Worship+Justice
The chorus of the song “God of Justice” by Tim Hughes has always struck a certain chord with me: “We must go, live to feed the hungry, stand beside the broken, we must go. Stepping forth, keep us from just singing, move us into action, we must go.” I think the words of this song really convict me, because they bring into the light an important Biblical truth that too often remains in the shadows of our American Christian culture (and my heart, for that matter). God is concerned for the hungry, broken, and marginalized people of this world, and we, His chosen people, should be too.
Throughout Scripture we can see this truth come to the surface. In Deuteronomy 15 God’s people are commanded to be “openhanded” and “generous” in their giving and providing for the poor in their land. In the same breath they are told not to be “tightfisted” and “heardhearted.” In Luke 4 Jesus proclaims His earthly intentions in the midst of all those in the synagogue at Nazareth: to “preach good news to the poor,… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
As I consider the words of Scripture, I am suddenly stricken with the realization that God’s heart breaks for the broken. If our goal in worshiping God is to constantly align the concerns of our hearts with His, then “we must go, live to feed the hungry, stand beside the broken.” My hope for my own Christian generation is that we will not be content with meeting together in comfortable rooms to sing to and about the God of Justice, while living in blatant ignorance of what concerns Him. May the Lord not say of us, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Isaiah 29)
As I have been at Brook Hills for only a month and a half, I have already been encouraged by the sense of urgency to provide for the needy that exists in our congregation. I am so thankful to be part of a church where the Gospel, Worship, and Justice are at the forefront of everything we do. It’s also good to know that we aren’t the only ones. Here are some great movements for worship and justice that I’ve seen and been challenged by lately:
“God of Justice” by Tim Hughes
The I-Heart Revolution by Hillsong United
CompassionArt by Martin Smith of Delirious?
What’s Next? Part 2
We need to be responsive to God’s calling on our lives not to build our own kingdoms, but to see that His work is carried from generation to generation. Let us wear the calling well.
I though it might be good to ponder what is does mean to ‘pass along.’ Well, for me, it is really two fold. Not only passing along the how, but also the why. If our disciples only understand the how and not the why, we have failed. I think both are important, but if I were to identify the most important of the two, it is definitely the why. The ‘why’ of ministry is what is reproducible, the ‘how’ is not always so. Reproducibility is an important word for our ministry at Brook Hills, because we want everything we do to be for the glory of God in all nations. The ‘why’ will not consist of the kinds of sound systems we have, the way we run rehearsals or how to record a great CD project. Instead, it will be more about why humility and honesty in worship are important, why Biblical community is an important component of our corporate gatherings, etc. If I have ‘but a moment’ to speak into someone’s future as a leader in the local church, the ‘why’ must be what they learn.
I have also found that the ‘why’ cannot be communicated enough. Repetition of these fundamental tenants is imperative to your team’s and your church’s understanding of why we worship. It is so easy in our American churches to replace the ‘why’ with the ‘how’ as the most important discussion. I urge you to avoid that at every turn.
As an aside, we live among a visual generation and they will model what they see and model it well. The ‘why’ can’t be about empty words–it must be lived out. What the younger generation sees as successful, they will copy. So with that said, let’s lay out a few practical tools for investing.
1. Start earlier rather than later–we began a few years ago laying the groundwork for identifying potential worship leaders early within our local church. We feel it is important to invest in the future of minstry, so we spend a great deal of time building relationships, teaching skills, hanging out with teenagers and college students. We do our best to encourage them with our words and to provide opportunities for successful ministry. They travel overseas with us, they play with our bands on the weekend, they lead their peers in worship–all of the opportunities for investment.
2. Realize that the harvest looks different than it used to–Don’t write folks off because they look different. I would say, without question, all of our younger players and leaders look very different than I do. There are a lot of reasons for this but, I remind myself often, this generation has been raised by the fashion industry, tv, movies and sometimes, no parents. It is still a generation full of potential. Where their choices are not honoring to the Lord, we discuss it. Where their clothes, tattoos and piercings are simply different than what I would choose, it is not an issue. We want the Spirit of Christ to be the unifying factor in our relationships with one another, not the superficial things.
3. Develop a culture of encouragement–This is fuel for the young. Take time to mention success, affirm something small you have noticed. Allow them to see that you are invested in them and watching what they are doing. On the flip side, make sure the small things stay small. People know if they make mistakes, we don’t always have to speak it. Mistakes are not about character. It is more important that the big things get addressed.
4. Don’t assume that people know everything–Youth are enthusiastic and confident–this is one of the things I love about them. But we need to remember, it doesn’t mean they can handle everything. One of the key components we look for in interns is teachability. We have had to remind some that they are with us primarily to learn, not to teach. Establishing this aspect of their role is important or we can miss our opportunity as a teacher/mentor.
Some will struggle with the realization that they don’t know everything. Be patient enough to be there in the mistakes and the good times. Continually teach the heart over and over and over and it will bear good fruit. And remember, when mistakes are made, put the ball back in their hands.
5. Let people see a whole life and not just a platform experience–I think one of the most important things within our ministry at Brook Hills is that we all live with an open door. Almost on a daily basis, I have someone come by, sit down and just start talking. I have realized that I need to be prepared for way more questions about living than music-how to live with integrity in a world of compromise. If anyone on our team were ‘closed door’ kind of folks, we would miss a lot of opportunities.
6. Be prepared for young people to do things far greater than you will–in the end, this is a reward of a life lived investing in others. We long to see this within our ministry. I hope that you do as well.
I wanted to close this post with a prayer for you within the context of your local ministry:
God help us to be a determined people, worthy of the holy calling you have placed on our lives. May we not raise up a generation of babes, but disciples who will go far beyond where we are, toward Christ. As we share life with others in this way, may our churches hear it in our songs, see it in our relationships and experience it in our leading. Let us be courageous leaders willing to give ourselves away without agenda or pride. Let our ministries not be about our record deal, our trendy appearance or our opportunity, but instead marked with humility and serving alongside. May what is seen onstage also be the same as what is unseen. And let us ultimately realize that our jobs are not our right, but instead an incredible honor. With one another, let us be generous, loving, prayerful and committed.
All for Your glory among the nations–Amen.
Where’s your mission field?
This last month and a half has been SOOO busy–due in part to preparations for the worship team’s next project. On Sunday, we’re heading to New Orleans for a week-long mission trip. It has been 4 years since Hurricane Katrina hit the city, and there is still so much rebuilding to be done. So we’re off to build some homes. I am so excited by what God has in store for us next week. And although we’ll be focused in large part on nails, drywall, paint and lumber, the real mission is spreading the Gospel of Christ. It always is, no matter where we are. I think that can be a bit of a disconnect for some, myself included. Traveling to Sudan, Honduras, India, and other countries, where poverty is high and many still have not heard the Gospel, it’s easy to see that these places are “the mission field”.
But what about the 98% of the year when you’re not overseas? What about all of the time when you’re not on an organized mission trip somewhere? There is a sign you see on your way out of the parking lot at Brook Hills, and it says that you are now entering the great commission. All you’ve done is drive out of the parking lot onto the street, but you’re already out in the mission field and you haven’t even left the neighborhood. It doesn’t matter whether you are at home, at work, in the grocery store, in South Africa or wherever. Your mission field is just as important locally as it is globally. So spending time in the Word and in prayer becomes even more important, so that you will be prepared to serve God in all that you do everyday, wherever you are, both here and over there.
Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20,”Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” You and I cannot change hearts, we cannot save people, but we are disciples of Christ, and God uses us to share His Word and the truth about His Son, so that He can be glorified and He then softens even the hardest of hearts. Our pastor has put it this way: show the Word, share the Word, teach the Word, and serve the World. My prayer is that God will turn me outward so that through what I say, what I do, wherever I go, others will see Christ first, and that I will be unafraid to share and talk about what an awesome God we have and how amazing His grace is. It is so easy for us to forget amidst all the busyness of life, but maybe we should all stop and check in every once in a while and ask ourselves where our mission field is…because it’s wherever you are.
May the Lord help us remember that we are always on mission.
We can’t make you worship
I saw a passage a couple of years ago that changed the way I lead worship. 1 Corinthians 14:22-25. In a very small nutshell, it says that if an unbeliever comes into the church while everyone is prophesying (proclaiming the Word of God), he will repent and turn to God.
We live in a church-culture that is becoming more and more “seeker-sensitive.” I feel like the motive behind this movement is good. But, I think we’ve missed the boat when it comes to church and more specifically corporate worship.
Think about this:
Romans 3:10-11. Verse 11 says there is “no one who SEEKS God.”
John 4:22-24. Verse 23 says that there are “worshipers the Father SEEKS.”
Luke 19:10. Christ came to “SEEK and save what was lost.”
Okay, so there is no one who seeks God. In fact, He is the one who seeks us.
My daughter turns three next week. We’ve got the big party planned, rented a princess “jumpy, moon-walk, blow up thing”, got the princess cake…the works. Can’t wait. The goal of her party is to celebrate her life. To make her feel loved, appreciated, and special. What if on the day of her party, we just ignored her and spent all of our energy on the guests? She got no cake, no presents, no ice cream, no Happy Birthdays. Instead, we gave everyone else the presents. The cake had their names on it. They got to jump in the princess moon-walk, but not her. We sang “Hap – py Birth – day to ALLOFYOUWHOCAMETOTHEPARTYTODAY.” If the goal is to make my daughters day, why would we just make everyone else’s day and ignore her?
If worship is to bring praise to God, to exalt Him, to bring Him honor, to worship Him, to celebrate who He is, why would we give it all to the guests? We’re not worth it! Keep reading Romans 3 all the way to verse 18. We were DEAD without Him. When you’re dead, you don’t have an opinion or a preference. But He is LIFE! He is AMAZING! He is Holy, Sovereign, and Mighty! HE deserves our praise.
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” Psalm 115:1
So…I’ve stopped trying to please people in corporate worship. Sure, we want to always do our best to not allow any distractions, and to do the best that we can at whatever we’re doing, but ultimately, it’s not about any of us. It’s about what HE wants.
Now, there are a couple of ways that I react to this. First, as a worship leader, I feel a sense of relief that I don’t have to try to please a group of people from all ages, backgrounds, tastes, opinions, etc. I’m just not that good. But in another way, what an incredible responsibility and privilege to try to please God! Fortunately, He never changes. AND, He sees the righteousness of Christ when He looks at me. So, again, I’m off the hook.
I’m so thankful that He desires our worship. I’m so thankful that He has allowed me to do what I do. I’m so thankful for our church family who understands that we’re not trying to entertain them.