Why Sing, part 2

If you made it through and survived part 1, here’s part 2:  #4-6 of the top 10 reasons we sing praises to God.

#4 – Singing is an excellent way to declare God’s promises

This life is hard.  We constantly face issues that discourage us, wear us down and mess us up.  And then as the storm is passing, we start to see the light.  But just when we “get it” and allow God to deliver us (and I’ve experienced this many times) that’s when the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy and he messes us back up again.

Have you ever felt that tug between flesh and spirit?   Do you realize that there is battle out there between good and evil, fighting for your very soul?  It’s like there’s an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other and with all the tension you just feel too weak to stand!

My friend, here is the answer -- you stand on God’s word!  When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He used scripture to resist the devil.  When the Israelites marched into the battle, the musicians led the way.  Singing can be used as spiritual warfare as we claim ground in our hearts for God.  As we advance His kingdom with our actions, we sing, rejoicing because we know that we have the victory in Christ.

So when you’re discouraged, sing God’s truth!

#5 – We sing because God does

This is probably not a reason you’d think of, but did you know that God sings?  And we are made in His image – we are God-imitators.

There are Biblical references to each person of the Trinity singing! 

• Zephaniah 3:17 (an awesome passage about the intimacy of the father) says, “He will quiet you with his love.  He will rejoice over you with singing.”
• Hebrews 2:12 quotes Psalm 22:22 saying Jesus is not ashamed to call them [believers] brothers. He says,   I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.”
• Ephesians 5:18-19 states when we are filled with the Holy Spirit we sing Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

Knowing that God sings causes us to be aware of a couple things:

#1)  We often sense His presence with us when we’re singing together because we’re actually joining Him in song!

#2)  We reflect God’s glory in being more like Him.  He sings so we sing.  And it all points to Him, making Him look good, giving Him all the glory!

#6 - Singing expresses the unity we have because of what Christ did on the cross

Christ died once and for all (Romans 6:10).  If we have put our faith in him, we each have a song of salvation, a song of thankfulness, a song of testimony.  These songs are unique to you and tell your faith story.  If you set it to music it would likely be a country song...although hopefully not because that might not sound too good (just sayin’)

When we sing the same truths together, expressing our gratitude for the gospel, and declare our commitment to follow Christ our king, it unifies us; no matter how good or how bad we’ve been.  No matter who we’ve offended or who has offended us -- we all stand at the foot of the cross, fully forgiven and fully loved.

Being united in Christ gives us the ability to accept, forgive and love each other just as Christ has done for us.  Keep this in mind when you, your spouse, your kids and your parents all like different musical styles.  You all go to church on Sunday having your own favorite songs.  And no one seems to appreciate your unique musical love for the songs that no one else likes! 

As a worship leader, I constantly get song suggestions from the congregation.  Nearly every week someone approaches me and requests a song.  Sometimes it’s a song that we have done before and I like it and other times it’s a song I’ve never heard of.   Many times they’re obscure songs that have been forgotten (or never discovered) and even if I don’t prefer them, that’s okay!  Each person has different connections with various songs.  My hope as a worship leader is to see everyone in the church, whether they “like” they song or not, unified under the power of declaring the gospel and the truth about God.

With all our musical preferences, let’s remember that part of the reason we sing our worship is to unite us in Christ.

Check out all the musical & unifying references in Romans 15:5-7

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus  Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

- Rich 

Why Sing, part 1

Some people love to read – it’s in their DNA.  And if they’ve been reading since early childhood, chances are they’re pretty fast readers.  This describes my wife.  She’ll casually blow through 50 pages while I watch TV for 20 minutes.  Other people read slower than they talk.  Guess what kind of person I am?  I have to painfully force myself to read.  So when I take time to really digest something, I make it count.


So when gave it my all to digest an article in Worship Leader magazine titled “Why We Sing” by Bob Kauflin, I had to stop and get out my pen and mark it up.  It spurred me on to make a list of the top 10 reasons why we sing in church as our primary form of corporate worship.  It’s like there are 2 entites: “singing” and “worship” yet how come the two intersect every time we go to church?


So here’s the top 10!
We sing because…
#1 – God commands us to
#2 -  it enables us to respond to God’s grace
#3 – it enables us to remember God’s word
#4 – it’s an excellent way to declare God’s promises
#5 – God does
#6 -- it expresses the unity we have because of what Christ did on the cross
#7 – it offers us a glimpse of Heaven
#8 – it prepares our minds to hear God’s teaching
#9 – it plants seeds in our heart for life transformation
#10 – it reminds us of the importance of the Gospel, thereby encouraging us to live on mission for Jesus


I’ve had a chance to share on each of these points.  So this will get kind of long and will span a few blog entries, but it’s worth diving into scripture to see how music is important to God and how it should be life-changing for us when we worship.




#1 – God commands us over 50 times in the Bible to sing His praise.  


Psalm 47:6 is pretty emphatic -- it says, “sing praises to God, sing praises!  Sing praises to our King, sing praises!”  God evidently wants us to do just this!  So let’s make the number one reason we sing is because we desire to obey.


You don’t have to know too many Old Testament stories to notice that it’s a good idea to obey God.  There are many examples of what NOT to do.  God told Jonah to go to Nineveh but he didn’t, and ended up stuck in the belly of a whale as alternative to drowning.  Yeah, he should have obeyed right?


Realize, though, that singing is not for God’s benefit.  His commands are always for our benefit.  There’s a lot that happens in our hearts when we sing praise.  Declaring truth with your lips refreshes your spirit, reminds you of what’s really important, and connects you to your Creator.


Just remember, worshipping God in song is not simply a suggestion.  It’s a commandment, repeated over and over in scripture so we don’t miss out!




#2 – Singing enables us to respond to God’s grace


Music is an emotional language.  It’s meant to affect and move us.  That’s why people love Christmas carols, pep rallies, national anthems, Broadway musicals, and rock concerts.  Singing gives our praise a powerful platform.  It effects us emotionally for the right  reasons.  It puts our heart in the right place before God.


He has given each of us a song – it’s a song of thanks from the redeemed to the redeemer.  We have been forgiven and shown undying love, so we should naturally express that love back to the Lord. God isn’t glorified from half-hearted grumblings and mumblings;  making a joyful noise unto the Lord only happens when you do it with all your heart.  It comes from deep inside and is a reflection of your faith.


Nothing is more compelling than the grace God has shown us in delivering us from condemnation through the sacrifice of His son.  We have been given new life in Him.  We are greatly loved.  We are called His children and He chose us even though we didn’t deserve it!  How can we not sing!


In scripture the emotion most commonly connected with singing is joy.  May we constantly and joyfully remind ourselves that Jesus Christ has defeated the powers of hell and now reigns victorious as our redeemer and king.

“Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.”   Psalm 33:1

#3 - Singing enables us to remember God’s Word


You’ve heard of John 3:16, right?  It’s the most commonly memorized verse in the Bible. Well every good singer should also memorize Colossians 3:16: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another.”
This is really much more about the words than the music.  Music is a mnemonic tool and when combined with scripture, it helps us to remember God’s truth.


A while back I made a blog entry titled “Am I the only person who likes this song?”  Here’s a little excerpt:

We did a newer song this Sunday that I absolutely love, but I wonder if others shared my enthusiasm.  As I looked out on Sunday I got mixed facial expressions to the point that I questioned if I may have been the only person who liked the song!  It starts with  "Create in me a clean heart O God" (from Psalm 51:10) and in a Tuesday conversation I heard, "I've really been praying this week that God would create a clean heart in me."  This is SO VERY encouraging to me!

Okay that’s the first 3.  The other 7 will be posted soon so stay tuned!


- Rich

worship everywhere

My kids are awesome.  They’re at the age when they get overly excited about anything their little minds can comprehend.  The enthusiasm over a single grape or a 5-minute ride in the car just astounds me.  Last week my 3-year old son Jacob came home from church just crazy about his memory verse they learned, jumping up and down doing the motions they learned.  Not to be outdone, Emma (the 5-year old) simultaneously shouted her verse at the top of her lungs.

Once the chaos died down, I asked the kids if they knew what those words meant.  We talked about the Bible, God’s plan to save us and how much He loves us, all in preschooler terms.  Emma’s verse was Psalm 122:1, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’”  Here’s the 5-year-old version:  I’m happy to go to church with my friends.

I explained to Emma that in the older part of the Bible that people went to church (tabernacle/temple) to be with God because that’s where God lived.  But then Jesus came and He changed everything!  Now He lives inside of us and so He is with us everywhere we go.  We can pray and talk to Him anytime and we go to church because we are so happy.

That night at worship team practice as we were discussing how we live our lives as worship I shared my Emma story in 5-year old language.   I received the warm response of, “we like the 5-year old version!”

How quickly we forget that we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19) and that we are God’s house (Heb 3:6).  It’s not Biblical to go to just go to church to meet with God, we never stop meeting with God and should talk to him every day!  We go to church to grow in community, celebrate together the amazing grace we’ve been given, to learn and to encourage each other.

I led this trendy song in 2005 to start the worship service: “I’m here to meet with you, come and meet with me.”  As good as it sounds, it’s just not true!  Don’t come to church to be with God.  Instead BE the church every day to the world around you, sharing the love of Christ with everyone you come in contact with.  That is New Testament worship!  2 of the best NT worship verses to always remember:

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 your true and proper worship."

Colossians 3:16

"Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts."

- Rich

when it all started

“What made you want to become a worship leader?” a friend of mine asked me earlier today.


“It’s a great story,” I replied. 


“When I was 17 I was in a band of “budding” musicians (that’s a nice way of putting it).  We loved music and we hung out at church a lot so eventually we picked up a few guitars, drums, a keyboard and whatever else we could get our hands on and formed a worship band.  We learned a few songs and then tried to get gigs – and if you’ve ever tried this before you know how difficult that can be!


Eventually we got booked to play in a little “coffee house” (or so they called it) in the basement of a very small church that was about an hour away, in the middle of nowhere. The ceiling was about 7-feet high depending on which side of the room you stood, the floor was concrete and there were 4 metal support beams in the middle of this tiny room.  After driving forever in the pouring rain and almost getting lost, we pulled into the muddy, gravel parking lot and unloaded our gear.


There were 5 people in our band plus 4 friends that we brought with us.  The pastor was there and one or two other people.  A meager turnout, but it filled the room.  After we got started an older woman walked in with two African-American teenagers and they sat in the back corner.  She was a foster mom, and these boys had just arrived from a tumultuous family situation in New York City.


It was the last song.  The name of the song was “Faithful Father.”  I spoke up and shared about how God never turns his back on us -- even when we make mistakes and turn our back on him His arms are open and welcoming us back.  If anyone wanted to pray after the song, I invited them to pray with us.  As we were packing up, the youth leader that came with us (one of the four) enthusiastically came up to me saying how one of the two boys had prayed to receive Christ and that the other wanted to know more about our faithful God!


I was overwhelmed with joy.  It was in that moment that I knew what God wanted me to do with my future.  Music Ministry - to use music to lead people to Jesus.  I would definitely say that after that night I knew I was “called” to do this.  And I will never forget that long time ago in a basement far far away where a boy gave his life to Christ.


- Rich

the message that never changes

Among the many changes that have occurred in the music scene and the changes in the worship scene, The one thing that remains the same throughout and holds true is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Every week our theme might take a new shape or form to a different mold, yet the underloying truth still remains and never waivers! How can we make this message more clear and more tangible for people who have never heard it before? How can we show them a side of Jesus that they have never seen before? One of love and redemption. Well part of that has to do with the worship we lead them in every week. if we commit ourselves to God's work in our lives and allow Him to mold us and shape us as people and as musicians then we can more effectively serve Him. Because when all is said and done, Worship is not about us at all, it's about the one we worship.. In order to reach people's hearts, we need to allow God to take center stage and we must play the background (Lecrea reference anyone?) Anyway, I digress. The point is, even if we don't tangibly see people's worshipping outwardly on Sunday morning, that doesn't mean that God isn't impacting, speaking to and convicting them through the message of the Gospel. The Lord works in mysterious ways and He does it in ways we cannot understand. What we need to do as his servants is be ready and willing to do His work, no matter what!
Sean

Am I the only person who likes this song?

Nearly every week, sometimes every day, I hear someone say something that references the words to the songs we sang on Sunday.  “I remember the words so well and catch myself singing them later in the week,” they’ll say.  Others have said how on Sunday they’re distracted and although they may not even be fully engaged in worship, the lyrics they remember draw them closer to God the other days of the week.


We did a newer song this Sunday that I absolutely love, but I wonder if others share my enthusiasm.  As I looked out on Sunday I got mixed facial expressions to the point that I questioned if I may have been the only person who liked the song!  It starts with  "Create in me a clean heart O God" (from Psalm 51:10) and in a Tuesday conversation I heard, "I've really been praying this week that God would create a clean heart in me."  This is SO VERY encouraging to me!


So often I feel like the church could be worshipping more, singing louder, and more joyful in praise.  Is God really doing a work in our hearts or are we just going through the motions?  Have we been truly transformed by the power of the cross and the redemption we have through Christ?  Sometimes it’s so hard to tell.  I question if I'm picking the right  songs, or if I’m singing in tune.  Do I look scary?  Is my fly down?


But when I hear how the truth of scripture has taken root, that people have remembered the truth and are applying it to their lives it makes it all worth it for me!  But even more than blessing my heart, I know this blesses the heart of God.  This is what He wants, not for us to attain a higher level of spirituality but to be on the journey.  To be growing.  He doesn't want us to get stuck.  Never stay the same!  He is doing a new work, constantly recreating us.


Keep on asking, and you will receive.  Keep on seeking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you.  (Luke 11:9)


The better we know His word, the deeper our understanding is of God's ways.  Our thinking changes, our faith grows and it dictates our feelings & actions in a way that more obviously proclaims His truth.  And a life that obviously proclaims God's  truth in word and deed is the best way to live.  This is true worship.


- Rich

Character

Is it hard for you to pray?  Do you ever feel like you keep asking God for the same things over and over?  How about when you worship?  At some point all the songs sound the same.  It’s easy to feel bored with the monotony of religion.  Is this how it’s going to be from now until I die?  How can Heaven be paradise if we’re going to keep doing the same thing forever?


I wonder this all the time.  And all the time I hear about people that don’t go to church because they say it’s boring and fake.  (I think the repetition makes it less meaningful.)  They give up on church, religion and ultimately on God because it’s just not relevant or interesting to them.  Whether or not we’ve given up on church, we are all tempted in the same way.


The problem is that we don’t know God very well.  The Bible has a lot to say about His character, who He is.  It’s so important that we study scripture and reflect on all the specifics of His nature.  As a worship leader, I’m always intentionally asking myself, “how well does worship this week specifically reflect the various qualities of God?”  If we fail to stop learning about God, our faith will easily turn into meaningless religion.  Our worship will be less accurate and authentic because we will forget who we’re worshipping.


You can easily measure this with your prayers.  Are you always asking God for things when you pray, as if His only role is to be your magical genie in the sky who gives you whatever you want?  While it’s true he’s our provider and cares about our needs and desires, remember He’s also our King, Holy Lord, Savior, Leader, Deliverer and Father (just to name a few).  We should remember to pray in thankfulness, to pray worshipfully, for our own hearts to change align with His and for His will to be done on this earth.  We should humble ourselves and pray for our hearts to be in tune with His, to be delivered from sinful desires and temptations, for opportunities to lead others to Christ, and for the Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives.  Prayer isn’t about changing God (He doesn’t change) it’s really about us tuning our hearts into who He is.


The more you meditate on the biblical qualities of who God is, the more you will pray these prayers.  And God will always be faithful to continually mold your life and work your heart to make you more into His image, the image of Christ.  We were originally created in His image and our destiny is to become more and more like Christ.


And here’s the most important fact: God is never boring.  There is no limit to the depth of His glory; no end to His riches, wisdom and righteousness (Romans 11:33).  His love is greater than our understanding.  We could spend every second of our life getting to know Him better and we still would only know Him in part..  I love the analogy of the stars in the sky.  From here on earth they look small and dim but really they are 100x bigger than the earth, burning with immense heat and brilliant light, so bright that we can’t even look close up.  God is the same way – get a little closer to Him today and let it change you.

-Rich

god with a little g

I recently heard David Platt (author of the book “Radical”) share one of the most convicting messages I’ve ever heard.  He read the well-known story from Exodus 32 how the Israelites created a golden calf to worship while Moses was on Mount Sinai.  Platt then stated that this is a mirror to our own hearts today.

Even though we don’t worship actual golden calves, a consumer-oriented America feeds our self-centered nature to want to worship a god that we have created instead of the God we see in scripture.  Sure we want to go to heaven when we die, but we want to have fun now on earth.  When we seek temporal pleasures we water down God’s power and to dilute His relevance to our lives.  The only requirement to celebrate our faith becomes simple religious motions once a week on Sundays.

We must not ignore that there is a significant spiritual battle waging war for our very souls every day.  And our enemy, the devil, still tempts us to take a bite of the apple today.  Become your own god.  Do what you want.  You deserve it.

In Exodus 32, the people bowed down and worshiped the calf, presenting sacrifices and offerings to a piece of metal.  And then they indulged in sin and revelry.  It looked and felt like religion, but it was just an excuse to do what they wanted.

I must say this is a big struggle for me.  And in reality, it will always be.  Sometimes I wish I didn’t have the luxury of free will because I continually mess up.  I make decisions that feed my own desires.  Entertainment.  Comfort.  Human love.  Respect.  Even food.  These are my idols and in the end they are worth nothing.  Feeding my desire to have these things replaces my desire for God.  It’s so easy to lose sight of what’s important.  It’s so easy to become jaded and take for granted that my life was purchased at the cross.


And what happens to me is my whole life gets out of wack.  I'm unfulfilled, I loose hope, I become much more anxious, emotional, negative and controlling.  I embrace the dark side.  I am never satisfied.  But God is forever faithful.  He never lets me go and eventually I come back.  Whoa is life different!  I don't need entertainment because He is my complete joy.  I'm find comfort knowing that I'm living in His will.  My love, respect and acceptance are found in the unfailing love that Christ displayed on the cross and the promise that God is for me.  My food is His word.

We need to be broken.  When we fail to worship with humility, we fail to worship the God of heaven.

Without even realizing it, our worship can be corrupted in the same way.  We twist the Almighty God of scripture into a god that is so loving and accepting we can approach him on our own terms, when we want, how we want and it doesn’t really effect our lives that much.  Whereas if we really worshipped the King of Kings, the God who is full of wrath and justice yet loving enough to pour His wrath upon His own son so that we could be forgiven --- this God will bring us to our knees in sincere humility.  We should be continually blown away!  Every day, even every second, should be lived for eternity – an eternity that has nothing to do with our own selfish desires but with loving and serving the most holy God who will always be the only one worthy of our worship.

- Rich

10,000 hours

Malcom Gladwell writes in “Outliers”  that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.  This rule was specifically tested in the field of music, and it’s interesting that consistent practice outweighs raw talent.

I’ve also heard that there are no tone-deaf people, just untrained voices and ears.  So even the most hopeless of us can be redeemed!

Looking back over the past 15 years my performance ability hasn’t always been that great.  Sometimes when I listen to old recordings of me singing and playing guitar from the late 90s I need to plug my ears!

It was hard to hear criticism back then (it’s still hard today) but it helped me to be honest with myself and to keep working at it.  Day after day, week after week, year after year and eventually I’ve seen improvement.  I haven’t tracked my time, but I wonder if I’m coming close to the 10,000 hour mark.

I could have quit a long time ago.  After squawking out a few choruses like “Lord I Lift Your Name On High” and “As the Deer” I was almost ready to “face the music” and give up.  But I knew in my heart that God was calling me to music ministry.  When it’s hard to press on, we must be faithful to develop the skill God has given us and to let Him be our supply so He can use it for His glory.

After many long years, I feel like I’m to the point in my life where I can really see that now.  And with many years ahead I pray that He will continue to help me be faithful.

- Rich

Not Hopeless Enough

What does a bad day look like for you?  Maybe you just got in a fight with a friend or family member.  Or maybe you got in a car accident.  Or a close friend just found out they had cancer.  Or maybe you just feel rejected or unloved or that your life is going nowhere.  Perhaps you struggle with depression and feel like your life is worthless.  Any combination of these things can leave us feeling hopeless, that God is far away and doesn’t care.

I have felt this way more times than I care to admit.  We all have a dark side and as much as I know God has saved and redeemed me on the good days, the bad days can creep up and make me feel disconnected from Him.

However hopeless we feel, it’s not hopeless enough.  Nothing you do matters.  You are worthless.  Life is completely pointless.  Not until we accept these truths as realities can we begin understand and accept what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.

Without Christ life is pointless, but that makes it so much easier to love Him!  We’re much more thankful when we realize the darkness we’ve been saved from.

So today I pray that you realize it’s hopeless.  That on your own you can achieve nothing.  I pray that this causes you to lift your eyes to Heaven and cry out to your Savior who is always there and always ready to pick us up and breathe life back into our lifeless bodies.  May He fill you the assurance of His love and the power of His word.

-Rich O