PULSE #12 - The Verdict

Well, we've come to the last week in our small group series...PULSE. I thought the title for this week's lesson was very clever. Simply put, "The Verdict". After week's & week's of scouring God's word for what it truly means to be a worshipper, have we come to a conclusion, a verdict?

Before starting this post I took a trip into cyberspace looking for an image that could sum up my journey. It didn't take long before I came across this strange photoshopped piece, and honestly, it spoke exactly what I'm feeling. Over the course of this study, my eyes have been completely opened up to a whole new world!

Through the study of God's Word, Lamar's teaching & some great open discussions with friends, I have discovered that though we may never fully grasp the worship of heaven until we get there, many of its mysteries have not only been revealed to me, but are actually attainable.

The bottom line is this, worship is not something that we do, but rather something that we are. Think on that a bit. You know the old saying, you are what you eat. As silly as that statement is, it actually has some relevance to where I'm going. Now, while I'm not saying that you will become God if you are worshipping Him. I am saying that one can only become a true worshipper when you spend most of your time worshipping. True worshippers don't just worship on Sunday mornings; they worship all day, every day & in every circumstance!

As believers & followers of Christ, our sole responsibilities are to please God & do what He expects of us...RIGHT? Do we really believe this? Are we really living it out? If so, why should we worship God in all that we do (not just a set aside moment)? Two reasons; He created us & He saved us! Just as a parent is pleased when their children express appreciation for something, so our Father in heaven is pleased with our appreciation. Our vertical worship is not only required of us, but it is needed to sustain a meaningful relationship with our creator & Savior. In short, WE ARE SUCKING AIR BECAUSE OF HIS MERCY & GRACE! There's not enough thanks in the world to fully show our gratitude! At least not this world.

Also, true, worshippers are contagious. People may not always voice their feelings, but secretly a true worshipper is admired for their abandon. FBC is a great example! Over the course of many years, people are slowly but surely giving themselves over to obedience in worship. I'm convinced that has happened because of the genuineness of worshippers rubbing off on others. Let's face it, with all the sickness going around these days, this is one thing that we should all hope to catch!

Check out this familiar verse in Luke:

"...Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind..."
-Luke 10:27

Notice the order in which it is stated; heart...soul...strength...mind. Let's break these down a bit.

HEART - excessive, extravagant...everything
SOUL - deep passion & emotion...inner most being
STRENGTH - full bodied, not weak or half-hearted
MIND - focused, not easily distracted

So, what's the verdict in your life, are you a true worshipper? Are you striving to be one? Have your eyes been opened to a new world? I hope & pray that you have received a new revelation into true worship over these last 14 weeks or so. I have really enjoyed taking these teachings and opening them up for you. In the weeks to come I hope to begin a new series. Until then...

Love God & Love People...WHOLEHEARTEDLY!

PULSE #8 DNA

This week's PULSE is definitely aimed to hit the "Worship Team" square between the eyes. Our small group is made up primarily of those involved in either a praise team, band or even the choir. However, there is one gentleman that decided to come even though he's not on a team. Let me tell you, I'm REALLY glad he's there. It keeps me honest. I hope and pray that God will move others to want to be sold out worshipers...even if they're not on a platform. All that to say, he admitted to the fact that this week's lesson didn't really do anything for him. However, he was quick to then say that the scriptures in the lesson were all he needed. HALLELUJAH!! So, without further ado, here's the first bit of the Word that got us started:

"These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
Matthew 15:8-9

Okay, this weeks post was really supposed to be a veritable cornucopia of video lessons straight from our small group. To stay within copyright laws I created 4 short clips taken from PULSE. There's only one slight problem...IT DIDN'T WORK! I was able to make the clips, & they look great on my computer. They just happen to not be able to be uploaded to the internet. Something about wrong format or something. As with many things (so far), if I spent enough time on it, I would figure it out. Two hours yesterday morning seemed to be enough time for now. All that said, I really wanted to get this out, so I gave in...or up...however you care to see it.

So, back to the above mentioned scripture. Have you ever been guilty of just going through the motions. You know the drill, singing a song that's been sung a billion times simply because you know it well. Or, raising your hands simply because the guy next to you is. Or, better yet, because he's not. We've got to being checking our motives, and even deeper than that, our heart.

Worship teams...praise teams...or whatever you want to call yourselves, we as the leaders, must get this right. If our motives are out of whack, it can so easily effect those that we are leading. On the other hand, if our motives are kept in check & our hearts aligned vertically, we can so easily effect those that we are leading. Speaking of leading, are you following me? Check out these comparisons. I know they're a bit general, but I think you'll get the point.

Performance is: Worship is:
External Internal
Horizontal Vertical
Natural Spiritual
For Man For God
Organized Organic
Art-Focused Heart-Focused
Complex Faith
Play Prayer
Action Attitude

Every week in churches across America, worship teams get together to practice for the upcoming service. Is this right? Don't get me wrong, for those of you that know me well, you know that I think we should practice. I just think that often times, we can practice ourselves right out of a wonderful time of worship. There's only so much that any musician can perfect. Without prayer and always working to keep Christ at the forefront of what we do, the LIFE in our worship is gone, or, I hate to say it, may have never been there in the first place. As Lamar said, "Worship is an attitude long before it becomes an action".

So, all you worship teams out there. Next time you get together to "practice", keep in mind what you're practicing for. Excellence at what you do is biblical. Strive for it always! Just make sure that the perfect sound doesn't take the place of truly connecting with your creator.

Since I didn't have video for you, I want to leave you with the last paragraph in this week's lesson from PULSE. I urge you to read it, read it again, let it sink in & then, dare I say...LIVE IT!!

"Your heart colors the worship that you present to the Lord because worship comes from within. When your heart offers up worship to God, the atmosphere in your heart goes with it. Sometimes the atmosphere smells bad because of the pollution of sin, negative attitudes or self-centeredness within you. Conversely, when you've prayed, fasted & allowed God's word to wash you, your heart has a pleasant and fragrant atmosphere. The atmosphere of your spirit is drenched with the fragrance of a sweet & sincere heart, & there's a transparency in your spirit that allows others to sense & see the Holy Spirit. People often say that a singer or musician is 'anointed' because they sense the spirit & essence of a worshipper who has a soft & pliable heart as a result of being in the presence of God.

ISN'T THAT THE KIND OF DNA YOU WANT YOUR WORSHIP TO HAVE?

PULSE...Your Rhythm. God's Heart.

Last week I started teaching a new series on worship called "Pulse...Your Rhythm. God's Heart.". Imagine that, a worship leader teaching on worship. And no, I don't mean singing! That's just the point of this teaching. Worship is so much more than just the uttering of words (that may or may not ring true) out of one's mouth.


As many of you know, I have really been struggling lately with what it is that God has for me at this moment in time. More specifically, my role in the Creative Arts here at FBC. Although I don't yet have my finger on it just yet, I am beginning to feel as though this could be the biggest year of things to happen off stage. Take this teaching on worship for example. We have fixated, and yes, even gained a new "tradition", on worship being what happens on the platform Sunday morning. Now don't get me wrong, I love, even thrive on corporate worship. But that could be sooooo much better when we begin to get it off stage. That is why I am teaching this class! I really believe that God has big things coming, "behind the scenes" if you will. Not to sound prideful (because we all know that without God, this whole thing goes to pot), but God has blessed us & for the most part the on-stage stuff is being done well...need I say...excellently.

So, it's the off-stage (heart) issues that I believe will see the biggest growth this year. For those of you that won't have the chance to come to the class, I am going to be posting some of the key points here on the blog. To give credit where credit is due, I should say that this teaching originated from Lamar Boschman, the founder and president of the International Worship Institute. I am merely the facilitator (with a few opinions). We are two weeks into it now, so I had better stop rambling & get to it.


WEEK 1 - WIRED



We are all wired to worship. We were created to worship. The question is, what are you worshipping?

"Worship is a universal urge, hard wired by God into the very fiber of our being-an inbuilt need to connect with god" -Rick Warren

As stated earlier, God created you to be a worshipper. You don't need to be trained in worship. It comes naturally. Now, back to the question, what are you worshipping? Come on, let's be honest, the Razorbacks! Being from Texas, I'm not a fan. But around here, that's an easy one. People worship the Hogs. If that's not an idol, I don't know what is. I know, I know, I'm meddling. My apologies. What else? There's the obvious...movie stars, singers, athletes. What about the not so obvious...our kids, ourselves, worship. Yes, I said worship. You can get so wrapped up in the "expressions" of worship & miss the boat completely on the object of our worship.

Psalm 135:15-18 (New International Version)

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.

16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but they cannot see;

17 they have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.

18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.

So what should be the object of our worship? That's a great segue into this week's teaching. Shall we...

WEEK 2 - AIM

"Aim at heaven and you will get the earth thrown in: aim at earth and you will get neither.
- C.S. Lewis

God didn't create you to worship simply for the sake of worship itself. Worship has a purpose. None of the expressions of worship are for your own enjoyment (although, done with the right heart, they bring personal joy), you do it for the Lord. This week really opened up my eyes to the mystery of God. I love the fact that He is mysterious. However, God's word unlocks many of those mysteries for us, if we have eyes to see. We must get to the point that we "aim" our worship for the bulls eye & are not simply content with just hitting the target. Let me explain. In God's word, He has been gracious to offer to us many of His attributes. Once again, this allows us to get more specific & not deal in generalities. Let's list a few:

Self-existent - Exodus 3:14

Eternal - Psalm 90:2

Infinite - Romans 11:33

Unchanging - Malachi 3:6a

All-knowing - Isaiah 40:13-14

Wise - 1 Timothy 1:17

And the list goes on. In fact, I'm not sure that all of His attributes will be fully revealed until we are worshipping Him face to face. Oh, I CAN'T WAIT!!

I hope this helps you to tighten your focus when worshipping. I want to leave you with a quote from a great theologian J.I. Packer:

"What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we have in life? To know God."

BLESSINGS!