15-5

Motivating the Gathered Church

Most of us have been leading worship for some time now, and I'm sure that we can remember a time when we were leading and people just weren't responding. They are sitting or standing there with a blank look on their face and it seems no matter what we try we just can't get them to join us in worship. So we start coming up with things for them to do: 'Lift your hands, sing louder!' The funny thing is, God never asks us to do those things without giving us a reason to do so. Psalm 117 says, "Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!" The writer gives us reasons to praise God, not just instructions to do so.

"When we're leading doctrinally rich, passionate songs, and people don't seem to be getting it, we need to hep them understand how these truths relate to their lives."

We need to do that by the example we set. People can tell by looking at you whether you are worshiping or thinking about where you are going for lunch. They can tell if you are too focused on the instrumental break coming up to catch the words of the song. It is obvious when we are looking to ourselves and not to Jesus. This doesn't just apply to those who are up front singing. It applies to everyone involved, from the choir to the instrumentalists to the vocal leaders. That is why I encourage all of you to sing as much as you can, even if you are not holding a microphone to your mouth. It allows you to be fully engaged in worship and it serves as an encouragement to the congregation. It helps them remember who we're focusing on. Again, please don't do this because you think it is what you are supposed to do, because people can tell if you're faking it. Our goal is to become a group of transparent worshipers, we need to be genuine examples of authentic worship.

When we are leading and people aren't responding, we have to remember that there are many things going on in the lives of the people in our church. Some were up until 3am, some had a fight with their spouse that morning, and others may have just found out that they are going to be losing their job. Our role is to remind them that God has saved them through Jesus, and that He is big enough to handle whatever situation they are facing right now. That kind of God inspires worship! Thank goodness this task doesn't only depend on you and me, but the Holy Spirit is already working on people!

Everything we do in worship has to be centered on God, that is the only way to inspire others to worship. We need to remind people that God is actively involved in their lives. What has He done in your life this week? The more we remind people that God is the center of our lives and He is active, the more apt they will be to worship Him.

"On Sundays God wants us to do more than sing songs together and have wonderful worship experiences. He wants to knit the fabric of our lives together. For many, church as become all about me-what I'm learning, what I'm seeking, what I'm desperate for, what I need, how I've been affected, what I can do. We see ourselves as isolated individuals all seeking personal encounters with God, wherever we can find them. Sadly, this reflects our individualistic, me-obsessed culture. Rather than seeing ourselves as part of a worship community, we become worship consumers. We want worship on demand, served up in our way, at our own time, and with our own music. How do we counter that?"

"David Peterson tells us: Vitality and meaning will not be restored to Christian gatherings until those who lead and those who participate can recover a biblical perspective on their meetings, seeing them in relation to God's total plan and purpose for His people."

Our goal here at FCC is not to attract an audience, but to build a worshiping community. "A worshiping community is made up of individuals whose lives are centered around the Savior they worship each week. A worshiping community expects to encounter God's presence not only on Sunday morning but every day. A worshiping community recognizes that passionate times of singing God's praise flow from and lead to passionate lives lived for the glory of Jesus Christ."

So as we interact with those in our church who lead in worship each week, let us impress on them the need we have to become a worshiping community.

Enjoy the Journey