Most of us give thought to the idea of going to church.
We prioritize church attendance. We show up. We bring our families. It’s what we do.
But how many of us prioritize the worship experience? How many of us prepare our hearts to encounter God with the gathered church?
We need to move beyond religious observance to willing passion.
I have found that the more “professional” I become the harder it is to worship. I become more concerned about how the band is doing or how relevant the service is or how good the coffee tastes.
I’ve become a consumer and a critic of worship services.
Shame on me.
The title of this post is even a bit misleading. Is worship about “getting the most” out of it or about glorifying Jesus?
Ron Edmondson wrote a helpful post on 7 ways to get the most out of a church experience. It got me thinking about relating it to a worship service.
It’s not about getting but giving. It’s in giving that we experience God the most.
And I’m desperate to experience God.
Here are 5 ways you can get the most of a worship service:
1. Prepare
What if rather than just showing up, you showed up ready? Instead of waiting for a couple songs to warm you up, what if your heart was already in a position of worship?
I would recommend shutting off the TV on Saturday night and spending time in God’s Word, asking Him to move in power the next morning. Or wake up a little earlier on Sunday morning to prepare yourself for what God is going to do.
2. Sing
When worship begins, sing. I know it can be awkward. But just get over yourself. Even if you’re not a singer, there’s something about lifting your voice and singing that connects you to God in a special way.
It’s disarming, it’s vulnerable, it’s emotional. Singing helps to connect your heart to God in a way that mere speaking can’t attain.
Don’t just watch or criticize. Sing and sing loud. I love hearing the raised voice of a multi generational congregation. It’s not always pitch precise, but it’s a beautiful testament to the greatness of God.
3. Engage
Move beyond just singing, though. Engage your entire being in worship. I’m of the belief that you should be exhausted after a worship service. You should have so engaged yourself physically and emotionally that you’re tired.
Close your eyes, lift your hands, dance, sing, shout, kneel. Realize that God is in the room and deserves your focused, rapt attention.
4. Pray
When I feel distracted, sometimes I’ll pray for others in the congregation. I’ll pray that God will reveal His glory to them. This often moves me to tears as I intercede for others.
True worship will always be marked with a sense of reaching out – moving beyond your personal experience to crying out for others. Try it.
5. Lead yourself
I know there’s a “worship leader” on stage. Forget about that. Lead yourself. Make up your mind beforehand that you are going to lead yourself in worship.
This is a habit you need to build. Don’t wait for your favorite song or epic keyboard pad or perfect lighting. Lead yourself. Go for it. Cry out to God.
Question: How else can we get the most out of a worship service? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Look up.
There’s something to be said of looking up. It helps put things in perspective, because no matter how I think or feel, when I literally look up…things are put into perspective. And then I am compelled to worship Him.
Agreed! I do this too, Michael. Sometimes I’ll encourage my congregation to “lift their eyes”. It echoes Psalm 121 about looking to God for our help. Love it.
Getting into the worship sets the whole tone for me…I find that when I neglect my worship I don’t get as much out of the service. When I am not “feeling” the worship I close my eyes, turning my gaze upward and suddenly the world falls away and I am worshiping my creator.
Love it!
Engage in your own words singing or praying…when there is just music being played…no words…most leaders allow this towards the end of the song…or if they are good leaders they will even tell you….sing out to God, or it’s just you and God, or something of the sorts…take advantage of it….
it’s funny…i written about 3 songs this way…well, the chorus anyway! lol…
I like what the ETWC song says in “I will not forget you”
it says, “You are my God and King, with a greatful heart I bring my offering, and my sacrifice is not what you can give, but what I alone can give to You!”
Thanks David
I’ve found that many people just don’t know what to say sometimes. Mature believers do. But if it’s a mixed room, sometimes people get quieter when I tell them to sing out 🙂 Is there a way you foster this as a leader?
Well, if i’m leading,,,i would say to tell God, just one thing….and let your heart sink into it…
maybe it’s
You’re holy
or…You’re worthy
or I love you
or You are My God…
I don’t expect everyone to write a song! lol….
as a leader…tell them what to say…
“Lead Yourself”
That’s so good. To me, that’s a sign of a mature believer. Requiring the right atmosphere or a particular song or sound to worship is ridiculous, but that’s honestly what people look for sometimes.
In response to your question, I would add “Lead Others.” Sometimes you’re ready to rock and roll and the people around you aren’t. Lift your head or raise your hands or sing loudly as an encouragement to them to participate.
I like that, Ryan. Rather than complaining that no one else is worshiping, why not lead the way with your own worship?
I like what you said about how God is in the room. I think that is something that we often forget. As lead worshipers, I think that it is important to be reminded of that and to direct our praise to Him who is in the room with us. In humble adoration to this King of Kings. Thank you for your continued encouragement and honesty.
Too often I’m more aware of my own talent and responsibility than I am of God and His presence. Crazy.
I like this very much, but as a caveat to “Lead Yourself” I might ad “Lose Yourself” cause worship isn’t about you and your needs. Worship is about fully honoring and Glorifying the Lord.
We spend too much time focusing on ourself, and wanting to get, as you have said, “the most out of” but most of the time, that attitude is self serving, rather than being God serving.
Excellent post as always David. Thanks for your willingness to ask the questions.
Great points, Matt. What are some ways we can “lose ourselves”? I think that is really important because worship is ultimately about God and His glory.
One way I have found is changing the songs we sing. A lot of songs are great, but have a man-centric attitude. Instead of those, lets try singing songs that are wholly God-Centric. songs that proclaim his holiness, his charecter, and his nature. Sing songs that are honoring Jesus because of who he is, and not what he can do for us.
This is not something we have to do every song every service, but when we sing songs that have nothing to do with us, and purely to do with him we aren’t thinking of self.
Matt, I like this idea. It may seem too obvious, but what I do is take the songs that are man-focused (I, we) and change the words to focus on God (You). When I ask the congregation to do this, it is like a light bulb goes off in their head and heart, and they suddenly become much more engaged in the worship.
One of my favorite parts of the worship service is just after the songs end. I have felt passionate lately about continuing in worship without the singers. I’m in the congregation most of the time (I just play a couple of times a month with the youth band) so I’m free to express myself. I love it when other parts of the service are delayed do to the overwhelming presence of the Lord. It is so powerful and pure and creates an atmosphere for the miraculous.
I enjoyed the post David! I appreciate your heart for God.
Agreed! I challenge my congregation all the time that the best worship moments are in between the songs.
I think Christians are sensing their own consumer mindset more, it’s good to see.
I like your notes about engaging worship. I’m not usually one to wave my hands around in worship, but I do believe that our physical posture can speak of a posture of the heart. I want to kneel before Him out of my submission. I want to bow my head in prayer out of my intent and focus on listening to Him. Engaging in worship is a great way to practice a faith that is whole and obedient to God in body and spirit.
Yes, consumerism is like a plague in our churches. It’s such a radical shift to go from attending church to being church, you know?
Last year I taught the preschoolers about worship as it kept coming up in the lessons. We started with instruments and new ways to make music, but in the end it became clothing and food for the poor and time to be with God and each other and time to pray alone or together for each other and for others. The king prepared his people for worship and they brought gifts with them. In the end I learned worship is in the heart and it is not an hour of programming, although it is about corporate admiration and noticing of our God and what that does to change us and our world and what we do with all that. We have been learning as a church to praise and worship him in adversity, in pain, and in loss. Hope something of note comes of that. He does the work, we get to participate and hang on for the ride. Thanks for doing this blog. I found it looking for ideas on enjoying finishing what you started. Added your blog to my lens about a Gym trying to stay solvent in my area.
Thanks for stopping in, Rhonda!
Great post, David. I, too, have found myself at times (when not leading) to spend too much time evaluating and not worshiping. It is a constant battle, especially being a naturally observant person. After all, there might be something I could learn…
Also really appreciated you mentioned the concept of preparation first. That’s something I strongly believe is key. Not only for the worship team, but for anyone who is a part of the congregation. I’ve written on that, too, and is something that I continually encouraged the congregation in at my last church.
How did you go about encouraging your congregation to prepare? I’d be interested to know. Thanks Chris!
I employed a few different approaches.
1) We had a monthly newsletter that I had a regular spot in. I would occasionally write on this topic.
2) Both my senior pastor and I at times would touch on this as part of a Sunday morning message.
3) I would also occasionally touch on this in a worship service as part of a verbal transition/call to worship or through a video piece about worship.
4) Sometimes the opportunity would present itself in a one-on-one conversation.
Very cool. That is helpful. Was your newsletter for your church or just the worship team? Great idea.
It was for the whole church and came out on a monthly basis. I would also reinforce biblical worship with the team through devotional thoughts at rehearsals and occasional emails.
Here is another list of ten ways to get the most out of church >> http://www.davidhousholder.com/10-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-church-0256-life-liberty/
I say JESUS, I sing His name. I just lift my head, close my eyes, and say JESUS.