Q.Is choir singing or a group of people
singing on stage the same as offering a sacrifice to God on behalf of the
congregation? Now that Jesus died for us, do we need to offer sacrifice
anymore other than ourselves during worship?
From Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore,
brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” I only know that
we need to offer our own self as a sacrifice. For myself, I don’t sing
well (poor quality) but if I prepare myself and sing my very best during
worship, wouldn’t this please God?
My dilemma was on the concept of choir representing the congregation to sing. If I offer myself a living sacrifice, why do I need someone else to sacrifice on behalf of me? I think I can accept the role of choir or another group leading congregation in worship, but I am not sure I see their action as a sacrifice on behalf of me or others.
A. You rightly point out that our Lord offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins once for all:
Heb 10:12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,
but atonement is not the only type
of sacrifice in the NT.
Consider the following:
Php 2:17 But even
if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my
joy with you all.
Php 4:18 But I have received everything in full
and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what
you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice,
well-pleasing to God.
Heb 13:5 Through Him then, let us continually
offer up a sacrifice of praise
to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
1 Pet 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being
built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Paul considered the service of our faith and the love gifts we gave to
help others as sacrifices pleasing to God. The author of Hebrews treats our
praise and giving thanks to God to be sacrifices. Peter referred to spiritual
sacrifices, which in its context includes proclaiming the excellencies of God
(1 Pet 2:9).
To answer your question directly, I consider choir singing as a sacrifice
of praise, but for themselves, not on behalf of the congregation. The
priesthood of all believers (1 Pet 2:9) informs us that we, the congregation,
are a royal priesthood. We do not need to go through priests as in OT Judaism,
or modern-day Roman Catholicism, to approach God. The choir or praise team
leads us in worship, but do not offer worship on our behalf. I do not accept
the argument that they represent the congregation.
That is why I used 2 Co 8:11-12, which is
quantitative, to argue that the same rationale applies to the qualitative. Another
analogy is the widow’s mite (Mk 12:41-44). She gave only one cent, but Jesus
said she put in more than all the contributors. The value is not in the
absolute amount, but in relation to how much she owned. Similarly, laymen
singing their hearts out to God, though their music is mediocre, is more pleasing
to God than professionals who simply go through the motions, even though their
half-hearted efforts may be very good already to ordinary people. Hope this
clarifies your dilemma.
Q.Our
church has a tradition of scheduling different choirs and small groups (e.g.
seniors fellowship) to present songs during the worship service. However, the caliber
of the music varies. Some feel that since we are supposed to offer our best to
God, those who don’t sing well should not be asked to perform. Others believe
in the “priesthood of all believers” and feel that we shouldn’t allow only “professionals”
to sing, but everyone. Who is right?
A. We have this debate in
church for a long time – performance versus participation – and both
sides can cite biblical support. In the OT, choirs served in the temple, and 56
psalms are addressed “for the choir director” in its title:
Neh 12:31 Then
I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two
great choirs, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall
toward the Refuse Gate.
Neh 12:38 The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with half
of the people on the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, to the Broad Wall,
Neh 12:40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half
of the officials with me;
In addition, singer or singers appear 36
times in the OT, e.g.
1
Chron 9:33 Now these are the singers, heads of fathers’ households of the Levites, who lived in the chambers of the temple free from
other service; for they were engaged in their work day and night.
2 Chron 5:13 in unison when
the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to
praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets
and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praisedthe Lord saying, “He indeed is
good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,
Ezra 7:24 We also inform you
that it is not allowed to impose tax, tribute or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim or servants of this house of God.
These singers were free from other service as
their sole occupation was to
praise and glorify the Lord. They also enjoyed special privileges such as tax-exemption
and were therefore professionals expected to meet certain performance standards.
On the other hand, the NT admonished believers to sing to one another
and the Lord:
Eph 5:19 speaking
to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
with your heart to the Lord;
Col 3:16 Let the word of
Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one
another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The emphasis is on their doing it to one
another i.e. participating together in unity, in order to admonish each other
in an attitude of thankfulness.
So, is performance or participation correct?
I believe it is both, not either/or. Performance without participation focuses
on the performer, not necessarily on the Lord, and would not be true worship. Worship
is all about God, not the “star”. Participation without quality is like
offering a sacrifice with defects to God, which is not acceptable:
Lev
22:21 When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of
the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall
be no defect in it. (See also Lev 3:1, 6)
Deut 17:1 “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God. (See also Deut 15:21)
Having said that, I believe God is not saying that only people who are
gifted in music are qualified to sing praises to Him. He is asking us to offer
the best we have. I believe the principle in 2 Co 8:11-12 applies:
2 Co 8:11-12 But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness
to desire it, so there may be also
the completion of it by your ability.For if the readiness is present, it is
acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
What
a person gives depends on two things: his readiness or willingness, and
his ability or means. Here Paul is teaching that if the willingness is
there, what he can offer, even though it may be small, is acceptable. Ability
is given by God, and a person can’t offer what he does not have. Similarly, if
a choir had tried their best to practice and offers what they are capable of,
it is acceptable to God. I am not condoning shoddy performance, but if I had to
choose, I believe participation triumphs over performance. I don’t believe in elitism
in God’s Kingdom. Hope this helps.
During
our recent STM trip to Panama and Colombia, we shared the gospel with quite a
few Chinese residents. Two of them approached us separately with the same
question, “What do I do about ancestor worship? My mom is a believer in
traditional folk religion, including ancestor worship. She would never allow me
to trust in Jesus. She said, “Who will burn the joss sticks for me after I die?
You must never believe in Jesus!” What should I do?”
First,
this question is common not only to those two young ladies, but a lot of women
whose homes are steeped in Chinese folk religion. Unfortunately, folk religion
is concerned more about tradition, not truth. Many people practice ancestor
worship simply because it is passed down from one generation to the next,
without thinking through whether it is true or not. We need to sort out what’s
real and what’s based on fear, and don’t allow the latter to crowd out the
former.
To
begin with, the Chinese have always placed a high value on filial piety,
the respect for parents and elders, based on Confucianism. This is perfectly in
harmony with the biblical ethics, as the Scriptural teaching is:
Ex 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
Duet 5:16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be
prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you.
Mt 15:4 For
God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is
to be put to death.’ (Also Mk 7:10)
Mt 19:19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mk 10:19 You
know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false
witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” (Also Lk
18:20)
Eph 6:2 Honor your father and mother (which is the
first commandment with a promise),
The
problem arises when those who practice folk religion elevate the position of
deceased ancestors to “gods” and pay homage to them as if they were deities,
asking for their blessings and protection. In return, they burn joss sticks or
incense before the ancestors’ photos or image (a form of idols) as rituals,
which essentially is a “quid pro quo” transaction. This is idolatry and strictly
forbidden in the Bible:
Ex 20:3 “You
shall have no other gods before Me. (Also Deut 5:7)
Ex 20:23 You
shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.
Deut 6:14 You
shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,
Deut 11:6 Beware
that your hearts are not deceived, and
that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship
them.
Judg 10:13
Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer deliver you.
Jer 25:6 and
do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will
do you no harm.’
Honoring
our parents is the fifth of the ten commandments and repeated in the New
Testament. But going beyond “honoring” our ancestors to “worshipping” them as “other
gods” is serving idols and provokes God to anger. So, we need to draw the line
and stop short of what is prohibited.
Those
two ladies’ mothers were acting out of ignorance, fearing that if their
daughters become Christians, then they have lost them to a “foreign god”, as
they will not burn incense to them after they are gone, which is the only act
they recognize as filial piety. But is that true? Not only is this thinking
illogical, it even goes against the teaching of Buddhism or Taoism which they
supposedly embrace:
True filial piety should be expressed while the
parents are living, not just after they have passed away.
Why is burning joss sticks the only accepted expression
of filial piety? We don’t kowtow to our parents or grandparents while they are
alive, why insist on this after they are gone?
What evidence is there that our deceased
ancestors have become “gods”? According to the concept of reincarnation
or transmigration taught in Buddhism and Hinduism, the soul of a living
being starts a new life (rebirth) in a different physical form body
after biological death. The different forms depend on the karma or works
done in previous lives, with good intent and good deeds contributing to good
karma and good rebirths, while bad intents and bad deeds result in bad karma leading
to bad rebirths. There are three good realms and three bad realms where souls
may end up, in descending order: (1) heaven, (2) demi-god, (3) human, (4) animal,
(5) ghosts, and (6) hell. Superstitious folks have assumed that their ancestors
have become god’s or demigods and can bless and protect them, but what’s the
evidence that this is the case? That’s their wish, without evidence. Just for
the sake of argument, if their ancestors have reincarnated as humans who don’t
know anything about their previous life’s descendants, how can they bless or
protect them? Worse, what if they have rebirthed as lower than human, why
worship them? It just does not make sense!
Unfortunately,
superstitious folks are not in the habit of reasoning and discerning – they just
follow tradition. What can we do? Fortunately, while “the god of this world has
blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Co 4:4), unbelievers can
still see good behavior which opens the way to their eventual conversion:
1 Pet 2:12
Keep your behavior excellent
among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as
evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observethem, glorify God in the day of visitation.
1 Pet 3:1 In
the same way, you wives, be submissive to
your own husbands so that even
if any of them are
disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior
of their wives,
I
would therefore recommend that first keep your behavior, and attitude,
excellent to establish credibility. Honor your parents and elders so they know
you love and respect them. Do whatever you can to meet their needs; provide for
them; show them you care. When it comes to the Qingming Festival or
Tomb-sweeping Day, use alternative expressions such as clearing the grave of
debris or offering fresh flowers as memorials, to show you have not abandoned your
ancestors, just doing it differently. When the time is right, pull them aside
to explain why you are doing this. Not all cases are successful, but I have
seen many instances in which hostile behavior of pagan relatives have been won
over by the gentle spirit and good deeds of believers. Above all pray, and God
will take care of the rest.
Our second idol removal service was with a poor single mom, a Grace Meal recipient. Initially she was thankful for the free meals provided by the church program, but did not really know God. Then her grown daughter left her to live with a ne’er-do-well man. She didn’t know what to do, and cried loudly into the early hours of the morning. The disturbed neighbors called the police, who in turn called the pastor since she attends his church. He consoled her by directing her attention to God, as people ultimately are not reliable. Even her daughter, the person closest to her on earth, would abandon her to follow a worthless rogue.
Although difficult, she gradually learned to trust God and was baptized this past Easter. Usually our missionary friends would drive her and other Grace Meal recipients to church and treat them to dinner before taking them home, but recently she showed her appreciation by buying dinner for everyone instead.
What is the best way to reach people for Christ? By action and word. People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you cared. Find a need and fill it. 1 Co 9:22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
Idolatry is a serious obstacle to faith in Christ in Taiwan. Sometimes pressure from family and neighbors are so great that even after a person confesses Christ as Savior, he/she does not feel free to stop participating in idol/ancestor worship, let alone go to church. So when families remove idols and ancestor altars from their homes, it showed their faith is genuine and is a big thing that doesn’t happen often enough. We were privileged to assist in two idol removal ceremonies during our short stay, the fruit of our hosts’ hard work in leading the families to faith in Christ. Here is the order of service and some photos:
* Call to worship
* Hymn e.g. This is My Father’s World
* Prayer
* Scripture Reading e.g. Ex 20:3-6, Ps 115:1-18 etc.
* Message
* Hymn e.g. Jesus Loves Me
* Cleansing Prayer
* Dismantle idols
* Testimony
* Prayer for the family
* Announcements
* Hymn of Blessing
* Prayer of Blessing
Our sister in Christ used to be a devout Buddhist-Taoist, spending thousands of dollars on I Ching (易經) literature which she studied laboriously. She would kowtow 70 times each day, chanting, praying and burning incense. For all her devotion to false gods, what she got was constant complaints from neighbors who sued her for disturbing the peace and polluting the environment. So when our hosts shared with her the gospel, she gladly accepted because her dedication to idols brought her nothing but trouble. She and her children were baptized this Easter, gloriously delivered from the bondage of idolatry. Not all troubles are bad. Some may be allowed by God to bring people to Him. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Large idol shrine to be removed
Cleansing Prayer
Praying for the family
Removing idols and paraphernalia, including books and incantations
I am the only one in my family who does not know how to play the piano. But I know one chord, and it contains the most important message in the world.
Lk 2:10-11 I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
This morning we worshipped at a church pastored by our friends. We got to know them well after we visited them 12 years ago in Colon, Panama, where they spent four years building up a congregation from only a few families into a vibrant church of over 80, winning many young people to the Lord.
Their current church is located in a mall, with a sanctuary, fellowship hall and offices, plus a third unit which is rented out to another church. The sanctuary has 22 rows of pews divided into 3 banks, with an estimated seating capacity of about 130 people. The congregation stays for lunch every Sunday in the fellowship hall, which also doubles as a recreation room for ping-pong on Saturdays as an outreach to the community. The atmosphere is warm and our friends are people persons gifted in evangelism, so we expect them to grow this church over time as well. Blessed are God’s faithful servants.
Last evening we attended a concert by an Irish husband-wife team, composer/pianist Keith and singer Kristyn Getty, at Harvest Bible Chapel in Oakville. They write contemporary hymns, their most well-known piece probably “In Christ Alone“, but also sing traditional ones. The style is Irish (similar to Blue Grass), sometimes with quick tempo accompanied by step dancing like in “River Dance“. They were backed by a 9-person band, playing a variety of musical instruments including the bodhran (drum), fiddle, flute, harp and uilleann pipes (bagpipes).
In Christ Alone:
What Grace is Mine (Londonderry Air):
Often contemporary worship and praise songs are criticized as repeating a few lines over and over again without much depth. I’m glad to know that this couple’s music have rich theological content and are drawing young and old back to God and the church. Listen to it. May be you’ll like it and point people to Christ too.
These songs by Tanya Bondar sing of God is worthy of our praise, and then give praise to God.
Often we focus too much on ourselves – how we feel, what others are doing to us. This is misguided. It’s not about us. It’s about Him. Learn that and we will resolve many of our problems.
RayKLiu 