Worship Matters

This post is based on a message I gave at the Christian Musician Summit in 2008.

When Christian musicians get together, we tend to assume we all have our theology down and we can focus on honing our chops, discovering new gear, and improving our techniques and methodologies. Or maybe we think that theology isn’t that important. Whatever the reason, I wanted to make clear that even at the Christian Musician Summit, theology matters.

Theology is literally the “study of God,” particularly as he has revealed himself in Scripture. It includes not only studying the Bible, but understanding how the different parts of the Bible fit together. Christian musicians need to know theology. But before I explain why, here are four potential objections people might have.

1. People just argue about theology.
Yes. Partly because we’re sinful. But mostly because there are some truths that are worth defending and fighting for. Even dying for.

2. Theology just makes life complicated.
It depends on what you mean by complicated. If you think that knowing how to play your instrument makes it complicated, then yes, theology makes life complicated. Theology doesn’t make like complicated. It actually makes life simpler. It protects us from reading verses out of context or reading only our favorite passages. Theology tells us what words like glory, gospel, salvation, and love mean. Theology helps us understand what we’re actually doing every Sunday. What complicates life is not theology but ignorance of theology.

3. Studying theology makes people proud.
It shouldn’t. The better we know God, the humbler we should be. The more we should  realize that what we know will always be dwarfed by what we don’t know.

4. We’ll never know it all anyway.
Just because we can’t know everything about God, doesn’t mean we can’t know some things truly. God has revealed himself to us in his word and given us his Spirit so that we can know him.

Here are three reasons why theology should matter to Christian musicians.

1. You’re already a theologian.
Every Christian, musical or otherwise, is already a theologian. The question is, are you a good theologian or a bad one? We’re good theologians if what we say and think about God lines up with what Scripture says and affirms. We’re bad theologians if our view of God is vague, or if we think God doesn’t really mind sin, or is we see Jesus as a good example and not a Savior, or if we our god is too small to overcome evil or too big to care about us.

2. God reveals himself primarily through words, not music.
Because we’ve encountered God profoundly during times of musical worship, we can wrongly start assuming that words restrict the Spirit, while music enables us to experience God in fresh and powerful ways. If God had wanted us to know him primarily through music, the Bible would be a soundtrack, not a book. Music affects and helps us in many ways, but it doesn’t replace truth about God. By itself, music can never help us understand the meaning of God’s self-existence, the nature of the Incarnation, or Christ’s substitutionary atonement. Simply put, truth outlasts tunes.

3. Being good theologians makes us better musicians.

• Theology teaches us what music is meant to do.
• Theology teaches us that worship is more than music.
• Theology teaches us that Jesus is better than music.

You can download a copy of my notes here.

[First posted on Nov. 18, 2008]

This Tuesday Sovereign Grace Music released our latest project, All That Thrills My Soul, a 6 song downloadable EP featuring Ryan, Jonathan, and Meghan Baird. Add Zach Boomsma to the mix and you get West Coast Revival.

For years Ryan, Jonathan, and Meghan have been contributing to Sovereign Grace music as vocalists, songwriters, and instrumentalists. Their songs include Always Forgiven, The Prodigal, Completely Done, and most recently Behold our God.

For a while now we’ve been talking about the Bairds working on a project that captured more of their unique influences and sound. I’d describe it as a rootsy, sometimes bluesy, form of Americana, featuring tight harmonies and compelling lead vocals. While the project was going to be a full length album called Behold our God, various limitations reduced it to an EP. And since Behold our God didn’t even make the cut, we had to give it a new title, All That Thrills My Soul. Which I kind of like better any way.

The EP contains six songs, three of which are suitable for congregational singing. One of my favorites is their treatment of All Creatures of Our God and King. I’ve always loved the tune of this hymn but wished the lyrics drew attention to Christ’s atoning work. This version not only does that but references his return as well. Here’s their version:

VERSE 1
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O praise Him! Allelujah!
Thou, burning sun with golden beam
Thou, silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelujah!

VERSE 2
Let all things their Creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
O praise Him! Allelujah!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, Three-in-One
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelujah!

VERSE 3
All the redeemed washed by His blood
Come and rejoice in His great love
O praise Him! Allelujah!
Christ has defeated every sin
Cast all your burdens now on Him
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelujah!

BRIDGE
To Him who loves us
And is returning be honor
For we shall see Him in His glory

VERSE 4
He shall return in pow’r to reign
Heaven and earth will join to say
O praise Him! Allelujah!
Then who shall fall on bended knee?
All creatures of our God and King
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelujah!
Lyrics by St. Francis of Assisi (Verses 1 & 2), Jonathan Baird and Ryan Baird (Verses 3 & 4). Music by William Henry Draper and adapted by Jonathan Baird and Ryan Baird. Copyright 2013 Sovereign Grace Worship

Here’s the track list, with my description of each song.

1. All Creatures of Our God and King
2. All That Thrills My Soul – a prayer that Jesus would be our consuming passion
3. In the Beginning – Reflective, simple song taken directly from John 1:1-5 and John 3:16
4. Plead for Me – a song of faith that we have a great high priest who is aware of our weaknesses
5. Oh, to See You – voices a longing to one day seeing the crucified and risen Savior face to face
6. Time Keeps Slippin’ Away – a beautiful song that expresses our “longing for his appearing”

You can stream the album from Bandcamp, and download it from there or iTunes. Charts coming soon. Let me know what you think.

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to overstate the significance of the Incarnation.

Writers, philosophers, poets, and composers through the centuries have searched in vain for words that adequately capture the wonder, mystery, beauty, and power of Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us.

The miracle and meaning of the Incarnation can be so difficult to grasp that we can give up and start to view Christmas in ways that leave us impoverished and unimpressed with the real story. Even in the church our songs and reflections about about Christmas can fail to leave people gasping in amazement or humbled in awe that God would come to dwell among us.

Sometimes we sentimentalize Christmas.
Sentimentalism is focusing on the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas that give us good feelings. Dazzling decorations, fresh baked sugar cookies, poinsettias, family get-togethers, gift shopping, twinkling lights, Christmas carols, cards from friends, tree-cutting expeditions, wrapping presents. Of course, all these Christmas traditions are an expression of common grace, for which we can joyfully thank God. My family has developed a few of our own over 30+ years and I look forward to them every year. But man-made traditions aren’t the whole story, or even the main story of Christmas, and they fail to solve our deepest problems or fulfill our deepest needs.

Sometimes we sanitize Christmas.
We sanitize Christmas when we only present a picture-perfect, storybook rendition of what took place in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. Kind of like the picture above. The straw in the manger is fresh and clean. There’s no umbilical cord to cut and no blood. It’s a “silent night.” The surroundings are strangely free from the pungent odor of manure. Joseph and Mary are calm, cool, and collected. Everyone gets a good night’s sleep. There’s no controversy or gossip surrounding the birth. It’s a pleasant, appealing way to think about Christmas, but obscures the foulness, uncertainty, and sin that Jesus was born into. We forget that rather than coming for the put-together, well-to-do, and self-sufficient, Jesus identified with the rejected, the slandered, the helpless, and the poor.

Sometimes we spiritualize Christmas.
Spiritualizing Christmas is ignoring Christmas as earth-shattering history and using it simply to promote general virtues like brotherhood, peace, joy, generosity, and love. And tolerance, of course. Again, it’s evidence of God’s common grace and a reason to give thanks that our culture sets aside a time of year, however commercialized it might be, to celebrate and commend loving your neighbor. But the fruit of Christmas is impossible to achieve or sustain apart from the root. We understand what love is by looking not to ourselves and our good deeds, but by considering Jesus, who came into the world to lay down his life for us (1 John 3:16). Preaching or singing about peace without recognizing our need for the Prince of Peace, is a shallow peace indeed.

By this time, most of us have already made our choices about what Christmas means to us and how we’re going to present it to others. But Christmas comes every year. And it’s not too early to start thinking about next year.

More importantly, the glory of God becoming man was never meant to be marginalized to a few weeks. It means something cataclysmic every day.

• Jesus, the eternal Son of God who before time was worshiped by countless angels, set aside his glory and entered the world through the birth canal of a young woman he had created.
• He came not into a 21st century environment with trained doctors, sterilized instruments and fetal monitors, but into a 1st century cave filled with flies, animal excrement, and filth.
• The fullness of deity took of residence in the body of a baby gasping for its first breath.
• The one who spoke the universe into existence lay silent, unable to utter a word.
• He came by choice and with the sole intention of redeeming a fallen and rebellious race through his perfect obedience, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection.

If we have the privilege of leading others in corporate worship at Christmas, let’s be sure to help them understand why nothing is more wonderful about Christmas than Christ himself.

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
Begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. (Nicene Creed)

The incorporeal and incorruptible and immaterial Word of God entered our world. In one sense, indeed, He was not far from it before, for no part of creation had ever been without Him Who, while ever abiding in union with the Father, yet fills all things that are. But now He entered the world in a new way, stooping to our level in His love and Self-revealing to us. (Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word)

He deigns in flesh t’appear, widest extremes to join;
To bring our vileness near, and make us all divine:
And we the life of God shall know, for God is manifest below. (Charles Wesley)

The Son of God descended miraculously from heaven, yet without abandoning heaven; was pleased to be conceived miraculously in the Virgin’s womb, to live on the earth, and hang upon the cross, and yet always filled the world as from the beginning. (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II, xiii, 4)

See the eternal Son of God, immortal Son of Man,
Now dwelling in an earthly clod whom Heaven cannot contain!
Stand amazed, ye heavens, look at this! See the Lord of earth and skies
Low humbled to the dust He is, and in a manger lies! (Charles Wesley)

Herein is wisdom; when I was undone, with no will to return to him,
and no intellect to devise recovery, he came,
God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost
as man to die my death,
to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
to work out a perfect righteousness for me. (The Valley of Vision)

Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. (Charles Wesley)

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Jn. 1:14) 

O come, let us adore him.

Okay, this is really old school, but I thought a few of you might enjoy this song I wrote and arranged for GLAD back in the 90s for their Voices of Christmas album. I tried to capture the reality that all of life is waiting until that final day when we will see our Savior’s face and will have to wait no more.

Here are the lyrics:

All the world was waiting for the promised One.
Prophets through the ages claimed that He would come.
Would He be a warrior, or a conquering king?
Could he be the one who’d save us from our sin and suffering?

All the world was waiting the night that you were born.
God of life eternal, in a fragile form.
Shepherds gathered closer, gazing at your face;
Wondering how this helpless child could save a fallen human race.

All the world was waiting as you became a man.
Truth was in your teaching, healing in your hand.
Though your heart was sinless, you laid down your life;
To pay the dept that only perfect love could satisfy.

Now the world is waiting for another day,
When your Sovereign hand will turn the final page,
And all will be accomplished; Our trials and tears will end;
And those who’ve longed to see you will never wait again.

Today I want to salute the average worship leader.

Why? If YouTube videos and conference worship bands are any indicator, we’re unintentionally (I trust) cultivating an understanding of musical worship and its leaders that draws more from rock concerts and Entertainment Tonight than biblical principles.

We can start thinking that the “best” corporate worship context is characterized by bright stage lights, a dimly lit congregation, Intellibeams, fog, high end musical gear, multiple screens, moving graphics, and loud volumes. We can start to think the ideal leader is good-looking, sings tenor, plays a cool instrument (usually guitar), sports hip hair, and writes songs. And by the way, the band members and vocalists should be near studio quality, if not actual studio musicians, and look pretty good themselves.

To be clear, I thank God for godly, good-looking, musically gifted, well known leaders who are simply seeking to be faithful and bring glory to Jesus. I know a number of them. And God is all for skill and excellence when we bring our musical offerings to him (Ps. 33:3; 1 Chron. 15:22). Technology isn’t evil (although it inherently affects the message we’re communicating).

A Concern
Overemphasizing or consistently focusing on technology, skill, and excellence can leave most us with a nagging feeling that our musicians, our leaders, our equipment, and our songs are never quite good enough. We resign ourselves to the thought that we’ll never be as successful, used, or important as the people we see on YouTube and at conferences. Or we breathlessly pursue the trappings and externals of “modern worship,” attaching biblical authority to very cultural practices.

That’s why today I want to salute the average worship leader.

Are You an Average Leader?
By average I don’t mean mediocre or lazy. Just normal. Because that’s what most of those leading in churches today are. Normal. Maybe you can relate to some of these “average worship leader” characteristics:

• Your musical training, if any, was years ago.
• No one wants you to sing lead on an album, but you get the melody pretty much in tune.
• Your vocal range is a little over an octave, but almost always lower than the recorded key.
• You prepare and rehearse in the midst of a full time job and responsibilities at home.
• You and some of the other musicians could do better with your dieting.
• Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the chords or strum pattern on a song.
• Your sound system has been pieced together over the years and still works. Most of the time.
• Your choices for lighting are ON or OFF.
• Twice a year you lead surrounded by a set for “Phantom of the Opera” or some other school play.
• You have good folks on your team who don’t have a ton of time to practice or rehearse during the week.
• The ages of your team members range from 14 to 56.
• Some people in the church love what you do, some aren’t crazy about what you do, and some aren’t sure what you do.
• You don’t even try to keep up with the gazillion worship albums released every month.

Here’s why I want to honor you. God sees your labors. And he says they’re not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). “For  God is not unjust so as to overlook  your work and the love that you have shown for his name in  serving the saints, as you still do” (Heb. 6:10).

God seems to favor doing his work through the weak and the few (1 Cor. 1:26-28; Judg. 7:2-8; Dt. 20:1-8; Mt. 15:32-28). That’s why I think average worship leaders play a significant part in God’s purposes to exalt his Son throughout the world.

Don’t Forget
While there’s never anything “average” about leading people to exalt the glories of Christ through music and the Word, we can always grow. So to encourage you and spur you on, here are a few thoughts:

• It can’t be said too frequently that while God can use technology, skill, and excellence, he doesn’t require them
• What every leader has to offer people is the gospel, God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit, working through redeemed sinners, i.e., us.
• The same God who seems so present in a crowd of 10,000, is just as present in your church of 113.
• The Holy Spirit doesn’t need a dark room or dramatic lighting to reveal Christ to people. He’s been using natural light quite effectively for thousands of years.
• We’re responsible for the resources we have, not the ones we don’t have (2 Cor. 8:12).
• Being average doesn’t mean we can’t get better through practice, evaluation, and hard work.
• Being average doesn’t give us freedom to uncharitably judge or fail to learn from those who have greater gifts and opportunities than we do. 
• Average musicians can be as self-sufficient as gifted ones, which should motivate us to pray consistently. 
• The goal of our labors is not success or popularity, but faithfulness.

So if you fall into the category of the average worship leader, I want to thank you for your labors and encourage you to keep growing. God is using you in more ways than you can imagine to build his church and bring glory to his Son.

And because Jesus is the perfect worship leader who paid for all our sins and failings through his substitutionary death on the cross, we can look forward to the day when every faithful leader, average or not, will stand before the Father and hear him say, “Well done.”

What do you do as a leader when someone wants to play a specific role on your music team but is better fit for something else? What do you do as a member if that’s you?

A number of years ago I preached a message from 1 Cor. 12:12-31. Paul has been answering the Corinthians’ questions about who is “really” spiritual. They were under the mistaken assumption that certain gifts, like tongues, were a sign of true spirituality. Their attitude was dividing the church – the exact opposite of the unity the Spirit wants to bring. Paul presses his point home by using the analogy of the human body.

In preparing for the message, I did a little research on the body and learned some amazing facts. Our liver performs over 500 functions. I’m not sure I can name one. Our ears can identify hundreds of thousands of different sounds. Our heart beats about 100,000 times a day without our even thinking about it. The big toe is actually one of the most important parts of our body, balancing our skeleton and enabling us to move forward. Without it, we’d simply fall over.

Often, the parts of our bodies we give the least thought to are among the most important. Paul probably didn’t have all these details, but he obviously had this in mind when he wrote this passage. Rather than exalting our gifts or minimizing them, God wants us to see that our unity in Christ is strengthened and displayed as we appreciate God’s differing gifts.

This truth definitely applies to musicians, who often compare their gifts to those those they see in others, and wind up in self-pity or self-exaltation. Paul addresses both attitudes.

He says, “If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body” (1 Cor. 12:15). It’s easy to see why a foot might envy a hand. A foot is always walked on, gets dirty, is almost always covered up, and usually stinks. Hands, on the other hand (no pun intended), are involved in everything important. They can build things, play instruments, catch a ball, and comfort a friend. When someone comes up to greet you, you don’t extend your foot. You stretch out your hand. It’s also easy to see why someone who has a “hand gift” might begin to think that their gifts are the most special, needed, and God-honoring.

But if the church is the body of Christ, we need all the parts, and they aren’t all going to look the same. Every part is needed by the others, and every part is dependent on the others. Without our feet, our hands wouldn’t get very far. But who wants a body that’s just feet?

Over the years, as I’ve held music interviews, I’ve encountered a few “eyes” who didn’t see their need for “hands” (1 Cor. 12:21). But more often, I’ve met feet who wished they were hands, and ears who wished they were eyes (1 Cor. 12:16). Choir vocalists that wanted to be soloists. Small group guitarists who wanted to be Sunday morning instrumentalists. Non-rhythmical musicians who wanted to be drummers. Non-musicians who wanted to be on the team.

Leaders can have a hard time telling someone they can’t serve in the way they want to serve. But we shouldn’t hesitate to help someone know what part of the body they actually are. If someone isn’t a hand or an eye, God has made sure they’re some other part of the body. The Spirit apportions gifts to each one as he wills (1 Cor. 12:21).

That doesn’t mean people can’t grow in their gifts, or that they can’t serve in a position until someone else more gifted comes along. But as a leader I want to do everything I can to help people identify where God has gifted them so the whole body will be built up and better served.

I also want to be content to be the body part God has made me, and recognize my need for the other gifts. If I’m more gifted to sing than to preach, I shouldn’t talk for five minutes between every song. If I don’t have a gift of administration, I should ask someone to help bring organization to the team. If I’m not the most creative musician, I should make sure there’s room for others to contribute their ideas. Even if I AM the most creative musician, I still need the gifts God has given others.

When the parts of a body don’t work together, it breeds chaos, confusion, and fruitlessness. But when each one of us is doing what we’re gifted to do, with the grace God has given us, the entire church benefits, we’re happier, and God is glorified.

So if you or someone you know feels like your gift is being the big toe, just remember you might be keeping the whole body from falling over.

For more thoughts on helping people find the right place to serve check out When the Soloist is out of Tune and Quality or Quantity on the Worship Team?

[Originally posted Sept. 2007]

The past few days I’ve been posting on issues related to God’s “active” presence, especially in corporate gatherings.

A couple people suggested that “active” isn’t the best word to use. When we say God is “present” we are implying He is active, whether that’s to sustain, illuminate, bless, convict, or something else. What I call God’s “active” presence is often the evidence of his “promised” presence. I agree.

But most Christians will acknowledge times in corporate gatherings when we are physically or emotionally affected and God seems “present” in an unusual way. This is in line with the many examples in Scripture when one or more individuals become experientially aware that God is in their midst.

Do we pursue those times?
Are we missing something or experiencing less than the abundant Christian life  if we don’t experience them?
How do we seek experiences of God’s presence without drifting into manufacturing or manipulating them?
Are there seasons or locations when God chooses to manifest his presence in unique ways?

These are some of the questions that prompted me to post on this topic, and they’ll take a lot longer than a few blog posts to answer. So let me offer a few thoughts and some practical implications.

There’s no indication in the Bible that God manifests his presence routinely in a way we can “feel.” God does reveal himself in dramatic ways at different times, but the Christian life is lived by faith and not by sight. We live in the “already but not yet.”

But as I mentioned in my first post, we are exhorted numerous times in Scripture to seek God’s presence, to expect God’s presence, and to treasure God’s presence (Ps. 105:4; Ps. 16:11; Ps. 21:6; Ps. 27:4). How do we do that without getting drawn into the pursuit of emotionalism and mere experience?

Six Suggestions

1. Cultivate an awareness of your desperate need for God’s empowering presence.
We are to walk by the Spirit and be led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-18). If we don’t have the Spirit of Christ, we don’t belong to him (Rom. 8:9). Apart from Jesus we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). We worship by the Spirit of God and put no confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3). “Self-sufficiency” is a misnomer, and is a pure, complete, and very common delusion. That realization should make us more faithful to pray for God’s blessing and to express gratefulness for God’s aid.

2. Live with an expectation that God has promised to dwell in and among his people and is eager to manifest his presence to us.
Too often we perfunctorily pray for God to act and then approach our meetings with no anticipation that he will. Too often we’re shocked when we or the people we serve are actually affected. Some of us are even tempted to look down on people who are regularly moved by experiences of God’s presence rather than desiring more of the same in our own lives.

3. Don’t let the pursuit of experience replace a pursuit of faithfulness to Scripture and the gospel.
It seems every generation is tempted to value and pursue experience over faithfulness. The perils are numerous. It can lead to equating elevated passions to encountering God, feeling disappointed if we’re not emotionally or physically affected, making secondary means (technical skill, lights, videos, arrangements) primary in engaging people’s minds and hearts, and being overimpressed with unusual manifestations. If the people I lead get more excited about the latest “move of God” than the fact that Jesus Christ came to die for our sins and rise from the dead to reconcile us to God (the gospel), then we’re responsible to lead them back to what is of first importance (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Likewise, if my congregation thinks “hearing from God” only means prophetic or spontaneous events, I need to help them treasure God’s sufficient and authoritative Word more than gold (Ps. 19:10-11).

4. Respond humbly to what you believe to be the Spirit’s promptings.
Often we fail to experience God’s presence because we fail to respond to the Spirit’s leadings. In 1 Cor. 14:24-25 if no one was prophesying the unbeliever wouldn’t have his heart exposed. If I don’t step out to pray for someone that just came to mind I may miss seeing God work in a powerful way.

5. Thank God for his promised presence more than you ask him for his experienced presence.
If God is truly with us when we gather, we should rejoice and be filled with faith! Both attitudes are undermined when we repeat/sing phrases like, “Come, Holy Spirit,” or “Fire fall down,” “Send the rain,” or “Show us your glory,” endlessly without corresponding expressions of confidence that He is indeed near as He has promised. If we only focus on our requests and longing, God in his mercy will often work in our hearts during that time, but it can also leave people confused, dissatisfied, or more impressed with our pursuit of God than God’s pursuit of us.

6. Eagerly anticipate his unveiled presence.
No experience on earth will ever rival what we will experience in the age to come. That’s why Peter encourages us to “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:13). I don’t want to set my hope fully on what’s going to happen next Sunday or at some conference. I can be thankful for experiences of God’s presence here without making them the goal or foundation of my relationship with Him. Our hope is knowing that one day we will see our Savior as he really is and will be transformed into his likeness (1 Jn. 3:2). And then we’ll no longer be seeking his presence. We’ll be in it forever. Praise God.

For further study check out God’s Empowering Presence by Gordon Fee, and this message called A People of God’s Presence by my friend, Jeff Purswell. You can also check out this post I did on resources related to the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday, I posted thoughts on attempts to manufacture and market the presence of God, both wrong responses to God’s experienced presence. One person commented that what I wrote seemed to “create hesitancy about pursing His presence” and encouraged me to “stir people’s faith to encounter God and His presence.’” Today, I want to do just that by addressing a third way we can approach thinking about God’s presence wrongly.

3. We don’t want to minimize God’s active presence.
God has always intended to dwell with his people. We see this with Adam and Eve in the garden, in God’s command to the Israelites to build a tabernacle so that he might dwell among them (Ex. 25:8, 29:46), in Moses’ plea that God’s presence go with them (Ex. 33:15-16), in the building of the temple (2 Chron. 6:2), in the incarnation of Christ (Mt. 1:23), and in the final chapters of Revelation (Rev. 21:3-4).

It’s a cause for continual wonder and amazement that the transcendent Creator of the universe would want to dwell among with those he created. God’s presence continues to be one of the distinguishing marks of the people of God.

But does that make any difference in real life? Time after time we meet together expecting nothing unusual, nothing out of the ordinary, as though it was just us, as though we were attending a Rotary Club meeting.  We’re satisfied if we simply execute our plans well and avoid train wrecks. We act as though the Holy Spirit only suggests thoughts for a meeting beforehand and never during. We’d be shocked if anyone in our meetings ever lifted their hands in wonder, shed tears of conviction, laughed for joy, or knelt down in awe. We just don’t expect that kind of thing in church.

We should. When the church gathers, God himself is present with us to bless, to guide, to speak, to convict, to strengthen, to illumine, and to build up, all that we might more profoundly and consistently glorify Jesus Christ. We worship a risen Savior, not a dead historical figure.

Sundays are never “business as usual” because God is among us.

We are never merely “singing songs.” We are proclaiming and meditating on life-transforming realities that God uses to change our perspective, fill us with fresh faith, and open our eyes to his immeasurable power. We are joining in with the myriads of saints and angels around the throne who unceasingly praise the Lamb and the one who sits on the throne (Heb. 12:22-24; Rev. 5:11-14).

We are never merely “hearing a sermon.” God himself is speaking to us as his Word is faithfully, carefully, thoughtfully, and persuasively proclaimed. The Spirit of God is seeking to soften hearts, open eyes, reveal sin, and impart faith. God is present and working in our hearts.

We are never merely meeting with each other. We meet with God in the presence of God at his invitation to celebrate the gospel, enjoy the miracle of being his adopted children through Jesus Christ, and to be changed.

How do we anticipate experiencing God’s presence without getting derailed? I’ll share some thoughts on that in my next post.

A few weeks ago a friend and I were glancing through a Christian magazine and noticed how often people referred to “God’s presence.” It’s a hot topic these days.

In his kindness and mercy, God often reveals his active presence to us. By “active” presence I mean God’s presence as distinct from his omnipresence and his promised presence, both of which we accept by faith. Whether we “feel” it or not, God is present when his Word is faithfully preached, when his people meet in Jesus’ name, when we celebrate the Lord’s supper, when we sing, and we were serve in his power (1 Tim. 6:13; 1 Cor. 5:4; Mt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 11:27-32; Acts 10:33; Eph. 5:18-19; 1 Pet. 4:10-11). At those times and others we can know that God is with us, empowering what we do.

But there are times when God makes his presence known more clearly, more tangibly. Like in 1 Cor. 14:25, when the secrets of a man’s heart are revealed by prophetic words and he declares, “God is really among you” (1 Cor. 14:25). We experience it when our hearts are flooded with peace, or we are suddenly aware of God’s greatness and majesty, or when someone is healed. It might come as well when God’s preached Word pierces to our heart and we find ourselves weeping at the Holy Spirit’s conviction or God’s mercy in Christ. We think, “God is really here.”

While God’s active, or manifest, presence is to be treasured and even sought after (Ps. 27:4; Ps. 105:4), there are some unhelpful perspectives about God’s presence we want to avoid.

1. We can’t manufacture God’s active presence.
Good intentions notwithstanding, no one can consistently and meaningfully “bring God’s manifest presence” to a group of people. No musician, no pastor, no singer, no preacher, no leader – nobody. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit and he functions on his own terms, not ours (John 3:8; 1 Cor. 12:11).

Of course, the Spirit uses means. When God’s Word is preached in an engaging, faithful, Christ-exalting way, people will often experience a greater awareness of God’s presence. When we sing biblical truths together, God will often make his presence known among us in a tangible way. It’s the rare Christian who hasn’t at some time experienced the nearness of God at a Sunday meeting.

The richness of those experiences can tempt leaders to think our ultimate goal is helping people experience the presence of God. Well, yes and no. If “helping people” means doing everything I can to exalt the glory of Jesus in their minds, hearts, and wills through biblically informed words and actions, then yes. But if my goal is to have people “feel something,” and if the measure of my success is the degree of emotional fervor in the room,  I’ll tend to use what ever means I can to produce that emotional response. I may start to believe my song, my leadership, my voice, my set list, or my playing will bring God’s presence. And it’s possible I’ll begin to view every experience, regardless of its source, as the result of an encounter with God.

One year John Piper spoke at our WorshipGod conference. Before his message I told him that while the conference was going great, it was going to be even better because he was speaking. In inimitable Piper fashion, he challenged my perception that any man, even John Piper, could insure that “God was going to show up.” To be clear, God did “show up” and we were greatly encouraged. But John’s point is true – no man can guarantee the active presence of God. And we shouldn’t try to manufacture it.

2. We can’t market God’s active presence.
Marketing God’s presence refers to promoting my ministry, song, book, or concert on the basis of how consistently people experience God’s presence as a result.

I recently received a promo for a Christian artist who said his ministry goal is to “take people into the presence of Jesus Christ where there, they are forever changed by His amazing love!” Actually, I can’t take people into the presence of Christ. But I can proclaim the gospel that assures us we have been brought near to the Father through the finished atoning work of Christ (Heb. 10:19-22). I leave it to the Holy Spirit to apply that to people’s hearts.

I’ve been invited to attend conferences, download songs, attend concerts, buy books, and listen to preachers who all claim they will bring me into God’s presence – for a price. But we can’t buy the presence of God. Simon the Magician realized that when he saw the disciples laying their hands on people with dramatic effect. He offered them cold cash, saying, “Give me this power.” Peter rebuked him.

God’s power, like God’s presence, can’t be bought or sold. God doesn’t call us so much to be facilitators of his glory as faithful to the gospel. Our job isn’t to create an “environment of excitement” but an environment of response to the true God through the gospel in the power of the Spirit.

If I want people to spend money for something related to my ministry, I want to be clear that it’s for production costs, salaries, resources, and a commitment to be faithful to God’s Word – not because it will bring them into the presence of God.

Tomorrow, I want to take a more positive tone and share some thoughts on the dangers of minimizing God’s presence.

Today is the official release date for Together for the Gospel Live II, the follow-up album to Together for the Gospel Live that came out in 2008. This new album contains 16 hymns, old and new, that we sang at the 2010 and 2012 Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, KY.

Together for the Gospel emerged out of the relationships between four men: Mark Dever, Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, and C.J. Mahaney. They found their experience of fellowship in and around the gospel so rich and encouraging they wanted to share it with others. So every other year, along with a few other speakers, they gather with thousands of mostly pastors, and seek to explore, revel in, and apply the riches of the gospel in teaching and song.

Like most of you, I’m used to singing hymns and modern songs accompanied by drums, bass, guitar, and keys. If your church’s music is more traditional, your singing might be accompanied by a piano, organ, and orchestra. Both settings can be used to amplify, complement, and support the truths we’re proclaiming.

At Together for the Gospel, we leave the band at home and I just lead from a piano. No pulsating drums, crashing cymbals, sonic synth textures, or loops (although I appreciate and use all of them in other contexts). The simplicity of the instrumentation combined with the depth of thousands of mostly men’s voices has a unique effect. Truth sings.

Most people are unaware that music almost wasn’t a part of Together for the Gospel because of the possibly divisive effect. The people who attend Together for the Gospel are a diverse group, musically speaking, and there’s always the potential to offend someone. Singing these hymns with simple accompaniment enables us to express and encourage our unity in the gospel rather than undermine it. And for that, I’m very grateful.

This isn’t the most musically creative album you’ll ever listen to. It’s not the most sonically advanced recording you’ll ever buy. Together for the Gospel Live II definitely doesn’t feature a lead vocalist that will “wow” you.

What this album does feature is profoundly rich biblical gospel truths, passionately sung by individuals who have been saved and transformed by Jesus Christ. The lyrics and melodies wash over you, feeding your soul, inviting you to join in. Which is exactly what a “worship album” is meant to do.

Here are a few things that make this album different from the first Together for the Gospel Live album:

1. 16 new hymns. New and old, familiar and unfamiliar, all pointing our minds and affections to the glory of Christ in the gospel.
2. Better sound quality. With more people we were able to capture a fuller congregational sound with fewer extraneous noises. Also, I think the piano sounds richer this time.
3. More singing, less talking. While I’m a strong advocate of talking between and during songs at the right times and for the right reasons,  (I explain my thoughts in this seminar), we included less of my speaking on this album. Per Mark Dever’s direction, I also interjected comments during the songs less frequently. I think both changes make for a more enjoyable album.
4. Lyrics included: This time we printed all the lyrics in the liner notes, which are also included as part of the MP3 download. Makes it easier to add your voice.
5. 4 part hymn arrangements. You can download the 4 part arrangement for most of the songs (public doman and Sovereign Grace) from the Sovereign Grace Music website.  Just click on the song title and the chart will be available for download on the left side of your screen.
6. Simpler accompaniment. Mark Dever and I work on the song list for Together for the Gospel, as well as how the songs are led. We have some very lively discussions! He’s encouraged me to play more simply so that the parts can be sung more easily. I tell Mark that since only 10% of the attendees are women and because at least 70% of the guys don’t read music, you’re not going to hear the parts very well. But in the end I defer. And I’m glad I did. As much as I enjoy being creative on the piano and think it can complement the lyrics, I think simpler playing makes these arrangements more transferable.

Here’s the track list (with a few notes):

1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
2. Come Praise and Glorify (from The Gathering)
3. I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer art
4. Speak, O Lord (Getty/Townend)
5. Behold Our God (from Risen)
6. Holy, Holy, Holy
7. The Gospel Song (from Songs for the Cross Centered Life)
8. Grace Greater Than All Our Sin
9. I Hear the Words of Love
10. Jesus Paid It All
11. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
12. All I Have Is Christ (from The Gathering)
13. I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow
14. O Great God (from Valley of Vision)
15. When Trials Come (Getty/Getty)
16. We Will Glorify (Twila Paris)

And in case you missed the promo video, here it is:

You can purchase it for download from Amazon, iTunes, or Bandcamp, or buy the physical CD from the Sovereign Grace online store.

I pray these songs enable you exult in the priceless treasure of our Savior and live more passionately for his glory.

Yesterday, I shared bullet points from the first part of a message I recently gave at the Doxology and Theology Conference and the Christian Musicians Summit. I was seeking to highlight the centrality of Jesus in congregational singing.

My first point was that Jesus is the leader of our songs. Here’s points 2 and 3.

2. Jesus is the content of our songs.

Col. 3:16 says we are to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col. 3:16)

That word of Christ is the word about Christ – who he is and what he’s done. In other words, the gospel. If the word of Christ is to dwell in us richly as we sing, that means a significant portion of our lyrics should focus on the person and works of Jesus.

The person of Jesus (Heb. 1:1-4; Col. 1:15-19)

Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of God’s nature. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He is fully God, fully man, King of kings, and Lord of lords. There is no one like him and we will never be bored considering him. Jesus is infinitely glorious simply to behold. Like a diamond that refracts a new shaft of light every time it’s moved, in eternity we will never exhaust the facets of Christ’s glory and beauty.

The works of Jesus

All thing were created through him and are being upheld by the power of his word. Jesus took on flesh, obeyed his Father perfectly, absorbed God’s wrath in our place, arose, ascended to his Father, and is coming back to destroy death, mete out justice, and live with his bride forever!

The center of Christ’s works is his death on the cross, where he became sin, endured God’s wrath, and ransomed a people for his Father’s glory. This is the heart of the gospel. (1 Cor. 2:2, Rev. 5:9)

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal. 6:14)

A few implications:

• We need to find, write, and sing more songs that spell out who Jesus is and what he has done. (In Christ Alone, Glorious Day, It is Finished, The Power of the Cross, Glorious)
• Jesus should be bigger in our minds and hearts after we meet to sing his praise.
• We need to help our people move beyond catch phrases and Christianese to think deeply about the glory of Christ.
• We need to incorporate God’s Word into our singing in a way that makes Jesus appear more clearly and more glorious.

3. Jesus is the glory of our songs.

What’s the best thing about leading people to worship God in song?

Here are some possible answers:

• being used by God to bless his people
• a great arrangement that works
• hearing people sing a song you wrote
• the experience of being overwhelmed by God’s presence

These are all good things. But our songs are the best when they glory in Jesus Christ. When they stir our hearts to honor and love him above all else.

This is what’s happening in heaven! Living creatures, elders, angels, all crying out:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard  every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”  (Rev. 5:12-13)

No one’s saying, “This is great, but when’s the band coming out? Where’s Chris Tomlin?”

Paul said in Phil. 1:21 his aim was that “Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:20-21)

What does that mean to us? Practice your music. Get better at your music. Enjoy your music. But don’t let music be your life. Jesus is better.

Jim Elliott, the 20th century missionary who died at 28, said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” What we have in Christ, we cannot lose. Let’s give up the foolish pursuit of trying to find something better in our lights, arrangements, riffs, and

The greatest, most transcendent, most powerful experiences here are just a whisper of what awaits us in the new heavens and the new earth when we Jesus face to face, when we see him as he really is.

We haven’t experienced the glory of seeing Jesus yet, and never will in this life. But one day, if we’ve trusted in the finished work of Christ, we will sit down to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and be with our Savior forever.

So let’s fully enjoy the musical gifts God has given us now, recognizing that the best – seeing Jesus face to face - is still to come.

In the mean time, I pray that Jesus will increasingly be the leader, content, and glory of our songs.

Feel free to download my notes from the Doxology & Theology conference.

The past few weeks I had the privilege of speaking at the Doxology and Theology conference in Frisco, TX, and the Christian Musicians Summit in Seattle, WA.

One of the breakouts I did at D&T was called The Worship Leader and Christ. I shaved about 40 minutes off that message, renamed it “Jesus and Our Songs,” and gave it again at CMS. Here’s a summary of what I shared.

Christians worship a triune God – Father, Son, and Spirit. All three person are equally God and equally worthy of worship. That’s one of the many things that distinguish us from Buddhists, Muslims, and Mormons. But the three persons of the Trinity possess unique roles and relationships. We don’t come to Jesus through the Father. The Spirit doesn’t send Jesus. The Father didn’t die for us.

One of the distinctions that exists in the Trinity is that both the Father and the Spirit share a desire to exalt the Son. Look at Phil. 2:9-11:

Therefore God has highly exalted [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes…He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14).

In light of this reality, it’s important for us to ask, “What difference does Jesus make in the songs we write, play, and sing when we gather as the church?”

1. Jesus is the leader of our songs. (Heb. 2:10-12)

This has at least three implications.

Our songs are made possible by Jesus.

The separation of the “Holy of Holies” from the rest of the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament made it clear that we can’t approach God any way we want, any time we want. We have to find a way to approach God, the consuming fire (Heb. 12:29), without being consumed. Jesus is that way.

We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by  the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. (Heb. 10:19-22, emphasis added)

Our songs are made acceptable by Jesus.

[We] are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices  acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 2:5)

It’s not the excellence of our songs that make our worship pleasing to God, but the excellence of Christ.

Our songs are made one by Jesus.

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. (Eph. 2:14)

We are a spiritual house, not a group of scattered bricks. We are united through our common Leader and Savior, not our common musical preferences.

A few implications:

• We need God to approach God.
• Despite the number of times it’s said, no musician will ever lead anyone into God’s presence. Only Jesus can do that.
• We should be more grateful than anxious as we prepare to lead. It’s about Jesus’ performance, not ours.
• Our “worship” isn’t more acceptable to God because we hit all the right notes. The people we lead might appreciate it, but even our best playing and singing requires the death of Christ to make it worthy of God’s holiness.
• Music makes us one for a moment. Jesus makes us one for eternity.

I’ll post the other two points tomorrow.

We’re now three weeks into the startup of Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville.

I’ve been having a great time getting back into the pattern of leading every Sunday, planning out the order of the service, having weekly rehearsals at my house, being part of the set-up and take-down teams again, and getting to the Sunday meeting a lot earlier than I’ve been getting there the last few years.

And I love it. Except maybe for the “getting to the meeting early every Sunday” part.

One of the things I’ve missed as I’ve handed off regular Sunday leading to others is being involved in the day-to-day issues, challenges, joys, mishaps, failures, and successes that accompany leading congregational worship. I’m sure I’ll have more to share on those items in the days to come.

This past Sunday I had a revelation I thought might be helpful for any keyboardists who read my blog.

For years now I’ve taught piano players to play less. Less is more. Use the donut style (leave space in the middle). Tie your left hand behind your back. Etc., etc.

Here’s a video where I’m actually teaching all that.

This past Sunday, in order to give our bass player a break, I played a Fender Rhodes piano bass. It actually belongs to Joel Sczebel, our electric player, but he let me use it because he was playing drums AND electric guitar.  My son in law, Jacob, was on loops, synth, and electric. His dad, Dave, was in town and he played acoustic guitar.

After the meeting, the guys were saying how everything sounded so much clearer that morning, because they had so much space to play in. Julie, my wife, who was mixing, said the same thing. When searching for an explanation, they realized that my left hand had been limited primarily to the Rhodes. That means my contributions were right hand fills and left hand bass lines with no pedal. Ouila! Clean sound.

It was a humbling moment. So here’s what I learned:

• Teaching people to play less and actually doing playing less are two different things.
• I may be playing less, but if I regularly use my left hand with the pedal, the overtones are still filling the aural spectrum.
• Changing the instrument I typically play can be a profitable learning experience.
• I play with very patient, kind, and honest friends.

So if you happen to visit Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville in the near future, you may not see me playing the Fender Rhodes piano bass, but hopefully you won’t hear my left hand obscuring the rest of the band.

And for all you overplaying keyboardists, you’re welcome.

I’ve been receiving an increasing number of questions about WorshipGod13. Are we having one? Where will it be? Are you still alive?

Yes to questions 1 and 3. And here’s the scoop on question two.

The big news is that we’re actually planning not one, but TWO WorshipGod events in 2013. June 27-29, 2013 we’re hoping to hold a conference in Orange County, CA. For years individuals and teams have traveled across the country to attend WorshipGod in Maryland. I’ve been amazed and humbled by their commitment. But we’re finally holding a conference in a location nearer to where they live. Eric Turbedsky, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church OC, has graciously volunteered to be the “feet on the ground” in preparation for the conference. We have a few leads on a location, but we haven’t nailed down the details yet. I’d appreciate your prayers, as well as any substantive possible locations in Orange County!

We’ll also be hosting a WorshipGod conference in Louisville, KY, Aug. 1-3, 2013 at Highview Baptist Church East. While Covenant Life Church has been a superb location for the past 10 conferences, the Sovereign Grace Ministries staff has moved with its offices to Louisville, and that also happens to be where I live now. Both factors will make hosting the conference in Louisville easier.

Both events will start on Thursday morning (rather than Wednesday night) and go through Saturday noon. That way people will be able to fly/drive in on Wednesday and check in on Wednesday night (or early Thursday morning). We’ll only be dropping one main session from previous years. I hope that will make it a little easier for some people to come.

As far as a theme, I’m leaning towards something of a “back to the basics” focus. In the midst of a dizzying number of  new technologies, methodologies, meeting structures, and church philosophies, it seems wise to remember why we’re doing what we’re doing. Just getting started on speakers and musicians.

We started doing WorshipGod conferences in 2006, although we had hosted conferences since 1999. I chose that title because in our culture we use the word “worship” so frequently without specifying what we’re actually worshiping.

“I’m going to worship. I liked the worship. Who’s doing the worship? Worship was slow this morning.”

Over time, using the word “worship” like that obscures the rich, amazing, life-changing reality and activity that worshiping the living God actually is. The WorshipGod conference is intentionally focused on how to use music, the Word, and our lives to magnify God’s glory in Christ. It’s for pastors, music leaders, musicians, tech personnel, and anyone who wants to grow in the theology, heart, and skill of leading congregational worship.

Registration will most likely begin some time shortly after the start of the new year and I’ll post more details as I receive them.

Please pass this info on to anyone who might be interested. Thanks!

People sometimes ask us if they can change the lyrics to Sovereign Grace songs.

A common request we’ve received is to change the “gates of gold” phrase in the third verse of Steve and Vikki Cook’s song I Will Glory in My Redeemer, because Rev. 21:21 says that they’re gates of pearl. Others want to add verses to songs (like The Gospel Song) or rewrite entire lyrics to songs, which is a bad idea. It’s like demanding someone enter into a co-writing relationship with you when you’ve never met each other. And it’s not very often that the new or additional lyrics are an improvement on the original. So with very few exceptions, our policy is to deny requests for lyric changes to Sovereign Grace songs.

But I’m always grateful when someone asks about changing lyrics because it means they’re thinking about the words we sing, and a couple times we’ve actually made changes. We treat lyric writing as a stewardship issue, and give a significant amount of time to coming up with lyrics we think are  faithful to Scripture and communicate what we’re trying to say. That doesn’t mean our songs can’t be improved upon. Far from it. But lyrics are protected by copyright, and changing them requires permission. (Two exceptions that come to mind are changing a song from 3rd person to 2nd person, or changing singular pronouns to plural.)

Last May I had an email exchange with a guy named Jeremy who wanted to change a line in the song “Father, How Sweet” from our album From Age to Age. We said no, but I thought the way he asked, followed by his response to my answer, were a great example of how to humbly a request a lyric change. Here’s how it went down:

Jeremy’s Request:
Good afternoon! We are rejoicing in the God’s faithfulness demonstrated through the latest SovGrace recording From Age to Age. [Note: it's good and biblical to start with encouragement!]

We praise God for His work through SovGrace. Just as a reminder, you and I have had email conversations when our fellowship was trying to report usage through CCLI. Also, you have sorted out some sheet music things for us.

As a pastoral staff, we had a question about the last stanza of “Father, How Sweet.” The last stanza/verse states, “Jesus, in glory You’ve ascended, never again to leave Your throne . . .” We do not mean to be presumptuous in making this request. Please do not take it as a challenge. We are wondering how our Lord’s return factors into that line.

Would SovGrace allow us to modify that statement to “seated upon Your royal throne” (for use in our fellowship’s gatherings)? We do not mean to nit-pick. If you say “no,” we will understand. However, we thought we should ask. Like you, we want to train the local fellowship to remember truth through song.

OK. This has been awkward! :-) Again, we greatly appreciate the Lord’s work through SovGrace.

Thank you for considering this request.

Our Answer:
Thanks for asking, Jeremy. We love people who care about what we sing!

“Never again to leave your throne” is a poetic way of saying that Jesus’ authority will last forever. It’s not meant to be taken literally that he will not leave his throne to return for his bride. Perhaps you could explain that to your congregation? We do ask churches to sing the songs as written. Changes to lyrics have a way of making their way out beyond the original church.

Thanks for asking, and thanks for your understanding!

May God give much fruit to your gospel work.

Jeremy’s Response:
Thank you so much for taking the time to address our request. We can understand the thought process behind the line. Yes, explaining will be the way to go! :-) I understand how allowing changes on “local levels” could/would create issues outside of the local avenue.

Lord’s blessings be with you!

Really, I was impressed when Jeremy got back to me. It’s not always quite so simple.

A few years ago I would regularly change words or phrases in songs without giving it much thought. I don’t do that now, for the reasons I gave to Jeremy. Also, if it’s a more popular song, it can confuse people who have the original lyrics already in their heads.

If I can’t sing a song because of a word or lyric, I should ask for permission, explain it to the congregation, or find another song. There are a few gazillion out there to choose from.

For more thoughts on changing song lyrics, check out the Sovereign Grace Music FAQ page.