Early
on in ministry, I had the opportunity to intern at a church in the area of
Worship ministry. After graduating high school and moving away, I really
struggled with adjusting to my new surroundings. I had grown up in the same
place, surrounded by the same people, attending the same church for the
majority of my life. I was a relatively
well-known performer in the area I lived in, and I had worked incredibly hard
to establish my reputation as a singer and musician. Though I didn’t feel the
call to full-time ministry until my senior year of high school, I had sung in
church since I was 5 years old. When I moved away from home, I was hit with the
rude awakening of my new surroundings. Being in a new area, I began to
understand that NOT ONE person had any idea who I was, or what my ‘skill sets’
were. (A very odd awakening for someone who had labored over establishing her talent reputation Ha Ha.) Needless to
say, my first few months of college and interning were spent by myself in a
coffee shop figuring out my walk with Christ OUTSIDE of leading ministry. I spent my intern hours organizing the
Planning Center database, vacuuming the stage, or making coffee runs for people
who didn’t even know my name. What a
humbling and amazing time those first few months were: My relationship with God
wasn’t being defined by the ministry I
was leading for other people. My worship no longer happened by music played or
led on stage. My worship experiences had to become deeper and more personal
than ever.
My Worship ceased to be defined
by the avenue of ‘music,’ and instead became a lifestyle rooted in the understanding of God the Father,
by the message of the Gospel, through the power of the Holy Spirit .
To
worship is the act of giving worth to something, elevating it to the
place of highest honor. Though the most common way of expressing our desire to
give worth to God has historically been through songs OF worship, it is vital
to our faith and spiritual walk to realize that worship itself must be rooted IN LOVE FOR CHRIST, and not in music. If we do not understand the Gospel and the God
we sing ABOUT, our songs mean very little. Because God created mankind to
worship Him, those of us who are in relationship with Him should continuously
search for new ways to GIVE WORTH to our Maker. We can do this through several
different avenues such as prayer, reflection, quietness, rest, reading
Scripture, encouraging one another, etc.
True worship is a lifestyle that is lived in accordance with His
Word, walking in step with the Holy Spirit.
As
someone who had a one dimensional side of worship for so many years, I would
encourage you to dive deeper into the Gospel to find the true meaning of
Worship, and why we are called to express it by our lives. The more we come to
know Jesus and the redemption freely offered to us by the shedding of His
blood, the more we will begin to understand the mystery of Grace. The more we
understand His grace, the more we are moved to respond to it. The more we
respond to it by offering our body’s as living sacrifices to Him (Romans 12:1),
the more intimate and authentic our worship becomes. If we truly understand and
believe the Gospel with our entire hearts, it will be impossible to lack
authentic and intimate worship. If it is through the avenue of music that you
give worth and glory to God, do it with the full measure and knowledge of the
amazing Truth of the Gospel. Music is secondary.
~Rachel~
No comments:
Post a Comment