You may think you’re just an acoustic player in the background of your worship band, but your role is more important than that. A big part of playing acoustic is the musical aspect, but there is also the spiritual side of things. The spiritual component is the only thing that separates worship music from any other genre of music. You have to be right with God before you can bring your best on the platform.
I remember times over the years when this has been a struggle for me. It may have been sin in my life that I hadn’t repented for or just the fact that I hadn’t had one-on-one time with God in weeks or months. Whatever the case may be, you have to be on your toes musically and spiritually to do your best on the worship platform.
Let’s take a closer look at those two sides of worship — things to watch out for and things to do to make sure you bring your A-game.
Your Spiritual Impact on Worship
A bad attitude blocks your worship to God. Being up there for the wrong reasons will also limit you. Your personal worship to God is one of the most important tools you have, and when you’re on the platform, that’s what your priority should be. Worshiping on the platform should be the same fundamental thing you do in private. Here is a list of 10 Worship Killers and here’s an in-depth look at some other Barriers to Worship.
If you’re not tuned in to God during a worship service, you could miss something God has for you in that divine moment. With only a few minutes in His presence, God can do what would otherwise take months or years. Just the same as He does for you, the worship leader, He also does for those in the congregation. If you take care of you, He’ll take care of them. You’re still jointly responsible for everyone else in the room, even if you’re not the “Worship Leader”. [ctt_hbox link=”8Sfjb” ]If you\’re on stage, you\’re a leader. You have to prepare like a leader.[/ctt_hbox] God places a higher responsibility on teachers and leaders – including worship leaders. [1 Chronicles 23:1-5 King David uses some of the Levites as worship leaders; Number 18:5-6 & 20 outlines the Levites’ responsibilities and their inheritance]
[ctt template=”9″ link=”t5k86″ via=”yes” ]It\’s a privilege to be on the worship platform. It\’s not an entitlement. Respect your post.[/ctt]
Your Musical Impact on Worship
As for the musical side of worship, you have to pay attention to your surroundings while you’re on stage. There are song dynamics, cues from the worship leader, and the overall atmosphere of the room. Missing any one of these can result in a lack-luster musical sound. Worship isn’t the same as a secular “concert”, but the same level of excellence should be aimed for. Bad notes, wrong chords, or messy transitions can result from you not focusing on the musical task at hand. Those things can also cause those in the congregation to get distracted during worship, and distractions in worship can cause someone to miss what God has for them in their divine moment.
Stage presence is another important factor in a worship service, and it is a by-product of your attitude. People can tell when you’re just not feeling it. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not all about how you look on stage, but you still have to project (at a minimum) an appearance of reverence and honor to God. Sometimes the hardest thing to do when you’re upset is look like you’re not upset. My recommendation here is to get your head and your heart right before you go on stage. The Bible tells us to get unforgiveness taken care of before we pray and before we bring our offerings (Matthew 11:25-26 & Matthew 5:23-24). It’s important to pray about anything that’s bothering you and turn it over to God before you start your service.
Conclusion
It’s not just about you when you get on the platform. God chooses people to lead worship just like he chooses people for other roles in ministry, so you’re there for a reason. It’s a blessing and a responsibility to serve and minister to God as well as the people in your service. How will you approach your next worship service differently? Leave a comment and join the discussion below.
Featured Image By Ricardo Camacho (Flickr: A Need) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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