Dear Amplify Worship Team!
Praise God for all your dedication and passion week in and week out in this sacred ministry of Praise and Worship. Your ministry has lead to the glorification of our awesome God and the transformation of many lives including mine's. Know that you belong to a tradition of worship teams that have been instrumental in bringing thousands of young people before the manifest Presence of God, to the praise of his Glory!
Until Jesus comes again, till every knee shall bow and every tongue confess before the unveiled glory of God, we will continue this work of calling people to worship. And as we lift Jesus, He will draw all men to Himself.
I would like to, in this entry, to offer some thoughts and values on how we can keep growing as a worship team. It may be helpful as you think about the next time you lead worship or play in the band.
God-centeredness
God-centredness is the first Core value of Amplify. A high priority is the God-ward focus of our gatherings. The ultimate aim is to so experience God that He is glorified in our love, repentance and surrender towards Him.
Expecting God to show up in power and love
We do not just direct ourselves toward him. We earnestly seek His drawing near according to the promise of James 4:8. We believe that in worship God draws near to us in power, and makes himself known and felt for our good and for the conversion of the sinner in the midst.
Thus the worship leader helps people connect the love and power of God to where they are at in their lives. What does the greatness of God got to do with my life, my struggles, my sorrows, my anxieties? The good worship leaders offers space for deep conversations and 'moments' between the creation and the Creator.
Based on God’s Word
The content of our singing and praying and welcoming and exhortations will always conform and flow out of the truth of Scripture. The content of God's Word will be woven through all we say and do in leading praise and worship.
This also mean that a worship leader must be a person that loves the Word of God more than music. Remember the illustration of the furnace – the expression of worship (fire) is fueled by the Word of God (coal).
Rightly interpret scripture by enquiry, studying, meditation and prayer before declaring it. If you wouldn’t play a song without first hearing it, studying the chord charts and practicing it till it gets into your spirit, do the same to the verses of scripture.
The Word of God used hastily without understanding on the part of the one declaring comes out empty and worse, in error and out of tune. Be diligent in your study of scripture, theology and church teachings.
Earnestness and intensity
Avoiding a trite, flippant, superficial, frivolous atmosphere, but instead setting an example of reverence, passion and wonder. Our audience is not the crowd we lead but of the One.
Authentic Worship
Renounce all hypocrisy, pretense and showmanship. Not trying to imitate Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, 7:22 or making it into an artistic performance but striving earnestly to create a faith-filled intimate atmosphere where people can have a genuine and radical personal encounter with God.
The manifestation of God in the expressing of Love for one another
We expect and hope and pray that our focus on the manifesting of God is for the good of people and that therefore a spirit of love for each other is not incompatible with, but necessary to authentic worship.
The bible tells us ". . . speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." Pay attention to the 'speaking to one another.' Some songs sung in P&W can be used to addressed not to God but each other. It is perfectly fine. The lyrics are usually comforting, edifying, uniting or inspiring. Some songs urge each other not to give up.
These types of songs are very powerful and affirming and I urge that they be used regularly and in right places in the worship set. Remember the vertical and horizontal directions of the cross in worship- reaching to God and reaching out to one another in love.
Mingling old songs and new songs
"And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old" (Matt. 13:52)
Avoid the mentality that avoid old songs because they are old or using new songs because they are new. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Do the hardwork of reading and meditating on the songs before you use them - there are treasures in every song that comes from heaven whether old or new.
Undistracting excellence
We will try to sing and play and pray and exhort in such a way that people's attention will not be diverted or distracted by shoddy ministry, lack of preparation nor by excessive finesse, elegance or refinement.
Natural, undistracting excellence will let the truth and beauty of God shine through.
Worship Leading 24/7
Worship Leaders lead not only in our love for God but also in the way we love others. Often time people are not convinced because our love for God is not substantiated by our love for others.
Remember that our best moments of worship leading may not be on stage. In fact, it is often our love for others privately that will truly establish us as a worship leader in the eyes of others publicly.
Pay attention to the way you live your life that you do so in a way that is worthy of your high calling in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
To the Greater Glory of God and the good of people,
Leo
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