Posts tagged Worship

Last week on Thursday, I wrote how I feel that Character is the single most important part of a worship leader. I mentioned 7 characteristics and today I wanted to talk a little bit more about one of them: Humility. 

Of the seven traits that I mentioned last week, (click here to review) I think Humility is maybe one of the most important. However, I could probably make that case for each of them, but this week it’s Humility. ;) Anyway, let me break down why I believe humility to be so important. According to James 4, 

Scripture says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

- James 4:6 (NIV)

First, the obvious, how can you worship God in any state that God would oppose? To give worship to God in a way that He would oppose would be counter-productive as it would be a waste of time. Secondly, why would you even want to worship God if you knew that He would be ignoring you? There are much easier ways to personal fame and fortune than leading worship, so it makes little sense to attempt to lead people to God in opposition to Him. And third, if you really desire to see people experience God’s presence and blessing through worship, then shouldn’t we make it all about God? And if  you are making it all about God, how can you have room for pride?

Pride not only gets in the way of a corporate connection to God, but it also stands in the way of our personal connections to God. We need to be fresh and full of God’s Spirit so that we have something to give to those around us. We need to be overfull of the Spirit so that we can pour it out as a blessing on others. If we are letting pride stop up the flow of God’s Spirit, our ministry will dry up like an Arizona wash in July. :) Remaining humble before the LORD is what keeps us in the right mindset to avoid sin, and to be sensitive to His voice so we can speak what He wants when He wants us to.

I am convinced that the single most important ingredient in a great worship leader is not their vocal ability, or their musical ability, but it is their character. In our society and culture we focus so much on the externals that we often times think the people in our churches need to resemble great public figures. Either, speakers, or rock musicians, or whatever. However, from my reading of scripture, especially studying King David (the scripture’s authority on worship, imo) I find time and time again that God really does not value externals nearly as much as internals. Yet, as people we often find ourselves looking at what a person does, or sounds like, or looks like without valuing what God values.

So what is the point, really? I believe that as worship leaders, we need to make sure that we have our priorities straight. To really worship God, we must treasure what God treasures, and work towards His goals, so it only makes sense to prioritize character. How do we lead our teams, and our people to grow in Christ-likeness? How do we focus ourselves on becoming men and women after God’s own heart? My good friend Austin Ryan suggests we focus on seven pillars, or attributes and I think he’s right:

(I took some creative liberty and re-arranged them a little bit.)

1. Authenticity: Are we really the people we are? Is the image we are presenting on stage really who we are the rest of the week? Are we truly in love with God, or are we paying lip-service to Him?
2. Humility: Are we puffing ourselves up? Are we leading as the world does? Or are we serving like Jesus did? When’s the last time you put your team’s needs and desires above your own? When is the last time you truly served out of a love for your people and not for your own glory?
3. Unity: How can we show the world the love of God if we do not love each other? It is by working together toward the goal that we are able to bring people to the presence of God.
4. Creativity: Our God created the heavens and the earth. Everything from the smallest microbe to the largest star. Including flowers, and animals, and humans, this world is filled with creativity. How do we find new ways to worship God with a similar creative passion to what He used to create us?
5. Evangelism: We cannot serve the Lord and continually disobey the great commission to go and teach all everything that Christ has shown us. God’s heart for the nations must be present in all we do.
6. Excellence: We must do everything that we do unto the glory of God. This is simply a matter of doing the best we can with what we have.
7. Party: We have an amazing job to serve the God of the universe, and using our gifts for God should produce in us an overflowing joy. We need to have a good time doing what we do.

So, these seven words represent seven ways that we need to grow and mature as leaders. I think these need to be the priorities as we work to develop worshippers in both Spirit and Truth.

For more about Austin Ryan and his awesome ministry, check out www.worshipcatalyst.com and his Worship Leader Essentials training materials.

I like to post my dreams and grandiose thoughts on Mondays. Maybe it’s because, like I posted two weeks ago, Mondays are just good days for thinking about life and big things, or, maybe it’s because after weekends with the family and some downtime I come back ready and hungry for ministry. Whatever the reason, I like dreaming. One of the biggest dreams that I have ever had has to do with worship, and I first had it when I used to prayer walk around Sun Devil stadium at Arizona State University (ASU) when I lived in on-campus apartments for my two junior years. 

I know that there are at least 300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand!!) college students who live, work and study in the Phoenix Metro Area.* I knew for a fact when I was a student at ASU there were nearly 50,000 students at the ASU Tempe campus alone. I also knew that Sun Devil stadium could seat roughly 45,000 people. One evening as I prayer-walked around that stadium I had a vision of 45,000 students all gathered together in that stadium collectively worshipping God. I asked God to make that dream come true, and ever since then, that dream has been on my heart.

It may seem absurd, or ridiculous, or un-necessary, or whatever some people may think or object to, but the idea of 45,000 college students all gathering together to worship God not a pipe-dream vision of a utopian future, but for me, it’s a glimmer of what could actually be possible. I have a rock-solid conviction that my God is the same God who parted the Red Sea, the same God who hardened and broke Pharaoh’s heart, the same God who raised Himself from the dead, the same God who brought thousands and thousands of people to faith in days after Pentecost. I don’t just believe, I know that the Holy Spirit who lives in me and you is the same Holy Spirit who brought this very world into being. The God whose words made the day and night, the dark and the light is the same God who is working here and now to see HIS vision accomplished.

Now, I don’t know if it is actually God’s desire to fill a college football stadium with people singing to Him. But to me, the idea that there could be enough college students awake and alive with the passion and conviction of the Holy Spirit to fill a football stadium gives me shivers. Imagine what 50,000 transformed college students could do to change the world? Imagine those students not just excited about gathering to sing to God, but excited about going out and being Jesus with skin on? Imagine the life change and fresh wind of spiritual revival and renewal God could bring to this city, this state, this world! Now, if I can imagine that (which I can) and if I can dream that, then for God to be able to truly do things that are bigger than my imagination or larger than my dreams, God would have to do something huge! I don’t care if my little skimpy vision of 50,000+ college students all worshipping God in one place ever comes true or not, but I know that I want to be a part of whatever God has planned, and I want to see God move in huge ways, and I believe He is willing and able, and all I need to do is be faithful and obedient. Will you join me?

*That number only really includes the full ASU and Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) enrollment numbers. Considering there are a variety of smaller private colleges and universities and trade schools here I would assume that number is probably quite a bit larger. But since ASU and MCCCD openly publish their enrollment numbers, we use 300,000 as a ball park figure.