Worship Matters

Yesterday, I posted some of the workshops from WorshipGod11 for leaders, songwriters, and tech teams. Here are a few more that focus on instrumentalists, leading kids to worship Christ, dealing with burnout, and the leader’s prayer life. Donald Whitney shared on simplifying your spiritual life and using Scripture as a basis for your prayers. There’s also a seminar for women taught by my wife that addresses facing every season of life with faith. Enjoy.

Bass, Drums, Guitar

Strengthening the Drum/Bass Connection, PT1 – Ryan Foglesong and David Zimmer (outline)
The foundation of the worship team is the rhythm section composed of the drummer and bassist. Musical chemistry between these members is worth a great deal of attention and development. In Part 1, David & Ryan look at the history of this chemistry; its conception in jazz to its evolution in funk, rock, and contemporary popular music.  They also cover practical tools in the form of basic theory for bass and drums, common groove patterns, and achieving consistency in tempo.

Strengthening the Drum/Bass Connection, PT2 – Ryan Foglesong and David Zimmer (outline)
In Part 2, David and Ryan apply practical tools as we look at how to serve a worship song: filling in the spaces, and listening and reacting within a band context. Finally, they demonstrate how the drum and bass can build a song from beginning to end.

Guitar Conversations – Mike Cosper, Patrick Anderson, Paul Hoover
Join the conversation about the best ways to incorporate acoustic and electric guitars in the worship band. Especially for “gear-heads.” Mike, Patrick, and Paul talk about that mythical “perfect tone” that so many electric guitarists pursue, and why worship leaders across the country are slapping capos on their acoustic guitars and playing every song in G. Let’s learn from our experiences and failures as we pursue excellence as guitarists!

Chord Voicings and Concepts for Guitar – Patrick Anderson (outline) (packet)
Tired of playing the same four chords? Want to be more creative with your guitar parts? Looking to become more expressive in your playing? Patrick takes a deeper look at practical chord voicings for the guitar. Beginners and more seasoned players alike will be challenged as he discusses a variety of concepts that will equip you to be a more creative guitarist and musician. Applicable for both acoustic and electric players.

General

A Faith for All Season – Julie Kauflin (for women) (outline)
A woman’s world is constantly changing. How do we maintain steadfast trust in God through so many different seasons of relationships and responsibilities? In this seminar, Julie Kauflin (my amazing wife) shares from her own experiences how God has helped her remain secure in Him as a vocalist, sound engineer, wife of a worship leader, mother, and grandmother.

Redefining Burnout – Jon Payne (outline)
How do you know when it’s time to stop serving on your team and when God is calling you to persevere through challenges and even grow through them? How can you tell whether stepping down is wisdom or selfishness? In this seminar, Jon Payne discusses the differences between character, gifting, and faith, and will inspire you to live for God’s agenda rather than our own.

Simplify Your Spiritual Life – Don Whitney
For many people, simplifying means nothing more than “doing less.”  But simplifying is not so much about doing fewer things as it is about doing the right things.  This distinction is even more important when it comes to simplifying the spiritual part of life.  For even the “ideal” simple spiritual life (whatever that is) will still be a busy one.  Like Jesus and the Apostle Paul, anyone devoted to loving God and people will lead a full and active life.  But such a life will also be more focused, fruitful, and satisfying because it emphasizes the right priorities.  In particular, this session is for those who want hope and help to start simplifying their spiritual lives.

Praying Through Scripture – Don Whitney
Too many Christians suffer from an inadequate, boring, or non-existent prayer life. In this potentially life-changing seminar, Don Whitney shares how to turn the words of the Scriptures into the wings of your prayers.

Behind Closed Doors – Joseph Stigora
Sometimes Christians emphasize public devotion to the exclusion or neglect of personal devotion. Others minimize gatherings of the church and focus on how we relate to God individually. But God is concerned about the vitality of both, as well as how they relate to each other. In this seminar, you’ll be equipped and challenged to practice in private what you proclaim in public.

Children

Leading Children to Worship Christ – Jared Kennedy (outline)
How is leading a children’s worship gathering different from leading an adult gathering?  Should children be led to memorize, recite, or sing Bible passages that give personal assurance?  Should children be expected to participate in worship if they are not yet converted?  Jared Kennedy, who serves at Sojourn Community Church, shares thoughts on how parents and children’s ministries can think through these questions. He also suggests guidelines for choosing songs for children that involve their bodies, engage their hearts, teach biblical truth, and move them towards trust in Christ.

Last August at WorshipGod11 we offered 40 seminars for pastors, musicians, leaders, vocalists, instrumentalists, and tech teams. Today and tomorrow I’m posting the descriptions of a few that might serve you and your team in the coming year. Right clicking on the title will download the MP3, and of course, right clicking on the outline will get you the…outline.

Leading

Putting Songs Together – Bob Kauflin (outline)
Why do you choose the songs you do? What factors go into deciding whether one song is better to use than another? What’s the difference between lyrical flow and musical flow? How can we use songs to effectively care for people’s souls as they sing them? These questions and more are addressed in this important but often overlooked aspect of leading congregational worship. Whether you’re choosing an individual song or a group of songs, this seminar will give you criteria for doing it more effectively.

Making Room for the Spirit’s Leading – Pat Sczebel (outline)
This seminar is designed to increase your eager expectation for the active presence of God’s Spirit in your meetings. Pat looks at questions like, How do you help your church learn to expect and appreciate the spontaneous activity of the Spirit in your meetings? How do you guard against spontaneity becoming a faithless activity or a pursuit of experience? How can my church know more of God’s power and active presence when we gather?

Thinking Surgically While Leading Liturgically – Jamie Brown (outline)
Trying to lead worship in a liturgical church can feel like trying to paint in a straightjacket. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this seminar Jamie explores ways worship leaders can work within the confines of a more formal liturgy, using music as a tool to help their congregations experience vibrant, Christ-centered corporate worship in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Theology, Doxology, and Sociology – Shai Linne
Our understanding of who God says He is, our praise to God, and our culture…how do they fit together? How can we reflect God’s plan for unity in diversity without compromising or watering down the unchanging truths of the gospel and God’s Word? In this seminar Shai Linne gives a biblical perspective on how to think about bringing glory to Jesus Christ in varied cultural contexts.

The Benefits and Limits of Creativity – Bob Kauflin (outline)
We owe a great debt to Christians through the years who have pushed the boundaries of what kind of creativity is beneficial when it comes to music in the church. But sometimes creativity can exceed biblical bounds, turning something helpful into something harmful. In this seminar, Bob describes ways to think about creativity that will fan into flame your creative spark, while leading both believers and unbelievers to leave our meetings saying not, “What great creativity,” but, “What a great Savior!”

Bringing Order Out of Chaos – Ken Boer (outline)
You’ve practiced your instrument, grown in your knowledge of God, sought the help of others, and committed your skills to the Lord. But as your team has grown, you find that you’re doing more and more administration and less and less music. What worked when the church was smaller isn’t working as well now, and you think you might need to make some changes on the team. This seminar is designed to offer biblical and practical ideas for the leadership, organization, and administration of a growing team.

Worshiping a Big God in a Small Church – Pat Sczebel (outline)
After serving on staff in large churches, Pat Sczebel has spent the last ten years helping to pastor and lead worship for a small church in Surrey, British Columbia. In this seminar he describes how to make the most of limited resources, how to maintain a strong faith in God’s plan, and how to serve with contagious joy.

Songwriting

Practicing and Planning Creativity (for songwriters) Mark Altrogge, Steve & Vikki Cook (outline)
Is waiting for God to give you a moment of inspiration the only way to write a song? Are there practices we can develop as songwriters that will foster and cultivate the creative spark? Based on a combined experience of 50 years of songwriting, Mark Altrogge and the Cooks share practical ideas and methods for becoming a more faithful and skillful songwriter.

Before and After – The Evolution of a Song – Mark Altrogge, Steve & Vikki Cook (outline)
Despite some great songs being written almost “spontaneously,” most great songs don’t start out that way. Humble and wise songwriters know that in the writing process any part of a song can be rewritten. In this seminar, the Cooks talk about what that process looks like along the way and build faith for making radical changes to your songs that will make them stronger.

What Makes These Songs Great? – Steve & Vikki Cook (outline)
Ever wonder why more people aren’t singing the songs you write? Maybe they’re missing some of the key elements that most great songs have. Steve & Vikki Cook take an in-depth look at a number of well-known worship songs and talk about what makes them so popular.

Worshiping God When Your World is Shaking – Craig Cabaniss (outline)
How do we worship God when our lives are falling apart? What does it mean that God is sovereign? What’s the difference between trusting that God is in control and being fatalistic? Craig Cabaniss addresses these questions and more as he seeks to help us cultivate a greater appreciation for the great and awesome God who reigns over all things.

Tech

Building and Caring for a Tech Team, PT1 – Dave Wilcox (outline)
Serving week to week behind the scenes on a tech team can be a challenging task. Long hours, little recognition, and a lack of volunteers can test the most faithful team. In this seminar, Dave Wilcox explores how Biblical motivation, ongoing care, and faithful leadership are essential to building a tech team that honors God through joyful serving.

Building and Caring for a Tech Team, PT2 – Dave Wilcox (outline)
Peaceful and joyful service on the tech team comes when the right people are serving in the right place with the right training and the right information. In this seminar Dave discusses ideas and practices to most effectively recruit, train, and deploy people on your team.

One of my favorite songs from our most recent album, The Gathering,  is Now Why This Fear. Doug Plank adapted the words from the hymn “Now When This Fear and Unbelief” by Augustus Toplady. Toplady (1740-1778) was a strong, if sometimes contentious, defender of Calvinism. More importantly, he tirelessly preached the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning work for our sins. This hymn, like Rock of Ages, encourages believers to rest completely in the finished work of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. It’s the news that never grows old.

I asked Doug Plank to share a few thoughts on the how he came to update Toplady’s hymn.

“From Whence this fear and unbelief?”, Augustus Toplady’s wonderful old hymn (written in 1772) came to my attention in 2008 while perusing Spurgeon’s “Our Own Hymn-Book” (a great collection of hymns, by the way). I recall going through Spurgeon’s collection for inspiration when it jumped out at me. Toplady’s lyrics brilliantly expressed the confidence we ought to have because of Jesus’ sacrifice and they were screaming to be put to new music. My sense was to make the hymn to be a worshipful and meditative feel, with a chorus that would rise in thanking Jesus for the incredible grace spoken of in the verses. The verse melody came first, and after tinkering a bit, the chorus emerged, repeating Jesus’ name, which is always a good idea. My first version kept the archaic language, but with the input of Bob and others, it seemed clear that (no offense to Toplady) a lyrical refresh was needed as well. I didn’t end up featuring the third verse of Toplady’s original, likely due to making the song too long, but the lyrics are certainly worth singing:

If thou hast my discharge procured,
And freely in my room endured
The whole of wrath divine;
Payment God cannot twice demand,
First at my bleeding Surety’s hand,
And then again at mine.

I wrote this updated version for no other reason than to take what seemed to be an old hymn worthy to be heard again. At this past WorshipGod conference as it was being introduced, I was deeply stirred by the thought of one day meeting and thanking Augustus face to face. Between “Rock of Ages” and “From Whence”, he has served my soul with Christ–exalting lyrics. I feel very honored to have linked arms with him in the recasting of his work to a new generation.

Downloads:
Guitar chart in A. Guitar chart in B.
Lead sheet in A. Lead sheet in B.

Now Why This Fear

Verse 1
Now why this fear and unbelief?
Has not the Father put to grief
His spotless Son for us?
And will the righteous Judge of men,
Condemn me for that debt of sin,
Now cancelled at the cross?

Chorus
Jesus, all my trust
Is in Your blood
Jesus, You’ve rescued us
Through Your great love!

Verse 2
Complete atonement You have made,
And by Your death completely  paid
The debt Your people owed
No wrath remains for us to face
We’re sheltered by Your saving grace,
And sprinkled with Your blood.

Verse 3
Be still, my soul, and know this peace
The merits of your Great High Priest
Have bought your liberty
Rely then on His precious blood,
Don’t fear your banishment from God
Since Jesus sets you free

Tag
How sweet the sound of saving grace
How sweet the sound of saving grace
Christ died for me
Music and alt. and additional words by Doug Plank, original verses by Augustus Toplady (1772).
© 2011 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).

Yesterday, I posted the video of Shine into Our Night from WorshipGod11.

The second song we’ve finished editing is Come Praise and Glorify. I wrote this with Tim Chester, a pastor in Sheffield, UK, who has written over 20 books (including Total Church, You Can Change, and A Meal with Jesus). The fact that I wrote a song with Tim is purely providential.

I was leading the music at the New Word Alive conference this past April and happened to stay in a flat with Tim and his wife, Helen. I thoroughly enjoyed a couple late night chats with Tim and after I got home he sent me some of the songs he had written that they sang at his church. One of them based on Ephesians 1, stood out to me as ideal for the project we were working on, The Gathering. I fooled around with different melodies (with a little help from my friends), and finally landed on one we liked. I sent it to Tim and he graciously gave us permission to record it with my melody.

One of the things I appreciate about the lyric is the way it incorporates so many of the truths in Ephesians 1. Those include our blessings in Christ, God’s predestining us to be blameless in his sight, our adoption in Christ, our redemption in Christ, God’s purposes in Christ, receiving the Word of the gospel, and our inheritance in Christ being sealed by the Spirit. A veritable theological feast! I edited Tim’s original chorus slightly to draw attention to the fact that the God’s glory and grace are revealed through his being the God who saves.

At WorshipGod11 a hard drive filled up during the second recording of Come Praise and Glorify  (we recorded the whole album twice). We ran through the song a third time, but found out that the hard drive hadn’t fully booted up yet. So this video is actually the fourth take of the song. It’s hard to describe my joy as I watch my son, Devon, singing God’s praises with so much passion.

Guitar chart in Bb here. Guitar chart in A here.
Lead sheet in Bb here. Lead sheet in A here.
Lyrics below.

COME PRAISE AND GLORIFY

Come praise and glorify our God
The Father of our Lord
In Christ He has in heav’nly realms
His blessings on us poured
For pure and blameless in His sight
He destined us to be
And now we’ve been adopted through
His Son eternally

To the praise of Your glory,
To the praise of Your mercy and grace
To the praise of Your glory
You are the God who saves

Come praise and glorify our God
Who gives His grace in Christ
In Him our sins are washed away
Redeemed through sacrifice
In Him God has made known to us
The myst’ry of His will
That Christ should be the head of all
His purpose to fulfill

Come praise and glorify our God
For we’ve believed the Word
And through our faith we have a seal
The Spirit of the Lord
The Spirit guarantees our hope
Until redemption’s done
Until we join in endless praise
To God, the Three in One
By Bob Kauflin and Tim Chester. © 2011 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).

Each year as Christmas approaches we have the opportunity to remember in a more focused and thoughtful way why Jesus had to come to earth. It wasn’t plan B, it wasn’t optional, and it certainly wasn’t something we asked for.

Paul tells us, “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.” (Gal. 4:4-5) The phrase “under the law” means we were justly condemned as transgressors and rebels before God, held captive by our sin, and in need of His mercy and forgiveness (Rom. 3:19-20). Of course, God did better than “simply” forgive us. Through the obedience of Christ and his once and for all substitutionary sacrifice, God made a way for us to be forgiven, reconciled to himself, and adopted as his precious children. Thank God the Savior has come!

Shine Into our Night, from The Gathering: Live from WorshipGod11, is a song that expresses our need for Christ’s saving work in our lives, a longing that God’s people experienced for hundreds of years before Christ came. But even on this side of the cross and resurrection, we’re aware that “we are not what we should be.” Even as believers in Christ, we stumble in many ways and are in constant need of the Christ’s redeeming work in our lives. While Shine Into our Night could be sung any Sunday (or any day of the week, for that matter), the weeks leading up to Christmas make it especially relevant.

This video was recorded at WorshipGod11 last August, and features Meghan Baird on lead vocal. You can download the guitar chart here and the lead sheet here. Lyrics are below.

Shine Into Our Night 

We are not what we should be
We haven’t sought what we should seek
We’ve seen your glory Lord, but looked away
Our hearts are bent our eyes are dim
Our finest works are stained with sin
And emptiness has shadowed all our ways

Jesus Christ shine into our night
Drive our dark away
‘Til your glory fills our eyes
Jesus Christ shine into our night          
Bind us to Your cross, where we find life

Still we often go astray
We chase the world forget Your grace
But you have never failed to bring us back
Reveal the depths of what You’ve done
The death you died the vic’try won
You made a way for us to know Your love
Music and words by Joel Sczebel. © 2011 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP). 

Keith and Kristyn Getty are a musically gifted couple that do a few things really well. Those things include providing the church with songs that are theologically thoughtful, Christ-exalting, and likely to last a long time.

Now they’ve provided us with a new album, Joy – An Irish Christmas, that displays those attributes in the context of Christmas carols, both old and new.

Keith reflects on why Christmas carols are more than just sentimental songs at the end of the year:

We would do well as worship leaders to remember that non-churchgoers are far more inclined to attend a church service during the Christmas season where songs are easy and enjoyable to sing rather than a church trying to put on the slickest possible show. The music of carols, written by some of the finest hymn writers of all time (such as Wesley, Watts and Rossetti) and arranged by equally outstanding composers (Handel, Holst and Mendelssohn) speaks for itself. We have wonderful songs to use! And Christmas gives us a wide open door to use those songs to impact culture like no other time of the year.

My favorite tracks include Magnificat (could be a beautiful solo), Jesus Joy of the Highest Heaven (great for a children’s choir), O Savior of Our Fallen Race (breathtaking arrangement and lyrics), and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (an especially exuberant version). New songs you could sing with your church include Fullness of Grace, Joy has Dawned (combined with Angels We Have Heard on High), and How Suddenly a Baby Cries.

Here’s a video that includes live performances of a number of songs on the album.

You can download Joy – An Irish Christmas from Amazon or iTunes, or order the CD from Keith and Kristyn’s website.

Last month I had the privilege to lead a few songs at John Piper’s Gravity and Gladness seminar, and participate in a Q&A with Dr. Piper. It was somewhat of a surreal experience sitting next to John answering questions about worship. I first heard the audio of John preaching this series around 2000. As I listened to him again I realized how much his message of both knowing and treasuring the supremacy of God’s glory in Christ has affected my thinking. So grateful for the ways God has used John to magnify the glory of Jesus Christ.

After the seminar was over, Jonathan Parnell, content strategist for Desiring God, asked me a few questions related to congregational worship and more. Here’s the hour long video they posted of the interview, along with time markers for the questions.
 

Time markers:

01:04 — How did you come to Christ and become a worship leader?
04:21 — Tell us about how God brought you through a battle with hopelessness.
07:59 — How should we think about worship as an event and as all of life?
11:35 — What does it mean for worship leaders to be clear and specific?
14:30 — What should we do with songs that don’t explicitly mention Jesus?
17:07 — How do we anticipate the new creation in our worship events?
19:45 — How might worship be different in the new creation?
22:06 — How should we consider the horizontal elements of worship?
24:55 — Why do humans sing?
30:32 — Should we give preference to our voices over the music?
32:27 — What does it mean to sing the gospel to ourselves?
37:57 — What encourages you most about worship in the church today?
38:46 — What adjustments would you make about worship in the church today?
41:58 — How does a church train new members for their worship team?
45:57 — How can we help our children to enjoy the worship event?
48:31 — How should we think about the cultural barriers at work in music?
52:24 — How should worship leaders handle criticism?
57:10 — What’s your favorite song?

Here’s the second part of the pre-conference piano seminar I led at WorshipGod11, focused on playing with a band. Dave Campbell and Neil Stuckenschneider helped me out on guitar and bass. I’ve included the outlines notes after the video.

Playing with a Band

Be aware of the audio spectrum.

• Guitars – 80-880 Hz
• Bass – 40-260 Hz
• Vocals – 110-660 Hz
• Piano – 27-4200 Hz

Fills.

• Distinct and memorable
• Don’t tread on others
• Octaves

Use your LH wisely.

• With the bass player
• Around the bass player
• More with just a guitar, acting like a kick drum
• Not at all

Acoustic piano vs. electric keyboard

• More overtones with acoustic
• Play less.
• More dynamics possible with acoustic

Last summer at WorshipGod11 I taught a pre-conference seminar for intermediate level pianists to help them develop their skills while playing with or without a band.

In recent years I’ve taught more on the theology of congregational singing than the practical aspects. But I still enjoy teaching on the practicals. So here’s a video of the first installment, with notes included below.

General Principles

Excellence.

• Excellence in all dimension of worship expression, including music, must not simply be defined by cultural standards of sophistication, but by the ability of the expression to strengthen, deepen, and develop faith. – (Bryan Chapell, Christ Centered Worship, 140)
• We don’t strive for excellence so that we will be seen and honored, but so that Christ will be seen and honored.
• Our gifts and talents are slaves to Christ.

Melody, rhythm, harmony.

• Often contributing all three. Don’t need to.
• Rhythm and harmony most important. People can carry the melody.

Groove

• Not a strength for pianists
• Time is a metronome. Groove is based on time, but has accents.
• Inner pulse serves as the framework for everything else.
• Involves thinking in larger segments of time
• Different ways to communicate groove

Whole notes

• Guitar feel in RH (dotted 8^th – dotted 8^th – 8^th tied to half note)
• LH thumb
• Arpeggiated
• Rely on percussion or other instruments

Dynamics.

• Chord to chord
• Section to section
• Growth over the song
• Number of notes vs. force of attack

Confidence.

• Sets people at ease.
• Tempo, key, chords and notes…

Deliberate practice.

• Geoff Colvin in Talent is Overrated: Designed to improve performance, high degree of repetition, immediate measurable feedback, mentally challenging, hard work
• Metronome
• Chord knowledge
• Song knowledge
• Practicing with others

The last song written for our most recent album, The Gathering: Live from WorshipGod11, was Generous King. We needed a song of gratefulness for all God’s good gifts in view of the fact that  our sins are forgiven and we’ve been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

We had a song that was close, but wasn’t quite what we were looking for. So Pat Sczebel and his son, Joel, put their heads (guitars?) together and came up with an exuberant song of gratefulness that reflects the heart of those who live under the reign of gracious King Jesus.

It’s instructive and sobering that God sums up the reasons for our rebellion in these words: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (Rom. 1:21). In view of the consistent emphasis on thankfulness in Scripture (1 Chron. 16:8; Ps. 30:4; Ps. 33:2; Ps. 92:1; Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:17; 1 Thess. 5:18; Rev. 4:9-11), Generous King is a song for every season. But as Thanksgiving is in a couple days, it’s even more appropriate. I pray that as you listen you’re reminded of the immeasurable riches of grace we’ve received as believers in Jesus Christ.

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VS 1
You spoke and our hearts began to beat
You gave us breath and air to breathe
It’s all from You, Lord, it’s all from You
You give the morning sun its light
All that we need Your hand provides
It’s all from You, Lord, it’s all from You
With humble hearts we thank You
With grateful hearts we sing out

CHORUS
Generous King, You give
Out of Your fullness, showering kindness
You give, Generous King
Mercies unending, love never failing
You give

VS 2
The wrath we deserved was furious
The cup that we drink is full of love
It’s all from You, Lord, It’s all from You
Your Spirit You’ve freely given us
Now we see Jesus glorious
It’s all from You, Lord, It’s all from You
With humble hearts we thank You
With grateful hearts we sing out

BRIDGE
Thank You for Your goodness
Poured on us through Jesus
Thank You for Your goodness
Poured on us through Jesus
Music and words by Pat and Joel Sczebel. © 2011 Sovereign Grace Worship. 

Here’s the guitar chart and lead sheet.

You can buy Generous King (or the whole album) from Amazon (6.99)  iTunes (9.99), or Bandcamp (9). The Bandcamp download includes all the lead sheets and guitar charts. You can also purchase the physical CD at the Sovereign Grace store (12). Enjoy!

In his outstanding book, Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice, Bryan Chapell writes, “Liturgy tells a story. We tell the gospel by the way we worship.”

That thought influenced the song choices and order for our latest album, The Gathering: Live from WorshipGod11, 15 songs that tell the story of the gospel and our appropriate response to it.

In Scripture and history, God’s glory and grace have informed and shaped the way we relate to him. We’re awed by his greatness but attracted by his mercy. We’re undone by his holiness but drawn by his forgiveness. It’s a pattern that’s reflected in Isaiah’s encounter with God in Isaiah 6 as well as the scenes of praise around the throne in the book of Revelation. Beholding God’s glory and encountering his grace lead to going forth in mission – making the glory of God known to others.

Musicians know that when the flow of songs isn’t right, it’s a problem. But meetings are more than music and the gospel affects more than a musical flow. The way God relates to us – by the gospel of grace –  is meant to shape the structure, order, and flow of our entire meeting.

That was the thought behind the progression of songs for The Gathering. At WorshipGod11, we interspersed the songs with readings from Scripture and comments that explained the flow of the evening. Here’s how it worked out:

Call to Worship (invitation to celebrate God’s grace)
There is One Reason

Adoration (recognizing God’s greatness and grace)
Greater Than We Can Imagine
Come Praise and Glorify

Confession (our sin and need for grace)
Shine Into Our Night
Have Mercy on Me

Assurance of Pardon (God’s provision of grace)
Now Why This Fear (right click for a free download)
Isaiah 53

Thanksgiving (gratefulness for God’s grace)
Generous King

Petition and Intercession (dependence on God’s grace)
When You Move

Preparation to hear God’s Word (our need to grow in the knowledge of grace)
Your Words of Life
Show Us Christ

Consecration (response to God’s grace)
All I Have is Christ

Communion/Fellowship (the grace of union with Christ and his people)
We Hunger and Thirst

Commission (our desire to make God’s grace known)
Lift High the Cross

Benediction (living in the power of grace)
As You Go

I’m increasingly persuaded that we lose direction in our gatherings because we focus primarily on different pieces (songs, announcements, offering, sermon, etc.) rather than the gospel that holds all the pieces together. Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose to redeem sinners and to reconcile them to God (1 Pet. 3:18). We have no greater news to share with the world (1 Cor. 15:1-4). We have no greater power to display (Rom. 1:16). We have no greater message to proclaim (1 Pet. 2:9). Thinking about how the gospel affects not only our songs and sermons, but also the structure, of our meetings will go a long way towards insuring that we’re giving attention to the most important things when we meet.

On a more mundane note, I was excited that all but two of the musicians on The Gathering are from Sovereign Grace churches (it was great to have Ryan Foglesong and Dave Zimmer from Enfield on bass and drums). For some time I’ve wanted to give a platform not only to our songwriters and vocalists, but also to our instrumentalists and arrangers. I’m pretty excited about what our players have come up with.

You can purchase the album from Amazon (6.99), iTunes (9.99), or Bandcamp (9.00) (includes guitars charts and lead sheets). I hope you enjoy listening to and singing these songs as much as we did recording them.

You can download all the lead sheets and guitar charts here.

Here’s another message I shared in Australia at the one day TWIST Pastor’s Conference. I first gave this message in 2004 and called it “Corporate Worship as Pastoral Care.”

The talk developed out of a realization that we can often be unaware of how God wants to use the lyrics of songs and how they’re led to care for people’s souls. We’re doing more than simply singing songs together when we gather, hoping for some “worshipful” or “anointed” moment to happen. The Holy Spirit is at work to encourage, impart faith, convict, and comfort as we “teach and admonish one another” through song.

Here’s a brief outline of my message. You can download the audio and notes at the end of this post.

Introduction

The pastor’s influence has changed significantly in recent decades. The rock concert culture has influenced some churches far more than we’re aware.
We tend to value:

* Performance vs. participation
* Skill vs. character
* Musical experiences vs. truth experiences
* Singer-songwriters vs. pastor-theologians

In response, some churches have minimized the significance of singing in the church. See it as a warm-up for the main part of the meeting – the sermon.
But the meetings we lead and the songs we sing are of one piece in seeking to pastor those the Savior has purchased with his own blood. Wisely and faithfully led, they can be a significant means of grace for a congregation.

Roles of the Pastor

God has given pastors the responsibility to feed, lead, care for, protect, and be an example to their flocks. (1 Pet. 5:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:2-3; Acts 20:28)
Pastors are responsible to lead both their churches and meetings. Delegated leaders are responsible to serve diligently and follow joyfully.
So how can singing songs be a means of shepherding God’s flock?

Application of Pastoral Roles in Congregational Worship

Feed
Songs teach. “We are what we sing.” Even songs we use for expression leave an impression. Our songs reflect and shape what we believe.
Singing is similar to preaching. Both seek to magnify God’s glory through the word of Christ.
Make sure your congregation is getting a theologically balanced diet – sound the right notes.
Know what songs really say as well as what they emphasize.

Lead
Plan before meetings:

* Carefully, to insure theological weight and balance
* Expectantly, because God wants to bless His people
* Humbly, with a dependence on God’s Spirit
* Purposefully, so that people know what to focus on

Lead during meetings:

* Directly or indirectly
* Lack of musical gifting is no excuse for not leading
* Well-timed transitions are key moments to exercise wise, godly, pastoral leadership
* The pastor or delegated leader is responsible for what takes place during the entire meeting.

Teach on worship and the role of music:

* Music should be an offering of worship, but is not meant to “produce” worship.
* Don’t expect music to do what only the Gospel and the word of God are meant to do by His Spirit.

Care For
We must help people connect the promises and works of God with the challenges they face. The key is faith.
People need to see their problems in light of the greatness and goodness of God.
It is not singing, per se, that changes us, but trusting in God’s word and the finished work of the Savior.
We serve our people best by helping them apply the Gospel to their lives. Many of our people’s problems result from a deficient or inaccurate understanding of
the Gospel.
We must explain what the gospel means and accomplishes:

• Reconciliation to God (Rom. 5:10)
• Adoption into God’s family (Rom. 8:15)
• Security in God’s love (Rom. 8:37-39)
• Freedom from sin’s power (Gal. 5:24)
• Victory over death (1Cor. 15:54-55)
• Release from condemnation (Rom. 8:1)

Offer hope for change during struggles against sin.
Offer comfort and strength during trials.
Offer faith during fear or discouragement.

Protect
* From the errors of the world by singing songs with rich, theological, Christ-exalting truth
* From the vices of the world by reminding them of God’s holiness, righteousness, purity, justice, and wrath against sin
* From the pleasures of the world by doing all we can to present Christ as “dazzling” and infinitely superior to the temporary, deceptive joys this world offers

Model
The uninvolved or distracted pastor doesn’t communicate that singing is unimportant, but that exalting God is unimportant.
People are unimpressed with the leader whose faith and joy in God is only evident on Sunday mornings.

The Result of Effective Pastoring Through Song

If our people are beholding God’s glory in our meetings, they should experience true and lasting change. (2 Cor. 3:18)
Evidences of fruit include humility, holiness, security, unity, and gratefulness.
Meetings can’t provide everything our people need to follow God. But let’s make sure we don’t give them any less than they can provide, by God’s grace.

Download the audio here.
Download a copy of my notes here.

When I was in Australia recently, I was asked to give a message three times called “Let the People be Glad: Worshiping God Mind, Soul, and Body.” It’s a topic that’s not only relevant to Australians but to Christians anywhere.

I made it clear that while “worship” is a word that refers to our relationship to God in all of life, I was going to speak primarily about singing songs of praise when we gather. Throughout Israel’s history, God intended there to be a connection between the faithfulness, authenticity, and passion of their gatherings and the way they lived their daily lives. What the Israelites did when they met at the tabernacle or temple was meant to reflect and shape what they did in their daily lives. So it is with us today.

I’ve posted a brief outline of what I shared below. You can download the full outline here. The audio for the message is available for streaming at the Emu Music website.

Worshiping God with My Mind

Knowing information about God is different from actually knowing him through that information. (John 5:39-40). But if we love God we’ll want to know him better.

“Vagueness about the object of our praise inevitably leads to making our own praise the object. Praise therefore becomes and end in itself, and we are caught up in our own ‘worship experience’ rather than in the God whose character and acts are the only proper focus.” – Michael Horton, A Better Way

As Christians, God calls us not only to love him but to love the truth about him (2 Thess. 2:10; Jn. 17:3, 14:6, 8:32; 1 Tim. 2:4; Rom. 1:18; Jn. 16:3, 17:17). That’s why worshipping God must engage our minds and understanding.

Worshiping God with My Soul

Scripture says we are to pour out our souls to God (Ps. 42:4, lift up our souls to Him (Ps. 25:1), love him with our souls (Dt. 6:5),  boast in him with our souls (Ps. 34:2). It’s one thing to know and declare true things about God (Jm. 2:19). But God intends for us to cherish and treasure the truth about him, because we cherish and treasure him. (Ps. 37:4; 1 Pet. 1:8; Eph. 5:19). God takes no pleasure in worship isn’t connected to the heart (Mt. 15:8-9).

What should we do when what’s in our souls isn’t lining up with what we know?

This does not mean that worship is authentic only when you are red-hot for God. It can mean that when you are not red-hot, your heart feels a longing for the passion that you once knew or want to know more of. That longing, offered to God, is also worship. Or it can mean remorse that even the longing is gone, and you are scarcely able to feel anything but sadness that you don’t feel what you should.  That remorse, offered to God, is also worship. It says to God that he is the only hope for what you need. So don’t have an all-or-nothing attitude about worship. The heart can be real even if it is not as enflamed with zeal as it ought to be – which it never is in this life. (John Piper)

Where feelings for God are dead, worship of God is dead.

Worshiping God with my Body

The Biblical Evidence for Physical Expression
Scriptural Language
Scriptural Examples
Scriptural Commands

These commands and examples cover both exuberant and subdued responses, celebrative and reverent. Our bodies can be used to communicate a variety of emotions, from joy to lament.

Do our minds, hearts, and bodies reflect the overall biblical model for how we are to respond to the greatness and goodness of God?

 The Benefits of Physical Expression
We magnify the glory of God. (Ps. 108:1-2)
We follow the Scriptural example.
We encourage others.
We can encourage our own hearts.

The Limitations of Physical Expression
Physical expression doesn’t insure that worship is taking place in the heart. (Mt. 15:8-9)
Physical expressions can be self-deceiving. (Amos 5:23-24)
Physical expressiveness can be self-glorifying and self-gratifying. (1 Cor. 12:7, 14:12)

The Hindrances to Physical Expression
Lack of clear biblical instruction.
Fear of man.
Tradition or culture.
Concern for others.
Theological concerns.

Some questions for the theologically wary.

• What physical expressions of praise in Scripture do you think ARE appropriate in corporate worship? How do you distinguish between what’s appropriate and what’s not?
• Can physical expressiveness be learned?
• Is singing appropriate for worshipping God? If so, why not shouting? (Ps. 71:23; 81:1) Lifting hands? (Ps. 63:3-4)
• If physical expressiveness is primarily cultural, when are Christians called to be counter-cultural because of the greatness of the God we worship?
• Are there any physical expressions of worship modeled or commanded in the Bible that you’ve never engaged in? If so, why not?

Conclusion

Our bodily expressions should draw people’s attention to the reality, greatness, and goodness of the God we worship. It will look different at different times, in different churches, and in different cultures. But there’s no question that we have to help those in our congregations understand that God is worthy of our deepest, strongest, and purest affections. And that to bring him glory with our minds, souls, and bodies is the very reason we were created.

The first ten days of October found me in Australia. It was my first time there. Hopefully not my last.

I was hosted by Dave and Emma Taylor and their three charming kids, Josh, Amy, and Lydia. Dave pastors Sovereign Grace Church Sydney, now about one year old. It’s a church that evidences love for the Savior, for God’s Word, for each other, and for reaching their community with the gospel. Pure joy to hang out with them.

I shared my itinerary in a previous post. Briefly, I spent time at Dave’s church, TWIST (The Word in Song Together) conferences in Brisbane and Sydney, a TWIST pastor’s conference, Moore college, an EMU Music songwriters dinner, Church by the Bridge in Kiribilli, and a RICERegenerate rally. Oh yeah. And I had a faceoff with a kangaroo.

Here are a few thoughts on my time down under.

Our co-laborers for the gospel don’t always look/talk/think exactly like we do. That’s okay.
Being in another country causes me to think more carefully about what I have in common with other Christians. Differences abound. Accents, cultural sensibilities, common phrases and words, ideas about acceptable standards of godliness. But our bonds of unity in Christ far outweigh our differences. We’re sinners who have been forgiven and reconciled to God through the substitutionary sacrifice and merits of Jesus Christ. We’re seeking to know God through his sufficient and authoritative Word, and relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to live for God’s glory. I want that understanding to affect how I relate to Christians in my own country.

Emotionally engaging and physically expressive singing is meant to go together with theologically rich, gospel-centered teaching.
I spoke with numerous people around Sydney who said Christians there often attend two churches. They go to a church with solid Bible teaching but subdued singing in the morning and a church with passionate, physically expressive singing but weak teaching at night. Christians shouldn’t have to make that choice. And I said so in two of the messages I gave. Those who know God most deeply through his Word and want to honor him most sincerely with their lives should present the most compelling example of praising God with their whole being, in and outside our gatherings.

Reacting to what other churches are doing wrong is not the same as pursuing what is biblically right.
It’s one thing to say we don’t want to be as wild emotionally or as dead liturgically as the church down the street. It’s another thing to say we want to promote biblically informed, natural, whole-hearted responses to God’s glory in Christ. Reactions don’t necessarily lead us in the right direction.

Pastors and music leaders need to teach more on the place of music, affections, and expressiveness in our gatherings.
I’ve spent the past 14 years in my present role trying to understand more biblically how music functions in the gatherings of God’s people. I discovered early on that my views were primarily rooted in my own experiences and what I’d seen in others. Of course I used scattered Scriptures to support what I did and believed. It wasn’t until I read books like Engaging with God by David Peterson and Music Through the Eyes of Faith by Harold Best that I saw my own short-sightedness and pragmatism. God has said quite a bit about how he wants to be glorified in His people when they gather and what role music plays. It’s our joy to listen and seek to apply what He’s said. Music is too powerful a medium, our culture too musically addicted, and people too concerned about what others think, for pastors and leaders not to speak directly to these issues.

God delights to work through small, faithful churches.
Most people connect Sydney with Hillsong Church, whose weekend attendance runs around 30,000. But I spent time in Sydney with many other pastors, including Dave Taylor of Sovereign Grace Church and Paul Dale of Church by the Bridge, who faithfully preach the Word of God, love and pastor their people, and reach out to their communities with the grace and truth of the gospel. You might not have heard of them, but Christ is being exalted and lives are being changed through their faithful labors.

There’s an increasing desire in Sydney to bring together doctrine and devotion, academia and affections.
I was encouraged by the number of people who thought more leaders and churches were seeking to learn from one another rather than simply critique and fight each other. Let’s face it. No church has it all right (although I think it’s safe to say that some have it more right than others). So people leave theologically rich churches because natural expressiveness is absent or even discouraged. Others leave expressive and emotionally engaging churches because the Scriptures are minimized, distorted, or ignored. There are signs God is raising up churches that believe both sound theology and whole-hearted engagement should be valued.

I’m grateful for people I had never met who share a vision for producing gospel-rich, Word-saturated music to serve the church.
While in Sydney I got to spend time with folks like Trevor Hodge, Garage Hymnal, Rob Smith, Philip Percival of EMU Music, and a number of folks who lead music in their local churches. All of them want to produce music for the church that enables the word of Christ to dwell richly in people’s minds and hearts (Col. 3:16). They strive for a healthy tension of biblically faithful lyrics and emotionally impacting music. It was a joy to meet them and know that long after I was gone, they would be continuing to faithfully serve God’s people through song.

In coming posts, I’ll share some of the audio and outlines for messages I gave in Sydney.

Hoping to share some reflections from my recent time in Australia soon. But before that, I wanted to let you know about a video we just finished editing.

Last May at the NEXT conference, I had the opportunity to lead the song, The Father’s Love, with my son, Devon, and the Na Band. We projected the lyrics across the entire backdrop of the stage. I loved the effect of emphasizing the importance of the lyrics we were singing.

I have an increasing conviction (if that’s possible) that our singing should be characterized by passion rooted in biblical truth rather than simply passion that’s an effect of musical stimulation. Enlarging the size of the lyrics is one way we can serve that end. Enjoy the video. I posted the lyrics below.

How has the sinner been forgiven
How has the rebel been made clean
Or blinded eyes been made to see
How have the orphans been adopted
Who hated Your love and ran from grace
Despised and rejected all Your ways

How wonderful the Father’s love
The Father’s love for us
That He would send His only Son
To come and rescue us
He has saved us, called us blameless
Guides us now and will sustain us
Oh how wonderful the Father’s love

Your mercy floods our lives with kindness
Your grace has colored all we see
And You have promised not to leave
You freely give Your Spirit to us
So we can be sure we’re sons of God
And rest in the hope of what’s to come

Though sufferings may fill our lives
We’re confident we’re heirs with Christ
And so we cry, “Abba, Father”
By Joel Sczebel. © 2009 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)