It's Really About Worship

A recent thread on the Church Sound Check forum has garnered attention from many members on the list.  The thread started with a post titled “Time for a Break” in which one church sound guy stated that he was calling it quits after 19 years at this particular church.  The main reason it seemed was church leadership would not heed his advice on technical matters.  This thread brought forth a hail of similar stories and complete understanding on needing to take a break.  

But one post changed all of that.  The post was titled “He Doesn’t Need Us” in which a passionate response was given that God does not need us.  This post went on to assert that it is our own pride that causes problems because we think we are irreplaceable.  That we believe that the church would cease to exist because we don’t show up to turn knobs and push faders.

The post had this to say, “We seem to be operating out of the basic assumption that "serving God" is necessary and desirable.  This is usually and easily extended to "God needs my service", which then leads to "the church couldn't make it without my service" - which has to be extended to "God couldn't make it without my service".Really?????Now, let's be truly honest.   Let's drop our religious masks and be real.   We all would reject the above paragraph - and say that "of course I know God is almighty and that He and His church can survive without me".   But, then we go and live as if we truly believe the opposite!   We let our families suffer, and rationalize that this is okay because we are truly "needed" (and that God and His church wouldn't be okay without my services).   We let our personal life and even our health suffer, and also rationalize that this is necessary and okay - for the same reasons.   Most important of all, we let our spiritual life, no - drop that religious jargon and admit that a real trusting and listening relationship with our redeemer and Lord is sacrificed for the sake of the "ministry" and the "serving".   Be truly honest - have you ever hid behind a sound desk or a computer screen?

OUCH!   I felt that one.   I believe that he is correct in his analysis for many of us; including me at times.  Jesus was talking to Peter when He told him that He would build His church and that the gates of Hell would not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18)  Who do we think we are that the church in which we are serving would fail because we are not there?  If God is in it then there is nothing that we do that will stop it.  Therefore I agree with this post that God does not need us.  

This post goes on to speak about worship.  

“Do we really think that you can worship the God of the universe in spirit and truth while mixing or running PP, or otherwise working?   Oh, we may experience God in some measure, but you can't be lost in worship and still be doing your job.  You just can't!  I'm sorry, but I have come to take these two as mutually exclusive,…”

Although I can understand where the writer is coming from I don’t completely agree with this statement.  Many equate worship with singing and music and therefore many worship leaders are music ministers.  I believe that our offering is our worship.  Singing and playing an instrument is an offering to God and is worship.  Performing our best at the mixing console is our offering to God and is worship.  When we have the correct response to a trying situation at work that shows we are offering our life as a living testament to God that is worship.  Casting Crowns has a song titled Lifesong.  The first line goes;

Empty hands held high; Such a small sacrifice.
If not joined with my life; I sing in vain tonight.

Our entire lives should be an offering to God.  In everything we do we should be doing for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  That is true devotion and that is worship.  If we are allowing our technical offering to become just a job or work then we need to examine our own hearts to see if we are there for us or for God.

Galatians 2:20 (NLT) 20I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Colossians 3:17 (NLT) 17And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

The premise of the rest of the post is that God does not need our service and that if we believe that God needs us then we are being prideful.  God, absolutely, does not need us but He created us for a purpose.  That purpose is to bring glory to Him.  God yearns for a relationship with us.  He wants us to need Him.  Although it is the better thing to sit at the feet of Jesus and worship like Mary; Jesus did not say Martha was wrong for doing the work but for being upset because Mary did not choose service too.  Likewise I don’t believe that Mary was upset because Martha was serving and not sitting with Jesus.  Whether we are serving or just participating in a corporate worship service we are there for God and God only.  It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing.  We should be concentrating on bringing glory to God through praise, learning and serving.  I believe that we would be dishonoring God if we do not use the gifts and talents that He has given us for His service.  Once again I’m not saying that God needs our service just that He wants our service.  

The writer of the post wrote, "I heard recently that a study revealed that 85% of those that "made a decision for Christ" in today's churches are out of the church (any church) within a year."   I believe that we need to reach out to those that receive Christ and get them into service so that they do not fall away.  But with that service we must disciple.  I believe that is where churches fail.  The Great Commission is misinterpreted as "go and make converts" when what Jesus said was "...go and make disciples..."  It is a much greater thing to worship at the feet of Jesus but don't completely discount service to the church because as Paul said in Colossians 1:24 - 29 (NLT) 24I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am completing what remains of Christ’s sufferings for his body, the church.  25God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his message in all its fullness to you Gentiles.  26This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to his own holy people.  27For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory. 28So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect£ in their relationship to Christ.  29I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

I also believe that God does not call us to just serve Him but to also serve others.  We serve in the technical ministry to facilitate worship.  We serve to help others hear and see what the Lord has laid on the heart of the worship leader or the pastor.  Jesus gave us this example,

John 13:12 - 17 (NLT) 12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?  13You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true.  14And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.  15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.  16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them.  17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.

We were created to serve.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

We give of ourselves in service because God has given everything for us.

Romans 12:1 (NLT) 1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 

Our service has meaning.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT) 58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.  
It really all comes down to worship.  Who are we presenting our offering to?  When we sing are we singing for the Lord?  When we play an instrument are we playing it for the Lord?  When we operate sound and video equipment are we doing that for the Lord?

I thank the writer for his passionate plea and for bringing to light areas in my life that I need to work on.  I pray that in all that we do we do with a heart to bring glory to God.  I pray that we do not let our own selfishness or pride get in the way of our worship or distract anyone else from worship.  Let us worship God with our praise, our service, with our lives.