What Corporate Worship is NOT...

I am one who will always be looking for ways to include people in the Sunday worship experience. Whether it be a form of art or music, or even sign language and dance, if it fits with what our focus and goal for worship is, I will find a way to use it - but it will always 'fit' or be intentional.
Our worship experience must be intentional in pointing people to God through various mediums - but ONLY if it makes sense. Our worship experience should never be about showcasing talent. If you look at 1 Corinthians 14, you'll see where Paul talks a lot about worship being done in a fitting and orderly way to glorify God and not man.

• The Sunday experience must be about GIVING our best to God in our worship. Sometimes that best place of giving is from a seat or pew. When the unbeliever or lost person comes in to worship, they need to hear and see people leading from the seat right next to them.`

1 Cor 14:24-25 reminds us that the unbeliever WILL be impacted by our worship.

• The Sunday experience is NOT about what you or I want. As Rick Warren starts out the Purpose Driven Life book, "It's not about you." The worship that we are all supposed to be sharing in each week is about God, for God and to God. Period. This issue of worship wars and music style arguments comes from a selfish heart and attitude. We all have it. But it does NOT belong in God's house. We BRING the sacrifice of praise - Hebrews 13:15 
• The attitude and heart of people leading out from a platform must be aligned with God. I have a huge responsibility to make sure that the people leading out from the platform each week are doing so out of the proper 'motivation' and heart. I take heat all the time because I won't put so and so up to 'do special music'. First, as I said before, I just don't throw someone up because it's nice to hear them sing. That's not the purpose. Does it fit with what we're doing, where we're going? But beyond that, what's the persons walk been like? Are they involved in our church? Are they serving somewhere? Do they have a servant attitude or a serve-me attitude?

If you had a football player who was really talented and could do just about anything, but didn't come to practice or participate regularly with the team, how much playing time would he really get? If he didn't regularly hit the weight room or work on his cardio, how effective would he be if he actually did get in the game?

It's the same with 'just putting people up front because they sing good or can DO something"...if the walk is not there, if the devotion to God is not there, the offering is offal (crap) to God.

Nowhere in scripture do I find direction or instruction that says to 'showcase' the 'talent' on Sunday during worship. God is our audience of one.

And since He is the audience, NOT US, then our focus must be one of intentionality, reverence, honor and praise TO Him, OF Him and FOR Him. Please, church, don't turn Sunday into the church version of America's Got Talent.

Honor God above all with your life in ALL places, not just Sunday morning. That's the church that a desperate world is dying to see!