When Worship Songs Aren't Praise

WHEN WORSHIP SONGS AREN'T PRAISE

By: C. Mason Davis

Recently, I came upon a church bulletin that had an unexpected chuckle. It read: "At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What is hell like?' So, come early and listen to our choir practice."

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 100:1-2: “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”

In most of the churches today, traditional hymns have been set aside or completely replaced by contemporary worship songs. Some contemporary Christian artists create music that focuses on other themes besides praise, such as personal struggle, hope, and reflection, which may be less "biblically accurate" in a traditional sense, or are considered more theologically questionable. Colossians 3:16 states: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

When we talk about music most people think of it as entertainment. Something you put on in the background when you're driving, working out, or relaxing at home. But I need you to understand something; deeper music is never neutral. It is not just sound waves bouncing off the walls, but music is something to make us feel good, something to fill the silence and something to lift our mood. But in the Kingdom of God, music has never been just background noise, it has always been a spiritual weapon in heaven before the fall of Lucifer. Lucifer was believed to having instruments built into his very being as he was designed to lead worship before the throne of God. That's why the enemy understands music far better than we do. He knows its power. He knows how a song can shape the heart and how lyrics can implant ideas deeper than a sermon and how rhythm can carry a message that bypasses the mind and lodges straight into the soul.

The question we need to ask is simple; who holds the pen if music is a weapon and who is writing the songs we sing in church today. God intended music to glorify Him to lift our hearts toward heaven and to anchor us in truth. But Satan wants the heavenly choir director use that same tool to twist truth into lies. Music carries power in the spiritual realm and if God can use it to bring victory, don't you think Satan can use it to bring defeat? That's why he is so invested in what we listen to and what we sing. He doesn't need to get us to deny Christ outright in spirit and in truth when the easiest way to do that is through music. Have you ever noticed how a song can stick in your head for days and sometimes even longer? You might forget a sermon in a week but a lyric can stay with you for a lifetime. That's the power of melody and that's why children memorize the alphabet with a tune before they can even read a book. And that is exactly why the enemy loves to plant half truths, distorted theology, and watered down messages in the songs the church sings because once you're singing it, you're living it. And once you're rehearsing it, you're believing it as well as those around you who keep hearing it.

So, we come back to that piercing question about who holds the pen and who wrote the song you're singing. It’s one of the great dangers facing the church today. The assumption that every song with the name Jesus in it automatically honors him. Zephaniah 3:17 reads: "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." But most believe that every so-called Christian song is biblically sound just because the name of Jesus is in it. Shallow lyrics can stir emotion and still miss the heart of God's word. Just because something that sounds uplifting doesn't mean it's building you up in the faith. And just because the song is sung inside a church doesn't mean it was inspired by the spirit of God, and the enemy knows it.

If Satan can slip deception into worship he doesn't need to fight the sermon as hard because many people have already been shaped by what they've sung. We live in a time where much of what passes for worship is not about truth, but about feelings. Feelings, while powerful, are unreliable guides as to what’s biblical and what just sounds like it is. Some songs today are written with the intention of drawing a crowd and selling albums rather than exalting Christ. They are crafted to be catchy, easy to repeat, and emotionally stirring.