Worship Together Blog

Faithful in the small things...

I was chatting with a friend who is a worship leader the other day and he was telling me about a guy at his church that approached him about helping out in worship. My friend informed him that there was a pretty big rotation of musicians for Sunday morning, but that the church could really use some help at a small recovery ministry that met on Friday evenings.

After spending a day "praying about it", the guy told my friend that he would not be able to do the Friday ministry and emphasized that he really wanted to play on Sunday morning.

You've probably had similar experiences. There's the musician in your church that is certain that if he/she could only play with the band, their playing would certainly take worship to a whole new level!

We have to be careful of those who are unwilling to serve in small ways. Even after you've "paid your dues" doing the not-so-glamorous worship gigs, we should never assume that we've arrived and therefore not consider helping out when there's a need.

I believe it's those "I really don't want to do this" things that makes God smile. We are most like Jesus when we are giving, knowing that we are getting nothing in return. No money, no warm fuzzies, no important people saying "you're great".   

It's important to keep a balanced diet of service. Sure, sometimes we will get the opportunity to do great things. Praise God for them! But let's not give up serving the least with our gifts.

Worship and Missions Part 2

I think the problem is that we've divorced worship from missions. God spanked Israel by saying "you honor me with your mouths, but your hearts are far from me". So how do we bring our hearts near to God? Micah 6:8 says "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

How can we stand up in front of our churches and lead people to worship God if we are unwilling to live by Micah 6:8? Ouch! I've heard the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit at times say to me "your heart is far from me"!

Surely there is more to worship ministry than creating set lists, recruiting musicians, and leading music. The real excitement is in missions! Nothing fuels the fire of worship like a fresh missions experience.

I remember the my first Sunday back at church leading worship after returning from a mission trip to Nicaragua. As I sang the lyrics "You're the defender of the week. You comfort those in need", I broke into tears because I was recounting the orphans that we ministered to. It was a powerful moment as I shared our experiences with the congregation.

True worship should always lead to missions. As worship connects us to God's heart by bringing our hearts near to Him, we begin to love what God loves and hate what God hates. 

 

Worship and Missions Part 1

One Sunday after our morning rehearsal I was approached by a man who looked in his 40's. I could tell by his dress (and smell!) that he had walked in off the street and was probably looking for some money. Since the service was about to begin, I asked if he would mind staying through the service. After which, I would try and find him some help. 

My first impulse was to search out our pastor who was over benevolence. I figured that would be the easiest way of getting him help and relieving me from the responsibility. Of course, I couldn't find the pastor anywhere!

In the end, I think I did the right thing. My dad and I drove him to where he needed to go, stopped and bought him some comfortable shoes, paid his hotel bill, and gave him some money for food.

Experiences like that always stand to remind me that it is impossible to separate worship and missions. I've been a part of some great worship services and had some incredible private worship moments with God. But "when the music fades" that great "top of the mountain" feeling never lasts. It's almost like a fix that wears off only to leave us empty and wanting more. Can you identify?

More to come...

   

Disappointment and Discouragement - Part 4

As soon as we face up to the fact that we all struggle at times, the sooner we can help one another along. Satan wants nothing more than to keep us self-focused, thinking that our struggles are unique and that we will never overcome them.

In C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters, the elder demon advises the younger demon to keep his man focused on himself and his present circumstances. And to not let him think about more eternal things. When we focus too much on our current situation, it's hard to see beyond the trial. God gently lifts our heads and shows us the bigger picture of His kingdom.

Hebrews 10:19-25 gives us great encouragement. The title of this chapter in my Bible is "A Call to Perseverance". If you are in a season of disappointment, you should turn there now and read it. The writer reminds us that our faith is in God, not ourselves. We should draw near to him.

And finally he writes, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (My emphasis added).

So whatever you're dealing with right now that has knocked the wind out of you, don't give up! God has not given up on you. "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

-Peace

Disappointment and Discouragement - Part 3

And King David is not an anomaly. Most every major Bible personality experienced periods of disappointment and hardship, most of which would make our problems seem a bit trivial. The interesting point is that the Bible writers decided not to gloss over these hardships, but to show them in all their ugliness. Perhaps this is somewhat cultural. I believe westerners tend to be more "positive thinkers" with a "you can do anything" mentality.

I love the website www.despair.com. They create "demotivators", which are a tongue-in-cheek slam on those motivational posters featuring a whale or an eagle soaring. Here's a description that I pulled from their site:

AT DESPAIR, INC., we believe motivational products create unrealistic expectations, raising hopes only to dash them. That's why we created our soul-crushingly depressing Demotivators® designs, so you can skip the delusions that motivational products induce and head straight for the disappointments that follow!

Maybe I've got a cocked sense of humor (probably!), but I love the honesty!

Seriously, we have to face up to the fact that things don't always turn out just the way we want. And when we are in those places during our lives and ministries, we need to be able to talk honestly about it. God can handle it, we think others can't.

Disappointment and Discouragement - Part 2

So what are we so afraid of? Is God any less victorious even if we aren't? I've been reading recently in 1 and 2 Samuel the accounts of King David. He experienced some pretty extreme highs and lows during the course of his life. For sure, his story is not an example of spiraling up toward God.

As you read the account, here's how it progresses: he goes from shepherd boy, to giant killer, to Israel's superstar, to running for his life from Saul, to becoming King, to fighting and killing everyone who wasn't an Israelite, to dancing naked, to killing Uriah and taking his wife, to losing his son, to uniting Israel, to running for his life from his son, to causing the deaths of 70,000 Israelites, to dying.

And this was a man who the Bible says "was after God's own heart".

 

Disappointment and Discouragement - Part 1

This isn't a super hot topic in the Church today and it's even less talked about in ministry circles. As a church leader, we are expected to "be the example" for the people. I've heard pastors preach, "Don't come in here with your downcast face. That's not the Christian life we want to present to non-believers!" So we put on the "shiny happy people" mask and do well at faking it.

But reality is that sometimes life just stinks. Things don't always go as we plan and our Christian life isn't always a constant spiraling up toward God. If fact, if you are a faithful follower of Jesus, YOU WILL experience times of discouragement. There is no example in the Bible of anyone who never suffered for Christ in some way. I think sometimes our unwillingness to embrace the suffering actually keeps us from precious encounters with the Father.

So it's time to get real, church.

I'm gonna blog over the next few days about some of the causes of discouragement and what our response should be.