I’ve been thinking a lot about worship lately. As I watch the news, I see an outpouring of worship taking place in a way that I have never seen or experienced before. However, I think it is largely due to the fact that I am also seeing an outpouring of persecution like I have never seen as well.
Just a couple thousand miles away, people just like us, Christians, are watching their loved ones die for their faith. They are being told to “convert, leave, or die.” Their lives are being turned upside down. If they are not killed immediately, they are driven out of their homes and into the desert where death still awaits… just in a slower manner. Lack of water, lack of food, and heat exposure have taken the lives of many, even children. As a parent, I cannot imagine the torture of watching your child slowly die and knowing that you could stop it… but choosing not to. I would love to say that my faith is so big that I would not be shaken by this, but I don’t know that I can. But, the faith of these in the Middle East is steadfast and their worship is real and constant. This is what it truly means to follow Jesus and worship Him alone, to “count everything as loss” for the sake of knowing Jesus (Phil. 3:8). These people are standing for Jesus when everything they love is being taken away from them. Needless to say, this sold out worship has really challenged me personally and has caused me to take a second look at my role as a “worship leader”.
Am I preparing my flock to be this dedicated and devoted to worshiping Jesus or am I leading our people to worship only when it’s convenient and comfortable?
Here is the harsh reality: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12) and “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29). Persecution and suffering are realities for believers because they were realities for Jesus. Our people may not be facing extreme persecution like we are seeing on the news, but the war is happening. People are struggling week in and week out with problems and distractions, and they need us to lead them to do what? …… to sing? ……. to be entertained for an hour? NO. They need us to lead them to fight, to stand, to say in the midst of suffering that “He is good”. They need us to lead them to worship: worship that consumes their lives, worship that defines their lives, worship that perseveres, worship that stands to praise in the face of tragedy and suffering. Worship that ultimately propels the worshiper out from the walls of our churches and in to this crazy messed up world to shine the everlasting light of the One who has conquered all … Jesus! Worship that not only lives for Jesus, but is willing to die for Him as well.
This kind of worship is what we should be after. It’s what I am after. I want to be able to say in the midst of every situation what Paul said in Philippians 1:20-21 when he said, “it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He had an “eager expectation” for Christ to be glorified in his body by life or by death! Glorifying Christ was of supreme priority and importance to Paul. My friends, this level of worship is not accomplished by just singing a couple of songs and having a service each week. Our songs, our arrangements, our lights, our talents, and our best efforts alone can’t produce or manufacture Christ centered worship… only the Holy Spirit can. This kind of worship can only happen as the Holy Spirit moves in the lives of believers and empowers them to live for Jesus (Rom. 8:11). This happens when the desires, pursuits, and passions of our people are controlled by the love of Christ (2 Cor. 5:14). Our job is to be faithful as stewards of our testimony, the Gospel message, and our gifts. We must pray and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest. So, in the midst of the craziness of making sure everything gets done when and how it needs to get done each weekend, don’t forget to take time to lift up those who are persecuted and plead for the Holy Spirit to breathe on our gatherings that we may raise up and send out faithful followers of Christ who will not be moved and whose worship will not be silenced.