I recently attended a worship concert of a highly acclaimed artist. The concert started late in the evening and I had an early schedule the next day, so I ended up leaving after about 45 minutes. During the drive home, I wondered why I hadn’t been “captured” into worship while I was there. After all, here was an internationally recognized worship leader, who is also very skilled as a musician and vocalist. I went with the intent of worshiping my heart out, but left with much less than I had expected. As I pondered what had happened, or rather what didn’t happen, I came to the conclusion that leading worship builds on three essential elements that form a triad chord: perspiration, inspiration, and anointing.
Perspiration is the hard work that goes into being a skilled musician (Ps 33:3), a prepared minister, a Godly leader, and a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. It has to do with maintaining your spiritual health through daily devotions and Bible study (2 Tim 2:15), fellowship (Heb 10:25) and spending time alone with God where the focus is on worshipping God and not on developing skills or a new sound. It also has to do with maintaining a spiritual environment in the home and proper Godly relationships with your family members. Perspiration includes building relationships with your congregation and striving to represent Christ to everyone you come in contact with. Perspiration is maintaining a humble attitude and a contrite spirit. This hard work prepares you for the next element, inspiration.
Inspiration is the spiritual work of getting a hold of God’s vision for the time you are going to be leading worship. It is not gathering a list of the today’s top seven or eight songs and arranging them from fast to slow. It is learning what God wishes to communicate to His people so they will reciprocate back to Him in worship. It is learning what God wants for the movement of worship for that particular time. Inspiration comes when you connect God’s goals and the needs of your congregation through divine strategies. God wants more than a song service; He wants more that a Sunday morning prayer; He wants more than parking attendants, bulletins, and pastoral greetings, and even more than a great sermon. He wants and deserves complete control. He will inspire you when you give your all to Him. If you are a songwriter, ask God to give you lyrics and melodies that reach through the mind of the worshipper to their heart, allowing the message to then catalyze worship to God. If you are a musician, your inspired playing will command spirits just like when David played before Saul and drove out the spirit that tormented him (1 Sam 16:33).
Anointing flees from the works and agencies of man. You won’t find it in institutions, religious icons, a compact disk, or even an article on worship. It cannot be manipulated or contrived. It is not dependant on your theology, credentials or your experience and skill. Anointing comes not by strength, nor by power, but by God’s Spirit (Zech 6:4). Anointing is the display of God’s sovereign power and approval within the environment of His obedient people (2 Chron 5:14). We all know God’s anointing. It compels us to grow in love and maturity in Christ, it is arresting, it takes your breath away, your mouth dries up, your eyes water, your heart pulses beats of love to God throughout your entire body, and your knees weaken. In God’s anointing, you tremble at the power and presence of God. Anointing is where the imperishable touches the perishable, the perfect touches the imperfect, and the infinite touches the finite. Anointing is the momentary presence of God’s kingdom touching earth. Our plans cannot command God’s anointing; all we can do is prepare for God’s anointing because it completely overwhelms our abilities. Anointing is the expectation of every service. Let’s do everything we can in preparation to faithfully anticipate God’s anointing and pray, pray hard for it.
Oh God, help us to be faithful stewards of everything you’ve given us; of our relationship with you, of our families and how we spend our time, and of the worship skills that you implanted. Search us and know our anxious thoughts, reveal anything that is displeasing to You. Forgive us of our pride. Give us ears to hear, a mind to understand, and a heart that senses Your direction for next week’s worship service. Help us, Lord, to hear Your still small voice. And Lord, while we commit our hearts and souls to serve Your purposes, it means absolutely nothing if You won’t be there with us the next time we lead. Therefore, Lord of all things, send Your Holy Spirit before us to prepare the way.
Background
I accepted Christ on September 13, 1980. At 20 years old, I was completely lost but very aware of that there was a spiritual existence that was eternal. On that day, I heard God’s audible voice. (AMAZING! That God would condescend to me in a miraculous way!) At the hearing of His voice, that moment I know the reality of God. I also new this knowledge demanded a full commitment of service and response to Him.
Introduction to Worship
As a new believer, I immediately sensed the importance of worship, not merely at the services, but to live a life of worship. In 1983, I started to study worship and worship leading while I attended The Vineyard in Yorba Linda/Anaheim. I helped two friends plant two churches in Orange County and now my family and I attend a progressive Foursquare Church. I continually study the Bible on worship and worship topics.
Ministry Accomplishments
I have led contemporary worship bands since 1985. We performed a few concerts at other churches and couple of community events each year but worship in those days was not as popular as it is today. I used to lead worship in a congregation of 800. The smallest group I’ve led in worship has been myself and the largest was about 4500. I recently enrolled in a Bible School and have cut my commitments to leading a mid-week Bible study where I lead worship, leading a preaching fellowship (we are learning to communicate better), and leading worship at a bi-weekly men’s function. I also support a Song Writers ministry. Occasionally, I teach people the basics of leading worship in an 8-week course (about 20 hours total).
Other Related Accomplishments and Interests
I tried to produce a ‘record album’ of original worship music of the last concert that the contemporary worship band performed but had several technical difficulties that made that effort difficult. I settled for a cassette tape. I have served as a sound engineer for some of the churches I attended and taught others how to do sound. I design audiophile speakers and sound systems and have served as a sound consultant for setting up PA systems. I designed and build choir monitors, PA speakers and other sound reinforcement equipment.
Personal
I am happily married since December 30, 1983 and have two children. I currently work as an optical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab designing and building the next generation space clocks that should be accurate to one second in 30 million years’ not that I expect to be here then! I feel the Lord is leading me to be an administrative or executive pastor, which is one reason I enrolled in school. I will graduate in October 2002. I play rhythm guitar for worship only. I am learning how to write music all over again. I look forward to the day when we will live in the light of Christ in the new Jerusalem with new bodies that can completely serve Him without compromise or fainting. Maranatha!