You know what’s easy? Noticing what everyone else is doing wrong. You know what’s hard? Admitting when you’re the problem.
Jesus knew that when he said to remove the log in our own eye before we remove the plank in another’s. And so when I talk about genuine worship, I long for that reality in my team – that every musician, every singer, every volunteer would be focused on the main thing. But I know it starts with me.
Leader, it starts with you. Really, it starts with all of us taking responsibility for ourselves. You may be a worship leader, a singer, an admin, or a guitar genius.
Guard your focus. Most people enter into ministry or volunteering in a local church with a passion for the glory of God. They’ve tasted and seen He is good and they want others to see what they have seen. To taste what they have tasted. To know the God they have come to know.
People want to make a difference in the world. To move beyond meeting their own needs and making a living.
But at some point along the journey, a person’s talent can become central. It becomes less about ministering to the Lord and more about getting an opportunity. It becomes less about others encountering the greatness of God and more about being scheduled more. It becomes less about serving your local church and instead your local church serving and stroking your ego.
As Ryan Holiday says in his book, Ego is the Enemy:
Ego is the enemy of what you want and of what you have: Of mastering a craft. Of real creative insight. Of working well with others. Of building loyalty and support. Of longevity. Of repeating and retaining your success. It repulses advantages and opportunities. It’s a magnet for enemies and errors.”
It’s a slow decline. Envy, ego, & self centeredness don’t show up overnight.
No one wakes up, steps in front of the mirror and says:
I am going to be a jerk today. It’s all about me, my talent, and my opportunities. I’m going to withhold encouragement from others. I’m going to complain behind my leader’s back. I’m going to stir up dissension. I’m going to be unhappy and bring my worst attitude to draw attention to everything that’s wrong with the church and everyone in it. It’s all about me and my needs. You can do this, self. Let’s wreak some havoc today.”
It’s never that. But our actions can quickly and easily line up with this viewpoint even though we’d never phrase it like this.
It’s when we allow our eyes to drift from the Savior to the stage.
It’s when we trade compassion for criticism.
It’s when we make ourselves the center rather than the glory of Jesus and building up the body of Christ. It’s a week by week, moment by moment choice.
3 Ways to Foster Genuine Worship
Let’s talk about some ways to combat our tendency to self absorption:
1.Set Up Humility Reminders – Certain habits in life are automatic. I don’t need to be reminded to eat lunch. Before I realize what’s happened, I’m at Chipotle inhaling an extra meat, Carnitas burrito bowl with mild and medium salsa, corn, guac, sour cream, and cheese. It’s not a decision. It just happens. Similar to brushing my teeth, making coffee, or putting on clothes, humility isn’t an automatic habit. If left to myself, I focus on myself. I need to be reminded. Daily prayer is a reminder. Or a book like this or this. Or even keeping this verse front and center throughout my day:
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Maybe for you it’s an iPhone alarm that goes off every hour, saying “Be humble.” The more you remind yourself, over time, the more automatic it will become.
2. Daily Expand Your Vision of the Savior – The day I stop learning is the day I stop leading. The moment I stop seeing the Savior is the moment I wander. This is why I need the Gospel every day. It’s not just an event or a moment of decision. Daily Bible reading (or listening) isn’t a matter of knowing Biblical facts. It’s the difference between humility and pride. To go without it, I’m saying I can do this on my own. I have what it takes. But the Gospel reminds me that Christ is my source. And there’s always more to see, more to experience.
3. Serve Beyond the Stage – If the stage is your only service opportunity, you have an increased chance of missing the point. You get a lot of compliments. Everyone sees you. You begin to crave the attention rather than a heart for serving. Here’s a challenge: find a service opportunity that is purely based on interacting and connecting with people, meeting needs. This will keep your heart in check. And when it comes time to make music, it will be infused with heart, compassion, generosity, and service.
Let’s chat. How do you guard against an out of control ego?
How do you stay focused on serving people and kingdom priorities? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]
I make time to stay in the word and be a worshipper at home,so when I lead othets in worship at Church,I am not cranking myself up.And it’s not a show,its a continuation of my private life.
THANKS,THIS IS A GREAT POST
My dad was Music Minister and served for over 40 years at the same church. He was well loved by his community and that is because he “served beyond the stage.” I believe that is the area most of us miss and it is something that I have tried to put into practice for all my life. Thanks for these great reminders!
God revealed to me how he kept me from being able to have a singing career in the world, in order to preserve His gifts when He finally won my heart back. Understanding this alone humbles me deeply.
Every Saturday night and Sunday morning I relinquish self, pray for the Holy Spirit and His singing angels to take my place before the congregation. This has gotten me through a really tough past year where in my flesh, I had nothing to give, but in the Spirit it was ALL God up there.
Every time someone compliments or thanks me, I point a finger up and tell them it’s the Lord not me. Even when I’m visiting another church, it never fails that someone nearby will turn to say something in regard to the voice coming out of me, I do this. And every time it brings tears to my eyes because of Him and the freedom I have by submitting myself to Jesus.
I’ve been singing/performing publicly for 35 of my 42 years, and returned this gift to the Lord for his use only 5 years ago; I can honestly and humbly say having an audience of ONE is sufficient for me.
I serve outside the church in street ministry and as a writer.
Jesus was a Servant Leader; His example for those of us that are called to leadership was service…the ultimate service in sacrifice. It should be our example to those we are discipling as well. Seeing us serve in a capacity other than the platform on Sunday and Wednesday. One of the areas that is difficult to find volunteers for (observing over my 40-plus years of leadership) is the cleaning crew. This is a job that no one sees, and no one really notices, unless it DOESN’T get done. I love to serve in this area at church, because no one really knows about you doing it,,,you have to do it when no one is around in order to be effective at it! Lol! I try to encourage those on the worship teams I lead to also be apart of the cleaning ministry, if they aren’t called to another area already…and I practice what I preach!
I just remind myself that none of this is mine. Talent, equipment, job, income, ministry, even family. None of it. They are all gifts from God Himself. When people say nice things about the praise band, I kind of just bow my head in humility and thank them for their kind words, because I know that it wasn’t me that made an impact, but God’s will to use me and those around me as his hands and feet in a way He saw fit. The fact that He chose to bless me with talents I so enjoy using is a blessing and a source of joy all unto itself.
I do sometimes feel the ego creep in, especially when I become frustrated with team members that are unprepared or appear uncommitted. Then God quickly humbles me back to a place of that servant leadership that Jesus exemplified. He recently led me from a highly capable worship team to a two team church that has some significant limitations, and I took this to mean that I needed some training in humility. Well, mission accomplished God!
Lastly, God led me to lead worship at a local rescue mission. This has done amazing things in my heart. When you strip all the politics, posturing and social status issues that can plague a well funded church in an affluent area, worshiping at the nearby city rescue mission can bring a whole new perspective on the realities of this world. It is something I cherish and look forward to every time I serve there. It is interesting that it is at those chapel services is where I can most keenly sense where my spirit and heart are.
I think it truly is a simple question of WWJD (what would Jesus do), or what would He think if he was next to me in any variety of situations (because He really is there anyway, which is humbling enough).
Personally i keep reminding myself of where the lord has been with me. Luke 17:10 and 1 Corinthians 1:26 also serve as my Anchor.
When I share this struggle with others, I’m not sure they understand. So many times I have felt that I should quit singing because it is never with pure motives, not completely pure. I want to share what I have learned from God, but all the nasty is there, too.