Here is the next installment of Worship Matters. This comes from chapter 3 entitled “My Mind: What Do I Believe?”
It’s important to know and love the truth about God because you would like Him more after discovering what He’s really like. God calls us not only to love Him but to “love the truth” about Him (2 Thessalonians 2:10). We worship the One who says He is the truth and who tells us, “the truth will set you free” (John 14:6; John 8:32). God wants everyone “to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). And He reveals His wrath against those who “suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). Jesus said He would send “the Spirit of truth,” and He asked God to sanctify His disciples “in the truth,” which he identified as God’s Word (John 16:3; 17:17).
The better (i.e., the more accurately) we know God through His Word, the more genuine our worship will be. In fact, the moment we veer from what is true about God, we’re engaging in idolatry.
So, where do we find a right knowledge of God? In the revealed truth of Scripture. But how do we get our arms around everything the Bible says about God? It takes thoughtful, disciplined study.
That introduces two words many Christians are uncomfortable with – theology and doctrine.
Theology literally means “the study of God.” It includes our concept of God as a result of that study (or lack thereof). So every Christian, musical, technical or otherwise, is already a theologian.
Doctrine is a word meaning “what is taught.” Doctrine is everything the Bible teaches on a particular topic, such as worship or holiness or the church or spiritual gifts. Paul told Titus that a leader in a church “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).
The study of doctrine isn’t opposed to studying the Bible; it is studying the Bible. It’s how we find out what God is like, what He wants us to believe, how He wants us to worship.
So that means we need to be reading. We need to be studying. Because we’ll be learning about God for the rest of our lives.
We need help to learn about God! While we can learn a lot about God through scripture, we can us other people to help us understand God’s Word more clearly than we can on our own.
When someone suggests we should be reading books that are more theologically substantive, we may tend to respond, “I’m no scholar. They’re too deep.” But authors of books like these can offer invaluable assistance for wrapping our minds around the Spirit-inspired teachings of Scripture. That’s why we should take time not only to study Scripture, but also to learn from writers whose books challenges us and help us mine the riches of God’s Word.
Mind and heart belong together. Strong, passionate desires for God flow from and encourage the faithful, thoughtful study of God – His nature, character, and works.
If our doctrine is accurate but our hearts are cold toward God Himself, our corporate worship will be true but lifeless. Or if we express fervent love for God but present vague, inaccurate, or incomplete ideas of Him to those we’re leading, our worship will be emotional but misleading – and possibly idolatrous. Neither option brings God glory.
My prayer for myself and every worship leader (production crew member) is that we’ll become as familiar with the Word of Truth as we are with our computers, cameras and sound boards. Hopefully even more so. If we do, there’s a strong possibility people are going to walk away from our gatherings more amazed by our God than by our music and production quality.
Head Space of the Best 