CONNECTED WORSHIP

I really enjoyed this video clip of the opening to a Hillsong concert. It’s a little long but very interesting and inspiring.

I was recently reading Isaiah 1:1-31 and was intrigued by two verses: Isaiah 1:16-17. My wife, Jenny, actually brought them to my attention and as I read them and studied them, I started to hear what God was saying to me. I believe these two verses contain important insights for successful Christian living. In this chapter of Isaiah, Israel had fallen away from God. They had forgotten who their true master was. God was using the prophet Isaiah to tell Israel to return to Him. Are there areas on our lives we have turned away from God? Have we in some way not allowed God to truly be our master? One of my favorite parts of this chapter is verse 18, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” God doesn’t leave His people, He gives them hope. And through Jesus Christ, He gives us hope that our sins are washed away and we can be completely free of them. 

I took a look at several different versions of the bible and for the sake of our human attention span (and limited memory capacity in this busy world), I boiled Isaiah 1:16-17 down to 5 statements that I believe are keys to Christian living: 

1. Learn To Do Good
2. Seek Justice
3. Stand For Freedom
4. Defend The Fatherless
5. Plead For The Widow

I love how these five points from Isaiah paint a picture of how God wants His people to act. I believe these are noteworthy because God sees fit to include the idea again, in the New Testament, giving particular emphasis to the last two on this list. In James 1:27 God tells us through His bond-servant James that, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Living successfully here on Earth, as Christians, is not a difficult thing to understand. The truth is clearly laid out before us in the Bible.

As worshipers, looking at God’s truth and allowing His spirit to help us live it out is vital to leading others not only in worship but as real life examples of Jesus Christ and His amazing love. I want to leave you with an excerpt from Matthew Henry’s commentary on James 1:26-27. I believe he articulates this concept very eloquently:

“When men take more pains to seem religious than really to be so, it is a sign their religion is in vain. The not bridling the tongue, readiness to speak of the faults of others, or to lessen their wisdom and piety, are signs of a vain religion. The man who has a slandering tongue, cannot have a truly humble, gracious heart. False religious may be known by their impurity and uncharitableness. True religion teaches us to do every thing as in the presence of God. An unspotted life must go with unfeigned love and charity. Our true religion is equal to the measure in which these things have place in our hearts and conduct. And let us remember, that nothing avails in Christ Jesus, but faith that worketh by love, purifies the heart, subdues carnal lusts, and obeys God’s commands.”

It’s amazing how our whole way of thinking and our actions change when we know something is the last. I remember last year when the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop, Jack Wilson, thought he might not return this year to play for the Pirates. He scooped up some dirt after one of his last games. The fans cheered him just a little bit more. Maybe he even played a little bit harder for those last couple of games. It seems like when something has finality, we take it more seriously. Think about the series finale of your favorite TV show. For me, I remember the Cosby Show. I watched that show for years as a young boy and I remember the final episode. It seemed so important. We all gathered around the TV to watch every second of it, almost without a blink. I didn’t watch every episode that way, but I did this one. How about this…you are on a bike ride in the country, in the heat of summer, and you have a whole gallon of water. In your mind you may be thinking, “Ok, I have to ration this water.” But it may not really become all that real to you until you have one sip left and 20 more miles until the next watering hole. Now, you become much more careful of how and when you take a drink. You don’t just gulp it down. You wouldn’t dare let even a drop miss your mouth.

As christians and as leaders, we need to live everyday as if it’s our last. By that I mean, we need to take each day as seriously as the last gulp of water on a hot day. We need to be ready for anything, not taking our life or our time for granted. Jesus explains the importance of readiness in Luke 12:35-38. 

³⁵ “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. ³⁷ The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! ³⁸ He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.

A few months ago my wife and I had a baby girl. This was our first baby so we were not sure what to expect throughout the pregnancy. When her due date came and went, we both were unsure of things to come. The doctors said the baby could arrive any day, so we needed to be ready and wait. So we waited. And waited. And then her friend had a baby, but we still waited. And one unassuming day, T+8 days after the due date, baby Miriam came into the world. My life has never been the same and I love it! However, there was the week before and after the due date that we had to be ready to drop everything at anytime and go to the hospital. This proved to be an extremely trying but beneficial experience for me. Particularly at work, my mindset and actions had to be altered. Everyday that I left work, I knew there was a chance I wouldn’t be back for several days if my wife went into labor. So, I made sure all my work was done promptly. I didn’t leave anything to finish the next day, if I could help it. I regularly updated my boss on the progress of certain tasks so he could carry on in my absence. I basically gave 120% at work during that time (as opposed to my usual 100%, you all know what I am talking about). Living in that state of readiness, like everyday was my last, forced me to change habits and patterns in my life…mainly for the better. 

I believe this is how we should live everyday. Like Jesus illustrates in Luke 12, we need to live in readiness. The one who does, will be rewarded. As worship leaders, we can worship and lead with readiness. We can give Him everything that we have, lay it all down in worship. What are we waiting for? Are we holding out for a better deal? God is the best deal, and we need to worship Him now like it’s our last drink of water on a desert voyage.

1 Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.”

I have sometimes wonderd what Paul means by this. At first glance, it seems like Paul might be saying that we are to do anything to bring people to Christ. So, are we trying to be liked by everybody so they will somehow want to be a christian? Are we trying to be so relevant and cool we miss the point?

Well, to be honest, I do want to be cool. I certainly don’t set out to be a square. But I don’t think that is the point at all. As a matter of fact, Paul writes in Galatians 1:10, ”For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” To think that our coolness factor will reach the deepest part of a person’s heart and convict them of their sin is a pretty false idea. The bible clearly states that it is the Holy Spirit that does that work. 

However, it is important to be able to relate to people on many different levels in order to allow our message (the Gospel) to be given any attention in the first place. For instance, I work with clients on a regular basis as a media production professional. Often times I will make sure I watch the “big game” on TV because I know my client has a love for that particular sport. I may care less about the latest badminton match, but if my client really enjoys it, I can relate to him better if I understand the game. That gives me a place of common ground. On the other hand though, I’m not willing to go around town drinking a 5th of Jack just to be able to relate to someone. Nor am I doing it so they like me more or draw attention to myself. I do it because the larger purpose in mind when dealing with my clients is getting them to choose/keep my employer as their media production company. I simply work as an ambassador for a larger purpose.

I believe it is similar to Paul’s idea in 1 Corinthians 9:22. He’s not saying that we should sin or compromise our morals to be relevant. Nor is he saying we do it to get people to like us more or for the sake of being cool. I especially don’t believe he is insinuating that we become like the world to do God’s work. Instead, we do it to understand where people are coming from. Ok…so, maybe we don’t wear our thousands of dollars in jewelry to help homeless get a warm meal. Maybe we learn a little bit about someone’s culture before going on a mission trip to their country. Maybe we even learn a few words in someone else’s language to attempt to communicate easier. All in all, these things are done so that we can relate to different people, for the express purpose of bringing them closer to God. I really think that sometimes people just want to see that we genuinely care about them enough to invest a little time in understanding who they are and where they come from.

I have run into the scenario many times in leading worship. One particular example involves people in the congregation who like different types of music. Particularly at my church, there is a group of worshipers who love gospel-style music. Now, I may not be the next Fred Hammond, but I try to crank out one or two gospel tunes and rock the house with them. I see that people have varying tastes and they react differently to certain musical styles, so I want to discerningly help them connect with God in a way they can really relate. Not only does it reach out to those in the congregation, it stretches me, as a worship leader, to move outside of my comfort zone.

Being all things to all men is not compromising, it’s not bringing attention to yourself, but it is understanding where people are coming from in order to get God’s message to them. It can break down walls of judgement and barriers of preconceived notions while allowing God to work in those He longs to see brought into His kingdom.

Read Ken Collins’ full article, “How to Lead a Lousy Worship Service“.

I found this article humorous at times and inspired me to look at what I am doing as a leader and evaluate. Although Ken Collins seems to be referring to a more traditional style service and most of his comments are in that context, I think us contemporary, “rock” style worship leaders will be able to get something out of this.

My overall thought about this article is that we, as leaders, must be sure that we are seeking God and His will for His people in our times of corporate worship. It really doesn’t matter what things we do or don’t do, Ps. 127:1 clearly states that unless God doesn’t show up, it’s all for nothing. Allow His spirit to lead you and you could stand on your head for 3 hours and people will be blessed (I’d sure like to be in that service).

Here are Ken’s 10 Secrets…

1. Have a lot of congregational singing in one block.
2. Let the congregation sit passively for long periods of time.
3. Have lots of announcements.
4. Wait for everyone to arrive before you begin the service.
5. Put your watch on the pulpit.
6. Don’t plan the service.
7. Change the order of worship frequently.
8. Have a long, slow, dignified Eucharist
9. At the Eucharist, play Beat the Clock
10. Cram lots of special events into one service

• The secret to a truly lousy worship service is excess. It doesn’t matter what you do, it only matters that you do it too long, too short, too hurriedly, too leisurely, too often, too seldom, with too much variety, or with too much sameness.

Post from: http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2009/05/13/cool-is-no-longer-cool/

Posted: May 13th, 2009 by Craig Groeschel 

The American Church is not lacking for “cool” pastors. Like a single guy who is trying just-a-bit-too-hard to impress a girl, some churches are simply trying too hard to be cool.

I’m very encouraged to see a shifting in direction. For years, many of us seemed focused on:

• Designing relevant church experiences.
• Producing entertaining videos.
• Creating inviting environments.
• Crafting sermon series to draw a crowd.
• Writing sermons with shock value and plenty of humor or stories.

While all of the above can be effective tools, many of my friends are intentionally moving in a stronger direction. So many great Christian leaders are seeing far better results with:

• Bathing a sermon in prayer.
• Fasting regularly.
• Practicing personal confession and repentance.
• Preaching from the overflow of time alone in God’s word.
• Caring deeply for others in biblical community.

I’m thrilled so many leaders are placing less emphasis on being cool and more emphasis on being like Christ.

Paul Baloche articulates so well the place performance has in worship. Not only do we want to use our skills of performance to communicate our gratitude for God, we want to perform for an audience of one. We want to deflect the glory off ourselves and onto God. We need to use our skills to be effective on stage, but also to create an atmosphere where we minimize distraction. Take a look at Paul’s video and see more at his website leadworship.com.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. ⁶ Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

I believe that this passage of scripture clearly tells us that we must not rely on our own intellect, but rather trust God and see His revelation in our lives. Often times, as we go about our lives or even read God’s Word or hear His truth, we allow our past experiences or education to dictate our perspective. I truly believe that part the work of the Holy Spirit is to help us shed our own ideas of God and inspire us to see Him from HIS perspective.

There are two things in this passage that we are required to DO…trust & seek. There is one thing we are required not to do…depend on our self. God asks us to trust Him with everything we have and desires us to seek Him all the time. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus tells us that we can seek God. He even tells us that everyone who seeks will find. So, Jesus concurs with Proverbs in that when we seek, we will find God.

I believe that in worship, we must seek God and His will for us and His people. As we lead our congregations, we must search hard after God, and we will receive true revelation to lead: we can get His perspective. To try and do it on our own while relying on our own perspective will surely end up in failure. Psalm 127:1 tells us that unless the Lord is behind our work, we are wasting our time.

I don’t want waste my time or even that of the congregation I lead in worship. I want to seek God in all I do, receive true revelation from Him and not allow my intellect to shape my perspective of God. I want to know His will in my life and know which path to take as I live and lead. While our intellect is given to us from God, I believe He wants us to completely trust in Him and the revelation He is willing to give us through His Holy Spirit.

Having a heart that is moldable and teachable is essential to having a successful walk with God. Not only do we need to be taught by God’s Word, but by the men and women who bring that message to us. Click here to check out some thoughts on teachability from guest blogger Scott Rodgers at LifeChurch.tv.

Every year my family and I decorate a Christmas tree. Now, I know why I celebrate Christmas, but I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head why I cut down a tree, plant it in my house, put sparkling things on it and throw boxes wrapped with paper under it. We have moved so far away from the origins of that tradition that we don’t remember the original point anymore.

So often I get caught up in my day to day activities without giving a lot of thought to what I am really doing. Most of the time, I am doing what I do for God. I work hard to provide for my family, I read the Bible to get closer to God, I even serve in the church. But, sometimes I seem to just go through the motions or do things because I am supposed to, not because I am deeply connected to the real reason for doing them.

The same thing happened to the children of Israel. We can read about their times and troubles throughout the old testament of the Bible. And I believe God included so much of their history in Bible specifically for us to learn from them. In Psalm 50:7-15,23, the Psalmist writes about Israel missing the point of sacrifice. God lets them know that He is not interested in receiving from them the things in which He already owns: forest animals, cattle, birds. He is interested in only what can be given to Him by a conscious decision on their part, thankfulness. God says that thankfulness is a true sacrifice. I believe it’s because God is after more than just a bunch of robots who tell Him how good he looks in that new suit.

One theme that is laid out across the whole of scripture is that God looks deeper in us than our appearance. We even sing that idea in Matt Redman’s song Heart of Worship. The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 that God looks at our heart. You may do all the right things and say all the right words, but God truly knows whether your heart is really behind those things. I believe that is the same idea we see in Ps. 50. God is looking deeper than the surface, He wants a people who can really love Him and serve Him with their whole heart, because it’s their own choice. 

As we worship God, I hope we can realize that He is looking at our heart. He is looking for people who give their all in devotion to Him. I hope that not only in our speech and actions, but in the core of our being we put God above everything and everyone else.