Moving Past Self-Centered Worship
It is Sunday morning. The worship team has gathered together to begin practice for the coming morning worship service. Guitars are being tuned. Songs lists are handed out to the team members. Microphones levels are adjusted as the sound check is taking place. One by one it seems that all is coming together as the team prepares to lead the church into God's life-changing presence in worship.
This is a familiar story that takes place every Sunday morning in countless
churches around the world. But there is another familiar story and it is
one that takes place more often than not. It is the story of "self-centered" worship.
You may have witnessed such a story at your church during a worship service
or the midst of a worship team practice. The story has "me" written all over
it. "I can't hear my voice in the monitor," "His guitar is too loud," "Turn
up my keyboard," "I don't like this song," are statements I am certain we
all have heard from time to time. Please allow me to say that none of these
statements are bad in and of themselves. I feel that they are only wrong
when they get in the way of taking the focus off the object of our affections...
who is Christ! Yes, we need to hear ourselves in the monitors and be sensitive
to the quality of sound that is being generated by all the team members,
from the musician's to the singer's. But I have seen statements like this
create an atmosphere that is not conducive to worship. It is as if worship
becomes self-centered instead of God-centered.
In recent years there have been much discussion about today's world which
consists of baby boomers, boomers and post moderns. We have a generation
that is growing into adulthood that have never know struggle, war, or lack.
Everything is handed to us the way we want it! I am sure you have heard the
phrase... "have it your way." This mindset is creeping into today's church.
Sometimes, this type of thought causes division within the church... which
ultimately brings the church to a place of being un-effective for the cause
of Christ. But, when it comes to worship... there is no room for our agenda's!
Let us consider Paul and Silas in a Philippian jail. After being beaten, flogged and chained in a prison cell, how is it that they were able to offer praise to God? This wasn't a "have it your way" situation! Being confined to jail after being beaten are hardly things we would want to experience. Yet in midst of this... they offered praise with their whole heart (Mark 12:30). Their worship was not based on what they liked or their situation! It was based on the object of their affection!
God-centered worship... is much more than the songs we sing. The way we play our instruments, or the songs we sing. It is not whether our favorite song is sung or if we sit, kneel, stand or lift our hands. These are only acts of worship and a by-product of the devotion that resides within out hearts for God and Him alone. God-centered worship must be an expression of our relationship with God... in all these areas.
When we find ourselves dealing with some of these attitudes of "self-centered" worship, either within ourselves or in others. We have a choice. We can complain about the song selection, volume, or musical style or we can say... Lord not my will, but Yours be done. "I will give You my first and best love in spite of me or my personal views!" This is honest worship with integrity. I believe that God delights in a heart that is after Him. In Psalm 22:22 it says, "I will declare Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the congregation I will sing and praise You."
May we make a decision to move past "self centered" worship and come to the "cutting edge" in "God centered" worship. Let the world see His awesome wonder in our lives!
After all... it is all about Jesus! What else is there?
Grace & Peace,
Ken
Psalm 27:4 \o/
Moving Past Self-Centered Worship by Ken
Verheecke (Heartcall Music)
This article printed with the author's permission.
Click here to visit the Heartcall
Music web site,
where you'll find more info about the ministry
and samples of his wonderful praise and worship recordings.
