I’m curious to know what your thoughts are on corporate worship. What is the primary purpose of us gathering together to sing?
Do we gather primarily to sing and align our hearts with truth?
Do we gather primarily to experience the breakthrough power of the Holy Spirit?
Do we gather primarily to sing well performed worship songs?
Do we gather primarily because we like the worship leader?
Do we gather primarily to give our praise to God?
Do we gather primarily to receive blessings from God?
I’d love some comments here. Where do you stand when it comes to corporate worship?
First of all worship is not merely singing but encompasses our entire lives and an entire service at church.
The Bible commands us to gather together to worship God which includes magnifying Him (making Him bigger) and thanking Him for everything, we come together to glorify and enjoy Him. Unfortunately, we gather for all of the reasons that you listed and worship becomes about us instead of God. Fortunately, God is a good God and He doesn’t punish us for all of our mixed motives; in fact, through his son we can come confidently with all our baggage to worship God directly through our High priest. Furthermore, God often gives to us while we’re giving him the praise that He deserves. As we worship Him for who He is, we are reminded of His sufficiency and His vast mercies.
But, please, let us come before Him aware of our deep need for Him to WORSHIP HIM for everything, for the needs He has filled through His son and for His other graces with which He blesses us each day, not with self-worship making it all about US and our preferences and our desires.
Let’s seek to glorify Him, the best we can (lyrically, expressively, and musically) with what He’s given to us.
PS- Thanks for posting this, David. I think we’ve probably already talked about this, but what do you think?
Melissa, I love your description. Worship begins and ends with God. Great stuff.
When I’m greeting my church before starting the music, I try to say something like “are you ready to worship the Lord through music as a church?” Kind of wordy, but I want to keep it in my church’s mind that worship is an all-the-time activity. Worship on a Sunday morning only needs an intro because it set to music and it’s the special time when we can worship God together. Singing is one of the few things that the entire church can do together to glorify God. I love the thought of the church, Christ’s church, my tiny little segment of it, unified in worshipping Him– same thought, same words, same time. I think that is one of the most beautiful things about corporate worship and why it is special among the worship of our lives. Perhaps it’s not the entire point, like your post is looking for, but it’s one of my favorite aspects.
Grace, I may just steal that line when I lead worship 🙂
There is something special about corporate worship. While worship is a lifestyle, that doesn’t make corporate worship obsolete. There’s still something to said for the church of the living God gathering together and worshiping in unity. Well said.
There’s still something ‘to be said’ is what I meant 🙂
Gm, I see coming together corporately just as I see a college classroom. (Remember God have us the wisdom to design college anyway!)
The worship leaders are those that most of the time understand vertical and horizontal worship. It must be understood that since that vertical worship has already taken place with them individually it’s now time to engage the congregation and bring them into worship in the horizontal sense. So if those leaders in the college sense are the students chosen to lead, we follow. And of course the Pastor being the head worship leader is the professor.
Also understand, by being in “class” we will always learn something new about God that we may miss in our private study and worship.