In May of this year, I was asked to teach on Worship and was given a book to teach from. I have been involved in Choirs, music and worship for many years, so going through this book and beginning to see it in a whole new light, was really exciting for me. I’ve had the honor to be a part of some of the greatest worshipping churches around. I’ve been on praise teams and experienced services where the power of God was so thick, the only thing that could happen was repentance, healing, deliverance, and a total Holy Ground experience. What I didn’t realize was that while I was on this journey into the Holy of Holies during these worship experiences, the divide in the churches over the music portion of the service, was growing. I was raised in churches where occasionally you would stand up during a song, always sung from a hymnal, and there was never any feeling associated with it, other than just the joy of singing or hearing a comforting anthem. Some of those churches had music pastors, ministers or leaders, who had a heart for what they were doing, but didn’t understand the importance of engaging the congregation. Recently at a service, I watched, as people on stage sang and the congregation just sat and watched. A total concert experience. Some knew a few of the words, but most had no idea and there was no engagement whatsoever. It was a very sad thing to watch and now that I understand the importance of this time during a church service, I realized what an opportunity had been missed. Over the last several weeks, I have come to realize many things about what the enemy has done. This entertainment experience has become the norm in many churches in different forms and it has caused many to leave feeling lost and like they have missed God. Unfortunately they have. Here is what I have seen, learned, and know. 1) Spirit behind the Song. a. Many years ago, when my children were young, in the fairly early days of MTV, I allowed them to watch MTV while I cleaned house. One day, a particular song was on and I was in the back of the house. I heard so much noise, I thought a car come through the big window in front. As I came into the living room, one child was jumping off the back of Dad’s recliner and the other was throwing herself around like a banchee. They had broken all the rules of the house and I realized immediately, it was the music. This behavior was not like either of my girls and it was obvious that the music worked them into a frenzy and they began behaving badly. It was then I realized that every song, every piece of music, has a spirit behind it. There are only 2 spirits in the earth, the Holy Spirit and the enemy, so which do you think caused this awful behavior in my children? b. Church music is the same way. When the Holy Spirit has inspired a song, it touches the heart. Even secular music written by an artist with a heart for God, can be moving and inspirational. When the spirit of darkness is behind a piece of music, then it leaves the hearer either empty or tempted. I realized years ago that when I listen to too much country music, I would easily get frustrated with my husband. The reason is that much of it is about sinful behavior. That spirit wants to bring division in the home. c. Songs about Jesus, written by artists who are running from God, do not necessarily glorify God. The songs were created to appease the guilt felt by these artists for rejecting God’s direction, written from a rebellious spirit. Artists who are in the secular music realm because God put them there will write gospel or Christian songs that bring peace, joy and comfort. That is “when” they write them. d. At the service I was referring to recently, I heard a song where the words to a well-known Christian hymn were set to the music of an old secular song about demon possessed cattle herded by demonic cattle drivers. Instead of inspiring, it left the audience cold and unfeeling. I have sung secular music that was ‘redeemed’ by changing the words. However, some music just can’t be redeemed, just by putting good words to it. The music itself is the inspiration, not the lyrics. e. Christian music that is all about the people (you will find “I” in these a lot), may make us feel good, but if that is all that is sung, that doesn’t open the Heavenlies. It ministers to our soul, but not to God. These songs may be good as a transition song leading from one type of song into another and eventually to a surrender by the singers. But the ultimate goal is ministry to God, so these cannot make up the entire worship service. 2) That’s Entertainment a. If I am going to get up on a Sunday morning, leave my home after working all week, then it needs to be worth my while. If I want to go to a concert, I’ll buy a ticket and go where I will be really entertained. When most of us go to church, we are hoping that somehow our lives will be changed. Entertainment rarely brings permanent change in our lives. At least not as adults. It was a sad sight to see during this church service, many of the people sitting and looking at their hands, looking around, shifting in their seats, waiting for the music to be over so we could get on with the service. There was no engagement, only a few familiar songs. b. I’ve seen the entertainment factor creep into the church over the last many years. I was at a church years ago where entertainment was a huge part of our service. And to be honest I loved it at the time. When the service was set to begin, huge velvet drapes were rolled back to a tympani roll. Then the choir (and I was in the choir) would open with a huge, exciting song. All was meant to stir the soul and it did, but again very little change in people from the worship time. c. Many churches today have made their sanctuary more like movie theaters than churches, black paint, lights everywhere, all to elicit emotions in those in attendance. Entertainers understand that music can affect emotions and they do a very good job at manipulating those emotions to get the desired effect. NONE OF THIS IS WORSHIP! d. The group performing in this particular service, admitted they sang the same sets more than once… this immediately told me that there was no prayer over what to sing. They practiced songs they liked and performed them. They never asked the KING of KINGS and LORD OF LORDS what HE wanted to be sung at this particular service, they just performed what they had practiced. 3) The Job of Worship a. Worship leaders have a job. Their job is not to prepare the people for the sermon, to make people feel better, to energize the crowd or to manipulate emotions, that’s an entertainers job. Worship leaders are to lead people into the presence of Almighty God and minister to HIM! b. They prepare by seeking God. In a perfect world, they would work with the pastor, or whomever is bringing the word for that particular service, and try to seek God for the word that needs to come forth that particular day. Then the worship leader would help facilitate an open heavens that enables God to speak into the heart of the people through the pastor. Whether they are able to work with the pastor or not, they need to be on their face before God, seeking HIS will for that particular service. As they do, God perfectly orchestrates the music in an amazing way. It causes people to be open to hear from God. It creates an atmosphere for miracles, breaks down spiritual barriers, opens the way so that the word which comes forth from the pulpit gets into the hearts of the people and changes them. It brings conviction, repentance, salvation, deliverance, healing, freedom, all the things that pure worship is meant to bring. c. One of the biggest arguments for many years within the church is over the style of music. At this particular church, some want country music, however, I’ve heard the same argument over hymns, old gospel songs, etc. The truth is though, that most people only want what they are familiar with. However God is doing a new thing. He wants to move on the hearts of the people and if they are not open to this, then they will totally miss what God is doing. d. When we come to church, it isn’t as much about us as about our purposing to meet with Almighty God. The New Testament church was created to celebrate God’s goodness and then to equip the people for their purpose in God. That is what the worship leader is supposed to do, help people celebrate God, to minister to Him, to worship Him, to be reminded of just how amazing He is. 4) Everlasting Change a. As we purpose to come into God’s presence each and every week, we begin to change. It brings an everlasting change in our lives, in the physical location we are meeting in, and in those who we are with. b. I had a vision once during an intense prayer gathering. There was a cloud in the room, and it stretched from floor to ceiling. A man that was in the prayer gathering had asked for prayer because of some health issues. He was standing just outside of the cloud. As he stepped into the cloud, he was totally healed. The cloud represented the presence of God, and sickness, anger, anything negative cannot function or remain when standing in God’s presence. So as we purpose His presence, then all the bad begins to fall off and we can walk more purposefully in our destiny. As we step out of His presence, the stuff may still remain, but it is less, much less. However, sometimes the stuff is gone, we are healed, set free, released and a new creation. So the more we purpose His presence the closer we are to who God designed us to be, and closer to who He wants us to be. c. As we change, others change. Many times when we have carried a negative spirit for years, for instance one of anger and resentment. As we begin to release it, the world sees that change. People begin to notice a much happier countenance, we look younger and we just carry a joy that others are drawn to. We begin to have more grace for the shortcomings of others. We will begin to see our own shortcomings and begin to repent and desire change in our own lives. We will want to grow spiritually and become hungry to know God more, especially studying His word. Usually, when someone writes an article, they usually give a conclusion and sometimes the solution. The only conclusion AND solution to all of this is Jesus. If you are in a church that understands all of this and worships, then you are truly blessed. If you aren’t then the only thing you can do is pray. Confronting the leadership won’t necessarily bring change. But if each one of us learn to worship through our prayer time, then God can use us to precipitate change in those around us. The only answer to all of the struggles in this area is to submit fully and completely to the savior and watch Him change the hearts of the people.
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AuthorI'm a wife, Mom, grandma, teacher, friend... Lived a while and still have some living to do. Archives
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