Transcultural Aspects of Worship
 | Worship Articles
by Ron Man
Pastor of Music and Worship, EXW Contributor
November 30, 2006
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No matter where we are, we must repudiate the all-too-common North American phenomenon of a worship service beginning with a haphazardly arranged string of religious songs, with the first word of Scripture heard (at best) when the preacher gets up. As evangelicals who revere and honor the Word of God, we simply must see that it has a more prominent place in our services. The Word of God must permeate our worship because it teaches us about God’s glory.
The Role of the Holy Spirit in Worship
The Holy Spirit is responsible for true worship taking place. It is He who works in our hearts to show us our need for Christ (John 16:8). It is He who convinces our hearts that God is incomparably lovely and deserving of our worship. It is He who engages both the mind and the heart so that worship is an expression of both. It is He who quickens our spirit so that our worship is sincere (“worship in spirit,” John 4:24); and as the Spirit of truth (John 14:17) He illumines the truth of God to us (1 Cor. 2:14), so that we might know Him and respond to Him as He really is (“worship in truth,” John 4:23,26).
Romans 8:26 tells us that we don’t know how to pray as we should, but in God’s grace the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. The fact of the matter is, we don’t know how to worship as we should either! But here again the Holy Spirit steps in, reminds us of the importance of worship, and assists us in our worship.
The Role of the Congregation in Worship
Regardless of what kind of planning and preparation and practice goes into a service of worship, regardless of what sort of leadership and tradition and liturgy there happens to be, these things don’t produce true corporate worship-the participation of the congregation makes it corporate worship.
Romans 12:1 teaches that we are to present our bodies-our whole lives-as “a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service worship.” For a church meeting to fulfill its potential as a service of corporate worship the people of God must come to it out of a week of walking with and worshiping God, with full hearts which can then overflow into a common expression of adoration and praise. (Certainly God can and does minister graciously those who come to worship dry and empty, but that should not be the norm or the ideal.) We must teach our people that worship is a lifestyle, a way of life, not a Sunday event alone.
By definition, corporate worship will also only happen if the people are truly involved in the service. This expression of the unity of the body and of the priesthood of all believers is not optional. We are commanded to minister to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs in the assembly (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). The Word of God requires that worship involve all of the people, and not be a spectator event or performance.
Now we turn to a transcendent truth about worship, one which allows us to recognize a supreme unity across all the temporal, geographical and cultural barriers which tend make to make worship look so different in it externals.
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The Role of Jesus Christ in Worship
Perhaps the most crucial constant in all true worship is that which is probably least acknowledged: the role of the living Christ in leading our worship. “Our worship is not just . . . because of the works and merits of Christ, but . . . through the Person of Christ Himself.” (italics mine; James B. Torrance, “Christ in Our Place,” in A Passion for Christ, Handsel Press, 1999, p. 43)
The truth is, how often do we really acknowledge the active presence of Christ, not only back in heaven at the right hand of the Father, but also in fulfillment of His promise: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20)? How often do we recognize the continuing mediating ministry of our Lord, “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5)? The book of Hebrews teaches us about the present ministry of Christ, our living High Priest: His perpetual Priesthood (4:14; 5:6; 6:20; 7:17,21; 10:21-2), the One through whom we draw near to the throne of grace (4:16), the One who sympathizes with our weaknesses (2:18; 4:15) and intercedes for us (7:25), the One who continues as the unique God/man and the Mediator between God and man (7:23-8:2).
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This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.