The Heart Of Worship

by Raymund Tamayo

Short Devotion
December 27, 2023
Title: The Heart of Worship

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." – Colossians 3:16

Good evening, beloved members of our praise and worship team, our ushers team, and guests! What a joy it is to gather together right now in thanksgiving and celebration of the incredible journey, the past year we've embarked on as a team dedicated to ushering in the presence of our Lord through music and praise.

In the book of Psalms, David encourages us to "Sing to the Lord a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy" (Psalm 33:3). Tonight, as we come together, let's reflect on this privilege given to us by God to lead our brothers and sisters in Christ during worship time in our church.

I’m not talking about the attitude of worship, which we all should have whether we are in the music ministry or not. Worship is a lifestyle. Worship should be in everything and anything we do. When we are in our workplace, we worship God through our work. When we are at the market, we worship God while buying stuff. When we are at the bank, we worship God while depositing and withdrawing. Everything we do is worship to God.

But what I’m talking about right now is being part of our church’s worship team, or exalt team, or the team that leads worship. Please remember our roles in this team are not just musical; they are ministries. Each note, each chord, and every lyric has the potential to touch hearts, heal wounds, and draw people closer to God. Our collective effort in leading the congregation in worship is a sacred responsibility that we undertake with humility and gratitude. Never forget those words: humility and gratitude.

In 1 Chronicles 16:23-24, we're reminded to "Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples." What we sing is a declaration of God's goodness and a testimony to His faithfulness. Through our songs, we declare the transformative power of His love to a world that desperately needs it.

As we are here tonight, let's not only enjoy the presence of each other but let us also take a moment to thank God for the talents He has given us. In fact, worship leading per se is not a spiritual gift. It is not included in the list of spiritual gifts according to the Bible. You can check the following verses: Romans 12:6–8, 1 Corinthians 12:8–10, 1 Corinthians 12:28–30, Ephesians 4:11, and 1 Peter 4:11 for the list of spiritual gifts.

You might be surprised to know that worship leading is not mentioned in those verses. What’s more, is that worship leading is not even mentioned in the entire New Testament. The New Testament has a few verses about singing, lots of verses about worship, and lots more about leadership. But the New Testament has precisely zero verses that mention worship leading as we understand it today.

Trivia: This is the first time in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ that there is such a thing as a worship leader. The generation we are in right now is the first time in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ that there is such a thing as a worship leader.

Before, in the first church, in the early church, they sang hymns and psalms directly from the book. The church leaders themselves would lead the singing, and they would lead strongly and powerfully with decent musicality, unexceptional singing voices, mediocre, simple music, with simple musical instruments or with no musical instruments at all, and the Holy Spirit would lead their worship every time. The real worship leader is the Holy Spirit Himself, not us. We are instruments of the Lord.

Nakakalungkot, pero some churches today would “hire” worship leaders because of their aptitude for music or singing, with disregard to matters of character and spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity means becoming more and more Christ-like.

Kung talents and skills lang ang pag-uusapan, meron akong kilalang talentadong musikero sa Langit noong unang panahon. Ang pangalan niya ay Lucifer. Siya ang worship leader sa langit noon. And because of his talent, skill, beauty, and musicality, nag-develop siya ng pride, napakataas na pride enough to want to try to overthrow God Himself in heaven. Kaya mag-iingat tayo na magiging malaki ang ulo natin dahil sa ating musical or singing talent. These are talents given us to by God, and we should use them only for His glory. Kung hindi na nakaka-glorify, wag na nating gawin. Kaya dito sa atin sa CCF, ang tanong kung sasama or sasali ka sa worship team, are you in a dgroup? or Are you leading a dgroup?

Brothers and sisters, it’s not about the talents and skills, it’s not about being a great singer or a great musician. It’s about the heart. The Lord looks at your heart. Nandoon ba siya sa loob ng puso mo? Siya ba ang Panginoon ng buhay mo? Are you becoming more and more like Jesus?

Our musical talents and abilities are only instruments to glorify His name and lead others into a deeper encounter with Him.

In Colossians 3:16, Paul encourages us, saying, "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." In 2024, let this be the heartbeat of our team – a constant communion with Christ, whether with the church or alone all by ourselves. With gratitude and humility, the two important words, overflowing from our hearts.

As we look forward to the days ahead, let us remain steadfast in our commitment to our worship ministry, growing not only in musical skill but also in our understanding of the profound impact our worship leading can have on the lives of those we serve.

May this be a reminder of the privilege and responsibility we carry as stewards of worship leading. Let the joy we share tonight be a reflection of the joy we find in God’s presence. God bless each one of you abundantly, and may the worship from our hearts continue to be a sweet melody in His ears. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!