Lessons from Last Friday

I led worship for the Lunchtime Fellowship of Living Faith Church last Friday, and the worship went much better than usual. So here's a breakdown of what was different and what stayed the same last Friday, so you can see what probably caused the people to keep on praising God and not want to stop.

1) Songs: they were

1. Show Your Glory by John Greene (F major)
   
2. Be Exalted by Brent Chambers (G major for the chorus, then A major)
   
3. Glory to The Lamb by Larry Dempsey (C major)

One thing all the songs had in common was the glory of the Lord. That was deliberate, as I felt in my heart that was what God wanted me to pay attention to for that worship session. Despite my cynical and skeptical exterior, there are times when I believe I hear from the Lord and do what I think he wants me to do.

Judging from how well the people responded to the songs, I think I heard God correctly that day!

But what if I was wrong? Or if I do not have any specific theme or leading from the Lord for the songs? I am not too concerned with that, because there are only two possibilities when it comes to choosing the theme for the worship set: either I am right or I am wrong. If I am right, that's great! But if I chose wrongly or failed to hear God correctly, then another Scriptural truth kicks in and starts taking effect.

Phil 4:8 (NIV) – Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

In other words, as long as we effectively use our songs to help the people take their minds off the things of this world and set their minds on heavenly things (Col 3:2), we will fulfill command given us in Phi 4:8. And Paul says that the God of peace will be with us. We will experience the peace of God in a powerful way (Phi 4:9).

Many worship leaders I know worry about choosing the right songs for a worship set. I hope this helps to take away the pressure!

2) The People

Another huge difference – the people were early that day. Usually we have only a handful of people when the service starts and the rest trickle in near the end of the worship set. (Yes, I must admit sometimes I am less thick-skinned than usual and start wondering if my singing is really THAT bad?) But last Friday most of the people arrived during the first song. And it also included a few people I know to be hardcore worshippers, people who take God with serious reverence. When these people are present, the spirit of the fear of the LORD that is upon them can spread to the rest of the congregation, especially if you have enough of them around so that they feed off and strengthen each other.

And that is what happened last Friday. The congregation kept on singing and the momentum kept growing. I felt bad to be watching the clock for the right time to hand the service over to the pastor. Anyway, the pastor had the option to tell me to extend the worship session (as he has done on a few occasions) but he did not tell me to do so this time, so I handed the service over to the pastor.

Important Points:

Firstly, I evaluated my success at leading worship not by some hazy, intangible concepts but by 2 Chronicles 5:13, whether the praises were unified. If you ask me to evaluate and critique a worship session, I'd also look at the worship leader and the musicians, but for that Friday there was no need to do that, since the worship leader and the only musician was me. That part didn't change.

Secondly, it is very humbling for me to admit that my success at leading worship last Friday was not largely due to how well I sing or play music, or how anointed I am. It was because of a few people in the congregation who happened to be there earlier than usual, and these people helped spur the rest of the people on (Heb 10:24).

I say that because I am convinced that New Testament worship ministry based more on participation rather than performance. So as long as I keep up to certain standards in my song selection, my singing and my music, I have done my part as a worship minister. And the rest is in the hands of the congregation, whether they will join me in declaring the goodness and glory of the LORD. So if things do not go that well I don't bear much of the blame. But that means that when things do go well I cannot claim much of the credit either!

This is my question for you: when you are NOT serving in the worship team, are you sitting near the front and supporting the worship team as much as you can? Or are you hiding near the back or even worse, skipping the church services? If you are not just trying to show off or gain acclaim for yourself, but have a genuine heart for worship ministry, then support the worship team for the glory of God. Sing louder, flow with the worship leader, sit (or stand) nearer to the front. Smile at the worship leader (yes, trust me, that makes a huge difference!).

In other words, be one of those people whom worship leaders and musicians greet with the words "Thank God you're here!"

Be blessed!

Standing Your Ground

It's amazing how writing a book can bring back so many memories. "THIS is how I learned the right way. THAT was when I really got it. THAT was the day I finally understood." And so on and so forth. God has been gracious to teach me many things, especially in the area of praise and worship.

When you place yourself in a position to learn things from God, expect a lot of trouble to come into your life. Look at this passage:
 

Hebrews 10:32 (NIV) - Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.

When did the Hebrew believers encounter great suffering? After they received the light. And that is what you should expect also. Expect opposition and suffering after you receive the light about something. What kind of light did the Hebrew believers receive?

Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV) - So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

From this passage we see that they received the light about the promises of God. Whenever we receive any promise of God, the Devil will try to intimidate us away from standing firmly and confidently in it. The last thing the Evil One wants is for us to persevere in the promises of God to the point when we receive what God has promised. Why? Because he knows that once we know that we can receive one promise from God, we can receive another. And another. And another. Once that happens the only limit we have is the word of God. The Devil's only hope is to try and stop us before we get to that point.

By the way, this is why for me I see the receiving of the first promise of God as a major turning point in the growth of any believer, because he/she then learns two important lessons: First: God's word can be depended upon; Second: it is possible to outlast the Devil!

All that is when we receive light from God.

What happens when we receive great revelations?

2 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV) - "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me."

People have debated the meaning of this passage for ages. Many have taken it to refer to physical infirmity. Many have also wrongly used it to describe their own troubles in this life. I personally don't believe it refers to physical infirmity. Why? Because in the Bible thorns in the flesh have NEVER been used to describe infirmity. In fact, they have been used only to describe people.

Numbers 33:55 (NIV) - But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.

And another point: we need to remember that Paul was given a thorn in the flesh ONLY after he received surpassingly great revelations. How many of us can say that we have received great revelations? If we haven't, then let's not think too highly of ourselves by calling our problems that or using Paul's experience to justify our own…

But what WAS Paul's thorn in the flesh? I am sharing this with you because I believe that some of you are right now at the point of receiving great revelation from God. Some of you will do so in the future and I want you to be prepared and not blindsided by the Devil.

Let's go word for word into this:

The thorn in the flesh was a messenger of Satan. What do messengers do? They bring messages, right? What was that message from Satan? When we look into Job 1 and Zechariah 3:1-2, we see that Satan accuses and condemns. Therefore, the message that Paul was afflicted with was the message of accusation and condemnation. THAT was his thorn in the flesh.

For us, in our modern vernacular, the messenger of Satan might say "Who do you think you are? What makes you think God will show you things from Scripture that others have not seen? And who are you to carry this revelation anyway? You are demonstrating the very heights of presumptuousness! Just look at your life!"

By the way, the "Just look at your life" line is one of the best lines ever invented by the Devil. Because it naturally slants us towards looking at our lives in terms of where we are weak and struggling, not where we have seen the workings of God's grace and victory. Sneaky, right?

But whatever the line, whatever the accusation, the end purpose of Satan is the same: to get us to stop looking at the God who entrusted the revelation to us, to stop sharing that revelation with the body of Christ and to get us all wrapped up with ourselves, our shortcomings, our failures and our weaknesses rather than Jesus. Don't let him succeed!

2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV) - That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Weaknesses in any area of our lives give us the choice: will we look to ourselves or look to God? Insults sting ONLY if there is some element of truth in them. Will we let that element of truth bring us down? Or will we look to the grace of God that covers our shortfall? Hardships can lead us to doubt the undeserved favor God freely gives us. The accuser will often present the hardships as our own fault (often quite true) and therefore that we are unworthy of carrying the revelations and truths of God.

That's why we go back to God's grace for everything.

Even our sacrifices of praise are acceptable only when offered through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:15) and the only way to nullify the work of Christ in our lives is to seek to be made right with God through obeying God's law (Galatians 5:4) Which shows the sheer wickedness of Satan's accusations, because if we listen to it we will either give up (which is what he wants) or try harder to live a better life (which nullifies the work of Christ in our lives, which also serves his purpose).

The point of all that I am saying is this: I am in and of myself unworthy of carrying the revelations that God has entrusted me. Those of you who know me better know my past, my weaknesses and my struggles. It wasn't my hours spent in Scripture each day or my dedication in ministry that qualified me for all these revelations. It is entirely of the grace of God that I know what I know today. And God wants me to teach, share and impart it with the rest of the body of Christ while looking to his finished work on the cross, not at my own weaknesses and failings.

And that is what God wants you to know as well.

You have your own role to play in the body of Christ. Your effectiveness in that role will depend a lot on how much revelation you have received in that area. And when revelation comes, accusation will usually follow, to try and shake your confidence and intimidate you from continuing. Don't let it succeed! Remember the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! It will be sufficient for you, to sustain you and carry you through.

"He who began a good work in you…"

Be blessed, everyone!