Planning and Leading Christian Worship Services

LeadingGod’s People

inChristian Worship

Philip P. Eapen

The LighthouseCochin

Leading God’s People in Christian Worshipby

Philip P. Eapen

Copyright © by Philip P. EapenAll Rights Reserved

A Lighthouse PublicationFirst Edition 2005

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are takenfrom the New American Standard Bible

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Introduction .................................................. 5The Essence of Christian Worship............... 13Understanding God’s People ........................ 35Planning a Worship Service ......................... 45

CONTENTS

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In this era of the “third wave” ofPentecostal/Charismatic movements,

“praise and worship” sessions, not tomention the leaders of such sessions, havetaken on a role of special importance.“Praise and worship” sessions, peoplethink, can make or mar a church service.Today’s churches need spirit-filled,dynamic men and women who canminister to God’s people by leading themto meaningful times of worship,consecration, encouragement andedification.

How many times have you attended aPentecostal or Charismatic church andhave felt that the worship service was notup to the mark? You certainly havecompany. Despite the pomp andsplendour employed to make the time ofworship significant, despite the money and

Introduction

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Leading Worship

talent deployed in the area of musicalaccompaniment, the service crash-landsdue to the ineptness and lack ofpreparation of the so-called “worshipleader(s).” Participants who have access tothe best of worship songs in the world arenone too willing to forgive these worshipleaders who neither understand the basicprinciples of Christian worship nor thedynamics of a post-modern worshipservice.

Vinson Synan, a scholar onPentecostalism, says in his book TheHoliness Pentecostal Tradition that populardiscontent with liturgical forms of worship

contributed to thegrowth ofPentecostalism inthe twentiethcentury.Pentecostalsgenerally lookdown on churchesthat follow aliturgy. “Theirprayers are allwritten down—

Pentecostalworship servicesare very often atthe mercy of the

whims and fanciesof ill-trained

worship leaderswho blindly mimic

the West

7

Introduction

straight from the cold storage. We are ledby the Spirit,” they claim. Yet, there aremany Pentecostals and CharismaticChristians, who are disillusioned by thefree structures of their services.

Churches that do not follow a liturgy arevery often at the mercy of the whims andfancies of the worship leader or anyone incharge of the service. Most pastors becomenervous when a member hijacks theservice with a long testimony or prayer orout-of-tune worship session. It is to avoidsuch haphazard events that ancientchurches sought refuge in liturgies.

In spite of the Pentecostal dislike forwritten liturgies, I believe that it isworthwhile for them to examine severalliturgies to appreciate their content,structure and progression, all designedaround the all-important Eucharist. A lotof care goes into the construction of aliturgy.

Moreover, worship services in liturgicalchurches are regarded as a form oftestimony and a proclamation to the

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Leading Worship

world. These liturgies are also confessionsof faith (doctrines) that serves aneducational purpose. Any member of aProtestant mainline church is familiar withthe Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed,which neatly summarises the Christianfaith. These liturgies make use of Psalmsand other Bible portions extensively. It is,of course, true that liturgical services lackthe flexibility of a non-liturgical service.Besides, lay participation in liturgicalservices is very limited.

People complain about liturgical servicesand move on to Pentecostal churches onlyto discover that they have jumped from thefrying pan into the fire! Why is this so?Most Pentecostal/Charimatic services donot deliver on their promises of greaterflexibility, use of charismatic gifts, and layparticipation.

Pentecostal churches in India stick on to“unwritten liturgies.” These can form rigidstructures in the minds of people. Pastorstoo get tied up by these structures. Thus,most Pentecostal churches do not in realityenjoy the full extent of flexibility that a

9

Introduction

non-liturgicalservice can afford.The littleflexibility that ispermitted isduring the “praiseand worship”session and theproper use of itrests with theworship leader.

And what about charismatic gifting?Pentecostal churches in general do notseem to have any interest in any spiritualgift other than praying in “other tongues”and in prophecy. Lay participation too islimited to a few opportunities to pray inpublic or to testify. The clergy-lay divide inEpiscopalian churches is present inPentecostal churches too.

Am I recommending that Pentecostalchurches should adopt a written liturgy?No. My aim in writing this little book is toencourage pastors and worship leaders totake a hard look at their worship services. Ihope my readers will understand that in

My aim in writingthis book is to

encourage pastorsand worship

leaders to take ahard look at their

worship services tobring about

positive changes.

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Leading Worship

rejecting liturgical worship services,Pentecostals have thrown the baby outwith the bath water. We rejected writtenliturgies in the name of flexibility andfreedom in the Spirit. In the process, weturned our backs on everything that isgood in liturgical services.

Pentecostal and Charismatic churches,due to lack of understanding and carefulpreparation, miss out on the essentials ofworship – such as the public reading of theScriptures, regular communion at theLord’s Table, and intercessory prayer, justto name a few. With a large number ofpastors who opt out of theological training,and with busy churches that have no timefor Bible teaching, Pentecostal believers arevulnerable to false teachings based onhearsay, faulty interpretations, and onmystic experiences. Worship leaders blurtout blunders without any regard fornewcomers or detractors who may beattending the service.

Few theological seminaries in India offera course that instructs worship leaders.There are quite a few quality websites

11

Introduction

offering on-line articles and helps; andthere are seminaries in the West and inAustralia that offer courses in this area.Western music leaders and singers visitIndia to conduct “worship seminars.” Veryoften, their methods are not suitable forAsian contexts. Even then, our worshipleaders are too eager to mimic theseteachers down to their odd clichés.

Week after week, thousands in ourcountry are caught between unrefinedPentecostal worship services and those ofthe traditions that they had left behind. Ifthey are dissatisfied with Pentecostalworship services, they have no other placeto go. Worse still, many do not even realizethe shortcomings of their church services.

In such a scenario, I felt the need to pensome guidelines for those who lead God’speople in worship week after week. Thisbook is not just for pastors or worshipleaders. Neither is it just for Pentecostalsand Charismatics. My prayer is that thegreater body of Jesus Christ will benefitfrom this humble effort.

12The following chapter, “The Essence of

Christian Worship” presents biblicalteaching on Christian worship. Withoutgrasping what God demands from us inworship, without learning what worship isall about, there is no point trying to lead aworship service.

SSSSS

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The Pentecostal/Charismatic Revivalsand Renewals have brought about

positive changes to the way Christiansworship. This welcome change hasliberated millions of people from thedreary routines of lifeless liturgicalmotions. They desire to worship God inthe power of the Spirit, bringing glory toGod and edification to fellow Christians.

However, I feel that many Christians donot have a clear concept of worship in theirminds. (Oh Yes! We need to take ourminds to church!) We mistakenly assumethat there is nothing more to worship thanwhat we call “praise and worship.” “Praiseand worship” sessions are indeed a part ofworship; it is not what worship is allabout. Often we consider externalmanifestations such as singing, clappingand dancing as the essence of worship. In

1The Essence ofChristian Worship

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Leading Worship

this chapter, I have explained briefly whatconstitutes true Christian worship. Thiscertainly is not intended to be acomprehensive treatise on Christianworship; we are laying the foundation forour understanding of how a good worshipservice is to be arranged and conducted.Let us begin with the Object of ourworship.

A. WE WORSHIP THE TRIUNE GODHave you ever encountered a Jehovah’s

Witness? Invariably, the most importantquestion he/she would ask you is, “Whomdo you worship?” Through your answerthey expect to launch out into their tiradeagainst the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.Jehovah’s Witnesses worship God theFather. They do not consider Jesus or theSpirit as worthy of worship.

The God of the Bible has revealed himselfto humankind over a long period of time.The revelation of God in Jesus Christ andin the Scriptures make it amply clear thatthere is more than one person in theGodhead. The Bible teaches that JesusChrist and the Holy Spirit are coequal

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The Essence of Worship

with God in divinity. Thus, there are threedistinct Persons in the Godhead. Yet, wehave one God. This triune God created theworld and has accomplished itsredemption through the sacrificial deathand resurrection of Jesus Christ. AsChristians, we are baptized in the name ofthe triune God - the name of the Father, theSon and the Holy Spirit. We pronounce abenediction in the name of the Father, theSon and the Holy Spirit. Generally, it issaid that we worship God the Father,through the Son, in the power of the HolySpirit. However, all the three Persons ofthe Godhead are worthy of our worshipand adoration.

There are Pentecostals who focus on justthe Spirit. Their worship does not reflecttheir faith in the Triune God. We shouldtherefore steer clear of such tendencies.Simon Chan in his book PentecostalTheology and the Christian Spiritual Traditionwrites about the need for a balancedPentecostal spirituality:

“If the doctrine of the hiddenness ofthe Spirit is taken seriously it willactually produce a balanced

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Leading Worship

Pentecostal. A balanced Pentecostal isone who speaks in tongues, prays forthe sick, casts out demons withoutpaying much attention to any of thesethings in and of themselves. He orshe is concerned with, namely, theglorification of Christ. The Spirit istruly glorified precisely when theFather and Son are glorified. Thatunderstanding must become a basicpart of Pentecostal spirituality.” (SAP2000; 34)

The Ten Commandments begin withGod’s unchangeable command thatprohibits the worship of anyone or

anything otherthan the God whohas revealedHimself to theworld through theBible. He hasrevealed Himselfthrough His Son.And the Biblemediates thatrevelation to us.The question we

The “God” in ourminds should

match the Biblicalrevelation aboutGod. For many,

God is just a coin-operated vending

machine

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need to ask ourselves is, “Am Iworshipping this God of the Bible?”

We may not be bowing down before anygraven image. However, we may havemany small idols in our lives—idols thatcompete to get our love and adoration.Money, gadgets, our loved ones, pleasure,career, and even your church can vie forGod’s rightful place in your life.

Equally dangerous is the tendency to“create” a God of our liking in our minds.The concept of God in our minds shouldmatch the Biblical revelation about God. Ifnot, we may conjure up a God in ourminds according to our imagination. Thereare people who think that God is like ourcorrupt officials who accept a bribe to doour bidding! There may be many morewho think that God is like their earthlyfathers who were abusive and cruel. Formillions, God is just a coin-operatedvending machine that grants them theirwishes.

It is dangerous to believe that God is loveif at same time we do not believe that He is

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Leading Worship

a consuming fire that punishes sinners. Inall matters likewise, we need to have abalanced understanding about God. Is thepicture of God in your mind the same asthe one that the words of the Bible paint? Ifnot, you are worshipping a “god” of yourimagination.

B. WORSHIP BEGINS IN THE HEARTTrue worship does not begin from the

outside. Exuberant singing, clapping, anddancing cannot lead to worship if one’sheart is devoid of worship. Worshipshould flow from the heart. A heart that isfull of worship should lead us into thevarious expressions of worship.

It is disheartening to watch worshipleaders try hard to “shake up” acongregation with lots of forced outwardexpressions: “Let’s shout ... Let’s lift ourhands... Let’s jump... Let’s run around.”Such attempts to ignite hearts from theoutside reveal a thorough lack ofunderstanding.

Some even go to the extent of tramplingdown those who do not respond to their

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invitations to “rejoice.” Disrespect shownto the congregation and the ridiculing ofthose who do not conform to certainbehaviour amount to people-abusegenerally known as “spiritual” abuse,though there is nothing spiritual about it.

Sometimes there may not be any externalexpressions at all! Take the example of ahandicapped person who cannot sing orclap or raise hands. Even such a personcan worship the living God with allsincerity and in the Spirit for true worship isa matter of the heart. When it comes to theheart, there should be the followingattitudes or qualities in a true worshipper.

HumilityWe need to be adorned with a humility

that comes from the understanding that allwe are and all we have are from God anddue to His grace in Christ. The ApostlePaul concluded his long discussion onGod’s salvation in Romans thus:

“For from Him and through Him andto Him are all things. To Him be theglory forever. Amen” (11:36).

All said and done, the story of human

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Leading Worship

salvation is not about us; it’s about God’slove, wisdom, goodness and mercy.

Awe and JoyThe heart of the true worshipper is filled

with joy and celebration; Yet, he/she mustbe awe struck in the presence of his/herAlmighty Creator & Redeemer.

“By the word of the LORD theheavens were made, And by thebreath of His mouth all their host.He gathers the waters of the seatogether as a heap; He lays up thedeeps in storehouses.Let all the earth fear the LORD; Letall the inhabitants of the world standin awe of Him.For He spoke, and it was done; Hecommanded, and it stood fast”Ps. 33:6-9.

Adoration with ReverenceThe heart of the worshipper must

overflow with love for the God who lovedhim/her first and must be tempered by ahealthy fear of God. Respect for God mustbe reflected in one’s obedience to God’s

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Word. God will not connive at thedisobedience of a person or a crowd thatdisregards His Word (See 1 Samuel 4:4-5,10-11; 2 Samuel 6: 5,6).

AllegianceThe heart of the true worshipper is loyal

to the one true God. A true worshipperpledges his allegiance to God—not just forSundays, but on 24x7x365 basis. God isangry is with people whose devotion toHim evaporates like morning dew. Hecondemned such unfaithfulness in theIsrael of old:

“What shall I do with you, OEphraim? What shall I do with you,O Judah? For your loyalty is like amorning cloud and like the dewwhich goes away early” (Hosea 6:4)

It is the responsibility of the worshipleader to remind the congregation of theseattitudes (through appropriate songs) andto lead them into true worship during thevarious stages of the worship service.

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Leading Worship

C. WORSHIP BEGINS AT THE CROSSThe third main feature of Christian

worship is that it takes place in the shadowof the cross of Jesus Christ. How else cansinners who were cut off from Godworship Him? The only way to approach aholy God is through faith in the Son ofGod who offered himself up for us on thecross to open a way for us to reach God.

Therefore, any worshipper whoapproaches God should remind himself/

Reference to the “blood of Jesus” is a way oftalking about the great sacrifice which Jesusaccomplished for our redemption. Jesus’ bloodby itself should not be regarded as a magicalcharm that protects us. Jesus’ supreme sacrificehas accomplished everything for our salvation.

A “cleansing” or “sprinkling” by the blood ofJesus is a metaphorical way of referring to God’spardoning of our sins, to give us a clean record.It also alludes to the literal sprinkling ofsacrificial blood by Moses on people of the OldCovenant (Exodus 24:7-8). Hebrews 12:24 and 1Peter 1:2 refers to the “sprinkling” of Jesus’blood to underline the fact that born-againChristians of all races, as participants in the NewCovenant, are the new Israel.

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herself about the atoning work of JesusChrist. We should approach God with aconscience that has been cleansed by theblood of Jesus Christ. A good worshipleader will, at the beginning of a service,lead the congregation into a freshcleansing by choosing appropriate songsand by letting the participants pray insilence for a few moments.

A worship service that does not remindworshippers about the slain “Lamb ofGod” (Jesus Christ) cannot be called aChristian worship service. Worship leadersmust take note of this.

I have had the misfortune of attendingseveral worship services that did not havethe Jesus’ atoning sacrifice in theforeground. While attending such services,I often have wondered, in what way these“worship” services were different fromthat of the Jews. All the songs sung therewere about the Father and about the HolySpirit.

There’s nothing wrong in it per se. Mycomplaint is that there is nothing distinctly

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Leading Worship

Christian about it. Any Jew can attendsuch a session and shout “Amen!”

How can Christians forget to give Jesusthe central place in their “praise andworship” sessions? Let me reiterate thatany worship service that is notcharacterised by the shed blood of Jesus,the “Lamb of God,” is not worthy to becalled “Christian.” This is becauseChristian worship is the privilege and dutyof the redeemed community. Here again,

DO WE WORSHIP TO GET DELIVERANCE?Christian worship is the natural response of

those who are redeemed from sin and itsconsequences.

When the tribes of Israel were delivered fromslavery to the Egyptian Pharaoh, theyworshipped God under the leadership ofMiriam. Indeed, only those who experienceGod’s deliverance today in Jesus Christ canworship him in truth. Worship should not beseen as a means to obtain deliverance. Thosewho are weighed down by sin and life’sproblems should first take victory over thesethrough God. It is not “worship” that sets usfree; it’s God! If it were “worship”, it would bereduced to the level of a magical ritual.

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Christ and his atoning work are given theirrightful place by the choice of songs thatextol our Saviour’s sacrifice.

It would be great if we incorporate theEucharist (the Lord’s Table) into the“praise and worship” session such that itprovides a fitting climax for the entireexercise. Songs related to the Cross canlead the congregation to “rememberChrist” and prepare them to partake of theLord’s Table.

One drawback in many a Pentecostal andCharismatic churches, compared to the so-called mainline churches, is the sideliningof the Lord’s Table. Either the Lord’sTable is too infrequent or else its gravity iscompromised by the negligible timeassigned to it. Ultramodern churches are ina hurry to finish their service in 90minutes. They think that the Lord’s Tabledoes not deserve more than five or tenminutes of their precious time.

The apostle Paul reminded theCorinthians: “For as often as you eat thisbread and drink the cup, you proclaim the

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Lord's death until He comes” (1 Cor.11:26). The proclamation of “Christcrucified” constituted the core of Paul’sevangelistic ministry. What better way dowe have to proclaim the crucified Christduring a worship service than to observethe Lord’s Table regularly with all therespect it deserves? The Eucharist can thusbe the best occasion to present the gospelto newcomers in church.

D. OUR OFFERINGS TO GODNo true worshipper comes to God empty

handed. We are commanded to offer ourbodies (our whole selves) as a living, holysacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). We are alsocommanded to offer the sacrifices of our lips- praise and thanksgiving - to God (Heb.13:15). In the very next verse, we areexhorted to practise Christian sharing andgiving — sacrifices that are pleasing to God(Heb. 13:16).

This is how the inner worship burstsforth in various forms of outwardexpressions: physical expressions, vocalexpressions, and actions of service/charity.

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Physical Expressions: The wordtranslated as “worship” in the Old(shachah) and in the New Testaments(proskuneo), means “to bow down.” That ishow the nations worshipped the gods thatthey made of wood/stone. The Psalms hasnumerous invitations to worship the trueGod.

“Come, let us worship and bowdown, Let us kneel before the LORDour Maker.“ 95:6“I will bow down toward Your holytemple And give thanks to Yourname.” 138:2a

A call to “tremble” before God:“Worship the LORD in holy attire;Tremble before Him, all the earth.”96:9

“And a call to clap our hands andexult:O clap your hands, all peoples; Shoutto God with the voice of joy.” 47:1

These physical expressions must be theoutward signs of our decision to offer ourbodies before God—to be owned by Him,

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to be used for Him. It goes without sayingthat the sick, the infirm and thehandicapped saints cannot be veryexpressive physically during times ofworship. Even those who are physicallywell may be indisposed to physicallyexpressive worship. God examines ourhearts; we would be better off if we do notjudge others on the basis of their externaldemonstrations of worship.

No worship leader should force his/herfavourite expressions of worship on anycongregation. If a congregation iscompelled to do something – clapping,dancing, or whatever – most of it will behollow and devoid of sincerity. It is alsoworthwhile to remember that outwardexpressions of worship are not a measureof a person’s relationship with God.

Without realising this importantprinciple, worship leaders lash out atquieter participants who are not disposedto highly expressive modes of worship.True freedom in worship is the freedom toexpress one’s devotion and worshipunhindered by group pressure or fear of

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rejection. And that includes the freedom toremain quiet and still.

Vocal Expressions & Music: ThePsalms abound in praises to God. ThePsalmists invite God’s people to sing (new)praises to God, to make a joyful noise. Theuse of musical instruments in skilful wayis enjoined (Ps. 150:3ff). Unfortunately, weare only able to read these wonderfulcompositions. However, Christians havedeveloped a rich heritage of devotionalmusic.

Not many Christians in Asia are talentedsingers or musicians. But then, devotionalsinging is not the exclusive preserve of thetalented and trained people. God will bepleased with our best efforts that mightnot measure up to the melodies of themasters.

In churches and public meetings,however, it would be desirable to employthe abilities of trained musicians andvocalists. I am aware that the services oftrained musicians are beyond the reach ofmajority of Asian churches. Only a tiny

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percentage of our churches can afford tobuy musical instruments. Formal trainingin music is costly; therefore, the dreams ofmost Christian youth to become proficientin the use of an instrument remainunfulfilled. Here is an opportunity for ourfew trained Christians to train theirbrethren free of cost or at a subsidized rate.Trained vocalists can offer their services totrain up church choirs. Such services areno less a ministry than preaching andteaching.

Singing is not the only way to vocalizeyour worship. We can praise God. Praise isnot prayer . To praise God is to recountHis great works and praise Him for all thatHe has done. We should also praise Himfor who He is. Just saying “Lord, I praiseyou” or “Praise the Lord!” is not praise.The latter is an invitation to praise God asis the whole of Psalm 150.

Let us look at some examples from theScriptures. Psalm 104 begins withexhortation to oneself to praise God andgoes on to describe God’s awesome powerover creation.

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“Bless the LORD, O my soul! OLORD my God, You are very great;You are clothed with splendour andmajesty ... “ 104:1

The Apostle Paul worships God byexclaiming,

“Oh, the depth of the riches both ofthe wisdom and knowledge of God!How unsearchable are His judgmentsand unfathomable His ways!” Rom.11:33

The book of Revelation has some classicexpressions of worship, some of which arecited below.

"Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD God,the Almighty, who was and who isand who is to come.” 4:8

“Worthy are You, our Lord and ourGod, to receive glory and honor andpower; for You created all things, andbecause of Your will they existed,and were created.” 4:11

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain toreceive power and riches and

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wisdom and might and honor andglory and blessing." 5:12 and in thenext verse:

“To Him who sits on the throne, andto the Lamb, be blessing and honorand glory and dominion forever andever.”

As the new Israel of God, the Church iscalled to declare the praises of God to theworld (1 Peter 2:9). That is a part of ourmission in the world.

When we grow in our understanding ofwho God is and what He has done for us,we will be well equipped to praise Himduring our worship services and whilepreaching to the world.

Acts of Service: Acts of sharing andChristian giving are integral parts of trueworship. Our sharing and giving are“sacrifices” that are well pleasing to God(Heb 13:16). The offertory during aworship session affords us an opportunityto honour God with our possessions.However, Christian giving is not restricted

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to the church offertory. Any person inneed, especially a fellow Christian,deserves our attention and gives ustangible opportunities to worship theunseen God. Thus, Christian worship isnot limited to “praise and worship”sessions or to within the four walls ofchurch buildings.

E. LIVING OUT OUR WORSHIPAfter offering our bodies (and thus, our

total selves) to God as living sacrifices, wecannot walk away from the worshipservice as if nothing has happened. If Godhas become our master, then we mustserve him.

The Hebrew word for worship issometimes translated into English as“service.” See Nehemiah 12:45 and Daniel3:14 in NIV & RSV. A life of service, atGod’s disposal, validates our worship.

Isaiah had a vision of the God Most High(Isaiah 6:1ff). After that magnificentangelic “praise and worship” came thequestion:

“Whom shall I send? Who will go for

34me?” And Isaiah offered himself to serveGod saying, “Here am I, send me.”

I believe that every worshipper musthear that voice thundering from the throneof God. Those who offer mere lip serviceduring a worship service to God, forwhatever reason, will walk away to livetheir own lives. True worshippers willyield themselves to God’s call and live outthat call in their daily walk with God.

It is therefore of utmost importance toinclude songs and prayers of consecrationtowards the close of a worship session.There are excellent hymns and chorusesthat declare the desire of saints to proclaimthe gospel, to live holy lives, to serveChrist in their daily lives.

Apart from knowing what the Bibleteaches about worship, it is important toknow the people whom we lead inworship. We shall consider that in the nextchapter.

SSSSS

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2UnderstandingGod’s People

A deep understanding of the natureand needs of the congregation or

participants is vital for leading worshipsessions. This calls for a prayerfuldependence on the Holy Spirit. Usuallythose who have a gift of pastoral ministry(those who have the title need not have thegift!) sense the pulse of their congregation.Such pastors should be at the helm of theworship team.

Church services are (or ought to be)public services. That is, any member of thepublic should feel free to walk in andparticipate in a worship service. A churchservice therefore may be attended by born-again Christians, nominal Christians andby people of other faiths. The Apostle Paulwanted the Corinthian Christians to beaware of this possibility. That’s why headvised them against the unwise use of the

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gift of speaking in unknown languagesduring public services in the absence of aninterpreter (1 Corinthians 14:23). Besides,while describing the usefulness of the giftof prophecy, he talks about how aprophecy might reveal the secrets of anoutsider, leading that person to believe inthe presence of God in that service (14:24).

With regard to these special situationsthat we might have in our churches, weshould be careful to make our worshipservices as intelligible as possible to ourfriends from other religions. (Notice that Idid not refer to them as “unbelievers,”“pagans” or “non-Christians.” People who

follow otherreligions are not“unbelievers”—they too believe insomething. Weneed to weed outall derogatorywords from ourservices.) Let usavoid all jargon.Biblical termssuch as

We should becareful to make

our worshipservices as

intelligible aspossible to our

friends from otherreligions

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Understanding God’s People

“righteousness,” “justification,” and ourshouts of “victory in the blood of Jesus”are mere strange sounds for a newcomer.

Even among Christians who are bornanew, we can have a mind-bogglingdiversity, especially in an urban church.People come from different linguistic andcultural backgrounds. The Englishlanguage may be a unifying factor butthere may be more that divides under thatthin veneer of spoken English.

Add to it factors such as social andeconomic stratification, and the emotional,religious and intellectual baggage peoplecarry! National identities vary; politicalaffiliations differ; and prejudices abound.

Worship leaders must be sensitive toother people’s feelings and mustconstantly screen their thoughts andspeech to avoid giving offense. Forinstance, we may be tempted to useBiblical expressions without realizing thatthose were spoken/written in a contextdifferent from our own. Think twice beforeyou assail “Egyptians” or “Babylonians”

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on the basis of the Exodus story or othernarratives in the Old Testament; anEgyptian or Iraqi Christian may be presentin your church!

Many Christians all over the world apethe West in their style of worship. In God’ssight no particular style is more acceptablethan another. God likes diversity. If eachpeople-group retains its cultural affinitiesin its worship services, I believe, it’s a treatfor God!

Let the West worship in their style usingtheir instruments, music sytles and bodylanguage. Let the Hindustanis worshipGod using Hindustani music; the Pujabis,using Punjabi dance and music; and theSouth Indians, in the Carnatic tradition!

Only the Christian faith permits suchdiversity in the expression of one’s faith.Take the Muslim world, for instance.Muslims rarely exhibit such freedom incultural expression. Instead, they exportthe West Asian culture – dress code, foodhabits, and Arabic language – to everycountry, producing a boring uniformity.

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This is one reasonwhy Muslims aredisliked amongany people whovalue theirculture.

Christianmissionaries toohave committedthe same mistakein Asian and African countries. Localculture – that is local music, clothes,architecture, dance, and food habits – werecondemned and replaced by Westernculture. Christianity, like Islam, hasobtained the disgusting label of “foreignreligion” in many countries. One of mywestern teachers of theology regarded thesouth Indian dhoti as an indecent “pagan”apparel!

Today, we love to worship God with theaccompaniment of western instruments,singing English songs in hep westerntunes. Should we then wonder why weare not able to attract our Hindu (or anyother) friends to our churches. A Hindu

Let the Westworship in their

style; letHindustanis,

using Hindustanistyle; and southIndians, in the

Carnatic tradition!

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can never imagine entering his templewith footwear on. Hindus generally preferto sit on the floor during prayer times.They venerate sacred books and never canunderstand why Christians place theirBibles on the floor. A western preacher,once was preaching in an Indian meetingabout trusting God. And guess what? Hestood on his Bible and declared: “I standon the promises of God!”

Christians who understand theseprinciples of contextualization areincreasingly adapting to local cultures andmores. Their churches resemble localplaces of worship. They worship in the

local language,employ localmusic styles andinstruments, andrespect culturalrules. Thesepeople are notwierd. They arejust following theLord Jesus Christand his“incarnational”

Christians whounderstandprinciples of

contextualizationare increasinglyadapting to local

cultures andmores.

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ministry. Jesus, in his human form, did notland in Nazareth as an alien form outerspace or from a different empire. He waswell connected with the local language,culture and mores.

In the urban centres of Asia, youngpeople are increasingly drawn towardswestern culture due to the influence ofvisual media. This is because youngpeople (and older ones) do not have asense of pride in their language andculture. On the other hand, there arereligious and cultural organizations thatresist any foreign influence.

Some urban churches consider it theirGod-given task to communicate the gospelto such westernised Asian youth. Iappreciate the efforts of Asian urbanchurches that adopt western styles andlanguage to win our westernised urbanyouth to Jesus Christ. Even such churchescan have special Sundays for thecelebration of local culture and language.

To top it all, there is diversity in attitudesand spiritual status of individuals. It is not

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possible to minister to such a variedcongregation without the help of the HolySpirit. The weak have to be strengthened;the dejected ones have to be lifted up andencouraged; the backsliders have to bewarned and restored; the faith of some hasto be built up; the bereaved have to becomforted; those at odds must be led toreconciliation; the hopeless need to begiven hope; the joyful ones need to expresstheir celebration ... the list seems to beendless.

Many of these services can be offered in asmall group situation. But those who go tosmall groups (or Care Cells) are the oneswho come to the main worship services onSundays. There is nothing wrong if theyexpect the Sunday services to be relevantto their situations. It is foolish to dismissthem by saying, “Get your spiritual andemotional needs met in the care cellmeetings. This is the time to forget yoursituations and to worship God.” We arecreatures who are grounded in ourrespective situations. And God appreciatesthat fact more than most pastors do.

43Worship leaders who fail to feel the pulse

of the crowd will flounder atselecting the most appropriate songs forthe occasion. Those who do notunderstand the needs and situations oftheir congregation are left without a cluewhen the congregation does not respondto their overtures to “celebrate.” Theymight resort to “sheep-bashing” andpreaching. There are times when theworship leader has to deviate from his/herorder of service to accommodate theleading of the Spirit. That flexibility,however, is no excuse for slackpreparation.

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3Planning aWorship Service

Worship leaders ought to prayerfullyplan each service. They need to be guidedby the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s help doesnot eliminate the need for a thoroughpreparation. A worship service may bestructured in the following way based onour discussion on the “Essence of ChristianWorship.”

A. AN INTRODUCTIONAn introduction to a worship service

includes an invitation to worship to Godand a time to prepare oneself throughintrospection.

An Invitation to WorshipThe initial moments of a praise and

worship session should help thecongregation to gather their thoughts toGod so that they can worship God with alltheir being. There are several psalms that

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invite God’s people to worship. Thesepsalms remind us of God’s goodness andfaithfulness, God’s strength and greatness,and encourage us to worship him.

“Sing for joy in the LORD, O yourighteous ones; Praise is becoming tothe upright.“Give thanks to the LORD with thelyre; Sing praises to Him with a harpof ten strings.“Sing to Him a new song; Playskillfully with a shout of joy.For the word of the LORD is upright,And all His work is done infaithfulness.“He loves righteousness and justice;The earth is full of the lovingkindnessof the LORD.” Ps. 33:1-5“Come, let us worship and bowdown, Let us kneel before the LORDour Maker.“For He is our God, And we are thepeople of His pasture and the sheepof His hand.” Ps. 95: 6,7“Praise the LORD! Praise God in Hissanctuary; Praise Him in His mightyexpanse. Praise Him for His mighty

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deeds; Praise Him according to Hisexcellent greatness.“Praise Him with trumpet sound;Praise Him with harp and lyre.Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;Praise Him with stringed instrumentsand pipe.“Praise Him with loud cymbals;Praise Him with resounding cymbals.Let everything that has breath praisethe LORD. Praise the LORD!” Ps. 150

These verses are not praises. They arejust invitations to praise God. Similarly,there are several songs in English andother languages that invite God’s people topraise God. Invitation to worship can begiven through the reading of these psalmsor through a song that does the function ofthese psalms. Songs of invitation may beclassified separately and stored in thechurch’s music database. The worshipleader should not convert this invitationinto a preaching session.

Often, we mistake these invitation songsfor real praise. At other times, songs ofinvitation are sung at the close of a

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worship service! The point is, we do notpay attention to the words that we sing,much less to the God whom we worship.

Confession and RepentanceWe are exhorted to come before God

with clean hearts and hands, being washedby the blood of Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, brethren, since we haveconfidence to enter the holy place bythe blood of Jesus … let us draw nearwith a sincere heart in full assuranceof faith, having our hearts sprinkledclean from an evil conscience and ourbodies washed with pure water.”Heb. 10:19-22

A short time of silent introspection andconfession is necessary in the introductorypart of the service. Not all Christians taketime at home to prepare themselves beforesetting out for church. Christians must beencouraged to confess their specific sins toGod.

When one person sins against another, itis important to seek forgiveness andreconciliation.

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“If possible, so far as it depends onyou, be at peace with all men”(Romans 12:18). "Therefore if you are presenting youroffering at the altar, and thereremember that your brother hassomething against you, leave youroffering there before the altar and go;first be reconciled to your brother,and then come and present youroffering." Matthew 5:23-24

This time of silent prayer may befollowed by a song that helps theworshipper to vocalise his repentance andsurrender before God. Again, this shouldnot be done through “preaching.” Thistime of introspection may be given beforethe extending an invitation to worship.

B. THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTSThese may also be called “non-

negotiable” elements because they have tobe included in a service to make it a trueChristian worship service.

We worship God because He is ourCreator and because He has become our

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Redeemer. Therefore our worship servicesmust help participants to reflect on thecreative and redemptive works of God.

God the Creator: In the Psalms, wefind Israel extolling the Lord for hiscreative power and his providential carefor His creatures. Special care must beexercised to include psalms and songs thathighlight this theme. Examples from thePsalms include psalms 8, 19, 103, 104, etc.God’s providential care includes Hissupply of our daily needs, physicalhealing, and protection and deliverancefrom harm. Songs of thanksgiving can beintegrated into the worship session.

God our Redeemer: Worship of theRedeemer God by the redeemed forms thecore of Christian worship. By virtue ofcreation, we belong to God; by virtue ofredemption, we are doubly His. Thissession can climax at the Lord’s Table.As the company of the redeemed weworship the gracious God for his salvationthrough Jesus Christ. In the Old Testamenttimes, the theme of redemption can be seenin the frequent reference to the God’s act of

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liberating Israel from slavery in Egypt (Forinstance, Ps. 107, 136, etc.)

There are innumerable songs that dwellon the theme of the Cross and onRedemption. These songs ought to becarefully chosen and arranged so that thepastor need not take extended time forpreparing the congregation for the Lord’sTable. The Lord’s Table should bepositioned to be the climax of thecongregation’s adoration for the crucifiedMessiah and of their pledge of allegianceto Him.

Consecration for service andobedience: Worship of the Creator-Redeemer God demands our totalconsecration to obey and to serve this God.

Here again, we have plenty of songs thatexpress the worshippers’ desire to serveGod and to be committed to Him. As thesesongs follow the Lord’s Table (andsometimes, the sermon), they provide afitting finale to the “praise and worship”session. The offertory too is a token of ourconsecration.

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Conclusion: Songs of blessing andhope, songs that confess one’s faith in theunfailing love of God can charge-up acongregation before they leave thesanctuary to face the challenges of dailylife. I find the practice of the Garden CityAssembly of God in Bangalore veryeffective. The Pastor concludes everyworship service with the chorus: “Becausehe lives, I can face tomorrow.” Thesignificance of that song is understoodwhen we learn that this church is locatedin the suicide-capital of the world. Thecongregation sings this piece with all theirheart, expressing their faith and confidencein God.

C. THE “ADD-ON MODULES”These are not “optional” extras; they are

necessary components of worship thathave to be integrated into the serviceaccording to the specific needs arisingwithin the church. Here are a fewexamples of such components :

Themes of the season: Easter,Christmas, Independence Day, Earth Day,war, natural disasters, etc.

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Themes of mission and evangelism Grief, bereavement and consolation Special season of thanksgiving A testimony Scripture reading Intercession Faith-building exercises

D. TIPS FOR WORSHIP LEADERS Avoid the following and other worn

out clichés:

“How many of you are happy today?” “Turn to your neighbour and say ...” “Lift your hands ... “ “Seems you people did not have your

breakfast ...”

Remember that you are not teaching akindergarten class. Those who participatein the service may be much moreintelligent, godly and mature than you.

One of the greatest mistakes thatPentecostals and Charismatics committedwas to forsake the best of Christiantradition of the past nineteen centuries.One such “baby” that we threw out with

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the “bath water” was a rich heritage ofChristian teachings about suffering andsorrows. Most Pentecostals have not evenheard of the Christian classic The DarkNight of the Soul written by St. John of theCross. And the result? We are at acomplete loss when sorrow and failure hitus hard. All that we know is to rejoice andto celebrate. We know how to laugh withthose who laugh; but we have forgottenthe Saviour’s command to mourn withthose who mourn.

Sunday after Sunday, Pentecostalworship leaders make fools of themselvesby asking their congregations, “How manyof you are happy today?”—as if the Lordloved only the happy ones, as if worshipis only for the happy people. Our servicescan cater only to happy people. The sadones are either trampled upon or areforced to act as if they were happy!

Do not make the congregation standfor the entire worship session. Not all canstand at a stretch for 45 minutes or anhour. Incorporate such items as the publicreading of scripture, a testimony or a

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hymn during which the congregation maysit.

While selecting and arranging songs,give attention to the tempo and mood ofsongs. Not all songs should be fast onesand not all songs must be slow ones. Justlike a preacher varies his tempo and toneduring a sermon, the “praise-and-worship” session must integrate slow, fast,medium paced songs. Moods of songsvary too; there are songs of celebration,meditation, introspection, devotion, etc.

Lead or get out of the way: If aworship leader feels that he is out-of-syncwith the congregation or if the worshipsession does not progress the way he/sheintended, the leader must hand over theservice to his/her associate who might bebetter prepared for that moment. This isfar better than trying too hard to bring in“revival” on a non-responsivecongregation through in-betweenpreaching.

Make use of hymns: The westernworld has a rich tradition of hymns. There

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are also the new generation songs andchoruses. Hymns are not the sole preserveof the Anglican, Methodist or Presbyterianchurches. Pentecostals too can benefit fromthese time-tested, edifying masterpieces.It’s a pity that most Pentecostal churchesgive a wide berth to hymns. Worshipleaders should integrate old time hymnsinto their new exuberant charismaticservices.

Do not repeat a song more than once.Repeating a song more than two times isunforgivable! Running out of songs–because you selected too few songs for thetime allotted–will result in unnecessaryrepetition of songs and to unnecessarypreaching in between singing.

Avoid sheep-bashing: Do not findfault with the congregation if it fails torespond to your invitations to worshipfreely. The problem might be with yourstyle of leading!

Do not preach during the time forsinging. Some people have the habit ofintroducing each song with a mini-sermon.

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Avoid Christian jargon: There mightbe newcomers in your service. Explain, ifnecessary, in a few words, the meanings ofdifficult words in songs.

Always keep a “Plan B” ready—just incase something goes wrong. That includesa second worship leader who can step inand take over at any time, and a set ofsongs for unscheduled altar calls and forthe Eucharist.

Avoid all militant/triumphalistattitudes: Most Pentecostals considerworship as a “warfare.” Instead offocusing on God and His love, their focusis on the enemy. And so, they keep“fighting” through worship! In suchservices, you may come across a number ofwords and phrases that are related towarfare. “Let us conquer the land”; “theenemy is under my feet”; “victory throughthe blood,” etc.

Although the Bible uses figurative speechrelated to warfare, it is better to avoid suchusages in our public services. These arehighly misleading phrases. Newcomers

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may be misled into thinking that we arereferring to ordinary battles or to an armedrebellion!

It is also worthwhile to remember thatour salvation is not yet perfected. We are“saved”; but we are yet to be saved fromthe coming wrath of God. God hasdefeated the devil at Calvary; but God isyet to consummate His victory over thedevil. God has ushered in a new agethrough Jesus Christ. Yet, we have notreached that Day when we will have notears or sickness or pain. This is what iscommonly referred to, in theologicalparlance, as “Already, not yet.” Worshipleaders often forget this reality and talk asif Christians will not have any more pain,sickness, poverty or defeat.

A word about “tongue-speaking:”Corporate “tongue-speaking” or loudcollective prayer in unknown languages,as enable by the Spirit, is encouraged inPentecostal and charismatic congregations.Often, it is regarded as a measure of one’sspirituality. I have just one comment onthis. A mature congregation that is friendly

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to newcomers will understand and obeythe instructions given by the Paul (in 1Corinthians 14) for public exercise of thegift of tongues. There may be times whensomeone, under the power of the HolySpirit, might speak in “tongues” loudly.But even such brethren can trainthemselves to obey scriptural guidelines.We can never be too spiritual to ignore theBible’s injunctions.

Regardless of all the planning that wedo, the Holy Spirit, if we are led by Him,can take over a service and upset our neatplans. Often He does this through theoperation of spiritual gifts such asprophecy, a “speech” in an unknowntongue followed by its interpretation, orthrough the ministry of the Word. (Adetailed discussion on the operation of thecharismatic gifts is beyond the scope ofthis book.) He can choose to lead peopleinto special seasons of repentance,renewal, and intercession. Yet, in all this, amature congregation will obey Scripturalguidelines in 1 Corinthians 14 to maintaina sense of order. The Holy Spirit does notviolate the self-control of an individual.

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Finally, the worship leader’s office is noshop-window for the display andpromotion of one’s self. A good leader isone who turns the people’s attention toGod. The leader may be forgotten after agood worship session but the worshipperswill cherish the moments that they spent inthe presence of God.

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Documents

Planning and Leading Christian Worship Services