The Value of Scripture and Squashing the Mystery Out of Using the Word in Worship
The gift of God’s Son is so amazingly marvelous that words are simply inadequate to fully describe the miracle of the incarnation, and the generosity of our God.
In fact, there’s nothing left for God to reveal about Himself because the culmination, fulfillment, richness, deepest depths, and fullness of divine revelation, by which God made Himself known to us, is Jesus Christ, the eternal Word made flesh!
This also means that there is no need for us to wait for any more new revelation from Him, though we do joyfully look forward to His forthcoming manifestation—the second coming of our Lord. Until then, scripture will be our great aid to gaze at the face of our God!
Incorporating scripture in worship should be one of the top priorities for worship leaders. It gives us the opportunity to partake in the light of God’s divine revelation. When we listen to the Word attentively, the Holy Spirit moves us deeper by opening the eyes of our hearts and minds (Ephesians 1:18-19), so that our worship is made real through an authentic response to the Word—a response of believing and assenting to His truths, and a submission of our will to His. I believe that our surrender in faith is the most effective invitation for the presence of God (Luke 1:38).
To use scripture in congregational worship, we first need to be personally connected to the Word. Public outflow of the word can best come from a private inflow of it into our lives. So here are a few simple steps to get there:
The 4 R's of Engaging With Scripture Personally 1. Re-Read
Read the whole Bible at least once continuously like any other book. Then re-read it again daily, this time systematically and slowly—short portions of few verses at a time. Look up the Internet for a variety of Bible reading/study plans.
2. Reflect
Reading must be followed up with study of the word. Have you seen people in love reading their emails or text messages sent to each other? Well, the Bible is God’s love letter to us… so treat it like one... and enjoy it! Read, reflect, and meditate on the words till they become easy and familiar.
3. Remember
Practice memorizing verses, and make it a habit. It’s okay if you can’t remember the exact citation of where the verse is. What’s actually important is remembering the words themselves. Read, re-read, and re-read to commit the words to memory.
4. Recite
Don’t keep what you learn to yourself—God’s word is always to be shared! So discuss it with someone else… your spouse, children, friend... someone! Speak it out in public worship too… maybe between songs, during a song, and so on.
A strong connect with the word enables us to speak, pray, and teach during worship under the necessary regulation of sacred scripture driving away error, delivering the truths of God with power, uplifting our church, nourishing our souls, and strengthening our faith.
The goal here is for the word of Christ to "dwell abundantly" in us personally, and in our church corporately (Colossians 3:16). The examples of Jesus, the Apostles, and the early Church are important guides for us to learn how to connect our congregations with the word. Here are a few principles that we can learn from them to get you going:
5 Best Practices to Incorporate Scripture in Corporate Worship 1. Word of mouth
God’s medium of communication was predominantly oral. The first of His writings was probably the commandments written on the stone tablets with Moses. In the New Testament also, we find that Jesus proclaimed the Good News. Then, after the Church was born, the Apostles too started with word of mouth proclamation. Faith comes by hearing the word (Romans 10:17), so let’s not neglect speaking out carefully chosen Scripture verses in our worship sets.
2. Emulate
Yes I know ‘tradition’ is not a cool concept today; but the fact of the matter is the Apostles taught what they had learnt from the Lord—including worship practices. Acts 2:42 for example, shows us the four main ingredients of Christian worship practiced and taught by them:
A. Corporate Prayers
B. Proclamation of the Word
C. The Eucharistic Meal
D. Fellowship
Emulating the early Church and its observances by building our worship around these elements—more than others—will connect us with a great past, while staying relevant in the present.
3. Listen
The Apostles were probably doctorate holders in waiting on the Lord and moving in the Spirit! While it’s hard to formulate exact principles on listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, I can say that He brings to mind scripture verses at appropriate moments provided we have them recorded within us. Think of Bible verses like seeds that we plant in the soil of our hearts and minds. When needed, He will make the Word flow out of us to teach, encourage, correct, console, warn, inspire, and more!
4. Sing
The early Christians sang songs with lyrics that were straight out of Scripture. Worship leaders and songwriters would do well to choose and write songs that are strongly rooted in Scripture. The payoff for us is an increase in the richness of the songs, and the quality of the worship, while also helping our congregations to memorize verses easily.
5. Write
If the Apostles and early disciples had not written down our faith, imagine what we would have lost! In the age of the Internet and ebooks, it’s easier now than ever before for just about anyone to write and be read. If you like to write, and God is your passion, get started with a blog, or write your own worship songs… who knows how the Lord will use your writing! Everyone has a unique voice, it’s time to hear yours.
My friend, let’s renew our focus on the Word in our worship—personally and corporately “so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere” (2 Thessalonians 3:1); that Christ may be glorified more and more; that we may rejoice in the gospel with awe, wonder, and gratitude; that we may be stirred by the holy flame of the Spirit to love the Lord; that we may hear His voice today… and obey.
How important is Scripture in your life and ministry? How do you think can we bring about a better connect with the Word to enrich our worship? Why not leave a comment below and share your thoughts?
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