Why Do We Sing

What are people’s weekly thoughts when they come to church on the topic of music. In other words, what do you or others maybe think about when you think about music for a given Sunday.

Boy I hope they don’t mess up

I hope they sing songs I know

I hope the song service lasts longer or shorter

I hope they sing new or old songs today

I hope certain person plays more quietly today

Obviously for the next few weeks, we will be discussing the importance and role of music in the church. But let me tell you, this a very difficult topic to discuss. First, because it is topic. I really struggled to lay out a 5 week coarse on this topic. So much research, so much to say, and so little time. It’s really difficult to narrow it down and give a thorough Biblical answer. It’s a topic that many a church hasn’t given much time to, yet it’s practiced in virtually every church service and given a good amount of time over to it. Why don’t people teach about music and worship in the church. Because many times, music has had a tract record of being divisive? Why...

Subjective.... preferential.

Even with all of it’s challenges, if we are going to give our services over so much time to engage in music, it is right and Biblical that we know why we are doing what we are doing. I will admit, I don’t have all the answers, and this process, this journey of understanding has only begun relatively not that long ago, perhaps less than 2 years. But as I’m finding out, we have missed the make brutally on this topic of music. From elevating it to wrong place to minimizing it to nothing. We need to be Biblical in this area and the Bible is not whatsoever silent on it. Even if we cannot come to an answer in this time of study, my hope is that each of us will walk away with a greater desire to live according to the Word of God even in this topic of Music. So that in all we say and do, we might properly worship a God so great and mighty, deserving of all our worship.

So we are going to begin with conversation (that’s what I want this to be… interactive) with first stating the

I. False Reasons for Singing Corporately

From downright untrue to somewhat true.

A. Just Something We Do

Why is this a problem?

Becomes filler for “dead” time

It reeks of manmade traditionalism.

Defined...

Gotquestions.org degines traditionalism as the belief that moral and religious truth comes from divine revelation that is passed down by tradition, rather than attained by human reasoning.

Traditionalism seeks to uphold these traditions and is resistant to change.

In one respect, religious and moral truth does come from divine revelation—the Bible is full of moral and religious truth. However, human tradition is fallible. Divine revelation is the ultimate authority, not the human tradition that has developed around it.

From this then, our source in doing is wrong. If we are only singing because it’s what has always been done, our authority isn’t God’s Word, it’s the authority of man’s traditions. There’s a huge problem there. We are called upon to constantly reflect our practices individually and corporately before God and see if we are living in light of His revealed truth because it is very easy for us to become derailed and think we are on the right track.

Also, if it’s built upon man’s traditions, it also puts us at odds with God. This is reflected in man’s stubbornness when it comes to change. Notice when some gives protest against “new” things in church, what are some of their remarks. “It always worked/been fine before, why we gotta change now? It’s not broke don’t fix it.” That’s kinda the mentality going into it. We refuse new things, not based on biblical insights and truth from the Word of God but base on protests on the traditions of the past. Not that all of them are wrong, but we are not standing firmly on these things without even considering what scripture says. Which can produce a very Pharisaical approach to life. The Pharisees were constantly at odds with Jesus because He wouldn’t uphold these long practiced traditions, but never were any of them commanded in Scripture. We can easily be pulled this. So a danger we must watch out for and be humble to admit.

It lacks intentionality which often produces little to no reward or benefit.

Doing it just to do it, is obviously not taking seriously what God has said. Repeatedly scripture tells us to do everything with all our might.

Colossians 3:23 NASB95

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,

Further scriptures shares that God is looking upon you and seeing if what your are doing is truly profitable. And what does He regard as profitable. He’s not looking at the outward actions, but looking on the heart. David knew that all too well.

Psalm 51:16–17 ESV

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Heartless worship and singing is meaningless. So when the “songtime” is treated as just filler, we are tempted to treat in like manner: without intentions or heart whatsoever and therefore has no value.

Worship leaders are very guilty of this: those that lead in the proclamation of truth in front of others, namely the church: ie.... scripture readers, those that pray, and those that lead singing, as well as those that preach and teach, they are worship leaders. In the domain of singing, I fully understand that how we and many other worship leaders have handled the leading of God’s people in right worship before him has not inspired true worship but has only aided in people not thinking much of the music time. Many song leaders randomly choosing songs based on people’s preferences, what hasn’t been sang in awhile, what is popular both in the evangelical world at the time or popular in the church, what goes well with the lead singers voice and the groups ability to play it,.... these are all thoughts that lead to Christians having little thought about song.

We are instructing people by how we lead, what we lead, and where we lead at all times but especially during our gatherings.

It’s a mockery of God and His gift whose worthy and desiring of our praise.

When we think so little of the “singing” portion of the service, we are mocking God and what He has designed and created us to do.

So how should that affect our singing and music in the church.

First of all, God deserves our best.

To express our worship by this means requires the highest and the best of all musical quality. Music, if it’s going to carry divine truth on its wings, should be beautiful, should be excellent. It should be skillfully played. It should be the very noblest of all possible expressions of music. You can’t offer God-exalting, Christ-honoring praise, pouring out divine truth consistent with the glories of doctrine in a cheap or superficial tune. It deserves the best. If our knowledge of the Lord in His glory is rich and full, lofty and awe-inspiring, so should our music be.

-John MacArthur

Second of all, God wants us to think highly of singly.

We’ll cover that in much more detail later, but at least hear what Martin Luther says on this matter.

When man’s natural ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift; we marvel when we hear music in which one voice sings a simple melody, while three, four, or five other voices play and trip lustily around the voice that sings its simple melody and adorn this simple melody wonderfully with artistic musical effects, thus reminding us of a heavenly dance where all meet in a spirit of friendliness, caress, and embrace. . . . A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard it [music] as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs.

-Martin Luther

Maybe you share a love for music maybe you more see it as a transitional piece or a small appetizer to the main dish. It’s nice but not needed. But understand, that is not the way Luther saw it. He considered music next to theology, He loved congregational music. Why because He saw and He knows that this is the very heart of God Himself. God takes great delight in our congregational singing and it serves many important functions in our church. It’s value is great and never to be taken lightly, undervalued, or only viewed as filler.

B. Leads Us into God’s Presence/Ushers in God’s Presence

Leaned heavily on Scott Anoil from G3 ministries (Gospel-Grace-Glory) -ministry from predominantly baptist churches meant to teach and equip churches through thick theological matters and practices of the day through podcasts, blogs, books, conferences,etc.

Many new groups that we often hear on the radio, such as Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, Elevation worship, etc espouse a new philosophy, a new theology when it comes to singing and worship. In this new theology of worship, called Praise and Worship theology, they believe that by singing, they are actually being lead into God’s presence or that they are ushering God’s presence in among the congregation.

On surface, level you many see nothing wrong with that. But let’s think about this for a second.

Does singing actually lead us into God’s Presence?

NO

Who leads us into the Presence of God?

Jesus

Hebrews 10:19–23 ESV

Therefore, brothers, since 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, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

We also know that God’s Presence is continually with us in the Holy Spirit.

So to believe this is to undermine the truth of what Jesus did.

This theology is heavily rooted in Charismatic/Pentecostal teaching.

Charismatic theologians argue that the Holy Spirit’s primary work in worship is that of making God’s presence known in observable, tangible ways such that worshipers can truly encounter God. This theology places a high emphasis and expectation in worship upon physical expressiveness and intensity.

Here’s where they get this idea.

They say praise is inherently connected to God’s presence—in fact, praise is the very means of entering the presence of God. A central text underlying this idea is Psalm 22:3

Psalm 22:3 ESV

Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

Early Pentecostal authors, such as Reg Layzell and Bob Sorge,8 taught that this text and others reveal that, in the words of Judson Cornwall,

“the path into the presence of God [is] praise.”9

This leads to the understanding that praise and worship are distinct;

as Cornwall suggests, “Praise is the vehicle of expression that brings us into God’s presence. But worship is what we do once we gain an entrance to that presence.”

Former Hillsong worship pastor Darlene Zschech represents well Praise & Worship theology:

The word says that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). It’s amazing to think that God, in all His fullness, inhabits and dwells in our praises of Him. … Our praise is irresistible to God. As soon as He hears us call His name, He is ready to answer us. That is the God we serve. Every time the praise and worship team with our musicians, singers, production teams, dancers, and actors begin to praise God, His presence comes in like a flood. Even though we live in His presence, His love is lavished on us in a miraculous way when we praise Him.12

This is where the problem came. Music having such significance because you have to take people on a emotional journey so that they can enter and abide in the presence of God. So alot of effort is on a forced flow in order to generate a response.

What’s the problem with this, besides thinking that praise and worship gives us extra ability to stand in God’s presence more so than what Jesus already gave us.

Another one comes from a lack of understanding of the order and importance of emotions and singing.

**Worship theology according to Scriptures teach that emotion and singing come as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life, not as a cause of the Holy Spirit’s work.

Notice again what Ephesians 5:18-19

Ephesians 5:18–19 ESV

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Calvin Stapert helpfully makes this point with reference to Ephesians 5:18–19 and Colossians 3:16:

“Spirit filling” does not come as the result of singing. Rather, “Spirit filling” comes first; singing is the response. . . . Clear as these passages are in declaring that Christian singing is a response to the Word of Christ and to being filled with the Spirit, it is hard to keep from turning the cause and effect around. Music, with its stimulating power, can too easily be seen as the cause and the “Spirit filling” as the effect.20

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16) and are “led by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18), “live by the Spirit,” and “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). According to the apostle Paul, being filled with the Holy Spirit makes the difference between life and death. When we belong to Jesus, “the power of the life-giving Spirit” frees us “from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:2, NLT). “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). Instead of living in bondage to sin and fear of death, we live as God’s adopted children (Romans 8:14–15).

C. Prepares Us for the Message/Gets our Hearts Right with God

Biblically, that concept is not found anywhere in the Bible. Where does it say that we ought to sing in order that our hearts might be ready to hear the Word of God.

The Bible at least that I’m aware of, gives no indication of this anywhere in our personal devotion to God or in our corporate gatherings. In fact, there is no litergical guideline whatsoever in how we are to conduct our services. We don’t even have much by way of examples on what people did in their corporate gatherings. We know there was giving, and praying, and adhering to the apostles teaching. But we here never given the bulletin on the first churches order of service. So we cannot make it a dogmatic claim that scripture claims for us to have music before a sermon. From what I understand, this was more of an American way of explaining why we have singing before sermon. Last century or so.

Furthermore, to combat this idea, it appears more often then anything else that singing usually is in response to what the Word of God has revealed. Col. 3:16 states that the Word of God dwells richly in us and we respond in singing and praise.

In the OT revivals, like in Nehemiah chapters 8-10, we see that the law is brought before the Israelities who have returned to the Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the wall.

Nehemiah 8:1 ESV

And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.

Nehemiah 8:5–6 ESV

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Everyday this went on for several days. The people gathered, begged to hear the Word of God, and went away worshipping. But it involved more than that.

Nehemiah 9:1–3 ESV

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God.

Confession was a regular part. And all of this was involved in music.

Their worship definitely involved music. We see that in chapter 10 verse 28 that they had singers in the midst of their group.

So often in Scripture, music is more responsive to the Word and the works of God then preparatory for them.

So should we never view music as preparation for the truth?

Is music itself on Sunday not also bearing the truth? Yes, that is why again in Colossians we have the command to teach and admission one another by what means.... our songs. Our songs ought to carry truth and teach people.

So if music carries the truth of the Word of God as well, shouldn’t we prepare our hearts before that to give it and receive it. Shouldn’t we also prepare our hearts beforehand to minister the truth of the songs we sing on Sundays if we are to obey this command. How can we minister the truths of these songs to one another if we ourselves have not been right with God and have not prepared our heart for worship.

Vital that we come ready beforehand to engage with truth and minister truth before we ever enter the doors.

What tools does God give us to have our hearts right with God.

Prayer, confession, Reading the Word, … etc.

Concluding these thoughts, viewing the singing portion as merely prep work for the sermon is wrong. Amongst many other things, it’s a truth teaching moment. Furthermore, if we view it as merely setting up the word or preparing our hearts to hear that borderlines with thoughts of “setting the mood.” Which can make us fall dangerously close to trying to manipulate people’s hearts. In other words, draw them in by getting their emotions and heart into it. Music does have a powerful ability to work peoples emotions, but that cannot be why we sing. It is much more vital than preparation. Our hearts ought to always be ready to worship God and ready to minister to others.

Can God use the truths of the Songs to get us more eager to hear? Absolutely. But that is not it’s primary.

D. Makes Us Feel Good/Enjoyable

Does music make us feel good? Should music be enjoyable? Yes, God created it to be that way. But is that the primary reason we sing?

What happens when that becomes primary?

It becomes all about us then. We do it because of how it makes us feel. So therefore, if I don’t feel it, like it, enjoy it, then I don’t do it. Who then does music worship? Who then becomes most important to what we sing?

The truth is known that if this is the primary reason we sing, it is no longer biblical singing but idolatrous singing.

Churches gain their identity by what they sing. Is that Biblical? We are a contemporary music church, we sing hymns only, we don’t sing at all. That becomes their identity and furthermore, their drawing point.

People have even gone so far to say our music has to be good or the unsaved people won’t stay because the music is too boring. Is that right though. Music has been hijacked and used in all the wrong ways. Music is a wonderful gift of God, but it should never be the primary draw of gathering.

What should be the drawing point? The Majesty and Splendor of who God is correctly revealed through the proclamation of truth from the Word of God throughout the entirety of our time together. Not one element should dismiss that it is God whom we are wanting to know more of and it is through the Word given that we know the truth. We are not changed by music but by revealed truth found in God’s Word. Music can move us but can’t change us. Only God can. So when we make decisions for what we sing, when we sing, and where we sing, it shouldn’t be our utmost concern on how they sound as much as it should be what truth they convey. Don’t get me wrong, how they sound does matter some, and how they make you feel does weigh into the conversation to some degree, but what is most important is what truth they convey and what thing or person we are actually worshiping. Worshiping God or worshiping our own interests.

E. It’s How We Worship

1. Music is not worship.

Someone define worship for me.

Lanny gave us some good thoughts on worship just a couple weeks ago.

Anyone remember some of the things he said.

“Worship is praising God for His character and His works, His promises and His faithfulness.”

“Worship is the heart glorifying and honoring God, music therefore is just a vehicle.”

-John MacArthur

One of many vehicles for worship too.

2. Music does not create worship

Music can bring about all kinds of feelings, but music cannot by itself bring about true worship of God.

Regardless of what we think or feel, there is no authentic worship of God without a right knowledge of God.

Bob Kauflin says...

“…being moved emotionally is different from being changed spiritually. Music affects and helps us in many ways, but it doesn’t replace truth about God. Music can never by itself help us understand the meaning of God’s self-existence, the nature of the Incarnation, or Christ’s substitutionary atonement.... For that, we need to read our Bibles. And to know what the Bible says, we need theology. Good theology. Good theology helps us keep music in its proper place. We learn that music isn’t an end in itself but rather a means of expressing the worship already present in our hearts through the new life we’ve received in Jesus Christ.”

A helpful equation by MacArthur again.

Truth + Love + Adoration = Worship (if done from the heart.)

II. Biblical Reasons for Singing Corporately

A. Revelation Demands Worship

B. God Commands Worship also be in Song

400 references to singing

50 direct exhortations to sing

Psalm 96:1–4 ESV

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.

Most of these commands are in the Old Testament, but it is also evident in the New Testament as well.

James 5:13 ESV

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

Ephesians 5:19 ESV

addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Such commands are necessary, because heartfelt praise doesn’t always come easily to God’s people.

That is why the God of Word, the revealed truth, gives us so many reasons to obey the command to worship. The more truth you take in, the more we just want to return worship.

Even creation itself begs us to sing

Psalm 98:4–9 ESV

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

Because we were created to sing.

“Singing is not merely a happy by-product of God’s real intent of making us creatures who can speak. It is something we’re designed to be able to do.”

Why does God command worship in the for of singing?

But why Music? Why not just words alone?

As Ps. 147:1 says,

Psalm 147:1 ESV

Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

Why is Music fitting? (ask audience)

In singing, God has taken the vaguest form of communicating objective truth, music, and combined it with the most precise form of communicating objective truth, which is words, and He has done that that we might feel the truth.

Music is not to distract or compete with the truth (obviously it then becomes idolatry or manipulation 2 Corinth. 4:1-2) but it is to compliment it and serve the truth.

A. Biblical Singing/Music Serves the Truth (Word of God)

1. Music helps us remember truth

For years Oliver Sacks has studied the effects of music on the brain. In his fascinating book Musicophilia he writes:

Every culture has songs and rhymes to help children learn the alphabet, numbers, and other lists. Even as adults, we are limited in our ability to memorize series or to hold them in mind unless we use mnemonic devices or patterns — and the most powerful of these devices are rhyme, meter, and song. (Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain [Alfred A. Knopf, 2007], 158)

You see the power of music in Alzheimer’s patients who can’t tell you the name of their spouse or children but can instantly sing songs they learned as a child. That’s partly because musical elements like rhythm, meter, and rhyme govern and restrict the way we say words and the time it takes to say them. And the more unique, repetitive, or immediately impacting these musical elements are, the easier it is to remember the song.

Deuteronomy 31:19–22 ESV

“Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.

2. Music helps us engage with truth emotionally

Music is a language of emotion. It affects us.

How does music affect us? Give examples. (audience)

David playing harp

1 Samuel 16:23 ESV

And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

Jesus describing what music does

Matthew 11:16–17 ESV

“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

Jonathan Edwards proposed that God gave us music “wholly to excite and express religious affections.”

Here’s his full quotes.

The duty of singing praises to God seems to be appointed wholly to excite and express religious affections. No other reason can be assigned, why we should express ourselves to God in verse, rather than in prose, and do it with music, but only that such is our nature and frame, that these things have a tendency to move our affections.

Psalm 45:1 ESV

My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

Music can amplify and guide the emotions we are singing about.

Example: playing Joy to the World in a minor key… clip from why we sing training...

When talking about the emotional effect of music, we need to differentiate between being emotionally moved and spiritually enlightened. Music can move our emotions, but it can’t speak propositional truth. You might say that music has a voice, but we’re not always clear what that voice is saying. An instrumental piece can make us feel peaceful. But it can never tell us by itself that the Lord is our Shepherd or that Jesus endured God’s wrath in our place so that we might have eternal peace with God. Only words can do that.

Some of us are afraid of getting too emotional when we sing. But the problem isn’t emotions. It’s emotional*ism*. Emotionalism pursues feelings as ends in themselves. It’s wanting to feel something with no regard for how that feeling is produced or its ultimate purpose. Emotionalism can also assume that heightened feelings are the infallible sign that God is present. They’re not. The emotions that singing is meant to evoke are responses to the truths we’re singing about God — his glory, his greatness, and his goodness. Vibrant singing enables us to connect truth about God seamlessly, with passion, so that we can combine doctrine and devotion, edification and expression, mind and heart.

B. Biblical Singing/Music Unites the Body

Owning and Affirming the Word

Psalm 96:2 ESV

Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

Proclamation

See how Israel demonstrated and built corporate unity through song.

Psalm 118:1–4 ESV

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

The psalmist makes a declaration, and then he asks three groups of people to echo him: the nation, the priests, and then all who fear God (including any foreigners and Gentiles in their midst?). The words “his steadfast love endures forever” is the source of unity, but the poetry and—perhaps—music encourages the people’s hearts to embrace, own, and rejoice in this glorious truth.

Colossians 3:16 by now should be quite familiar to us. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.... but do you know the context in which it’s written.

Colossians 3:15–16 (ESV)

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

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.

Notice the train of thought: We’re to let peace rule, since we’re called to one body. We’re to be thankful. And we can do all this by singing Christ’s Word together. Again, the Word is the source of unity; but the music gives expression to that unity.

Jonathon Leeman from 9marks makes this great statement.

Far better than the sweet harmonies of a few trained singers is the rough and hale sound of pardoned criminals, delighting with one voice in their Savior.

The most beautiful instrument in any Christian service is the sound of the congregation singing.

C. Biblical Singing/Music Teaches and Encourages Others

Mutual edification.

Colossians 3:16 NASB95

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Why does music play such a big role in our worship? Because essentially it’s the only thing we do together that collectively makes sense.

There’s only one thing that we can do out loud to stimulate one another to love and good works, and that’s to sing, because we’re all singing the same song, and most of us are singing the same tune

John MacArthur

In our physical expressiveness.

Psalm 34:1–5 ESV

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

D. Biblical Singing/Music Shepherds Hearts

If we say and it is true that anyone that shares from the Word of God should be called a worship leader, then all who participate as worship leaders must have in them Pastoral care intentions. They may not have pastoral gifting but should have pastoral care longing to feed the sheep, protect the flock, care for the sick ones, and guide the lost. That applies to those who pray (they should be thinking these things as they lead the congregation) that applies to those who read scripture and it applies to those who lead singing.

How does that mentality change the way we operate our services. How does that change the way a person picks songs, leads our congregation in prayer, of how a person chooses how they read the scripture and what preparation they might take beforehand? (Ask audience)

Examples-

Karl and the song “whatever my God ordains is right”

Brenda

*Singing is modeled

By God

“God means for creatures created in his image to do as he does”

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Hebrews 2:12 ESV

saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

By Jesus

By the Prophets and Apostles