An Acceptable Work

Bruce L. Shelly in his book, Church History, makes this comment about the conclusion of Martin Luther regarding the need for monasticism: "...The essence of Christian living lies in serving God in one's calling whether secular or ecclesiastical."

Serving God in one's calling... what is that?

We are all called to serve God in one form or another. Interestingly, God doesn't always call those who we would think would be the best man or woman for the job. He calls those who are faithful. "And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust [as a deposit] to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach others also." 2 Tim 2:2, AMP.

Notice that the commission is for faithful men who WILL BE able. The faithful man will entrust that God will supply his need, and God will honor that faith by equipping His faithful servants.

In speaking with you all about certain details of our worship set, I tend to focus on technical things. I want to be faithful to my calling, my position, my church, and my pastor because this is what I think it looks like to be faithful to God. Being faithful entails spending time in the details of a song, the dynamics, the lyrics, the transitions, and all the things that nobody will notice if everything goes right.

Bob Kauflin in his awesome book, Worship Matters, writes: "The first thing we can do is place our faith in God's promises rather than in our preparation. He's the faithful One, and He's more concerned than we are about people worshiping Him next Sunday," (p. 118).

Our spiritual goals should come first. What are these goals? We are not trying to create a worshipful mood, we are trying to help people actually worship the Savior. We are leading by example. Our musical goals should serve our spiritual goal.

Please don't think that my focus is only on music. Because you are in this worship team, it's a given that you are called to worship God THROUGH MUSIC IN A CORPORATE SETTING. Every saint is called to worship God. Being a Christian IS worshiping the Savior. Singing songs is just an outward, sometimes public expression of our everyday worship. The only thing different about this team is that we are on stage publicly professing on Sunday morning.

Please don't assume that your emotions are proof that you've "entered into the Holy of Holies." If you feel like you did a good job, that doesn't mean you have. We are to walk by faith, not emotion. This is a common misconception among many Christians, and often leads to well-intentioned Christians chasing experience rather than truth. This is a form of gnosticism, of heresy. We are to follow hard after God, not emotions. I can guarantee you that if you feel one way about a thing, you will feel differently about it in the future. Feelings are fickle.

What does this have to do with Sunday worship? Simply this: Respect your calling. Be faithful in your walk, prayer life, and in reading the Word. Pay attention to the details. Trust that God will meet you in your weakness.

Finally, God isn't interested in your musical performance and ability. He is, however, interested in your attitude toward service in His house. I guarantee you that He takes it very seriously. The amount of time you devote towards practice reflects your heart's attitude toward the seriousness of your calling. I would challenge us, every one, to compare the amount of time we give to TV, sports, or recreation to the time we give to preparing for worship in the house of God.

-B.C.