The Pastor’s Role in the Praising Church

How do we sing in church if we just don't feel like it? Maybe it's been a difficult week, or you've had a rough morning, or maybe you can't carry a tune, or you don't like the songs that have been chosen. Today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg explains how our hearts, like musical instruments, need to be properly tuned for worship.

One of the reasons I think when we find ourselves in situations where we are being encouraged to sing, and yet we find that somehow or another we are not entering fully into the song, at least for me it is often because I am being asked to declare things about how I myself am feeling, when in actual fact, if I were to be honest about how I am feeling, I'm not feeling at all like singing anything at all. And so my heart has to be tuned by the truth of God's Word. And so, for example, the words of the psalmist that God does not always chide, nor will he remember our sins forever. What a wonderful thing it is when you've come on the Lord's Day morning, and you're aware of the frailty and feebleness of your own heart, and you're the pastor, and you have been a disappointment to yourself, and you've been a jolly nuisance to your wife, and your children are not exactly feeling particularly predisposed towards you. The last thing in the world you want is to have to start to sing about how you're feeling, but to remind yourself in the opening song, Fatherlike, he tends and spares us.

Well, our feeble frame he knows. In his hands he gently bears us and rescues us from all our foes. Now, go ahead and praise him.

Praise him widely as his mercy flows. Now, obviously, when we talk about congregational praise, let's just make sure we understand that the whole of life is worship, right? That the way that we go to work, the way in which we engage in our work, the way in which we play sport, how we eat and drink, we may do so to the glory of God. So we're not suggesting that the rest of life is exercised in a certain way, and then we get to the matter of worship when we come into the gathering of God's people.

Let's just make a few observations to get ourselves started. That when we think in terms of praise, there is actually no more vital theme for the people of God to consider. For example, we read Psalm 103. If your Bible was open there, you would perhaps notice Psalm 102 and verse 18, which says, "'Let this be written for a future generation, that the people not yet created may praise the LORD.'" We're gonna write this down so that the generation that comes will praise the Lord. Why would they praise the Lord? Because they are created to praise, and we are created to praise.

What happens to us, of course, is that we do praise, but we praise ourselves, or we praise other things. And it takes a work of grace within our hearts to turn us to the worship of the Creator rather than to worship created things, not least of all ourselves. So there's no more vital theme, and it is the constant activity of the church in heaven. It is the constant activity of the church in heaven, right? That's what we read in Revelation 7.

But it is also the chief business of the church on earth. And in saying that, we recognize that when Jesus addresses the woman at the well, he says, you know, that the Father is seeking worshipers. And he explains, these are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. Now, that being said, let us also acknowledge that there are three things concerning worship or praise about which God is never indifferent.

About which he's never indifferent. Number one, as to whether we worship. Secondly, he is certainly not indifferent as to the object of our worship. It is God and God alone whom we worship, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the third thing is that God is not indifferent as to the manner of our worship. The Scriptures give us very clear guidelines.

And when you go back in history, you discover that in an earlier generation, in a way that we might regard now as pretty archaic, things were certainly very different from what they are today in the twenty-first century. Think in your mind's eye about the way in which the average assembly of God's people is brought together on a routine Lord's Day, either in your own place or when you assemble somewhere else. Think about your own preparation for it. Think about the final ten, fifteen minutes before you enter the pulpit, just as you know yourself.

You don't need to volunteer it to us. Here, quoting once again from the Free Church of Scotland Confession of Faith and Subordinate Standards, which I have never once in thirty-two years quoted from in the church but decided to this week, let's just get a flavor of this. When the congregation is to meet for public worship, the people, having before prepared their hearts thereunto, ought all to come and join therein, not absenting themselves from the public ordinances through negligence or upon pretense of private meetings. Let all enter the assembly, not irreverently, but in a grave and seemly manner, taking their seats or places without adoration. That is a reference to Roman Catholicism, without bowing before an altar or crossing themselves.

The divines were really concerned about that, and justifiably so, without adoration or bowing themselves towards one place or another. The congregation being assembled, the minister, after solemn calling on them to the worshiping of the great name of God, is to begin with prayer. Now, you think about your average opening prayer.

I think about mine. How we do it. In all reverence and humility, acknowledging the incomprehensible greatness and majesty of the Lord, in whose presence they do then in a special manner appear, and their own vileness and unworthiness to approach so near him, with their utter inability of themselves to so great a work, and humbly beseeching him for pardon, assistance, and acceptance in the whole service then to be performed, and for a blessing on that particular portion of his word then to be read, and all in the name and mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, were not finished. The public worship being begun, the people are holy to attend upon it forbearing to read anything except what the minister is then reading or citing, and abstaining much more from all private whisperings, conferences, salutations, or doing reverence to any person present or coming in.

You see, when I grew up in Scotland, I said, Why does nobody say hello to anybody when they come in? You're not allowed to. You're not allowed to. You're not allowed to look up.

We've started. The fact that Joe came in late, you don't go, Hey, Joe, nice to see you. No, you give him the evil eye.

He's come in late. So you're not to do that. And also, not only you're not allowed to say hello to anybody, also you're to cease from all gazing, sleeping, and other indecent behavior, which may disturb the minister or people or hinder themselves or others in the service of God. Now, admittedly, this was written in the middle of the nineteenth century, and we're not going to baptize it into orthodoxy.

I'm simply reading it to us so that we might get a sense of the frivolity, of the unbelievable superficiality of the incredible horizontal nature of so much of what we do, even when we're doing our best. If any, through necessity, be hindered from being present at the beginning, they ought not, when they come into the congregation, to betake themselves to their private devotions, but reverently to compose themselves to join with the assembly in that ordinance of God which is then at hand. In other words, if you showed up and missed the opportunity to say your prayers before you started, you don't go in and make a fuss and sit down and engage in holy devotions that will distinguish you from the rest. He said, no, the hymn has already begun using the hymn.

It's not about you. It's about the gathered assembly. And God is not indifferent as to the manner of our worship. How can we seriously preach out of Isaiah 6 and say so much about it? And he saw the LORD high and lifted up, and what was his response? "'I am a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.'"

He didn't start singing some crazy song, you know. No. I'm saying this to you.

I'm saying it to myself. So, with those things said, let me advance the ball one more time. We have to make sure, then, that there are three things that we are agreed upon concerning the manner of acceptable worship. Number one, it is biblical being grounded in the truth of Scripture. Secondly, it is at the same time rational in that it engages our minds. The third thing is that it's not only biblical, it's also rational, and it is clearly spiritual in that it involves the very core of our being.

It's a spiritual response. And that's why it's not good for us to use—for any of us—to use our own external responses, whatever they might be, as the touchstone of whether someone's praise is meaningful or significant or orthodox or right or whatever else it is. Maybe I'll just say a word about the practicalities of things, just for a moment, as it comes to mind, because both Justin and Ruth gave me just some pointers that were uppermost in their mind. So, the way the thing works, we haven't had a traditional upfront leader of praise for fifteen years, twenty years. So, for twenty years, we have been operating on a kind of quasi-British model, where, by and large, the pastor would be the one who led the congregation in praise, and who, in establishing the framework of things, would be the one. People say to me, Well, why do you stand up there? And I say, To prevent somebody else from standing up here. In other words, it's a ministry of prevention, in that I don't mean to prevent Justin or any of these folks standing up here, but I just realized that constitutionally for myself, it wasn't a happy thing for me to end up being a visitor in my own congregation, to have a slot given to me in the context of the worship and the praise. And so, you either have a clash of two strategies, or one strategy is going to have to win out. And so, there's no value in clashing, and therefore, if there's going to be a strategy win out, then you're going to have to develop it in a way that is true to oneself and one's congregation, and also to the people.

And so, the way in which we arrive at things is as a result of a sort of complementarian approach, so that Ruth will know where we are in terms of the passage of Scripture. We will talk about it. She will come back with some suggested songs. I will say, I don't like that song. Or could we do that song? Or she will say, Can we learn a new song? And the choosing of those songs begins with the text of Scripture. When it comes to the singing of those songs, then we're dependent on the musicians to select keys that it is possible for the congregation to sing the songs.

And it is on the basis of that that then certain songs would find their way in, and certain songs would actually find their way out. We're not concerned with whether the song was new or old, but whether it has a melody line that is actually singable, and whether it has a lyrical content to it that is actually theologically helpful, so that we recognize that we are singing truth to one another, even as we give worship and praise to God. And I was fascinated—I'm sure you were too—by the way in which Tim this afternoon moved from those three great expressions of the cultural narrative immediately to Frozen. I've never had a conversation with him about it, but when I mentioned to my daughters, I said, You know, I think that is a dreadful song. And they said, Oh no, it's a lovely song. I said, No, it's a lovely melody, but did you ever listen to the words? And then, as he pointed out, those first three cultural narratives are all addressed in the way in which that song is sung. And everywhere I go, little children know all the words to that song.

They know them everywhere. And so that speaks to the power of music in reinforcing things in the hearts of children. And so when we think about it in those terms, vis-à-vis our own children in the congregation, we want also to recognize that we're just kind of overgrown children. Can I just take a couple of minutes and give you the observations of a worship leader as to five ways to improve congregational singing? This is not coming from me. This is coming from our friend.

And I'm not going to expound on it. I'll just tell you what he says is absolutely important. Number one, if you're going to strengthen congregational singing, then you need to begin with the pastor. Any congregation that's engaged in worship through singing, there's a direct correlation, he suggests, with the pastor's engagement in it or the pastor's disengagement from it. Every pastor, he says, must be intimately involved in the language that is being placed in the congregation's mouth, for the singing ultimately affects how they think, how they feel, brother, how they pray, and how they live. Pastors have a duty not only to be involved in preparing for the time of congregational singing, but they have a responsibility personally to model and demonstrate the importance of it. Our people take a great cue from us. We can't get away from this. They know whether we ourselves are just exhorting them or whether we are participating as well. And we give a lead, and it's a vulnerable position to be in. But nevertheless, it is part of our duty.

So, number one, begin with the pastor. Number two, sing great songs. Sing great songs. Well, you say, well, my idea of a great song and your idea of a great song is not necessarily the case, especially you being an old fogy and me being a young person or whatever it might be. But, you know, great songs are songs, I think, that have stood the test of time or that we immediately understand this is going to stand the test of time. I mean, in Christ alone is a new song.

But it'll be around, right? Oh, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus is an old song, but it's still around, and so on. And what is it that makes it great? Well, you've got a deeply meaningful lyric, and you've got a really singable melody. And the reason you know that it's good is because you can't wait to sing it again. Or you love it when you sing it, as opposed to, oh, now I can't believe we're singing this one again. Great songs.

And obviously, there's some people who don't like this and don't like that, but just in terms of the family of God, you can tell those that have just coalesced with them. And he goes on to say that to create those songs, it's not simply laying scriptural truth alongside any melody. And certainly, it's not laying down scriptural truth with a dreadful melody. If you're a poet, do your poetry. If you're a lyricist, don't come and tell me you're finished until you're finished. Don't give us a half-baked lyric and a half-fulfilled melody line and expect us to sing it. We want to sing it, but do the hard work.

Sing great songs. Thirdly, cultivate a congregation-centered priority in those who lead. A congregation-centered priority in those who lead.

I'll just quote from it. From the individual who leads music, to the praise team standing up front, to those of us who follow as members of the congregation, it is absolutely vital to build a culture where everyone realizes our corporate responsibility before God and to each other is to sing together. It is an actual command of God. Time and time and time again in the Bible we're told, Sing! Sing to the Lord! Sing! Now, come on, sing! Now, I can tell you again, I was here Sunday, and there were people up there in the balcony, and one fellow—I don't know if he'd fallen asleep standing up or what had happened to him, but he—and God forgive me if he had been struck dumb since I hadn't seen him the previous Monday, but if he was in full capacity with his faculties, I don't know what was wrong with him. Because he never sang a word.

I'm not going to tell you who he is or what service he was in, it doesn't matter. But I was absolutely mystified. I almost wanted to go, Hey, let's just stop this for a minute. Hey, how you doing up there, man? We're singing, did you get that? Yeah. Yeah, we're all singing. That includes you, see? This guy said, Nah.

I said, Nah, go ahead. And as I've traveled for the last three months, I've noticed that in congregations where I go, unless they've grasped this, the further back you go in the congregation, the singing diminishes all the way back. And part of it has to do with the fact that the worship team, the praise team, has not cultivated in the congregation the priority of congregational-centered praise. So in fairness to the people who are further back, many of them have decided, I'm not even supposed to sing, because the volume that is coming to me from the front is so vast that it's irrelevant, because nobody could even hear my voice if I sang out. And so if this team does not understand that together we are offering our praise to God, then the possibility is that they just go ahead and do what they do.

And that's what happens. You've been up since half past six in the morning preparing, and you just can't wait to sing. But the people that have come in have not been preparing since half past six, and you think we're going to jumpstart them in five minutes with a couple of songs? Unless you have come out of a context of preparation for praise. Fourthly, penultimately, serve the congregation through musical excellence. This comes, I think, in part to what our brother is saying here, and maybe there's a good quote in here. The music need not be complex or style-specific, but we need to take it seriously.

It should be fresh and interesting, and with arrangements and sounds. And incidentally, this also introduces the question of liturgy and the structure of worship that gives ebb and flow to the way in which we engage these things. And for ourselves at Parkside—and I know David Robinson wouldn't like this—but we're not unhappy with dipping in fairly consistently to the Book of Common Prayer and to the framework of liturgy there, whether it is in the general confession or whether it is in the recital of the Apostles' Creed or whatever it might be.

Not as a constant element, but nevertheless as an important element. And then fifthly and finally, manage the congregation's repertoire intentionally. In other words, we have to be intentional about what is being sung.

We're not going to treat this like shuffle on your iPod. We're going to remind ourselves continually that our praise begins with God and his glory and not man and his need. I think we have to be honest and ask ourselves, Why are we singing at a given point in the service? And is what we're singing appropriate for this point in the service? And we also ought to probably spend time on a Monday morning, beginning on a Monday morning, by asking at least how did the congregation sing and how can we help them to do it better?

And then asking God to help us in that regard. You're listening to Bible teacher Alistair Begg on Truth for Life. You may not realize this, but Truth for Life is heard every day on more than 1,900 radio stations around the world. There are thousands more who listen through our podcast, our website, our YouTube channel, other online listening platforms, and yet it's a very small number of this big listening audience who give monthly to help cover the cost of program distribution.

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