Worshipping God in Song

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marksman

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Years ago I listened to a pastor speak about praise and worship services in church.....he said how most songs sang about Him instead of to Him and most of the time there was no anointing behind it.....that really resonated with me at the time so afterwards during praise and worship services I would change the words slightly...example....Bless the Lord, Oh my Soul, Bless His Holy Name....
Changed to Bless you Lord, Oh my Soul, Bless your Holy Name...
It made so much difference in my worship and how it became personal and intimate as I was singing to Him, expressing my love in song.....
And His presence would enter in and the anointing would fall and before long the whole congregation would be so engaged in worshipping Him that the entire church service was all praise and worship....sermon had to wait til next service.

I remember how healings and deliverance would take place without anyone praying....it was the presence and anointing of the Holy Spirit that healed and delivered those in need.
Oh how I miss those services.....I would look so forward to church because in our praise and worship He would show up....what a beautiful time it was back then.

I don't know if anyone remembers a move of God through an organization called Scripture in Song back in the 70s. They were a couple from New Zealand, Jimmy and Carol Owens was their name, who wrote songs which were scripture put to music mainly the Psalms. They were very simple ones that you could memorise and they took off as congregational worship. They only had to be sung a couple of times and everyone knew the words. Because they were scripture they were very God-focused. We still have their songbooks and some cassette recordings of their music. Although it died a death to be replaced by rock and roll songs, they were far better.
 
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Heart2Soul

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I don't know if anyone remembers a move of God through an organization called Scripture in Song back in the 70s. They were a couple, Owens was their surname, who wrote songs which were scripture put to music mainly the Psalms. They were very simple ones that you could memorise and they took off as congregational worship. They only had to be sung a couple of times and everyone knew the words. Because they were scripture they were very God-focused. We still have their songbooks and cassette recordings of their music. Although they died a death to be replaced by rock and roll songs, they were far better.
I don't think I heard them sing....sad...but yes I love singing scriptures!
About that same time a group (don't know the name) recorded the Lord's Prayer in song...I heard it on Christian radio and to this day I still remember it. I loved it!
 

michaelvpardo

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Years ago I listened to a pastor speak about praise and worship services in church.....he said how most songs sang about Him instead of to Him and most of the time there was no anointing behind it.....that really resonated with me at the time so afterwards during praise and worship services I would change the words slightly...example....Bless the Lord, Oh my Soul, Bless His Holy Name....
Changed to Bless you Lord, Oh my Soul, Bless your Holy Name
The first church I attended regularly after believing and receiving His Spirit was a small congregation that called themselves Community Baptist Church (they've since changed their name to distance themselves from a radical assembly that grabbed headlines by protesting at funerals, an incredibly unloving thing for "Christians" to do. )
They used a traditional hymnal and sang many songs rich in theology, but those that seemed most alive were indeed the type that stressed our relationship to the Lord in a personal way. Among my favorites were "the old rugged cross", "it is well with my soul", Andre Crouch's song "to God be the glory", all songs of testimony. After all, we carry the Witness if we have received Him and the function of a witness is to give testimony. The Pastor for that congregation liked to end the services with the congregation singing "I love you Lord" a Capella. It's a simple song with almost no theological content, but is just a personal confession of love for our savior, direct and to the point. Powerful things happened during those services. Once while singing Crouch's song and around the time of the celebration of pentacost, I suddenly felt a powerful shaking, but the building wasn't moving (earthquakes are extremely rare in New Jersey). I noticed another parishioner sitting rather than standing for the singing and next to my wife, with tears streaming down his face, trying to sing the lyrics but noticeably changing the lyrics " the things you have done for me" to "the things you have done to me". There was clearly a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit there and then, clearly an act of conviction and repentance, but I didn't know if anyone else had a similar experience and wasn't going to ask. Afterwards, my wife admitted that she'd felt that same shaking, but it was a unique experience for us.
I've participated in a number of music ministries and have seen a shift to more contemporary worship songs, some of which are very uplifting, but in my perception there's been a shift toward people centered lyrics and away from God centered lyrics. They might be thought of as songs of testimony, but the only ones I find potent are those that lift up the name of the Lord and express what He has done and continues to do for us personally with our thanks and praise. Lyrics which lean toward our works and service for Him kind of sound like self praise (and are more than a bit silly from a theological perspective.) Songs of salvation should be personal to us if we've really been saved, but worship should always be about Him and the expression of our feelings towards Him.
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Worship is a way to manifest this commandment personally. If it isn't personal, it isn't powerful. While I appreciate the more contemporary "entertainment" provided by mostly sincere " worship teams," entertainment has become far too common in worship services. Observation of worship is not a personal act of worship unless it engages your heart, soul, and strength.
God is enthroned in the praises of His people.
"My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed. And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt."
 
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Pathfinder7

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I don't know if anyone remembers a move of God through an organization called Scripture in Song back in the 70s. They were a couple from New Zealand, Jimmy and Carol Owens was their name, who wrote songs which were scripture put to music mainly the Psalms. They were very simple ones that you could memorise and they took off as congregational worship. They only had to be sung a couple of times and everyone knew the words. Because they were scripture they were very God-focused. We still have their songbooks and some cassette recordings of their music. Although it died a death to be replaced by rock and roll songs, they were far better.
I remember those songs..
- 1970's.
- Many of them are my favorites.
---
They were David & Dale Garratt..
'Scripture in Song'
- Vol. I
 
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Heart2Soul

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An oldie but goodie with a single message of love.
 

marksman

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I find it interesting the emphasis on worship/singing these days as it does not gel with what the New Testament Church (NTC) did.

I know that the scripture tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people and there are several exhortations to rejoice and sing praise. But the NTC did not do this. Most of the time when they met together (in homes) they would sing a psalm to finish their meeting. Long periods of singing to start their gathering were unknown. Most of the time the gathering started with a meal, (not communion) for the simple reason that would be the only main meal they would have that day.

I think that the reason for this was the fact that it was normal to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when they became followers of Jesus and it was normal to be guided and directed by Him as part of everyday life so a spiritual boost was not necessary. They were full-on in the life of the Spirit.

Just imagine the conversation at the meal.

"I was walking through the plaza today and this woman recognized me as a follower of Jesus. She stopped me and said that her son was having difficulty walking because of a deformation in his leg. She asked me if I would pray for him. I said I would and she turned around and said to a boy at a nearby market stall".

"Marcus, come over here. This man is a follower of Jesus and he said he would pray for you."

"So Marcus hobbles over to where we are and stands waiting in anticipation. I told the lady that I had no power to heal her son, but I know someone who can. I put my hands on his head and I say, In the name of Jesus Christ the Messiah, I pronounce you whole."

"Marcus jumps with a start as he feels his leg go back to normal. He realizes that he is whole and he jumps up and down with joy."

The people listening to the telling of the event as one begins banging the table with their hands.
 
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Heart2Soul

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I find it interesting the emphasis on worship/singing these days as it does not gel with what the New Testament Church (NTC) did.

I know that the scripture tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people and there are several exhortations to rejoice and sing praise. But the NTC did not do this. Most of the time when they met together (in homes) they would sing a psalm to finish their meeting. Long periods of singing to start their gathering were unknown. Most of the time the gathering started with a meal, (not communion) for the simple reason that would be the only main meal they would have that day.

I think that the reason for this was the fact that it was normal to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when they became followers of Jesus and it was normal to be guided and directed by Him as part of everyday life so a spiritual boost was not necessary. They were full-on in the life of the Spirit.

Just imagine the conversation at the meal.

"I was walking through the plaza today and this woman recognized me as a follower of Jesus. She stopped me and said that her son was having difficulty walking because of a deformation in his leg. She asked me if I would pray for him. I said I would and she turned around and said to a boy at a nearby market stall".

"Marcus, come over here. This man is a follower of Jesus and he said he would pray from you."

"So Marcus hobbles over to where we are and stands waiting in anticipation. I told the lady that I had no power to heal her son, but I know someone who can. I put my hands on his head and I say, In the name of Jesus Christ the Messiah, I pronounce you whole."

"Marcus jumps with a start as he feels his leg go back to normal. He realizes that he is whole and he jumps up and down with joy."

The people listening to the telling of the event as one begins banging the table with their hands.
Witnessing and serving others for Him is totally different from Worshiping Him....in song, in dance, with instruments, with our mouths, with our hands...just spending time truly Honoring Him with our Praises!
So I really don't get what point you were trying to make here...want to clarify?
 

marksman

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Witnessing and serving others for Him is totally different from Worshiping Him....in song, in dance, with instruments, with our mouths, with our hands...just spending time truly Honoring Him with our Praises!
So I really don't get what point you were trying to make here...want to clarify?
Simple. The NTC did not start their gathering with 30/60 minutes of singing, dancing, etc and I wondered why such is my curiosity.

What I did notice however is that they were full of the Holy Spirit and it revealed itself with miraculous healings, prayer, and deliverance so perhaps they got their high making people whole.

We seem to have a lot of singing, dancing and so on but we don't have much of the miraculous. There has to be a reason.
 

Truman

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I don't know if anyone remembers a move of God through an organization called Scripture in Song back in the 70s. They were a couple from New Zealand, Jimmy and Carol Owens was their name, who wrote songs which were scripture put to music mainly the Psalms. They were very simple ones that you could memorise and they took off as congregational worship. They only had to be sung a couple of times and everyone knew the words. Because they were scripture they were very God-focused. We still have their songbooks and some cassette recordings of their music. Although it died a death to be replaced by rock and roll songs, they were far better.
Hi. When I joined a church back in 1990, I was first exposed to some music that seemed different than the rest. As I would later practice with the worship team, I saw that those different songs were all published by the Vineyard music group. I assumed it was a music label.
One day as I listened to a Vineyard tape, I realized that some of the songs were actually talking about their experiences with God. 6 years later I was leading worship in a Vineyard church. To this day, it is with Vineyard that I most easily connect with God.
15 years ago I was one of 2 worship leaders for a church plant. Most of the team members were youth. I said something about Vineyard music. A young person said, "my parents listen to Vineyard." I couldn't argue because I'd worshiped God with their parents using Vineyard music.
Whether it's Scripture In Song, Maranatha!, or Vineyard, along with how much we believe our music is the best, the youth will find their own sounds and their own voice. This is healthy as long as there is nothing mixed in about Marxism. Or it's many fake faces. Shalom.
 

Nancy

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The Gloria is sung (or said) at the beginning of every Mass.

Peace!

It is a beautiful song. I used to sit up in the balcony of a very large CC where my Grandmother played the organ and sang. I would sit there on the bench with her and suck on her Fisherman's throat lozenge's. This song rings quite the bell for me. She played for the Church for over 40 years. Wonderful woman she was...just like her daughter, my mom.