To Hymn or not to Him - That's really the question

I am often accused of not liking modern church music because I 'don't get it.' There may be something to that. But it's probably more a question of waiting for something to speak to my soul and spirit the way these words do:

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness

I dare not trust a sweeter frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' Name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand...

all other ground is sinking sand."

Modern "worship" leaders so often mix songs of praise, worship songs, the 'psalms, hymns and spiritual songs' of which Paul speaks in his letter to the church at Ephesus, under the broad banner of 'worship' to an apparently hard of hearing God, that is it is patently clear the worship leaders don't know what the differences are and can hardly be expected to lead that which they don't 'get'. and then there are the words of Edward Mote, the son of a London pub owner, who wrote what is by all definition, from the first verse to the last chorus, a simple hymn of grace

In Mote's own words:

"One morn­ing it came into my mind as I went to la­bour, to write an hymn on the ‘Gra­cious Ex­per­i­ence of a Christ­ian.’ As I went up Hol­born I had the chor­us,

‘On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand.’

"In the day I had four first vers­es com­plete, and wrote them off. On the Sab­bath fol­low­ing I met bro­ther King as I came out of Lisle Street Meet­ing…who in­formed me that his wife was ve­ry ill, and asked me to call and see her. I had an ear­ly tea, and called af­ter­wards. He said that it was his usu­al custom to sing a hymn, read a por­tion, and en­gage in pray­er, be­fore he went to meet­ing. He looked for his hymn-book but could find it no­where. I said, ‘I have some vers­es in my pock­et; if he liked, we would sing them.’ We did, and his wife en­joyed them so much, that af­ter ser­vice he asked me, as a fa­vour, to leave a co­py of them for his wife. I went home, and by the fire­side com­posed the last two vers­es, wrote the whole off, and took them to sis­ter King…As these vers­es so met the dy­ing wo­man’s case, my at­ten­tion to them was the more ar­rest­ed, and I had a thou­sand print­ed for dis­tr­ibu­tion. I sent one to the Spir­it­u­al Mag­a­zine, with­out my ini­tials, which ap­peared some time af­ter this. Bro­ther Rees, of Crown Street, So­ho, brought out an edi­tion of hymns [1836], and this hymn was in it. Da­vid Den­ham in­tro­duced it [1837] with Rees’ name, and others af­ter…Your in­sert­ing this brief out­line may in fu­ture shield me from the charge of stealth, and be a vin­di­ca­tion of truth­ful­ness in my con­nect­ion with the Church of God."

~ Edward Mote

Let­ter to the Gos­pel Her­ald

Were he alive today, Edward Mote probably wouldn't 'get it' either, but thank God he 'got it' where the simple truth of the saving grace of God through repentance and faith in the shed blood of Jesus is concerned. And with Pastor Mote I sing,

"On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand...

all other ground is sinking sand."

So I suppose it boils down to m I hanging on to tradition for tradition sake, and therefore, for tradition’s sake, rejecting anything and everything ‘new’ out of hand because in the end, I really don’t ‘get it’.  I didn’t ‘get’ the old stuff by that measure either, if I’m being honest.

No, there must be an objective, immutable means of measuring the sacred validity of the concept of what is or is not worship music, and it can no more be popular culture, which is itself prone to fly here and there with each new trendy thing that comes along, than it can be established by my judgment, for the admitted opposite reason – rigid inflexibility.  There must be something more in a place where one does not invalidate the other and each recognizes that its passing fancy cannot realistically be the exclusive norm, either.  After all, even though VH-1 named it the number 1 one-hit wonder of all time, who among us really wishes ‘Macarena’ was still a permanent part of our party going experience in 2014?

For something more definitive, and critically so for the Christ follower, the only place an answer can be found is the Bible.

     Paul said is time Ephesians 5:18-20 (NIV) Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

      This Scripture has several key words in the original Greek which help clarify things, I think.

      That very first phrase in verse 18 – ‘Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery’. The phrase ‘get drunk’ isn’t really about alcohol or imbibing. It is, rather, a metaphor for control, or more to the point, losing control to something. In the specific metaphor, Paul speaks of drinking wine to the point of excess – where the wine controls you. Paul contrasts this in the very next statement Instead, be filled (controlled) with (by) the Spirit.

     ‘Be Filled’, the Greek here is playro’o, is a direct contradistinction to ‘be drunk’ or ‘be controlled’. It is in a voice and tense that suggests that the reader is to be in a constant state of being replenished and controlled by the Holy Spirit of God; the third member of the Godhead or triunity (a word I like in preference to the more commonly used term trinity).

     Next, Paul instructs his readers to ‘Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ., which is the other point of our friendly disagreement.

      Three different words are used with reference to how we use music when we approach God. They have different etymology and are not interchangeable, although our tendency is to do just that.

      First, the word translated Psalms. In the original, it is Psal-mos. Literally, it means the book of the Psalms in the Old Testament. More generally it means ‘scripture.’ Since the text begins with the word ‘speaking’, the context calls for two distinctly different, yet contextually similar ideas. Preaching the Word to each other, and singing the Word to each other. In other words, use the text of Scripture in your singing just as you would in your preaching.

     The second word is translated ‘hymns.’ It is the Greek word humnos – from the older, hudeo, and it means to bring praises in singing. These are praise songs, and are an entirely different genre from psalms used in singing, although Psalms (Scripture songs) can include Praise and Worship songs.

     Third is the word spiritual songs,’ from the Greek words pneumatikos, which means literally breathed by the Holy Spirit, and ‘oday’, which means ‘to sing in an attitude of reverence.’ In other words, these are worship songs.

     Preached (spoken) and sung Scripture, songs of praise, and songs of worship. Each existing separately, yet harmoniously in the instruction of the Apostle as he teaches us about the way we are to approach the Almighty, Omniscient God of Eternity in our worship of Him. Each different. Each distinct. Each a necessary part. And, I can’t help but notice that in each case the focus is on God, the Creator, and not man, the creation.

      And to think – the Psalmist, on top of all that – this has been about our voices in praise and worship - in the 150th Psalm, gave us an orchestra with which to accompany our singing.

     It is important to note that order and distinction are significant in God’s Word. These terms and forms function in harmony, but they are not synonymous. Praise is not Worship. Scripture is not personal testimony or experience. There is order to God’s plan and to lead we must first understand.

     So, reflecting back on Edward Mote’s hymn, one must conclude that the question is not nor has it ever been one of Hymns OR the new stuff. The question is, if you are calling it Worship music, does it fit the Biblical definition of Worship music, i.e., do the words and music (a) worship God) and (b) bring about an attitude of worship in others? And by this I mean worshiping God as opposed to praising God (two different things), and more importantly, worshiping or praising GOD or worshiping/praising (drawing attention to) ME (and my performance as worship leader)? Most church music today is just loud, self-gratifying music that stirs emotions as loudly as possible ( as if God is hard of hearing) and focuses attention not on God, but on the performance skills of the worship leader and his/her ability to stir your emotions. That's true whether it's done with old hymns or the k-love top 40.

What is a 'Seeker Church'?

When my wife and I moved back to Florida in December, 2009, to care for her aging mother, one of the first things we did was look for a good church to become active in.  It took a while.  There didn’t seem to be much of anything where we would be a good fit.  In our mid-to-late fifties we were either the youngest ones in the congregation or the oldest. The music was either too much like a funeral dirge or a rock concert – it lulled us to sleep or ruined our hearing. We settled on a place where the message mas mostly sound, if heavy on the prosperity Gospel side.  As the emphasis of the ministry leaned more and more towards that side of preaching, and further away from evangelism and shepherding, we started seeking again.

Seeking the second time around wasn’t as difficult – we already knew a lot of places to skip!  We found a home where the Gospel and an invitation was part of the preaching every week, the messages were Biblically sound, the pastoring more of the shepherding style with which we were accustomed, which is to say, very people oriented, and the music didn’t physically hurt my chest cavity.  In fact, of all the places we’d been since relocating to Florida, the woman who led ‘Worship’ at this church probably understood the concept on a personal level better than any ‘worship leader’ at any of the churches we’ve visited since our return, including clearly understanding that praise and worship are two entirely different things!  They are not synonymous nor are they interchangeable.  Praise is lifting up while worship is bowing down, but I stray.  Simply put, she ‘gets it!’ I believe that is a key element to effective, successful corporate worship.  If the ‘worship leader doesn’t ‘get’ worship on a personal level; if he or she doesn’t comprehend the distinction between praise and worship; between songs, hymns and spiritual songs, it is impossible for him or her to lead others in the act.

I’m not talking about style, types of music, kinds of instruments, hymnbooks vs screens.  I’m talking plain and simple about understanding how to worship God.  If the leader doesn’t know how, the leader can’ lead others.  It’s really that simple.  And honestly, being able to perform the K-LOVE Top-40 from memory doesn’t guarantee an understanding of worship.  That, sadly, is what passes for excellence and worship all too often in today’s church. In particular, in what is being called the ‘Seeker Church.’

I struggle somewhat with a number of things as I consider those terms ‘seeker’, and ‘church’ from a Biblical perspective.

I’m not a Bible scholar. I’m not a theologian. I’m just this guy.  All I can do is offer my opinion and see if it makes sense. What I keep finding as I search Scripture and observe ‘Seeker Church’ pattern of ministry, is a problem.  By definition, Seeker and Church are diametrically opposed terms.  You can be questionably one or the other, and you can be both but you can never be both in the manner that the ministry model suggests.

By way of background, the warm, friendly, people oriented church we were part of was led by a church planter.  As is the case with all true church planters, the call to plant again eventually taps you on the shoulder and says, “It’s time to move on, son.  I have another job for you now.”  His place was taken (read commandeered, hostile takeover, whatever) by a little-k kingdom building operation that calls itself and its method of operation – excuse me – ministry, Seeker Church.

I call it the Field of Dreams model, or the If You Build It They Will Come model, and the premise is as simple as it is without Biblical foundation, although if you ask, its followers are well prepared with a pedigree of those who came before them, shaping and perfecting the model.  No, I don’t much care for it, and no, I don’t think it’s Biblical because the very concept draws from a false premise: that human beings are by their nature seeking God; therefore if you throw up a God Place where the seekers may find Him, advertise enough, program enough, and plan enough, they will seek you out.

Solomon said “An evil man seeks only rebellion;” Proverbs 17:11

Paul said: “There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God” Romans 3:11

To the contrary, Jesus said:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  Matthew 28 19-20 NKJV

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  Acts 1:8 NKJV

Regarding the ‘Church’ part of Seeker Church, you have a huge problem Biblically.  You cannot be both ‘seeker’ in the sense that the seeker church implies’ and ‘church’!

If you are willing to overlook Paul’s observation that there is no such thing as a seeker – we don’t seek after God, but rather the Holy Spirit draws us unto Him and we respond to that drawing by executing our free will and either accepting God’s gift of salvation, or we reject it, you simply cannot overlook the Biblical fact that the ‘Church’ is not the four walls where the people meet: the Church is the People!  If you are ‘Ecclessia – the called out and set apart – the saints of God – THE CHURCH – you are not a seeker, in the sense the seeker church implies.

To the contrary, it is not until you have first become ‘the church’, in the Biblical sense, that you are now for the first time actually capable of being a genuine seeker! To, as a child of God, seek a closer relationship with Almighty God!  Something you are absolutely incapable of, and frankly, as an unbelieving descendant of Adam, not inclined to desire.

God’s intention, described over and over again throughout Scripture, is that the Church (those who are born again believers) go out and reach out to a lost and dying world with the Gospel of Salvation and then step back while the Holy Spirit does His work in men’s hearts.  Those four walls are there for primary purpose of equipping the saints to perform that function!  Along with that, to facilitate corporate fellowship, prayer, discipleship, meeting each others needs, and corporate worship.

Do we evangelize within the four walls? Absolutely!  But that is not the primary function of the Hebrews 10:23-25 assembling.  These are seekers in an entirely different context.

So.  What is a seeker church?  I don’t know.  I can’t find a Biblical precedent for the definition and ministry format I’ve observed, which has been make a program, throw a rock concert, call it a day.  If and when anyone does somehow stumble through the doors and make a genuine conversion, toss them to other new converts and make them responsible for each other.

Jesus surly knew something the formulator of the seeker church model didn’t.  Jesus didn’t say “I’m here – spread the word and I’ll wait for the lost to come looking – seeking – for me.  Instead He said “I have come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

I’m stuck trying to understand how you can “seek first the Kingdom of God…” when you’re struggling to see God in the personal kingdom you’re busy building.

It’s time to return to the Book and the Author of the Book.  Jesus didn’t tell us to build it and wait for men who are disinclined to seek after God to come looking for Him, Jesus said Go! Listen, Church – WE are the seekers.  WE have the answer.  The “Seeker Church” is a lie!

An Open Letter to Senator Marco Rubio: It's Time to tell Barry the Bully NO!

I'm left commenting here, Senator, because there does not seem to be any other place to make a general comment to you on tour public page.

My thoughts are many, but I'll limit it to two for the purpose of this missive.

First:

Let me address the so-called Obamacare law.  Until a provision is written into that broad sweeping and far reaching socialist legislation that removes any wording which excludes the very people who wrote it, you, sir, need to lead the fight to scuttle it. If the law is good enough for me, it;s good enough for Barry and the boys.

Second:

Sir, I lost family in World War II and Korea.  I Had high school friends come home from Viet Nam in a box, and others died in the jungles of the Nam but took ten years walking around stateside for the cancer called Agent Orange to kill them.

I've listened to every occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since LBJ solve his 'image' and 'low approval rating' problems by distracting the American people by sending our children off to war.  I have written reams of paper to these blathering megalomaniacs begging them, one and all, to call off the dogs.

And every holder of that office, Dumbocrass or Repugnant since 1971, the year I registered to vote for the first time, has lied to me to get elected, lied to me to stay elected, and either lied to me to justify starting a war or lied to me to justify sustaining one!

Mr. Rubio, it's time to draw the line in the sand and tell this president NO!  We are not the world's policemen.  We can't even keep our own streets free from corruption - what business do we have telling other nations how to run their own house.

Please, Senator Rubio, for the sake of my grandchildren, Tell Barry the Bully NO!