Yesterday, I began this 3-part series by giving some biblical basis for why we sing in church. If you missed it, you can click here to read it. Today and tomorrow I want to respond to a few common objections I’ve encountered on this topic.
While I doubt many Christians would argue that singing in church should not to be an important part of our gatherings, the fact remains that some regular churchgoers choose not to sing along with the congregation.
One of the biggest obstacles that stands in the way for many believers is they think that they are not good singers, and, therefore, they are doing the church a favor by not singing. This attitude seems to be more prevalent among men than it is among women. And guys, I hate to say it, but the women in the church are always more apt to sing and praise God than the men. Let me just tell you as a worship leader that the quality of your voice should never stand in the way of you feeling free to sing with us. I’m often extremely blessed by the one person who can’t seem to get the melody right or clap their hands in time. When I see and hear them my heart melts because despite their lack of musical fortitude, they still want to praise Jesus and join in with the saints in worship. Never forget the simple exhortation in the Psalms to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” God breathed life into you and granted you the gift of salvation. As a Christian, he has adopted you into the beloved and called you His own. Now he calls you to join in with the heavenly realms giving praise and adoration to Jesus our Messiah.
I’m convinced that the most important instrument in the church is not the piano, the drums, the bass, the cello, and it’s not even the guitar. The most important instrument in the church is your voice. I mean that sincerely. Well, to be clear, it’s all of our voices joining together as one to praise God. But we need your voice to be included in that one instrument. My goal as a worship leader has never been to assemble a band that will rock hard and blow people away with how talented we are. There are several mega-churches within 10 miles of CCLW where you can go and hear world class musicians lead worship with an amazing multimedia show going on around them. I’ll personally never match the talents of Chris Tomlin or Matt Redman or Phil Wickham. And honestly, I’m fine with that. My goal is to lead the people of God in singing praises to our King. If the church is singing and praising Jesus, then my mission has been accomplished. One of my greatest fears is that the band would take center stage and that folks would show up at church and just listen to us play. I would count that as a huge failure on my part. The purpose of having a band on the stage is simply to lead folks in singing praises to God.
If you can’t seem to follow the timing of the song or think you can’t sing high enough (or low enough), that’s okay…just keep singing. The church is called to be a people of love, grace and forgiveness after all. Sometimes learning a new song will take a few attempts. The important thing is that we keep pressing forward in our desire to worship Jesus. It’s okay to sing low or high. It’s okay if your pitch isn’t perfect. It’s okay if you think you look silly with your hands raised. Do it anyway. I truly believe that it blesses the heart of our God when the church unites as one in singing praise to our King.
Stay tuned for part 3 coming tomorrow...
While I doubt many Christians would argue that singing in church should not to be an important part of our gatherings, the fact remains that some regular churchgoers choose not to sing along with the congregation.
One of the biggest obstacles that stands in the way for many believers is they think that they are not good singers, and, therefore, they are doing the church a favor by not singing. This attitude seems to be more prevalent among men than it is among women. And guys, I hate to say it, but the women in the church are always more apt to sing and praise God than the men. Let me just tell you as a worship leader that the quality of your voice should never stand in the way of you feeling free to sing with us. I’m often extremely blessed by the one person who can’t seem to get the melody right or clap their hands in time. When I see and hear them my heart melts because despite their lack of musical fortitude, they still want to praise Jesus and join in with the saints in worship. Never forget the simple exhortation in the Psalms to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” God breathed life into you and granted you the gift of salvation. As a Christian, he has adopted you into the beloved and called you His own. Now he calls you to join in with the heavenly realms giving praise and adoration to Jesus our Messiah.
I’m convinced that the most important instrument in the church is not the piano, the drums, the bass, the cello, and it’s not even the guitar. The most important instrument in the church is your voice. I mean that sincerely. Well, to be clear, it’s all of our voices joining together as one to praise God. But we need your voice to be included in that one instrument. My goal as a worship leader has never been to assemble a band that will rock hard and blow people away with how talented we are. There are several mega-churches within 10 miles of CCLW where you can go and hear world class musicians lead worship with an amazing multimedia show going on around them. I’ll personally never match the talents of Chris Tomlin or Matt Redman or Phil Wickham. And honestly, I’m fine with that. My goal is to lead the people of God in singing praises to our King. If the church is singing and praising Jesus, then my mission has been accomplished. One of my greatest fears is that the band would take center stage and that folks would show up at church and just listen to us play. I would count that as a huge failure on my part. The purpose of having a band on the stage is simply to lead folks in singing praises to God.
If you can’t seem to follow the timing of the song or think you can’t sing high enough (or low enough), that’s okay…just keep singing. The church is called to be a people of love, grace and forgiveness after all. Sometimes learning a new song will take a few attempts. The important thing is that we keep pressing forward in our desire to worship Jesus. It’s okay to sing low or high. It’s okay if your pitch isn’t perfect. It’s okay if you think you look silly with your hands raised. Do it anyway. I truly believe that it blesses the heart of our God when the church unites as one in singing praise to our King.
Stay tuned for part 3 coming tomorrow...
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