Ten Insights About Worship (1-5)

Well, I am thankfully back with some God-Given Insights.  When I took the position of lead musician of the Wake Forest Gospel Choir in May, 2006...I spent the next summer praying deeply about what I gotten myself into.  As the summer wore on, God never directly revealed what I would encounter in my new position of leadership, but He affirmed things that I had learned that hard way.   It was a season of flashes of journaling and logging what I have learned and what I had gathered from studying and spending time with God.   What came out of this is ten insights about worship and the life of a worshiper.

1. Worship is NOT a song: Worship in the church has been reduced to a song or singing or playing an instrument, but biblically that is not the case.  Although the musical craft is a major part of the corporate and the private moments of worship, it is not the width, depth, or breadth of worship.  God wants our lives to be worship, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Rom 12:1 ESV)"
2. Worship is NOT a service: I grew up believing that my worship was really comprised what happened in church.  But, really the corporate worship experience is the beneficiary of what I offer in my life outside the church.  The depth of my experience corporately is connected to what I offer God when only he is watching.
3. Worship is NOT a style, tempo, or display of musical skill:  I think this is one of the biggest misnomers in the Church.  Worship music is slower and Praise music is faster.  WRONG, music that has been produce with the heart to worship, magnify, edify, glorify God is all worshipful.  The music that I choose to worship God with I chose taking it account musical style and tempo and the excellence of craft; but if the heart of worship is not in it, the music is nice noise.  As a worship leader, excellence of my offering is my goal, but I have to place my heart and my focus on God and what HE has done.
4. Worship is NOT a moment: Tied to worship is not a service, worship needs to be boundless and perceived as outside of time and flowing in and through my life.  Why? because it was begun in eternity.   The Angels (Seraphims and Cherubims) are around the throne of God as we speak worshiping in heaven (Isaiah 6; The Book of Revelations), which is timeless and boundless.  Our lives can be shaped and fed by boundless worship that is not constrained to a time limit.
5. Worship is egalitarian: Worship is egalitarian, meaning it is demanded of all God's creation.  Praise and worship is what we were designed for.  With the very image and life of God inside of us, we seek out something to worship.  Theologians have called a God-sized void.  I believe that, and that's why worship is egalitarian.  We are all seeking God, regardless of our races, creeds, color, economic position.  God expects HIS sons and daughters to worship him and to honor him and to love him.

Peace for now...I will finish the list tomorrow.  God bless.

Ernest