On several occasions I have been asked, what are the things that are present in churches that are making a difference in their communities? There have been articles and books written about that subject, but I want to mention just one characteristic (of several) that presents itself in every growing and life changing church. That is an impacting worship. Now let me say that I completely understand that worship is not “just” what is done on Sunday morning from 10:30 to 11:45. I understand the whole life concept of worship. However, when Christians come together, it must be a time that leaves the person desiring more and more of God. There is one passage in the Bible that stands out to me when it comes to discussing an “impacting worship”. It is found in Psalm 138:1-4: “I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me. May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD, when they hear what you have decreed.” Let me do a little explaining. When I talk about an assembly that leaves the Christian wanting more and more of God I am not talking about a particular style of “worship”. I am talking about the substance behind our time together. I am convinced that it is the passion for God that moves people and gives them a power to leave with a desire to please God, and praise Him. One can sing the “old traditional” hymns or they can sing the newer “praise choruses or a combination of the two. The church can have 1 song leader or they can have a praise team. They can use the song books or they can use employ the “big screen”. None of those things are not the key. The key is the heart and passion behind it. Those who are leading the “worship period” must be there for the Lord and no other reason. The church has to have worship leaders who are leading the church in praise for an audience of One and not to please an audience of 200, 400, 800 or 10. There are many different styles and many ways to engage in worship. Each church has its own distinctions and variations and there are many new contemporary ways that keep coming out. Some of the ways are more popular than others. Since there is no pattern in the New Testament of what a “worship service” looks like, it is imperative that the church needs to provide a service that attracts people, encourages people and praises God. Here is what we need to keep in mind: the focus must be our love and passion for Christ as our Lord, and what He has done for us. When that is our focus, then it is not ever an issue to pour out our hearts and minds with gratitude and praise and express ourselves. The object of the assembly experience is our Lord. Remember, the object is not the talent of the song leader or the praise team or the personality of the preacher. We are not putting on a performance just to entertain, yet we are “performing” to our Lord. One final thought: Much of the “worship” is focused on the music and that should not be the case. Our music (and yes acappella singing is music) is a tool that we use to express our love and devotion to Lord. In the first century, we see Christians, when they gathered together, reading the Scriptures, we see them praying, we see preaching (sometimes till midnight) and we see a sharing of the Lord’s Supper whenever they got together. If we leave out prayer we are leaving out a vital part of our assembling together. If you are not using Scripture and only sing songs, we are not praising God with the best that He has given us. It would be like making a ham and cheese sandwich and leaving out the bread and meat. Our music is just one tool that we can use to express our love for the Lord. Having said that, our music is, I believe, very important because it has the power to move us emotionally in ways that the other parts of our assembly may not do. God created us as emotional beings and expressing those emotions in worship is important, as long as we do it with order and out of gratitude. So, I guess, here is what I am trying to say, worship (our assembly and our life) is about what God has done for us, and not about is putting on a show for God or for others. Have a great day!!
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 23:18:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015