The Values And Priorities Of Worship In The Vineyard
It's I0:05 on Sunday morning and the Vineyard worship service is just beginning. The worship leader says a simple prayer, inviting God to be present and enjoining the congregation to focus on Him. He begins the set with a nod to the band and then closes his eyes as he sings contemporary songs of love and praise to the Father. Occasionally he vocalizes a prayer between songs and gives cues to the musicians when it's time to make a transition. There is very little conversation that the worship leader addresses to the congregation; it is virtually all pointed towards heaven.
There are a few brief interludes with no singing, but the instruments continue to play while the congregation waits on the Lord with an attitude of worship. The songs vary in tone from joyful to majestic to gentle. Though it's obvious that there has been some planning and preparation by the musicians, there's also a sense of spontaneity as the worship leader weaves his way through the half-hour period of singing.
What drives this style of worship leading? Is the leading musician just casually letting things happen or could there be a philosophy behind what he is doing? Is this an arbitrary way of filling up time before the sermon, or an intentional plan that expresses a defined value system?
About I8 years ago, God called together a group of people in Yorba Linda, California who were in touch with their desperate need for God. They didn't have much energy for anything but drawing near to him to hear his voice and receive his comfort. They poured out their worship and their cries for help. Out of this experience of intimately touching and being touched by God, a movement of churches was spawned and a distinct practice and theology of worship began to develop. Over the years, the borders of Vineyard Worship have expanded, but the core values that were formed in those initial stages are still intact. The style and form of expression may evolve, but the vision and purpose remain consistent.
To remain true to the calling God has given us, we have to clarify and affirm our nonnegotiable values and make sure that our practices are aligned with those values. If a sea captain sets a course but forgets to look at his compass, he will unknowingly get off course.
We typically face two hazards as worship leaders. Many tend to become enamoured with their own performances. The other tendency is to stray from the mandate and heritage that God has given to us as a movement. We must keep an eye on the compass if we are going to stay on course and fulfill our calling from God.
Outside the Vineyard there are many styles and forms of worship that are valid and biblically sound. The Vineyard certainly doesn't have the corner on the market. We appreciate all denominations and movements that exalt Christ and adhere to the main and plain doctrines of basic Christianity. At the same time, we feel a responsibility to walk according to the standard that God has imprinted on our hearts. My version of Vineyard worship values is founded on John Wimber's messages regarding this subject.
I have embellished and added to John's outline according to my own personal experience as a Vineyard pastor and worship leader.
Six basic values provide the foundation and framework for a variety of priorities and practices that I embrace. Each of the values is undergirded by Biblical mandates on worship and devotion.
1. Worship is given solely for God's glory and honour.
There is nothing more powerful than coming face-to-face with God's presence in the midst of congregational worship. At times it is breathtaking as we “taste and see that the Lord is good.” The experience of playing music in front of large groups of people while the Holy Spirit is moving constantly challenges me to keep my thoughts pure. Sometimes my mind wanders to ideas like this: “Isn't it amazing what's happening. Doesn't my voice sound great. Boy, I really am gifted.”
After several seconds I realize what I'm doing and quickly reel in my wayward thoughts. Then I choose to refocus on the One who is the only source of gifts and anointing for worship. This kind of mistake is what led to Lucifer's downfall. In Ezekiel 28, the prophecy against the king of Tyre doubles as indictment against Lucifer, the leader of the angelic hosts. He was a gifted and anointed angelic being who had direct access to the throne of God (vs. 12 & 14). But because of his pride and dishonesty (vs. 1, 17-18), he was cast down from his lofty position as a guardian cherub.
Just as this guardian cherub was adorned with precious and beautiful jewels, God adorns worship leaders with musical gifts that sparkle under the light of the Holy Spirit. Staying consciously and constantly yielded to the Spirit in times like these is essential to staying pure in our motivation and performance. Surrounded by the glorious light of God and the worship of other angelic beings, Lucifer's heart became darkened and he was no longer content to be a worshiper. Instead, he wanted to be the recipient of worship. The worldly models of musical performance that surround us sometimes entice us to see ourselves 'as gods' instead of pure channels of worship.
Avoiding a spirit of showmanship is essential to resisting a self-centered attitude in worship leading. We can be passionate, expressive and even aggressive in our leading, but unless these issue from an attitude of worship, we'll draw attention to ourselves. Occasionally I slip into a performance mode for a moment. Usually I feel it instantly because the attitude behind the action isn't right. When this happens, I retrain myself to consciously yield to the Holy Spirit. Thankfully we have the Holy Spirit who is like an umpire in our hearts telling us “when” we're safe and when we're out.” If we respond to his whisperings and to the guidance of our pastors, we will be safe.
In dealing with this subject, however, we must be careful not to create hard and fast rules defining exactly how much expressiveness is allowable for a worship leader. The same instrumental riff or vocal embellishing can be inspired at one moment and inappropriate at another.
We must be careful not to repeat the mistakes of Michal, the wife of King David, who despised David's dancing before the Lord (2 Sam. 6:16). We can't gauge the integrity of a person's heart of worship by a quick assessment of their vocal or bodily expression. If you are wondering how expressive you can be in your worship leading, let the Holy Spirit be your guide. If you need assistance, ask your pastor for help.
The first and foremost purpose of worship in the Vineyard is to bless God. Though you may feel a physical, emotional or spiritual blessing from God as you worship, it is not a predictable nor inalienable right as a child of God. A survey taken at the Anaheim Vineyard by a major secular university revealed that experiencing God in worship was one of the primary reasons people join the church. The respondents list all kinds of revelatory and exciting experiences they have had while worshipping. When asked to describe their feelings during worship, here is what one person said, “I know that I am touching heaven and that heaven is there with us. God reaches in and touches my heart. He frees me and releases me from anxiety fear and stress. I get to express my deep love and gratitude to God and his son, Jesus... God is so good... I love him so much!”
A second person answered the question this way: “This is difficult to describe. I stand before my Saviour face to face. We talk, we touch, we dance. The visions I have received have most often been during worship. My life circumstances have been very rough the last few years. He transports me out of that during worship. I feel it's a taste of heaven.”
These stories are wonderful, but every worshiper doesn't have the same story to tell. For some people this kind of thing rarely happens, if ever. Does that mean these people are less spiritual? Not necessarily. Furthermore, there are a myriad of reasons why the worship may be more anointed one week than it is the next. I wonder if God doesn't purposefully withhold a release of his Spirit at times just so that we will remain focused on him instead of on the experience of worship.
As worshipers, we experience God in a variety of ways. Some have a dynamic revelatory experience that may be accompanied by an emotional release. Others commonly experience the peace of God. Ecstatic experience is not the goal of our worship. The amount of supernatural phenomena is not a barometer of the spirituality of the worshipers. The purpose of our worship is to express our love and commitment to God. As we do, we open ourselves to receive whatever he has for us. As a by-product, we know him better (Phil. 3:7-10)
If you feel like you are 'not getting anything out of it' when you worship, remember that God never promised you euphoria. Your aim is to bless God (Ps. 103) by declaring your allegiance and devotion to him. As you do this, your mind is renewed with a fresh sense of his beauty and majesty. When we behold him, we can't help but be changed (2 Cor. 3: 18). But often the change isn't dramatic, and it isn't accompanied with any noticeable phenomena.
2. We are to be intimate and self-disclosing with God.
If anything characterizes Vineyard worship, this value does. When you experience the “spirit of wisdom and revelation” that the Apostle Paul speaks of, you get a glimpse of the length, height, breadth and width of God's love (Eph. 3). This is not merely a cerebral assent to the doctrine of the love of God, nor is it a purely emotional experience. It is the experience of the power of God's love (Eph. 3:16-18). Paul himself says that this love surpasses knowledge, yet he prays for his people that they would grasp this knowledge! It is obvious from Paul's writings that he has experiential knowledge of God, and that he expects it to be the norm in his churches.
As we approach God in worship, he responds by visiting us. This is foreshadowed in the time of Moses, when God promised to meet with the Israelites in response to their worshipful sacrifices. “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God” (Ex. 29:45,46).
Have you ever received a startling revelation about God while singing a song that you've sung dozens of times before? This happened to me once when I was singing the song, “It's Your Blood.” I was overwhelmed with a new glimpse of the depth of God's love for me. It was as if I had just discovered for the first time that he shed his own blood for my salvation! God's revelation unexpectedly broke in on me. This is the “spirit of wisdom and revelation” that Paul talks about.
The fruit of intimacy is not limited to feelings of love. Another possible result is a repentant heart. Isaiah's vision of the Lord in Isaiah 6 describes him as high and lifted up in the temple. It is one of the classic passages of Scripture that illustrates what the worship experience is like. In it we see angelic beings crying out “Holy, holy, holy” while the doorposts and thresholds of the temple shake and the room is filled with smoke. This picture symbolizes the power and revelation that can be released in the midst of worship. When mortal humans come into contact with the transcendent holy God there will inevitably be times when we will cry out as Isaiah did, “Woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips.”
Have you ever sung lyrics in a song and then been convinced by your own words? What has happened when you've sung “Jesus, nothing from you I withhold” or “Jesus, you are my everything" Did you realize that it wasn't totally true? That moment of realization is your opportunity to consecrate your life to God afresh and to realign your priorities to mirror the song lyrics. These are of expressions of intimacy with God in worship. Unless we are honest with God, our worship is meaningless. He responds to the broken and contrite heart (Ps. 51:17).
No Idols
“You shall have no other gods before me.” This is the first commandment God gave to Moses. It is a consistent theme in the lyrics of Vineyard worship songs. We speak it with our lips to remind our- selves that we must push away anything that would dilute our devotion to Jesus. As we sing songs to the Lord, we are sometimes convicted by our own words. This is what God intended in giving the Israelites the song of Deuteronomy 32. He says to Moses, “Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so it may be a witness for me against them” (Deuteronomy 31:19). God knew that once they entered the promised land, they would turn to other gods and worship them. This song was meant to steer them back onto the right track.
3. We intend for the whole congregation to participate in worship so we make it accessible to everyone.
Every Christian has access to the throne of grace and should nurture his/her relationship with God. Public worship is an opportunity for the church to express corporately what they practice privately. How does the leader facilitate this? First of all, we approach the service with the assumption that the average Sunday attender is already convinced that worshiping God is the right thing to do. That's why they come to church.
The worship leader doesn't have to spend much time interacting with the people. They already know what to do because intimate worship has been modeled for them over and over again. As the leader turns his or her attention towards God, they hopefully follow his/her example. This modeling is also the best way for the uninitiated to catch the concept of approaching God directly and personally. Worship in the spirit is one of those things that is “more easily caught than taught.”
As the leader launches into praise, the people are stimulated by his songs and his enthusiasm. The leader's energy for worship comes from entering God's presence and being refreshed and lifted by the Holy Spirit. it is not a technique for the purpose of producing a particular response from the congregation. There is nothing more exciting to me than catching a glimpse of the glory of God in worship. What reaction to seeing God could be more appropriate than passionate praise? We have plenty of biblical examples of enthusiastic outbursts of praise. David's dancing before the procession of the ark (2 Samuel 6) is a great example of exuberant worship that came from the heart and provided an opportunity for others to follow suit.
Once again, there is a time and place for lots of models of worship leading. The tone or mood of the moment determines the course we choose. In times of great celebration, the leader may lead the congregation in shouts and cheers of praise. Special occasions like conferences are perfect opportunities for this. Boldness from the Holy Spirit fills the worship leader and he may purposely incite the people to action. On the whole, however, the leader's gaze is turned towards the Lord and the rest of the people simply follow along. In a sense, the Holy Spirit is really the worship leader. He draws the hearts of the worship team to set the example.
To make a comparison with the marriage relationship, no one has to exhort me to kiss my wife. I enjoy it! Our love relationship with God is similar. He has captured our hearts and he is our beloved. If our lives are devoted to him, the praise of our lips is a natural response.
To facilitate congregational participation, the worship leader must choose songs that are lyrically and melodically simple to sing. A good worship leader will keep track of the church's responsiveness to each song. There is no point in continuing to use a song that the church can't grab even after several exposures. Remember, the worship leader functions like a midwife who brings people to God and helps give birth to the experience of worship. if people can't get on board with a certain song, don't use it. There are plenty of proven songs that can get the job done. This is a good example of the servant role of the worship leader.
We are not in the business of singing songs that tickle our fancy and merely give us an avenue for artistic expression. We do express ourselves artistically, but only when it facilitates interaction between God and his church. For us, worship is not a spectator sport. We may invite soloists to sing, but this takes up only a small percentage of our time for musical worship.
Most worship leaders would never willfully choose to “showboat” during a worship time. A more common problem is when the leader gets lost in a euphoric stream of spontaneous worship that is personally meaningful, but leaves the congregation in the dust. Short interludes of spontaneous singing by the leader can be great but unless the congregation can jump on that wagon, don't use that vehicle very often. Some churches respond well to spontaneous worship while others have a hard time participating. Serve your congregation and the leadership of your particular church by 'giving them food they can eat during worship times.'