How To Evaluate A Worship Song

by Ryan Smith | Jun 4, 2019

A while ago, I had the opportunity to observe a worship service in a Sikh temple. While obviously the general focus, as well as the customs, were vastly different from what I know in Christianity, the worship through song seemed almost… familiar.

Let me be clear, the Sikh worshipers were not worshiping the one true God through Jesus Christ as empowered by the Holy Spirit. The object of their worship was not what was familiar—it was the words they sang in worship to their god.

The Lord is always with us.

The Lord is faithful.

We love the Lord, who watches over his people.

The words being sung that day echoed many of the words one might hear on any modern worship station or playlist. Yet they could not be farther from the true object of our exaltation, Jesus Christ.

Why then does worship through song in a Sikh temple sound much like worship through song in many of our churches?

The answer says more about our songs than theirs.

I’ve often heard the question, what would our people know about God, themselves and the Gospel if all they knew was our Sunday morning worship through song? It leads me to consider what a Sikh tuning into Christian radio or observing a Christian worship service might conclude about the God we worship.

While there are many ways to evaluate worship songs, and we certainly don’t want to turn into worship critics, there are three key ways to evaluate our worship through song to discern not only if it is true and worthy to be sung, but also if it is distinctly Christian.

Is this song more about God or me?

Many worship songs declare the attributes of God but do so in a way that ultimately exalts the benefits we receive from Him. Yes, God is always with us and will never leave us, but do we like that because it means we are always covered, or because it shows God’s complete omnipotence and gracious mercy toward sinners? Songs that distinctly sing of the attributes of God Himself for His glory more than our comfort will rightly tune our hearts to focus on God rather than our circumstances.

Is this song filled with God’s Word?

If we don’t have the content of the Word in our songs, we won’t have the power of the Word in our worship. There is no better way to ensure we are singing truth about God in a way that honors Him than by singing God’s Word back to Him. Songs that are distinctly rooted in the Bible will always lead us back to the Bible as a source of worship. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to equip the people of God with the worship of God.

Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ expressed in this song?

The Holy Spirit works to exalt Christ. If our songs do not exalt Jesus, the Christ, God the Son, then they are not Spirit-filled. The best worship songs not only express our affection but set our affection distinctly and boldly on Jesus Christ and His work in the Gospel to save sinners like us. If our hearts are to be stirred, let them be stirred by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What is stirred in us spills out of us, and we want to be people overflowing with the Gospel – not just vague generalities about God.

As the church, we have such a great well of worship through song to draw from. Saints throughout the ages have sung of Jesus and allowed their focus on Him to provide a perspective that surpasses this shifting-sand world and fixes our hope securely on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

May we not become critics of worship. Instead, may we choose and use music wisely for the glory of God and the good of His church; not just on Sunday mornings, but in every avenue of our lives.

The Joy Method

by Aaron Hanzel | May 21, 2019

There’s been a recent social trend that has exploded in popularity. No, I’m not talking about the latest political MEME. And I’m sure, much to everyone’s dismay, fidget spinners are not making a comeback.

I’m referring to the popular show on Netflix, “Tidying up with Marie Kondo.” If you’re not familiar with the series, Marie Kondo has developed a method of seeking joy in removing personal items that typically just take up space. Clothes, furniture, jewelry and books—nothing is off limits. One of the biggest steps in the process is a cadence of sorts, to verbally state the closure created in parting ways with the specific item(s).

At first, I saw this method as just another trend, which typically triggers a heavy eye roll. I’m not sure if that’s from being a third-culture kid or from my dislike of “clicks”, which is what most trends create. Either way, I’m just not a fan.

No matter where you stand, the results are very real. This method has created a lot of joy and tidiness throughout the world. I hesitate to describe it as joy, mostly because I view joy with reverence on a biblical scale. But Kondo joy is a real thing.

A few weeks ago, not even thinking about the Kondo method, I decided my bedroom needed a serious deep cleaning. Once I was finished cleaning, it was like a rush of joy overcame me. I started looking at other areas of my life, physical and emotional, to “clean up.”

I realized that the joy I was experiencing was in discipline. It got me thinking, “Is this why the ‘Kondo method’ is so popular?” I’ve come to the conclusion that it must be in what we do with that joy that defines our experience. Biblical joy can have many characteristics.

• Joy of redemption. Neh. 8:12—”Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”
• Joy in trust. Job 6:10—“Then I would still have this consolation—my joy in unrelenting pain—that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.”
• Joy in victory. Psalm 20:5 “May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.”
• Joy in sanctification. James 1;2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

The biblical values of joy have one trait in common—its source is God’s design. Whenever I experience God-given joy, its format is His fullest creation. We get a taste of it when tidying up, but eventually that well will run dry. There’s only so much clutter that can be removed before you’re back to square one. The difference between tidying-up joy and biblical joy is that the latter never runs dry.

Perhaps sometimes we experience tidying-up joy because of a sense of empowerment and accomplishment. We believe that, somehow, we are the captains of our own ship’s destination: “Look what I did. How far I’ve come. See my success and know that I have done this. I don’t need anything from anyone. I am in control.”

Cleaning up my room sparked a series of positive events, but it’s the Creator I must worship and not the gifts nor abilities He gives. There’s nothing wrong with seeking joy or tidying up. Those are good things. It’s when we seek value in the things rather than the Giver that we confuse their purpose.

Phil. 3:8 says, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

At the end of the day, seeking to glorify the Lord in joy is what a Christian should seek. Everything else, according to Scripture, is “loss.”

Moving mountains

by Brian Hobbs | May 16, 2019

For some people, it’s a protracted illness. For others, it’s a wayward child. For still others, it’s a persistent problem that never seems to change or improve.

I am talking about the mountains of life. I once heard a minister say that mountains are the perfect biblical illustration for the issues of life.

Mountains are big. They seem immovable. Yet we find out in God’s Word, that by faith and prayer, God does move mountains.

Jesus said to His disciples, “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20).

Now, I am in no way a name-it-and-claim-it Christian. In fact, few things bother me more than that destructive ideology. I cannot stand the prosperity gospel, which often portrays suffering as a sign of spiritual weakness.

Each of us have mountains in our lives. Whether we are weak or strong in our faith, we will have mountains. What I do know is that only God can move a mountain.

The famous Christian writer, Corrie Ten Boom, whose family suffered imprisonment and persecution from the Nazi’s, had many mountains in her life. Yet through it all, Corrie kept her eyes on Jesus. She went so far as to give thanks for the mountains in her life, including how she was brutally treated in a concentration camp.

In her beloved classic, ‘The Hiding Place,’ she said this: “Perhaps only when human effort has done its best and failed, (will) God’s power alone be free to work.”

Many times, I have used human effort to try to move a mountain; it has never worked. More than once, I begged the Lord to move a mountain in my life, and He did.

Today, as you stare down those mountains in your life—or when those mountains stare down at you—take it to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him for help, knowing that ultimately His divine will—not our human will or desires—will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Knowing that He cares for you, knowing that our God moves mountains.

Shooting Sheep

by Ryan Smith | May 7, 2019

“Beware of false prophets,” Jesus said, “who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15)

The imagery must have been startling to Jesus’ hearers. People widely acquainted with agrarian society would vividly understand the metaphor. Perhaps they had lost sheep to predatory wolves. Late in the evening, they may have been awakened by the prowling wolf seeking to dodge their protective notice. They may have seen the carnage a wolf can leave in its wake.

Beware, my sheep, Jesus said… there are wolves in your midst.

The desire to protect the flock against wolves is noble. As the church, we must be aware of the voices we are hearing and the motives behind even the most disarming approaches. We must continually place right doctrine through God’s Word before our eyes and ears.

The Bible instructs us to evaluate each other’s fruit – to consider the fit of the wool, so to speak, to ensure we do not give a foothold to any who would seek to knowingly or unknowingly create division in the church and take others down a false path.

However, in our social media age, when one’s entire worldview and experience is weighed in the balance of 280-character tweets and 30-second soundbites, we have become masters of detective intrigue. We have been given a call to protect, signs to watch for and digital weapons to fire at will.

Unfortunately, we are often not trained on how to use those weapons. We are quick to dismiss those with whom we disagree and can always find an audience for our righteous indignation. Throwing grenades at the enemy is easy. It’s harder to love that enemy. Harder still to help that enemy.

Absolutely, there is an essential place for evaluating doctrine—especially among those with a vulnerable audience—but how quick is too quick to pull the trigger? At what point do we cry wolf! And at what point do we risk shooting merely immature sheep? A sharp-toothed sheep is not desirable, but it’s also not a wolf.

I am reminded of the young man from Alexandria who was incredibly gifted with charisma and the ability to hold an audience with his eloquence. He knew the Scriptures. He had his training. He was excited to share his message. Yet he did not fully understand the things of Jesus. He was a sheep with sharp teeth.

Upon hearing him, I likely would have backed away. I would have checked his associates, who endorsed his books, what theological “tribe” he was linked with. I might even have fired a warning tweet into the air.

Fortunately for Apollos, there were two in his audience who heard his message, noticed where he was misguided, and took him into their lives so that they might “explain to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:27).

What if Priscilla and Aquila had been more concerned with wolf-shooting than sheep raising? Where would Apollos have been?

Discernment, grace, truth and doctrine create many tensions in the Christian life that are necessary. We should all be equipped with the Truth—ready to defend it and lead others in it as we live life together as the church.

But we also must not be so quick to speak. We must be quick to listen.

Obviously, this goes both ways. Apollos was teachable. He was leadable. He was willing to admit that he did not know it all and was open to the discipleship opportunity from this older Christian couple.

Understand, when the wolf starts to howl and our flock is in danger, we must be resolute in following the steps of discipline. We must not humor wolves.

But when we hear error (or possible error) in our Christian circles, let us be those who are quick to listen and slow to speak. Let us reach with a gentle hand and go in private (if possible) rather than publicly defaming one who may not fully yet know the way of Jesus.

Remember, our sheep (as well as ourselves) are always a work in progress. Had Jesus immediately dismissed us when we took a misstep, none of us would be safe beneath His staff. There is a time and a place to call a wolf a wolf, but may we have exhausted every avenue of grace at our disposal before we do.

Beware of false prophets. Remove the wolves. Protect the flock. But don’t shoot the sheep.

Book Review: ‘Daily Grace-Practical Tools & Prayers for Moms’ by Stephanie Whitley

by Karen Kinnaird | May 2, 2019

Just in time for Mother’s Day is the release of the brand new devotional guide Daily Grace-Practical Tools & Prayers for Moms by Stephanie Whitley. This 64-page, soft-cover book is a collection of 55 brief devotions geared to mothers who are in the child-raising years. Each devotional topic includes practical tools and advice, a prayer and applicable Scripture verse.

Whitley is a native Oklahoman who is a student of parenting and passionate about encouraging mothers. A contributing writer for the Oklahoma-based Keepers Ministry, it was her popular social media posts that inspired the idea for the book. Whitley has been married for more than 20 years and has four boys.

Written in the first person, Whitley writes as if she’s affectionately writing to a friend. She covers a variety of topics including Recognizing a Child’s Gifts, Protecting Family Schedules and Parenting Strong-willed Children. My favorites were Surviving the After School Shuffle, Handling Difficult Stretches and Whispering Truth to Children.

In Whispering Truth to Children, Whitley writes, “They (children) can never get enough reminders such as these:

• You are accepted and loved in this family no matter what.
• God made you on purpose for a purpose.
• God has given you special gifts and strengths to offer this world. You belong to this family. You belong.
• God has a good plan for your life. He has countless plans for you.”

It is evident that Whitley has spent considerable time and prayer deliberately weighing and recording positive approaches to parenting in the Christian home. Mothers will be encouraged and equipped as they glean from the wisdom Whitley has gained through her own day-to-day practice.

Since 2001, Keepers Ministry has been encouraging women to understand the value of their role and to help them walk in contentment while carrying out their calling as found in Titus 2 and Proverbs 31. For more information, please visit keepersministry.com.