You won’t find a worship leader in the New Testament. This is unsettling for those of us who look to Scripture as our guide. No description of our role? No instruction for our work? Not even a mention of our name?

You want to be a good worship leader. You want to serve your church and honor God. Where do you start? What are the essential ingredients? It’s right there in the name. It starts with being a worshiper and a leader.

Embrace God’s Design For Worship

Although passages about sung worship under the New Covenant are rare, they aren’t non-existent. Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 provide valuable insight. Jesus sang a hymn on His way to the garden. Paul and Silas sang in chains. Revelation gives us glorious images of angels, elders and peoples from every nation singing and praising. These verses give us a helpful start, but they’re only the first step in the right direction.

There is a rich, deep treasure of Scripture on what it means to worship God rightly. They may not reference sung worship specifically, but that’s okay:

• Romans 12 tells us that worship is wholehearted sacrifice.

• 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us worship is transformational and fixed on Jesus.

• John 4:23 tells us worship is in Spirit and in Truth.

• Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us worship is only through Jesus Christ our Mediator.

And many, many more.

You Cannot Worship What You Do Not Know

To worship God rightly, you must know Him intimately. This means consistent, personal time in His presence, seeking His face. This means intentionally studying the character, nature and attributes of God: the person and work of Jesus Christ. The person and work of the Holy Spirit.

I say learn to worship God “rightly” because it’s possible to worship God wrongly. Many in the Church are unwittingly worshiping a false god. A god of their own design. A god they’ve fashioned into their own image. A god that looks more like a combination of personal tastes and pet doctrines than the God of the Bible.

Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman, “You worship what you do not know.” Jesus rejected the Pharisees and scribes declaring, “In vain do you worship.”

Let’s not allow the same to be said of us.

We can’t look solely at our favorite celebrity worship leaders to know what true worship looks like. Scripture is both the anchor fixing us to the truth of God and the map leading us closer to Him.

When The Leaders Lead

A good worship leader is a good leader. You can be a great singer but a poor leader. You can be charismatic and engaging but a poor leader. You can hold the title “Worship Leader” but be a poor leader.

How do we become a good leader? Once again Scripture is our guide. It may not tell you how to plan your services or who to choose for your volunteer team, but it does give clear instructions for the leader.

• John 3:30 shows a leader seeks the fame and glory of Jesus.

• Philippians 2:3 shows a leader counts others more highly than themselves.

• 1 Peter 5:3 shows a leader is not a ruler but an example.

Jesus is our perfect example of a leader. He was a servant. Bold in His convictions. Committed to prayer. Loving, gracious and patient with His followers.

Countless volumes have been penned with leadership lessons from Scripture. Indeed, growing into a Godly leader takes a lifetime. Don’t let that discourage you. Start now! Become a student of Scripture and what it says specifically to leaders. Surround yourself with good leaders. Find a mentor.

Become a worshiper who knows God and worships Him rightly.

Become a leader who knows their people and serves them sacrificially.

A worshiping leader. This combination is fierce and powerful. A mighty weapon in the hand of the Lord to be used for His purpose and His glory.

I walked to my car disappointed.

I found myself wishing our church family was more engaged. More hands in the air. More passionate singing. More of an obvious, visible work of the Lord.

Our Measure of Success

My experience after a recent Sunday morning is something worship leaders everywhere struggle with. We’ve all enjoyed those worship services. You know the ones. A reckless abandon in praise. An unashamed adoration. Voices lifted high to the Lord.

For churches with a contemporary worship style, this type of visible response has become the goal. Success is measured in how many hands are raised, how many eyes are closed, how many knees are bent. In short, we measure in visible expressions.

A Better Measure?

But I want to push back on that type of thinking a little bit.

The Bible commands and instructs us to physically engage in worship with visible expression. But it’s important to remember that visible expression is not the only way we worship. I would suggest it’s not even the most important way we worship.

Jesus calls us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

When we worship through singing, dancing, kneeling, shouting or lifting our hands, we’re mostly worshiping God with our heart (and some strength). Our emotions are stirred toward the Lord. We lift up religious affections. We feel the joy of the Lord. We feel His smile toward us.

The reason I left this particular gathering a little disappointed was because we never quite reached this place of obvious, visible adoration. Through the lens of our contemporary worship movement, this could be seen as a failure.

Visible expressions are a part of our worship. But they’re just that – a part.

There is more.

Worship Listens

On this particular Sunday, we began by reading Psalm 146:1-9. The living, breathing, word of God was read loudly, clearly and unashamedly.

It didn’t have the energy of a driving drum beat. The flurry of a melodic hook. The subtle drone of an artfully crafted keyboard patch. But the word of God is more powerful and more beautiful than any of these things.

The word of God will endure forever.

The word of God is breathed from God Himself.

The word of God has the power to cut to our very soul.

Although it’s important to sing our words to God, it’s even more important for us to hear His words to us.

Worship Gives

We also recognized that giving financially is just as much an act of worship as singing a song. Perhaps even more so. Why? Because to worship something means to invest in it. To give yourself to it. To sacrifice. To pour yourself out even when it isn’t easy or convenient.

The words “I Surrender All” are easy to sing but very hard to live. Financial giving takes the songs we sing out of the theoretical and brings them into the practical. It puts weight behind our words. It demonstrates to the Lord that we mean what we say.

Now passing an offering bag doesn’t have the smoothness of a sly transition. Writing a check or punching an amount into an app doesn’t have the effortless ease of simply closing your eyes. The pang of letting money go when there is already so little to spare is in stark contrast to the pleasure of being swept away by a rich musical arrangement.

But is it possible that more genuine worship is happening in these moments of giving than in most moments of singing?

Worship Remembers

Psalm 105 tells us to “Remember His mighty deeds.”

I was homeschooled throughout my elementary years. As the fifth child, my mom had pretty much worked out her teaching methods by the time I came along. I would ask a question, desperately hoping for just a simple answer. That never happened. She would always reply with something like, “Do you remember what we learned last week?” Or “Write it out for yourself and see if you can find the answer.”

Hearing spoon-fed facts takes little effort. Remembering for ourselves requires more.

On this same Sunday, we received Communion. Communion gives us a special chance to remember. We remember that we were once lost in sin. We remember that God’s wrath was poured out on Christ instead of us.

It’s easy to listen to a worship leader sing, “It was my sin that held Him there…”. It’s a little harder to stop and consider the weight of your sin. Not just the idea of sin itself, but YOUR sin. The specific things that have separated you from God, to repent and receive mercy from the Father.

When this sinks in, reverential awe comes over our soul.

This awe isn’t often manifested in clapping, dancing or shouting. This internal work of the Spirit may not be immediately visible during the service. But it will soon be seen clearly when our lives begin to bear lasting fruit.

A New Measure Of Success

Reading Scripture, receiving an offering and taking Communion can be seen as disruptions. Obstacles impeding our precious “flow.” Bumps in the road that jolt people out of their eyes-closed, hands-raised, sonically induced state of serenity.

It’s a wonderful thing when hands are raised and voices are lifted, but ask yourself: Is this your measure of success?

What about a church family hearing and receiving the Word of God? Or a church family worshiping practically and sacrificially? Or a church family remembering God’s mighty works?

Now that sounds like a successful day to me.

We would like to formally invite you to attend the Calvary Chapel Worship Leaders Conference, November 11-14, 2019, held at the beautiful Murrieta Hot Springs Conference Center.

Come and be refreshed and encouraged in your ministry and calling as we draw near to the Lord with great Bible teaching, intimate worship, and great fellowship with other worship leaders and team members.

In addition, there will be practical workshops to help equip you in your ministry, along with the encouraging fellowship of other worship leaders who serve in the same capacity.

It is our prayer and desire to maintain the simplicity and Spirit-led ministry that has distinctly marked the way that God moves in and through Calvary Chapel. Our heart is to provide sound teaching from the Word of God and effectively bring the idea of worship back to its basic principles, which will readily apply to small and large churches.

– CCWLC Staff (Calvary Creative)

Register Today

Calvary Chapel Worship Leaders Conference | Multiply

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19a).

The call for us to make disciples (ie… students, learners, followers) of all nations “as we are going” or “along the way,” is familiar to most of us who know the Bible and have been walking with the Lord for some years. You have probably heard countless sermons and discussions on the topic as I have. However, I have come to see a few things about discipleship with more clarity in recent years.

The Essential Call of Ministry

At some point in your ministry, you will realize that the most long-term and fruitful investment of your time and energy will come from pouring yourself into others in order that they might grow in their faith and in the giftings God has entrusted to them. However, you might also realize it is one of the harder things we are invited to participate in as followers of Jesus because of the sacrifice involved.

Ministry has always been and always will be about loving, serving, and caring for people. God loves people, of all kinds and all sorts, and He wants us to have the same heart that He has for them. In fact, this was one of the ways I initially discerned God was calling me to more of a full-time, vocational ministry. As I began to see how merciful God had been to me, I wanted others to know the same mercy and experience the same grace.

You might be able to relate. Maybe this is where it all began for you. Maybe that desire is the thing that you center yourself on in both your family and public ministry. Yet it’s easy to lose sight of that.

After some 24 years of vocational ministry, I have definitely found myself in seasons where I have become distracted from that commission. At times, I have become more focused on the craft of ministry (which happens to be music ministry for me) than the people themselves around me daily. Learning and introducing the right songs for our church, growing in my musical skills, getting the right gear, making sure that things sound good as a team, focusing on getting the right mix in our gatherings, planning and scheduling, and aiming for excellence in everything we do can often consume my mind, motivations, and actions. Yet the call of a worship leader is just as much about the ministry we do in leading people to Jesus off the platform as it is about how we lead them to Him on the platform.

To be clear, I do think there is a place for that kind of excellence in ministry, and I have a deeply-held conviction that we should always be growing in our gifts and sharpening our skills—remaining teachable in order that we might always be made more effective in our calling. Being good at what we do gives us a platform to connect with others, and, in turn, to disciple them. Yet the danger is when we spend the majority of our time “being good at what we do” and neglect ministering to people on a personal level.

Over the years, I have heard some use their natural personality or introvert-tendencies as an excuse to focus more on the craft of ministry rather than the people. Yet I don’t think personality differences can excuse us from the commission that Jesus gave to every believer. Ministry is about loving and serving people, and He constantly reminds us of that simple truth through both His words and example. That is our call.

Spiritual Fathers and Mothers

In 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8; 11-12, Paul writes

“But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives because you had become dear to us… as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

He would also say in another letter to the Corinthian believers…

For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:15).

Paul was seeking to make disciples, and he saw himself, ultimately, as a spiritual parent. When you read these verses, you can feel the sacrifice and investment he made in these communities (and many others). He was a spiritual father to many, and there was lasting fruit that came from that investment. If you are a parent, I am sure you can relate to that kind of sacrifice.

In this generation, there is a great need for godly “spiritual fathers and mothers” unlike we have ever seen before. So many people come from broken homes and families, and the need for that kind of spiritual care and investment in their lives is massive. To be clear, you do not need to be older or carry the title of pastor, worship leader, or overseer in order to be a spiritual influence in the lives of others. You simply need to have God’s heart for the people around you and a little faith to believe that God will make you fruitful as you invest in them.

Disciples Making Disciples

If you are a follower of Jesus, then you are His disciple and, thus, qualify to be a disciple-maker! Remember what Jesus told His disciples early on:

“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).

We get to partner with each other in the work of discipleship as we watch God change people’s lives. As Paul says,

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

I thank the Lord for my parents and many others over the years who have invested in my life, believing that God had a purpose for my existence and encouraging me to use my gifts for God’s glory. But not all have had that experience. My prayer is that, by the grace of God, we can be the instruments God uses to convey His heart and carry encouragement and hope directly to others who need it. What a privilege, blessing, and opportunity we have right in front of us every day to invest in others and see them grow into the men and women God has ordained them to be!

It has been my experience that the most fruitful aspects of ministry over the years have come from loving, praying for, and doing life with people. I don’t want to miss those opportunities right in front of me to invest in others and make disciples because I am too consumed with the nuts and bolts of ministry or life. And I don’t think you do either. We want to experience the joy of seeing lasting fruit from our investment as we grow older in the Lord. Let’s keep that commission to make disciples “as we are going” at the forefront of our hearts, minds, and prayer lives. In the end, it’s not so much about the songs we sing or the ministries we lead, but, rather, the people we get to know and invest in.

^{Scott Cunningham will be speaking at the Calvary Chapel Worship Leaders Conference on November 11-14, 2019.}

“Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense…” (Matthew 2:11).

With gold, the magi recognized the “young child” as king. But their worship had only begun. The remaining precious substances presented to Jesus were gathered in resin from short, desert trees, native to the Arabian peninsula.

Frankincense makes a profound statement. This fragrant resin “Boswellia sacra” tree was one of four ingredients blended to make sacred incense used in the Tabernacle, a portable tent version of the future temple in Jerusalem. Think of it as God’s “tiny house.”

Every morning priests would ignite enough incense on a small, three-foot tall altar to allow it smolder for more than 12 hours. In the evening, the process was repeated. Do the simple math. This pleasant fragrance would fill God’s house 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Here’s where this gets personal. The sweet aroma of that incense rising from the altar represented the prayers of God’s people, including yours. King David said, “Let my prayer be set before you as incense, my lifted hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2).

This wonderful fragrance of frankincense was a visible message to God’s people that He is always ready 24/7 to listen to our prayers, and that He loves to hear our voices.

Frankincense speaks of honoring Jesus, not just with the worship of surrender and allegiance due to Him as our king, but also with the worship of prayer and praise offered to Him as the One True God.

May our lives be filled with the sweet aroma of our frankincense, rising to God in song, and the open conversation of prayer, praise and adoration. May our sacrifice of praise never cease.

There is no doubt 2017 will go down as one of the most politically charged years in history. A concerning observation is the number of Christians worried and worked up over politics. It begs the question, whom or what are they worshiping?

As I pondered this issue, the wise men came to mind. Nearly two years had passed since Jesus was born, and Herod the Great was in power. Herod was a political tyrant. He increased taxes. He enforced harsh labor from the Israelites. He issued a decree to have all children under the age of two be put to death.

It was in the midst of this political crisis when the wise men traveled across the continent to Jerusalem. Their only aim: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship” (Matthew 2:2).

The wise men were not kings. They were known as Magi, a combination of wise men and priests likely from Persia.

They had political and religious influence and were figures of some province in their land.

What made the wise men wise? Their elite education, or their humble quest to seek the true King and His star in the East?

How they came to connect the birth of Jesus with the star is a matter of conjecture. Some scholars believe they were responding to a piece of scripture left to them by God’s prophets centuries before. The content of this scripture is unknown. But they were compelled to cross the continent at all costs to worship their King.

The Greek word for worship is proskuneo. It is used 61 times in the New Testament. Among the people of that day, especially Persians, the word described a person who would fall on their knees, forehead to the ground, as an expression of profound reverence.

Such reverence for scripture gave the wise men a spiritual revelation. It appears it was only the wise men who saw the star. Herod didn’t see it. The chief priests and scribes didn’t either. Only the wise men could see and were led to the holy Child.

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:10-11).

Reverence for scripture, spiritual revelation, true worship, there is a correlation here.

Worship is singing praise songs before the pastor speaks. If we think it is merely that, we are entirely wrong.

We don’t know if the wise men entered the house of God singing songs. What’s sure is they fell on their knees and presented their gifts. They came to worship Him, and worship they did.

A great explanation of worship is this: Worship is the art of losing self in the adoration of another. Praise is a part of worship, but worship goes beyond praise alone. Praise is easy. Worship is not. Worship cuts to the heart of who we are. To worship God, we cannot worship selves. We must be willing to be humble before God, to surrender every part of our lives to His control. We adore Him for who He is, not just what He has done. Worship is a lifestyle, not an activity or occasion. “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). This is the explanation from Jesus.

Paul explained worship in this way:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

True worship is when worshipers “present” their bodies and minds to serve God.

The word service in the Greek is latreia and is also translated worship. It is used 21 times in the New Testament, expressing the reverence and adoration of God that leads to serving Him.

Before it appears in Romans 12, the word transform is used three times in the New Testament. Two of these instances are in both accounts of Jesus’ transfiguration. Peter, James and John followed Jesus up to a high mountain where Jesus was transfigured before them. “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as the light” (Matthew 17:2).

The transfiguration of Jesus is an example of what happens to us when we are transformed by God. The process begins within and works from there out. The changes God makes in our hearts and in our souls become visible in our outward selves. The only way to meet the challenges of changing our carnal minds is to truly worship God. For an example of how it’s done, follow the wise men’s lead.

The political problems for 2018 are uncertain. If we choose wisdom’s path -reverence for scripture, spiritual revelation, true worship – God will meet us there. He will transform us into the image of His Son. For peace and all you need, seek and worship Him.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:1).

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world” (Psalm 19:1-4).

What stops you in your tracks? Here’s my short list:

• The sight of a multitude of stars decorating a moonless, cloudless sky.
• The sound of ocean waves crashing or tiny ripples quietly lapping the shore of a nearly still lake.
• The fragrance of a citrus grove in full blossom.
• The majesty of Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, the mighty Mississippi or the California coast through Big Sur.
• The song of a lonely night bird.
• The sunset and sunrise on just about any given day.

All of these beg me to linger for at least a moment before I turn back to whatever I was doing before the glorious interruption. They all still make me breathe out an audible “WOW!” as well as a “Thank You!”

I am convinced that is exactly what God expected our response would be when we discover the degrees and depths of the beauty He packed into every millimeter of His universe, an expanse we’ve only just begun to explore. All of this stunning beauty was intended to capture our attention and fill our hearts with wonder and our senses with pleasure.

But consider this. In Romans 1:18-20 Paul makes it clear that before God put His finger to the stone tablets given to Moses, He had already written a very articulate “text message” in creation. The two stone pages Moses delivered to Israel carried 10 basic instructions to frame our relationship with Him and one another. But God’s first book, “written in the heavens,” is written, not in words, but in wonders and covers the sum total of all that surrounds us in the physical and visible universe, a universe that unfolds further than we can see or measure.

In science textbooks, this creation has been renamed “nature.” That’s not necessarily a bad move, as long as we understand that the nature behind nature is the nature of God Himself.

God reveals Himself through all He’s made.

There is something profound in the message of God’s “first textbook,” a book written in the heavens above us and the earth beneath our feet.

How is it then, that so many who are captured by and revel in the exquisite beauty of nature seem to miss the accompanying glory of the loving God who created it all to sustain us and delight us?

God’s glory is reflected in the beauty that stops us in our tracks. His power is seen in the forces of “nature.” His tenderness is revealed in the delicate and fragile beauty of a mountain or meadow filled with wild flowers, chattering animals, giggling streams and hosts of other marvelous critters. His power and even fury (a topic for another time) is seen in a frightening thunderstorm or erupting volcano. His genius is evident in the astonishing complexity of the very 12 or so systems that work together to keep each of us alive and interacting with one another.

And may we never forget this: All that beauty would have literally fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes if God had not also designed us with a bundle of senses that make us aware of both the beauty in front of us and the glory behind that which has captured our attention. Those five basic senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste are meant to remind us of the Giver, God, the Maker of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1).

Perhaps it all really does come down to one simple observation.

Is it possible that God’s extravagance in creation was meant to simply capture our attention, so He could capture our hearts?

After all, doesn’t it seem like He went overboard in His explosion of creativity? Like an artist painting a masterpiece to capture the attention of a love interest, or the bashful boy who knocks on the door with a fist full of flowers. That simple, beautiful gift is a mere gesture of the heart and intent of the Giver.

So the next time you are stopped in your tracks, as your senses engage and you stand breathless before the beauty of creation, take time to ponder the glory of God behind the beauty of nature, and perhaps add a “Thank You!” to your “Wow!” and surrender more deeply to the One who has “richly given us all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

Pastor Ray Bentley will be speaking at the 2017 CCCM Pastors & Leaders Conference, happening June 26-29!

Do we know what worship means and does? Singing in church with fellow believers, raising your hands and feeling emotionally moved by the power of the music is just the beginning. Sometimes, we worship because we are in church and, well, it’s what you do – it’s the right thing. Maybe we worship out of habit, and there is nothing wrong with having such a worthwhile habit, unless that is where it ends.

Worship is more than a weekend church activity.Worshiping the Almighty by an individual or a gathering can shift the atmosphere and dramatically change the environment in which we live. We can worship through our expression of praise and with our actions.

I’m not sure we understand the power of worship to change our surroundings.

The story of Joshua and Jericho is more than a story of walls tumbling down and military victory. It is a powerful example of what worship can accomplish.

The story actually starts with worship. Joshua chapter five says that as Joshua prayed and prepared to enter into the Promised Land, a “Man stood opposite him with a sword drawn” and identifies Himself as the commander of the Lord’s army. As Joshua “fell on his face and worshiped,” the Man did not stop him but told him to take off his sandals, “for you are on holy ground.” A clear parallel to what Moses experienced when he faced the presence of God in the burning bush.

Jericho was sealed; the people inside were afraid of the Israelites and hoping to resist. But the Lord told Joshua the outcome of this battle right from the beginning: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand.” No details, just believe Me; you will win. All that matters is the confidence to obey the Lord and know what He promised, and that He will get it done just as He always has:

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:10).

Military strategy doesn’t matter. The victory is already promised! God gave Joshua some unusual instructions, certainly not the typical military strategy for conquering a walled city under siege. The plan was for the Israelites to march around the city once every day with seven priests blowing seven ram’s horn trumpets in front of the Ark, which symbolized God’s presence. On the seventh day, they were to march around seven times, followed by a long blast on the horn, and the shouts of the people in one mighty, united voice!

I know this is the stuff of Sunday School stories, but think about it. What kind of military operation is that? No siege, no weapons. But a promise from God, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you.” That was God’s first clue.

The promises of God remain theoretical until we appropriate them and take those steps of faith to walk the ground He put before us.

They were to literally put the soles of their feet on the ground and claim His promise. We know the end of this familiar story. They marched and on the seventh day shouted to the Lord and the “walls came tumbling down,” as the old spiritual says.

But what was really going on was worship. Joshua obeyed God’s order as act of worship. That marching in silence for seven days must have unnerved Jericho’s residents. They could feel the ground trembling, hearing only the steady beat of footsteps. That final seven times around built the suspense, followed by the loudest shout you can imagine.

I had the thrill of going to the Rose Bowl one year, which seats 100,000 people. The sound of cheering during that game was like sitting in front of a jet plane – deafening to the core of your body. The Hebrew word for shout is ruwa, meaning, “to break, to split the ears (with sound), shout for alarm or joy.” Imagine two million people shouting, splitting the atmosphere and unleashing the supernatural into the natural world. The army of mighty angels and God’s presence were unleashed by shouts of faith, an ultimate act of worship. That is what worship does.

Worship shifts the atmosphere and releases the manifest presence of God.

We need to understand that Jericho was not a town of nice, normal people. No, it was host to a demonic realm of evil and suffering, human sacrifice and torture. A demonic stronghold. Something we cannot ignore. We forget sometimes that we are engaged in real spiritual warfare.

Jericho represents the strongholds in our lives. Hurts, addictions, anxieties, fears, marriage problems, family issues—everything the enemy uses to prevent you from walking in faith, to stop you from receiving the inheritance God has for you as His son or daughter. When you accept the devil’s lies, you enter into an agreement with him that you are not worthy of God’s love, forgiveness and blessings.

Why does God allow this? It is because He wants us to mature. How does a muscle get stronger? Resistance. God wants us to be able to stand strong against the enemy’s attacks and to walk with confidence in healing and faith. How? Begin by worship. Take God’s hand and let Him lead you deeper into faith, into understanding that you can be free of strongholds that hold you back.

Call upon Him and worship Him for who He is, and how much He loves you. Worship is an expression of faith. Obedience exercises our faith. By worship we shift the atmosphere as we come into agreement with what God has declared, and change the darkness, oppression and battle fatigue into victory and triumph! “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down” (Hebrews 11:30).

When you think of a worship service, what sort of things come to your mind? Some think of music styles, choirs, lighting, formality, informality, and the list goes on and on. The diversity of approaches to a worship service are so sharp at some points, it has spawned what has been termed the “worship wars” as complaints and criticisms are given back and forth between differing views of what a proper worship service looks like. I want to make it clear that I am not seeking to address the entire subject of worship here. Worship is what man is made for, and it involves the totality of his life, not just an hour and a half, one day a week. Yet since we are told not to forsake the assembling of ourselves, (Hebrews 10:25) it is clear that corporate worship is necessary for true Christianity.

My aim in this post is to simply ask about the essence of corporate worship, what is it in it’s essence, and then address how that should shape our view of what we are doing when we gather together for corporate worship. I firmly believe that understanding the nature of corporate worship will inform and influence the way in which we approach our services and may even speak to the structures that we employ.

Christian worship is participation in the life of the Trinity

It was around two years ago as several other people and I would gather to pray during the week for our service on Sunday that this was deeply impressed upon me. During this time we would ask God to move in our midst, bring a sense of freshness and joy, and meet us in meaningful ways. In one of those meetings, it dawned on me in a fresh way that if we cannot serve God in our own strength, we cannot worship in our own strength. We needed God’s Spirit to enable us, empower us and infuse us with His own passion for God. We were not simply coming to God or giving Him permission to enter our building for a few hours, but we were desperate people who needed God to help us.
I took to heart that when we worship, it is the Spirit moving in us, causing us to respond to God in His strength. The Spirit influences and informs our words and awakens our affections to the glory and beauty of God, filling us with gratitude for His extravagant love in Christ.

When we worship together, we are on a corporate level participating in the life of the Trinity through the redemptive work of the incarnate Son.

God accepts our worship in Jesus, and the Spirit applies His life to us and empowers us.

We are simply experiencing the life of the Trinity through Christ the God-Man. I will expand on this later, but let me say here that our worship is a participation in the Son’s worship of the Father. We join Jesus in His adoration and affection for His Father as brothers and sisters whom He is bringing to God.

The reason it is important to recover a Trinitarian view of worship is because worship takes the shape of its object.¹ If we worship the Trinity, this should inform and influence the way we conduct our services, so that our worship takes the form of the Trinity.² While we spin our wheels thinking of programmatic ways to make people feel comfortable (which is very important) and think of philosophies and methods and environment, we cannot neglect substance. We must understand the essence of what is happening and seek to apply that to how we approach our corporate worship services. I am not saying there is a silver bullet, but I wonder if we are beginning on the user end, treating the parishioner as a client to be pleased rather then starting from the foundational concepts of what is really going on.

In my next post, I will unpack the concept of Trinitarian worship further and offer what I hope to be helpful ideas about how we view and perhaps even structure our services.

¹Boswell, Matt (2013-12-01). Doxology and Theology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader (p. 60). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
²Ibid, pp. 60-61

Have you ever been in love? Have you experienced compelling, intense, strong feelings or emotions for someone? Have you yearned to spend time with someone because it felt so good to be in his/her presence?

Have you ever dreamt about spending the rest of your life with him/her? Have you ever eagerly anticipated reading a love note and wondered, what will he/she say?

I am passionately in love with my wife. I love to spend time with her. Being with her feels great to me. The twenty-five years that we’ve been married have been the best years of my life. And I don’t want to imagine life without her. My wife assures me that she loves me too, but she has also confessed that there is another man in her life. She has no shame about it either. Furthermore, on more than one occasion, she has let me know that her feelings for Him are stronger than for me. Although the first time she told me I was upset, I’ve now come to accept that this is how it should be. It’s not that we have some forward-thinking marriage; it is because we have an upward-thinking marriage. The man is Jesus. Jesus is the master passion of a disciple’s life.

Jesus wrote a love note to the church at Ephesus [Rev. 2:1-7]. It was delivered through the Apostle John about thirty years after Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians. It is a love note from a Man who appreciates the one He loves and offers abundant praise for her many good traits and behaviors. But He also confronts to the one He loves that she has drifted from Him. He wants her back because she is loved, and He urges her to return to her first love, because she needs Him, whether she realizes it or not. In essence, Jesus commends, corrects, and offers a cure.

The commendation

Jesus praises the church in verses 2-3, “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.” The church was commended for good works, steadfast faith, and sound doctrine. First, it is wonderful and encouraging to know that Jesus is aware of all that we do for Him. Second, the commendation is impressive. Any church that does good works to advance the kingdom, patiently endures through steadfast faith, and is known for doctrinal integrity is deserving of an accolade or two. What were the conditions that created such a praiseworthy assembly? We can attribute the health of the church to the legacy of great leaders connected to the church at Ephesus: Paul, Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos, Timothy, and the Apostle John. Undoubtedly, the church’s passion to make disciples, develop leaders, and reach their world for Jesus influenced the commendation.

But I believe the clue that reveals the key to their commendation is found in the correction …

The correction

Jesus corrects them in verse 4, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” First, I believe this is the clue that reveals why this church was praiseworthy. Because they loved Christ supremely, they passionately sought to advance His kingdom and remained steadfast during adversity. The love for Christ was kindled by the sound doctrine they received. And they sought to live (apply) the solid teaching, because they loved Christ supremely. Yet, the church was corrected for drifting from Jesus, “You have left your first love.” First, love speaks to priority not chronology. They had made Christ their master passion, but over the course of time, other passions, unbridled objects of affection, had crept in. At first, the seemingly innocent flirtations of these other affections appeared harmless enough. There was still so much to commend about this sure union. But then the love letter is delivered, and we are gently confronted by the One who has loved us supremely. The One who not only knows our good works, but also knows our hearts better than we know our own. And unless we have become completely callous to this One whose love has been so compelling towards us, we are convicted if He delivers this letter to us.

Nevertheless the words not only bring conviction, but they bring comfort, even before we consider the cure. These words bring comfort to every disciple, because they confirm that there was a time when Jesus was the master passion of their life. It reveals that they are loved, and even though they have drifted, the One they have loved continues to love them supremely, and He wants them back. I am yearning to come back, and when I wonder how, I discover that He has made the way.

The cure

Jesus reveals the cure in verse 5, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works …” First, we are called to remember from where we have fallen. In essence, reflect upon a time in your life when you were supremely in love with Christ. What did it look like? Remember your passion for Bible learning. Recall how you read the Scriptures like you were reading a love letter from God and hanging on every word.

Reflect upon your prayer life, worship, sharing your faith, service, giving, and relationships with other believers. Second, we are called to repent. I need to change my thinking about God, my drifting from Jesus, and the reality of allowing other affections to obscure the One I’m committed to truly love. Then third, return and do the first works. When we return and do the first works, there is the depth of mature love. A passion that is distinct from the zeal of young love. A supreme love is that which has been nurtured through seasons of testing, discovery, and realization that no other love satisfies, like being supremely in love with Jesus.

Lifework

1. Describe a time in your life when you were supremely in love with Jesus.

2. Reflect upon your current situation. Have other affections obscured your love for Jesus? What might they be?

3. If Jesus is currently your supreme love: Rejoice. If Jesus is not your current supreme love, consider what changes you will make to return to Jesus.

Criticism can be hard to swallow. Regarding criticism, it has been said, “Your friends have everything to lose, and your enemies have nothing to lose”. In other words, listening to criticism can be a helpful thing, if the criticism is true and accurate. Your friends take the risk of you getting angry at them, so they take a chance in sharing a criticism with you. Your enemies don’t care if you like what they say or not, so they can be blunt. In either scenario, there may be things to learn.

But I think I have a better idea than listening to critics, and it is this: Critique yourself. Examine yourself. There is Biblical precedent for it.

The Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth, “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged”. (1 Corinthians 11:31)

The church at Corinth was mishandling the Lord’s Supper, and God had judged some of them. That was the immediate context of the passage, but there is an application that can be extracted from that verse. We ought to judge ourselves in regards to how well we are doing as worship leaders.

I’d rather be an honest critic of myself, than be surprised by the words of another. It just makes sense to me that worship leaders ought to examine how they are doing regarding the ministry that God has given them.

Here is what I suggest:

Listen to yourself. I regularly listen to the recorded worship sessions from our church. I am often disappointed in my playing and singing, but I am able to identify mistakes that I regularly make, and have an awareness of what needs to be worked on. There might be a certain note that is consistently off pitch. Maybe a phrase could be sung better. Sometimes during the worship leading, I am ‘really feeling it”, and it seems to be “right”, until listen back to the recording, and discovering that I rushed the song, or played it too slowly. Listening to myself has helped me identify problematic areas of my playing, singing, and leading.

Sometimes the recording off the soundboard may not be a good representation of what the church is hearing. I suggest that the serious worship leader use some kind of recording device to record the sound of the room. The Zoom H1 digital recorder can be purchased for about $125, and gives the worship leader a clear representation of what the worship experience sounds like. It is a great investment for the serious worship leader. Older models can be found for $60-75 on Craigslist or eBay.

Better than listening to yourself, is watching yourself. The congregation watches us for at least part of the time. What they see can affect them positively or negatively. We all have funny idiosyncrasies. We might have poor posture, and that makes us look lazy. Some people have distracting facial expressions when they play or sing. I regularly watch myself both play and preach. We are fortunate to have a good video system, so I see “every little thing”.

Have a friend video record you with their iPhone. Set up an inexpensive video camera, and have the band examine itself. I would rather discover visual distractions and correct them, than to force the congregation to endure them until I figure them out.

Worship leading is a platform ministry. We are in front of people. How you stand, sing, play makes a difference. Some clothes may not be flattering to you, and might be a distraction. Certainly, modesty in dress should be practiced. We look in the mirror before we leave the house. I think it is a good idea to “look in the mirror” regarding our worship leading.

So Mr./Mrs./Miss Worship Leader….critique yourself. Listen, watch, and make adjustments as needed. Your church will appreciate it, and the worship experience will be enhanced.

There are those who lead songs at church, and those who lead worship. There is a huge difference. Leading worship songs is something that somebody does. Being a worship leader is something that someone is.

Familiarity With Worship Music
Worship leaders listen to worship music. They listen to a lot of it. They learn songs, and can sing or play many songs from memory. At the very least, there is a familiarity with many songs. They understand different styles of worship music, and though they may not be able to play all those styles, they know how a style of music ought to sound.

Knowing a lot of music allows the worship leader to be spontaneous during a worship gathering. He/she might include a song that wasn’t planned for, but is perfect for the moment. Sometimes a worship leader will think of a song that would be perfect for the moment, but cannot play it for lack of familiarity with that song. That is a lost opportunity. Worship leaders need to listen to a lot of worship music. They need to have a big repertoire. They need to be able to play dozens of songs by memory.

Music charts should be there as a reference, not as a lifeline. The worship leader ought to be able to play most of his/her songs by memory, which allows for freedom of expression as opposed to a desperate dependence on the written music. When the worship leader is struggling with a song because of lack of familiarity, the congregation feels it. Know the music, and practice it frequently.

A preacher needs to be able to spontaneously quote any number of scripture passages as the Spirit leads. The same is true for a worship leader. He/she needs to be able to bring up a song as the Spirit leads. The band needs to be able to follow.

Proficiency With Their Instrument
Worship leaders need to be proficient with their instruments. This includes vocalists as well. That means practice, practice, practice. The idea of practice is an interesting topic. One would think that a worship leader would love to sit at home and either play or sing. Such is not always the case.

Some worship leaders rarely touch their instruments at home, and pick them up only for a rehearsal or a worship gathering. God can and does use the person that doesn’t play well, but I believe that the worship experience is enriched when the leader sings and plays well.

A song sung out of tune, or with awkward lyrical phrasing makes singing more difficult for the congregation. An instrumentalist that doesn’t play with steady time, or can’t play needed chords also limits or hinders the worship experience for the listener.

An instrumentalist who hesitates to play a certain chord, or plays inconsistently because of poor technique, will hinder the musical and spiritual flow of worship. The congregation consciously or unconsciously picks up on such hesitations. They cannot flow freely with the song, because the person called to lead them is fumbling or stumbling to play the music. Again, it is that mysterious but very real “X-factor”, that makes the difference between “getting through” a song as opposed to being an embellishment and a transparent vehicle used to deliver a song. It is like the difference between a machine and a person doing the same task. The machine may awkwardly get it done, but a person does it with feeling, flow, and an artistic touch.

Musicians and singers who are proficient with their instrument and/or voice embellish and make beautiful a song of worship which is pleasing to the ears and easy to sing to. Unpracticed singers and instrumentalists end up being a distraction at worst, and a modicum of blessing at best.

In teaching the Corinthians about the gift of tongues and the need for interpretation, the Apostle Paul uses musical instruments as an illustration that clarity is needed when one hears something. When the musical sound isn’t understood because of lack of clarity, the correct response is difficult.

1 Corinthians 14:7, 8 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? 8For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?

The aspiring worship leader ought not avoid leading worship as their talents and abilities are being developed, but lots of practice ought to be a regular part of their lifestyle. Beginners should not forever sound like beginners.

Psalm 33:3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

Ensemble Performances: Listen, Listen, Listen
Having studied music at the college level, one of the things that was constantly re-enforced in ensemble playing was the importance of listening to the entire group AS you played/sang your part. How can I know how I fit into a worship team, if I am not listening to the others musicians/singers? Every person on the team ought to be able to sing back what every other musician is singing or playing. The bass player needs to know not just what the drummer is doing, but what the backup singers are singing. And so it goes with each member of the worship team. Ensemble playing requires paying attention to the entire group, not just to what you are doing.

In an amplified setting, this means proper amp adjustments, so that the stage volume is manageable for all. Good communication with the soundman is essential. If you can’t hear yourself or the team members, TELL THE SOUNDMAN! That is what they are there for, to help you hear well and sound good.

I believe that the ideal situation for a worship leader is that he/she tells the team, “Follow me”. Some pre-determined arrangements can be worked out, but much happens spontaneously during a worship experience. That requires that people pay more attention to the worship leader than to themselves or their music. Stand where you can see the worship leader, watch for body language, visible cues of songs, starting, slowing down, breaks, or stopping. Be a team player by paying attention with your eyes and ears.

This listening approach is a non-negotiable for jazz musicians, who often use the chart as a starting point, but then play off of one another as they listen to one another. Much of the same is true in the worship team experience. Listen, listen and listen some more to what your team members are playing and singing.

1. Know the music well, and memorize songs.
2. Practice a lot. Sing and play skillfully to the Lord.
3. As a worship team member, “have ears to hear”.