In part one of Worship Matters, Bob Kaulflin talks about leading a congregation with integrity. Staying true to the original purpose God had for worship leaders can be hard. Getting lost in selfishness and pride can get you off the path people called to worship leading set out on. When you lead with a self directed motive, all you really are looking for is validation for how you sound/look. By staying in tune with the heart of worship, aka God, you can focus on glorifying God and leading you're peers to a place of true spirit lead worship.
I personally believe that worship leading has to come from a place of true selflessness. My greatest priority on stage is to be guided by the Holy Spirit and make decisions in the moment that will help shape the atmosphere. Sounding good and song choice are important, but leading from a place where that is your only priority makes the worship experience not about God. I've had experiences where I get thrown off by a mistake and ruin the entire moment for not only me, but for my team and the congregation. Not being worried about perfection is the key to any good worship leader.
I personally believe that worship leading has to come from a place of true selflessness. My greatest priority on stage is to be guided by the Holy Spirit and make decisions in the moment that will help shape the atmosphere. Sounding good and song choice are important, but leading from a place where that is your only priority makes the worship experience not about God. I've had experiences where I get thrown off by a mistake and ruin the entire moment for not only me, but for my team and the congregation. Not being worried about perfection is the key to any good worship leader.
The story behind this song is really inspiring to me. Matt Redman, the original artist that wrote this song, got caught up in his churches elaborate set up. He was more worried about the lights and how the service looked than how they were glorifying God. When he realized what he was doing, he stripped down his setup. For the next month, he lead his church with a stripped down band, simple songs, and no lights. He wanted his congregation to realize worship is about heart, not how cool everything looks.
Hi Emily, I really enjoyed reading your summary, the verse and song really pull it together. I actually think I sang this song with my church a few years ago, it's a good reminder that we need to focus less on ourselves and more on praising God. It's also good that you mention how we shouldn't worry about making sure everything is perfect, because I also feel that when we do that we tend to lose sight of God. Hope that makes sense, have a good week.
ReplyDeleteI really love the design of your blog! Both your summary and your application is a wonderful reminder of what we need to be mindful of when we prepare to lead. Including personal examples of how you've experienced the struggle between striving purely for perfection and giving it all up to God really exemplified your point as well. I am both encouraged and challenged by your blog. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat Job Emily, I like how you accept Bob's idea into worship, and it is indeed important that we as worshippers should bring god's presence, not just top notch music performance. We always should be thinking about how well are we serving the Lord not for ourselves.
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