Worship, Emotions, and Music

By Loretta A. Bernard and David K. Bernard
Chapter 14 of the book In Search of Holiness


“Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (I Chronicles 16:29; Psalm 29:2; 96:9).

“Worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

True worship

Worship is an integral part of true holiness. In turn, holiness is an essential ingredient of true worship. The truest form of worship is obedience, not sacrifice or offerings (I Samuel 15:22). God will reject worship unless it comes from a holy life. (See Amos 5:21-27; Malachi 1:10.) The kind of worship that God accepts is worship that comes from a sincere heart and is supported by a surrendered life. We must worship God both in spirit (small s, meaning the human spirit and human enthusiasm) and in truth. From this perspective, this whole book is intimately connected with the subject of worship. For this reason, we feel that it will be both relevant and beneficial to include a short study of biblical worship. The rest of the book deals with the ways we worship God in our everyday lives. In this chapter we want to concentrate on how God’s people worship Him with their outward expression and with their emotions. Because music plays such an important role in worship (in the Bible as well as today), we will include a discussion of it also. With our investigation of music in worship, we will also deal with worldly music.

Emotions and expression

One of the most striking things about worship as portrayed in the Bible is that it affects every aspect of the human being. God requires that we love Him with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). This covers the emotional, the spiritual, the intellectual, and the physical sides of man. Worship definitely includes, but is not limited to, the emotions, the intellect, and physical expression. Ultimately, it is our will, not our emotions or natural understanding, which must give the commitment and stability to worship.

Some say that emotion and physical expression should play a very minor role in worship. Others say that they are not emotional or demonstrative by nature. Of course, people have different temperaments, but we believe that true worship involves all of a person, including the emotional component that exists in everyone.

God is a God of emotions. Throughout the Bible He displays such emotions as love, joy, sorrow, and anger. When God appeared in flesh, we find Him crying at the tomb of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35) and over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). We are created in the image of God, and we share the same emotions (Genesis 1:27). Those who say they are not emotional when they come to church are the very ones who lose their temper and scream at the children or kick the dog. They scream almost hysterically at football games. They vehemently assert their rights and argue over many things. They shove and push to get on a bus or taxi. They make a scene when they don’t get their way. They will caress and embrace their loved ones. Yet these same people will tell you that emotion has no place in church. They insist on formalism and ritual. The fact is that we are emotional beings. Emotion plays a part in every aspect of our lives, so why not in church? Of course, emotion is not the only component of worship. As already stated, reason is important also, and, most of all, our will must provide the control as it is controlled in turn by faith and by the will of God. Still, emotion must be a part of our worship.

Emotion leads to physical expression. It is impossible to feel intense emotion without expressing it. By itself, physical expression is only a small part of worship. Indeed, “bodily exercise profiteth little” (I Timothy 4:8). Yet, physical demonstration is a natural and inevitable result of emotion. When motivated by a sincere heart that has been touched by God, physical expression is a very important part of worship.

To prove that emotion and expression are essential elements of outward worship, we can go to both the Old and New Testaments. The Book of Psalms is full of expressions and examples of praise. The Psalmist said, “I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation” (Psalm 111:1). How did he praise God in the congregation (in church)? Here are a few examples taken from the Book of Psalms: lifting of hands (141:2), singing and playing musical instruments (33:2-3), making a joyful noise (95:1-2), clapping hands (47:1), and dancing (149:3). Psalm 98:4 tells us to make a joyful noise, to make a loud noise, to rejoice, and to sing praises. For those who are reluctant to praise God in this manner, the Psalmist says, “Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD” (150:6).

Examples of worship

The Old Testament is full of examples of worship, prayer, and praise. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon prayed while standing and lifting his hands, and also while kneeling (I Kings 8:22, 54). When the ark of God returned to Jerusalem, David was so overjoyed that he took off his kingly garments and danced in the sight of all Israel. The Bible says, “David danced before the Lord with all his might,” and came shouting and leaping. His wife, Michal, despised him when she saw this, because she thought he was degrading himself in front of all the people. When she rebuked him, he vowed to act even more “vile” and “base.” As a result of this incident Michal bore no child for the rest of her life. (See II Samuel 6:14-23.) David was an Oriental king who had great power and dignity, yet he worshipped freely when the ark, symbolic of the presence of God, returned to Jerusalem. Why should not we do the same when the actual presence of God comes in our midst? (See also Nehemiah 8:6-9; 9:3-5.)

Turning to the New Testament, we find the same type of worship. When the 120 believers received the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, they rejoiced and made so much noise that a large crowd soon gathered. The Spirit-filled believers were so demonstrative that the onlookers thought they were drunk (Acts 2:13). Everyone knows what a drunk man looks like. No doubt some of the believers were dancing, some were shouting, some were laughing, some were crying, some were staggering, and some looked as though they had passed out. If we have received the same Spirit, why should our experience be any different?

This type of experience continued to occur. When the lame man was healed, he entered the temple walking, leaping, and praising (Acts 3:8). When John saw the Lord on the island of Patmos, he fell as one dead (Revelation 1:17). Paul on the road to Damascus and the jailer in Philippi both literally trembled under the convicting power of God (Acts 9:6; 16:29-30). When Peter repented of his denial of Christ he wept bitterly (Luke 22:62). The publican smote his breast in repentance (Luke 18:13), and a sinful woman wept tears of repentance, joy, and love when she met Jesus (Luke 7:37-47). Paul wept over the letters of rebuke that he had to send to the churches (II Corinthians 2:4). When the early church gathered, they all prayed aloud together and the whole building was shaken by the power of God (Acts 4:24-31). In the epistles, Paul refers to groaning in the Spirit (Romans 8:26), praying and singing in the spirit (I Corinthians 14:15), and lifting of hands (I Timothy 2:8). Notice the universality of this type of worship in the last scripture, and notice its connection with holiness. “I will there-fore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”

All these examples (and more) show that sincere worshippers of God do express their emotions freely. Of course, not everyone will worship or respond in exactly the same way. Some will show more outward emotion, but everyone will be affected. There is room for freedom and diversity of worship. If you are truly worshipping God you will express yourself when God touches you, and you will refrain from excessive demonstration when God is not in it. If you are truly sorry for your sins you will cry. If a minister truly has a burden for lost souls, he will shed tears over his city.

Quenching the Spirit

We must not quench the Spirit in our worship (I Thessalonians 5:19). This is often done by unscriptural tradition and formalism. Some people do worship freely during revival services but go right back to formalism and quenching the Spirit the rest of the time, especially on Sunday mornings. Many are bound by preconceived ideas of how God must move and by set patterns of worship. On the other hand, we must not try to force a move of God or drum up a demonstration. If God is in control, everything will be done for edification—building up (I Corinthians 14:26). It will not be done in confusion but in peace, in decency, and in order (I Corinthians 14:33, 40). One role of the pastor as leader and shepherd is to keep order in the church and prevent confusion from arising. There is no place for fleshly demonstration, fleshly exaltation, or hypocrisy in worship.

The church is designated as a place where we meet God. It is wrong to hold back our emotions from God when we meet Him. If a church is a place where saints are crying, worshipping and praising, then it will be a place where people are always finding God and receiving the Holy Ghost. People rarely receive blessings or the Holy Ghost in an unemotional, formal atmosphere.

All God requires is for you to surrender your whole self to Him in worship. He will take care of the rest. Let the Spirit in you have His way. The Holy Ghost will help you to pray, to cry, and to rejoice. Emotions are nothing to be ashamed of—they are God given. Let God use them.

The key to understanding worship in a Spirit-filled church is this: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (II Corinthians 3:17). The Spirit gives each of us the freedom to worship and respond to God’s presence in our own way.

Music in Worship

Music can drive away worries and evil thoughts and can bring peace, encouragement and a closeness to God. As indicated in the Psalms, music is a very important means of worship. (In fact, the book was written originally as a hymnal for Israel.) We come before God’s presence with singing, enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise (Psalm 100). Many verses in the Psalms admonish us to worship with singing and with musical instruments. Psalm 150 lists the following instruments used in worship: trumpet, psaltery (a stringed instrument), harp, timbrel (tambourine or drum), stringed instrument, organ (a wind instrument), loud cymbal, and high sounding cymbal. A study of the Old Testament shows how powerful both singing and instrumental music can be in helping people to worship and to respond to God’s Spirit.

The music of David soothed King Saul and drove away evil spirits that troubled him (I Samuel 16:23). After David became king, he appointed musicians to minister in the house of the Lord (I Chronicles 6:31-47). He appointed singers, psaltery players, harpists, and cymbalists to praise the Lord before the ark (I Chronicles 15:16). There were four thousand musicians including 288 highly trained and skilled in song (I Chronicles 23:5; 25:7). We also read of Jeduthun who prophesied with a harp (I Chronicles 25:3). Later, when Solomon dedicated the temple, he arranged for the trumpets and singers to lift up their voices in praises and thanksgiving, together with cymbals and other instruments of music. When they did this with one accord, the glory of God filled the house. His presence was so strong that the priests could not stand to minister (II Chronicles 5:13-14). When King Jehoshaphat of Judah asked the prophet Elisha to declare the counsel of God, Elisha first asked for a minstrel to come. “And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him” (II Kings 3:15). Then, Elisha was able to reveal the plan of God which gave victory over the Moabites. Notice that it first took music to prepare Elisha’s heart and to set the stage for the moving of God’s Spirit. Jehoshaphat himself knew how powerful worship and music could be. Once, when he faced a battle against Ammon and Moab, he appointed singers unto the Lord to praise the beauty of holiness. When they began to sing, the Lord destroyed the enemy (II Chronicles 20:21-22). God began to move when His people began to sing and worship.

Turning to the New Testament, we find there also a strong emphasis on musical worship. Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn at the last supper (Matthew 26:30). When Paul and Silas were beaten and jailed at Philippi they prayed and sang praises at midnight. What was God’s response? He sent an earthquake which freed them and brought about an opportunity to baptize the jailer. Paul instructs us in several places on how to worship God with music. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). “Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). “Psalms” undoubtedly refers to songs from the Book of Psalms, while “hymns and spiritual songs” refers to other gospel songs. Those who do not believe in worshipping God with a joyful noise, clapping of hands, raising of hands, dancing, and playing of musical instruments would have a difficult time singing all the psalms which recommend these forms of worship. Paul did not have any such qualms since his worship was the same as that described in Psalms. In another place, Paul endorses both singing with the spirit (singing in tongues) and singing with the understanding as part of personal devotion (I Corinthians 14:15). Singing should be an important part of our worship services and our everyday lives (I Corinthians 14:26; James 5:13).

Since music can be such a powerful element of worship, we must be careful to use it as worship and not as entertainment in church services. Many people have a misconception about music in church. They think the church is a stage, the congregation is the audience, the musicians are the actors, and God is backstage giving cues. Actually, the congregation should be the actors (worshippers), with the musicians giving cues, and God being the audience. Singers and musicians in church should have two goals in mind. Their primary goal is to worship God from the heart, creating music that He will be personally pleased to hear. Their other function is to create an atmosphere of worship that will encourage the congregation to worship and will make it easy for them to feel God. Many people have reconsecrated their lives and many have gone to the altar through the inspiration of anointed singing.

This means that musicians, singers, and song leaders have a great responsibility. They can make or break a service. They should fast and pray that God would use them to bless the service. Just as they practice and prepare to make their song beautiful, they should pray so that God would anoint them and use them spiritually. We do not need people who just want to show off their talents, but we need people who want to worship God and who want to inspire the audience to worship. Today, many groups sound polished and professional, and many groups have elaborate equipment. This is good. However, if they put entertainment above worship, then God is not pleased. I like to hear a group with beautiful harmony and instrumentation, but I want to be able to worship and to feel God while they sing. Otherwise, they may be excellent for a concert but not for a church worship service where souls are at stake.

Singers and musicians need to be good examples of Christianity. They are being used to promote worship and are set up as examples to the congregation, and their lives should reflect this. They need to lead holy lives in accordance with Biblical and pastoral teaching. The congregation should be able to feel the sincerity of the singers. There is nothing that destroys worship like knowing that the singer is not really worshipping, is singing for self-exaltation, or is not living a holy life.

Singing and playing in church is a privilege. If you have talent, then you should use it for God. This is a way for you to worship and thank Him. For this reason, singers, choir members, and musicians should not be paid by their local church. This robs them of their privilege of worshipping God. Of course, a full or part time director of music can receive wages, since that is his job.

Congregational singing is most certainly a form of worship. As such, it is an area in which we need to be led by the Spirit. We need song leaders who have a burden for each service, who are sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, and who have a talent for leading songs. An excellent time for people to receive blessings is during congregational singing. The song leader’s job is to inspire worship, to help the people open their hearts, and to prepare them for the preaching of the Word of God. The song leader should feel free to follow the moving of the Spirit—to sing a chorus over, to change songs, to sing a song he had not previously considered. Sometimes God uses one particular song in a particular service to reach an individual or to break that service wide open. The song leader has to be sensitive in order to discern when God wants to do this. He should be prepared for the service, but also be ready to change his plans. Of course, he should work closely with the pastor and under his direction.

We often sing short, simple choruses. The reason is that they are easy to understand and to learn; and the congregation can concentrate on God instead of on reading from a book. It is useful to have a variety of such songs, because they can create atmospheres conducive to different types of services. It is easy to evoke true worship, with such songs.

There are many different types of songs which are appropriate for worship. They will vary depending on the spirit of the service, the needs of the congregation, and the cultural background of the congregation. A congregation that includes people of various backgrounds and cultures should have a musical program that meets the needs and tastes of all. There needs to be a variety of styles in such a case. There are times to sing a new song unto the Lord (Psalm 96:1). We must recognize that some songs do not appeal to our personal musical tastes but appeal to others and are valid forms of worship. The most important thing is for the performers to be worshipping sincerely and for the congregation to be feeling the Spirit of God. Some styles of singing are good for certain cultural groups, but others who use them can seem insincere, out of place, or even absurd. There is one exception to allowing a variety of musical styles in worship services. We must not use music which appeals directly and primarily to the sensual or carnal nature of man. In making this statement we are referring primarily to hard rock music. We do not say this merely because it is personally distasteful or because it is popular in the world. Most songs throughout the history of the church have to some extent followed the musical styles of the times. We single out rock music because the music itself so easily arouses emotions and desires which are incompatible with worship and praise. We will analyze this further in the following section.

Modern Music

Aside from music as a form of worship, what does holiness say on the subject of music in general? Certainly, a Christian can enjoy songs and music which are not religiously oriented. There are many different kinds of music to listen to and to perform. At the same time, not all music is permissible if a Christian is to maintain holiness. Once again, this is where we must rely on personal convictions and on the convicting power of the Holy Ghost. We are temples of the Holy Ghost, and we do not want to fill our ears with garbage.

Basically, a song can be unholy because of the lyrics or because of the music itself. Any type of song can be unholy if the words are evil. This is a problem with all types of modern music. Often the music of pop and easy listening is beautiful, but the words are very suggestive. Much of country and western music dwells heavily on unwholesome themes such as adultery, fornication, divorce, and drinking. Rock music is noted for its not so subtle glorification of illicit sex, drugs, rebellion, mysticism, and even Satanism. Even if you enjoy some of these musical styles, you cannot remain holy if you continually listen to songs which have ungodly lyrics. I have seen young people who enjoyed a tune so much that they would listen to or even sing a song that was obviously about fornication, adultery, or drug use. They were actually glorifying and worshipping those things even though they did not really intend to do so. The words will have an effect, even if only subconsciously. How many times have you had a song repeated over and over in your mind and you could not seem to forget it? How wonderful a blessing you can receive if it is a song of praise, but how dangerous it can be if the song is evil! The message is being engrained in your mind and soul, to surface in times of weakness and temptation. If you are listening to the radio and a song comes on that glorifies sin, the safe and holy thing to do is to turn it off.

Some music can inspire evil, not just by words but by the music itself. Such is the case with hard rock. Rock and disco music cause physiological changes in the human body, affecting the pituitary and sex glands. The heavy beat stirs up the emotions, especially the sex drive. The effect of hard rock is to increase tension, stress, disorientation, and loss of self-control. For proof of this, just observe the actions of an audience at a rock concert, the motions of dancers to rock or disco music, and the frenzied adulation of young rock fans. Compare the rock music beat to the beat used by voodoo practitioners, Satan worshippers, and idol worshippers in remote parts of the world. There is a strong resemblance, which is not surprising since all are used by Satan. If this is so, how can we use hard rock and disco music to worship God? Far more often than not, it will excite the listeners physically and psychologically, but not in a godly way.

In connection with this subject, an excellent book to read is The Day Music Died, by Bob Larson, a former professional rock musician. In the book, the author discusses the various physical, mental, and spiritual effects of rock music, as well as the influence of the lyrics and of the performers’ lifestyles. He describes some of the major rock groups, and also has a chapter on dancing.

We have seen that music can be used both for worship and for personal enjoyment. In church services, we must be careful to emphasize its role as worship instead of entertainment. In our personal lives, we must guard against the filth of the world that can enter through certain kinds of music.

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Adoración, Emociones y Música