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

Earthly Model of a Heavenly Truth

"Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure'- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.'" (Revelation 19:6-9)

My wife and I attended a wedding this weekend so I thought it would be appropriate to make this next entry about how the truths of earthly marriage are essential in understanding how to be a slave of worship. I can't stress enough the importance of understanding earthly marriage as a picture/model of eternal life with Christ. I hope you walk away from reading this entry with a new knowledge and understanding of how your walk with God should be. There are a lot of truths and principles of marriage, but I'll only look at a few of them as this is a blog and not a book.

Marriage first and foremost is a picture of Christ and the Church (God's people, Christians). Secondly, it is the way for a man and woman to enjoy each other exclusively as one flesh and glorify God through that relationship. On the other hand, our culture defines marriage as a mutual, legal contract between two people to be spouses. There are legal benefits to having a legal marriage contract, but it does not recognize a couple being spiritually united as one. You can't take a secular view of marriage and apply it to your walk with God. It fails miserably and I will show you how.

Marriage is a covenant, a promise, between a man and a woman to remain faithful to each other throughout all of life's difficulties and blessings no matter what for the glory of God until the day comes when one of them dies. Those are the vows you took (or one day will take), correct? In very simple terms, God took these vows when He made a covenant with Abraham to make Abraham's descendants a chosen people. He also took these vows in the proclamation through the Gospel: "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved", "My (Jesus) Father has given them (those who believe) to Me and no one is able to snatch them out of My hand", "nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord", "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." What you will find most interesting is that God began and will complete these covenants by His own power. When God made this covenant with Abraham He cut an animal in half and walked between the two halves by Himself. Abraham and God were supposed to walk between them together (as was the custom), but God made it to where He would take on responsibility to keep His people for Himself. It is the same with the New Testament covenant through the Gospel: Jesus took on the punishment of God in our place for sin and rose again to prove He has the power over death so that anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. God made that promise to keep for Himself His people. His love never fails. Look at the history of Abraham's descendants, the children of Israel. They were always rebelling against God and God judged them for it, but He remained faithful to them, He didn't cut them off from the earth, He provided for them, He called them His own, and He made a way for them to be saved from their sin. Even though God has opened up the Gospel to the rest of the world He still remains faithful to Israel and will fulfill His promise to save them. It's the same truth for the Church: God remains faithful to us even though we turn our backs Him every single day. He is the epitome of faithfulness. What a great God we have! Why wouldn't we remain faithful to Him?

The world would have you to believe if your spouse wrongs you in any way, if he, or if he or she no longer happy or finds another to love, it's pretty much okay to get a divorce and seek new love. This is a slap in the face to God. It is the complete opposite of how He designed marriage to be. We must follow His example: He will never leave us nor forsake us. So the next time you hear about some Christian friends who are getting married, ask them if they think divorce is okay. If they say yes, they are absolutely not ready to get married. Why? Because they don't have a biblical understanding of marriage. They think there is a way out if things go wrong. Remember Jesus remains faithful to His bride when She is not faithful to Him. Read Ephesians 5:22-33 and tell me if there is any room for divorce in marriage. As Christians, we are to be an example of Christ and the Church. Remain faithful to your spouse just as Christ has remained faithful to you.

Marriage is more than just about remaining faithful. It's about forgiving your spouse when he or she has wronged you. It's about letting go of grudges and choosing to faithfully love the other person. You might have a problem with forgiveness or holding grudges. A lot of people do. It's in our nature. Ask God for help in the area. Ask Him for strength to forgive and let go. Of course, you'll never be able to forget what happened, but forgiveness is about not holding anything against your spouse when they've done wrong and never bringing it up again. It's about picking up the pieces and moving on. Trust may be violated and might need to be regained. Take the time to work things out, but you must be willing to work things out. If you aren't willing, you need put your walk with God in check. You might not understand the forgiveness that has been given to you if you have even received forgiveness at all. That is another scary thought..

As you (both of you, that is) apply these principles in your earthly marriage, you will see how much more love you have for your spouse. You will grow closer to each other and have a stronger bond that is hard to break. If you believe these truths about God and His character, you will enjoy Him more as you draw closer to Him, and vice versa. As you grow in these truths you will have a greater desire to serve your God and spouse with love, honor, dignity, and selflessness. These aren't all of the principles and truths in marriage, but they are definitely some of the greatest. If you aren't married, you are kind out of the loop and that's okay. Why? Because if you believe God's promises and trust that He will always remain faithful to you no matter what, and if you will practice these principles with God, you will understand what marriage is all about and you will practice them with your spouse. It will be a learning process, no doubt, but you will be a step ahead of many marriages in this day and age.

Treasure Christ above all things. Treasure your spouse as Christ treasures you.

Blessings,
Nick