|
|
| Back to TeleForum Dates | |
Tele-Forum Summary |
|
| Teleforum date: February 10, 2000 Special Guest: Jennifer Rothschild Topic: WORSHIP: Taking a Journey from the Outer Courts to the Holy of Holies Sub-Title: Tips and Methods for leading worship: Before everything else, motivation is far more important than method. In Matthew 15, Jesus addressed this saying, "These people worship me with their lips, but their hearts are hard." The purity and motivation of our hearts is far more important than the methods we use. Worship is the means by which we relate to God to tell Him we love Him, come to Him, and praise Him. In Exodus 25, God designed the layout for His temple so people could come to God and worship Him. Picture there being three rooms. At the east, there is a door in which to enter from the outside into what is called the Outer Court. In the Outer Court are the Altar of Brass and a laver or a basin of water. Then the Outer Court leads into the next room, the Holy Place. In the Holy Place are the Table of Show Bread, the Altar of Incense, and a candelabra. A curtain separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies in which the Arc of the Covenant resides. In the Arc of the Covenant are the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod, and the Cup of Manah. On top of the Arc is the Mercy Seat, which is covered by the wings of two gold cherubim. God’s design for His temple is a word picture of how we worship. Jesus is the door into the outer courts of praise where we bring our sacrifice of praise, where we proclaim the Word. The Outer Court is a place of celebration, proclamation, and exaltation. A good worship song for the Outer Court would be "This is the Day that the Lord has Made" or "He is exalted." The Holy Place is a place of examination and preparation before entering into the Holy of Holies. A good song for this room would be "Create in me a Clean Heart Oh God." The Holy of Holies is where, because of Jesus, the veil has been torn and we can simply bow and have a time of adoration (not supplication) with God. So, worship is a process of exaltation (rejoicing), examination (preparation for adoring God), and adoration (not for us to be blessed, but to bless God). A good example of this is Isaiah, he saw the Lord. He was quickly aware of how impure he was in the presence of God. So when God said whom shall I send, Isaiah responded, "Send me." Real and true worship should end with action. Questions and Answers: Q: Have you found some sort of method that works best, a pattern? A: It is best when the worship leader is prepared. It’s not what they decide to do, but if that person is prepared. There’s not really a formula that works best other than preparation. I do try to begin with fun and upbeat music; then, I allow time for songs that settle their spirits; and end with lifting up Jesus and taking them into His presence. Q: Often I deal with time constraints and it seems you need flexibility if you want to get into real worship. How do you squeeze worship in and is it that important? A: I ask for 20 minutes as a worship leader. But if you don’t have that keep it simple. With five minutes, you can do one song of celebration and one song for the Holy of Holies. We don’t need a time of worship at every event, but we do need a time to let God know He is why we are there and the attendees need to know it, too. He is the reason for the gathering. Worship has gotten misunderstood over the past few years. It is the whole thing, not just the music. Q: Would one objective be to determine the purpose for the gathering? A: If you aim at nothing, that’s just what you are going to get. The most important thing is to be prepared. The best way to be prepared is for you to have private worship, you need private worship. Public worship never occurs if private worship isn’t happening. Q: Do you find that it is important for the people (speaker and worship leader) to communicate? A: It is vital. I usually find out the topic and choose themes that compliment it. Coordinate worship time with program planning. Preparation!! Q: As a worship leader, what do you do when people’s talent is not as good as their enthusiasm? A: Trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance. You need to use the Spirit’s discernment and Godly wisdom. If you believe it would be such a blessing to that woman, you can always find a place for her. She might have a mighty spirit that makes up for her lack of talent. Choose someone who has the availability and pure heart over the proud and talented. Closing Thought: Women’s ministries need to go deeper than clubs or organizations. God is bringing revival. We should never take lightly what God has called each person to do. About
Jennifer Rothschild - Special Guest |