TVC Worship Lifestyle

Question to Ponder

What is Worship?

I spent five years before coming to TVC, at Firehouse Music, where I got the chance to work with a lot of churches in the Grand Rapids area. When talking with them the discussion of worship always came up. I was always amazed at what I heard, and what people’s opinion on worship was and in what category they put it in.  

Now, I am not a scholar, or pretend to even know the vast meaning of worship, but I think I have learned at least a few things. For the most part what I know, is what I have experienced through my own prayer, and worship life.  

I can remember talking with one individual that wanted to start a “contemporary” worship service. He wanted to move in a direction of introducing the more popular “Praise Songs” because he really liked them better. He went on to say that he didn’t think the older people would like it that much, so they were going to go to two services. The first service would be for the “older” crowd, and the second service would be for the “younger” crowd.  

At this point I was confused at what he thought “worship” was. The first thing he started to talk about after he had just told me that he wanted to go to a “contemporary (Drums, Keyboard, Electric Guitars, etc....” worship service, was the style of song, and music he wanted to play. 

From there he went on to say that the older people were getting angry with the younger people, and how the younger people were getting angry at the older people. It seem ed like they could find no common ground with each other. He did not want to make anyone angry, but for some reason he thought he would have to divide the two to make them both happy. 

Well the conversation went on for awhile, and we discussed lots of different things when it came to worship, and music. 

I walked away from that conversation wondering to myself what I thought worship was, and what box do I put it in. I found myself getting angry at the fact that there were churches that actually divide themselves over this issue of “contemporary” or “traditional” worship services.

I believe God opened my eyes at that point....and I realized that, God does not care what form our worship comes in, just so it comes, and is offered to him daily. My lifestyle must be a lifestyle of worship, and devotion to the Lord.  

I think what that man and many other churches want is true fully abandoned worship. They are crying out for a connection with God. He just could not look past the music. I think a lot of churches confuse the issue of worship with the issue of music.

I think what God wants is totally different than what we want sometimes, because music is only a vessel, the phone line between two people. God is wanting us to connect no matter how we do it. 

It is a sad thing that so many churches come to their community gatherings (services) and don’t take time to worship....they just sing songs that they have always sung, or new songs that they think are cool and “contemporary” but never take the time to connect with God.  

What if in this country one weekend all the churches put aside style of music, and replaced it with a desire to worship, and to lead their people in worship? What would that look like? I don’t think that style of music would be an issue anymore, because if we as Christians and believers truly have a heart to worship we can do it no matter what song is sung, or how it was done.

Don’t let me fool you, because I am still working on this myself. The philosophy of worship that I have is “Just do it”, because God deserves it no matter what. I hope as your worship leader, that I can lead you in worship....not just song. So this upcoming weekend maybe we could challenge ourselves to look in and up, instead of out and around.

The mission of the worship ministry is to create intimate, and reflective moments of worship in the body of Christ, and in our own lives.

Contact: Brian@tvcweb.com