Do you know the God you worship? As you stand up from your seat in church, do you know Who it is you are singing to? It's time we rough ourselves up and really get to the core of our faith: God and the Gospel. Really, what's the point of even singing to a Being that you hardly know about? What's the point in giving praise to this Acquaintance of yours that you heard loves you?
It's time to get roughed up.
I'll start out by asking you, "Who is God?" God is the Creator of the universe. He is three separate Persons in one Godhead, a perfect counsel in Himself. He has no beginning and will have no end. He is so powerful and so big that He spoke this universe existence out of nothing and is capable of holding it in His hand. He is perfectly good and perfectly holy. He is perfectly just and perfectly wise. He cannot be overthrown or superseded. He cannot be bribed or coerced. He has perfect knowledge and wisdom. He knows everything everyone has ever thought, has heard everything anyone has ever said, and sees every action anyone has ever done. His wisdom puts to shame the greatest human philosophers of history combined. His words are true. He will judge sinners for their sin, and He will sentence them to their rightful place in eternity. He will reign forever in His Kingdom and it will never pass away.
You might now be asking, "What does this have to do with me?" Well, let me tell you.
Man's Dilemma
You and I have a big dilemma with God. You see, we have all offended Him beyond anything we could imagine. We have all spit in His face with our sins. Every single time we lie, steal, sexually lust after someone, hate, commit adultery or fornicate, covet, or put something before God we are guilty of breaking the Law of God. We are guilty of breaking the highest Law ever given to men. My friends, right now at this very moment there is a case against you in the High Court of heaven, and you will be found guilty of every crime you havr committed against God.
So where does this leave us? Helpless? Hopeless? Frightened? Left with nothing?
Are you roughed up yet?
But you say, "God is love! You forgot to say God is love and won't punish people because God is loving!" But to you I say this... Yes, God is loving. He gives a love that we can't even comprehend. His love is so deep and so kind that it makes all other love look like hatred in comparison. Yes, He is love, but because He is loving He must also hate. He hates sin with the same intensity of His love. Sin is completely opposite of God. It is completely against His nature and righteousness. He hates it above everything. The scary thing is that all the people who have ever lived are saturated with this sin. We are so completely contaminated with sin that God cannot love us like we've been told He does unless we make payment for our sins. The horrifically terrifying thing is that our sins are so expensive that we can't pay for them on our own. You see, one must pay for their sins in hell for eternity because sin is that evil to God. It is an infinite price for your infinite offenses against God.
Are you roughed up yet?
I have some good news though. There is still hope! There is still a small glimpse of glorious light in the pitch black room of your guilty dungeon of sin! "How?" you say. "How can there be hope for me while there is this air-tight case against me? How can there be hope when I have sinned against the Holiest of all beings in the universe? How?"
And I say to you, "Jesus."
Yes, Jesus! You see, God knew you were going to sin. He knew you were going to be messy. He knew you were going to infinitely offend Him. Yes, God knew you were going to be found guilty of crimes against Him. But now He wants you to know something. He wants you to understand something.
In the counsel of Himself before the universe was even created, He knew you were going to sin. In the knowledge of this He made a plan, a plan to make a way for people to be freed from their sentence of sin and death. This plan is that small light gleaming through your prison wall. This plan was that Jesus would become a man, a part of His creation. In this plan He was to endure temptation, trials, and tribulations as a man to be tested and proven as perfectly sinless. He encountered every temptation you have and will ever encounter, yet He did not sin when prodded or provoked. In this plan He was to be betrayed, unjustly tried, and executed as an innocent man. During this trial He would begin to bear the burden of your sin.
He was beaten with fists and clubs, spat on, and had His beard ripped from His face; each strike taking a consequence of your sins. He was flogged with whips designed to rip and tear away flesh from a human body; each stroke taking the punishment for your crimes against God. A crown of thick, long thorns was beaten into His head; every piercing thorn a payment for your debt of sin. He was mocked as King by having a purple robe thrown around His shredded back; as the blood coagulated and adhered to the robe it was violently ripped from his back, reopening His wounds; a sacrifice willingly made for the justice rightfully due to you. By the time it came for Him to be sentenced to a brutal execution on a cross He was no longer recognizable as a human being; because your sin is a monstrous thing. As He carried the cross through the streets, He displayed the shame of your sin, and when He came to hill to be crucified He joyfully thought of you. He was stripped of His clothes; bearing the nakedness and shame of your sin. He was nailed to the cross; taking the curse of the Law of God against you with Him. It was there that the fullness of your sin was placed on Him. It was there that God turned His back on Jesus because your sin had permeated His being on the cross. Finally, when the Jesus took the last ounce of punishment for sin, he let out a loud cry and said, "It is finished!" There He died.
Your sin cost Jesus, God in the flesh, His life, but He says it was worth it. To prove that He had the power to declare your sin "paid in full" He laid dead in a tomb for three days only to raise Himself from the dead. He defeated death and now He has the right to declare you innocent! He now says to you, "Come to Me, child! Come to Me! Take rest from your sin in Me! Take your satisfaction and your pleasure in Me! I have paid your debt! I have paid your ransom! Come to Me!"
Are you roughed up yet?
Go back and read what Jesus went through. God hates sin that much, yet God did all of this so that He can call you His own for glory of His name. If you do not know this awesome God as your Father, if you do not know the forgiveness and redemption of Jesus' sacrifice, turn away from your selfish, sinful life and turn to God's mercy through the payment Jesus paid for you. Believe that Jesus died in your place, that He took your punishment upon Himself, and that He rose again and still lives today. Surrender your everything to Him! Ask Him to change you into an obedient child. Ask Him to help you hate your sin as much as He hates it. He is most gracious! If you believe this, God declares you "Not guilty!" If you turn to Him, God will see you as righteous, not because of what you have done but because of what Jesus did on your behalf.
I leave you with this. Are you roughed up yet? Worship God for who He is and what He's done.
Blessings,
Nick
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Joy and Worship
"Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, Rejoice!"
Did you know that you can have joy worshipping the Lord no matter what situation you find yourself in? Do you believe that God is more satisfying than your most satisfying experience? Do you believe that God can sustain you in the worst situations you will ever go through?
There is joy is the Lord. There is joy in who He is. There is joy in what He has done for you. There is joy in what He is going to do through you. There is joy in Him when you are in the highest of highs. There is joy in Him in the lowest of lows.
Our culture tells us that we should be satisfied in the good times only, and any other less than satisfactory time should be combatted until we are satisfied with what we want. I tell you this, brothers and sisters, God does not want us to be satisfied in Him during our mountain peak experiences only. He wants us to be satisfied no matter what peak, valley, or pit we are in. He wants us to realize that He is our satisfaction. He wants us to combat our destructive, selfish, joy-stealing ways to be joyously satisfied in Him for the glory of His name.
Paul's life was made a living hell by people who opposed the Gospel, yet he still spoke "To live is Christ; and to die is gain." He was shackled in prison and still sang hymns to God. He was ridiculed when preaching the Gospel, but he unashamedly preached on. His health was poor, but his desire was to still visit the churches surrounding him to minister to them. He wrote "Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, Rejoice!" Are you grasping this, brother? Are you seeing this, sister? Our situations don't determine the joy we have in God. God determines the joy we have in spite of our situations.
When you live your life day-to-day, you can worship the Lord with joy knowing that the joy of the Lord is your strength. He is your strength because all things work together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8). Is this not a joyful proclamation? He is your peace because while we were still sinners God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Romans 5, 2 Corinthians 5). How can you not be joyful knowing God paid for your sins? You can be comforted because He cares for you so much that He invites you to cast all of your cares on Him (1 Peter5). Isn't this wonderful? Amazing? Worthy of being joyful?
Our God is a personal God that wants us to have the utmost satisfaction in life. He wants us to have joy. This satisfaction is not the satisfaction this world promotes. It's not the gratification of the flesh that the world wants you to have. Our God made us to worship Him. He is the ultimate joy!
We have talked about how worship comes from knowledge. So I ask you, have you been learning about our God? Have you been seeking His face in the Word? Have you been praying? How can we expect to have joy in the Lord if we keep Him at bay as a mere acquaintance? It's impossible!
The poor excuses of fun and promises of joy from the world are lies and will fade away. They can't sustain the level of joy you were meant to have. They are false fillers that leave you empty and wanting. Christian, find your satisfaction in the Lord. Find your joy in worshipping Him. Your cell phone, video games, and movies are not to replace the joy you have in the Lord. Your drugs, alcohol, and sex are destructive to your joy in the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, I implore you! Repent and be restored to the joy of the Lord! Run to the mercy of your God at the cross. Seek His joy! Seek satisfaction in Him! Quit playing with the "joy" of sin. Quit messing around with the false pleasures of this world! Seek the everlasting joy and peace of the Lord no matter what situation you might be in. Worship your God today with joy in your thoughts, words, and actions!
Blessings,
Nick
Did you know that you can have joy worshipping the Lord no matter what situation you find yourself in? Do you believe that God is more satisfying than your most satisfying experience? Do you believe that God can sustain you in the worst situations you will ever go through?
There is joy is the Lord. There is joy in who He is. There is joy in what He has done for you. There is joy in what He is going to do through you. There is joy in Him when you are in the highest of highs. There is joy in Him in the lowest of lows.
Our culture tells us that we should be satisfied in the good times only, and any other less than satisfactory time should be combatted until we are satisfied with what we want. I tell you this, brothers and sisters, God does not want us to be satisfied in Him during our mountain peak experiences only. He wants us to be satisfied no matter what peak, valley, or pit we are in. He wants us to realize that He is our satisfaction. He wants us to combat our destructive, selfish, joy-stealing ways to be joyously satisfied in Him for the glory of His name.
Paul's life was made a living hell by people who opposed the Gospel, yet he still spoke "To live is Christ; and to die is gain." He was shackled in prison and still sang hymns to God. He was ridiculed when preaching the Gospel, but he unashamedly preached on. His health was poor, but his desire was to still visit the churches surrounding him to minister to them. He wrote "Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, Rejoice!" Are you grasping this, brother? Are you seeing this, sister? Our situations don't determine the joy we have in God. God determines the joy we have in spite of our situations.
When you live your life day-to-day, you can worship the Lord with joy knowing that the joy of the Lord is your strength. He is your strength because all things work together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8). Is this not a joyful proclamation? He is your peace because while we were still sinners God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Romans 5, 2 Corinthians 5). How can you not be joyful knowing God paid for your sins? You can be comforted because He cares for you so much that He invites you to cast all of your cares on Him (1 Peter5). Isn't this wonderful? Amazing? Worthy of being joyful?
Our God is a personal God that wants us to have the utmost satisfaction in life. He wants us to have joy. This satisfaction is not the satisfaction this world promotes. It's not the gratification of the flesh that the world wants you to have. Our God made us to worship Him. He is the ultimate joy!
We have talked about how worship comes from knowledge. So I ask you, have you been learning about our God? Have you been seeking His face in the Word? Have you been praying? How can we expect to have joy in the Lord if we keep Him at bay as a mere acquaintance? It's impossible!
The poor excuses of fun and promises of joy from the world are lies and will fade away. They can't sustain the level of joy you were meant to have. They are false fillers that leave you empty and wanting. Christian, find your satisfaction in the Lord. Find your joy in worshipping Him. Your cell phone, video games, and movies are not to replace the joy you have in the Lord. Your drugs, alcohol, and sex are destructive to your joy in the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, I implore you! Repent and be restored to the joy of the Lord! Run to the mercy of your God at the cross. Seek His joy! Seek satisfaction in Him! Quit playing with the "joy" of sin. Quit messing around with the false pleasures of this world! Seek the everlasting joy and peace of the Lord no matter what situation you might be in. Worship your God today with joy in your thoughts, words, and actions!
Blessings,
Nick
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Mistakes: "Don't forgot to what??"
Worship.. It's what we do. It's what we lead people to do with us. Whether that be the pastor leading people through the Word to magnify God, a husband washing his wife in the pure water of the Word so he can present her to God blameless, a father shepherding his family for the glory of God, a mother bringing up her children in the light of God's love, or a worship leader leading people in the praises of God. As Christians worship is engrained into our lives, but it isn't always easy. We are still dealing with our sinful flesh and we wrestle against distractions that sway our paths from seeking God. We can get so caught up in worthless activities and whatnot that we forget God should have preeminence in our lives. I have found this to be so true in music ministry as well: we forget that while leading people into worship we should be worshipping God too.
So to answer the question in the title of this post, "Don't forgot to worship."
Amidst the hustle and bustle of set-up, practice, mixing, and preparing for the worship service we lose our main focus. We get so caught up in the technical that we lose sight of the simple. It doesn't even matter how complex your band or worship set is either. You may be the only person leading and still get caught up daydreaming or focusing so intently on your singing, strumming, or ivory tickling that you lose focus on the wonder of God. You may be leading with a huge band and get distracted just hoping that a musical train wreck doesn't happen on your watch, or you start thinking "Man, we sound good!" Don't forget our purpose is to lead worship. If we aren't worshipping while we are leading, then what purpose do we even serve standing in front of God's people as examples and leaders? I am far from guiltless when it comes to this. Since I see it my own life I want to encourage you to search yourself to see if you have need of improvement in this area too.
As an example of how distracting and hectic music ministry can be, this is how my church and I prepare for worship Sunday morning. The tech/media team needs my setlist and lyric order from me by noon Wednesday so they can begin preparing lyric slides for the people to follow along. This is a great way to prepare, but doesn't give me much time to mull over songs and prepare the setlist as I would want to (I'm kind of a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of worship leader). I usually don't get an outline of the sermon until around this time or later which kind of hangs me in a limbo of sorts picking songs that line up well with the sermon topic, but nevertheless our God still works and uses the setlist chosen (when all else fails for topical songs, pick a bunch of songs that sing of who God is and what He's done). Saturday morning is when when the band gets together to practice. This is when we work on all of the technical aspects and make sure everything works for Sunday. The time needed for practice increases or decreases depending on how many people are in the band that week. Not to mention sometimes we don't get to practice on Saturdays because of other church or school events. Sunday morning is very pressed for time. Half or more of my team also leads worship for the previous service which doesn't leave much time except for a few minutes to quickly set up for the next service and make sure our instruments and microphones are working.
I don't say this to complain about the ministry I serve in, but rather to show that I know things can get a little distracting (and I'm not even the person in charge of our music ministry!). I don't want you to read this thinking "Well this guy just sits there and criticizes everyone and everything..." There are many times where I forget to worship because I'm so focused on making sure I do everything right.
Brothers and sisters, God has given us a ministry that He wants to do big things through, but if we keep allowing ourselves to get distracted from the purpose of our mission, how can we be used by God? If we focus upon the technical aspects rather than worshipping God in spirit and truth, how are we leading by example? If we are focused on how much we want to be liked as musicians or how we want to be the favorite worship leader in the church, how do we expect the people to learn how to worship on their own when all they see is us entertaining them? See the urgency of our purpose as lead worshippers! Hold fast to the purpose of our calling!
Don't forget to worship while leading worship. Otherwise you are just a worship song leader and not a lead worshipper.
Blessings,
Nick
So to answer the question in the title of this post, "Don't forgot to worship."
Amidst the hustle and bustle of set-up, practice, mixing, and preparing for the worship service we lose our main focus. We get so caught up in the technical that we lose sight of the simple. It doesn't even matter how complex your band or worship set is either. You may be the only person leading and still get caught up daydreaming or focusing so intently on your singing, strumming, or ivory tickling that you lose focus on the wonder of God. You may be leading with a huge band and get distracted just hoping that a musical train wreck doesn't happen on your watch, or you start thinking "Man, we sound good!" Don't forget our purpose is to lead worship. If we aren't worshipping while we are leading, then what purpose do we even serve standing in front of God's people as examples and leaders? I am far from guiltless when it comes to this. Since I see it my own life I want to encourage you to search yourself to see if you have need of improvement in this area too.
As an example of how distracting and hectic music ministry can be, this is how my church and I prepare for worship Sunday morning. The tech/media team needs my setlist and lyric order from me by noon Wednesday so they can begin preparing lyric slides for the people to follow along. This is a great way to prepare, but doesn't give me much time to mull over songs and prepare the setlist as I would want to (I'm kind of a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of worship leader). I usually don't get an outline of the sermon until around this time or later which kind of hangs me in a limbo of sorts picking songs that line up well with the sermon topic, but nevertheless our God still works and uses the setlist chosen (when all else fails for topical songs, pick a bunch of songs that sing of who God is and what He's done). Saturday morning is when when the band gets together to practice. This is when we work on all of the technical aspects and make sure everything works for Sunday. The time needed for practice increases or decreases depending on how many people are in the band that week. Not to mention sometimes we don't get to practice on Saturdays because of other church or school events. Sunday morning is very pressed for time. Half or more of my team also leads worship for the previous service which doesn't leave much time except for a few minutes to quickly set up for the next service and make sure our instruments and microphones are working.
I don't say this to complain about the ministry I serve in, but rather to show that I know things can get a little distracting (and I'm not even the person in charge of our music ministry!). I don't want you to read this thinking "Well this guy just sits there and criticizes everyone and everything..." There are many times where I forget to worship because I'm so focused on making sure I do everything right.
Brothers and sisters, God has given us a ministry that He wants to do big things through, but if we keep allowing ourselves to get distracted from the purpose of our mission, how can we be used by God? If we focus upon the technical aspects rather than worshipping God in spirit and truth, how are we leading by example? If we are focused on how much we want to be liked as musicians or how we want to be the favorite worship leader in the church, how do we expect the people to learn how to worship on their own when all they see is us entertaining them? See the urgency of our purpose as lead worshippers! Hold fast to the purpose of our calling!
Don't forget to worship while leading worship. Otherwise you are just a worship song leader and not a lead worshipper.
Blessings,
Nick
Monday, June 18, 2012
Mistakes: Imitation
There is fine line between replication and imitation. In the context of musical worship in church being on one side of this line is a good place to be, but being on the other is dangerous and can demean the intentions of the worship leader. I know I'm arguing semantics, but only for purposes of clarification and categorization.
Replicating the original version of the music you are leading is a good place to be for a few reasons, but there is one that stands out to me the most. It is good to replicate a song because it is how the author intended it to be played. Does it have to be played exactly how it was produced on the album? No, but it should be close enough to the original so anyone who hears your version will recognize it. One of the biggest peeves of mine in worship ministry is when people change the lyrics or music to a song. Honestly, if you don't agree with the lyrics or like the music enough to play it as it was written, don't play that song. I don't want people changing the way I wrote my songs so why would any other author want the same?
Imitation is similar to replication, but instead of replicating the music you are imitating the worship leader. This can be a huge mistake. No longer are you worshipping and leading the people in your own way, but rather trying to imitate the way the other worship leader leads because you think it looks cool or because you want the response you saw him or her "get" out of the people: scripting times to lift your hands, going into drawn out leads or ad libs, or even praying prayers that they pray in the middle of their sets. That's not how we are to lead the people of God. Our ministry is not a science project or talent show. We are ministers of God required to be humble; to lead with sincerity and integrity.
Remember that God can use you, your personality, and your music style to lead others into worshipping Him. You don't need to rely upon yourself. Actually, don't rely on yourself at all. You're just in front of everyone to lead them in song and teach them the truths in the songs. That's it. No more. No less. God draws His people into worship. There is no need to imitate other worship leaders because they get great responses out of the people and you want to see that too. Allow God to work through you as His instrument that He uniquely designed to be its own.
Instead of imitating other worship leaders take tips from their leading (i.e., what do they do to be less of a distraction? What do they do to help lead the team? What do they do to better lead the people?). Instead of being a copycat learn some of their techniques and implement it into your own style (i.e., chords, strumming patterns, dynamics, scales, etc.). Let them help you become a better leader and not a better performer.
The fine line between replication and imitation that I mentioned earlier is a line that is easily distinguishable by you and for you only. I don't recommend going around pointing out who is replicating songs or imitating worship leaders. In fact, I would suggest to you that if you do just that, you will put yourself in a position where you are distracted from your own ministry, trying to point out the "fakers" or "less holy" worship leaders, even to the point of destroying your ministry with your own pride.
Leading worship isn't about making sure you look like a worship leader from Hillsong. That's their example for people to follow during their song sets. Leading worship is about about you worshipping God yourself and having others follow your example during your song sets. Lead the people. Don't lead them on.
Blessings,
Nick
Replicating the original version of the music you are leading is a good place to be for a few reasons, but there is one that stands out to me the most. It is good to replicate a song because it is how the author intended it to be played. Does it have to be played exactly how it was produced on the album? No, but it should be close enough to the original so anyone who hears your version will recognize it. One of the biggest peeves of mine in worship ministry is when people change the lyrics or music to a song. Honestly, if you don't agree with the lyrics or like the music enough to play it as it was written, don't play that song. I don't want people changing the way I wrote my songs so why would any other author want the same?
Imitation is similar to replication, but instead of replicating the music you are imitating the worship leader. This can be a huge mistake. No longer are you worshipping and leading the people in your own way, but rather trying to imitate the way the other worship leader leads because you think it looks cool or because you want the response you saw him or her "get" out of the people: scripting times to lift your hands, going into drawn out leads or ad libs, or even praying prayers that they pray in the middle of their sets. That's not how we are to lead the people of God. Our ministry is not a science project or talent show. We are ministers of God required to be humble; to lead with sincerity and integrity.
Remember that God can use you, your personality, and your music style to lead others into worshipping Him. You don't need to rely upon yourself. Actually, don't rely on yourself at all. You're just in front of everyone to lead them in song and teach them the truths in the songs. That's it. No more. No less. God draws His people into worship. There is no need to imitate other worship leaders because they get great responses out of the people and you want to see that too. Allow God to work through you as His instrument that He uniquely designed to be its own.
Instead of imitating other worship leaders take tips from their leading (i.e., what do they do to be less of a distraction? What do they do to help lead the team? What do they do to better lead the people?). Instead of being a copycat learn some of their techniques and implement it into your own style (i.e., chords, strumming patterns, dynamics, scales, etc.). Let them help you become a better leader and not a better performer.
The fine line between replication and imitation that I mentioned earlier is a line that is easily distinguishable by you and for you only. I don't recommend going around pointing out who is replicating songs or imitating worship leaders. In fact, I would suggest to you that if you do just that, you will put yourself in a position where you are distracted from your own ministry, trying to point out the "fakers" or "less holy" worship leaders, even to the point of destroying your ministry with your own pride.
Leading worship isn't about making sure you look like a worship leader from Hillsong. That's their example for people to follow during their song sets. Leading worship is about about you worshipping God yourself and having others follow your example during your song sets. Lead the people. Don't lead them on.
Blessings,
Nick
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Mistakes: We're on the same page, right?
When you stand up to lead people into worship, it's easy to see if you have the right heart, but what about the hearts of everyone else on the worship team with you? Are they in the right place? How can we make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to leading worship? Is it really that important?
A common mistake that is very tempting and easy for a worship leader to make is to begin bringing people into the band without taking the time to see where they are spiritually or at least understand their theology of worship. Assuming that they are on the same page as you because they go to church, play instruments/sing, or have been involved in worship before is a grave mistake. These people are going to be standing in front of everybody in your church as role models in your ministry. These people will be looked at as examples, and will be examined closely by the people. If they have the wrong heart or bad worship theology, it will hinder your ministry and possibly even discredit it.
Judging a worship leader or worship team by the response they get is not a credible method to measure successful worship. Successful worship is measured by the question "Was God glorified?" Any other means of measurement is trite and should be avoided at all cost. For this reason you should look for people to join your team who desire that God be glorified above all that they are and in all that they do. If you cannot find anyone like this, lead by yourself or with the small team you already have. Pastors, elders, the people, or even your own team may complain that the team is too small or doesn't sound "full", but be faithful to your ministry and to the glory of God. Do not give into the demands of people at the expense of the integrity of your ministry. After all is said and done, who are you seeking to please: God or man?
I would suggest to you the small worship team that sounds mediocre yet understands worship theology pleases God more than the band that sounds amazing yet leads with self-seeking intentions.
Leading worship is not a minute ministry. It is not a disposable ministry that immature people should be thrown into for the sake of the band, gratification of the people, or church attendance. Members of the worship team are leaders whether they like it or not. Members of the worship team will be held to a higher standard than everyone else. Make sure your team understands this. Make sure they understand the gravity of their position as worship leader.
Oh, how I wish this would be the understanding of every worship leader and worship team! Bigger doesn't always mean better, specifically when it's at the expense of glorifying God! Brothers and sisters, do you not understand that a self-seeking heart is rebellion against God? Do you not remember why Satan, one of the highest ranking angels, was thrown out of heaven because of his self-seeking pride? Why would you not want to make sure your worship team understands this? Why would you not educate your team on glorifying God? Are you afraid? Pray for boldness! Are you lazy? Pray for motivation! Are you apathetic? Pray for conviction! Lead your team for the glory of God!
Blessings,
Nick
A common mistake that is very tempting and easy for a worship leader to make is to begin bringing people into the band without taking the time to see where they are spiritually or at least understand their theology of worship. Assuming that they are on the same page as you because they go to church, play instruments/sing, or have been involved in worship before is a grave mistake. These people are going to be standing in front of everybody in your church as role models in your ministry. These people will be looked at as examples, and will be examined closely by the people. If they have the wrong heart or bad worship theology, it will hinder your ministry and possibly even discredit it.
Judging a worship leader or worship team by the response they get is not a credible method to measure successful worship. Successful worship is measured by the question "Was God glorified?" Any other means of measurement is trite and should be avoided at all cost. For this reason you should look for people to join your team who desire that God be glorified above all that they are and in all that they do. If you cannot find anyone like this, lead by yourself or with the small team you already have. Pastors, elders, the people, or even your own team may complain that the team is too small or doesn't sound "full", but be faithful to your ministry and to the glory of God. Do not give into the demands of people at the expense of the integrity of your ministry. After all is said and done, who are you seeking to please: God or man?
I would suggest to you the small worship team that sounds mediocre yet understands worship theology pleases God more than the band that sounds amazing yet leads with self-seeking intentions.
Leading worship is not a minute ministry. It is not a disposable ministry that immature people should be thrown into for the sake of the band, gratification of the people, or church attendance. Members of the worship team are leaders whether they like it or not. Members of the worship team will be held to a higher standard than everyone else. Make sure your team understands this. Make sure they understand the gravity of their position as worship leader.
Oh, how I wish this would be the understanding of every worship leader and worship team! Bigger doesn't always mean better, specifically when it's at the expense of glorifying God! Brothers and sisters, do you not understand that a self-seeking heart is rebellion against God? Do you not remember why Satan, one of the highest ranking angels, was thrown out of heaven because of his self-seeking pride? Why would you not want to make sure your worship team understands this? Why would you not educate your team on glorifying God? Are you afraid? Pray for boldness! Are you lazy? Pray for motivation! Are you apathetic? Pray for conviction! Lead your team for the glory of God!
Blessings,
Nick
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Mistakes: Cotton Candy Worship
Have you ever been to a baseball game or carnival and bought cotton candy? Go ahead and picture it in your head. A giant, delicious, pink cloud just waiting to be consumed by you. After you pay $10 for the delicious treat you tear off a huge piece and your mouth dances with joy at the sugary goodness! But then it happens... That giant piece of fluff dissolves into a small amount of sugar leaving you with nothing but a sugar rush and an empty stomach. What a disappointment!
So often worship sets are built like this: big band sound, little theological doctrine. The music sounds wonderful, the musicians are very skilled in their music, but there's no substance to the lyrics of the songs. It starts out big and glorious, but leaves you wanting. It hypes you up, but leaves you empty. That sounds a lot like an experience with cotton candy.
The responsibility of your position as the worship leader isn't to lead people from the "Top 10" Christian radio hits. That's just laziness. The responsibility of your position is to find or write songs that are packed with sound doctrine that glorify God. It takes time and effort to find and learn these songs. Don't forget to weed the cotton candy songs out of your music folder.
Leading worship isn't about making an experience for people to marvel at. Leading worship is about making it easy for people to commune with God and marvel Him. Recognition of yourself and your band shouldn't be on the list. In fact, if it's on your list, erase it. Otherwise you are continually being a hypocrite (Gasp! How dare he say that!). Think about it, you are standing up in front of everybody saying "Let's worship God together and look at how well I do it!" This cheats the people, yourself, and it steals glory from God.
Lyrics are very important when it comes to worship songs. You may find a song with a great chorus but the verses are of low quality, or you may find a song with a great bridge but the rest of the song is left on the side of the bridge where the grass isn't so green (or even worse, under the bridge with the troll). This is not a matter of "What songs (or parts of songs) we can use to get a momentary reaction out of the people", but rather "what songs can we can use to worship God in a greater way."
Lead people in songs that leave them satisfied in God, in who He is, and what He's done. Compose your list with songs that give God all the glorification and affection due to His name. Don't try to use the fillers of guitar leads or drum solos to make worship more entertaining to the people. Don't use the fillers of crazy lights and fog machines to replace the beauty of God in the lyrics. Don't use the fillers of poor, barely-Scriptural lyrics to raise emotion and response out of people. Isn't God able to draw His people into worship without our help?
Again, worship is based off of knowledge. Don't feed the people of God cotton candy theology and songs to get a momentary "spiritual sugar rush" response. Feed them songs that agree with the meat and milk of Scripture so they can grow up strong in the faith and worship all the day long.
"God’s glory is a wondrous thing,
Most strange in all its ways;
And, of all things on earth, least like
What men agree to praise."
-Frederick W. Faber
Blessings,
Nick
So often worship sets are built like this: big band sound, little theological doctrine. The music sounds wonderful, the musicians are very skilled in their music, but there's no substance to the lyrics of the songs. It starts out big and glorious, but leaves you wanting. It hypes you up, but leaves you empty. That sounds a lot like an experience with cotton candy.
The responsibility of your position as the worship leader isn't to lead people from the "Top 10" Christian radio hits. That's just laziness. The responsibility of your position is to find or write songs that are packed with sound doctrine that glorify God. It takes time and effort to find and learn these songs. Don't forget to weed the cotton candy songs out of your music folder.
Leading worship isn't about making an experience for people to marvel at. Leading worship is about making it easy for people to commune with God and marvel Him. Recognition of yourself and your band shouldn't be on the list. In fact, if it's on your list, erase it. Otherwise you are continually being a hypocrite (Gasp! How dare he say that!). Think about it, you are standing up in front of everybody saying "Let's worship God together and look at how well I do it!" This cheats the people, yourself, and it steals glory from God.
Lyrics are very important when it comes to worship songs. You may find a song with a great chorus but the verses are of low quality, or you may find a song with a great bridge but the rest of the song is left on the side of the bridge where the grass isn't so green (or even worse, under the bridge with the troll). This is not a matter of "What songs (or parts of songs) we can use to get a momentary reaction out of the people", but rather "what songs can we can use to worship God in a greater way."
Lead people in songs that leave them satisfied in God, in who He is, and what He's done. Compose your list with songs that give God all the glorification and affection due to His name. Don't try to use the fillers of guitar leads or drum solos to make worship more entertaining to the people. Don't use the fillers of crazy lights and fog machines to replace the beauty of God in the lyrics. Don't use the fillers of poor, barely-Scriptural lyrics to raise emotion and response out of people. Isn't God able to draw His people into worship without our help?
Again, worship is based off of knowledge. Don't feed the people of God cotton candy theology and songs to get a momentary "spiritual sugar rush" response. Feed them songs that agree with the meat and milk of Scripture so they can grow up strong in the faith and worship all the day long.
"God’s glory is a wondrous thing,
Most strange in all its ways;
And, of all things on earth, least like
What men agree to praise."
-Frederick W. Faber
Blessings,
Nick
Monday, June 4, 2012
Mistakes: Christian Lingo
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
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
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