One of the topics I love teaching on the most is the biblical definition of worship. Understanding that worship is Love Expressed helps us realign our focus as worship leaders and musicians. Sometimes we can lose sight of this and worship becomes something is was never intended to be.
I want to dive in a little deeper from a carousel that I posted on Instagram last week on "What Worship is NOT" and hopefully help you spot unhealthy perspectives in your team and maybe even in your own life.
Worship is NOT a Check Box
Too many times we can simply worship out of routine. Whether we are serving on a team or just attending church, we can worship because “it’s what Christians do" or “it’s expected of us”.
It becomes something that we check off our mental "to do" list because it "feels" good.
But if we worship out of duty or routine, then it’s just empty religion and we are going through the motions.
Our worship should be the fruit of an authentic relationship with Jesus. It flows out of our love for Him and Him only.
Worship is NOT a Gig
This is more of a mindset. When the word “gig” is used, it likens worship to that of a concert, performance, or paid opportunity instead of what it was truly intended for.
The word actually cheapens the spiritual weight and responsibility that comes with stewarding the atmosphere and leading holy moments.
Worship to God should have honor and respect attached to it because we are connecting people to the presence of God. The King of Kings is in the room where we are leading and He is moving and speaking.
Pay attention if this word is used among your team or people interested in joining. There may need to be a conversation about the heart and vision behind worship.
Worship is NOT a stage to showcase our talent
Worship should never be about performance, but only about His presence. Jesus is the reason we gather together and the focus should be on Him.
The platform is to be a place that is free of pride and selfish ambition. Even though this isn’t always the case, it should be the desire of every person who is involved in worship ministry.
We can have the greatest voice in the world or be the most talented musician who can do all the licks and all the runs, but if we can’t surrender that talent for the unity of the team and vision of the house, then we become a worship distraction instead of a worship leader.
Our attention needs to be on the Giver of the gift, not the gift itself.
Worship is NOT filler music before the message
I've heard many people refer to worship as the "prelude to the Word or message". This happens when people either don’t know how to connect with God through musical expression or their perception is that the Word of God in a corporate setting is only the "spoken message from the Pastor".
But actually, the songs we sing and what we declare over people are the WORD of God!! It’s the Word and Prayers with MUSIC on it.
As worship leaders and musicians, we can become frustrated due to people walking in late, talking during worship, or even just being disengaged and not responding. This can also cause us to view worship as less important than the sermon.
I want to encourage you to not let their response, or lack of, change your intentionality and focus. Lean in to God and His voice in those moments and lead with purpose.
Worship is NOT an opportunity for our own songs or music to be heard
Let's be honest, if you're a songwriter, there is some fulfillment in hearing a congregation sing out a song that you had a part in creating. So I’m in no way coming down on songwriters, because I am one myself.
I believe that many songs have been Holy Spirit inspired and it is beautiful to see when worship teams and musicians write songs that come from within their church and the lyrics come from what God is speaking in that place.
However, we have a real enemy who wants nothing more than to twist and corrupt something beautiful to get our eyes off of Christ and on to recognition or acknowledgement.
We need to remind ourselves to humbly lay our songs at His feet and let God take them where they need to go. Otherwise we can strive and force them into places and spaces where they shouldn’t be.
If God tells you to include your song in the song list, and you are empowered to do so by your leadership, then go for it!
Just be aware of the trap of self-promotion when it comes to worship to our God. The lines can get blurred and worship becomes commercialized instead of pure and untainted.
Worship is NOT about our feelings or preferences
Love is not a feeling! If our worship is an expression of love to God, then it shouldn’t be based on how we feel.
The Lord welcomes us into His presence in whatever posture we find ourselves. The Bible says, “Come unto Him, all you who are heavy-laden and He will give you rest" and "Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you."
So it doesn’t mean we can’t have emotions in worship, but we shouldn’t let them dictate how, why, or IF we worship.
God never changes. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever…so our worship shouldn’t be based on how we feel that day.
When we think worship has to be centered around how we feel or what we want or prefer, then once again, we’ve missed it.
Worship is not about us, but it’s about pouring out our love and praise to the One who loves us unconditionally.
Once you really know what TRUE WORSHIP is, it is easier to spot what worship is NOT.
And sometimes when you’ve been a part of worship ministry for a while, it’s human nature to let circumstances and feelings cause us to forget WHO we are doing it for.
Feelings like...burnout, comparison, insecurity, frustration, and many others.
Have you dealt with any of these perceptions of worship personally or on your team? If so, how did you realign the focus back to true worship? I’d love to hear about it, so reply back and let's talk!
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