THE HEART OF WORSHIP
Worship is such a controversial concept in many Christian spaces. Not as to whether or not it is necessary, but in how it is to be done. At its core, worship is not a musical concept. It is a heart posture that pours out of you into every space of your life. In the Gospel of John chapter 4, Jesus himself says to a Samaritan woman “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
We are living in that time that Jesus was referring to. His coming allowed for our worship to be sufficient, and pleasing to God with no strings attached. There are so many ways to worship, and for the purposes of this blog I want to talk about worshipping through song.
As a musician, this matters deeply to me. I also believe it matters deeply to God. The Bible contains over 400 references to singing and music, with more than 50 direct commands to sing. In scripture we see instances of people singing to the Lord in personal worship for who He is and what He’s done. We see instructions to sing psalms, hymns, and songs over one another in the body of Christ, and Paul tells the church of Ephesus to sing and make music from your heart to the Lord. Not to mention, there is an entire book of the bible that is just divinely inspired songs ( Psalm). The requirement of all of these things, is that they be done in spirit, and in truth
This is beautifully simple. To worship in spirit means to worship from a transformed, sincere inner heart that is Holy Spirit led. To worship in truth is to worship in genuine alignment with who God has revealed himself to be through Jesus. This is an instruction to all worshippers, leaders included. Actually, leaders in the church, scripture tells us that we are held to a higher standard. First and foremost leaders , we need to make sure that we are in close relationship with Jesus, and are walking by the Spirit. If this is not a precedent for us in our personal lives, how can we expect it to be for those we serve?
I studied in the School of Music at a large Christian university, and many of my friends and peers went on to serve in worship ministries across the United States as well. Every now and again I get to connect with them and hear about their ministry and how it’s going. The common themes in stories they tell me are as follows:
Church members with strong feelings as to the type of music that should be done and how it should sound
Individuals serving on worship teams with expectations on how they get to serve
Feeling lonely in ministry
The question I have had to ask myself is, “What is the root of these issues”? And I truly believe the answer is “the heart”.
We know as leaders in the church our job is not to give people what they want to hear, but what they need to hear. So adapting the music to an individuals preference is not the answer.
The whole point of serving is to meet the needs of the church. So if the need isn’t there and someone expects to be leading regardless, are they really serving at that point? Is that the heart posture we want to put on stage and promote?
Being on an island in ministry is a dangerous place to be. Community and accountability are both integral pieces of human life, and especially life serving others.
I have come to strongly believe that to promote a healthy heart at the center of our worship ministries, it means having the hard conversations. Teaching people that worship has nothing to do with our preferences. Allowing ourselves to be disliked for saying in love what needed to be said. Asking the person who needs to re-center to take a break from serving. I have seen INCREDIBLE heart changes in people I have served with after a leader cared enough to gently hold them accountable. As a leader, I want to be known for always keeping the heart first.
In all of this, we can’t neglect to find our people. Be in community with godly people that can love, support, and correct us. Choosing them carefully, and doing life with them fully.
To sum all of this up, I have found that thriving worship ministries have healthy and confident leaders, servant hearted team members, and people that are in God-honoring community. I believe that the Lord wants these things for us.