Johns Observations

For years I have thought that worship was about doing things a certain way, in a certain order, at a certain volume, and within a certain style.  How wrong I have been, and how complacent I have been toward my own ignorance!

Dont act like you dont know what Im talkin’ bout.  You know how it usually goes–Prelude by the organist, opening hymn sung by the congregation…Annoucements, a couple more hymns…Put money in the offering plate…. Choir “special”—followed by the Sermon……then the Invitation Hymn…… and finally a closing prayer.

Now, dont get me wrong…There is NOTHING wrong with this type of an order…If it’s led by the Spirit…However, performing this each week just because that is how it has ALWAYS been done is ridiculous.  Insanity is doing something over and over again expecting to see greater results…

So many times I have been guilty of this very thing.  Keeping things comfortable so that I dont offend those who are bothered by progressive change…or so suit my comfort level…or whatever be the reason.  Guilty am I.

John 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself.

We are to lift him up…not lift ourselves up through quenching our own conveniences or fulfilling our own wants.  That is what I am guilty of.  As a Worship Leader I struggle with only using music that I am comfortable with or that I like…Staying within a zone of comfort…never wanting to lose control…

Well–it aint about me…plain and simple.

I have been slow to see this..slow to learn this…and I think I am still learning it.  However, over the past few months, I have learned about a FREEDOM that I never knew.  This freedom has come through my willingness to listen to HIS lead, and not to my own.  I have learned to include Him while plannning services.  I have learned that it’s perfectly appropriate to be spontaneous when He speaks to me.  My role as a worship leader is to bring people into His presence through music…In His presence there is Freedom… That freedom HAS to be realized through our Musical Worship each week.

This Freedom is not realized through Traditional worship…It isnt realized through Contemporary worship.  It isnt realized through any attempt at polarization of worship styles.  It isnt realized through a charasmatic leader, a staunch traditionalist, or even a modern day guitar playing worship leader.

It is realized by His people joining together to worship Him. 

⁷ “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down–that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. ¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. ¹¹ They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”– Revelation 12:7-11

It is realized by His people singing and worshipping aloud with Revelation 12 in their hearts.  When we realize that the victory over Satan has come through HIs blood and not of our own abilites, we will only then be willing to fall down–lay down our crowns and worship Him in total Freedom.

I challenge you.  If the music isnt progressive enough, sing anyways.  If its not traditional enough, sing anyways.  Worship the Lord with Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs.  We can all worship together as one body if we will let Christ lead.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 9:45 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.