Gathered worship, local church worship, corporate worship.
Trendy worship songs come and go like the evening news cycle. Rather than focus on novelty, we should choose songs that people know and teach them songs with a timeless quality.
Just as the pulpit symbolically represents the church’s teaching ministry, the stage and the pew—for our purposes—represent two competing views of worship—performance and participation.
It is disappointing when a church that would never let a false teacher into their doors or stand in their pulpit, allows the influence of that deception to enter through one of the most powerful tools God has given to mankind—music.
Music is so important to God’s people that the largest book in the Bible is a songbook, not only meant to help them worship in song, but also given by God through His Spirit to shape their thinking and guide their emotions.
“Liturgy refers simply to the structure or order of a worship service…. We would like to make our liturgies available to you in two forms: complete services and collections of each of the elements. We do this so you can use or adapt them for your own purposes.” - Challies
“We’re unlikely to make much progress in establishing a proper worship service if we don’t first prioritize the public reading of Scripture.” - Lifeway
In John 4, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman reveals a pivotal shift in worship. “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23). This statement revolutionizes the concept of worship.
True worship runs far deeper than any stylistic expression. It is not merely the sound we produce but the surrender we offer. Pastors, worship leaders, and all church leaders must recapture the biblical vision of worship.
‘Hyperfocus on feeling is a dangerous path to tread. Feelings ebb and flow. It is no knock on emotion to say it is not the foundation of faith, even if it often plays a significant role in our relationships with God and each other.” - CToday
“All of this came to mind when I read Bob Smietana’s article for Religious News Service entitled If Jesus showed up today, would he play guitar? He was reporting on the Conference on Contemporary Praise and Worship held this summer in Nashville, in which scholars came together to discuss, among other things, ‘whether worship music has become a new sacrament.’” - Gene Veith
