AAEVS - Expressing our Worship (Part 2)

Now we look at the activities that our elders had prescribed for our church (and for any church) which I believe is biblical and important. We will look at four of these activities and how they relate to the worship of Christ:

Proclamation of the Word

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine." (2 Timothy 4:2) This indicates a continual function in the body of Christ. This preacher is not somebody speaking what is on his mind; this is a messenger speaking with the authority and word of God, a proclamation of what is true and righteous. This is an assertive, in-your-face proclamation; which makes this ministry so awkward in our postmodern, "everyone's opinion is right and nobody is really wrong except the 'intolerant' people" culture.

What is this proclamation about? Here is how Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile defined Spirit-fill proclamation: “Preaching is God speaking in the power of His Spirit about His Son from His word through a man.” It is a Christ-centered message. "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2) And why only Jesus Christ and His crucifixion? Because "by [Christ] all things consist." (Colossians 1:17) Christ is the intersection that brings everything together; and most importantly He is the only access to God the Father.

How is worship expressed in the Proclamation of the word? First, Spirit-fill proclamation ought to lift up awe for the majesty and love of Jesus Christ and the sweetness of all of Holy Scripture. Second, it makes sense that if the preacher is blessed by the Spirit to proclaim His word and His grace, God is still intensely interested in His local church and is present in our midst; also when the preacher touches on saints from history or the present day, we are reminded of their testimonies and are inspired to press on into the Kingdom. Third, we participate in by affirming out loud the truths that are proclaimed; we participate by testing the sermon, holding fast that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22)

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Colossians 3:16) The mistake that many people make when making preaching the center of the service is that they unintentionally imply that the "song service" is sort of time-consumer, just something to do to use up the time; the "preaching service" is what 'really matters.' But Scripture differs with that notation; the singing of God's praises is a very important ministry in the worship of Christ.

However, sometimes when we read or hear of God commanding us to praise Him, He comes across to us as C.S. Lewis called it, "an old vain woman seeking compliments." Here is his refutation of that sinful notation: 

"The most obvious fact about praise — whether of God or any thing — strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless . . . shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise — lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game — praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least.…
I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value.
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed." ~ Reflections on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis

And singing is the consummation of thankfulness. Even those who do not consider themselves interested in singing find themselves in private repeating some tune they think is jubilant. What does Scripture say about singing?

First, singing praises to God is the honorable thing to do. "Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely." (Psalm 147:1) Don't let some cranky God-hater tell you otherwise. There is nothing to be ashamed of in worshiping the God of the Bible. 

Second, singing should be bold. "Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob." (Psalm 81:1) Singing is no private matter; it is intended to be heard loud and clear.

Third, singing should be fresh. "Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints." (Psalm 149:1) Our songs should not become an old hat; as we experience more and more of the grace of God, we ought to find more avenues in God's word to express it.

Fourth, people must understand what they are singing about. (Psalm 47:7; 1 Corinthians 14:15) This should be a no-brainer; however, we tend to distract our minds from the service that we miss the gravity of what we are singing. We ought to meditate and consider what we are singing. 

Fifth, singing should be melodiously excellent. "Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise." (Psalm 33:3) While our hearts are the main concern in His worship, we should not neglect to display that grace within us in mastering the melody. This is not to beat anyone on the head with expectations that are discouraging; it is to raise our potential for what we can do through the Spirit.

How is worship expressed in the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? First, the songs portray Jesus as the sole Caregiver and Liberator of our souls; this lifts up our hearts in thanksgiving and awe. Second, the singing of God's praises assures us that God is present; these songs are written by Christians with a background, present in our remembrance of their testimony. Third, we participate by singing with grace and thanksgiving for His mercy and strength; we call out songs to exhort one another to edification.