xtravagantworshipper

Familiarity

Familiarity

Familiarity. That’s the topic of my sharing today.

Yesterday I was inspired during an msn conversation with a dear sister-in-Christ to listen to a copy of Darlene Zschech’s sharing at a “Praise and Worship” workshop.

She covered many things during her sharing but the one thing that she wanted us to take home with is to be wary of familiarity.

What is familiarity then?

It is your level of comfort within your area of service, your walk with God, etc etc, that you have come to take certain things for granted, or that you have failed to honour or appreciate that which you were called to do in the first place.

In a ministry like choir, or in any other ministry for that matter, “familiarity” is something we, as servers, have all experienced at some point or another.

But I would say, it’s more apparent in a ministry like choir.

For example, after a day’s work at the office, you feel tired, you long to plonk onto your bed, but yet you have to drag those sore and weary feet of yours to Bible Studies, and oh sharks, you still have to sing that day.

Can we be honest here people? How many of you feel that way before? (You can put up your hand to tell God as you are reading this – there’s no condemnation, it’s just being real).

Recently, I’ve been feeling that way too, and I grumble and I whine to anyone who would care to listen that I’m tired and sleepy and blah blah blah.

But hey, you know what Darlene said? She says that if you carry that emotions or state of being onto the platform, it will show, and vice versa, if you carry a spirit of worship into the house of God, you’re going to rock the heavens and the earth.

I’ve had an opportunity to get to know a sis-in-Christ who chanced upon my blog and enjoyed the stuff that was put up. Thank you sis.

She later told me she is very interested in joining the choir, and she loves to worship. She has even signed up for vocal lessons just so that she can get into the choir.

You can see that she really wants to sing for the Lord.

How many times have I heard my fellow choir people complain about being tired and still have to serve so many services? How many times have I heard myself complaining and whining as well?

And here you have this sister, who is so excited about singing for the Lord that she would give her best, just to be able to do it.

Here I am, thinking…wow! Wow! Time for a change in attitude man!

Darlene quoted this author called Bill Hybels who wrote a book called “Who You Are When No One’s Looking”

She says: “When there’s no lights, when there’s no PA, when there’s no crowd, it’s that building the unseen world, YOUR unseen world, that you and the Lord will possibly be the only ones who ever know about.

“Building the character of who you are, what you watch on television when no one’s around. Your unseen life of worship, it’s very critical.”

“We’re not asking for perfection. The Father is looking for those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. Only Jesus was perfect. The rest of us need Jesus, the blood of Jesus,” she continued.

Those were actually Jesus’s words in John 4: 23 where He says: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

What happens on the platform is not a performance. It’s not about looking cool, looking glamorous, looking “holy molly”, with your arms raised, eyes closed, face contorted and looking lost in worship on camera.

Worship on the platform should be an overflow of your personal worship when you’re alone with Him.

I like the way Darlene puts it in her sharing - that it’s about bringing your finest. She quoted King David saying at the end of 2 Samuel: “I will not bring before my King, that which costs me nothing”.

Darlene goes on to say that “it’s not about bringing someone else’ finest, and comparing ourselves and getting lost in that world. But to bring your finest”.

In other words, she says, it’s about offering YOUR best to the Lord.

And that is the result of your intimate walk with God, your wholehearted pursuit of Jesus, your personal worship of God. Just you, and Abba.

You know, it’s amazing to see people in worship from my vantage point during praise and worship.

Yes, for your kind information, I don’t close my eyes all the time because I still have to see what the conductor is doing.

But sometimes, we become familiar. We get used to the large crowds, we get used to the songs – “oh gosh, we’re singing the same songs again, how exciting…*yawn yawn*”

Have you been there before? Oh well, it’s the same music, oh well, it’s the same preaching, oh well, it’s the same people.

But hey people, you are in the Presence of the King. You are singing love songs to Jesus. You are smack right in the embrace of Abba, in the comforts of the Secret Place of the Most High.

Darlene shares about how Elihu challenged Job in Job 37 to meditate on the wonders of God, and His power.

She says: “When you are getting familiar, what you need to do is to meditate on the wonders of God. You need to remember again what it was like when you first came into the team. Remember what it was like when you first got saved.”

Meditate on the wonders of God. When we worship, we proclaim His goodness, His love and mercy, His grace and glory.

We also proclaim the wonders of God. And we want to tell others of His wonders, of all that He has done in our lives.

You know, when we come before Him in worship, when we congregate in the House of God, we ought to be excited.

Imagine what’s the outcome if you come to church, get up on the platform, and you’re thinking “Shucks, my boss sucks, my job sucks, my head hurts, my feet are swollen, I’m hungry, I haven’t had dinner…Why didn’t I close the deal…blah blah blah”.

Hey brothers and sisters, we’re coming together to tell of His wonders, to sing of His greatness, to thank Him for His blessings on our lives, to feel His loving kindness, to dwell in His sweet embrace.

We ought to get excited. Wow! We’re coming to shake the Heavens and the Earth.

All of us, as worshippers, should look forward to do that. It doesn’t matter if you’re serving in choir, in ushering, in children’s church, in Holy Communion, in sound, in message, or if you are just a member of the congregation.

You are not a face in the crowd.

You are a worshipper, known to God by name before your birth, destined by God to have a blessed life, called to worship in spirit and truth in the House of God.

Another manifestation of familiarity is the failure to honour, according to Darlene.

You become too familiar with your surroundings, your church, your pastors, your leaders, your brothers and sisters-in-Christ, that you begin to take them fro granted.

In other words, you fail to honour them.

“Oh there she goes again, it’s the same songs…”

“Sigh…Not again, I’ve heard him preach on this a million and one times. Doesn’t he have any new revelation?”

Familiarity fails to honour.

Jesus says in Matthew 13:57: “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house.”

Jesus could not perform any miracles in his own hometown because the people there knew him as a carpenter’s son, an ordinary folk just like them. They are familiar with him as the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joses, Simon and Judas. (Matthew 13:55). They could not see beyond His mortal body, beyond His wise teaching.

They could not see Him as their Saviour.

Likewise, do you see your pastor, as your pastor, not Pastor of so-and-so church, but your own personal spiritual pastor?

So, honour your parents, your pastors, your leaders in church, your brothers and sisters-in-Christ.

Church, we’re in exciting times! Our Heavenly Father is looking out for worshippers today, who would worship Him in spirit and in truth.

And as the days grow darker, the church of Jesus Christ is shining brighter and brighter. And we’re the beacons of hope, we’re walking temples of God.

We’re the light that is going somewhere to shine into a fallen creation crying out for the love of God, to give them hope in a hopeless world.

You know what Darlene shares towards the conclusion of her “sermon”?

She says we’ve got to arrest people’s senses. Simply, we’ve got to make people go “Wow!”

“That’s what the House of God needs to be like. That “Wow!” Look what they’ve prepared for us today. Wow!!! Our children’s church today is fantastic! Look what they’re teaching our children! Wow!!! Look at the choir. Oh my gosh, the choir this morning, they’re out of control, they’re fantastic!!! It’s that *Gasp gasp*!!!” Darlene says.

Hey church, it’s not works. It comes from a natural overflow of knowing God’s goodness and wonders in your life, and God’s anointing just flows in you, through you, of you from the Holy Spirit that is inside you.

And Darlene goes on to say: “I’d love that to be Heaven’s response, to what we bring, as far as the pureness of heart before God. I’d love to make Heaven gasp on a Sunday morning.”

“Don’t you love to hear Heaven go ‘Wow!!! *Gasp* Singapore…Singapore, you’re beautiful. Don’t you love that? It’s that *Gasp gasp* And Jesus goes: [those are my babies. I love it, I love it, that’s my brothers and sisters]!!!” she adds.

Arrest their senses, don’t go through the motions.

Whether you’re smiling at churchgoers at the front door, whether you’re teaching Sunday school kids, whether you’re preparing the elements of the Holy Communion, whether you’re singing or playing the guitar on stage, don’t go through the motions.

And lastly, Darlene concludes: “Always look up!”

“Take time to look up and gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, and not allowing anything of the familiarity of the world to come in and try to crowd the beauty of the Lord out of you!”

Psalms 123 says “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the hands…”

And know that He is Emmanuel. God is Emmanuel – God with us.

When we place value on the worship of God in our respective ministries, we do not become familiar with our service.

And others will see the glory of God, they would go: “Gasp!!! Wow!!! God is here! God is with us, Emmanuel. This is indeed the House of God!!!

And Jesus goes: “Wow!!!”

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posted by weiwen @ 11:51 PM