It never offended me before, but it did now.
I was having a conversation with one of my students, a lady in my Dynamic Devotions Course.
(In case you don't know, Dynamic Devotions is the course I conduct for keyboardists already serving in church and want advanced training in playing keyboards for worship. I cover the subtle details that many musicians miss, details that vastly enhance the worship experience of the congregation. This course also builds them up to the level where they can play the piano prophetically, that is, play down the presence and glory of God through the piano. Think of it as a black belt worship keyboardist class…)
This lady said "In order to lead the people into the presence of God, I HAVE to be close to God. How can I bring them to intimacy with God if I myself am not intimate with God?"
And if YOU believe that, brace yourself. And read what I have to say.
If you HAVE to be intimate with God in order to lead people to that point, you're saying that if you are not, the people CAN'T be intimate with God. You are setting yourself up as the mediator between God and man.
Well, in 1 Timothy 2:5 says "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…"
And when I lead worship, especially for Tuesday Group, I am so conscious of Christ Jesus in every believer present. If for some reason I am not living in the truth of Christ's mediation for me, there are so many others who can be that link, that mediator, that I can be touched by God, be closely embraced by God and be blessed.
That's why I LOVE to lead worship for Tuesday Group, by the way. :) There are so many people there who live in the truth of Christ in them, that at anytime they carry within their bodies the very one who connects God with everyone around them. No wonder the worship at each meeting is so powerful!
Now why then, doesn't that link, that divine connection, occur more often when people worship God? Couple of reasons.
First, there are too few people who truly understand true worship leading, how to really lead worship. They've been given cliches such as "You worship God and the rest of the people will follow." They do what they've been told works by people who can't consistently make it work. And wonder why what they do falls flat.
Second, many people neutralize the Christ in them, making him of no effect. In Galatians 5:4 "You who are trying to be justified (made right, be in right standing) by the law have been alienated from Christ…"
You can tell me all the doctrinal truths you subscribe to, Justification by Faith, Salvation by Grace and all that. All I want to know is this: when you have to meet God face to face, what are you counting on? Are you counting on you doing the right things? Or on Christ having already given himself as a ransom for you, making you good enough?
And let's take this verse a little further.
Mark 12:29-31 "The most important one, Jesus answered, "is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second one is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these."
Since in this passage, Jesus himself said that loving God and your neighbor is considered the law. When you face God, are you able to stand before him with confidence because you love him and your fellow man? Or because he has loved you? When you are counting on you loving God and your neighbor (fulfilling the summary of the law) to be in right standing before God, Christ (the anointed one, the mediator between God and man) is made of no effect to you.
As I said, don't tell me your doctrine. Tell me what really happens within you when you step up in front of the congregation after you've just quarreled with your spouse, yelled at your kids, shook your fist at the person who snatched that last parking lot from you (and realized that's your pastor!)
I personally believe God allows all these things to arise before we lead worship so that we can go back to square one and say "God, it's still ALL about your grace, sufficient for me, your strength made perfect in my weakness."
Before I get flamed by the people who are offended by what I say here, let me make this crystal clear.
I believe in intimacy with God. Really.
But I crave that intimacy with God not for the sake of the people I serve, but for my own sake. I know by now that I am a wineskin for God's people. My experience, my understanding, my deep knowledge of how to lead worship, my music skill and even all my anointing makes me an excellent wineskin. I am one of the best wineskins I know.
But I am nothing without the wine of God. Do you get it?
And that is what's on my mind every time before I lead worship, play for worship or even teach worship. God, give me (or us) the fresh wine!
My intimacy with God tells me one thing: God wants to be with his people and bless them because he loves them. My time with God tells me that I lead worship well not because of my time with God, but that he wants to spend time with us, with his beloved and precious people.
And he does, because someone in the whole group (not necessarily me) has the faith to believe that Christ, the connecting link between God and man, dwells within him or her. And God shows up.
So, worshippers of Jesus Christ, do give thought on what I share here. I'm pouring out my heart to you, hoping that somehow or other God will use my words to speak to you, that you may be blessed.
Prayer time: Thank God! The arrangements for the beginner guitar course are blessed! We are making my Core Concepts for Worship an integral part of the course, as well as teaching some things about how to effectively lead worship. Pray that God will bless us and expand our territory.
And help us ask your close friends and ministry leaders this question: if I were to take all my teaching on how to lead worship and make it a separate course by itself, would they be interested? Ask them to email their thoughts, comments and questions to me at jvworship@gmail.com.
Thanks! Be blessed!
I was having a conversation with one of my students, a lady in my Dynamic Devotions Course.
(In case you don't know, Dynamic Devotions is the course I conduct for keyboardists already serving in church and want advanced training in playing keyboards for worship. I cover the subtle details that many musicians miss, details that vastly enhance the worship experience of the congregation. This course also builds them up to the level where they can play the piano prophetically, that is, play down the presence and glory of God through the piano. Think of it as a black belt worship keyboardist class…)
This lady said "In order to lead the people into the presence of God, I HAVE to be close to God. How can I bring them to intimacy with God if I myself am not intimate with God?"
And if YOU believe that, brace yourself. And read what I have to say.
If you HAVE to be intimate with God in order to lead people to that point, you're saying that if you are not, the people CAN'T be intimate with God. You are setting yourself up as the mediator between God and man.
Well, in 1 Timothy 2:5 says "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…"
And when I lead worship, especially for Tuesday Group, I am so conscious of Christ Jesus in every believer present. If for some reason I am not living in the truth of Christ's mediation for me, there are so many others who can be that link, that mediator, that I can be touched by God, be closely embraced by God and be blessed.
That's why I LOVE to lead worship for Tuesday Group, by the way. :) There are so many people there who live in the truth of Christ in them, that at anytime they carry within their bodies the very one who connects God with everyone around them. No wonder the worship at each meeting is so powerful!
Now why then, doesn't that link, that divine connection, occur more often when people worship God? Couple of reasons.
First, there are too few people who truly understand true worship leading, how to really lead worship. They've been given cliches such as "You worship God and the rest of the people will follow." They do what they've been told works by people who can't consistently make it work. And wonder why what they do falls flat.
Second, many people neutralize the Christ in them, making him of no effect. In Galatians 5:4 "You who are trying to be justified (made right, be in right standing) by the law have been alienated from Christ…"
You can tell me all the doctrinal truths you subscribe to, Justification by Faith, Salvation by Grace and all that. All I want to know is this: when you have to meet God face to face, what are you counting on? Are you counting on you doing the right things? Or on Christ having already given himself as a ransom for you, making you good enough?
And let's take this verse a little further.
Mark 12:29-31 "The most important one, Jesus answered, "is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second one is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these."
Since in this passage, Jesus himself said that loving God and your neighbor is considered the law. When you face God, are you able to stand before him with confidence because you love him and your fellow man? Or because he has loved you? When you are counting on you loving God and your neighbor (fulfilling the summary of the law) to be in right standing before God, Christ (the anointed one, the mediator between God and man) is made of no effect to you.
As I said, don't tell me your doctrine. Tell me what really happens within you when you step up in front of the congregation after you've just quarreled with your spouse, yelled at your kids, shook your fist at the person who snatched that last parking lot from you (and realized that's your pastor!)
I personally believe God allows all these things to arise before we lead worship so that we can go back to square one and say "God, it's still ALL about your grace, sufficient for me, your strength made perfect in my weakness."
Before I get flamed by the people who are offended by what I say here, let me make this crystal clear.
I believe in intimacy with God. Really.
But I crave that intimacy with God not for the sake of the people I serve, but for my own sake. I know by now that I am a wineskin for God's people. My experience, my understanding, my deep knowledge of how to lead worship, my music skill and even all my anointing makes me an excellent wineskin. I am one of the best wineskins I know.
But I am nothing without the wine of God. Do you get it?
And that is what's on my mind every time before I lead worship, play for worship or even teach worship. God, give me (or us) the fresh wine!
My intimacy with God tells me one thing: God wants to be with his people and bless them because he loves them. My time with God tells me that I lead worship well not because of my time with God, but that he wants to spend time with us, with his beloved and precious people.
And he does, because someone in the whole group (not necessarily me) has the faith to believe that Christ, the connecting link between God and man, dwells within him or her. And God shows up.
So, worshippers of Jesus Christ, do give thought on what I share here. I'm pouring out my heart to you, hoping that somehow or other God will use my words to speak to you, that you may be blessed.
Prayer time: Thank God! The arrangements for the beginner guitar course are blessed! We are making my Core Concepts for Worship an integral part of the course, as well as teaching some things about how to effectively lead worship. Pray that God will bless us and expand our territory.
And help us ask your close friends and ministry leaders this question: if I were to take all my teaching on how to lead worship and make it a separate course by itself, would they be interested? Ask them to email their thoughts, comments and questions to me at jvworship@gmail.com.
Thanks! Be blessed!
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