Revealing the Gospel Through the Context of Music

The church has two basic goals; equip believers to do the work of God and spread the gospel. In this blog, we will begin to unbox what relevance actually means for a worship ministry, and some of the characteristics of a worship ministry. First, we will look at how a worship ministry can help the church reach the lost.

What is most important is leading people to Christ. One part of what leaders of worship do in today’s church is welcome the un-churched and the de-churched people into the service.  We are often times the first thing people off the street see.  First impressions matter.  As missionaries at home we must strive to lower the bar of accessibility.

I take example from Paul’s mission to Athens in Acts 17.  There, he  preaches at the Areopagus, where the philosophers and high office holders of the day met. While speaking to them, he sets an example of what we should be doing in ministry. He contextualizes the gospel truth of Jesus’ resurrection to them by quoting from Greek philosopher Epimenides, and a Greek poet Aratus (The Bono of his day).  Our worship should emulate this example. 

We should strive in our worship times to reveal the gospel truth through the context of music to the unsaved.

The ultimate measure of effectiveness in this area is whether or not people are getting saved or not. This can often times be hard to measure, and it would be foolish to try to link or attribute the aspects of worship in a church, directly to the revelation of God in an individual’s heart. This is a work that only God can perform. Even when Paul preaches in Athens, some followed him, but some mocked him, and no one doubts Paul’s effectiveness. The effectiveness of a worship ministry can not be directly tied to how many people are finding Christ in a church.

However, like Paul, we should be active in the pursuit of creating an environment  of worship, that effectively contextualizes the gospel to those in our community.  Since there is no non arbitrary measurement of what success looks like , success can only be measured in the pursuit of the mission. So instead of trying to provide a list of things to do or not do, we can only observe the characteristics of ministries who have clearly targeted the mission. 

Here is what I have observed.

Authentic- Arguably the most important characteristic of having a worship ministry that is equipped to promote the gospel, is one that has authenticity. You cannot hope to sing words like “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus’ Name” with a heart filled with pride, and expect to have any effectiveness. You cannot lead someone to a place you have never been. Today’s interconnected social media has turned us into very sophisticated authenticity detectors. As worship leaders We must ensure that we are taking the time to tune our own hearts before we try to lead others. An authentic worshiper leads by example and serves to model what it looks like to submit to the authority of Christ.

Theologically Complete- Remember, just like in the Pastor’s sermon, the lyrics we sing, teach the gospel message.   In today’s “It’s all about me” world, it can be easy to over-emphasize the feel good aspects of God’s nature, and present a warped picture of who God is.  As created beings, we all desire, down deep, to be in relationship with our creator. As such, our soul responds to the revelation of God’s full character. If we always sing about how God makes us feel and how he can provide for us, but neglect to sing about God’s holiness and authority, we do a disservice to the work God wants to do in our services. While it can be easier to sing about what God can do for us, God does not need an editor, he needs a messenger.

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