Episode 9: A Healthy Church is a Singing Church

Ordinary Radicals
Ordinary Radicals
Episode 9: A Healthy Church is a Singing Church
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In this episode of the Ordinary Radicals podcast, Jonathan Hayashi and Brandon Boatner speaks on following the previous episode on singing in the church!

So, why don’t people in your church don’t sing anymore? How should we respond to this dilemma? People may feel discomfort in singing because of various different reasons.

This episode will talk about practical steps in order to reform back into a healthy singing church.

Some highlights from today’s episode;

  • We won’t have youth ministry in heaven, we won’t have evangelism in eternity, but we will have worship with God forever.
  • Part of moving from the Word of God is that song! You always have a song in your heart.

  • Music have been constrained to a Sunday morning event rather than a lifestyle.

  • The silence is not a beautiful thing. Our off-tune singing is far more beautiful to God than our silence voices that we hold back.
  • Singing is like our macaroni necklace that we offer to God. God looks to us and says, “Thank you. I love your macaroni necklace. I’ll take it.” It is an offering of worship to the Lord.

  • The second most given command in the Bible is to sing.

  • We don’t sing because we primarily we like to sing, or we stay quiet because primarily we do not like to sing.
  • Worship is not done grudgingly, but because it brings glory, adoration and delight to our Savior Jesus Christ.
  • Passive mentality: “We are here to see and receive the religious goods and services of people.”
  • People have become passive spectators rather than active participants in the meaningful ministry of the mission of Jesus Christ.

  • When people don’t sing, they are numbing themselves to the commands of God.

  • Worship is not always joy, joy, joy or happy, happy, happy. Reflect the scriptures.
  • Song selection have to be more than the three people we care most; I, me, myself.
  • The Psalmist: You want to know the attribute of God? Go to the psalms.
  • The worship set must be biblically saturated, gospel-driven, and kingdom minded songs.

  • Show me your song list and I will show you where their theology lies.

 

Here are the five important biblical solution to creating a healthy church that becomes more a singing church.

1. Singing is So Much than What We Do. Singing is Who We Are (Psa 139:14).

  • Worship is the ultimately priority of the church.
    1. Praise & Exaltation: God created man for this very reason.
    2. “Chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever” (Westminster Catechism)
    3. “Let the Word of God dwell richly in you richly in all wisdom and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Col 3:16).
    4. Narrative Account: Moses crossing the sea (Exo 15:1-21).
  • God is far less concern about the tunefulness of ability. God is far more concern with the integrity of the heart.
    1. Subjective Reality: Worship is the matter of the heart, rather than the lips.
    2. Macaroni example: A child makes macaroni necklace for mom and dad. How much more with our heavenly Father?
    3. “Every nation, from all tribes and people and languages” (Rev 7:9).
    4. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!” (Isa 6:3).

2. Worship is a Command: We are Commanded to Worship God.  

  • Singing is Our Prayer unto the Lord.
    1. “O come, let us worship the Lord” (Psa 95:6).
    2. To sing is the second most commanded task in scripture.
    3. Singing is not primarily the reason of likes. Singing is obedience.
    4. A Church is a singing community. This makes it very unique from any other group of organization.
    5. New Testament Example: Paul & Silas (Acts 16:16-40).
  • Worship is the overflow of the heart. Where is the Joy?

3. The Performance vs. Participation Mentality

  • Example: Structure of the Church as A Hinderance?
  • Audience becomes who the people are singing to rather than the audience of One (Directly to God Himself) .
  • Worship is a vertical connection rather than a horizontal connection.
  • Scripture has 400 references about singing. This is high priority.
  • Whatever circumstances even in testing of faith (Jam 1:3), the people of God ought to worship and make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Psa 98:4).

4. Intentional Selection with Musical Technicality which is Suitable to Congregation

  • The key of the song: Is there a sense of pride?
  • The selection of song: Do you have to do the latest songs?
  • The genre of the song: Would a rap music fit the Sunday morning set?
  • Pick the song for your church, not for yourself.
  • “Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship” (Psa 132:7).
  • Theo-centric Worship vs. Anthropo-centric Worship.

5. The Role of the Worship Leader = Preacher

  • Do not pick a 15-year-old kid who knows how to play the guitar to entertain the congregation well, so you won’t get, “bored”
  • Preaching the Word vs. Creating a scene?
  • Spiritual Emotionalism? Emotional High? You miss the whole point.
  • Worship Leader is a Pastor Theologian. Pastoral care through music.

 

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast

 

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at jonathanhayashi.com.

 

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Ordinary Radicals Podcast is a member of the HNR.GD Network

 

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