At the start of John 4, we find that Jesus was attempting to escape the Pharisees because they “had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (the Baptist).” Jesus decided to cut through Samaria on his way to Galilee. As Jesus was sitting at Jacob’s well just outside of Sychar, a Samaritan lady had come up to the well for some water. Jesus, sitting all alone, asked this woman for a drink of water. Seeing that every time He could share the gospel with someone was a good time, Jesus decided to converse with the Samaritan woman about living water. She didn’t understand, so she changed the subject by asking the question “Where people ought to worship?” Jesus ushered in a new form of worship when he said, “The hour…is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” This passage has become the foundation for my philosophy of worship, which is that God is actively seeking and pursuing those who will worship him truly, both in spirit and in truth.
The word “worship” automatically entails the aspect of emotions in it. In order for anything to be worshipped, there must be the highest regard, respect, and admiration for the object. An extent of great affection must be present when something is worshipped. For a football team, television, or worshipped to be worshipped at all, there must be an overflowing desire for satisfaction emotionally. God desires and seeks for those who will worship him in this way. The reason He sent His Son to the cross, opened up salvation for gentiles, and gave an assured hope of eternal life was so that we would be emotionally driven to worship Him with our lives and to sacrifice our lives to magnify His great name. But one without the Holy Spirit cannot worship Him rightly because our spirit has not been made alive. Jesus tells Nicodemus in the previous chapter, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit…’You must be born again’” Our spirit must be made alive with Christ by the Holy Spirit in order for true worship to take place. This means that the Holy Spirit is the only means of driving our spirit to worship God rightly. Our spirit, or emotions, must be made alive and then engaged for a true worship experience.
This is not the only part of the equation, though, to truly worshipping God the way he wants us to. Emotion without truth is dead emotion. Paul gives us clear instructions in his book to the Colossians on this matter of worship. He says, “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.” As we dissect this passage, words are at the forefront, but they are not just any words. These words that are the focus are true words of Christ and about Christ. They are psalms and hymns that are meant to be affirmed through the activity of singing. Words of truth put to music are preeminent to the music itself. The music of a song reinforces the message of the words, never the other way around.
It has become popular in some of our evangelical churches to have a music-only time as part of the corporate worship time (usually during an offertory or special music). Unless the song is familiar or words are put up on the screen, I find this practice to be useless in the setting of a corporate worship service. If we are seeking in our corporate worship to give the best opportunity for the body of Christ to worship God in spirit and in truth, I find this to be a waste of time. Music that stirs emotions are helpful only if words of truth are being simultaneously proclaimed. If the musicians play their instruments while the Bible is being quoted, or a prayer is being spoken, or the body is singing then this is helpful and very useful to the body of Christ. But the playing of instruments alone as a special music or offertory “filler,” then I have found this to be useless. From my own experience, I have experience my sisters playing the piano on multiple occasions as an offertory or special music. As they play, I am amazed by their skill at the instrument, but I am not drawn to glorify God as a result of the piece. It wasn’t until I heard my sister play her piece at the piano and words were put up on a screen that I really was drawn to the majesty of the true and living God who should be worshipped in all aspects of life and especially through an instrumental piece. The glory of God was proclaimed through the words with the music in a way that words cannot describe.
This is why I have come to the conclusion that all Christian music, especially that which is performed in a corporate worship service, need to always have the emphasis of spirit and truth at the focus. This is what David meant as he penned the words to the fortieth psalm, “I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my fee upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.” Let us always strive to have the Holy Spirit drive our emotions, grounded on truth, to a state of true worship to our majestic God.
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