The Worshiping Artist

Rory Noland

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9780310867098
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Rituals & Practice

Whether you serve as a vocalist, instrumentalist, technician, dancer, actor, or in some other role, you know what a blessing it is to serve on your church's worship team. But you also know that some days you're more technically prepared than you are spiritually prepared for the ministry of leading others in worship. In the midst of rehearsals, setup, and myriad distractions, not to mention the busyness of daily life, it's easy to miss the forest for the trees. How can you and your fellow team members be prepared to worship in spirit and truth as well as lead others in worship with integrity?With thirty years of experience in worship leading, Rory Noland knows the issues—in both the private life of the worship team member and the public ministry of a worship team. In this readable book, he offers practical insights on how to•Grow as a private worshiper•Encounter the character of God during worship•Respond to the character of God during worship•Be transformed by the character of God•Learn from ancient worship leaders… and more.So relevant you'll think the author was eavesdropping on your last church service, The Worshiping Artist is ideal to read either by yourself or as a team.

part one

WORSHIPING IN SPIRIT

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit.

John 4:24

Because God is spirit, he is not confined to time, place, or other physical limitations. Therefore, we must worship him in spirit; we must connect with him on a soul level. Contrary to common belief, the soul is not separate from the mind or body, but is the life center of every human being. The soul integrates every facet of our being—our thoughts, feelings, convictions, relationships, as well as our physical bodies. The soul represents the deepest part of who we are. That’s the level on which God wants to relate to us, the point at which we meet him in worship.

Worship may at times seem ethereal, or “other worldly,” but it is never divorced from the “real world.” We tend to regard Sunday as relegated for spiritual things, like going to church, singing, and praying. The rest of the week, then, is devoted to the “real stuff” of life—work, soccer games, carpooling, and PTO meetings. However, worship and all other spiritual activities are every bit a part of the real world because they bring God into all of who we are and all we do. Also, worship deals with the soul, the only part of us that’s going to live forever. For that reason, it could be safely argued that worship is the real world.

chapter one

GROWING AS A PRIVATE WORSHIPER

This evening as my sunset becomes a sunrise for someone else, I repeat once again my day’s mantra, “You, O Lord, are my lamp, my God who lights my darkness….” In the praying of these few lines I have found sufficient nourishment on this desert day.

From A Tree Full of Angels
by Macrina Wiederkehr

Troy slept through his alarm this morning. He finally woke up after his wife jabbed him in the side and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to sing at church this morning?” At that, Troy flew out of bed, threw on some clothes, and was out the door. That’s how his day started and it only got worse from there.

It’s normally a half-hour drive from Troy’s house to the church, but with no traffic and all green lights, the trip is cut to twenty minutes. That would put him arriving in the middle of sound check—not bad, considering the circumstances. However, Troy hit every red light. And maybe it was because he was in a hurry, but every red light seemed longer than usual. He was growing impatient. About halfway to church, he came upon a stop sign with no other cars in sight. He slowed down but then sped through the intersection without stopping. Just then a squad car pulled out from a side street with lights flashing. Troy promptly pulled over.

“Are you in a hurry?” the officer asked.

“Yes, I’m late for church,” Troy confessed, hoping that speeding for a noble cause would get him off the hook.

“License and registration,” the officer curtly demanded. “I’m going to cite you for running a stop sign. There are a lot of little kids in this neighborhood.”

While the policeman wrote up the ticket, Troy tried to call the church on his cell phone, but he couldn’t get through. He tried to call the music director, but all he got was voice mail. Troy had never been late for a sound check before. He managed a construction company and prided himself on being dependable and responsible, so he was very upset with himself for being tardy.

By the time he arrived, Troy had missed the entire sound check. He apologized profusely to his team leader, who promptly caught him up to speed on all the final instructions he had missed. Then before he had time to catch his breath, Troy was on the platform singing the first worship chorus.

However, he immediately discovered that he was not in good voice. He sounded like a cat with a hair ball. He tried to quietly clear his throat, but to no avail. Then he started coughing, so loud in fact that the guitar player came over and offered him a bottle of water. Troy soon recovered, but started the second song in the wrong place and forgot the tag at the end. The third song was even worse. The music director had assigned a solo to Troy, but Troy couldn’t remember whether he was supposed to sing the first or second verse. He opted for the second verse; he guessed wrong. After the band intro, there was an awkward silence. The music director looked back anxiously, so Troy jumped in, mid sentence, stumbling over words and fumbling for the right pitch. He was embarrassed. The rest of the worship set went without incident, but the whole time Troy kept thinking about the solo he messed up.

After the service, Troy was walking to the parking lot with Susan and Buddy, a married couple on the team. Susan plays piano and Buddy plays drums. Just then, the pastor approached them with exciting news. “I just want you to know,” he said, “that a man I’ve been praying for this past year accepted Christ this morning, and it was during the worship time that he sensed God speaking to him. I want to thank you all for the part you played this morning in my friend’s coming to salvation. That was certainly one of the most anointed worship times our church has ever had.”

As the pastor hustled happily to his car, Troy and his friends stood there in this strange mix of shock, disbelief, and joy. “Wow!” Troy finally spoke up. “I’m thrilled that someone found Christ, but that worship time felt anything but anointed. I don’t know about you guys, but my head was not in the game this morning. It was all pretty much a blur to me.”

“Me too,” said Susan. “I’m still learning how to read chord charts, so I’ve got my head in the music stand the whole time. But I think that’s the worst we’ve ever sounded.”

“Well, it always feels like a whirlwind of activity to me,” added Buddy. “I’m pretty much in my own little world behind those drum shields. I can barely hear the singers. Sometimes I have no idea where we are. All I’m thinking about is not messing up.”

They all laughed, but Troy looked concerned. “Aren’t we supposed to be thinking about the Lord during worship?”

“Of course we are,” answered Buddy, “but how can we focus on the Lord when there’s so much other stuff to think about? You know what I mean—tempos, transitions, solos, and, by the way, where are we in the chart?” They all laughed.

“You’re right,” Susan chimed in. “If we don’t concentrate on what we’re doing, we could have a train wreck up on the platform, and then no one would be able to worship.”

Troy pushed further. “Is it okay then to be thinking about other things besides the Lord while we’re leading worship?”

“I don’t see any other way around it,” Susan replied.

“Me neither,” agreed Buddy.

Questions for Group Discussion

1. Why were the three artists in our story shocked that someone found Christ during worship that morning?

2. Why did worship feel like a “blur” to Troy and some of the others?

3. Is there anything Troy could have done differently to prepare his heart and mind for worship?

4. Have you ever left a worship experience feeling like you weren’t able to connect with God, only to hear everyone else describe it as “deeply meaningful” or even “anointed”? If so, how do you account for that?

5. Has worship ever felt like a whirlwind of activity to you, devoid of God’s presence? If so, what contributed to that?

6. What can be done to always make sure one’s “head is in the game” while leading worship?

7. Is it possible to focus totally on the Lord while leading worship? Why or why not?

8. How does one stay focused on the Lord amidst all the necessary details demanded by the task of leading worship?

9. Is there anything you could do personally to simplify your role in leading worship?

10. Is there anything you could do personally to minimize distractions as you lead worship?

WHAT IS WORSHIP?

A pastor stopped me recently and asked, “What’s the next big innovation on the horizon for worship?” He believes the “worship movement” is in a rut and needs “a shot in the arm.” Not long after that, a couple colleagues called to ask, “Who’s the next big, up-and-coming worship leader?” They both felt that the “worship scene” needed a new spark. Then a friend who is disillusioned with the worship at his church posed this question, “Do you know any churches in my area that are doing worship right?”

I can’t help but notice that these well-meaning questions illustrate the fact that our concept of worship has become far too narrow. I’m a musician, I write worship music, but I would be the first one to admit that worship is much more than singing catchy little tunes in church. Simply put, worship is our response to the presence of God. Therefore, worship is more than merely an emotional “feel good” experience; it is more than a program at church or a concert by my favorite worship leader. Worship is participatory; it is not something done to me by a worship band. In fact, worship is not about me at all; worship is all about God. And, if we allow it, worship can transform us.

Created to Worship

According to 1 Peter 2:9, we were created to worship God: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” In Isaiah, God refers to his people as those “I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (Isaiah 43:21).

Worship is part of our identity as Christians. In Acts 18:7, a man named Titius Justus is identified as a “worshiper of God,” as is Lydia in Acts 16:14. In the same way, every Christian is a worshiper of God through Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:3 points out that true believers are ones who “worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.”

Destined to Worship

Worship is also our destiny because it is one of the primary activities of heaven. Now many of us, if we’re totally honest, dread the prospect of worshiping for eternity, as if it’s going to be one very long church service. But I assure you that heavenly worship is going to be far more captivating than anything you’ve ever experienced. The book of Revelation offers an exhilarating glimpse of worship in heaven. As much as words can do it justice, here’s a brief snapshot:

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!” …

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal…. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Revelation 5:11–12; 21:10–11, 22–23)

Notice that there is no need for the sun or moon to light heaven’s way—for God’s glory shines brilliantly enough to light the entire heavenly realm. No wonder the heavens constantly erupt with spontaneous worship.

Compelled to Worship

Recently I heard a worship leader tell an auditorium full of young people that they needed to worship loud enough to make God smile. This leader meant well, but unfortunately he made God sound childish and egotistical, as if he sits up in heaven pouting unless we flatter him with praise. Does God need us to worship him? Is he so insecure that he needs us to tell him how great and wonderful he is all the time? The answer is no to both questions. God doesn’t need anything; he’s God. He delights in our worship, but the truth is, we’re the ones who need to worship.

C. S. Lewis contends that we delight to worship and we can’t help doing it.¹ Indeed, praise comes quite naturally to human beings. Parents sing the praises of their children. Lovers heap praise upon each other. Pet owners adore their pets. We praise what we enjoy, and oftentimes it’s spontaneous; we can’t hold back, but instead erupt with adulation. We applaud a good meal, movie, or TV show. We cheer our favorite sports teams, celebrities, and entertainers. We celebrate those who display talent, honor heroes who exhibit valor, and immortalize those who embody greatness.

In much the same way, when we truly encounter God we are enamored with his glory and can’t help but overflow with joy. As C. S. Lewis says:

The Scotch catechism says that man’s chief end is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” But … these are the same thing. Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.²

Worship Is a Way of Life

In the Bible, the word worship refers to a specific activity as well as an ongoing lifestyle. When the psalmist wrote, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95:6), he was speaking of the activity most of us know as corporate worship, where the church gathers together to praise God. The first-century church worshiped together regularly: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:46–47).

One of the most exciting developments in Christendom over the past few decades has been the resurgence of corporate worship. In fact, when it comes to choosing churches, people these days are just as apt to consider the quality of the “worship times” as they are the effectiveness of the teaching. In recent years, praise music has become increasingly popular, prompting even some secular recording labels to get into the “worship market.” In spite of all this happy progress, and the impressive showing in sales, it’s important to remember that worship is not merely a new genre within the music business. In fact, worship is more than just music; it’s a lifestyle.

When the prophet Jonah said, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord” ( Jonah 1:9), he was describing an ongoing lifestyle. The apostle Paul said, “I...