Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Contemporary Worship Songs

I used to enjoy most the ‘worship’ / singing part of the church, because of the emotional effect they created through music made me ‘feel’ that God is most near at that moment (i.e.' Spirit-filled' moment). However, this time I went to church again, the part that I most uncomfortable with is the singing part. It was a very weird feeling. Churches I attended in KL mostly emphasise on ‘filling by the Holy Spirit’ on worship services, but not hearing the word of God. The funny thing is, I feel God is most unreal, or most distance, when they do that, especially when they start lift their hands on high, and start speaking in tongues. Maybe that is just not my way to approach God anymore.

All the songs they sang were about ‘me’- ‘How much I love God’, ‘How much happy I am after believed in God’, ‘God can comfort me’, or ‘God can heal my pain’. I don’t see how God’s glory is revealing, instead people worship because of its therapeutic effect. And these songs repeated week after week, the leader emphasised that the Holy Spirit is in among the congregation, and people come week after week to seek comfort and healing, instead of spiritual growth. This is just my own opinion. I feel 'resisted' when singing worship songs, I wasn't sure which God I was worshipping. Was He the God of creation? Was He the God who died for us? Or he just an imaginary 'god' who everyone longing for: 'God who can bless you, give you, comfort you, love you when you need?'

The reason I still keep going to this church is because they have good guest speakers for the past 2 weeks. At least my parents feel ok about it, and willing to go to church even it is so early and so far from home, before I found a truly Scripture based, God centred church, it is better than not going to church at all. I haven’t hear pastor from the church speak yet, will see if the truth is spoken. Another thing that I don’t feel comfortable is after the speakers finished their speech, and prayed for everyone, and sang closing song, the church leader still wants to come up and do another altar call with long prayers. Church elders will pray for the people stepped forward personally, mostly for healing. They do altar call every week, and many were saved. And that’s a good thing.

The church here operates very differently than OCF. In OCF, people believe in God and accept God because of what they learnt through the Scriptures and friendship (community) with other believers. For the church here, they share the gospel every week, and if only you believed and accepted Christ, you belong to the community, and start your ‘active Christian life’ – to serve, share testimony, and get others to believe as well. This progress is faster and efficient to convert non-believers. People believed because of the life testimonies and the gospel. Who knows what happens later on in their life? As long as many are ‘saved’, does it matter if they lack of biblical knowledge?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I understand what you say about some of the things you mention, like hands up high, tongues and super dooper long alter calls hehe. I have only just found out on Sunday my church Dunedin Apostolic is a Pentecostal church. I didn't even know what that meant so I had to go look it up. People there raise their hands up high and do tongues thing (I looked that up to at the same time, as I wondered what the heck people were doing all this time). I gotta admit some of it around me still makes me feel weird and out of place at times. The closeness to God I do feel and the warm and welcoming environment plus many other positive experiences there more than make up for the uncomfortable moments I have and still do get from time to time. Maybe it is selfish, but I take what I can from church to get closer to God and to know him better even if its not all 'perfect' to me. I think we sing almost exclusively Hillsong and Planetshakers music and for me this is the real highlight of the night, worshiping God.

I had just 1 experience with a really ridiculously long alter call at Dunedin Elim early on in my relationship with God. This was my first trip to church in many many many years also. It was a special show night rather than regular service. It was my first alter call experience also. I thank God so much that my bad experience didn't drive me away from Him, because it made me feel really really uncomfortable. Thoughts of brainwashing, guilt tripping came to mind then. I even heard someone else mumbling bout brainwashing nearby in the crowd. I guess there are plenty of things that different churchs, pastors etc do differently from one another and I am trying to be open to other ideas, less judging of their methods and more understanding and accepting even if I dont believe in/like the methods myself.

I pray that you continue to perservere there and you will find closeness to God.

Anne said...

I am not against hands up high as that is a form of express their worship. Able to Speak in tongues is a gift from God, but not necessary every Christians is able to speak in tongues. "to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." (1 Corinthians 12:9-11)

However, people need to realise that God is everywhere, all the time, and He knows everything (Psalm 139). Unable to feel "spiritual" does not mean that you do not have the Holy Spirit. From the moment we repent and receive Jesus Christ, He is living in us. "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."(1 Cor 6:19-20)We cannot rely on emotional experiences in order to 'feel' God and believe that He exists because of that.

How do you know if you are worshipping the right God when you are "drunken" in the emotional effect created by the sound music? When you sing God I love you I give you my life, which God are you loving? Was He the God of which the bible describes? Do you know Him personally? Do you have a relationship with Him? Do you obey God in your daily lives?

Any more thoughts?

Anonymous said...

You bring up some very good points.

In regards to tongues, I was talking to someone today trying to work out what it is,what it means and how it comes about. I'm still not really sure to be honest.