The fragrance of my worship
Rose up to the Father
Noises, thunderings, lightnings,
Were the response to my worship.
First, it was fragrance
Then, it turned to fire
My worship is my weapon
This is how I win my battle.
Those words up there are basically the lyrics of the song “Fragrance to Fire” by Minister Dunsin Oyekan, a 38-year-old Nigerian “full-time worshipper” who uses his gift in service to God. To begin with, I must publicly acknowledge my respect for Minister Dunsin. I respect him for his love for God, his passion, and how he inspires young Christians through the right use of his gifts.
Hence, I do not want anybody to see this piece as an attack on his person, or that I’m tagging him heretic. No. In fact, I listen to his songs too, and I appreciate them a lot. Many people love him too. That’s why I was more interested in writing this series, considering the reactions that followed my previous Facebook post. Yesterday evening, I wrote on Facebook: “Your worship is NOT your weapon.
God, not you, is the One who wins your battles for you. Nobody, in all of the entire scriptures, attributed his victory to his worship.
Apologies to Dunsin Oyekan’s fans.
There were a few agreements, but the majority of the comments were objections. I believe necessity is laid upon me (in Paul’s words) to respond to these objections. I’ll do that in the subsequent parts of this series.
However, in this first part, I’ll explain why I believe this song doesn’t align well with scriptures. I won’t be doing a line-by-line analysis because of time and space constraints. I’ll zoom in on the last two lines:
“My worship is my weapon
This is how I win my battle.”
Of course, every “serious” believer will understand that worship is not limited to singing. Yes, singing is a component of worship, but not the integral part or most important aspect or totality of worship. In John 4:24, Jesus said:
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Worship is (should be) a lifestyle for, not only believers, all of creation. Worship is service, as it should reflect in everything we do, in any circumstance we find ourselves. You’re worshipping when you ascribe worthiness to God for (more importantly) WHO HE IS and for WHAT HE HAS DONE. The purpose of true worship is to serve and adore God. The goal is not to serve ourselves, but to serve God. It is simply for the glory of God, and not for any glorification of man.
But, Minister Dunsin redefined worship in his song. He defined it as: MY WEAPON. And he redefined the goal/purpose of worship: THIS IS HOW I WIN MY BATTLE.
Do you notice the subtle change of focus from GOD to MAN? For argument’s sake, I will agree that worship is (or safely put, can be) a weapon. But whose weapon is it? GOD’S or MAN’S? The battle is man’s, granted. But who gives the victory? GOD or WEAPON or MAN? Minister Dunsin accredited the victory to “his weapon” (his worship), and not God. This, I believe, is not biblical. Even David, as a skillful man of war, acknowledged God.
Psalms 18:32-34
It is GOD who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Friends, following the spirit of Psalm 127, if the LORD does not give the victory, the worshippers (whose worship is their weapon) worship in vain. Amen?
Again, do you notice that the purpose of worship has shifted from SERVING GOD to SERVING MAN? It was now about winning his own battles; no longer about adoring God.
For Minister Dunsin, it’s majorly about winning his own battles. He said it. He sang these lines repeatedly; it wasn’t a one-off. We cannot ignore it simply because we love the man. Else, we will open ourselves to worse ideologies.
For emphasis’ sake, worship is (should be) strictly for God, directed to God, and to serve God. He is at the centre, not man.
Can man be blessed as a result of his worship? Yes. Always, I believe.
Can worship possibly be a weapon? Yes. But God’s weapon, not man’s.
Can man focus his heart on his battles while worshipping? One could really be troubled so much that one’s heart is preoccupied with his burdens. So, it’s possible, but that should not be the norm. Our focus remains God. We can only be strengthened when God is our focus. But to the question is: No. Why? That’s replacing God with your own interests.
In the subsequent parts, I’ll address each of the objections raised by people in my first post. I hope it’s clearer now?
Thanks for reading.
