Choose to Worship

Why do you worship? 

Not long ago I fell into a spiritual trap.  I found myself almost exclusively worshipping God because of what He was doing.  As a result, it was easy to worship God when I could see that He was at work.   I would sing with joy and I would genuinely express my worship unashamedly.  It was much more difficult to worship during seasons of waiting or during seasons of frustration.  I began to have worship whiplash.  Sadly, I am certain that I am not the only one who has fallen into that trap.  Often times, our fervency for worship acts as a barometer of what’s going on in our lives.

While worshipping God for what He has done and is doing is not completely wrong, it is not the primary reason that we should worship.   We should worship God because of who He is.  You see, everything that God has ever done and ever will do is a direct result of who He is.  We worship Him because of His very nature and character.  When we worship because of who He is we will never experience worship whiplash because His nature and character never change. 

As worship leaders we have a bigger responsibility to choose to worship God in spite of our circumstances.  I challenge you to see yourself in that role.  You are NOT just a choir member or an orchestra member.  Everytime you take the platform you are a worship LEADER.  Our congregation needs to see us worship even during the seasons that we may feel like God is not at work.  They need to see us being consistant in our worship and they need to be reminded that we worship the person of God, not only the acts of God.  As we began to understand that and demonstrate it in our worship, they will come to understand it as well.

Worship is a choice that we make so choose to worship, no matter what.

Who Should Be in the Foxhole?

In his book, God's Singers, Dave Williamson states that he believes that there is scriptural evidence that God intended for there to be choirs in worship.  He never states that there should be only choirs but that choirs should be one of the methods that we use to worship the Lord, even in modern churches.

Williamson readily admits that there is only one specific reference to a choir (Nehemiah 12) but there are several references to "singers."  He also acknowledges that "singers" could reference any number of 2 or more.  As he builds the case for choirs in worship he references several places in scripture where large groups are recorded to be worshiping the Lord.  For example, "the morning stars sang together," in Job 38.  "A multitude of the heavenly host," in Bethlehem declared "glory to God in the highest!"  Over 100 million angels around the throne declare, "worthy is the Lamb who was slain."  Every tribe and tongue, people and nation declare, "Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb."

We need to be aware that as Williamson writes he is in support of the concept of choir as a group of singers who lead in worship.  The assumption is a semi-large group, not just a couple of singers or a small ensemble.  He is not necessarily for or against some of the rules that we have given to choirs because those rules may change from church to church.  For example, should a choir wear robes or not?  Should they hold music folders or not?  Should they stand in a choir loft or on the stage with a band?  Should they all stand uniformly or should they be allowed to move freely as they worship?  None of that is Williamson's concern.  He simply wants groups of singers to be allowed to lead worship.

He reminds us that in scripture, choirs and musicians led their people into battle.  They were at the front lines of battle waving the banner of the Most High as they approached the enemy.  It is here that for the first time Williamson makes me say, "hhhmmmmmm......"  If the choir is part of the Army of the Lord, who should be in the army?  If you were going into a real war, would you want someone on your side if they did not have proper combat training?  As we go into the spiritual battle of worship, should there be people on our team who have no relationship with the Lord?

For many years, choirs have been a "front door" of church involvement for people, often allowing those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ to join the choir in hopes that the person will accept Christ as Savior.  Every choir that I have been a member of or led has been that way.  Williamson says that it is no longer his desire to do evangelism within the choir.  There is no other leadership group in the church in which we try to do evangelism.  We don't do it with teachers, deacons, committee heads, or key leadership committees but we do it in worship leadership.  Williamson says, "I believe that someone who has not made Jesus the Lord of his or her life has no business in a choir whose paramount reason for existence is to lead the congregation into the manifest presence of God.  That speaks of blasphemy." Williamson does say that he personally interviews every person who wants to join his choir and has encountered people who did not have a relationship with Christ.  He shares the Gospel with them and he says that no one has ever not accepted Christ.

So....here is my question.  If the choir is part of the Army of the Lord and is charged with leading the army into battle, should it consist of only those who have a relationship with Christ?   Let's talk about it............

Kickin' it Old School

Before you read further, check out this commercial from the 2011 Super Bowl.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttfq5ZWGJdU

Think of all of the technological advances that you have seen in your life time.  Depending on your age you may have seen quite a bit of change and perhaps you've even seen things that you never dreamed would really be possible.  In my short 43 years I have not only seen change, but rapid change.  A new technology comes out and before I can get used to it, a better technology takes its place.  I buy some type of cool gadget and before I can get it home there is a much cooler gadget that is a "must have."  My wife and I talk about how our children will never know a world that isn't instant.  They don't know what it is like to send a letter in the mail and wait seemingly forever for a response.  They think waiting on a 3 minute bag of microwave popcorn is torture.  They say, "Dad, you really had to cook popcorn in a pot on the stove?"  "What is a type writer and where is the spell check?"  "8-track tapes, cassette tapes, vinyl albums, 45 records....How did you take that music with you when you traveled?"

Imagine if we still used all of the past technology that is shown in that commercial.  We would still be walking around with cell phones that are as big as a loaf of bread.  We would still be driving cars that require us to stand in front and wind up the engine or maybe we wouldn't have cars at all.  Imagine if we had not made advancements in medical treatment.    Fortunately, there have always been people who strive for more.  We may call  them visionaries, inventors, or just people who are curious but they are definitely people who are never satisfied.  They see something that is good and believe that it can be even better.  They recognize the good in particular technologies and they seek to improve upon them.  They take what has been learned and add to it, hopefully in order to make it even more valuable.   

I think that is one of the roles of a Worship Pastor.  He is to be a visionary who is never satisfied.  Among the things that he is charged to do is to lead people into a deeper understanding and practice of worship.  He has to encourage and challenge the people he leads to move forward  in their understanding of worship while being careful to not devalue their experiences of the past.  Their past experiences are certainly valuable.  They are the foundation on which the Father will build their future experiences. 

Most of us have come to a place of understanding and appreciating the value of new technology even though it may have taken some effort to learn how to use it.  We may have experienced some level of frustration as we learned which buttons to push or knobs to turn but because we knew there was value in it, we chose to move forward and are glad we did.  Now some tasks are easier and faster.  Communication with loved ones is at our finger tips.  Travel time has been greatly reduced.  The reward was worth the effort and the sacrifice.

How much more valuable is the reward of moving forward in worship?  Please understand that I am not referring to any particular age group or preference of music style.  Being stuck in the past is not relegated to only people of a particular generation or musical preference. People who consider themselves modern worshipers find that they are just easily stuck in the past when they are challenged as well.  What I am concerned with is the attitude of our heart.  We should ALWAYS be examining ourselves.  I confess that I have been stuck in the past.  I have been satisfied or at the very least complacent in my own worship experiences.  I have been comfortable because I did not want to make the effort to do something different.  I know how to do what we do at our church.  We have a system in place.  That system works well.  But is that all that God expects from us....just maintain the system? 

Also, I think that we sometimes get stuck not out of a negative motivation but because we remember that God did something really meaningful in our lives at that time and we don't want to lose that amazing feeling.  The truth is that none of us have yet to experience the fullness of all that God wants to do in us and through us.  Sadly, if we stay in the past we will miss out on the new experiences that He wants to give us and the new ways that He wants to use us. 

Lately I sense that God wants to do something new.  I don't know exactly what it is, but just like I have taken the time to learn a new technology because of it's value in my life, I commit to step into something new in my worship because I know that the value will be worth the effort and the sacrifice.  Scripture says that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than anything I have hoped or dreamed.  I don't want to miss out on that promise because I have chosen to find safety in what God has already done.  I want to move forward and receive all that He wants to give.  I hope that you will come along for the ride.  Think of it this way.........at least we won't be in old wind up cars.

Old Dog, New Tricks

So.........I've decided to jump into the blog world.  Honestly, I'm not very sure how good I will be at it.  I've never blogged before and I don't really follow a blog from anyone else.  I like to write whenever I feel like I have something worth saying (many of you would say that isn't very often) however I hate the pressure of feeling like I HAVE to write something.  With that confession, the obvious thing to do is to start writing on a public forum where the entire world (ok....a few friends) can follow me and hold me accountable. 

Many members of the First Baptist Church West Monroe Worship Ministry have been reading a book entitled God's Singers written by Dave Williamson.  This book challenges churches and worship leaders to carefully examine the role of the choir as it relates to the future of the church.  Many modern churches have chosen to do away with any form of choir.  Williamson suggests that rather than throw out the choir, the choir should be kept and celebrated however he does offer some changes that need to be made.  I have been personally challenged by much of what I have read and I really would like a forum to discuss various items in the book.  Hence, the reason for this blog.

My desire is that as we read this book together, I will occasionally write about what God is saying to me and I would love for you to dialogue with me about it.  The rules are simple........

1.  Don't write a response that you aren't willing to talk about in person.  Sometimes people say ugly things on a blog or forum that they would never say out loud. 
2.  Don't argue....discuss 
3. Don't hide behind an anonymous name.
4.  Be open to any NEW insight that God may choose to give you.  I promise to do the same.
5.  Tell other people that we are doing this so that they can join in. 

In the next few days I will write about some thoughts regarding something specific from the book and I can't wait to hear from you .