“Fake News” is a term that has been thrown out quite a bit over the last few years. It’s a bit of a catch-all phrase, encapsulating everything from clickbait headlines to willful misinformation. Beyond politics and culture, though, we also have to be careful about “fake news” when it comes to the theology of worship. For the next few weeks, we’ll look at some examples of “fake worship news”.
In True Worshippers, Bob Kauflin talks through a few common misconceptions. I won’t list them all in the next weeks, but I do highly encourage you to read the book for yourself! You can find the book on Skyland’s “Amazon Bookshelf”, and you’ll be able to order it. Head over to our website, click the resources tab, and go to Books. You’ll find it there.
“Fake News” Number 1: “Worship is more about emotions than about words.”
Strong and healthy relationships must find their root in something deeper than feelings. We know that looks change, feelings are flighty, and in a world where we are bombarded by the “next big thing”, we must be anchored by something unchangeable.
We are a broken, sinful people. We have moments, hours, days, and even years of sin in us that the Holy Spirit is pruning out. If we allow our emotions to control our worship, absent from the truth, we may let our anger, sadness, or disappointment prevent us from worship, and that’s a dangerous place to be. We cannot simply worship God on our own terms – we have to learn His terms.
I know a young couple that met in the mission field. A young man from the United States, and a young woman from a Central American country. They caught each other’s eye, and a relationship began to develop. At the beginning, neither of them was particularly good at the other person’s language, but slowly they began to learn for the sake of pursuing that relationship. They are married today, but can you imagine where they would be if neither of them took time to learn what the other was saying? Meaningful relationships require verbal communication.
God has given us His word in order that we might deepen our relationships with Him. He informs us about Himself: His thoughts, feelings, and history. His divine power has also given us everything required for life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness (2 Peter 1:3 CSB, emphasis mine). If we want to deepen our worship, and truly grow in our love for Jesus when we sing, we have to know that what we’re singing is true.
On Sunday, we sang a song called “Who You Say I Am”. It’s a powerful song, filled with scripture - but how much more powerful could it be if we really took the time studying His word to know the depths of who He says we are?
God bless.