This is amazing. I choose to carry a 9 iron cavity back around with me at all times, but guns are great too…
Worship Pastors who Pack Heat
7 07 2009Comments : 1 Comment »
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The Focus of a Worship Leader
29 06 2009The Focus of a Worship Leader
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
If you were to describe what a worship leader does, what would you say? The person who leads the band, or the singing in a church? Maybe the guy in your church who knows how to play guitar and sing at the same time? Or would it be something else – something altogether different?
When I begin thinking about leading worship, my initial thoughts far too often stop with music. Given, what I do as a worship leader is primarily conducted through the medium of music. However, the danger here is that we let our understanding of leading worship simply end with songs. Songs are not the target of worship – it’s more of Jesus. Music is not the goal of worship – it’s encountering God.
In leading worship, we are not simply singing songs. We are calling people to the grandeur and majesty of God. In the context of corporate worship, we are moving our attention and affections off of ourselves and onto God. We’re inviting people to “taste and see that the Lord is good” Psalm 34:8. Music is one tool in our hand. Songs, media, responsive readings, projectors, lighting scenes – all of these are simple tools to aid in what it is really going on. What we are building in the blueprint of a worship service is space for the people of God to come together to bring adoration, open the scriptures, confess and repent of sin, be mutually encouraged by other believers, break the bread of Christ, and to meet with God.
The role of a worship leader is to engage the hearts of people and point them to Jesus. We are the ones called to pastor and lead our church in responding to the power of the Gospel of Christ, and his redemptive work on the cross. We are to center the content of our worship on the character and attributes of God. If we realize what we are doing is something far greater than the singing of songs, we will lead worship with a new sense of power and authority. We can then release the need to continually obsess about our image, or how perfect the band sounds, or if everyone looks as presentable if we would prefer. In the light of Christ, lesser things become shadows.
Our people don’t need the coolest new songs, or their worship leader to look like a rock star. They need pastors who serve the church by leading them to worship God. They need servant shepherds who make their ultimate priority knowing God and leading the church to experience Him. This is not a call toward sensationalism or mental assent. God is not an emotion to be felt, or a thought to be ascribed to: He is a Spirit to be known. As worshippers, our goal is to know God.
My challenge for us who lead in worship is to fight against the things that seem so central to worship – and refocus our hearts on the encountering the living God. I stand guilty far too often of missing the target of my worship. My hope is that as we continue to grow Jesus will remain the blazing center of how we lead our churches.
Reflections:
How much time to you spend preparing the logistics of a worship service vs. how much time you spend preparing your heart?
In what ways do you clearly communicate (by teaching and example) to your people and team the heart of worship?
Outside of song selection how can you intentionally pastor your church in worship this week?
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Encountering the Living God – Revelation and Response Part 3
26 05 2009John
God reveals himself to John the apostle in a vision similar to the one recorded in the book of Isaiah. John had been the “the one Jesus loved” during Jesus’ earthly ministry. He had walked in close friendship with Christ. At the time of this vision, John is an older man, nearing the end of his life. The book of Revelation is his account of a vision God entrusted to him. We find John on the island of Patmos, who had been exiled “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus”. (Rev 1:9) This is where we find John as he is given a vision of heaven.
Revelation 1:12-17
12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man,clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
As the book continues we are given clear indication John is describing Jesus. However, this Jesus is much different that his friend Jesus who had walked with John in close fellowship. In this account Jesus has been glorified, and seated on his throne. The account is clear to depict that this man who had been an intimate friend of the Christ, was absolutely overwhelmed by the glorified Christ he now beheld.
Conclusion
In these encounters we find that God is the one who initiates relationship and revelation to man. Any revelation we have comes through his grace of wanting to communicate to humanity. Man does not seek God, God seeks us. In seeking us, He has communicated his nature, his attributes, his character, his desires, and his requirements for mankind.
Our cursory survey of these texts should lead us to one clear outcome: God has revealed himself to us, and continues to initiate encounters with us.
Application for Corporate Worship
So, as worship leaders, how do these three encounters impact how we lead worship? The first thing to note is that these texts are descriptive texts. They inform us of an event that has happened. They are intended for our edification, but are a historical account of God revealing himself. These texts are not prescriptive texts for proposed liturgy. Nor are they inferring we are in need of dramatic phenomena in order to encounter the true and living God. They do not prescribe that we turn to chaotic methods in hopes to conjure up a strange experience.
What these texts do communicate to us is that God is a Holy God. He is to be feared and adored. His is all powerful and an all consuming fire. In every liturgy we have the opportunity to point people to the truths of God. We have the joy of reminding people of his infinite greatness. We have the commission to point them to the grandeur of the Gospel.
We meet to to renew our awe and wonder of the splendor of our God. If we are calling our people to less than that, we are missing the mark. A worship leader calls the minds and affections of people to remember and respond to who God is and what he has done.
As we lead, may we do so with a continued sense of awe and wonder – in order to lead our people in meaningful, impacting encounters with the true and living God.
(to be continued)
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Categories : Worship Team Devotionals, worship
Encountering God – Revelation and Response Part 2
11 05 2009
In his grace and sovereignty, God chose to reveal himself to Isaiah. The account with Isaiah mirrors God’s revelation to Moses in some ways, and in others is unique. While God’s meeting with Moses was a physical manifestation (Christophony/Theophony), this particular experience is a vision God gives to the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 6:1-4
1In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost. (ESV)
Don’t skip through this text. There is weight and wonder drenching every verse. The vision communicated in the text should automatically bring renewed awe and wonder
to our thirsty hearts. We find here a rare and precise record of a heavenly vision. This a description of the Lord exalted and enthroned in praise. We are given a description of created beings called seraphs that are continually in the presence of God. One interesting observation is to note that even beings that were created for the sole purpose of continual praise are neither able to look in the face of God, not stand in his presence. They are given wings to cover their eyes, and another set of wings to cover their feet. All the while they cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory”.
As a quick aside – It is important to understand these two words, “holy” and “glory”, especially in dealing with God revealing himself. Holy is a word used to describe God’s intrinsic “otherness” or his being “set apart/separate” from us. This means that his nature and character are nothing like ours. He is perfect and complete. We are stained with sin and humanity. So, when we say God is “holy”, it means he is set apart from us. So, God is holy. His glory is the revealing of his holiness to us. Glory is literally the manifesting of God’s holiness. His glory is how he communicates his Holiness to us. These words are often used in worship services, and sung with little or no context, so it is important for us to understand the words we are singing in worship.
The text goes on to describe how the very voices of the seraphs cause the foundations of the house to tremble to the point of releasing smoke throughout the house. As a result to having received this extremely unique vision, Isaiah is filled with fear and trembling and replies, “Woe is me, for I am lost.” He is overwhelmed with the obvious reality that he is in the presence of an awesome God.
As worshippers we understand that it is God who has initiated meeting with us. God who continually reveals himself, and we are commanded to respond. In the following posts, we will take a more exhaustive approach to what our response looks like from these biblical encounters.
(to be continued…)
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Categories : Worship Team Devotionals, theology
Resurgence.com – Qualifications of a Worship Pastor
2 05 2009
I’m very thankful to the guys at theresurgence.com for posting an article written by Barry Keldie and myself on the Qualifications of a Worship Pastor. This is a topic that is very close to my heart in dealing with the pastoral function of leading worship for the local church. If you have yet t read it yet, click here to be redirected to the Resurgence web site.
Here is part three of the article.
A Worship Leader Is a Pastor
Understanding the biblical role of a worship leader in the local church is central to the health of a church body. While the task of leading people in worship is outlined in varying ways, the implementation and function of the modern “worship leader” isn’t found anywhere in the New Testament. What we do find is that pastors or elders are mandated with the job of leading the people in worship. For example, 2 Chronicles 7:6 describes priests leading David and Israel in worship. This tells us that the primary function of a worship leader should be pastor, not just artist.
Shepherd the Flock
The call of a worship leader in a local church is first to shepherd the flock (1 Peter 5:2) and second, to be the creative voice behind their collective song. Worship leaders should be pastors who have a deep love for the people they lead. Not just anyone with a guitar can lead worship, and not just anyone with a voice should be called a worship leader. It is a specific calling and has specific qualifications.
The qualifications for pastors and elders are spelled out in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-16. If we believe worship leaders are primarily pastors, then they need to be held to the same qualifications as pastors. We believe that anyone who leads the church of God long-term should be qualified biblically to do so. A healthy, God-honoring church must have qualified leadership at every level. Hopefully a look at these qualifications, particularly for a worship pastor, will help us all grow into maturing and increasingly qualified leaders.
Above Reproach
(1 Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:6-7)
In being above reproach, a worship pastor should be spiritually maturing. This qualification is set apart from having a good reputation or being well thought of. Being “above reproach” goes deeper than people liking him. The maturity spoken of here is a life and walk that is worthy of imitation. A worship leader must maintain a consistent character with those both inside and outside the church. A worship pastor must sing in a way that makes people want to participate, lead in a way that makes people want to engage, and live in a way that makes people want to follow. Leading worship involves all three components.
Husband of One Wife
(1 Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:6)
A worship leader must be a “one-woman man.” He must maintain integrity in relationships with the opposite sex and go to great lengths to protect himself from sin. This man must have a godly, growing, and strong marriage. He must not be addicted to pornography or have wandering eyes. He is a great lover, friend, and leader for his wife, who honors him in public and in private. He must provide for her financially and lead her spiritually as a testimony of the gospel (1 Tim 5:8). If he is single and not called to celibacy, he must be working toward marriage by growing personally, spiritually, and emotionally.
To be continued.
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Encountering God – Revelation and Response Part 1
30 04 2009Encountering God – Revelation and Response Part 1
We worship a God who has made himself known to us. He has been revealed powerfully by creation, through relationship with mankind, through the Scriptures, and ultimately through becoming man himself in the person of Jesus Christ. One of the most captivating realities when we gather as a church is the awareness that it is God who has initiated meeting with us. Any time the people of God come together in worship it is a gifted response. Far too often we lose sight of the primary purpose for the church gathering at all – to worship the eternal God. We assemble to encounter the true and living God.
Worship historically has been the foundational reason for churches to meet. Biblical worship is at the center of a church’s practice, philosophy and mission. All worship is a response to God’s revelation. The role of God will always be to reveal, our role will always be to respond. We are incapable of revealing anything to God that he is unaware of already. So, when we come together as the gathered church, our chief end is to worship the true and living God through and respond in obedience and joy.
Throughout the scripture we find God engaging humanity in distinguishable patterns. Over the next few weeks we will be looking at three separate encounters that men had with God: Moses, Isaiah and the apostle John. From these accounts, we will glean from them an effective framework for planning worship experiences today.
Moses
Moses was not looking for God. Moses had murdered an Egyptian out of anger and fled to preserve his own life. He found his way to the land of Midian where he married the daughter of a wealthy Midianite priest. Moses had run from his own people, and he had run from the consequences of his actions. He found refuge as a shepherd working for his new father-in-law, Jethro. These are the circumstances surrounding God initiating contact with Moses.
Exodus 3:1-6
1Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
What Moses encountered here some scholars call a theophany, which is the appearance of deity to mankind. Other commentators describe this as a Christophony, which would relate a revelation of the pre-incarnate Christ. Regardless of which person of the Trinity is manifested here, what we are certain of is that this would be a rare and powerful encounter described for us in the text. Here we read how flames engulfed a bush, but somehow the bush was not disintegrated. This fascinated Moses, so he looked closer out of curiosity. God audibly called Moses by name and told him not to come any closer, that he was standing on holy ground. God speaks to Moses and tells him exactly who he is dealing with – the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Upon hearing this, Moses is filled with fear. This fear causes Moses to hide his face in the presence of God.
(to be continued)
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Categories : Worship Team Devotionals, theology
Harold Best
15 04 2009Harold Best : “The body of hymnody employed by any church is incomplete until, by constant use, it discloses the entire counsel of God.” – Music Through the Eyes of Faith.
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Categories : worship
Jesus Died My Soul to Save
13 04 2009We’re in the studio this afternoon doing vocals for Jesus Died My Soul to Save, a hymn Michael Farren and I wrote together. I can’t wait for you to hear this song. It will also be on the new Pocket Full if Rocks record due out later this year. Find them on Twitter @pfor.
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Good Friday
10 04 2009The song from Philip Bliss titled “Hallelujah What a Savior” is one of my favorite hymns that center on the cross. I have borrowed from this song on two occasions. The bridges of my version of “Nothing but the Blood”, and “In My Place” both reference this timeless poetry from Bliss. This Good Friday, I pray that we continue to grow in wonder and amazement of the Gospel, and are reminded that it was “In my place he stood condemned, he who knew no sin became sin for us. That we might become his righteousness…”
Hallelujah What a Savior
Philip Bliss
Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
“Full atonement!” can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die;
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
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