Rockin' Worship

Just a few more ideas on "contemporary" worship. It seems that it was not clear that to be church we need ll 5 of the devotions that the early church practiced- i.e. Apostles teaching, pray, fellowship, worship, and evangelism (Acts 1:8, 2:42). Any church worth its weight will have, in some way, an expression of all of these things.

However, we are never told how these five devotions play out. We are told by Paul that services should be orderly, since God is a God of order and not disorder, but we are never given a method or a system in the Bible. This debate, especially centered around music is not new.

A brief look at history will tel us that one of the charges the Catholic Church had against Luther is that e took contemporary music and re worked it to worship God. The hymns that we sing today have their musical root in old Tavern drinking songs. What Martin Luther realized is that people respond to what they know. Now the question is, is this Biblical. I would argue yes. 1 Corinthians 9 tells u s that Paul was all things to all men so that some may be saved. What does this mean for us today?

Well one thing it means is that we get rid of hindrances to the Gospel. We need to preach truth, but first we need to encounter the community. If they are not engaged, we can speak truth until we are pink in the face and we will not be doing anything to further the cause of the Gospel. I agree with Chris that contemporary Christian Music is all about us, and that sucks. That is not worship.

However, we can be Biblically faithful through good rock music, and poetry, and art. We are told to love the LORD our God with all our heart, strengh, soul, and mind. I don;t think that playing only to the emotions is a right way to win people for Christ. This is how much of the Evangelical church acts. There are alter calls and fear and guilt. However, to forget the emotions completely is also a mistake. To force what you like upon others us no more biblical that organs or rock music.

We need to be open to all aspects and types of church. Rock church, night church, sunrise services, and even no music. IF we put up artificial blocks to the Gospel, well, in Jesus words, it would be better if we had a mill stone tied around our neck and thrown into the sea.

I am not saying that we need some super emotionally visceral music that converts the emotions but not the heart o mind. What I am saying is that we need multiple expressions of worship. I am all for hymns re written to modern songs, as well as original compositions. I, in fact, am a big fan of hymns. But if we present them in a way that is not culturally relevant we hinder our selves.

SO lets rewrite today's Bar songs into works that glorify or LORD. And lets make it rock!

And while we are at it, lets engage culture instead of being a fortress that looks over its walls and just despises it. To truly redeem this world, we need to redeem all aspects of culture. Country, Hardcore, Hip Hop, etc. Let us go, and make disciples. Let us live in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and the Ends of the World. Recognize that there are both good and bad in every culture, and use the good to glorify God and spread the Gospel.