Leading people into the presence of God through worship is,
and would continue to be, a sensitive part of the whole worship service in
which individuals that perform such duties are themselves qualified by Grace. It
should not be about the vessel, but all praise and glory should be to God (Ish 42:8).
What then should the attitude of the church towards its
worship leaders be? Should they be seen as ministers chosen by God’s election
(Ish 61:6)? Or should they be regarded as worship
celebrities that need to be acknowledged each time after leading God’s
people into his presence (2 Cor 4:7)?
There is a sad story of a very anointed and vibrant worship
leader that was excellent in taking the people into God’s presence in worship,
everyone always got overwhelmed by the grace and gifting of God on his life, he
was so much celebrated and talked about that he subsequently decided to expand
the scope of his ministry and or gifting. A few years later, he became involved
in drugs and started singing at nightclubs.
I believe this may sound familiar to some. There is so much effect
that people’s influence can have on a person’s mind, especially if it’s outside
the will of God.
Has the church celebrated its worship leaders to the point
of worshiping them (Rom 1:25)?
The issue of having the best worship song listed by a
Christian magazine or award ceremony usually tends to present a narrow
understanding the purpose and scope of worship. Sometimes it appears as if God
has approved those singers as the ones he loves the most (Rom 11:34).
Don’t get me wrong. Recognition of a worship leader’s contribution needs to be acknowledged
but when it gets to a situation where it leads to them having so much “power”
that they cannot be corrected because the church is afraid of losing them, then
that begins to set a negative pattern that can destroy the individual’s life.
Could it be
that most worship leaders that strayed far away from the church were actually encouraged by the church to do so unknowingly? What has your
experience been?
