I was a song leader for 35 years and I sung out of a song book... No screen just me and others brethren's voices as we were leading together... Sometimes used a pitch pipe but voices only... We sing to lift up the Lord and in the process we lift up ourselves and the congregation too... Songs were picked by us and the congregation by the mood of the church... We didn't plan what we were going to sing ahead of time we just let the spirit take over... Same as our preachers were prepared to give a sermon but their notes were the Bible... I've seen some say well I was going to preach on this but the spirit moved me to preach this... Its the Lords church and its best to let the Lord lead in song service and preaching... Do songs convict us?... Only the Lord knows your heart... Brother Glen:)
This is how our Church does music now.
Every Sunday we sing three or four hymns out of our old hymnbooks.
The 4th Sunday of the month is a singing sunday, no preaching.
Church members pick any songs out of one of the four hymnbooks we have and we sing it and all we do for service that day is belt out hymns.
They're all acapella.
We often split into female and male parts of hymns and when the men bellow the building shakes and I bet satan does too.
When the women ring out their parts it sounds like angels.
Reckon that's how it ought to be.
My quick answer is...yes. We are lying to ourselves and thus to God.
For instance, I will not sing "I Surrender All" because as utopian as that thought is and as much as I wish that were true, I know that there are or will be things that God is having to pry out of my selfish and faithless hands. I know there are struggles that I try to fix on my own and "wish dreams" that I work for that may not be what God is working for.
There are songs with bad theology that I won't sing, such as "I Come to the Garden Alone" which pulls at the heart strings, but isn't true.
Singing songs that you are not ever intending to accomplish is like taking a vow before God and then immediately breaking that vow. It is a sin.
As a song leader let me address this question... If some one was to call out The Old Rugged Cross, I could say well I don't think we should sing this song because I had an unkind thought this week and according to a line in the song I wasn't true to the cross?... So I will let the other brethren lead if they want to and sit down or we could select a different song... First of all Salty I didn't write the song... And how many in the congregation feel the same way I do?... A preacher friend of mine doesn't care for the song Wayfaring Stranger because the writer is going to see everyone after he quits this mortal coil and see the Savior last... He said when we all get to Heaven we are going to see Jesus not all our relatives and friends first... So Jesus should be in the first stanza and not the last... We sing to praise God no matter what our condition is... How can I sing It Is Well With My Soul or The Solid Rock, if I have problems?... To help we with the problems I have... Why listen to a sermon?... The devils whispering in my ear, you know what you did this week can you sit with these God fearing friend of yours if they knew your heart?... Would I sit with them if I knew theirs?... If you never heard this before you can use it, and other can too... Do you know what the Prince Of Preachers... Spurgeon called the church?... A Hospital For Sinners!... And you are squabbling about a line in a song?... Just sing praises to the Lord and watch the devil disappear... Did that answer your question?... Brother Glen:)
I'm not sure how your response answers the question.
If it's not well with your soul, don't sing it. Go to scripture and get your soul right. I see no problem in you listening to the song, just as there is no problem in listening to a sermon.
The devil doesn't disappear because we sing a song. The devil leaves when we quote scripture to him that destroys his argument.
So you attend the perfect church?:rolleyes:... A minister once made this comment, I don't attend the perfect church and do you want to know why... Because I'm in it!... A touch of humility can go a long way or if that offends you... Join a monastery... Brother Glen:)
Again, what does this have to do with the OP? I made my point regarding the OP. If you have a point regarding his question then make it. Simply because I emphasize God's word over man-made songs is no reason to belittle me.
If you wish to sing songs that have little to no value in their lyrics, have at it.
1)
Many songs are about our relationship with God
2) that is the concern that many have with CCM - that those songs are more about us than the Lord. (not to mention the "7-11!)
1. Yes.
My post should have more specifically asked why we would idealize ourselves (which is ridiculous) rather than recognize God's perfect guidance despite our weaknesses and failures.
2.
Unfortunately, that tradition precedes those, and not nearly all of those fit that category. (Same for repetition.
Some choruses/refrains just aren’t that great to be repeated every verse.)
For sure, I’m not the only one in the assembly, and the singing isn’t primarily for me.
If it’s helping others worship Almighty God, then have at it.
I just may sing “so-low”…. :Wink
On a side note, here are two songs the church should sing:
*Revelation 15:3-4* And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
I look at songs like "I Surrender All" as aspirational, what I need to strive for, in the sense of Phil. 3:11-14.
If such songs were sung as fait accompli, many would result in our violating the 9th Commandment.