Thoughts About Leading Worship

Dale WellsPalm Desert Church of Christ

October 25, 2009

Our Current Situation

• Season is upon us– Seasonal members returning– Local visitors keep coming– New members & families being added

• Attendance will not grow past 80% capacity– When crowded, people will not come

• Everyone wants some “elbow room”

– Auditorium capacity is 200• Last Sunday’s attendance was 155 (77.5% capacity)• This was with only a few seasonal members• More are coming in the next few weeks• They will be here for the next six months

Our Options

Our New Sunday Schedule

• 8:30 – 9:30 Early Worship Service• 9:30 – 9:45 Fellowship Break• 9:45 – 10:30 Bible Classes• 10:30 – 10:45 Fellowship Break• 10:45 – 11:45 Late Worship Service

Streamlining Our Worship Service

Old order of worship• Song• Announcements• Prayer• Song(s)• Prayer of Praise• Song(s)• Communion & Contribution• Song(s)• Scripture Reading• Sermon• Invitation Song• Closing Prayer

Current order of worship• Song• Prayer of Praise• Song(s)• Communion & Contribution• Song(s)• Sermon• Invitation Song• Announcements• Prayer• Items Eliminated• Sermon shortened• Announcements moved

My Goal is Simple

• To suggest some ways in which we all can make our Sunday morning worship– Magnify God– Uplift the worshippers in our assemblies– Enrich our spiritual lives

• And to elicit your thoughts about these things, as well

Secrets of Acceptable Worship

Directed to God

• Psalms 19:14 NIV May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

• We’re not trying to impress others or make a big show

• We’re offering this to God• That says a lot about doing our best

God-focused, NOT man-focused

• Colossians 3:17 NIV And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

• John 4:24 NIV God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

• Matthew 15:8-9 NIV These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (9) They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.

Done in an orderly fashion

• 1 Corinthians 14:23-40 NIV … (26) What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. … (33) For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. … (37) If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. (38) If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored. … (40) But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

• This is our guiding principle this morning– We want to do things right so no one else’s worship will be

interfered with

Leading Public Prayer

Key passages on prayer:

• Effective prayer comes from a righteous life– James 5:16 NIV Therefore confess your sins to each other

and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

• Effective prayer is offered in faith– James 1:6 NIV But when he asks, he must believe and not

doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

• Overriding emphasis is that God’s will is done– Matthew 26:39 NIV Going a little farther, he fell with his face

to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

We can pray for so much

• Daily provisions – Matthew 6:11 NIV Give us today our daily bread.

• Sickness and sick people – James 5:13-16 NIV Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.

Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. (14) Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. (15) And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. (16) Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

We can pray for so much

• That the church will grow as it should – Ephesians 1:16-18 NIV I have not stopped giving thanks for you,

remembering you in my prayers. (17) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (18) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

• Government and civil authority – 1 Timothy 2:1-2 NIV I urge, then, first of all, that requests,

prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— (2) for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

We can pray for so much

• To be thankful for blessings received– By ourselves

• Ephesians 1:3 NIV Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

– By others• 1 Corinthians 1:4 NIV I always thank God for you because of

his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

• The list goes on and on!

Pray the kind of prayer you’ve been asked to pray

• First prayer:– Praise God & ask His blessing on our worship

• Communion:– Ask God to bless the elements & worshipers

• Closing prayer:– Pray for the sick & needs announced, then for

God’s continued presence with us– Don’t go on and on. Dismiss us!

Two “Don’ts” & a “Do” for Public Prayer

• Don’t over-personalize your prayer– Praying “I have sinned by lying and cheating last

week” is not appropriate.– Pray for congregational considerations.

• Don’t re-preach the sermon or “hammer home” its points– Never use prayer as a pulpit, to “get someone”

• Do prepare to pray– There’s nothing wrong with writing out what we are

going to pray

Read some of the great prayers in the Bible and draw from them:

• Old Testament Prayers– Genesis 18:23-25 – 2 Samuel 7:18-29 – 1 Kings 8:22-30– 1 Kings 18:36-39 – 2 Kings 19:15-19 – 1 Chronicles 4:10– Ezra 9:5-15– Isaiah 38:2-8– Daniel 9:4-19– Habakkuk 3:2-19

• New Testament Prayers– Matthew 6:9-15– Luke 18:9-14– John 17– Acts 7:59-60 – Ephesians 1:15-23– Ephesians 3:14-21 – Philippians 1:3-11– Colossians 1:9-12– Jude 1:24-25

Psalm 8 is helpful beginning spot for prayer

• O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. (2) From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (3) When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, (4) what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (5) You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. (6) You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: (7) all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, (8) the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. (9) O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Use the ACTS acrostic

• Adoration• Confession• Thanksgiving• Supplication

Additional suggestions

• Use the microphone – You’re competing with lots of ambient noise

• Be yourself– No need for a special “holy voice” or flowery language

• Pray from the heart without overused clichés– Why “Guard, guide and direct us until we meet again” or “Restored to

their normal walk of life”?– Why not “Be with us till we meet again” or “Heal them”?

• Remember we’re praying TO God THROUGH Christ– Colossians 3:17 NIV And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do

it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

• Practice praying at home• Your suggestions?

Making Announcements

Announcements are part of every worship service

• They are scriptural– Acts 15:3 NIV The church sent them on their

way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad.

• They are practical– A practical way of informing folks of what they

need to know, whom to pray for, etc.– If done wrong they can be off-putting to a visitor.

Practical considerations:

• Look them over before you begin– Misspellings, fuzzy handwriting, etc. make them tedious

• Be brief – less said is enough said!– If you repeat everything in the bulletin, or on the screen, why

have a bulletin or display announcements?

• Be as positive and friendly as possible• Never sermonize during announcements

– This isn’t the time to preach!• NEVER ask if anyone has any more announcements!• Do not say anything that would distract from worship• Your suggestions?

Reading Scripture

Reading scripture aloud is a very old & important part of worship

• Nehemiah 8:3-6 NIV He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. (4) Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. … (5) Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. (6) Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Reading scripture aloud is a very old & important part of worship

• Exodus 24:7 NIV Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.”

• Luke 4:16 NIV He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.

• 1 Timothy 4:13 NIV Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.

• Even though we’ve taken reading out of our order of worship, you may choose to do it as a part of your assignment

Essentials for good reading

• Prepare– Try to read a thought unit, but never more than 5-7 verses.– Read the passage beforehand– Check the reading for words you don’t know or can’t pronounce– Note the passage’s punctuation

• Read “?” as a question; Pause at commas & periods

– Practice reading aloud – the only way to get ready is to do it!

• When reading– Use the microphone– Give us a clear announcement of where you are reading– Don’t read in a monotone, too fast, or too slow– Don’t use a “preachery” or “pious” tone – just read in your voice

• Your suggestions?

Leading Communion and Contribution

The Lord’s Supper is a critically important part of worship

• We remember His death and resurrection– 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NIV For I received from the

Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, (24) and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (25) In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (26) For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The Lord’s Supper is a critically important part of worship

• We commune with Christ– 1 Corinthians 10:16 NIV Is not the cup of thanksgiving for

which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

• We preach our faith in Jesus and His return– 1 Corinthians 11:26 NIV For whenever you eat this bread

and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

• We examine ourselves– 1 Corinthians 11:28 NIV A man ought to examine himself

before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.

Scripture specifically speaks to the problem of observing it wrong

• 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 NIV Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. (28) A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. (29) For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

When leading at the Table:

• Prepare– If you plan to make remarks, read scripture,

prepare them ahead of time– Don’t talk just to be talking– Short is best – limit remarks to 2-3 minutes

• Don’t always use the same scriptures– Matthew 26:26-29– 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Suggested meditations:

• The Becoming Closer Adult Bible Fellowship of the Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, California, has three years of outstanding communion meditations: – http://www.becomingcloser.org/Supper/– http://www.becomingcloser.org/NewCommunion/– http://www.becomingcloser.org/Communion%202009/

When giving thanks for the bread or fruit of the vine do so!

• Be sure you express thanks for the emblems• Never say or do anything that would detract

from the solemnity of the moment• Distinguish between the Supper & offering

– I like our practice of telling visitors we understand their commitment to their home congregations and that we do not expect them to contribute, but welcome them to do so, if they wish

• Your suggestions?

Leading Singing

Practical Ideas for Song Leaders: Prepare!

• Use some familiar songs that everyone knows• When using unfamiliar songs, practice using the “Play” feature in

SoftPraise (it allows playing any or all parts)• Consider using the “Information” feature in SoftPraise for

information to make the songs more meaningful• Double-check your slides! Some don’t print like they should• Practice every song all the way through to know how the slides work

– Some require going back one or two slides at the end of a verse– Some have a descant on some verses

• Have your song service assembled & to Dale no later than Friday• Don’t plan to make changes on Sunday morning – it’s too hectic• Your suggestions?

Thank you for being here

And thank you for your service to the Lord’s Church in Palm Desert