In our church, my role as the "worship leader" is primarily musical. I plan and lead the music portion of the worship service. Titles don't really mean that much to me, but it's possible that we need to rethink the title "worship leader." I am planning to move into some other areas with the whole worship idea in our church, probably sometime next year. I have this vision of a "Worship Arts Community," in which people gather to practice their various talents (whether it be musical, drawing, painting, dancing, acting, etc.) and try to incorporate them somehow into the worship setting of our church. If I can accomplish that, then perhaps the title of "worship leader" might be more true.
But even the pastor could be called a "worship leader," couldn't he?
This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. Verse 50
1 Corinthians 10:1-10
Paul recounts some miracles that the Israelites experienced in their time in the wilderness journey to Canaan.
They were led by a cloud and were led, miraculously, through the Red Sea.
They were given food out of nowhere each day.
They were given water from a rock! (Verse four seems to indicate that the same rock appeared everywhere they camped. Paul says that this "Rock" was "Christ.")
Then Paul says that "just experiencing God's wonder and grace didn't seem to mean much..." How did this happen? I have a really hard time understanding how they could develop this attitude.
Oh, wait. Maybe I don't. Have I developed the same attitude? Haven't I become the same way? I see "miracles" around me every day. Sure, I haven't crossed a sea or river on dry ground while a wall of water hovered over me a few feet away. I haven't gotten water from a rock. I haven't received strange food on my front lawn every morning when I go outside.
But, my word, who among us hasn't experienced miracles in our daily lives? And how do we respond to God? I tend to just go on my merry way, doing whatever I please.
The danger is in trying to deal with God and wanting our own way in everything. We are all a little like this, I think. Paul listed several ways in which the Israelites wanted their own way.
They turned their religion into a circus. "First the people partied, then they threw a dance." Remember this? It happened while Moses was up on the mountain, receiving God's law.
As a "worship leader," I have to seriously examine this. Do we turn our worship into a circus? I don't think our church does. But I have seen and heard about many that I believe come dangerously close to that. We much be careful that anything we do in our worship service, or in the name of worship, aligns with what is Biblical.
Then Paul says the people became sexually promiscuous. How many of our teens are becoming pregnant? We've had two at our church in the past year. My own eyes wonder from time to time. Jesus said that simply looking at someone lustfully is the same as adultery. Paul admonishes Timothy to "flee youthful lusts." The writer of Proverbs warns us to guard our hearts. The Bible is full of warnings against immorality and promiscuity. We have to be careful. Remember, when the Israelites were guilty of this, 23,000 died in one day! This is in Numbers 25. The account in Numbers actually says 24,000.
Paul then says we must not be guilty of trying to get Christ to serve us instead of serving him. When Israel tried this, they wound up with a bunch of poisonous snakes. "Snakes on the plain," as it were.
Ok. Sorry.
Ahem.
Jesus did say that he came to serve, not to be served. But that was in his short physical life. And that service was completed when he ascended to heaven after his resurrection. At least that's my understanding of this. We are here to serve him. When we try to manipulate him to serve our wants, we commit a grave sin. And, c'mon. Who among us really believes that God can be manipulated anyway?
The final warning from Paul in this passage is in regard to stirring up discontent. I tell you this: God despises this. It's listed in Proverbs as one of the seven things that God hates. We simply must not ever be guilty of stirring up discord or discontent among our brothers and sisters. Personally, I believe that anyone guilty of that should be thrown out of the church, at least until they can prove that they have changed their ways. I certainly believe in grace, but that action can do more to destroy a church than just about anything else.
Grace and peace, friends.