worship

October 24, 2013

5 Goals of Congregational Worship

How can any Christ-follower not be passionate about worshiping God? You and I are made to worship. Our corporate expressions of worship need to truly allow our spirits to touch and be transformed by the Holy Spirit. I deeply appreciate the incredible significance and impact of each time I get to participate in congregational worship.

I hope that you will take a moment to consider FIVE GOALS of congregational worship!

#1 WE ENCOUNTER GOD’S PRESENCE!

We want to draw closer to God EVERY time we congregate. We should never lose sight of this goal. God’s presence should be the hallmark of every meeting.

Why is this goal so important? We encounter God’s Presence:

To prepare (cleanse and focus) people to encounter God. Congregational worship awakens people to yield their total person to a place of TOTAL worship.
To bring people into the presence of the Lord. God’s manifest presence is our priority. “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.” (Psalm 100:2 NASB)
To reveal the character and deeds of God. We gather to exalt the Lord. “Sing praises to the Lord, Who dwells in Zion! Declare among the peoples His doings!” (Psalm 9:11 AMP) When people see you worship, they should know that God is great by the way you praise.
To build a throne for the Lord’s rulership. We invite God to move among those worshiping Him. “Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3 NASB)
To make every person God-conscious. Yes, God is really alive – transcendent, yet immanent.
To receive direction, change, enjoyment, and encouragement. We celebrate! Commission, direction, and edification occurs.
To become more like Christ and to bring people into right relationship with Christ. Worship draws individuals to Christ (evangelism). Lives are changed in God’s presence.

# 2 WE RELEASE THE HOLY SPIRIT’S CONTINUING WORK.

Congregational worship should be an open opportunity for the Holy Spirit to do what He desires today. Hundreds of millions of Spirit-baptized believers on earth today (October 2013) testify: “It is not strange to experience the work of the Holy Spirit today!” Holy Spirit did not end His ministry in 100 AD. The Holy Spirit’s continued work through two thousand years of church history is not strange fire; it is holy fire.

Our corporate worship releases:

Charismatic expression (Gifts of the Spirit including tongues),
Prophetic flow (Consider how Elisha calls for musician in 2 Kings 3:15),
Conviction, comfort, and guidance,
Unity in the Body of Christ, and
God’s miraculous power and anointing that breaks yokes (healing, salvation, deliverance, etc.).

#3 WE ENGAGE IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE AGAINST THE ENEMY.

“Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples; To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the written judgment — This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 149:6-9 NKJV)

#4 WE OFFER SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES TO GOD.

We serve God as priests – glorifying Him and pleasing Him. We come to the sanctuary with a focus to GIVE (not to GET). Our sacrifice of worship is an offering of something meaningful and valuable (consider the costs of our time, talent, treasure, energy).

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)

#5 WE COMMUNICATE GOD’S WORD.

Congregational worship imparts truth, sound theology, strengthening, faith. Worship prepares people to receive God’s Word into their mind, into their hearts, and into their actual lives. Worship that touches heaven also inspires application and practice of the message.

Wow, have I see this! As a pastor called to teach and preach the Bible, I am still amazed by the impact of worship upon sermons. Congregational worship that really encounters God’s presence opens the way for the sermon and makes the delivery soooooooo much easier and much more effective.

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16 NASB)

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:18-19 NASB)

I gave you five goals; I will conclude with five things that congregational worship is not. Congregational worship is:

NOT Christian karaoke,
NOT a platform concert,
NOT a spectator sport,
NOT shallow or superficial,
NOT just music we play and songs we sing (no matter how long we have practiced or how much expression we put into it).

Worship is more than just words and music; actual communion with God is necessary. Worship doesn’t occur until spirit touches Spirit.

August 23, 2013

Honor Opens Doors

During my June trip to Tanzania, the Lord led me to share several messages that included the idea of honor. The picture below is from a Sunday morning service in Arusha. Pastor Eric and leaders from the church helped me illustrate the men who came alongside of Moses during the battle with the Amalekites. I also used this story in one of the branch churches.

A simple truth was revealed as the man of God confronted the old high priest Eli, “Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained (1 Samuel 2:30 NIV).” Consider that fact for a moment – when you honor God, He honors you! To honor something, means we respect or value or highly esteem that thing in our life. God should certainly be deemed worthy of respect.

Honor is the essential key to receiving from God and has the power to greatly enhance your life. For this reason, the enemy of our souls has fiercely fought to eliminate it from our modern-day mindset and has, to a great degree, been successful. Honor carries with it great rewards—rewards God desires you to have in the here and now. Popular culture fights against the practice of honoring parents, leaders, and children. Society’s resistance to authority produces consequences of that disobedience. [John Bevere from: www.messengerinternational.org]

Honoring God releases tangible and intangible blessings of God in every arena of your life. Honor OPENS DOORS. Honor opens windows, gateways, channels, paves the way for God’s best. Honor benefits your relationship with God, your associations in the marketplace, your bond with a local congregation, your conversations with family members, your advancement in an occupation, your intimacy in your marriage.

When you honor God, He honors you, but when you dishonor Him, you limit your access to God’s best. When Jesus walked the rural paths of Palestine, He did numerous miracles – except for one particular area. “He [Jesus Christ] COULD NOT do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them” (Mark 6:5 NIV). That is a startling assertion. What was it that prevented Him from doing more? Jesus provides the answer in the preceding verse, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home” (Mark 6:4 NIV).

I don’t want to impede God’s desire to honor me. How about you? So, how do we honor God? Here are four practical areas:

#1 Honor God in congregational PRAISE and WORSHIP.
Honoring God in public worship may seem pretty basic, but how many come to corporate services for a multitude of other reasons? Real worship doesn’t occur until spirit touches Spirit. Thousands of years ago, Isaiah penned God response to people “going through the motions” without heart-engagement. “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught” (Isaiah 29:13 NIV).

#2 Honor God with your FINANCES.

God doesn’t need your money, but He does want your heart. Truly honoring God as first in your life will translate into how you handle money. What does your bank account reveal about your level of honor? Putting the Lord first in your finances facilitates reception of God’s blessings.

Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV).
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV).

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#3 Honor God by honoring PEOPLE.

Honor is to be applied to everyone: God, Spouse, Family, Godly servants (Philippians 2:29), Elders who teach & preach (1 Timothy 5:17 “double honor”), Brothers and Sisters in Christ, and every person you encounter!

“Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10 HCSB).
“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:2-3 NIV)
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet [SPIRITUAL LEADERS] as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person [PEERS, CoLABORERS, FAMILY] as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones [CHILDREN or THOSE WHOM YOU HAVE RESPONSIBILITY] who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42 NIV)

#4 Honor God with your LIFESTYLE.

Honor is an attitude, a manner of speech, a language, and a lifestyle.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17 NLT)

Honor:

Stands at attention (American flag, anthem, pledge);
Bows in respect;
Serves with passion;
Prioritizes under pressure;
Gives with thoughtfulness;
Protects from slander;
Speaks with affection;
Looks past offenses;
Praises potential;
Believes the best;
Preserves unity.

Honor opens doors.

March 28, 2013

Audience of One

Are you living before One Audience – the Lord Jesus Christ? To what audience are you playing? You will either play to an Audience of One or to an audience of many. Do you desire to please God or impress people?

When you aren’t seeking to be noticed or publicized or praised, you are released to accomplish great things for God’s Kingdom. Perhaps that is reason Valley Fellowship Church has made such a significant impact – we want to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in the Tennessee Valley and around the world. We don’t do what we do to get praise for ourselves. We want to see Jesus exalted!

Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth, but His essential audience was not people who surrounded Him. Jesus said, “I always do the things that are pleasing to Him [Heavenly Father].” (John 8:29b NASB) Jesus wasn’t interested in crowd approval (John 5:44) and He rebuked His listeners, “How could you possibly believe? You like to have your friends praise you, and you don’t care about praise that the only God can give!” (John 5:44 CEV)

“Most of us, whether we are aware of it or not, do things with an eye to the approval of some audience or other. The question is not whether we have an audience but which audience we have. . . . A life lived listening to the decisive call of God is a life lived before one audience that trumps all others – the Audience of One.” (Os Guinness, The Call, p. 70)

Paul was a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser. I agree with Kent Hughes assessment that “Paul would have loved Eric Liddell—the runner who placed spiritual conviction and loyalty to Christ above Olympic or national glory!” (Acts: The Church Afire, p. 289) Paul lived his life before an Audience of One. Consider his words:

“We do not aim to please men, but to please God who knows us through and through.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4 PHILLIPS)
“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (Galatians 1:10 NLT)
“Be assured that when we speak to you we’re not after crowd approval—only God approval.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4 MSG)

The Gospel of John criticizes the leaders of Jesus’ day who “were more concerned about what people thought of them than about what God thought of them.” (John 12:43 GW) Are you playing your life before an Audience of One, or playing before many: your peers, your neighbors, your mentors, your family? Who you choose as your audience has a tremendous impact upon your life.

People adjust their lifestyle based upon the people around them. Children attune their own tastes, pursuing parental praise. Employees perform for a boss, or will be fired. Students adjust to the wishes of a teacher. Writers heed their readers, putting pen to what sells. Basketball players respond to fans, drawing energy, heart to play. Teenagers play to their peers, claiming to be an individual, yet listening to what others listen, dressing comparably to their friends, even styling their hair like their cliché. Have you noticed how your audience shapes your life?

The Puritans lived as if they had swallowed gyroscopes; we modern Christians live as if we have swallowed Gallup polls. Or as Martin Luther King wrote in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, “in those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.” Leaders or panderers? Gyroscope or Gallup poll? Thermostat or thermometer? Only those who practice the presence of the Audience of One can hope to attain the former and escape the latter. (The Call, p. 73)

To live before an Audience of One is to consider what He thinks as what counts the most. Satisfying life results from pleasing God, not pouring out your energy for temporal praise. Seeking to live for an Audience of One — the Lord Jesus Christ —liberates you from operating out of a response to what others say about you. Make the decision now to surrender your life and your lifestyle to the Lord. Ultimate success is not fame, fortune, or power, but hearing God’s commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

March 8, 2013

Worship Connects People to God

Valley Fellowship Church is a Spirit-led, Spirit-empowered congregation that actively pursues the manifest presence of the Lord. Each time we gather we expect to meet with God. Each time we assemble we anticipate God doing something special. Each time we come together we desire God to show up too.

Valley Fellowship values worship. A strong component of our spiritual DNA is worshipers experiencing God individually and collectively on a Sunday morning. Motivated worshipers give God glory even if the music isn’t perfect, even if the singers are out-of-tune, even if it’s cold outside, even if their favorite song isn’t included, even if the temperature inside isn’t ideal, even if the sound system is buzzing, even if others won’t. Enjoying powerful praise and worship is so much easier in a Spiritually-charged congregational atmosphere where the majority give God glory. Passion within the congregation lifts and inspires people to connect with God.

Our worship is a powerful tool for connecting people with God! Valley Fellowship’s worship communicates God’s presence in a relevant manner, and we want to enlarge the number of motivated worshipers. Our worship opens the door for lives to be changed!

I enjoy the music of Paul Baloche, a gifted song-writer, a many-year-veteran worship leader, and a very talented musician. We sing several of his songs including Hosanna, Your Name, Open the Eyes of Heart, and Our God Saves because his music and lyrics connect people with God’s presence. I also appreciate Baloche’s honest heart for worship. Check out Baloche’s www.leadworship.com where you can find printable music, training videos, and several articles that could be a blessing for you.

In the May 2008 edition of Focus on the Family magazine, Baloche highlights:

Worship is much more than 20 minutes of singing at a church service. What I try to model for my family and my church is that worship has more to do with relationship than it does with music. It is impossible to worship a living God — sacrificing our bodies, emotions, minds and hearts — and not have it affect all our relationships. Of course, I go through seasons when life is hard and relationships are difficult. On occasional Sundays, I stand before my church and just go through the motions. But I can’t do that for long. We can’t separate worship from relationship any more than we can separate intimacy from a healthy marriage. Just as intimacy wells up from the mutual respect and love within a marriage, worship springs from a surrendered and grateful heart.

True worship is birthed from a relationship with the living God of everything. Is the Lord your Heavenly Father? Are you His child? Do you worship from a surrendered and grateful heart? Does everything in your life reflect the surpassing greatness of my loving Heavenly Father? By examining your own life, you can better support worship that connects people with God’s presence. “I will proclaim the Name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!” (Deuteronomy 32:3 NIV)

Are you ready to worship on Sunday with a passion and sound that draws everyone who attends into God’s presence? Huntsville, I expect to see you Sunday at 8:30 or 10:00 AM!

March 1, 2013

Focused Worship or Distracted Worship?

There are times when I am leading worship I become preoccupied by the score or arrangement, or distracted by an out-of-pitch guitar string, or sidetracked by someone talking, or blurred by uncertainty in which direction to go. I know I am NOT the only one who has to take authority over my thoughts and bring them into subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know that corporate worship needs my focus upon the Lord. I want to be focused upon Him, but sometimes even as a leader I can lose focus or have trouble concentrating on the Lord.

One common hindrance to being able to center upon the Lord is a lack of familiarity with the song we are singing. It is difficult to flow in Spirit-empowered worship when I am reading my musical score – chord by chord, note by note, or word by word. I’m not really connecting my spirit with Holy Spirit when my mind is crowded with thoughts about the upcoming key change, the transition to the bridge, the next song’s lyrics, or the rocking guitar solo that I wish I had more time to perfect.

Recognizing this limitation I honestly try to practice the songs as much as I can. I will sit with my guitar and sing through the prepared list. I will sing through and pray through my set list even while I am walking in the grocery store and visiting the rest room. While driving, I will repeat the recording of a new song until my daughter Kimberlyn can’t stand it any longer. I may not have the song perfected but I do want to have enough familiarity that I can focus on what’s important. I want my focus on the Lord; I want a Matthew 6:33 focus.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33 NIV)

Another common problem for many platform musicians and singers is lack of personal worship in private. My spiritual senses are dulled when I feast on the “world” for a week. What do I mean by “world”? Lots of things – pop music, NFL football, thanksgiving turkey, online media – whatever I consume in abundant quantity or whatever consumes my thought life during the week. I admit it – even pastors have to live in world that competes for attention. I have to remind myself to worship everyday.

I have figured out I have to tune up my spirit man before I can remain focused upon the Lord while I am in a worship service. I cannot do in front of people on Sunday mornings something that is missing from my private life. In fact, if worship is absent from my life on Monday through Saturday, worship isn’t likely to flow on Sunday. Worship really is a lifestyle. But when I take time to worship privately, my worship expression on Sunday comes much more easily.

“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24 NLT)

Are you tuned up spiritually? Are you ready to focus your thoughts on the Lord as we enter God’s awesome presence on Sunday? Take some time to worship privately. Shut the door to your bedroom and express yourself to the Lord. Sing, shout, play your instrument, clap, pray in the tongues, bow, even dance! I bet that if all of us do it privately on Saturday we will be able to tell a difference on Sunday.

February 23, 2013

Tapestry of Worship

Did any of you sense the spiritual release that shook our congregation during last Sunday’s 10 AM worship? As Kimberlyn began to sing “Place of Freedom”, I felt heaven enter. At the chorus – “I’m gonna lift my hands till I can reach heaven” – the congregation connected in a tremendous way, as if the words came directly from our own hearts and our own experiences. After the service, several folks told me they sensed angels joining us at that moment. Brenda N. told me, “Last Sunday was off the chain!”

“Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3 NASB)

Could you hear and/or see the response? I liked it. I enjoy touching heaven. How about you? Isn’t it awesome that God does something unique every time we come together in worship? Every worship service is an irreplaceable event.

In his excellent book Following the River (2004), Bob Sorge employs the imagery of a tapestry to describe corporate worship.

Each event of congregational worship is an unreplicated, one-of-a-kind, never-been-seen-before-in-the-history-of-the-planet, never-to-be-seen-again, breathing love exchange with our Beloved. Why? Because never before, in the history of the world, has this specific group of people gathered together in this way, with all their existing mindsets, attitudes, and the emotional trappings of their current life issues. So when we express ourselves together before the throne of God, the nature and themes of our expressions will be different from any other worship service that has ever transpired. When this group of saint touches the heart of God, a tapestry of worship will begin to emerge that will be absolutely unique in its emphasis and flavor. (p. 43-44)

The tapestry is a terrific metaphor for corporate worship. A tapestry consists of individual threads combined into one. In the hands of an expert artist the individual threads are woven together to produce something beautiful. Every believer has his or her own thread. The Holy Spirit is the worship leader that connects and weaves and stretches and twists our individual life threads into a worship tapestry for the Father’s glory.

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT)

For the tapestry to be complete, we need everyone – pastors, elders, worship leaders, singers, musicians, and the congregation – to lend their threads. For our Sunday worship tapestry to have full expression of color, glitter, and shining beauty, we need everyone’s life thread. The corporate tapestry lacks the fulfillment of its splendor if everyone is not available. Everyone one has a vital role, but a person’s thread can be withdrawn from being used by the Holy Spirit because of complacency or passivity or tiredness or anxiety.

“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16 NLT)

If I am disengaged or withdrawn, my thread will be missed. I must press in for myself. I must yield the thread of my giftings, my anointing, my posture, my thoughts. I must yield myself. By yielding I surrender my thread to be woven into a tapestry of love, affection, and worship for the Lord Jesus Christ. Our congregational worship is significant and our worship is powerful. It impacts people with the power and presence of the Lord.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)

I can’t help but have excitement about what the Lord may do this weekend. It’s time to connect with God in Real Worship! What the tapestry will look like on Sunday?

February 21, 2013

Plastic Imitation is a Fruitless Substitute for Real Worship

I have a green plant in my office – a fake, plastic plant in the corner of my window seal. Years ago, I had a real aloe vera plant, but I eventually gave it away. The plastic plant is so much easier to maintain. I just wipe the dust off of it every once in a while and it looks fine. Artificial vegetation doesn’t need watering. Synthetic leaves don’t turn brown from lack of adequate light. Imitation roots demand no fertilize. Man-made flora looks okay. The fake plant doesn’t require my time, attention, work.

That’s the actual issue – I didn’t want to invest the energy to have a real plant; I didn’t want to spend the time; I didn’t want the work. To have a healthy and growing living plant, I have to supply soil, air, water and light – and in the right quantities. With the appropriate ingredients a plant will grow green and lush.

But . . . I don’t appreciate keeping a live plant in my office enough to do what is obligatory. Instead, I settle for a cheap substitute – the plastic plant in the corner.

I wonder how many times people settle for a cheap, fruitless substitute in worship. Honest worship naturally flows from an appreciative attitude, yielded thought-life and relinquished self-will. Unfortunately, much of what is labeled “worship” is actually a plastic imitation, a karaoke caricature of the real thing. Is the spectator/performance mentality of so many the natural result of a lack of interest in doing what is required to have healthy living worship?

To really worship, to really connect spirit with Spirit, effort is required. Spirit-empowered worship entails time in God’s presence. It mandates spiritual connection to the True Vine we as believers are connected as branches.

“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.” (John 15:5 MSG)

Worship is a living, breathing exchange between the Lord Jesus Christ and His beloved bride. Worship shouldn’t just be turned on and off on weekends. Folks who only worship when someone is watching them don’t inspire worship in others. People perceive the emptiness. They may not be able to identify the impediment, but will sense something fake, something artificial, something plastic about the worship. Connection to the Vine is demanded.

For worship to flourish like a plant with beautiful, deep green leaves, we must connect with God EVERY day. My wife and daughters know I treasure them when I spend time with them. Time is the commodity by which I water, fertilize, and cultivate the relationships I value. Time is the super bloom for healthy relationships.

It is not too late to revive your worship! Just because there are some browning leaves on the plant doesn’t mean it’s time to throw away the plant! No matter how you feel, there is hope. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Draw near and He will run to you. Let your worship blossom!

Invest time privately in connecting with the Lord. With your investment, God’s noticeable presence will be experienced. Your private worship will prepare the way for incredible worship experiences during Sunday services. Connection with God allows worship to have life, truth, joy, peace – God’s manifest kingdom.

I may settle for a plastic plant in my office, but I am not willing to relinquish real worship in the sanctuary. I want worship gatherings at Valley Fellowship to fulfill God’s ordained purpose. I want our congregational worship to be real. I want us to touch heaven. Please, join with me in greening up our worship! Spend some time with The Vine.