Hallelujah, Hosanna, Maranatha, Praise, Worship, Trinity, Holy, Amen, etc...
How often do we pick songs that use language familiar only to those who have grown up in the Church? How often do we neglect to teach the meaning of these words to the people we are leading? Do we even know what these words mean ourselves?
Leading a song without explaining what it means, specifically those strange Christian words, is theologically dangerous. If the people don't know what you are singing, how can they sing with you in agreement? Even worse, if you don't even know what the song you are leading means, how can you know that it is doctrinally sound? This is nothing short of foolishness!
How can we expect God to be pleased with our worship if we aren't singing songs that are affirmed by the Bible? I am not saying that our worship can be pleasing to God apart from Christ making it pleasing through the debt paid on the cross and His intercession for us, but rather that we should be singing songs that God agrees with. The only way for that to happen is if we compare them to the Bible. Not only this, but do you expect God to not hold you accountable for songs taught to the people that aren't biblically sound?
We use words in our Christian circles, church meetings, and worship songs that have great heaviness of meaning (propitiation, holy, righteousness, substitutionary atonement), but if they aren't explained to the people, what good are they? What good is it to talk amongst each other, teach the Bible, or sing songs using these words if the people don't even know what they mean? We shouldn't assume that the people know what these words mean or that they are able to be understood with the rest of the lyrics.
Never once in all my years of leading worship have I ever heard a worship leader explain the words in a song to the people. I'm sure there are good leaders out there who do, but why aren't there more leaders like them? I recently found out what the word "Hosanna" means, and the sad part is I have been singing songs with the word "Hosanna" for years! My logical conclusion was to look it up so I could know what it means and then teach it to the people. After learning what this word meant 40 minutes before the worship was to begin, I had a new satisfaction in the song I was going to be leading! It was such an exciting moment to lead the people in a song that we both now understood correctly!
Worship leaders, Pastors, Christians, don't neglect teaching what words mean. Don't be so foolish as to teach, sing, or talk about things you don't properly understand. Read the Scriptures, be studious and research what it teaches, and be diligent to help the people of God come to a greater knowledge of our amazingly infinite God.
Blessings,
Nick
