Worship Leadership Amnesia

We all have times of forgetfulness. The older I get, I have to confess that I occasionally have to mentally search for a word longer than I once did.  There is a lot more to remember, and more critical in nature, passwords, etc., which almost control all we do and good memory plays an ever increasing role.

There is another type of forgetfulness that seems to be encroaching across believers in an ever widening wave, one that is more threatening more than just having to carry around a card with passwords on it. This is the forgetfulness stems from the neglect of remembering what God has done in the past and from where we came.  It was God’s plan from the beginning to build into our lives a memory of His works that we would rehearse in our minds and with our families. Consider God’s instruction to the Israelites in Exodus 12:25-27:

When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’  then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.

To accomplish this required not just the observance of the Passover, but the explaining to the children why they were doing what they were doing.  It is very possible that the failure to keep the Passover in subsequent generations stemmed from the absence of the instilling the crucial element of the importance of why it was being done.

Deuteronomy 32 is a song Moses sang to the children of Israel not long before his death and is an important study in and of itself. But focus with me on his commentary afterwards in verses 44-47:
Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law.  They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Notice that one crucial method of remembering God’s law was through memorizing a song. The implication was that not only were they to learn it, but they had the responsibility to teach it to their children. Joshua, Moses’ servant who succeed him in leadership, continues this emphasis all his life as implied in Joshua 24: 31: “Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.”   They had recalled the great workings of God before as well as what God had done during Joshua’s lifetime. Failure to teach the children these critical elements of their faith took their toll as recorded in Judges 2: 10: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.”  The entire book of Judges is the tragic record of the people falling into back into idolatry because of their rebellion and failure to remember. The last verse of the book is a classic summary of what happens when we fail to keep to the forefront those things that are of highest priority: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” [Judges 21:25]

Fast forward to David moving the ark of God to Jerusalem. David chose to move the ark in the same way the Philistines had years before: on a cart. [2 Samuel 6] There had been clear instructions that the ark had to be carried with poles on the shoulders of the Levites.   [Numbers 4 & 7] The king’s failure to follow the instructions provided for a situation in which caused the death of Uzzah, who reached out to steady the ark when the oxen that were pulling the cart stumbled. This would have not happened had David remembered the commands for moving the ark.  He allowed the surrounding culture to give direction rather than Scripture.

The Old Testament is replete with dozens and dozens of occasions in which disobedience was a failure to remember, and much more space would be required than allowed to enumerate each one.  The books of Chronicles are the post-exilic retelling of the history of the nation. Knowing the history, know the law, knowing where one’s roots are and why are indispensable.

The Matthew and Luke begin with a genealogy of Christ, and John begins with Who Christ was, not just from what lineage.  Jesus taught not to try to fit an older understanding of Scripture into what He was teaching, since what preceded looked toward the coming of Messiah and now a new covenant was being established. However, even with that, Jesus underscored the blessing of knowing what had preceded: “He said to them, ‘Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.’” [Matthew 13:52] The early church made going back over what had been written a focus of their worship: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” [Acts 2:42] Paul emphasized the need for continued study: “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” [1 Timothy 4:13]

The need for rehearsing, restating, retelling the miracles, the history, and the wonder of God works and ways is undeniable. If it were important then, it is even more important now. The rapid availability and access to so much information has made the need for memorizing almost a forgotten art [no pun intended]. Before cell phones, I could have told you ten or fifteen telephone numbers without batting an eye; now I do well to remember my own as well as that of my wife. Information is as close as the touch of our phones, Ipads, or laptops. Why try to remember, when I really don’t “have” to?  The words of the psalmist come ringing in my ear: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” [Psalm 119:11] We must make it a priority to learn and memorize God’s Word, since everything around us in our culture is training us not to have to know or remember.

There is one more area in which forgetfulness or even neglect seems to be running rampant and the need to remember has all but vanished is the knowledge of our own Christian history. Just as it was important for the Israelites to know and have a strong sense of their identity by knowing whose they were and from where they had come, we have a responsibility for knowing our own worship history and knowing from we have come. Presently its seems as if we are losing our corporate memory for what it means to be the people of God. The saying “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" [George Santayana] applies to the realm of knowing our worship history as well.  It is very possible even for those teaching worship in Christian colleges and universities to have never had a course in historical theology or hymnology, yet be training the next generation to be the worship leadership in our churches.  How can we adequately know where we are going if we do not know where we have been?
Allow me one brief illustration and I will draw this to a close. In the early 300s AD a controversy led by Arius arose that denied the divinity of Christ. One of the chief methods of spreading his false doctrine was the use of easy to remember melodies. Obviously, there were no hymnals or committees reviewed the texts of what was being sung. The effectiveness of his methodology is attested to the fact the heresy had spread so far that congregational song was eliminated in the Council of Laodicea [363-364 AD].  Major figures like Ambrose and others fought against the heresy with his sermons and songs of his own. [He is attributed as having invented Long Meter 8.8.8.8.] Years passed before the effects of the erroneous doctrine were eliminated.

But how soon we forget. Many in worship leadership utilize only the latest and greatest songs that can be downloaded from the internet which straight into the rehearsal room and on to the service without much thought to the implications of the theology presented.  Some have never received formal or informal training in these areas and have placed the theological instruction, the words that will pass through the lips of the congregation and think about all week, to which ever artist has the best tune and beat. {A study I did on the Theology of Contemporary Hymnody is available in another blog in Worship HeartCries.}

What are the implications of our present situation? How does this apply to worship leadership? [Please know that I am aware of many who doing a wonderful job of leading worship, and are both knowledgeable and intentional in utilizing the time of worship for biblical teaching. Nor am I saying that I am aware of what is going on in every congregation. The following remarks are observations.] Let me list out a few:

1. We run the risk of doctrinal confusion at best and heresy at worse for the failure to review everything that is sung.

2. We run the risk of allowing culture to set our standards, rather than Scripture. Being relevant to the culture does not mean that we succumb to the standards of the culture. Rom. 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

3. Leadership must be trained to recognize doctrinal issues, be willing and able to correct them if possible or refuse to use the song.

4. An insistence on using only the latest songs denies the development of a canon of worship songs that can be passed on and shared from one generation to the next. Equally as bad, is the fact that even a meaningful new song never lasts long enough in use to become engraved in the heart of the believer that can be recalled during times of great difficulty. Consider the repercussions of the failure to teach and instill biblical truth in the next generation: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” [Judges 2:10]

5. There is a false sense of superiority given to the present that implies that anything old is bad anything new is good.  C. S. Lewis called it, “chronological snobbery;” it ignores the fact that truth is eternal. Truth is part of the very nature of an unchanging God, though  how truth is expressed may change, the veracity of its nature does not.

6. It ignores historical perspective. God had commanded Moses to teach the history of the great acts of God from generation to generation. In the same way, the Lord’s Supper is that reminder of the saving work of Christ, a celebration so that we not forget: “Do this in remembrance of Me.”  Though truth may be expressed in new ways, to emphasize only the new seems to minimize truths that might be handed down generation after generation.

7. It lacks the tests of time to validate its worth and usefulness. There are songs that are from generations past that continue to minister to countless across generational lines. By granting value to a song based on its publication date relegates the theological filter to a calendar more than on the teaching of Scripture.

8.  It sets itself for designed obsolescence, for built into the very nature of the attitude is that good is measured more by a ticking clock than by how well is measures to the truth as expressed in Scripture.


The solutions seems to be a careful reviewing of what is sung by those who are prepared to do it as well as bringing back into worship those songs that have proved themselves over the years as worthy and useful elements for corporate worship.  When the psalmist wrote “sing to the Lord a new song,” he was not saying, “sing to the Lord, only a new song.” That “new song” was a encouragement to seek new ways to declare the infinite nature and character of God. We need to be like that the scribe that Jesus described as one who heard Christ’s words and accepted them, and so was getting treasures, both “new and old.” An active appreciation of the past is not an attempt to forget relevance, but better understand who we are. If we cannot see where we have been, we will not be able to see where we are going.  As we master the balance of remembering the old and incorporating the new we can avoid the plague of worship leadership amnesia.

Psalm 141: Helps in Prayer in Difficult Times

Psalm 141

1 I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.
5 Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.
6 Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
7 They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”
8 But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
9 Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers, from the snares they have laid for me.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

V. 1-2 The psalmist seems to be in trouble and wants God’s help now. Yet, he wants his prayer to be like incense, which as you can imagine slowly drifts upward. The incense and evening sacrifice were things done in obedience, they were commands.  Why would the psalmist want his prayer to be like them? He wants his prayer to be in line with what God desires and he wants his prayers to be acceptable to God.

V. 3-7 Remember the context of verses 1-2, the psalmist’s desire that his prayer be acceptable. A “guard over my mouth” would be for what purpose? Again, he does not want to say anything that would hinder his prayer.   The psalmist knows that there are many temptations to do and speak evil, so the guard at his mouth would be someone who is righteous, that knows God’s law and stops him from saying or doing anything wrong. So, rather than join in the deeds and speech of those who are evil, he prays for their judgement. The wicked even come to the point where they recognize that they have been defeated.

V. 8-10 Rather than rejoicing in the defeat of those who do evil, the psalmist keeps his focus on God, calling Him the  “Sovereign Lord” or the One who is absolutely over all. He then returns to his plea for help from the wicked, that they would be trapped by their own evil, but that he would be safe.

There are several important things we need to remember when we pray while we are in difficult situations that we can learn from Psalm 141:

1. We call on God first.  God is not the resource that we go to when all else have failed. He is who we go to first.

2. We must be careful how we pray and careful about what we say. Words thrown out without thought can hurt other people, and can show a lack of faith and trust in God. [Remember the father to Jesus, “If you can help my son...”]

3. We need to welcome and seek the counsel of those wise in the faith. We need to be accountable to grow properly. Think about a grapevine, it is most useful when it grows following the strands of wire, rather than just run anywhere along the ground. Be accountable to someone and following spiritual disciples of prayer, Bible study, and learning to be obedient to God’s commands help keep us along the designs of God’s will for our lives.

4. It is easy to get side-tracked by those who focus on evil or that do not follow God’s laws.

5. We need to keep our focus on God, realizing that He is God, He is in control, He loves us, He has a plan, and that we can trust Him.

6. As we call on God, seek wise counsel, focus on the fact the God is in control and that we can trust Him, we can be assured that God will hear and answer our prayers for our good and His glory.

Going Back to "Square One"

Life and ministry is full of joys and indescribable rewards, but it can be full of setbacks, confusion, and debilitating frustrations as well. On a recent trip to Cuba I had the joy of sitting in on a class, the professor of which had been a previous student in some classes I had taught. Her genuine interest in the students, command of the material and natural giftedness in teaching was more a testimony of her personal commitment to Christ and being His disciple than anything that I could have done. Yet, I was humbled and grateful to God for the privilege of being a small part in a life so given to the service of Christ. She serves in a remote village with her doctor husband who also serves as the local pastor. They have three beautiful children, the youngest of which has Downs Syndrome. Most of us probably wouldn’t last a week going through what so many go through around the world in similar situations, but in the eleven years and 20 visits I have know this young godly woman I have never heard a complaint. In fact, some of the most joyful and funny times I have had in my life have been shared with the group of Christian musicians in Cuba with which God has given me the privilege of working.

Even so, they have days as we all do, where there may be two steps forward, and then three steps back. Other days, three forward and two back. Progress is slow and perseverance is so key to being able to make it through one more day. Walking with this group of friends from the island, even for just a short time, understanding the challenges and almost insurmountable difficulties can get very discouraging. Ministry here can be very disheartening as well, for just about the time you finally get one thing where it is working, three other things “fall apart” and it is not uncommon to want to just walk away in discouragement. In these times, something that has been of great help to me has been learning how to go back to “Square One” when the challenges do come.

What is going back to  “Square One?”  It is no miracle cure, for the situation and circumstance may or may not change. But, what does begin to change is our attitude in the midst of the difficulty.  Here is a brief explanation: When I find myself in the crisis, rather than react without thought, I try to mentally go over these 5 truths:

1.  God is in control. This did not catch Him by surprise and He is well able to use even the greatest tragedy for His ultimate glory and our good. Remember Matt. 28:19: “All power and authority are given to me in heaven and on earth....”

2. God loves me. Romans 8:38-89 declares that nothing can separate us from the love of God. I may not understand the love of God, but I cannot deny it, or stop it. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

3. God has a plan. Like the backside of a tapestry where the threads seem all out of place and the shape is not clear, only God can see the other side and that what He is designing is a thing of real beauty.  Remember Is. 55:8-9: ‘“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”

4. I can trust God and His Word. Because I know He is in control, that He loves me, that He has a plan, I can place my faith and confidence in His hands. His Word is truth, and since it reflects His nature and character, we can rely and believe what He says is true.  Remember Hebrews 4:12  “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Ps. 119:9, 11 “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

5. I must choose to act in obedience, giving thanks “in” the situation. In 1Thes. 5:18, Paul reminds us “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Notice that he says, “in” not “for.”  It is an act of the will. It is a choice, not a feeling. From this choice we respond in obedience to what God desires.

I know that this seems to be an over simplification, and I am certainly not trying to minimize the difficulty that someone may be going through at the moment. I am just sharing some things that have helped me greatly.  Going back to  “Square One” is different way of thinking about life and just a way of reminding myself of biblical truths. Remember what Paul says in Rom 12:1-2: “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. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  In “renewing our mind” we learn a new pattern of thinking that does not conform to the patterns of the world, but one in which is pleasing to God. “Square One” can aid in that process.


                                                  Square One
                                          1. God is in control.  
                                          2. God loves me.
                                          3. God has a plan.
                                          4. I can trust God and His Word.
                                          5. I must choose to act in obedience,
                                              giving thanks “in” the situation.

How to Respond When Bad Things Happen

When bad things happen we wonder where God is. We feel as if God doesn't care or even that He has abandoned us. Deep down we know that isn't true, but the internal confusion can still persist. What can we do?

Paul shared a list of things to help remold our thoughts in Philippians 4:8-9: 
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”  Focusing our thoughts as God as commanded in His Word brings the promise of God’s peace.

 But you might ask, “How do I do that? What can I think about?”  Great question. Let me suggest some things.  Just as emergency workers are trained to follow a set of procedures when a crisis occurs, it is good for us to have a plan in mind for when bad things happen to train out thoughts how to respond in a way that pleases God. Here are some starters that I use and have found helpful.

Begin with the following statement, say it out loud:

I can trust God because:

1. God is in control; God has a plan.  He is under no obligation to share His plan with me and I am not able to see everything from His perspective. This helps develop our faith. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,  neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  As the rain and the snow  come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,  so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:8-11

2. God loves you, He loves me. The cross is a reminder forever of the depth of the love of God. As we contemplate the cross where God sacrificed His only Son for us that we might have an eternal relationship with Him in eternity, we can never doubt the love of Almighty God.”But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

3. The purpose of my life is to glorify God.
– We do this by allowing Him to shape us into the image of His Son by developing a relationship with Him: “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:13-15

– by leading others to that relationship, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:8

– by being obedient to His commands, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” John 15: 10

– and by worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth. “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24.

4. What happens to me is not as critical as my response to what happens.  Not that what happens is not important, but my response is indicative of the depth of relationship with God and how well I know Him. “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24

5. I can thank God. Scripture says that "in everything" we give thanks, not "for". “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Each time those negative thoughts of doubt and despair coming knocking at your mind’s door, go back and begin to repeat: “I can trust God because....”

"Unplugged" Worship

“Be Prepared” is not only the Boy Scouts’ motto, it is a necessity for those who lead worship. Recently, the air conditioning system went out at our church sanctuary on a Saturday causing a rapid change of venue. Tracks, lighting, video, mics, were all ready for use in the sanctuary, however the AC issue caused us to call in a “Plan B,” which was go to our Fellowship Hall. Now with only two microphones and a older piano. All my planning was envisioned in another place with greater facilities, and now had to be thrown out as the last minute. Our congregation graciously accepted the change and we had a meaningful time of worship, However, the incident did make the wheels of my mind begin to spin. What do I really need in order to worship?

What if the electricity had gone out, what would we have done?  The Sanctuary has side doors, but no windows, so a lack of breeze would be an issue. We could use the piano, maybe an acoustic guitar, but no organ, electric guitar, lighting, air conditioning, or projection screens. Without proper lighting even hymnals would be questionable.  If you were to go bare bones, with just your hearts and voices what changes would you have make? It is easy for our security to become trapped by the all the non-essentials. Perhaps we’ve become so dependent on a wall of sound that for some musical worship  would be difficult, if not impossible.

No, I’m not about to suggest that we return to the caves and push to renounce every modern convenience. Years of serving overseas as a missionary provided plenty of experiences of bare-boned worship that was meaningful [and some that was not]. Now, living in south Louisiana in the heat and humidity without air conditioning would not be pleasant and most likely would demand that we move our time of worship to a time of the day when the weather would be less oppressive. However, I would like for us to think about worshiping “un-plugged” for just a moment.

By “Unplugged Worship,” I mean, worshiping God without all the technology that has facilitated and complicated our time together as the Body of Christ.  The music in worship services in England after the Reformation was reduced to the singing of the Psalms in unison, that is, just melody, no harmony. Light was provided by windows, sound by the acoustics of the room and the strength of human voice. [The simplicity is tempting, yet I know how important good accompaniment is to supporting congregational singing.]

The question is this: What if our churches had to worship “unplugged” for a month? A year? Would we see the attendance increase or decrease? Would those that seek to be entertained lose interest and go somewhere else or no where at all? Would we be able to worship without the “extras” that have become so much a part of what we do? Is it just enough to gather as the Body of Christ and center our hearts and focus on Him, whether or not we are even able to sing or not? Is Jesus alone enough? 

If there is something we have to have besides God’s Word and Holy Spirit in our lives as we gather and focus on God, then have we made that object or thing an “idol” that separates us from  worship? 

Perhaps we need to “unplug” every now and then and see what are those things on which we are really depending for worship individually and corporately.  Just some thoughts....