This week I was listening to some worship music – I just happened to come across it on YouTube – and by the second verse I realised that it was not really or properly about worship at all, but the writer themselves. In my humble opinion, as a writer and sometime poet, I really do think that for a Christian worship song to be a really genuine worship song it has to be directed personally, or focused directly upon the Lord. If the lyrics are directed anywhere else but the Lord, I don’t think that’s real worship. And, yes, I know sometimes there can be a fine line in the lyrics. I am just making a point for the sake of improved focus on the issue of lyrics in Christian songwriting.
Of course, there are many great Christian songs around these days that are more personal “testimony” songs. Many of these are very moving, as I shared in last week’s BLOG about the late Keith Green. Keith, himself, included a range of different songs on his albums as do many others. Some, like “No Compromise” are more testimony-type songs – and even prophetic songs. And that’s fine. But I think we need to appreciate the different categories of Christian music better so that, in our worship services, we use genuine songs of worship. We are so blessed to have a worship team who are very discerning when it comes to the choice of worship songs each Sunday. So, listening to this particular song, my ‘discernometer’ went right off very quickly – this was not worship, it was emotional and focused on self.
Now, not to get too pedantic about all this, but that’s exactly what Satan wants. His original sin was pride and he wanted God’s worship to be his. He uses music a lot. In fact, he was head of heaven’s worship team before he was cast from heaven. He knows music!
This Christian music thing is a slippery slope if we are not careful. I think it is fine to use songs of testimony personally as a prayer to sing, and so on. But we have to be careful not to cross a line and get absorbed in the emotion-evoking music and soothing lyrics to the point of self-absorption and think that that’s worship. It isn’t. That’s introspection. This is not about walking on eggshells or worrying about Church rules and legalism, either. But with the torrent of Christian music being churned out today I do think we need to be sensibly aware of what we are doing – and singing in worship services.
James 3:11 (NIV)
“Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?”
Our wonderful worship team regularly discards popular “worship” songs from consideration for Sunday worship because the lyrics are either unbiblical or not properly focused on the Lord – that’s hard sometimes because one phrase can disqualify a whole song which would have been amazing. It’s a labour of love and dedication to bring sanctified worship to God. The term “worship music” is applied too widely today, I think, and can include just about anything “Christian”. Even then I wonder about some “Christian” music. But worship was created for God alone – no one else - and not the Christian music industry. And so, worship music – lyrics and notes – need to be directed at, and fully focused upon, the Lord and no one else. Music is the gateway to the soul and when we sing a song our souls are engaged, not just our brains. Satan knows this, and I am convinced (as I listen to some Christian music lately) that he has succeeded in pulling the focus away from God. Not to himself, of course, but away from the Lord. This is no small matter. And, no, I am not making a mountain out of a molehill (but you can certainly trip over a molehill).
Satan does not always come at us as a roaring lion. Most of the time he comes whispering like a serpent as Eve found out in the garden of Eden. He does not directly contradict worship with obvious blasphemy which we’d immediately see, but he does all he can to corrupt worship with subtly flawed lyrics – from the flesh with apparently good intentions. He is a deceiver and hard to detect sometimes …
2 Corinthians 11:14 (NIV)
“… for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
He operates undercover. He twists truth just enough to corrupt and deceive. Some worship songs can sound so right to my flesh and soul – yet, my spirit immediately knows the difference. And that song is not included on my playlist. In this major way the enemy has infiltrated the church in many songs used in many churches – and households. He uses lyrics and music in combination and in very subtle ways, and when a flawed song is played over and over its washing effect corrupts the mind to build a “house of thoughts”. A song may sound just biblical enough, the lyrics twisted just enough and the music so very sweet as to make you feel good in the flesh, bringing no conviction of sin - but it still doesn’t glorify God. And that doesn’t mean a fine worship song should make us feel like pathetic, unworthy little worms, either. Real worshippers are ushered into God’s presence by Holy Spirit to experience Him and, inevitably that brings conviction, yet we are held in that holy moment by the grace and mercy of the Father without any condemnation whatsoever.
Like I said, the deception can be very subtle and one phrase buried within many, with lovely music, can easily hide it. One song doing the rounds lately states “I am enough”, which is not true – it is unbiblical. Only Christ is enough. In fact, Jesus, Himself, contradicted this very deception which exalts self. He said …
John 15:5 (NIV)
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”
So by ourselves, we are not enough. As the created, we are not enough. Imagine that notion becoming a key plank in a child’s developing understanding of God? I am sure the author had every good intention, but this is an example of how deception creeps into a church because of poor discernment – and it is dangerous. One twisted phrase is all it takes to shift focus from God to ourselves, and so we end up singing in agreement with Satan. This is no small thing. A church congregation cannot sing that which is false and glorify God with it at the same time. Here’s the thing: Satan does not start out by removing all truth. He mixes in a little bit of deception hoping we will not notice. We must be wise and very discerning. Many a good Christian song is well-intentioned, I am sure, but that doesn’t make it an anointed worship song that should be sung in worship because it is groovy and popular.
And so, at ReChurch, we have very discerning and dedicated worship leaders who exercise great care in selecting worship songs that are focused on the One – the only One – who is worthy of all worship … the Lord God Almighty! This is exacting work of ministry, but our God is entitled to the best consecrated and honest worship we can bring.
May I encourage you all to carefully vet your Spotify playlists and check lyrics of songs for biblical authenticity. The last thing you want to do is have songs playing over and over in your household that actually agree with Satan’s lies and deceptions. This builds a demonic environment. Teach your children to learn such careful discernment so that what comes out of their mouths in worship is for the defeat of God’s enemies!
Psalms 8:1-2 (NIV) [A psalm of David].
“LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
There is great power in sanctified, spiritual worship, which is why the Father seeks it.
John 4:23-24 (NIV)
[Jesus] “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. 24 God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
Think on these things, be wise and discerning.
Ps Milton