JRSSEM 2022, Vol. 02, No. 4, 421 – 435

E-ISSN: 2807 - 6311, P-ISSN: 2807 - 6494

DOI: 10.36418/jrssem.v2i04.287 https://jrssem.publikasiindonesia.id/index.php/jrssem

THEOLOGICAL STUDY OF WORSHIP SINGING AS A

CONFESSION OF FAITH FOR MEMBERS OF THE GKI

VICTORI KEHIRAN CONGREGATION IN JAYAPURA

Serli Patasik

Sekolah Tinggi Agama Kristen Protestan Negeri (STAKPN) Sentani, Indonesia

e-mail: serli@stakpnsentani.ac.id

*Correspondence: serli@stakpnsentani.ac.id

Submitted

: 25 October 2022

Revised

: 05 November 2022

Accepted

: 10 November 2022

Abstract: Song is an integral part of the whole series of worship of the people in worship as a

confession of faith, an expression of joy and thanksgiving, surrender and confession of sin. The

Church in all its ministries continues the offering of chants in tone and motion, Music has the ability

to include people in mystery. But music can also be a trial for man, if God is no longer the center

of worship it means that the heart is separated from the heart so that the heart stops praising God

and the chants chanted are only for the glory of man. The essence of singing in worship lies in the

recognition of the majesty of God as the creator of the universe and the savior for human life. This

recognition is experienced directly by all members of the congregation through the availability of

natural resources, namely the fertility of the land enjoyed by the entire community, giving birth to

a confession of faith thanks to the intervention of God we experienced all of this. This expression

of faith is often sung through singing during worship in the form of congregational singing, choir

or vocal group and solo. The song itself is located in everyone's heart so the singing is an offering

of the tone of life that must be united and confirmed with the offering of the tone of the heart in

worship because life is a beautiful song for the glory of God. Qualitative research methods with a

triangulation approach are used to find out the extent to which the congregation of GKI Victori

Kehiran Satu Sentani members interpret singing during worship as a confession of faith, so that the

real singing is a daily pattern of life as a song for the glory of God.

Keywords: Worship, Singing, Confession of Faith.

Serli Patasik | 422

INTRODUCTION

The great deeds that God miraculously

done, namely the salvation he had done,

became the subject of praise – the praise of

Israel, because it was through these actions

that God introduced Himself as the God

who ushered the Israelites to freedom as

His own people. With the deliverance He

performed, God moved the whole people

to live out the freedom that had been

bestowed in the phrase of the song sing,

praise you... cheering cheers rejoice in

psalms preach salvation from God day by

day. He has his salvation among the

nations" (Psalm 96:1-3).

Singing in Christian worship cannot be

separated from the worship and worship of

God. Thus the meaning and function of the

congregational chant is the worship of God.

For the worship and worship of "Worsip" is

the first thing done by the saved man and

that work is the work that the church must

continue to do as the body of Christ. When

Noah came out of the Ark, he immediately

erected an altar and worshipped God. And

this work of worship is not only done by

individuals but also by the church as the

body of Christ.

Only in Israel and in the church,

historical events are at the heart of praise.

In other religions God is worshipped only

because He made and maintained the

world, but not because of certain events in

the historical field. Thus Christians sing and

worship God everywhere with the same

sense of joy, praising God for coming in the

person of Jesus Christ who was born,

crucified, died but rose so that we might

live in freedom as children of God guided

by His Spirit.

Now singing in worship is less than

alive in its meaning. Especially in the GKI

Victori Kehiran one. Singing has different

motivations from each member of the

congregation. Some sing because indeed in

worship they have to sing. Some sing

because they only like to sing and singing

has been a culture since the beginning. So

that the meaning of singing in worship for

members of the congregation until now,

does not become a passion for the

omnipotence of God that is recognized and

admired. The song of worship is not

understood as a rhythm of life that glorifies

God.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The descriptive qualitative research

method with a triangulation approach is

used to find out the extent to which the

congregation of GKI Victori Kehiran Satu

Sentani members interpret singing during

worship as a confession of faith, so that the

real singing is a daily pattern of life as a

song for the glory of God. This research is

classified as literature research. Literature

research in this research is carried out by

studying documents or results of previous

research and various books related to

theology and the quality of Christian

worship.

423 | Theological Study of Worship Singing as A Confession of Faith For Members of The GKI Victori

Kehiran Congregation In Jayapura

DOI: 10.36418/jrssem.v2i04.287 https://jrssem.publikasiindonesia.id/index.php/jrssem

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

1. Definition of Singing

The hymn of praise – praise "Psalmos"

(bhs Yunai) or "Humos" was used by

classical writers to express praise – praise

for gods or heroes, but by the translators of

the LXX (read : Septuagint) was meant as

praise – praise to God. In Hebrew it is called

"Tehilla", in Arabic "Tahlil" and among

Khatolics in Indonesia it is called "Madah".

The madah in question is about 40 in

number in the Old Testament biblical text,

such as "Madah glorifies the God of Israel

for His greatness and glory in everything

He created (Psalm 8; 18:1-7; 104) because

of His appearance in the fearful forces of

nature (Psalm 29), because of the

intransigence of the works of salvation He

performed to Israel (Psalms 33, 100, 111,

114, 135) and because of His

lovingkindness to the plight and despicable

man (Psalm 113, 146). There are also

several passages found in other books,

such as the song of Miriam (Ex. 15:21), the

song of the Red Sea (Ex. 15:1-18), the song

of Deborah (Numbers 5:2-31, the song of

Hannah (1Sam. 2:1-10) and the Song of

Habakkuk (Hab 3:3–15).

The word "song" or "praise" is closely

related to God's enormous deeds, which

are God's saving work in Jesus Christ over

this world. According to the verb "sing"

means "to make a pitched or narrated

sound, with or without lyrics. In relation to

M.C Barth then B.A Parera, Supervisor To PsalmsCPC

Mountain NobleJakarta 1984 : 54

J.L.Ch Abineno, What Words Bible, Volume V CPC Mountain

Noble Jakarta,1995 : 36-37

J.L.Ch, Song Church and Alloys Voice Church ProtestCPC

Mountain Noble, Jakarta,1965 :8

music, the singing used in congregational

worship is classified as mass singing or the

singing of many people.

Judging from its etymology or its root

word, singing was born from the tradition

of the Israelites who in their worship used

Mizmor (Hebrew = song with the

accompaniment of the harp), which is now

known as the book of Psalms. Psalm which

means singing and praise – praise of the

following types: prayer (tefilla), singing

(syir), teaching (maskil) and so on.

The singing is certainly inseparable

from the content of the verse and from the

singing of the congregation itself which

substantially includes several things: The

Biblical teaching on salvation from God

starting from the time of creation, the

desecration of the Messiah, the Adevent,

the birth of Jesus, His death-resurrection,

the descent of the Holy Spirit until His

second coming; a statement of faith and

spiritual life of the Lord's people, which

includes :p struggles, surrenders, rejoicing

in the Lord and the triumph of faith and the

preaching of the gospel of salvation into

the world and an invitation to others to

accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior.

2. Hymns in the Old Testament

Yubal was the first musical figure, a lute

and music instructor (Genesis 4:21). Moses

as the leader of the Israelites commanded

J.L.Ch Abineno,Psalm and Worship (CPC Mountain Noble,

Jakarta, 1978 : 1-3

A.Simanjuntak, Direction and Variety Development Song and

Music Church in Indonesia (Material Seminar Music Church,

Wismah Kinasih-Caringin Bogor, 1994 :7

Serli Patasik | 424

God to make two nafiri whose function was

that through this nafiri, God was present to

calm His people from enemy threats and

attacks, where these two nafiri later became

symbols of musical service in the worship

and worship of the Israelites to God (Num.

10:1-10; Ulg 31:19, 21-22).

Samuel was one of the figures in the

OT as a man who paid full attention to

music in the interests of the Israelites'

worship and worship of God by preparing

people who were skilled in playing peat,

tambourine, flute and harp (1Sam. 10:5;

19:20).

David was a talented, skilled and

famous musician recorded in the Bible. He

also learned music from Samuel who when

he became king over the people of Israel,

music later gained a major place in worship

and worship for the reverence and, skill and

fame recorded in the Bible. He also learned

music from Samuel who when he became

king over the Israelites, music later gained

a major place in worship and worship for

the honor and glory of God (1Sam. 19:18-

24; 1Chr. 13:8; 23:5; 25:1, 7).

The Levites were chosen by the Lord

through His servant David to serve in

various ceremonies in the Temple. Heman,

Asaf and Etan are players – copper ceracap.

Zechariah. Zechariah, Aziel, Semiramot,

Yehiel, Uni, Eliab, Maaseya, Benaya are the

high-pitched players. Meanwhile, Matica,

Elifele, Mikneya, Obed-Edom,Yeiel and

Azazya are lute performers who are eight

notes lower in level to accompany the

singing.

He was the leader of the Levites as well

as the singer and leader of praise. Yedutun

is a lyre leader and Zizrahya is the choir

leader (1Chr. 15:20-22, 27; 25:3; Neh 12:42).

Four thousand adults were devoted to him

being arranged and prepared to be singers

in the interests of worship with 288 experts

as coaches (I Figur. 23:5; 25:7). David

himself acknowledged that the God of the

Israelites was a God enthroned above

praise—praise (Psalm 22:4).

Long before David's reign, Joshua in

his leadership brought the Israelites to

Canaan, a group of trumpet-blowers and

singers organized and well prepared i.e. at

the time when Israel would seize to occupy

the city of Jericho (Josh 6). Similarly,

Jehoshaphat organized and prepared and

involved singers and musicians in his army

of war:

After he had conferred with the

people, he lifted up the people who sang

songs to God and praised God in holy and

vibrant garments when they came out in

front of the gunmen, saying: "sing a song of

thanksgiving to God, that he is for the

duration of His lovingkindness!" When they

began to cheer and sing praises, god made

disregarded for the Moabites and the

people from the mountains of Seir who

were about to attack Judah, so they were

devastated (2Chr. 20:1–20).

In the story of Saul being possessed by

Evil Spirits, it is explained that Saul can only

be calm if the evil spirits that disturbed him

are driven away with music, so David the

skilled and famous musician of the day was

asked to stay in the palace with Saul to

sound his tiredness whenever the evil spirit

came to disturb (I Sam 16:16 – 23).

When Elisha the prophet of God was

met by Jehoshaphat the king of Judah,

Jehoram the king of Israel and king of Edom

who was waiting for God's help and

guidance, the first thing Elisha needed was

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music, for he was only able to communicate

with God and was able to prophesy after

hearing the sound of the harp. Here we see

music as something powerful and powerful

and it is music that leads Elisha to approach

God and accept His word to be able to

prophesy and say words about God's

intentions and will (2 Kings 3:12, 15).

The culmination of the spiritual glory

of the Israelites in the ministry in the temple

where music had a central place aimed at

and centered on God Himself was in the

time of king Solomon where the glory of

God filled the Temple:

Then the nafiri blowers and the singers

simultaneously performed their choir to

sing praises and thanksgivings to God. They

filter the sound with nafiri, ceracap and

musical instruments while praising God

with the saying "For He is good! That he

was for the duration of His lovingkindness".

At that time the house, the house of the

Lord, was filled with clouds so that the

imams could not bear to stand up to hold

services because the clouds were because

the glory of God filled the house of God (II

Thw. 5:11–14).

God through singing and praise. The

Israelites Moses and Miriam responded to

God's act of saving them from the siege of

Pharaoh and His army with hymns (Ex. 15:1-

12). Hannah answered the grace and grace

of God that freed her from the afflictions of

infertility with hymns (I Sam 2:1–10).

Deborah and Barak sang Psalms and

praises to God as a triumphal joy after

fighting against Jabin the reigning

Canaanite king of Hazor (Numbers 5:1–31).

One of the important things that had

to be restored back in Hezekiah's time was

the ministry of music. Hezekiah determined

and placed the singers and musicians as

Nehemiah did (2Chr. 29:25-30). The

important revival that occurred in

Nehemiah's day after the city of Jerusalem

was rebuilt was the function and position of

the musical ministry in the worship of the

Israelites. Nehemiah knew how important

music was as part of the restoration that he

needed to select and place singers and

performers in the house of the Lord.

As a governor as well as a spiritual

leader, Nehemiah realized truly that the

ministry of music was a complete part of

the house of the Lord for the restoration of

worship (Neh 7:1; 66–67; 11:22b–23; Ezra

3:10-13). The organization of this music

then made arrangements possible, which

gave birth to "masters", "disciples" and

"song leaders" (1Chr. 15:21; 25:7-8; 2Chr.

29:27–28; Neh 12:46).

Praise – the praise of the Israelites in

the Book of Psalms is full of the invitation

of the whole earth to sing for the Lord,

"Praise Him with the blowing of a trumpet,

praise Him with a lute! Praise Him with

tambourine and dance, praise Him with the

play of harps and flutes! Praise Him with

clinking words, praise Him with clanging

ceracap (Psalm 150:3-5; 33:2-3; 81:2-4;

87:5-7).

There is no denying that the 150

chapters of the Book of Psalms are

evidence that music is inseparable from

human existence throughout the history of

God's people in the Old Testament. The

element of singing in the church liturgy to

this day is a spiritual legacy that constantly

reminds us that God is the subject of

praise–the praise of His people throughout

history and time because of the redemptive

work that His strong hand has done,

Serli Patasik | 426

fulfilled through Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy

10:21).

From the data and the above data

shows that the Bible bears clear witness to

how the servants of God : Samuel, David,

Hezekiah, Ezra and Nehemiah paid serious

attention to the ministry of music for

worship, in this case the good organization,

arrangement and arrangement of the

singers in charge of performing the songs

and praises in worship.

The offering of singing in the

continuity of worship is solely intended to

glorify God. God is honored because He is

worthy of praise, exaltation and

glorification (1Chr. 9:11–13; Revelation 4:1).

Through singing and praise, God is

honored, calls upon God's name and wants

to live up to his fellowship with God.

One of the ways Moses conveyed the Lord's

instructions and decrees was to teach them

in the form of songs:

"Now write this song and teach it to the

Israelites as a condolence to them. Also on

this day Moses wrote the song and taught

it to the Israelites (Deuteronomy 31:19, 22).

Through the singing of God's people

believers are comforted and strengthened

in everyday life. With hymns and praises to

God, the spiritual qualities of God's people

are deepened, faith and devotion to God

are strengthened, salvation from God for

the world can be preached, and through

chants and praises – truly praise to God, the

power of God is revealed (II Thw. 5:12–14;

Acts 16:25–26).

Song has a double meaning, namely

as a means of preaching God's Word on the

one hand and on the other hand it is a tool

Kahlil Gibran: Music Thirsty Soul As dikutif by John Hamdol

ML, deep Song Lucifer. (Andi Yogyakarta Foundation, 2002 :

17).

for the congregation to acknowledge the

truth of God's Word, acknowledging His

majesty and His glory. Being a tool of

expression whether it is the revelation of

faith beliefs, joy and gratitude, surrender,

confession of sins or pleas for well-being

which therefore requires an attitude of

passion from the congregation when

singing praises in its communion of

worship of God.

Therefore, singing is an expression of

love that affects the journey of human life

that has been sung by all nations

throughout history and is a witness in every

mortal human life, namely on the day of

birth, marriage ceremonies, at the time of

death, in houses of worship, to the

bloodied war even though there are chants

chanted.

3. Songs of Worship In The OT

a. The Age of the Patriarchs

Worship and worship of God is the

basis and purpose of God's people's lives.

God chooses and calls and establishes his

people so that His people honor, worship

and worship Him as the only God

(Deuteronomy 6:12–13). The book of

Genesis was the first to give information

about the forms of worship and worship

performed by the patriarchs, Abraham,

Isaac and Jacob, although this was only an

individual worship with prayer and sacrifice

as its form (Genesis 12:8; 13:18; 14:13; 18:1).

In chapter 22 of Genesis, it is explained

about Abraham offering his son Isaac as a

sacrifice in his worship of God, which all

shows the determination of Abraham's

devotion to God, that is, devotion that

427 | Theological Study of Worship Singing as A Confession of Faith For Members of The GKI Victori

Kehiran Congregation In Jayapura

overrides the thought of profit, both

present and future; and this is very much

different from the motivations of worship,

prayers and offerings of others in his day (2

Kings 3: 27). Abraham's act of worship and

worship of placing offerings on the Altar

was merely thanksgiving that God had

accompanied his life's journey. By offering

his son, Abraham was also willing to give up

all possibilities for the realization of hope –

the hope he believed was related to the

covenant he received from God's own side.

Although worship and worship here

are only in the form of prayers and

sacrificial offerings, their sacrificial offerings

are a picture of a personal encounter

between their persons and God. So sacrifice

is a form of gratitude and praise to God

because of the realization that what is lived

and experienced is due to God's deeds and

initiatives alone as well as the belief that it

is God who is able to give strength and

tranquility in waiting and expecting God's

promise for what will be inherited in the

future based on His promise (12:1; 15:8).

In Genesis 26:25 it is said that Isaac

erected the Altar at Barsheba and called

upon the name of the Lord, after God met

him and repeated His promise to Abraham

for Isaac namely that just as God's promise

to Abraham to be blessed with his

descendants, also Isaac would be blessed.

Jacob also in his story he made a vow to

God and erected a stone as a memorial to

his encounter with God (Genesis 28:20–22).

Furthermore, in Genesis 39:2-4, Joseph

is described as a man who worshipped and

worshipped God truly; his faith is described

as having a very close communion with

God and obeying the truth of His Word, so

that Joseph's faith was able to resist the

seduction of Potiphar's wife for his lust. It

was Joseph's faith and obedience to God's

Word that later made Joseph a ruler in

Egypt (42:6).

From some of the stories above we

understand the worship and worship of the

patriarchs that although new to be

individual but their sacrifices and prayers

give birth to a very close and close personal

relationship and fellowship with God, their

encounters and fellowships with God are

intimate, lived in daily actions and ways of

life and accompanied by the expectation of

the fulfillment of all truths of God's

promises in their lives and futures (Genesis

18:23)

b. Ages of Moses and Joshua

Following the time of the patriarchs,

was the Israelites exit from Egypt under

Moses' lead, which began with the Lord's

call to Moses in a burning thorn bush (Ex.

3:1), at which time Moses stripped off his

temple as a sign of worship of God's

holiness (Ex. 3:5). One obvious reason God

called Moses for the deliverance of the

Israelites from Pharaoh's slavery in Egypt

was so that the Israelites could worship and

worship the Lord God (Ex. 3:13; 5:3; 7:16;

8:1, 20).

For this sacrifice from Egypt, on mount

Sinai God established His rights while

establishing a moral obligation that led to

Israel's obedience to God's will, namely that

God would be the God of Israel and Israel

would be His beloved people if they truly

heard God's Word (Ex. 19:5). The

formulation of the covenant between God

and the people of Israel, hereinafter known

as the Dasa Titah, in which the most

important thing is to honor God and

worship Him only (Ex. 20).

Serli Patasik | 428

Something that was clear in the time

of the Egyptian exodus of Moses'

leadership was the Israelites' obedience to

the components – the Dasa Tirah

component was an absolute thing as true

worship to God. Then there are also

established periods of feast that must be

celebrated nationally so that people

together face God by bringing offerings (ex.

34: 20-23). The Tabernacle and the meeting

place, were designated to be a place of

communion with God, a place for God's

people to face the face of God, and the ark

of God is the symbol of His presence (Ex.

25:27; 33:7, 11; Num. 11:16; 12:4; 1Sam. 4:7).

The period of Joshua's leadership when

he continued the leadership of Moses

among the Israelites was the era of Israel's

entry in the land west of the Jordan river,

which means that this period was a time of

battle and war to offer sacrifices to God the

story of the erection of memorials and the

gathering of the feast of offering sacrifices

in Gilgal which means that here there is still

worship and worship of God from the

people of Israel (Josh 4:2; 14:6; 22:10; 1Sam.

7:16; 11:14).

c. Time Prevails Money

The Book of Judges – Judges contains

an overview of the circumstances of the

period after Israel occupied the land of

Canaan. Although in the time of the Judge

– Judge there was a lot of syncretism –

between the Worship of Baal the Canaanite

religion and the worship of Jehovah, but in

times of crisis, the Israelites were still able

to distinguish and choose between worship

to God or to Baal (Rights 21:1; 11:30). In the

book of Judges – Judges 6:24, we find that

Gideon erected an Altar for the worship of

God, having experienced an appearance

and encounter with God in Ofra; it is also

recorded about Manoah using stones in the

wilderness as an altar to offer sacrifices

(Hak 13:19), while chapters 5:3-4 tell the

story of Deborah's song which contains the

image that it was God who departed from

Seir, giving victory to His people.

During the time of these Judges, Silo

was the center of worship during the

holidays, as evidenced by the story of girls

who gathered to perform a holiday dance

when the Benjaminite mob invaded them,

depriving them of being wives (Hak 21: 19).

Shiloh became a place and center of

worship until the time of Eli's priest, when

Elkana offered the annual sacrifice, as

recounted in I Sam. 1:3.

Thus we can know in the days of these

judges that worship, whether it be in

person or in groups, is essentially a meeting

with God. When Hannah participated in the

feast celebrations at Shiloh, she also prayed

privately to God by pouring out all her

heart to God, and God was pleased to

answer her (I Sam. 1:10).

d. Temple Worship

During the reigns of David and

Solomon, the Temple became the center of

communion of worship. Although the

Temple was only built during Solomon's

reign, David prepared materials and

suggestions for its construction (2Chr. 22:2);

by choosing Jerusalem (Zion) as the center

of its construction according to the place

chosen and determined by God Himself

(Deuteronomy 12:5,11; 14:2,11; 26:2).

The three feasts of the Israelites three

times a year in Jerusalem where the Temple

is the center of the feast are: The feast of

unleavened bread (seven weeks;

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Kehiran Congregation In Jayapura

PB=Pentecost), and the feast of tabernacles

(yield gatherer, Deuteronomy 16:16; 34:22).

In addition, there are also special religious

days such as: Sabbath and crescent moon (I

Raj 23; Ezek. 45:17; 2Chr. 2:4).

Easter is celebrated for the passion for

the great work of God who had saved Israel

out of Egypt against Pharaoh's oppression.

The feast of harvest is the anniversary of

Israel's descent into Egypt and the granting

of the promised land. Meanwhile, the feast

of Tabernacles (collection of Proceeds) is

celebrated to commemorate the time of

Israel's wanderings in the wilderness when

they did not yet have permanent housing.

The temple became a place of

sacrificial offerings and it was the priest

who played a role there (Deuteronomy

18:5,7; 33:8, 10): supervised the use of the

blood poured before the Altar, took charge

of the Urim and Thummim, offered

blessings, and advised everyone about his

obligations to God and his relationship with

his fellow man (Im 4:34; 8:15; 9:9; Num.

6:24).

In addition to sacrificial offerings,

prayer and singing are one of the essential

elements that play a very important role

(Psalm 87:7; 149:3; 150:4). People who are

present in temple services certainly come

to praise the Lord for God's gift of an

abundance of nature during the celebration

of the feast of the farm and which pertains

to the subject matter of their celebration.

The story of the girls in Shiloh being

captured by the tribe of Benjamin instead

they were dancing – nari related to worship

(Hak 21:21); other dances considered to

have religious significance in Israel are the

H.H Rowley, Worship Ancient Israel, (CPC Mountain

NobleJakarta 2002 : 71)

Miriam dance (Ex. 15:20), the dance of

Jephthah's son welcoming his father's

victory (Acts 11:34), and David's dance

before the Ark (2Sam. 6:14).

Judging from the purpose of the

implementation and celebration of the

feast days of Israel in the temple in relation

to the sacrifices, their worship is:

thanksgiving and praise, as well as

fellowship with God who saves and blesses

them. The sacrifice in the worship of the

Israelites that lasted until the temple

tradition was a means of worship that

allowed man to come to God with all the

gifts and regrets of prayer as well as a plea

for God's next blessing in his life. The rites

and liturgies that accompany it in the

worship of the people, become a means of

expressing regret, thanksgiving, worship,

devotion, surrender and sanctification to

God.

e. Psalms and Songs in the Temple

In the feast celebrations in the temple

by the Israelites, music, singing and

dancing are inseparable (Ex. 32:19; 2Sam.

6:14; Psalm 87:7; 149:3 and 150:4). Psalms –

Psalms of praise are sung by professional

singers, accompanied by songs that glorify

the greatness of God, His power and grace.

Psalm – Psalm of thanksgiving, sung as

accompaniment to the sacrifice of

thanksgiving, personal time – the person in

Israel came to give thanks to God for the

deliverance he experienced from sickness,

danger and melancholy. Psalm – The psalm

of national lamentation with the irrigation

of an atonement ceremony is held at the

time of the calamity of the community,

while the psalm of individual lamentation is

Serli Patasik | 430

used by the individual worshipper as an

accompaniment to the atoning sacrifice he

presents with personal misery.

Sentences such as :"Sing a new song to

God cheering – pray for God O all the earth

and worship God with joy, come before Him

with cheers..." It is evidence that the Psalms

were sung in Israel's worship in the Temple.

( Psalm 68:25; 96:1; 98:1; 149:1,3; 100:1,2;

Amos 5:23). Mowinckel mentions that

Psalms 120–134 are psalms commonly

used in temples in the context of the feast

ages.

f. Synagogue

The synagogue is one of the places of

worship and teaching of the torah, the

teaching of the commandments of the

Lord. The synagogue became a place of

worship of every sabbath, as well as

teaching and education which in its

development, this is where Jesus later

gained a deep knowledge of the content of

the Old Testament. Worship in the

Synagogue consists of: Shema, prayers,

recitation of the torah and books of the

prophets as well as the pronunciation of

blessings. In addition to these elements, the

Levitical songs sung on the eve of the

sacrificial offering every morning and

evening, are also the most important

elements.

In addition to being a place of worship

and education, the Synagogue is also a

place for courts, meetings and community

meetings, including to discuss a political

subject (Luke 12:11; Matthew 10:17; Acts

26:11). Rowley noted that it was in the

Gunkel, As dikutib by H.H.Rowley, deep ,Worship Ancient

Israel, (CPC Mountain Noble, Jakarta, 2002:147)

Mowinckel, As Quoted by H.H Rowley,in Worship Istael

Ancient,(Jkrt Cpc Mountain Noble 2002:170

Synagogue that a pattern of worship was

created that was truly spiritual because in

addition to the synagogue as a place to talk

about things related to religion, the place

of cultivating a rational notion of (Jewish)

faith was also a place of practice, where

people were formed into human beings

who were willing to submit humbly to the

demands of their faith. For basically

synagogues are a means of spiritual

worship, where people of faith collectively

pour out their spirits before God in prayer

together, paying attention to and searching

God's Word and accepting the demands of

faith. The synagogue became the place of

formation and passion of man's thoughts to

God and His Word, and the companionship

of the human soul before God in praise and

prayer. And this style of synagogue worship

is used by the church to this day, namely

the presence of elements - elements of

prayer, Bible readings and singing".

4. Song as a Call to the Whole

Creation

True praise of God is not limited to the

space of worship alone (Psalm 150:1,2 and

6) but rather His greatness and goodness

and remembering and reflecting on all that

He has done in creation. This call is an

invitation to all creation to: the Angels

(Psalm 148:1-2), to the sun, moon and stars

(Psalm 148:4) to the heavens and the waters

above (Psalm 148 cf. 29:10), to the dragon

snakes and the great ocean (Psalm 148) to

the fishes of the ocean (Psalm 104:6-9), to

H.H Rowley, ibid thing 191

Marcel Simon, dikutib by H.H Rowley,in “Worship Ancient

Israel" (Jkt CPC Mountain Noble, 2002:193).

431 | Theological Study of Worship Singing as A Confession of Faith For Members of The GKI Victori

Kehiran Congregation In Jayapura

lightning and lightning and hail (Psalm

148:8; 104:4 cf. Isaiah 28:2 and 30: 30) and

to all human beings regardless of gender,

position or position and social status

(Psalm 148:11-12). The purpose of the

invitation "only the Name of the Lord is

high lofty" thus singing to the creator God

is a praise to the God of the savior of Israel.

5. Song as a Confession of Faith

The confession of trust often spoken in

Deuteronomy 26 verses 5b-9 is as follows:

My Father was an Aramaic, a wanderer. He

went to Egypt with only a few people and

lived there as a foreigner, but there he

became a large, strong, and numerous one.

When the Egyptians persecuted, and

oppressed us, and told us to do the hard

work, then we cried out to the Lord, the

God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our

voices and saw our

afflictions and

tribulations and

oppressions against us.

Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with

strong hands and arms scooped with great

awesomeness and with signs and miracles.

he took us to this place and gave us this

land to us, a land of abundance of milk and

honey."

Israel's confession of faith about God

is reminiscent of the works of salvation

done by God for the faithful personally and

Psalms 146–150 as the center of the song

or psalm is "God is loving and merciful,

long-suffering and great in His

lovingkindness (Psalm 145:8, Ex. 3:7 and

Rights 2:18). This confession of faith is

Patasik Serli, Hermeneutics PL I, Travellers Aramaic until on

History of the Kingdom of Judah and Israel, PT Canisius 2020 :

172

John Drane,Understanding Covenant Old 3,(Jkt; Foundation

PPA,2003) :93

inseparable from "Great is the Lord, and his

greatness is unfathomable" (Psalm 145:3).

6. New Testament Hymns of Worship

At the time of the New Testament,

synagogues existed in all the important

cities in the area around the mediterranean

sea and Jews went to worship there

regularly every week. Although

synagogues in New Testament times had

no sacrificial ceremonies, praying and

reading the Torah and the Prophets were

paramount.

Dietrick Khul explains that the first two

centuries believers fellowshipped and

worshipped in their homes. Because the

Lord Jesus rose on Sunday. ( Acts 20:7)

which in 321 the Sunday was designated as

a European feast day. Although at first

people fellowshiped and worshipped

without a neatly arranged system of

worship, but they worshipped well and

regularly, they prayed and sang and heard

Christian teaching and even held Holy

Communion on every day of worship. They

are open to what the Spirit of God gives

according to pattern I Corinthians 14:26,

where each person offers something that is

a Psalm of praise and the other the

teaching or revelation of God or the gift of

tongues or the gift of interpreting the

language of the Spirit, all of which are used

for the building up of the Church.

Here it is evident that every time a

worship is held in both the Old and New

Testaments, singing is an essential element.

Early congregational worship was actual

Picklock KhulHistory Church I, (Unfortunate

Rock: 13, 90) Pp 42

Serli Patasik | 432

and dynamic worship, because of the

various forms they took part in worship,

and what they did was born of themselves

as something that was understood and

lived. It is very interesting to see that the life

stories of the believers in Luke's Gospel in

worship of God are actually preceded by

singing. Starting from the "song of Mary"

which became the favorite verse of

composers of all time, then the song of the

great Zacharias to the song of Simeon's

"title of farewell" after seeing salvation from

God.

1516

Mary responded to God's beautiful

plan of work in her life with praise (Luke

1:68-69) and Simeon praised God for His

gift of salvation to the world (Luke 2:29-31).

There is no denying that the Apostle Paul

with Silas was a musician, singer and leader

of praise. They both prayed and sang

praises to God and those around them and

even relatives of those who eventually

accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Acts

16:25).

In Ephesians 5:19, the Apostle Paul

placed the ministry of music in the position

of a unifying tool for the church so that in

the church there is togetherness as a

fellowship that glorifies God with Psalms,

Hymns and hymns. This proves that the

element of singing played an important

role in the congregational worship of New

Testament times. Music and singing

became an integral part of the ministry and

testimony of the Apostle Paul and other

apostles. (I Corinthians 13:1; 14:7-8).

The testimony of Ephesians 5:19 of the

Apostle Paul reveals :"Be full of the Spirit

J.L.Ch Abineno, Church and Worship Church,

(Jakarta: BPK Mountain Noble, 1996), Pp 8-9,14

and say—say one another in the Psalms,

Song of Praise — praises and hymns. Sing

and pray for the Lord with all your heart.

Give thanks always for all things in the

name of the Lord Jesus Christ to our God

and Father", where what it means is for

what the church does in its worship. This

was also exhorted by the Apostle Paul to

the Colossians: "Let the words of Christ

dwell with all his riches among you, so that

you with all wisdom teach and rebuke one

another and while singing the Psalms and

hymns – praises and hymns, you give

thanks to God in your hearts".

In such hymns, members of the

congregation say – one word to another.

For nyanian –is a dialogue that takes place

between them. In the songs they are

together and antiponically (reciprocating or

alternate) preaching the great deeds of

God. This is what believers used in the early

churches, namely using Psalms and Hymns

to praise God (I Corinthians 14:52,26;

Romans 19:9; James 5:13, Proverbs

17:22 ).

The most important element in the

worship of the churches in the New

Testament is the "Preaching of the Word".

The form of preaching of the Word at that

time existed in the form of literature or

teaching (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 11:1; Acts

28:3; Romans 2:21), there is a form of

prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:28; 13:2; 14:1; 1

Thessalonians 5:20; Acts 15:32), there is a

form of Glosolalia or tongues (Acts 2:4;

10:46; 19:6; Mark 16:17),etc.

Jesus Christ also sings. The Gospels

Darto, and al,"Between Business and Worship" (deep Kairos

edition November, 1994) Pp 8

J.L.Ch Abineno, Church and Worship Church, (Jakarta BPK

Mountain Noble, 1986),Pp 8

433 | Theological Study of Worship Singing as A Confession of Faith For Members of The GKI Victori

Kehiran Congregation In Jayapura

explain that at the Passover meal with the

disciples and before Jesus' arrest with the

disciples His disciples sang hymns

(Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26). In Hebrews

Jesus is described as a singer who sings

praises to God in the midst of the church

(Psalm 22:23). In the parable He says of the

"prodigal son," music is a symbol of

heavenly joy as the image used by Jesus

(Luke 15:25, 32).

Until the end of the history of

mankind's life journey, when God came,

music still had its main place as a means of

communication to glorify God and center

on God Himself. The book of Revelation

notes that all creatures in Heaven and on

earth should praise God because He is

worthy of praise. That the song of the

victors shall sing the song of Moses

(Deuteronomy 31:19, 22; Revelation 5:12-

14; 15:1-4).

7. Perspective of Singing in the GKI Victori

Congregation

Thus the meaning and function of the

congregational hymn is the confession of

faith and thanksgiving chanted in praise –

the church's praise of God's saving work in

Jesus Christ, as well as the preaching and

testimony of the saving grace The hymns of

the Israelites, were offered only for the

glory of God. God is honored because He is

worthy of praise, exaltation, upbringing

and glorification (I Thw. 9:1-13; Revelation

4:1), Through hymns, God's people honor,

call upon the name of God and desire to

live out their fellowship with God.

His life he received from the love and

grace of God. The congregation that

receives and experiences it all every day in

its belief can do nothing more than answer

it with thanksgiving and praise.

Therefore ibadah in a limited sense

refers to an activity that is carried out

specifically by the congregation at a certain

moment for communion and worship to

the creator God and Savior of the world and

worship is at the heart of the expression

and communication relationship between

man and God the Creator. In worship man

glorifies the greatness of God, opens his

soul, hears and internalizes His nature as

the creator God upon whom man depends

his whole life.

In communion the singing is an

integral part of the whole series of worship

of the people that acts as a means of

expression, be it a statement of faith

conviction, joy and gratitude, surrender and

confession of sin or well-being. Thus our

attitude and passion for a song, when sung

during a worship service, is very important.

Because the singing in the liturgy of

worship is a description of the color of

worship as well as the pattern of

congregational belief. Because it is from the

singing in the communion of worship that

it becomes a reality how God gets along

with His congregation.

To achieve a good performance of

worship, the liturgy needs to be organized,

the chants need to be trained with

everyone involved in the performance of

worship. So that the liturgy as a book that

is worshipped by every congregation needs

to be developed credibly by church

activists, ministers, and servants of God so

that the chants of worship that are chanted

are understood by members of the

congregation as a recognition of faith and

gratitude for God's great deeds through

daily life with sufficient blessings –

Serli Patasik | 434

blessings obtained from the results of

gardens, forests and abundant natural

resources. In everyday life, people are faced

with suffering in the form of misfortune,

injustice, violence, oppression, war, famine,

etc.

Members of the GKI Victori Kehiran

Satu Sentani Jayapura congregation are

happy to be on the outskirts of Sentani lake

by farming and concocting sago. Their

voices are very melodious when they sing,

not only because of traditions or customs

but they also sing because Christians have

to sing all the time in worship.

When there is grief, members of the

GKI congregation, especially youth, must

sing overnight for either one or two nights

as long as the body has not been interred.

When traced, it turns out that the ability of

young people to sing depends on the

ability of the bereaved family to entertain

the singers with liquor.

This is what makes the true meaning of

the song not change the lifestyle of the

members of the GKI Victori Kehiran

congregation as an expression of gratitude

and as a leap of faith. So singing during

worship is about how singing and praise –

praise is performed or sung in a worship

activity, which takes place in a regular

system of worship in congregational

communion with God.

CONCLUSIONS

The essence of the song of worship lies

in the recognition of the majesty of God

and of the absolute dependence of all

things on His creation. This recognition

must be voiced but the singing itself lies in

the heart and life.

The Church in all its journeys and

ministries continues the offering of singing

in tone and motion, Music has a remarkable

ability to include people in mystery. But

music also has a danger or can be a trial for

man, where God is no longer the center of

worship because the heart is separated

from the heart so that the heart stops

praising God and the chants chanted are

only formalities.

A song is an offering of a living tone

that must be united and edified with the

offering of the tone of the heart in worship

because this life is a beautiful song to the

glory of God.

435 | Theological Study of Worship Singing as A Confession of Faith For Members of The GKI Victori

Kehiran Congregation In Jayapura

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J.L.Ch Abineno, What the Bible Says,

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J.L.Ch, Abineno

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Protestant Churches

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J.L.Ch Abineno,

Psalms and Worship

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Lucifer's Song. Andi Yogyakarta

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H.H Rowley, Ancient Israeli Worship, BPK

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Gunkel, As stated by H.H.Rowley, in

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for possible open access publication

under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY SA) license

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).