I read this article today and it really struck a chord with me. As a worship leader in my church, as with all our worship leaders, I desire for our congregation to “enter in” to worship. Entering in worship takes many outward forms; reverent silence, dancing, loud singing, lifting hands, swaying, clapping, laughing, etc. One thing is common through all of these and that is the sense of connection with the One whom we worship.
The connection with the Holy Spirit during worship is undeniable. There is no questioning when the Holy Spirit takes control of the service, whether music or preaching. It is powerful, overwhelming, exuberant, humbling, uplifting, and on and on I could go. The greatest joy I can experience in worship is the congregation being moved in worship by the same Holy Spirit that moves on me in worship. That is to say when I feel God’s presence during worship and I look up and see that the congregation is experiencing the same presence I am. It’s a cyclical encouragement, if that is even a term, when the congregation senses that I am being moved by the Spirit it frees them to worship more as it is doing the same for me and for the other worshipers that are in the service.
We all worship differently, but I really believe that we should all experience all forms of worship at one time or another in our time with the Lord. He is not one dimensional and did not create us to be one dimensional, He delights in our creativity and diversity as much as he does in our commonality. I challenge each person that would read this today to explore worshiping God outside of your comfort zone with abandon. You may desire to do this while you are alone, as I do from time to time. Going out of your “zone” may mean worshiping without music, or with a different style of music, or lifting your hands, maybe shouting, maybe dancing, spinning, or just being still and knowing that He is God.
Worship with abandon, however you do it. Enjoy the article:
By: Dr. Tim Smith
Posted 11/10/2010
Not many people know about the 3000 islands of Lake Victoria in Uganda. Fewer people have visited them, and even fewer go out to share the gospel with the thousands of people out there. There are lots of good reasons for this: polluted water, hippos, crocodiles, not many can swim and years ago thousands of people afflicted with AIDS were sent out there apparently to die. When they died they left behind hundreds and thousands of orphans and widows throughout the islands. But in the middle of this sad scenario, a bold evangelist built an orphanage on one of the islands – with the help of a great missions group out of Hood River, Oregon. He built 16 homes and put 10 AIDS orphans in each house with an AIDS widow over each house. In one year’s time, all the kids (ages 3-14) got saved and filled with the Spirit! Jesus showed up on this remote island of Uganda.
Maryl and I were privileged to boat out to this island in 2007 with our nephew, Brent Earwicker, a young missionary who, along with his wife and two children, has now given his life to the islands of Uganda. We boated up to the island in the early evening. Though it was too dark to see anybody, we could hear 160 young voices singing a beautiful song of welcome to us from the beach. Once we landed we were surrounded by sweet children who eagerly escorted us in the dark to our huts for the night. We hunkered down under mosquito nets and the noise of bats overhead, for our first sleep on the island. The song floated through my head ‘help me make it through the night’ as I thought ‘if I can just make it to the morning’. I fell asleep.
But before the sun came up, I heard the drums. Hundreds of yards away but as clear as if they were right outside our hut, I heard the voices. Amazing, crystal-clear, young and exuberant voices, singing praise to Jesus with total abandon. It was 5:30 in the morning, not an adult in sight, and these children were singing the loudest praise I have ever heard in my whole life (without a sound system!). The first morning I laid in my cot and wept as their voices came like refreshing waves of joy over and over me. I remember thinking ‘This is it. This is heaven. Pure unadulterated worship. Pure joy. Pure abandonment to Jesus.’ Like a little child…
Later I walked among them during these morning times, and they were so intent on their worship of Jesus, that they didn’t even to seem to notice me. Such focus, delight, devotion – I was humbled. Children getting up on their own accord before the sun, before breakfast, before their chores, no one telling them to do it, singing wholeheartedly, loudly and joyfully! I tried to think of one scenario back in the US where this might occur. Sadly, I was unable to envision it back home. This one moment on a remote island of Uganda has ruined me for life. I came to ‘bring Jesus’ to the island, but He was already there, singing, laughing and dancing with His kids, beckoning me to join in the dance. The story goes on as these children are now evangelists to the other surrounding islands, singing, preaching and living out the Gospel everyday to the poor and needy. The song goes on.
Then we came back to ‘reality’ in the US. The worship leader was amazing to watch as he sang, laughed, and even twirled in delight, worshiping his Lord and Savior for twenty-five minutes before an appreciative congregation. The band was tight and played with exquisite excellence. All the elements of a successful worship experience were there, including great lighting, good song choice and mix, sharp video images, vibrant worship team. You could walk away that day thinking ‘what a great time of worship’, unless you happened to look anywhere besides the platform. Out in the congregation of hundreds of people, a few were singing quietly, many were sipping lattes, most were smiling approvingly, some standing, some sitting.
This whole scenario has given me grave concern for the state of worship especially in the United States. While there are some churches who are experiencing a full worship experience with total involvement in the congregation, they seem to be the exception today rather than the rule. Historically, the church has always gone through periods of time when the music and worship was left to the ‘professionals’ and the average congregant would observe from afar. Now there seems to be a cultural barrier arising in America that many people have gotten comfortable with in their worship experience – I call it ‘vicarious worship’ or allowing others to worship for you and feeling good about yourself because others had a great worship time with Jesus.
Read the rest of the article here
In Christ,
Steven Singleton
