worship leader
Showing posts with label worship leader. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worship leader. Show all posts

Worship Album Highlight: Prayers of the Saints (Live)

Worship Album Highlight: Prayers of the Saints (Live)

Every so often, I like to introduce music to you that I think will be encouraging and helpful. The album I want to highlight today is an album by Sovereign Grace Music called, “Prayers of the Saints (Live)”. I realize that not everyone listens to “worship music” all the time. Personally, I listen to a lot of music for the church while I’m at work, so I like to add some variety to my listening. With that said, I have found myself increasingly turning to certain worship songs during critical moments of my life. When I spend time in the Word, a common response is to engage with a song that speaks to the truth I am reading about. There are also times of difficulty where a song can prove to be encouraging and helpful.

I believe “Prayers of the Saints (Live)” stands out among other worship albums. With so many worship albums being produced today, it is difficult to know which ones are worth spending your time on. Here are a couple reasons why I think you should check out “Prayers of the Saints (Live)”

1.    The theme of the album

The album title “Prayers of the Saints” comes from a phrase John uses in Revelation 5:8 and 8:4 to describe the prayer of God’s people for the punishment of the wicked, the deliverance of his people, and the vindication of God’s name. These may seem like some heavy topics, which they are, but they help speak to a theme that is often absent in a lot of worship music today: “the already and not yet”. What I mean by that is the tension that we feel that Satan is defeated and our sins are paid for, yet we are still waiting for the final return of Jesus where all things will be made new and death will finally be destroyed. Sin is still prevalent today and it seems like things are only getting worse. The waiting period we find ourself in is filled with emotions of celebration, joy, and victory, but also, lament, longing, grief, and anticipation. This album helps speak to all of this through songs such as “We Look to You” which says:

Deliver us from evil, Lord; the devil’s seeking to devour
With trembling heart we hear his roar, but Your strong arm will crush his pow’r

And the song. “When We See Your Face”

As day unfolds, I seek Your will in all of life’s demands
And though the tempter tries me still, I cling to Your commands
Let every effort of my life display the matchless worth of Christ
Make me a living sacrifice; be glorified today

I’m thankful that this album gives us words and expressions to help us on our journey as pilgrims longing for a greater home.

2.    It is saturated with Scripture

Another reason this album stands out is its emphasis on being filled with Scripture. Each song has been written with truths of Scripture as its foundation. And the songs don’t just have one verse to support it, they are saturated with Scripture. One great example of this is the song “All Praise To Him” which is filled with Scripture from the Creation account in Genesis, to the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 98:7-9, and Psalm 11:4-9, to verses on redemption and grace found in Romans 5:4-35 and Ephesians 1:13-14. On the Sovereign Grace website, there is a helpful resource that allows you to see all the Scripture used in each song.

3.    Quality of the music

When great truth is combined with great music, it creates something moving and powerful. Not only is this album filled with Scriptural truths, it is combined with quality music that serves the lyrics. The music gives right expression to the theme of each song. There are songs of celebration and adoration such as “He is Our God”, “All Creatures of Our God and King”, “All Praise to Him”, and then songs that rightly express lament and confession through moving melodic passages and chords progression such as “Forgiven”, and “Lord Have Mercy”. It’s also worthy to note that the production of the album is done with extreme excellence and makes it a joy to listen to.

4.    It’s Singable

I think the best and most distinguished feature of this album is that it is singable. The biggest issue with a lot of worship music out today is that while many songs may be powerful and moving, they aren’t always the best songs for the context of corporate worship, or even just signing in general. Every song in this album is very singable and is good for any congregation to easily pick up. I know this to be the case both in my own church context as well as in my family. My two year old knows every word to “O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer” because it is singable and easy to memorize. My wife, who is not a musician, also easily sings to all of the songs. It is a great album because it is powerful and singable!


I hope this encourages you to check out this album. It has been an incredible blessing to my family, my church, and myself over the past couple of months, and I pray it will be an encouragement to you as well.
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Gospel Shaped Worship Planning

As I prepare for worship each week, I first of all spend time time in prayer and ask for direction and guidance from the Spirit as I plan every element of the service. I also make sure that the songs we sing and the elements of worship are not chosen at random but follow an intentional rhythm or structure. I do this because I believe the way that a worship service is structured ultimately shapes our views and understanding of God. 

 Why Gospel Shaped Worship?

 - Corporate worship is a Christian’s expression of authentic devotion towards God (Psalm 148:13)
- Corporate worship is a divine dialogue between God and His people (Isaiah 6)
- Corporate worship is profoundly formative (1 Cor. 14:40) 

 Structure of Gospel Shaped Worship 
GOD IS HOLY- CREATION

 Call to Worship 
- Worship always begins with God speaking to us. He speaks, and we respond
- Practical: 
- Reading a passage of Scripture (Psalm 100:1-4)
- Repeating phrases such as “worship begins with God”, “God speaks, we respond”

 Adoration and Praise
- Adoration and declaration of War
- Goal- Put the glory of God on display 
- Adoration provides the language and images of God’s glory for God’s people
- Practical: 
- Ask what songs in your library are about what God has done, not what we do. 
- Take an inventory of songs and compare them to a list of attributes about God.

 WE ARE SINNERS- THE FALL

 Confession (and/or) Lament
- Involves recognizing (1) the world is not the way it was meant to be (2) we as a church are not the way we were meant to be (3)  I am not the way I was meant to be
- Practical: 
- Can be sung or prayed: “Give Us Clean Hands” // Praying through Psalm 51
- Pray for both corporate and individual sin

 JESUS SAVES US- REDEMPTION

 Words of Assurance 
- After recognizing our sin and the fallenness of the world, we hear an answer from the Lord that assures us, “It is finished”
- Practical: 
- Songs about the cross and forgiveness of sins
- Doesn’t always have to be long, but simply a reminder that God has heard us, and in Christ, He’s forgiven us 

 The Peace
- Paul begins almost all of his letters with a greeting of peace. It’s a peace that flows directly from God. It is a natural result of the gospel. 
- Practical:
- Make the greeting time more meaningful by connecting it with the gospel
- Occasionally give more time to the greeting
- Scripture Reading : John 13:34

 Giving/Offering
- Giving also flows directly from the gospel (2 Corinthians 8-9)
- The primary motivator for giving us the transforming power of the gospel 
- Practical: 
- Seize the opportunity to point out ways the giving is a call to worship 
- Allow the Scriptures to make the hard call to give
- Be thankful

 Pastoral Prayers 
Instruction: The Sermon

 JESUS SENDS US- CONSUMMATION
Communion 
- A beautiful, tangible, concrete gift where we can physically remember the gospel story. 
- In a single act it remembers the past, embraces the present, and hopes for the future. 
- Practical: 
- Thoroughly discuss your church’s theology and ecclesiology pertaining to this issue 
- Understand that communion can by celebrated a variety of ways

 Commitment/Preparation for Sending
- Our attention is brought to the future.
- Practical: 
- Repeat or reaffirm what was taught in the message
- Historic confession of faith 
- Songs: “O Church Arise”

 Benediction
- Sending or blessing
- “Worship like creation, ends as it began: with God’s blessing”- James K.A Smith
- Practical: 
- The Call to Worship and Benedictions are like book ends to the service. Consider connecting the two in some way 
- Make clear that the benediction is offered by God 

 Additional Resources on Gospel Shaped Worship:
- Christ-Centered Worship- Brian Chapell
- Rhythms of Grace- Mike Cosper
- Story Shaped Worship-  Robbie F. Castleman
- Imagining the Kingdom- James K.A. Smith 
- You Are What You Love- James K.A Smith 
- Gospel Shaped Worship- Jared Anderson 
- The God We Worship: An Exploration of Liturgical Theology- Nicholas Wolterstroff
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The Importance of Singing

In recent weeks, God has drawn my attention back to the importance of singing. Rather than thinking of personal preferences and reasons why I think we should sing, I have been challenged to look at what the Bible has to say about singing. It is easy for me to encourage singing; I'm a musician and love music! But what if we don't think we can sing, or feel like we can't connect to God when we sing? This article has been one of the resources in helping me find out what Scripture has to say about these issues. My prayer is that our congregation, along with myself, will grow in our understanding of how important singing is in the life of the church.

In Christ,
Brandon H.

 The following is an excerpt from "I Worship God by Singing. You Should, Too."by Bob Kauflin on February 10, 2014.

"I Worship God by Singing. You Should, Too."
by Bob Kauflin

... In this post, I simply want to explore some thoughts from Scripture about singing. If Don’s post is any indicator, and I think it is, a lot of us may not be that clear on why God wants us to sing. And no, I’m not writing this out of concern for my job security…

I’ve been a musician for 50 years, so singing makes sense to me. But I know there are plenty of non-musical Christians in the world. People who don’t like to sing. People who sound terrible when they sing. People who have been told they can’t sing. People who don’t “get” singing. And people like Don, who aren’t able to “connect with God” when they sing. Should they be encouraged to sing?

I could tell you what I think based on my experience. But I’d rather take you to God’s Word.

Singing in the Bible

There are almost fifty exhortations to sing in Scripture, as well as four hundred references to singing. Two of those passages (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16) instruct us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God and to one another. These aren’t suggestions, preferences, or good ideas. They’re commands. Which means God intends for us to obey them.

Since everyone isn’t a musician, how do these apply to us? Why does God want us to sing?

1. Singing is more a matter of our hearts than our voices.

Years ago Ronald Allen wrote in his book Worship: Rediscovering the Missing Jewel:
“When a non-singer becomes a Christian, he or she becomes a singer. Not all are blessed with a finely tuned ear and a well modulated voice; so the sound may not be superb-it may even be out-of-tune and off-key. Remember: worship is a state of heart; musical sound is a state of art. Let’s not confuse them.”

We sing and make melody to the Lord with our hearts (Ephesians 5:19). The sounds we make affect those around us, for better or worse. But God hears what no one else can. It’s the song of the Redeemed for our great Redeemer. It’s a song we didn’t originate and can’t improve upon. It’s true that those who led the singing at the temple were trained and skilled in music for the Lord (1 Chronicles 25:7). But there’s no indication either in the early church or in Revelation’s depiction of heaven that anyone gets a pass when it comes to singing praises to God. Even if we can’t sing a note, we can still sing in our hearts.

2. Singing helps us remember words.

Throughout Scripture, God reminds his people of their tendency to forget his promises, commands, and warnings. In Deuteronomy 31, as Israel is about to enter the promised land, God tells Moses that his people will turn to idols after they enter Canaan. He then instructs Moses to teach the Israelites a song, so that, “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)” (Deuteronomy 31:21). We sing to remember God’s word, and most of all, the word of Christ, or the gospel (Colossians 3:16). Science has confirmed that we remember words, patterns, and categories more easily when words are set to music. It’s why hardly anyone can quote a John Wesley sermon, yet most people know the words to Charles Wesley’s “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.”

3. Singing expresses and engages our emotions.

In every culture, music is a language of emotion that helps express what we feel. So David writes, “My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed” (Psalms 71:23). The words of his redeemed soul overflow into song. It’s why musicals are so popular, why we sing our country’s national anthem, and why every revival since the Reformation has been accompanied by an outpouring of new songs. As John Piper said in a sermon,

“The reason we sing is because there are depths and heights and intensities and kinds of emotion that will not be satisfactorily expressed by mere prosaic forms, or even poetic readings. There are realities that demand to break out of prose into poetry and some demand that poetry be stretched into song.”

At the same time, music engages our emotions.  In Matthew 11:17 Jesus implies that music can lead us to either dance or mourn. It can draw out a variety of feelings including romance, peace, joy, fear, playfulness, sadness, or awe. Singing can help us feel the truth more deeply.

4. Singing reflects the nature of God.

The Father sings over his redeemed people (Zephaniah 3:17). Jesus sings with us in the midst of the congregation (Hebrews 2:12). One of the fruits of being filled with the Spirit is singing (Ephesians 5:18-19). We worship a triune God who sings, and he wants us to be like him.

5. Singing together reflects and deepens our unity in the gospel.

Being together in the same room is one way we can express our unity. But singing together draws attention to that bond as we sing the same words at the same time. In fact, Paul uses a musical analogy when he wants to encourage gospel-driven unity: “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14).

Connecting with God

There are more reasons to consider, but this is a blog post, not a book (which I’m currently writing). God never promised we would connect with him through singing. The way we “connect with him” is through faith in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, that paid for our sins and reconciled us to God (Hebrews 10:19-22; 1 Peter 3:18). The way we express that faith are wonderfully varied – working, playing, serving, proclaiming, gathering, etc. But we have no reason to abandon God’s good gift of singing in the name of being more genuine. God knows how we work. And he’s appointed singing to be one way we deepen our relationship with him and each other.

The singing in your church may be dreadful. Your voice might sound like a cross between a beached whale and an alley cat in heat. Singing might make you feel uncomfortable. Those who lead the singing in your church might do it poorly. And if there’s anything we can do to change the situation, we should.

But our confidence and comfort in singing comes from this: Jesus, our great high priest, makes all our offerings acceptable to God through his perfect life of obedience and his perfect sacrifice of atonement. The Father loves our singing not only because it’s sincere, but because when offered through faith, it sounds just like his beloved Son.

And besides. One day we’ll all have better voices and our songs will far surpass anything we’ve sung here. It’s then we’ll realize that eternity won’t be long enough to contain the songs worthy of the Lamb who was slain.

© 2016 Worship Matters.  This full article and all associated links can be found at
 http://www.worshipmatters.com/2014/02/10/i-worship-god-by-singing-you-should-too/
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