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The Music ExchangeWhat I used to think...What I used to think...Ready for some 'Confessions of a Christian Musician'? Over recent years I have had to swallow some pride as several of my most deeply-held assumptions have been exposed by God's Word, and shown to be wrong. Assumptions can go unquestioned for a long time, and the longer they last, the more unsettling it can be if they are overturned. (1) I used to think that 'worship' described Christian meetings, particularly times of singing. But verses like Romans 12.1 ff. and Hebrews 12.28 ff. show us that the appropriate response to God's mercy is to give every moment of our lives to God in grateful worship. The Bible calls me to worship at home, at work, on the tube, in the pub - and, presumably, as I meet with God's church and sing his praises. Vaughan Roberts quotes a friend: 'To say "I'm going to church to worship" is about as silly as saying "I'm off to bed to breathe for a while"'. (2) I used to think that during our meetings we should try to enter God's presence. But the Bible tells us it's something we already have! It's described from different angles - e.g. both Father and Son dwell in us by the Holy Spirit (John 14.23). Jesus's death has fulfilled what the Old Testament temple, priests and sacrifices pointed to but could never achieve - a sinful people brought safely into God's presence forever. We mustn't act as if Jesus hadn't come by reinstating an Old Testament way of thinking which he made obsolete. It was a huge relief to find that my assurance wasn't based on a musical experience, but on the objective fact of the crucified and risen Christ. (3) I used to think that the purpose of singing in church is to help people to enter God's presence. But as we've seen, Jesus has won that for us once and for all. My first reaction to this amazing truth was to feel very disillusioned about singing in church, but that, too, was wrong! There is actually a much better reason to sing, which Colossians 3 gives us. Having told us that we're in God's presence already (verses 1-4), Paul tells us to let the word dwell in us richly as we sing (verse 16) with thankfulness in our hearts (verses 15,16,17). We sing, not hoping or pleading for God's presence, but with passionate thankfulness that in Jesus we have full access to him. Our songs are thus wonderfully liberated to serve and celebrate the gospel rather than detract from it. Ego at the keyboardI was far from alone in my assumptions. 'Anointed musicians', says a well-known worship-leader in a typical quote, 'have an ability to draw us into his presence and communicate something of his heart and purposes for us'. For a keyboard player in his teens, with an ego to match, such ideas had suited me down to the ground - but in reality I'd unwittingly been robbing Christ of the glory he deserves. So, while it's been a steep and sometimes tricky learning curve, I'm grateful to God (and those he's used to teach me) for pulling the rug from under my feet. Both the biblical meaning of worship and the biblical purpose of singing need to be rescued for the gospel. One way Richard Simpkin and I are seeking to do that is through a series of one-day 'Worship Conferences'. If you're a pastor, a musician in a church or CU, or a Christian who wants to know more about true worship and how our singing can serve the gospel, do come and join us. The next conference is on March 6 in the City of London. Further details: 020 7283 2231, s.pedley@st-helens.org.uk, or www.st-helens.org.uk/diary - or see the advert on page 12 of EN. Simon Pedley© Evangelicals Now - March 2004 |