To exalt to exalt

Dan’s posting on the book he’d recently included this quote:

“perhaps instead of just trying to get people to have a worship
experience, or to sing louder, pray longer, or whatever it may be,
perhaps we need to be getting people to fall in love with Jesus, to
have Him as the source of their joy and hope. Worship to a large degree
should be natural.”

It got me thinking and these are my thoughts.

I love things that challenge my role in church, if it never happens you become complacent and being to take for granted that you should just continue with life it is. What can come out of such situations is change, not for changes sake or because we’re such a been-there-done-that-now-I-am-bored society but real, worthwhile, God-led change.

I’ve always battled between the role of the worship leader being one of an usher and that of a trumpeter. The usher shows the way in to the presence of the King then backs away silently to the background. The trumpeter declares the Kings glory with all his might, exalting everyone to rise up or bow down. Or is the reality you have to play both roles with there being a time and season for each?

I guess the real dilemma as expressed by Daniel is whether either role should be required at all? Surely our love for God just bubbles up and overflows and is magnified by our joining together as a group and focusing on Him (a.k.a. church). However, the deeply flawed beings that we are, what actually needs to happen is for us to be exalted to exalt. No leader is capable of forcing someone to worship God however inspirational they are. Sure, they can make someone go through the motions, create a nice sound, have a ‘nice’ time, but God isn’t worshipped. Are we focusing incorrectly on creating the right worship ‘experience’? I don’t believe we are but we must assure that we are correctly focused on revealing God, His glory, His will. Revelation and response.

“This is a time for seeing and singing. This is a time for breathing You in and breathing out Your praise. Our hearts responsed to Your revelation, all You have spoken, all You been, commands a life of praise” - Matt Redman

technorati tags:worship, church, life

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You’re currently reading “To exalt to exalt,” an entry on a discovery log [Mike Jones ~ London ~ UK]

Published:: 10.05.06 / 11pm

Category:: christian, church, life

Daniel 10.06.06 / 9am

I think both roles are valid. Sometimes you lead, being an example, something you step back and let people have their own responsibility.

I think the danger is that we become clapping monkeys, standing when we should stand, shouting when we should shout etc etc. I feel the challenge of a worship leader is to get people to consider Jesus, to consider who He is and how that impacts them, and then to challenge people to consider what their response is, both within a time of corporate worship or when we step out of a church and into the world.

Personally I want us to be more than Pavlov’s dogs, and to be able to offer true worship, authentic from within us, having considered what it means, why we do it and that I am glorifying and pleasing God through it.

Smith 10.30.06 / 8am

Roles, responsibilities, ushers, leaders, trumpeters? Close your eyes and imagine the best most intimate loving encounter with God you have ever had. Now imagine a gathering of people so intent on God that they had no idea if the person next to them was ‘worshipping’ or not. Imagine a meeting where time passed but you had no idea how much time had passed. Imagine a place where the guitar dangled from your neck and you had no real idea what song you had last played, whether anyone had joined in with it or indeed whether it was a song at all. This meeting could be you on your own in your bedroom, or Wembley Arena, it would still be the same. Imagine opening your eyes and seeing Jesus dancing round the room - totally oblivious to you or your contribution, just enjoying being caught up in worship of Father with you. Listen, can you hear the sound of a million beautiful voices all singing with you? Has everything else faded from sight now? Father says “are we just enjoying each other’s company at last?”
I am no longer the worship leader, I am the worship follower. If this is what you seek then go for it with all your heart. Don’t worry about everyone else - their reaching this place is up to them - all you can do is seek earnestly after Him. They will follow if they want to, but no-one can follow if no-one leads.

a discovery log [Mike Jones ~ London ~ UK]

To exalt to exalt

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