Become A Disciple of Jesus

* I will be responding to an article wrtten by Dr. Peter Masters and providing the entirety of that article but before I do, I want to set the tone using what I think is a very relevant passage of Scripture:

Romans 14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.” 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. 14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. 20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. 21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

* Truthfully, I don't really even need to say more because the above chapter should be sufficient. But just in case the application of the above passage to "New Worship" versus "Traditional Worship" is not obvious to all, I will try to assist in the application of this chapter of Romans to this discussion. I will also point out some flaws in the logic laid out in Dr. Masters's article but I will do my best to not do so out of judgment, but rather out of a sincere pursuit of truth. As has been said many times before by countless of other people about many different subjects, I hope this can be about what is true and right and not who is right. The one request I have is that whoever is reading this study, please do your very best to empty your mind of all preconceived notions of what certain passages of Scripture mean (and I will do the same). This will become especially important as we look at John 4. I ask this so that we can all clear out the blinding elements of our preconceived notions and prejudices so that we can pursue and be able to recognize truth.

* The following article was written by Dr. Peter Masters:

Is ‘new worship’ compatible with traditional worship?

The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4.23-24).

Can contemporary Christian worship (we shall call it new worship) be combined with traditional worship? I would like to speak with great respect to fellow pastors and Christian workers who have been inclined to adopt new worship to some degree. I do not want to appear hostile in any way, for there are a number of dedicated men who feel they should give new worship a chance. They do not necessarily care for it personally, but they have been persuaded that their reservations are just a matter of taste and culture. Therefore, to get the young people in, they give house-room (often reluctantly) to contemporary worship songs. Such friends almost always have areas of concern. They do not go all the way with the modern trend. They certainly do not share the emotionally manipulative motives of the leading proponents of new worship. Nor do they accept their somewhat mystical notions of communion with God. In fact, they have very little in common with them. Nevertheless, they feel that they live in a new culture and must give guarded acceptance to new things. These pastors have every intention of keeping traditional worship alongside the new, and of curbing excesses firmly, but the new, they feel, should not be entirely resisted. I can well understand that anyone who has a heart for the rising generation, and a deep concern for the state of the churches, will not want to be obstructive to new ideas. I therefore do not intend in this article to criticise other Christian workers who, with reservations, have been accommodating toward the new ways. But I would like to point out, in fraternal persuasion, several great issues of principle which are now at stake. The chief problem is that traditional and new worship represent entirely different concepts of worship, and these are opposite concepts. New worship, or contemporary Christian worship, started in California in the late 1960s, when many hippies turned to Jesus Christ, becoming the ‘Jesus people’. They worshipped with the very same style of song which they had known as hippies. Various movements were formed to encourage this, among them the well-known Calvary chapels.

One-verse choruses

This new worship consisted mostly of one-verse choruses, endlessly repeated. The words were simple —much simpler than those of a traditional children’s chorus - and the themes were elementary.

* Chad's comments: There is a biblical basis for the repetition of simple ideas:

Psalm 136 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
5 To Him who made the heavens with skill,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
7 To Him who made the great lights,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
8 The sun to rule by day,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
9 The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
10 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
11 And brought Israel out from their midst,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
13 To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
15 But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
17 To Him who smote great kings,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
18 And slew mighty kings,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
20 And Og, king of Bashan,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
21 And gave their land as a heritage,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
23 Who remembered us in our low estate,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
24 And has rescued us from our adversaries,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
25 Who gives food to all flesh,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

* If we break down this article about new worship versus traditional worship, it is like the writer of one kind of Psalm telling the writer of a different kind of Psalm that his Psalm is a sinful way of writing a Psalm. As silly as that sounds, I can't see how one Psalmist condemning another Psalmist for using a different style is not the same as the writer of this article condemning new worship for using a different style of worship.

There was seldom any confession of sin or any doctrine.

* Chad's comments: I have never heard any song, traditional or not, "confess sin".

However well-intended, the new worship was not shaped or influenced by any biblical model of worship nor by general church practice.

* Chad's comments: This is simply a false statement. See Psalm 136 again for one example. Simply put, "for His lovingkindness is everlasting" is endlessly repeated. By the way, the writer mentions simple choruses being endlessly repeated, but doesn't mention what is said in the verses. Psalm 136 does repeat the line, "for His lovingkindness is everlasting" over and over but also says other things, just like what I assume "new worship" songs do.

It was a form of worship fashioned and conceived in the womb of hippie meditational mysticism, in which hippies in their hundreds and thousands would sit on Californian hillsides with eyes closed, swaying themselves into an ecstatic state of experience. Former hippies carried into their new Christian allegiance the method of seeking the emotional release or sensations to which they were accustomed, and no one showed them a better way. The new worship rapidly advanced, merging with another stream of new songs written by those who simply wanted worship music to be like secular rock music. In other words, the latter wanted a ‘good time’ in a worldly sense. We need to be aware that new worship sprang from these two stables, namely, hippie mysticism, and worldly Christianity. It was immediately incorporated into the charismatic movement, from which the vast majority of new worship songs have come.

Chad's comments: I have to be honest, the above section angers me every time I read it. Dr. Peter Masters says, "The new worship rapidly advanced, merging with another stream of new songs written by those who simply wanted worship music to be like secular rock music. In other words, the latter wanted a ‘good time’ in a worldly sense." In other words, the writer is saying "secular rock music" (whatever that means) = have a good time in a wordly sense. "Secular music" is simply a different style of music. What the writer does here is like me saying, "Classical music is wordly". If the writer's words are true about all rock music simply being wordly, than so is my statement about classical music. Yes, there are wordly rock songs but there are also a lot of rock songs that are not worldy. Lets just say it: Rock music is not of the devil or worldy in and of itself, just as classical music is not either. What Jesus says comes to mind:

Mark 7:14-23 (Net Bible)
7:14 Then18 he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand. 7:15 There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him.”19 7:17 Now20 when Jesus21 had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. 7:18 He said to them, “Are you so foolish? Don’t you understand that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? 7:19 For it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then goes out into the sewer.”22 (This means all foods are clean.)23 7:20 He said, “What comes out of a person defiles him. 7:21 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 7:22 adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly. 7:23 All these evils come from within and defile a person.”

* While it is true that Jesus is talking about food and not musical tastes, I think by extension one can make the application that no music, in and of itself, can make a man unclean. Yes, some songs can be avoided because of worldy lyrics, but to clump all rock and roll into the class, "worldly" is just ignorant (at best).

* What Dr. Peter Masters says makes even less sense if you think about what he is saying: If rock and roll is introduced with Christian lyrics, there is no worldliness in that rock and roll whatsoever! The conception that rock and roll music (regardless of lryics) is all worldy is revealed by the logic espoused by Dr. Peter Masters and this flaw should be clear to all. What about using and enjoying the sound of a distorted guitar is "having fun in a worldy way"?

‘Ecstatic worship’

I am not suggesting that traditional Christians who accommodate the new worship endorse those stables. Nevertheless we cannot evaluate new worship without considering its background and objectives. It must be appreciated that new worship is designed to be ecstatic worship. In other words, worship is intended to stir the senses or feelings as a chief objective. The biblical requirement (as we shall see) and the timehonoured view of Christians is that God must be worshipped with the mind, and emotions should support what is grasped by the mind. The great emphasis in traditional worship is meaning. It is about the mind inspiring the heart. Ecstatic worship, by contrast, says, ‘Let’s simplify the meaning. Meaning gets in the way. Meaning confuses us. Meaning hurls facts at us, and while that is happening we cannot feel .We want chiefly to go for feeling.’ The choruses and songs which come out of the new worship movement are based on this policy of worship. This is not my assessment, but the clearly stated aim of the advocates of new worship.

* Chad's comments: Who are some advocates that say this? Even though I don't know exactly who Dr. Peter Masters is talking about, common sense tells me that that advocates of New Worship are probably not saying that meaning doesn't matter at all, but rather are probably simply trying to add emotion. Also, facts and meanings are one thing, but the song books that are commonly used in church services have much to be desired...confession of sin? I don't think I have ever heard a traditional song about the confession of sins?

But to use melody or song as a means of working up sensations, raptures, exalted senses and emotional joys is wrong. They say, ‘We must find a way of stirring up this feeling within ourselves. We must "get ourselves going" by the use of music and any other means available to stir emotional chords within us.' This is the underlying basis of the new worship.

* Chad's Comments:

Matthew 22:34-37 (New American Standard Bible)
34 But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’

* Notice that the most important commandment doesn't just say, "You shall love the Lord your God with all you mind" but rather says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" and in other accounts adds, "all your strength":

Luke 10:27-28 (New American Standard Bible)
27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND;"

* This does not support the idea that worship is just supposed to be a mental understanding and everything else follows. The good news is that we have examples of what this loving the Lord with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength looks like. One of these examples is David:

1 Chronicles 15:25-29 (New American Standard Bible)
25 So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with joy. 26 Because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27 Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. David also wore an ephod of linen. 28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres. 29 It happened when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart.

* God tells us that David was a man after God's own heart and his zeal and love for God flow out of the text above. Not only do we see David and company using musical instruments loudly, we also see David leaping and jumping around! 2 Samuel 6:12-16 shows even more details of this scenario:

2 Samuel 6:12-16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. 13 And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14 And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet. 16 Then it happened as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

* Now I understand that the Old Testament and New Testament are two different covenants so pointing this passage out to those who don't think God gives authority in the New Testament to use musical instruments doesn't prove anything but Dr. Peter Masters' article is saying something different. He is saying that "New Worship" is being mystical so the Old Testament example is relevant. So was David being "mystical"? Keep this in mind as the writer continues with his point about mysticism.

* Michal's despising David's actions in her heart brings up an interesting question: Why does it bug us (me included) when people worship God differently than we think they should worship God?

Another way of looking at this feature of new worship is to say that it is mystical. Its songwriters may not consciously be mystics, but they mostly believe in the idea that direct union with God may be achieved in worship. (Ecstatic has to do with my feelings, whereas mystical refers to a method of sensing union with God.) Any attempt to be in direct touch or union with God by means of a technique, is a form of mysticism.

* Chad's comments: Communion must be a from of mysticism. Where is Dr. Peter Masters getting his definition of what mysticism is anyway? I don't see any Scriptural backing for this strong charge.

It is the opposite of our traditional Christian worship which says that union with God is via faith based on knowledge, and not by emotion. We understand or believe in the God revealed in Scripture, and by faith we touch Him. Many hymns in the new worship speak of touching God (or similar terms), suggesting that this is something we do by turning on our emotions. The danger of this philosophy cannot be understated. Emotion-driven, mystical worship is a delusion, producing intensely emotional and subjective worshippers for whom personal enjoyment is the chief aim. Biblically, however, we touch God as we appreciate the truth about Him, and approach Him in faith. Deep feelings are the result of this. Another incompatibility between old and new worship is found in what has been called the aesthetic factor. Traditional worship, as we have noted, says that human beings can worship God only by words and thoughts. But the aesthetic policy (universally adopted by the promoters of new worship) says that God can be worshipped by human creativity. If I play an instrument well enough, I legitimately worship by instrumental skill. God will look upon the beautiful thing I have produced, be pleased with it, and accept it as valid worship. I will have pleased Him and glorified Him by my expertise. An Anglo-Catholic hymn puts it in this way, but it is wrong: ‘Craftsmen's art and music's measure, For Thy pleasure all combine.’ From - ‘Angel voices ever singing’, Francis Pott, originally entitled, ‘For the dedication of an organ’. The great cathedral builders of centuries past believed that the very arrangement of the stones, and the ingenuity of the stained glass, was an act of worship. Words used sparingly Of course, God is to be glorified in everything we do, but acts of direct Christian worship consist solely of words and thoughts flowing from sincere and earnest hearts. In the new worship words are often used very sparingly, because words do not count for much. Creativity and clever instrumentation are considered to be more moving or exciting to worshippers, and more acceptable to God. The new worship is therefore incompatible with the old because it is built upon different foundational concepts.

Chad's comment: Here is a very important point: It is not about what "Traditional worship" says or what "New worship" says. What matters is what the Bible says? What does the Bible really say about this?

Romans 12:1(NASB)
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

* And to be honest, I am suprised that anyone who has read this article did not have major problems with many of the things presented in it. In fact, this section contains some of the most blatant false statements. Do I really even need to explain what is wrong with the following statements?

"Of course, God is to be glorified in everything we do, but acts of direct Christian worship consist solely of words and thoughts flowing from sincere and earnest hearts"

Colossians 3:23-24 (NASB)
23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

1 Corinthians 12:4-31 (NASB)
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. 12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.

* So I believe the concept behind what Paul is saying here is very revelant to our discussion. I believe the truth of the above is still true but I think the gifts (from my experience) are different, but still present. What I mean is that some are given the gift of musical ability while others are given the gift of understanding of and articulation of deep theological ideas, while others are given the ability to stay focused regardless of emotions, while others are given the gift of deep emotional feelings, etc. So what am I saying? I am saying rather than trying to limit the ways one can worship God, we should embrace each other and worship God in any and every possible way! The writer of this article is essentially saying, "I am the thoughts and I don't need the emotions". That is just as flawed as the head saying to the feet, "I don't need you". Although some people may be able to do this better than others, not everyone can simply ignore the emotional component of the worship of God. I am on who cannot go long on just logic without some kind of emotional connection. To be honest, often I have to go outside the church to get inspirational emotional connections to God. Isn't that kind of a shame?

I have been reading a book by John Frame of the Californian branch campus of Westminster Theological Seminary entitled, Contemporary Worship Music: A Biblical Defence. The author, a reformed theologian, surprisingly turns out to be strongly in favour of new worship. One of John Frame’s many complaints about traditional worship is that it is far too complex. It has too many words, is too intelligent, and too scholarly. It is not for ordinary people. In supporting this complaint, the author pronounces himself in favour of minimal words. He wants to bypass rationality, and substitute feelings as the leading component in worship. He also insists that there is a physical dimension to worship, dancing and other activities being valid. He wants to get the senses and sensations strumming in order to touch God. The point in raising his book at this stage is to show how ‘traditionalists’ who adopt new worship eventually capitulate to the sensational-mystical-aesthetic philosophy of worship.

In spirit and in truth

To establish the traditional view of worship I turn to John 4.24 — the words of the Lord Jesus Christ - -‘God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.’ First, to worship in spirit means we are not to worship in any physical way. There are no physical elements or actions in spiritual worship with the exception of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which were ordained by the Saviour exclusively as teaching figures. Aside from these there is no physical ingredient, other, perhaps, than to fall in reverence before the Lord. (The issue of the raising of hands will be examined in a subsequent article.) Because worship is by the spirit, and not physical,it is obvious that you cannot worship in dance. (A comment on dancing will also be made in a later article.) Worship, being a spiritual activity, cannot be offered by way of melody or instrumentation. Instruments and music are merely helps to the singing of intelligent praise. An organ or piano is a great help, but has no greater status than that.

* Chad's Comments: Here is the Scripture sited in context as rendered by the NASB:

John 4:7-26 (New American Standard Bible)
7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” 16 He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

* From the context, it appears that what Jesus says in verse 24 summarizes what Jesus had been saying to this woman in the verses that preceded verse 24. He first mentions to her the living water and then challenges her about truth. It seems to me, that when Jesus says, "and those who worship Him must worship in spirit", he is referring to the idea that one must have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to truly worship God. This idea is indicated in many other passages of Scripture, such as the parable of the wedding guests. Again, this flows nicely with the text since Jesus was talking to the woman about obtaining the living water. It also seems to me that Jesus is not saying anything about the method of worship but rather that one has to have the Holy Spirit to truly worship God.

* To take this passage to mean, "to worship in spirit means we are not to worship in any physical way" is extremely flawed and on many levels. First, it just doesn't even make any sense. How can any human being not worship God "in any phsical way"? Anyone who worships God while a human being will worship God in a physical way.

* The writer of the article continues in this flawed logic, "Because worship is by the spirit, and not physical, it is obvious that you cannot worship in dance". If one cannot worship God in dance, than one cannot worship in song because singing, like dancing, is worshiping God "in a physical way". We use our physical bodies and our physical vocal chords to create a sound that we hear with our physical ears. If one cannot worship God in a physical way, why did Jesus die physically on the cross?

* To summarize this point, one thing I know, Jesus was not adding more restrictions on worship when He said, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" but was rather giving us the keys of freedom to worship Him through His spirit and in truth.

You cannot abandon or minimise the words, and worship through the music instead. The music cannot add to the spiritual acceptability of the words. Biblically, there is no such thing as worship which is ‘a celebration of words and music'. Music, if it has an appropriate ‘mood’, may certainly help focus the mind, but you cannot worship through it.

* Chad's comments: Biblically?

1 Samuel 10:5-6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
5 Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man.

1 Samuel 16:14-23 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. 15 Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him.” 19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David who is with the flock.” 20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son. 21 Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

* Notice that when David played the harp (there is no mention of him singing), it affected spiritual things, i.e., the demon literally left Saul and Saul felt refreshed!

* The writer of this article says, "The music cannot add to the spiritual acceptability of the words". The truth of the matter is that nothing we do can add "spiritual acceptability" to anything else, including words. God looks at the heart and that is what counts. The above text proves, however, that music can help people be refreshed (and in Saul's case atleast, make an evil spirit depart from him. I can't see how being refreshed and having a demon depart from someone would not prove helpful for one's worship of God. Our worhip of God is not so that God will approve of us but rather it is for us so we remember God and it is essential for our hearts to praise Him and worship Him and it appears that music can play a role in this worship. I don't know about anyone else, but I have plenty of demons that I would be happy to see depart from me!

2 Samuel 6:4-5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
4 So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. 5 Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals.

* Again, according the writer of this article, "Biblically, there is no such thing as worship which is ‘a celebration of words and music'" but as we can see from 2 Samuel 6:4-5, there is indeed such a thing as worhsip which is a celebration of words and music! "Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals."

* Note, that although this "worship service" took a terrible turn when Uzzah reached out to grab the ark (which should be have been being carried the way God commanded it be carried in the first place), the "worship service' didn't go bad because of the musical instruments. We know this because when David found the courage to again get the ark, we read:

1 Chronicles 15:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
16 Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.

* It looks to me very much like, "Biblically, there is such thing as worship which is ‘a celebration of words and music'". In fact, this is exactly what it looks like. The truth of the matter is that this really isn't debatable. In light of, "Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.", the statement, "Biblically, there is no such thing as worship which is ‘a celebration of words and music." is A FALSE STATEMENT. Again, just because something is in the Old Testament doesn't make it "unbiblical" and since were are not talking about whether or not musical instruments should or should not be used in our modern day worship services and instead are just dealing with the blanket statements made by the writer of this article, what more is there to say? We already have a check-mate on the false statements. But there is a lot more!

Worship is not by melody or instruments, but by faith. Instruments have no more status in worship than radiators which supply heat to the building. God trusts us to use such ‘helps’ reasonably, but they must never be elevated into a form of worship.

* Chad's comments: Does the Bible agree with the above statements?

Psalm 33:2-3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. 3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

* I am not aware of any Psalm that says, "Give thanks to the Lord with a radiator" or "Sing praises to Him with a radiator", etc. You get the point. There is a reason that arguing by analogy is usually not a good idea (and even more importantly, a doctrine should never be justified by an analogy unless it is God's analogy)! So the humongous difference between musical instruments being used in worship versus a radiator is that musical instruments are commanded to be used (in the Old Testament) whereas there is no mention of radiators in the Bible (obviously).

* Verse 3 is also very interesting in light of this entire discussion. Think about the following ideas in the context of what Dr. Peter Masters is saying in this article:

1. "Sing to Him a new song" - This seems to kind of fly in the face of having the same traditional songs decade after decade.
2. "Play skillfully with a shout of joy" - A shout of joy is not a deep bible message that one can contemplate deeply. A shout of joy is simply a shout of joy. So we have, "Play skillfully (a good thing according to God) and shout for joy (a simple yet good thing according to God).

Psalm 150 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. 2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. 3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. 4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. 5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!

* Chad's comments: Truthfully, I could have effectively refuted this entire article by simply copying and pasting these two passages alone (and really just Psalm 150:1-6). What is perplexing to me is why some others have read this article and seemed to completely agree with it. This is not a slam against Dr. Peter Masters, or to those who agreed with the article, but again, it is just perplexing to me in light of the Scriptures I am presenting in this study (which I am sure both Dr. Peters Masters and those who I am referring to have read).

* Notice that yes, God can be praised with a trumpet sound, with a harp and lyre, with timbrel and dancing, with stringed instruments and pipe, with loud cymbals and with resounding cymbals.

Psalm 149:1-3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones. 2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King. 3 Let them praise His name with dancing; Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.

* Interesting, both Psalms 150 and 149 show that people can praise God with dancing!

Psalm 98:4-6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
4 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, With the lyre and the sound of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD.

* And I could have found many more Psalms that say similar things.

To consolidate the point, the Lord defines worship as being exclusively ‘in truth’. This, of course, means that genuine worship comes from a true, honest and sincere mind. It also means that worship is intelligent. Our Lord said that the Father seeks to worship Him those who will worship Him through the rational faculty -the mind, or the reason. He insists that worship themes must arrest the mind, and be understood. He tells us that is the only valid way of worship. ‘In truth’ also means that worship must be made according to the Truth, or, in other words, as prescribed by the Word of God. (We will in due course consider whether or not new worship follows the rules of Scripture.) There is a world of difference between traditional worship and new worship. If we bring simple and short choruses, with all their repeated lines and their shallow sentiments, into adult worship, we severely strain the Lord’s demand for intelligent understanding of profound and glorious truths. To use the hackneyed term, we ‘dumb down’ worship. The traditional approach to worship is further confirmed in Revelation chapters 4 and 5.

Revelation 4 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. 5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; 6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.” 9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Revelation 5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they *sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

These chapters present a vision of the rule of God over His Church, and also of the Church’s worship of Him. At the centre of the vision is the wonderful throne of God, and as you work through the two chapters you find all three Persons of the Trinity present at that throne. Exalted language is used to describe the throne, with precious stones and powerful phenomena symbolising the attributes of God. Before the throne are the beasts or living creatures, most commonly identified as God’s cherubim of justice. Then there is the great sea of glass, a favourite interpretation of this being that it represents the atoning merits and the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the only means of approaching the throne.

Church universal at worship

Outside and around that sea of glass, often pictured as forming a vast circle, are the twenty-four elders, representing twelve patriarchs and twelve apostles. This is the Church, both Jew and gentile, past, present and future; the entire company of redeemed people. Outside and around that circle is the angelic host. There are ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. In the course of the passage we discover how men and angels worship. In Revelation 4.8 we read, ‘And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy. holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.’ The word to notice is that little word — ‘saying’. They said their worship. (We shall apply this in due course.) In verses 10 and 11 we read, ‘the four and twenty elders fall down before him. . . and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord.’ They said it. In chapter 5.8-9 we read: ‘And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song. They sang.

Chad's comments: Interestingly, even though "they sang", every one of them had harps as well. Even though in this particular passage it doesn't say they played these harps, why else would they all have harps if they were not going to play them? So Dr. Masters says, "In the course of the passage we discover how men and angels worship" and then in the second passage he supplies for us in this endeavor, we read, "having every one of them harps".

* Not only this but what about the rest of the book of Revelations?

In verses 11 and 12 we are told, ‘And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb.’ They said it. In verse 13, the record says, ‘And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne.’ In the next verse we learn that the ‘four beasts said’. That is the worship of God in Heaven and Earth. They said and they sang. In this vision of the true worship of God, we see that worship is words. We must affirm this most emphatically - worship is words. Worship is not words and music. Music assists us, but the efficacious or valid part is the words. There is no other vehicle of worship aside from words. The rational mind is the seat of worship. Worship is by faith and love, but it has to be in words, whether thought, said or sung. It is a matter of fact that if this article had been written 150 years ago, most Nonconformist readers would have thought it too obvious to be printed. They all knew this. It was fundamental to them that worship is words. Today, tragically, this principle has been eroded away. I often give this portion of my article as a lecture, and when we come to this point, I realise that some listeners are thinking, ‘What about the groanings which cannot be uttered, in Paul’s letter to the Romans? Is this not prayer without words?’ The answer is, no, for the simple reason that the groanings are not ours, but those of the Holy Spirit. With our words we pray, and the Holy Spirit, in His majesty and power, translates those words into the language of Heaven, and conveys them to the throne on our behalf. We do not know what to pray for, or how to pray for it as we ought, but the Holy Spirit takes our stumbling efforts, and beautifies and perfects them, and presents them before the Lord. We should not say, ‘I can pray just by feeling, even though I cannot express it in words,’ It may happen that a believer feels so strongly about something that his feelings seem to outpace his mind. But should he be asked — ‘What were you praying for just then?’ — he would be able to reply. There is no true prayer which has not passed through the rational mind. There is no prayer that cannot be put into words. This alone is true worship. Anything other than this is mystical and ecstatic worship. For this reason we place the emphasis on the mind, whereas advocates of the new worship want the emphasis to be on emotions. In my now rather elderly book Healing Epidemic, I have a chapter called ‘The Law of the Sound Mind’. With the growth of new worship this chapter has become even more relevant. The chapter title came from Paul’s words to Timothy –‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’ It is about the centrality of the sound mind. The strongest feelings that we are capable of should be in our worship, but supporting the words. We must feel things because we think them. If we understand and mean the words, then the Holy Spirit (Who inspires all genuine worship) will touch our minds so that we see them even more clearly, and He will also touch our hearts so that we feel what we see all the more strongly. The emotional system is a system of support and response. It is not the prime mover in worship. It must never be stirred into action or ‘worked up’ by musical techniques. A sound mind In the pastoral epistles, the apostle Paul makes many exhortations about sound-mindedness. He calls for rational control at all times. He insists on sensible words and thoughts. He says that the rational faculty must always be switched on. By these exhortations he condemns trances and purely sentimental worship. He calls us to be alert. All must be watchful and vigilant. All must be moderate in their approach, and discerning. Every word of a hymn must register first in the mind, for this is the prime channel of praise. Paul establishes the centrality of the rational faculty. This matter is so important that Paul makes separate exhortations to ministers, to older men, to older women, to younger men and to younger women. He makes this call repeatedly, and it especially applies to the exercise of the mind in worship. In 1 Corinthians he tells us that we pray and sing in the spirit, but always with the understanding also. In worship we think and comprehend. Knowledge and understanding are foundational. Those teachers who urge the abandonment of historic worship are rejecting a basic principle of worship —the centrality of the mind. We must hold on to this. New worship ranges from the extremes of ultra-simplified worship, to sheer emotionalism. It is not biblical worship. John Frame, in his book, says the trouble with traditionalists is that they are snobs. They are musical snobs, and they are theological snobs! No believer wants to be a snob, and this kind of charge intimidates us. Innate Christian humility begins to wonder whether the charge is true. We begin to think that we may be prejudiced against new worship merely because we prefer the way we have always done things. But it is not snobbery to be alarmed at the new worship. There are great principles at stake. John Frame is delighted with choruses and other short, repetitive songs. He says the great advantage with choruses is that there are very few thoughts in them. He takes a typical verse from a hymn of Wesley, and pronounces it inferior to a conspicuously vapid chorus, as a means of efficient communication! His problem with Wesley and Watts and every other traditional hymnwriter is that they say far too much. No one, apparently, can grasp all their thoughts, for they are too numerous and too sophisticated.

Chad's comments: ...or are UNRELATABLE. Something can be intelligent and relatable.

Millions of believers over the centuries have in his view suffered from great personal inadequacy in worship. By his thinking, what place could the Psalms have in worship? They are often long, complex and profound. Must they be rejected also as a model for our hymns? Dismal ‘biblical’ examples Frame attempts some novel interpretations of Scripture to justify this dumbing down of hymns. He looks at Job, noting the fine speeches he prepared to hurl at God when the opportunity arose. But when he saw God, he put his hand over his mouth, and choked out the simplest things. Says Frame — that is the right way. That is the difference between traditional worship and new worship. Traditional is all Job’s fine speeches, and new is what Job should have done all along. The fewest words and the strongest feelings are best. Moses and Isaiah are also brought into the argument. They fell silent before the Lord, and said very little. This, according to John Frame, is what justifies contemporary Christian worship. He repeatedly says that we must be biblical in these matters, but he makes no use of the Lord’s own hymnbook —the Psalms - in deciding what hymns should be like. The ‘mathematics’ or proportions of the Psalms are closely respected in traditional hymnbooks, but totally neglected in the new worship. Traditional worship tracks well the ratio of praise to petitional psalms, and accommodates the entire range of subjects in the Psalter. New worship almost cries out against the structure of the Psalms. Indeed, the very notion of a chorus has no basis in the Psalms. Please see related article.

The Lord’s policy

Are our traditional hymns too complex? When the Lord compiled a hymnbook for an agricultural people who were probably 95% illiterate, He gave them not a book of choruses, but the book of Psalms. C H Spurgeon once expressed his delight at the arrival of popular national newspapers, because they reached into all the towns and villages. With his own rural background he was qualified to comment on the limitations of village intellectual life. Mrs Smith, he said, was simpleminded because she and her friends only talked about petty events and village gossip. What a wonderful instrument, he said, these newspapers were, to widen their horizons, and show them about cities and lands beyond their village. From the Psalter all the way down to the Reformation, and through subsequent centuries, hymns have been clearly understood by the Lord’s people. They have lifted up the people of God spiritually and intellectually. They have expressed worship, and taught the great truths of the Word. The Bible first, and godly hymns second, have liberated generations from ignorance and naivety, teaching and articulating intelligent praise. Today, new worship is pulling believers down to a level they have never known before. Please read the short, related article "The Psalter is Nothing like a Chorus Book". Future articles will deal with worship in the New Testament, the biblical rules for instruments, the elements to be included in worship, and other key issues.

* The problem with the traditional hymns is not that they are too intelligent but that they are unrelatable. The Psalms, on the other hand, are relatable:

Psalm 95:1-5 (NASB)
1 O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the LORD is a great God And a great King above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land.