The Theology of Worship
Music – Holy Spirit
by Bryan Torwalt and Katie
Torwalt
The Torwalts are relatively
new to the worship music scene. Holy
Spirit is one of the first songs of theirs that I heard. It quickly became
popular with worshippers because the focus is clearly on the Lord.
The lyric does not quote, or
even paraphrase, scripture but the message is clearly reflected in scripture.
The words are simple utterances of a Believer to their God. Moses said similar
words found in verse one when he conversed with God in the wilderness after
leaving Egypt.
Exodus
33:13-15 (ESV) Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show
me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.
Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will
go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence
will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.
The phrase “living hope” is
speaking of the Spirit of Christ living in us.
Colossians
1:27 (ESV) To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the
riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory.
1
Peter 1:3-5 (ESV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an
inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for
you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time.
Verse two describes further
the relationship between the Bridegroom and His Bride, the Church.
Psalm
34:8 (ESV) Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who
takes refuge in him!
Isaiah
61:3 (ESV) to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful
headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the
garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of
righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
The bridge of the song speaks to the
idea that it is the worshipper’s view of God that increases when we begin to
focus on Him. God cannot increase. He already fills the earth. He is
Omnipresent. This brings us to the chorus.
The chorus to the song Holy Spirit has the worshipper asking
the Holy Spirit to “flood this place, fill the atmosphere.” That concept, while
very common in song, is not New Testament in its origin. First of all, God
cannot fill space that He is already in! Also, the prayer in the chorus for God
to “overwhelm” is a cry of spirit to Spirit; our spirit yearning for more of
God’s Spirit to shine forth through our life. The Holy Spirit was given to
empower us to be witnesses, not so we could have “holy moments” in worship.
There is a fundamental
difference in Old Testament and New Testament experiences of the Holy Spirit.
In the OT, the activity of the Holy Spirit was external. Examples are the
pillar of cloud and pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness.
Another is the “glory cloud” that filled Solomon’s temple. This is the experience
cited most often by worship leaders. People are seeking another outward
manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
The problem is that the
activity of the Holy Spirit changed after Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was sent
to abide in the Believer. Now the work done by the Holy Spirit is internal. We
no longer seek after glory clouds, but instead seek after a more intimate
relationship with the Holy Spirit. The pursuit for the Believer is to more
fully yield our spirit to The Spirit of God in us. That should become the
heart-cry of the Believer.
I know this will be
misunderstood. It is difficult to fully express this in a brief blog post.
Perhaps I can address it in more detail at a later time. Until then, I welcome
your comments or questions.
2 comments:
I genuinely felt the Spirit convicting me a few months ago about the songs I've been using in worship. Most of which have come from Bethel church and Jesus Culture. The songs sound worshipful and spiritual on the surface, but what I've begun to discover is an almost deliberate attempt to remove the divine nature of Christ and instead focus on the ability of one's self to tap in to their own "God-like" power through a visitation of "the spirit". Since the Holy Spirit lives inside of us it makes this teaching of "holy visitation" unbiblical. Because of Christ we no longer have to make blood sacrifice or wait on a cloud or pillar of Fire to hear from God. He has invited us into a relationship with him through the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Now we can return to walking with God as Adam did in the Garden because He is always with us... even til the end of the world.
The Holy Spirit certainly lives in each believer who has been baptized into Christ (1 For 12:13). However, I disagree about the Holy visitation. The LORD abides in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). When two or more gather in His name, Jesus promises He is there. Furthermore, I believe praise and thanksgiving directed towards the LORD corporately make a welcome atmosphere for Him in which to move mightily. This is evident in the book of Acts at instances where the disciples were gathered together in one accord for prayer (Acts 1:12-14; Acts 2:42; Acts 4:24-31). In these instances, you see the Holy Spirit move in a powerful and tangible way. I believe this often involves the manifestation of the Shekinah glory of God. His Presence appeared in a pillar of fire and cloud in the Old Testament, particularly in the Tabernacle and Temple once they were made. Today, God's people are God's temple (1 Cor. 3:16). Peter describes us as living stones being build into a spiritual house, with Jesus as the Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-6). I believe this is part of why His manifest Presence is often reserved for those special gatherings in His Name. Certainly, I do not comprehend the wonders of the LORD'S ways; He is mysterious and awesome in His ways, yet I believe with confidence what His Word reveals about Him. Therefore, I am passionate about the truths of His Word about who He is and what He does being experienced in real life.
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