What kind of worshipers does God want? According to His Word, those who worship in spirit and in truth (John 4?23). So do we have any of those in our churches today? What about your church? Does the body of people that gather each Sunday worship from a real, honest and genuine place?
Worship Leaders - we have been called by God to lead His church into that place where together we can worship and honor God with our lives. If you are too caught up in pleasing people, or pleasing the past, you have failed God. You cannot and will never be able to make the church happy. And guess what - it's not your job to do so! So don't try!!!
What kind of worship allows you to be real, honest and genuine before God? Start there and let that be the catalyst for building your worship for next Sunday. YES - it will be risky. YES - it will be scary if you've never 'broken the mold' in your church. But here is the promise - that's the kind of worship that GOD is looking for. If you piss some people off, okay. Find out what they didn't get and turn that into a teaching moment. Your 'job' is to teach about worship to the church, as well as to lead them in corporate worship on Sundays, so don't let them down.
Artists (of all kinds) - we have been called by God to help others see the creativity, beauty and grace of God through our art. SAME MESSAGE! If you are trying to please or impress people, do the church a favor and STEP DOWN until you figure out that it's not about you! Seriously!
God has given each of you a gift that is very unique - and He gave it to you so that you can bring glory to Him. Listen to His direction. Express what He has put into your heart - and don't be afraid of the outcome. If it is from Him, it will bring honor and glory to Him. And you get to teach the church about worship in its creative art form. How cool will that be?
Pastors - shepherd God's people from the heart, not the head. Don't get caught up in 'big church' stuff and let your head get big. How does glorifying YOU bring glory to HIM? Lead with humility, integrity, courage, tenacity and vision. When you do, your church will jump off the cliff with you. Not behind you - but beside you, hand in hand. When you lead the way He has called you, you too are leading from a place of spirit and truth - real worship. Share your journey with your staff and leaders as a way to encourage others. Share your failures as a way to encourage others. When you're real, it helps others to see that you are a real person (I know - shock!).
If the church in America would just be real and not worry about tradition, denominational 'rules', history (to the point it hurts the church), or simply trying to please a certain group of people - America would never be the same. So what will it take for your church to be real this Sunday?
Ask God to show you - and then do it!
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