I've made the big time!

I'm really excited.  I have been invited to sing with the nationally known Christian singing group, The Gaither Vocal Band.  It happened last Friday evening when I attended their concert in San Antonio.  Just as a familiar song was starting, Bill Gaither said to the crowd, "sing with us." 

I failed to mention Bill's invitation was to the entire crowd of a few thousand people, but for me, the invitation seemed personal enough for me to do the expected........and I started singing.  Those around me were probably wishing their seats had been in a more favorable section of the auditorium, but I was having a good time.  There is something about hearing Southern Gospel music that has found its way into my DNA, and I have to say it's my favorite.  I love the harmony and the words, but more than anything else, I like the way it brings such a strong attitude of praise and worship.

I've been around my share of churches, and probably just as many opinions of the style and type of music which should be used in worship.  A lot of the larger churches are now having separate worship services at different times, just to satisfy the wishes of worshipers which may prefer contemporary worship music as well as those whose preference is the traditional style. 

It's not my place to choose which one is better than the other, and perhaps both styles are equally pleasing to God as he listens to the praises from his people.  And it's certainly not something  that should cause churches to divide over the issue, nor cause brethren to continually argue their preference is right and someone else's preference is wrong. 

 

We make one of the classic mistakes when we start thinking church singing is to entertain those who are in the audience.  In fact, every aspect of our worship, including the singing, is not to entertain us, it's to worship and praise God.  We are not the audience, God is.  More than our preference or pleasure, God is interested in the hearts of his people, gathered to worship him. 

While it's true that false worship should "send up a red flag" inside us to know when something is wrong and out of place,  we do believe and practice the Bible teachings about our worship.  It's something that comes from the heart and the very core of life for those who know they have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. 

So we worship and we pray our worship brings honor and glory to God.  And I still believe if our worship meant as much to us as it means to God, we would be instruments used by him to demonstrate the truth of the gospel and its application to the sinful lives of men. 

Oh, and, just in case any of you happen to attend a Gathier concert, please tell Bill I am still waiting for his call. 

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