Have you ever beed asked to make a Biblical case for a fog machine, or any other piece of equipment? I have, although it's often not asked that way. People might ask, “Why do we need those lights?” Maybe someone would ask, “Is that camera really necessary?” You know what they are really wanting is some sort of spiritual justification for your use of that gear. Unfortunately for us Jesus never said, “Go and shine your 575-watt MSR lamp to the ends of the earth.” So what exactly is the answer to these questions? Sometimes the questioning can be ill-intended, but often it's fair and justified. How do we provide a spiritual justification for the use of projectors, Planning Center, and production?
The real answer to these questions is every tool we use within the church should simply be supporting the vision and mission of our ministry. Think about this for a moment: is there a spiritual case for a chair or pulpit? Tools are just a means to an end. Tools will change over time, but the mission never does. Our Biblically based vision for worship is what defines the tools we use in production. That's the case we should use to support the tools we choose. Microphones and Power Point are simply the execution of the vision.
So, what's the Biblical vision for worship? That's a broad question, and one that each body needs to define for themselves. Your community needs it's own clear picture of how worship will play out, but we can look at the basic building blocks that should be in place. Let's look at six scriptures that specifically speak to this topic of worship. If your church community already has a clear vision, I'd encourage you to check it again with these and take some time to be sure it's still accurate. Visions need a good check up every so often. If your church doesn't have a clear vision for worship, use these as a starting point. Get together with your worship leaders and pastors to create a clear vision.
1 Chronicles 16:23-31
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 25 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place. 28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, 29 ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. 30 Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. 31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!” (NIV)
Sing to the Lord! Proclaim his salvation. Declare his glory, splendor, majesty, strength, joy, splendor, and holiness. Rejoice and be glad! This is what worship can look like. Each community is different, but think about what it looks like to joyfully sing and proclaim in your church. Sounds like a pretty fun, high energy, and bright experience to me.
2. Psalm 100:1-5
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (NIV)
Shout for joy? Worship with gladness? What does a joyful song look like in your church community? It's ok to be happy and joyful.
3. John 4:22-24
22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (NIV)
As John Piper put it, true worship of God is “strong emotion for God, rooted in truth”. Worship isn't just external. It's about the heart (internal) and the head (external). It's about the relationship with Jesus (internal) and the relationship with others (corporate). How are you fostering true worship in your community? Are you allowing for emotion? Are you focused on the truth? This balance is critical and should be monitored closely. How do you go about preparing people's hearts for worship? Another important question to tackle.
4. Hebrews 12:28-29
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire.” (NIV)
God is a consuming fire, deserving of reverence and awe. Though worship can and should be energetic, engaging, and joyful, we should never cross the line to irreverent. Talk through this with your worship team. What's irreverent in worship? How are you leading people to worship in reverence and awe of the one true God who is a consuming fire?
5. Ephesians 5:19
19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, (ESV)
God meets us in many ways. When we are high, God meets us there. When we are low, He is there too. God's character is complex and deep. When David was in the depths of despair he wrote songs to God, and when he was at the height of humanity, he worshiped there too. And so worship must be diverse. How is your community allowing for a diverse worship experience? Have you sung songs and provided experiences for those that are high and those that are low? What does that look like?
6. Psalm 150
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord. (NIV)
The tools of worship and its expressions are just as diverse. You'll notice in this Psalm that all the instrumental families are covered. The tools and expressions of worship to God can be varied in the sanctuary. The most important thing is that we praise the Lord in his power and greatness. What tools and expressions are you using in your community for worship? Are they varied? Are they focused on praising God for his greatness and creating an atmosphere of worship? Do you need to help stretch your community and lead it to experience worship in new ways?
Any technical person can use a fog machine. Exceptional technical leaders support and execute a vision. Go to the Bible and establish a clear vision for worship in your local community. Then, when someone asks why you need to use a particular tool, respond with how it supports your community's vision. If there is a debate (which is healthy), it then becomes about the definition for worship and not the particular tool. That's the Biblical case for a fog machine.
