I have served in worship ministry for about 15 years, either as a pastor or in lay ministry. God has taught me a lot during that time about worship. Most of His lessons have shown me that worship is a lot less about what we do on Sunday morning than what we do every day in a lifestyle of worship that is surrendered to Him. I believe that if my life is an act of worship to God, then leading worship on Sunday mornings will be much easier.
I'd like to share some thoughts on the prioirty of worship and relate them to the ministry vision God has given me in serving in the local church. I'll do this in two parts: first, show how Scripture teaches us about worship (part 1), then how that relates to application in worship ministry in the church (part 2).
There are many passages of Scripture that deal with worship, both directly and indirectly. One of the passages I like is Mark 12:41-44. This is the passage about the poor widow who gives all she has into the treasury in the temple. The basic story goes like this - a poor widow comes in and gives two mites, all she had to live on. The disciples then get a lesson directly from Jesus about how the widow had sacrificed all she had.
Here's an outline of this passage that can teach us about the priority of worship. First, we must have proper worship, which has the following characteristics:
1. Proper worship is seen privately, not publically.
2. Proper worship is given sacrifically, not sparingly.
3. Proper worship is driven by a changed life, not emotions or circumstances.
Now, some thoughts on these using the passage in Mark. Proper worship is seen privately. That doesn't mean we never worship publically (like we do in corporate worship), but it does mean it begins individually and in your own heart. There were many people lavishing gifts into the treasury (v. 41), but the widow's offering went largely undetected, except by Jesus, who had to call the disciples' attention to it (v. 43). You also see this in the context of the passage (see vv.38-40), where Jesus cautioned about our motives in worship. God isn't impressed w/outward expressions of worship that do not come from a changed heart. I believe that proper, genuine worship can only be public after it has been manifested privately.
Next, proper worship requires sacrifice and isn't offered sparingly. The widow gave all she had to live on. If you do a study on what she gave, you find it represented much less than a day's wages. The word "poor" in the original language indicates extreme poverty - she should have been given charity from others. But instead, she gave her whole livelihood to the Lord. Those who poured money into the treasury only gave what they could spare. Think about it - even the OT sacrifical system was NEVER meant to replace living an obedient life (see 1 Sam. 15). God requires all of us in proper worship, and that has a lot more to do with how we live all week, not just what we do on Sunday morning.
Finally, proper worship is driven by a changed life. God has changed us as believers (see Rom. 12:1-2). That changes compels us to become more like Christ everyday. Jesus tells the disciples that the widow gave everything, trusting in the Lord for all she needed (v. 44). We must never be driven to worship only with emotions and circumstances. Those things change constantly. Only what is true and faithful in the Lord will remain. The Romans passage says it all - "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.....do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The NIV says that this is our "spiritual act of worship" to God. Trust me - God can see us inside & out. He knows if our worship is proper and pleasing to Him.
In summary, genuine worship is always transformational. It was never meant to be a Sunday-only experience. It is a moment-by-moment relationship w/God that lasts all week long. It's personal, a one-on-one with God. If this happens, then Sunday morning corporate worship will never be the same.
Pastor Randy
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