My Views on Worship

Worship is all about what is pleasing to God, not self. It is not about you or your likes and dislikes, it is all about God. Offering up in song and voice to God a declaration of praise and adoration because of His faithful and lovingkindness
undeservedly to us through the sacrificial work of Jesus on the Cross.

Today, what is called worship in many Churches is not a worship of God, but worship of their feelings about God. That is not Worship, it is a form of self-worship. How did this happen in the Church?

1. When we start to adopt the ways of the world's music and thought into the Church, it will affect our worship. Because our culture is very
self-centric many have contorted worship music to appease their emotional appetite and generate worship not based on scripture, doctrine or the character of God or Jesus, but on their personal desire to satisfy self. Like a spiritual selfie.

2. When the pastor stopped overseeing the music selection and whom the songs glorify; God or reinforce the teaching of the Bible. Also, when pastors stopped preaching the Word in Context through Expository Preaching and began a biblically anemic thematic preaching style.

3. When a pastor confuses the purpose of worship and thinks if more worldly music styles are used that it will attract the lost to the Church or keep the young people in the Church. In essence, relying on music to build the Church instead of the Gospel of Christ. However, if people are coming and staying for any other reason than the Gospel, there is a big problem. Their faith will be an inch deep and a mile wide.

4. Pastor's have cheapened the free gift of salvation. Minimizing repentance as a requirement for salvation, minimizing service of the believer using their Physical & Spiritual gifts to build up the Church. Not encouraging people to count the cost to become born-again and become a servant of Christ as He becomes our Master & King.

All these different factors work together to shape the worship we offer to God in song. I lead worship and preach and I only sing hymns & praise songs that meet the criterion of biblical accuracy, theological correctly delivered, Gospel centric, not self-centric.
Our Worship should represent our best efforts because God wants our best, not our good-enough. Because of that, I have developed a three-tiered listing of people who should lead music.

1st Level - People who have control of their voice, read music, have confidence in their voice to lead, sing in a choir, praise group, or perform solos. They will have great control of their range and their voice, in fact, they will know the range of their voice with quality.
2nd Level - People who can sing on pitch, may or may not read music but can find the note by listening to others, not tone deaf. They are well-suited for a choir. They are secondary worship leaders with their voices and presence.

3rd Level - People who have little to no confidence in their voice, poor voice quality, possibly tone-deaf. These people are congregational singers, "making a joyful noise" to the Lord from the congregation. This level should never lead music at any level, and that's ok. God has given them gifts in other areas and they should put their efforts into those areas.

I say all this because when it comes to serving God in any form or fashion, it must be our very best, not our good enough. God will not settle for anything other than a person's best. 
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."
(2 Timothy 2:15 NASB)