Sing the Gospel Through Your Song Selection
-The gospel is truth about - God - Man - Christ and a Response to those truths.
an example of this:
- God - songs about God's holiness, creation, etc.
- Man - songs that underline man's sin and need of a Savior - You Alone Can Rescue - "who oh Lord could save themselves..."
- Christ - songs that describe the atoning work of Christ - Jesus Messiah - "He became sin, who knew no sin..."
- Response - anything that says "I will worship" or responds in missional action.
