Philosophy of Worship
By
Scot A. Hintermeyer
As I sit down to write my Philosophy of Worship, I must state that this has been a life long journey with my Lord and Savior. I have been actively leading worship since high school and over the years the Lord has impressed upon me many things.
What is Worship? I like this definition of worship (I found it quite some time ago and have lost it’s source.) …the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of the mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose – and all of this is gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.
Romans 12:1 & 2 (Amplified Bible) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
1 I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
2Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
Everything we do, 24/7, is our individual expression of worship to our Savior. Worship is a relationship and lifestyle before it is a Sunday activity. Sunday Worship should, therefore, be an extension of our daily life and worship. The model for our Sunday time together is found in Acts 2. 42 And they steadfastly persevered, devoting themselves constantly to the instruction and fellowship of the apostles, to the breaking of bread [including the Lord's Supper] and prayers.
43 And a sense of awe (reverential fear) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were performed through the apostles (the special messengers).
44 And all who believed (who adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus Christ) were united…
I believe … Worship is about God; it is not about us. The test of good worship is not how I feel but how God “feels” (is he pleased). Will we bring a sacrifice of praise or just praise that makes us feel comfortable? David said, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."
It is absolutely essential that the Church keep God as the subject of worship, since to be Christian means to believe that the God revealed in Jesus Christ is everything to us – Creator, Provider and Sustainer; Deliverer, Redeemer and Lord; Sanctifier, Inspirer and Empowerer. Related to this is the question, Do we worship an objective God, who has revealed himself in His Word, or do we worship our own fabrication of God, whom we have constructed out of what fits into our own previously held ideologies?
In the midst of a culture moving away from the belief in an absolute objective God, the Church can most faithfully let God be the subject and object of our worship. The attitude “It’s not so much what you believe, or which religion you follow, it’s how you live” entirely misses the point that Christianity means believing in and responding to a God of grace who has revealed himself in objective terms. What we believe is fundamental for how we respond.
Worship has both content and emotion. We cannot respond to God as the object of our praise unless we first see him, know him, and let him be God in our lives. Real praise happens when God becomes God again for us. “BE God to us,” we will cry. “Speak your Word so strongly that we can’t hear anything else.” The more we encounter the holy God in our worship, the more we will recognize our utter sinfulness and be driven to repentance. This, too, is an essential part of our praise.
Public worship is personal but it is not private. Acts 2, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship … All the believers were together.” It is important that the Church does not target any audience but God himself AND God as he has revealed himself to us in his Word.
Galatians 3:28 (NIV) 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 12: 12-14 12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
For several years there has been a trend to tailor worship to meet the expectations of various age groups. How we worship should not be about Builders, Boomers, Busters or Millenials but about the people of God of all ages. Unified worship seems to be what is referred to in Acts 2 … and all were together.
Worship requires variety to give it the richness God deserves.
There are not enough styles of music yet discovered or created to adequately praise our Lord and Savior. Therefore, we should use as many styles as possible, as often as possible, as we praise Him together. Choir, Orchestra, Worship team, Praise band, solos, ensembles, up-tempo, reflective, laud, soft, classic hymns, jazz, salsa, etc. for everyone … together.
Scot A. Hintermeyer
As I sit down to write my Philosophy of Worship, I must state that this has been a life long journey with my Lord and Savior. I have been actively leading worship since high school and over the years the Lord has impressed upon me many things.
What is Worship? I like this definition of worship (I found it quite some time ago and have lost it’s source.) …the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of the mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose – and all of this is gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.
Romans 12:1 & 2 (Amplified Bible) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
1 I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
2Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
Everything we do, 24/7, is our individual expression of worship to our Savior. Worship is a relationship and lifestyle before it is a Sunday activity. Sunday Worship should, therefore, be an extension of our daily life and worship. The model for our Sunday time together is found in Acts 2. 42 And they steadfastly persevered, devoting themselves constantly to the instruction and fellowship of the apostles, to the breaking of bread [including the Lord's Supper] and prayers.
43 And a sense of awe (reverential fear) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were performed through the apostles (the special messengers).
44 And all who believed (who adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus Christ) were united…
I believe … Worship is about God; it is not about us. The test of good worship is not how I feel but how God “feels” (is he pleased). Will we bring a sacrifice of praise or just praise that makes us feel comfortable? David said, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."
It is absolutely essential that the Church keep God as the subject of worship, since to be Christian means to believe that the God revealed in Jesus Christ is everything to us – Creator, Provider and Sustainer; Deliverer, Redeemer and Lord; Sanctifier, Inspirer and Empowerer. Related to this is the question, Do we worship an objective God, who has revealed himself in His Word, or do we worship our own fabrication of God, whom we have constructed out of what fits into our own previously held ideologies?
In the midst of a culture moving away from the belief in an absolute objective God, the Church can most faithfully let God be the subject and object of our worship. The attitude “It’s not so much what you believe, or which religion you follow, it’s how you live” entirely misses the point that Christianity means believing in and responding to a God of grace who has revealed himself in objective terms. What we believe is fundamental for how we respond.
Worship has both content and emotion. We cannot respond to God as the object of our praise unless we first see him, know him, and let him be God in our lives. Real praise happens when God becomes God again for us. “BE God to us,” we will cry. “Speak your Word so strongly that we can’t hear anything else.” The more we encounter the holy God in our worship, the more we will recognize our utter sinfulness and be driven to repentance. This, too, is an essential part of our praise.
Public worship is personal but it is not private. Acts 2, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship … All the believers were together.” It is important that the Church does not target any audience but God himself AND God as he has revealed himself to us in his Word.
Galatians 3:28 (NIV) 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 12: 12-14 12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
For several years there has been a trend to tailor worship to meet the expectations of various age groups. How we worship should not be about Builders, Boomers, Busters or Millenials but about the people of God of all ages. Unified worship seems to be what is referred to in Acts 2 … and all were together.
Worship requires variety to give it the richness God deserves.
There are not enough styles of music yet discovered or created to adequately praise our Lord and Savior. Therefore, we should use as many styles as possible, as often as possible, as we praise Him together. Choir, Orchestra, Worship team, Praise band, solos, ensembles, up-tempo, reflective, laud, soft, classic hymns, jazz, salsa, etc. for everyone … together.
