How Prepared are We?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I am a stickler on being prepared. I feel that if you are going to do something then you better be prepared to do it right and to the best of your abilities or you shouldn’t even bother at all. So many times though I feel as if we as worship pastors get into the daily “grind” or routine and enter unprepared into one of the most important things we do each and every week… leading congregational worship!

You might be saying, “Woah! Woah! Woah! Hold on to your horses there hotshot… you don’t know my life or my habits.” That may be true… but I believe that if we prepared ourselves and our congregations to worship on a regular basis then we would be seeing so much more true, authentic, and Spirit-filled worship in our local churches.

I’ll put it this way… being prepared for a worship service means more than having faithfully practiced and rehearsed the songs to your accepted level of excellence. Being prepared is more than having a strict minute-by-minute or song-by-song schedule to abide by, a team of professionals who could play the songs forward or backwards at any desired speed, or having all your segues and cues polished and ready to go.

Being prepared for worship includes being ready to lead, sing, and play… but it also includes so much more.

God is on a search for true worshipers. John 4:23 says,

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

Are we being faithful to worship and lead in spirit and truth? Unfortunately for some of us that means we may need to make more time to prepare ourselves, and our teams.

Let me clarify one point before we dive deeper into this subject. We MUST prepare ourselves musically to lead worship. We CANNOT expect to properly lead people if we don’t know our stuff! So, take that as you will. We all prepare differently, but we should settle for nothing less than excellence. Our God is deserving of more than mediocre unprepared worship… and when we continually thank Him for the opportunity to do what we do and yet we don’t spend the time and effort to adequately prepare then we are blowing the opportunity we have thanked Him for. God doesn’t NEED us to accomplish His task and will, but He desires to see us used in His purposes. Prepare well and be ready to be used.

Now that I’ve made that one clarification lets take a look at how we can and should prepare for leading worship.

  • Prepare your Heart and Mind

It is of absolute importance that we take time to prepare our hearts to worship God before we set foot in the sanctuary on Sunday morning. True spiritual preparation takes time and effort and isn’t done in the fifteen minute gap between sound check and service.

In fact, God made this crystal clear when He gave the law in Exodus 19. Verses 10- 11 say,

The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

God called the people to prepare to come into His presence, or even near His presence when He came down onto the mountain where He would speak to Moses. The people weren’t even on the same mountain and they had to prepare! We are actually approaching and entering into the Lord’s presence with our worship… we should seriously prepare! We see consistently throughout Scripture and history that God wants His people to get ready to come near to Him, to prepare themselves for an encounter with Him.

When we take the time to think about what we are doing when we enter into worship, and lead worship, suddenly personal preparation becomes a priority. Take the time to think about the God that we are worshipping.

  • Prepare your Congregation

We know that corporate worship is of central importance. Psalm 22:22 says,

I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you

We are to praise God in the midst of the congregation! Worshipping Christ together is vital for us as Christians. Life wasn’t meant to be done alone… and neither is Christianity. So think about it, you’re worship isn’t for you… it is ultimately for God and also for encouraging your brothers and sisters in Christ.

A runner wouldn’t enter into a marathon without specific training the same way an individual wouldn’t climb into a ring with a boxer without having at least put on gloves before. We should prepare ourselves for worship as least as well as we prepare ourselves for other things that don’t hold a portion of the weight eternally.

Work to both prepare yourself for worship as well as teaching your congregation to prepare for corporate worship. When we place specific value on something people handle it differently. Place value on your corporate worship.

  • Prepare through Prayer

This point may seem like a given, but when we get scattered and rushed it is typically the first to fly out the window. Part of our preparations for leading corporately needs to be specific prayer for our corporate gatherings. If we can make this a priority I guarantee you that it will help and encourage you and others in your congregation to keep your focus on the Savior King who alone has the power to save, heal and deliver all who call upon His name and who is worthy of all our worship and more!

We must cover our gatherings in prayer. Commit yourself to praying over your services. We can do nothing alone. Here are some prayer points that will get you started.

–Pray for direction. Pray that we are receptive to the Spirit and willing to go against our own plans if called to. My Pastor has repeatedly said to me that Pentecost didn’t occur because it was placed or scheduled in the bulletin.

–Pray that Christ be glorified. We must continually pray against any sense of pride that may develop within us. Our worship should be about Christ and for Christ. If He isn’t in it then we are just singing songs. All that we do needs to point to the Father.

–Pray for change. We must petition the Father for the hearts of the people within our congregations. We can have great services, but if nothing changes then all we’ve done is provided false security. I challenge you to pray for conviction and repentance, it isn’t pretty… but it is necessary and will bring change.

–Pray against the enemy. Satan wants nothing more than to make us as believer’s weak. A sense of comfort or idleness is a scary thing. Let’s pray against the works of the deceiver that can invade our gatherings and congregations. We serve a mighty God, a roaring lion that crushes the head of the serpent. Pray against the devil and his works constantly.

John 14:13 says,

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Hopefully through this non-exhaustive list we have all seen the importance of our preparations. Being prepared keeps us focused on what matters. When we’re spiritually prepared, we’re not as concerned about songs and arrangements (which are important), but the engagement of the congregation and the presence of God take the front seat.

When we begin to ignore the preparation of our heart, trivial matters tend to steal the show.

We also must remember that we have no right to come into God’s presence on our own. No amount of preparation that we can do is enough to make us fit, but we must be faithful to do our part!

Training our Emotions for the context of Worship

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

This week we will wrap up what has been a three-part series on emotions and worship. We have discovered that every person has emotions, and that they were given by God himself. We also have seen where they can be misconceived or misunderstood in the modern church setting because of people’s reactions to misuse or manipulation. In this blog we will work to understand how we can use our emotions to further glorify Christ.

While human emotions themselves can seem unpredictable, they are typically experienced for a reason. Feelings always follow what we believe to be fact. They tell us how our heart is feeling at a given moment whether we know it or not.

No one has to remind us to feel sad when we are at a funeral for a close friend, and no one has to remind us to feel happy or excited when we receive a gift or welcome back a loved one that has been gone for an extended amount of time. We don’t need to be reminded to feel emotional… and our emotions aren’t easily hid. We can claim that we are all “giddy” inside all we want to… but if we are crying uncontrollably then nothing we say is going to be satisfactory at convincing anyone of our “giddiness.” Instead, our emotions have portrayed a different story that is more “heartly” accurate.

Emotions are an accurate portrayal of what is happening within our hearts.

If we truly desire to do everything for God’s glory, then we must seek to understand how our emotions should function in corporate worship. Below I will bring to light several things we must train ourselves to do and think in regards to our emotions experienced in the context of worship.

  • Embrace them.

We have discussed the fact that everyone has emotions and that God created them ultimately for His glory… but that doesn’t always ease the mind for those of us who have been “trained” in the traditional church to suppress our emotions at all costs.

Let’s be honest… most of us have a fear of being controlled by our emotions because we realize that our emotions can mislead us. Maybe we have been misled by our emotions before and we have vowed to never let that happen again, or we have seen what we label as “ridiculous” over-the-top emotional reactions on TV or in person and are afraid that if we allow a leakage of our emotions then the entire dam will burst and that will be us that people are looking at.

But, worship is not based on feelings, instead it is based on truth. We worship God because He is worthy. We worship Him regardless of how we feel. We worship Him because He deserves it, not because it makes us feel a certain way. Allow that to sink in… we should allow how we feel about God to be visible because He is worthy, not because we like the feeling of an emotional “high.”

Our emotions aren’t a reason for worship… they are an outcome or byproduct of our worship.

If we are worshipping God because we just love that “worshipful” feeling then we are worshipping for the wrong reason… are we really even worshipping God at all? If our reasoning behind worship is to receive something ourselves then we are entering into worship with the wrong intentions.

But cold, unattached worship is just as bad. When we separate emotions and feelings from our worship what message are we conveying to ourselves, the church, the world, and to God? How can we sing of God’s greatness, grace, and love, and feel nothing? Our worship MUST have a proper emotional response to God. We must learn to embrace our emotions!

  • Point them towards God.

 This may seem easy and obvious… but you would be surprised how many of us unintentionally enter into worship seeking another emotional experience or high rather than seeking to encounter the Spirit of God. We touched on this briefly in the last point… our worship of God is for God! Our worship isn’t for us! We shouldn’t “worship” for a feeling… we should worship God because of the fact that He is God! Everything we do and say in worship should be directed towards God and His church. If we are worshipping because we want to leave feeling satisfied or “amped” up then we are worshipping something other than God. Allow God to move you into worship and allow yourself to be poured out for Him and Him alone.

With proper intentions and foundations comes proper God-honoring worship.

  •  Allow them to be the initiators of action.

 In part of my last blog I discussed how our emotions are meant to do more than make us “feel.” Instead they are designed to make us feel something that brings about an action… that action could be as simple as remembrance or as elaborate as surrendering everything you have to God and living your life on the mission field. Either way our emotions are an avenue or starting point. When we encounter God we should be filled with emotion… we should also never leave the same.

Here is an excerpt from my last blog discussing this very subject:

Emotions are expressions of our hearts, but without action or change they equate to nothing at the end of the day or service. Our emotions should motivate us to action in worshiping and praising God. Simply weeping during a Samaritan’s Purse commercial at the way children are living in third world countries does nothing, and ultimately everything remains the same when that emotion passes. But… weeping at that reality and then donating money or adopting a child makes a difference! The emotion is merely the beginning… the start of a response or change. Let your emotions push you into action that glorifies Christ. If worship breaks your heart because of your sinfulness in comparison to God’s holiness then make a change! Strive to be holy! Don’t leave your emotions at the door or the altar as you leave church, rather let them transform you into a better disciple for His name’s sake!

We should be striving to become more like Christ and our emotions can play into that goal. Allow yourself to be “moved” and “changed” for Christ!

  • Allow them to edify the Body.

Lastly, emotional expression is not just a matter of individual edification, but rather of corporate edification. In Romans 14:19 we are called to pursue what builds up the church:

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

So… just because we “can” express our emotions, and have freedom to do so, we need to remain aware of how we are affecting those around us. Biblical worship can involve a wide range of responses, and we are free to respond how we feel led but not at others’ expense.

For each of us that will look different. For me personally, I lead at a church where the worship environment is basically free and inviting for people to respond how they feel led. It isn’t unusual to have people shouting, clapping, crying, or even “dancing” at different points in our worship. In that environment emotional responses aren’t unusual and won’t distract from the worship environment itself because they have become part of it. In different cases people may want to use restraint for the edification of a brother or sister. Let’s face it, not all churches are the same in the way in which they worship… but that is OKAY!

Bob Kauflin puts it this way,

If I’m worshiping God among a group of people who come from a less expressive tradition, I will exercise self-control and seek to respond emotionally to God without distracting others. My understanding is that in showing love to my brother, I am showing love to God.

It’s not that we are holding anything back, instead we are using what God has given us to build up and strengthen others and the Body of Christ as a whole!

In closing, I do find it necessary to remind everyone that God’s standard for our worship given in John 4:24 has and will remain the same regardless of our emotions:

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

If the purpose or success of our worship were to be measured by our emotions, there would be no standard for how to worship or what constituted acceptable worship, because it would vary so much. Many of us have the truth down by singing Christ-centered songs, but have a long way to go in the “spirit” category. The standard God set is an absolute one, that does not waver like our emotions. We must choose to do what God says to do, motivated by our devotion and trust toward Him, regardless of what our emotions would encourage us to do…

If we pursue Christ whole-heartedly then our emotions will respond accordingly.

Common Misconceptions Regarding Emotions and Worship

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

 

In my last blog I began discussing a topic that has been a center point of discussion in the area of worship for centuries. That topic is emotions. Let’s face it… emotions are part of who we are. Emotions are part of what makes us what we are… human. Emotions provide us assistance as we interact with others and our environment. Without emotions our world would be rather bleak.

But… with all of that being said, we need to be aware of how our emotions are interacting with the things around us, and what they are doing within us in different situations. When we allow our emotions to go “unchecked” and have free reign to make us feel and act in any way they please we will begin to encounter problems. A “balancing” of our emotions is crucial to a healthy lifestyle of worship. Below I will discuss several common misconceptions regarding emotions and how they influence us in worship.

  • Emotions during worship are misleading.

Many are under the idea that if you feel anything at all during worship then it must be “fleshly” or misleading. But, in reality we are called to use all aspects of our human nature to worship God. We are to worship in “spirit” and “truth” with both our hearts and minds. Therefore, emotions are not of the devil because they were and are given by God Himself. All too often we rush to throw the theoretical “baby” out with the bath water. We have seen emotions used and manipulated inappropriately and because of that we tend to push emotions as far away from our worship of God as possible for fear of “messing” up again or going “overboard.” But, when emotions are authentic and directed toward God alone then I believe that they ultimately honor God. Use what God has given you to pour back out towards Him!

  • If I don’t “feel something” in worship then something is wrong or it wasn’t good or beneficial.

I don’t know how many times I have heard statements that express this exact feeling. It can be somewhat frustrating as a worship leader at times to have to be judged by the external feelings of others. This idea of “spectator” worship is driven by an entertainment saturated church. I hate to break it to you… but worship isn’t about how YOU feel. Worship is our service to God, not His service to us, and any benefit we receive from worship is a by-product and not the end goal. True and authentic worship won’t always provide you with a “good” emotional feeling. Sometimes worship calls us to reverence, sorrow over our own sinfulness, love and overwhelming thankfulness at the foot of the cross, anticipation of what is to come, etc… Worship calls us to evaluate ourselves and our own character in light of our Savior and many times that won’t leave us feeling “satisfied” or “happy.” But, our worship should evoke some response from us individually… we see throughout Scripture that when mortals encounter the presence of God something special happens and they don’t leave unchanged. Seek to encounter and dwell in the presence of God continually!

  • I leave my emotions or response at the door.

Emotions are expressions of our hearts, but without action or change they equate to nothing at the end of the day or service. Our emotions should motivate us to action in worshiping and praising God. Simply weeping during a Samaritan’s Purse commercial at the way children are living in third world countries does nothing, and ultimately everything remains the same when that emotion passes. But… weeping at that reality and then donating money or adopting a child makes a difference! The emotion is merely the beginning… the start of a response or change. Let your emotions push you into action that glorifies Christ. If worship breaks your heart because of your sinfulness in comparison to God’s holiness then make a change! Strive to be holy! Don’t leave your emotions at the door or the altar as you leave church, rather let them transform you into a better disciple for His name’s sake!

  • All emotional responses look the same.

It is true that every person experiences emotions at some point in their life, but it is not true that we all reflect those varying emotions in the same way. Not every person experiences or displays emotions in the same way as you may. Something that may draw you to tears may not affect another in the same fashion. We can attribute some of these differences to things like upbringing, environment, and context, but the reality remains the same… our emotions may be shared but our reactions or responses may differ. In the end, the response isn’t what should be judged because it is outward, it is what is inside that truly matters.

Our role as worship leaders is to actively engage and lead into worship and allow the people to respond in whatever way the feel is necessary. It is not our role to judge others for appearances that may or may not be indicative of their hearts. We must not allow our perceptions of how things should be displayed to reflect onto others and hold them to unrealistic standards based on their personalities and mannerisms.

So… in conclusion, it is necessary that we understand that God created us, and all we are, to fulfill the purposes of worshipping Him. We must not be fearful of our emotions, but rather work to point them towards Christ and the honoring and praising of Him. It is not about us, or our responses. It is all about Him.

Emotions & Worship. Part I.

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

I want to begin by saying that I could do 400 blog posts on this single subject and not touch all the aspects of emotionalism and worship. This isn’t an end all. That being said… I do plan on making this a multi-part series of posts over the next few weeks. I do hope that this can cause each of us to begin to think about our emotions, how we display them, and where they fit in the context of worship.

What is the place of emotions in worship? Where do we draw the line on emotional displays or responses? How far can we go before we are simply manipulating our emotions?

These are all legitimate questions when it comes to emotionalism. Questions such as these have caused considerable debate throughout the years and will continue to do so because of the varying responses you can get from each.

Why are emotions necessary?

I’m sure we would all admit that… emotions are a natural and essential part of life. God created us as emotional beings.

In Mark 12:29-30 Jesus says,

“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

After reading the passage out of Mark I would say that part of loving God with our whole heart must include our emotions. Think about it… emotions are the outlet for displaying what the heart feels. How convinced would your “significant other” be if you told them that you loved them without ever showing any “feeling” or “affection” towards them? Probably not very convinced. Think about a time you have given a gift and the person on the receiving end absolutely loved it. How could you tell? Most likely they displayed emotions of joy, shock, or thankfulness upon receiving the gift. If they had simply said, “Thanks, I love it” without smiling at all would you believe them? Nope. How come? I believe the best way to answer that question would be to say that, “Words alone can only express so much… but when void from emotion much of the meaning is lost.”

A husband shows his love for his wife by expressing feelings of affection or love towards her. In the same way, we should show our love for God through expressed feeling towards Him. A relationship partner wouldn’t be satisfied with a merely intellectual love… so why would God be?

The Bible is filled with the expressions of emotion. We see in Jesus himself displaying varied and intense emotional expression. He wept, He rejoiced, He felt compassion, and He righteously raged at those who defiled God’s house. Consider the strong emotions expressed from the Psalmists in these Psalms:

Psalm 42:1-4: “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.

Psalm 84:1-2: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

In fact the Psalms are overflowing with emotion. David and the other writers of the Psalms got very emotional in their relationship with God. They weren’t scared of something that they couldn’t always control or contain. But… what did their emotions do? They pointed to God. You see… if we aren’t careful we can allow our emotions to take the front seat in our worship and to a certain extent we can end up worshipping the emotion itself rather than the giver and initiator of the emotion.

In the end… emotion in worship needs balance.

Many of us have a fear of being controlled by our emotions or manipulating other peoples emotions. We realize that our emotions can mislead us, and we know that worship is not based on feelings, but on truth. How can we stand and speak or sing of God’s greatness and His amazing love, and feel nothing inside? How can we not respond to His love by loving Him in return? Our worship needs to have a proper emotional response to God.

Ultimately our focus should be on worshipping God because He is worthy of our worship. We should worship Him regardless of how we feel because He deserves it, not because it makes us feel a certain way. If we are worshipping for any other reason or because we like the ways it makes us feel then we are worshiping the wrong thing or for the wrong reason.

If we say we love God with all our hearts, that we desire him more than anything else, that we count all things as loss for the sake of knowing him, then surely our emotions will be affected during God-honoring worship.

Just don’t lose one of God’s greatest gifts to us, emotion, because you have seen it abused. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. I challenge all of you, as well as myself, to learn to express our emotions towards God appropriately in authentic God-honoring worship and see how it changes the way we sing, think, and feel about God.

What is your Heart’s Song?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

What songs connect with you? Do you have a specific hymn or chorus that melts your heart every time you hear or sing it? Do you consistently hum or sing a melody when without music or while alone?

Would it surprise you if I said that God has given you a song?

To many I think it would. But in reality we are wired to make and sing songs to our God. Christianity is a singing religion who serves a God who is one day going to sing over us, according to Zephaniah 3:17. The human heart is an interesting thing… we as people experience emotional highs and lows constantly and without a way to express the excitement or melody inside we would be in a world of hurt.

Music is a powerful thing. Music can change the mood or emotions of a person, act as a carrier for suggestions, and even influence the mind and heart. We have all experienced a situation where we happen to hear a certain melody or a particular song on the radio and all types of emotions and memories arise based on past events. Now obviously that artist had no clue how that song would impact us individually but our hearts over time have tied all sorts of things to the sound of that song or melody. We do it unknowingly! We are undeniably musical and expressive beings.

The world has even caught onto this as well! Think about how advertisers use music to influence us all the time. They use those awful, but catchy, short jingles so that we remember their products while we walk past them on the store shelves… or in my case in the middle of the night while I am lying in bed.

What song are you singing?

You see, God has placed a song or melody on your heart and you may not even be aware of it. Ephesians 5:19-20 says,

Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can sing songs with our mouths all day long but until we sing from the heart nothing is truly changed… nothing is happening. The world sings all kinds of songs, but we connect with music not with our ears… but with out hearts. The section of that verse hat says, “singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” signifies that when it is coming from our hearts we truly mean it and feel it. We are moved by it.

What is your heart singing? What connects with you? When the Lord gives us songs we should share those experiences with others and allow those songs to connect with them in their time of need and minister to them in the same ways they have ministered to us. Colossians 3:16 says,

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Share your song.

The importance of this is something that we often miss. We often get caught singing songs in church because that is what we do… but in reality our songs carry so much more weight than that. Your hearts song can change lives. If you only take one thing from this blog I hope that it is this:

Our hearts song can be used to reflect the works and glory of Christ to the world around us.

Why does your heart’s song matter? What does this all mean? Read the story below.

One man’s song…

Horatio Spafford was well known in 1860s Chicago. He was a prominent lawyer, a senior partner in a large and thriving law firm. He was a wealthy, had a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. His circle of friends included many well-known Christians of the day including evangelist Dwight L. Moody. Spafford seemed that he had it all together, and was living what most of us would call a dream… but soon his life was turned upside down and his dream quickly became a living nightmare.

At the very height of Spafford’s financial and professional success, he and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly following, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 reduced almost every property Spafford owned to ashes, and destroyed nearly all of his investments.

Two years later, in 1873, Spafford wanted his family to take a much needed vacation somewhere so he scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give himself and his family a break and time to recover from the tragedies that had fallen upon them. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him to England knowing that his friend D.L. Moody would be preaching there and wanting to join Moody in his evangelistic campaign. Spafford had to stay behind in Chicago for a few days while he was delayed with unexpected business.

On November 22, 1873, while crossing the Atlantic on the steamship Ville du Havre, the ship carrying Horatio’s wife and four daughters was struck by an iron sailing vessel and 226 people lost their lives, including all four Horatio’s daughters. Anna Spafford survived the tragedy, and upon arriving in England, she sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone …”.

Shortly afterwards, with a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving wife in England. As Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, his deep sorrow mingled with his unwavering faith in God’s goodness inspired and caused him to write the well known words that we all know as “It is Well with my Soul” as his ship passed over the location of his daughters’ deaths.

Spafford’s heart had a song…

For more than a century, the tragic story of one man has given hope to countless thousands who have lifted their voices to sing. One man who faithfully sang his heart’s song to God has provided words to those at a loss for words in the face of tragedy.

When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul!”

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more; Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend – “Even so, it is well with my soul”

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live; if dark hours about me shall roll no pang shall be mine, for in death as in life thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

What is your heart’s song? Will you be faithful to sing it?

Who are you?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Who are you? What is your purpose?

I’m sure that isn’t the first time you have been asked or have wondered that for yourself? Who are you and what is your purpose?

This question definitely isn’t a new one… it has been asked since the beginning of time. I would say that every person (other than Jesus) has experienced an identity crisis at some point in his or her life. For example, Adam, the first man, faced an identity crisis when it came time to pick between the fruit and his calling as the first human creation. Who was he? Could he be better? He was deceived into thinking so and he took the bait…

We also see an identity crisis of sorts in the book of Jonah… The Lord spoke to Jonah and commanded him to be a missionary or preacher to the people of Nineveh. Although Jonah heard form the Lord, what he was hearing didn’t line up with the plan he had for his own life… he had an identity crisis. Jonah ran from the Lord and pursued his own interests. We all know the rest of this story…

Obviously we know there are other reasons and ways to look at the stories of both Adam and Jonah, but one thing is very clear… we all have a NEED for an identity.

An identity crisis is defined as:

A psychosocial state or condition of disorientation and role confusion occurring as a result of conflicting internal and external experiences, pressures, and expectations.

Too often, people base their identities on what they do or in the acceptance of others, and the perceived expectations that come along with that acceptance… whether it is a job, hobby, relationship, or even positive or negative remarks from peers. Traditionally, we’ve been taught to find the answer in one place…we are what we do. If I write, then I’m a writer. If I play music, then I am a musician. If I play a sport, then I’m an athlete. The world creates easy definitions of people and we look to those definitions far too often. We like to define ourselves based upon what we do. Somehow we have been deceived and allowed the things that, for the most part, we have dominion and control over to define us as people. We are allowing our identity and self worth to be found amongst the things of the world.

Are you being controlled or limited by the things that you allow to define you?

The truth is that God intends for all people to find their identity in Him alone. Our effectiveness as pastors and worship pastors is hinged upon us becoming comfortable with the people God has created us to be. Our identity is found and secured in Christ alone when we begin to follow him… we must simply accept that identity and pursue it wholeheartedly.

Below I will present some ideas that come along with finding your identity in Christ. Who are we? Here are some things to keep in mind…

  • A New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 says:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

If we have accepted and are following Christ then we are a new creation. Our previous identities are no more! Your identity as a musician pales in comparison to your identity as a son or daughter of Christ. Galatians 3:26 says:

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

  • Tools of Christ

John 15:5 says:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

After conversion we become the branches or arms of Christ. It is through us that the Lord delights in doing His Kingdom work here on earth. Our identity can be found in Christ and expressed through the calling He has placed individually on each of our lives. There are particular characteristics that we are called to have or develop as sons and daughters of Christ. Colossians 3:12 challenges and calls us to better ourselves for God’s work here on earth. It says:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

  • A People with a Purpose

A lot of our seeking for identity comes from our desire to have or know our purpose… people want a purpose. When we begin to follow Christ our purpose is made clear. 1 Peter 2:9 says:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

In Christ we have a purpose! God has given us an identity and a purpose to serve Him here on earth 2 Corinthians 5:20 says:

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Having an identity crisis? Seek the Lord and your identity in Him will be made clear. Feeling ineffective or unequipped to do the job ahead of you? Pursue Jesus and He will equip you for the task before you. Be confident in your identity because it has been secured by none other than Christ!

As we all seek out our identities, purposes, and callings in Christ I will leave you with a challenge found in Romans 12:2:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

Do Others See What You See?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Have you ever had a goal? A vision?

The word “visionary” is defined by Merriam-Webster as:

: having or showing clear ideas about what should happen or be done in the future

: having or showing a powerful imagination

Think about some true visionaries from throughout history and our culture… What do they all have in common? It’s not necessarily resources (before their success at least). It isn’t a certain level of education. It’s not a location, race, gender, or economic class. Really their similarity isn’t a person, or a place… it is a thing. They all share a passion, a dedication, or a drive to cast a vision and to pursue it relentlessly until it happens or their vision is altered. True visionaries work towards accomplishing their ideas, goals, and visions. If they hadn’t taken steps towards achieving their goals and visions we would merely call them dreamers or idealists… but they did.

You may be asking…

Why are we talking about visionaries? How is this important to my ministry?

Well… you know I am going to tell you. The church in America is in need of a revival. We have gotten so complacent in remaining exactly the way that we have been that often times tradition has leapfrogged right ahead of Jesus without us even taking notice. Who are we? Why do we do the things we do? I would dare to say that the average church-goer has no idea of the vision or desired direction of the church that they attend. Some churches in their entirety might not have ever nailed down a vision… or certainly not made it known enough to work towards achieving or accomplishing it!

If our vision has been to stay exactly where we are, and to always have comfort and a security blanket then I think 90% of us have been successful! Awesome! Go us!

I’m being harsh here… but how do we ever expect to truly be effective if we aren’t organized and working towards the same desired goal. Vision is important. Goals are necessary. Helen Keller was quoted saying that, “The most pathetic person in the world is some one who has sight but no vision.” One of my favorite NFL coaches named Tony Dungy talks quite a bit about casting vision and setting goals that inspire people to better themselves for a greater cause. Tony Dungy says:

The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. Vision will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do whatever it takes to achieve excellence. Only vision allows us to transform dreams of greatness into the reality of achievement through human action. Vision has no boundaries and knows no limits. Our vision is what we become in life.

Develop a vision for yourself. Develop a vision for your ministry. It will change who you are and the way you do things. It will unite and enable people to accomplish a decided goal. Things don’t necessarily become easier with a set vision, but they do become more understandable and focused in light of a defined greater purpose.

Here are some thoughts about being a visionary within your ministry:

  • Seek the Lord

Too often I have “visions” that aren’t of the Lord… they are actually just my desires and I am doing my best to justify them using the banner of Christ. Sometimes we pursue ourselves and our own wants mistakenly without even knowing it. It’s too easy for me to say that, “God wants my ministry to write and record hit songs to be used by churches all over the world.” When in reality that is what I want and God’s plans may be entirely different than mine.

Trust the Lord. Seek the Lord. Pursue the Lord.

It is so easy to say… but much harder to do. Let us seek God first and allow His vision to become our own and then let’s see that vision through until the end.

  • Get others involved… Share your vision

Stop signs would be pretty useless if they were camouflaged… something that isn’t seen, heard, or known about might as well not exist. The same goes for a vision… a vision in leadership should be visibly clear and understood by the entire congregation of a church. It does no good to have wonderful visions if they are kept secret. When asking a random church member, they should be able to say in a few short sentences what the mission of the church is, and it should be visibly obvious and evident. This allows people to focus where there needs to be focusing and it also encourages servant-hood. A vision of the church should be something that the church can live into and come along beside. We aren’t meant to do “church” alone… include other people in your vision and see how much farther it can go. As a minister not only are you a shepherd… but you are also an enabler. Enable people to serve and accomplish purposes that are far greater than themselves. You never know… they might become part of your vision.

  • Pray. Pray. Pray.

Obvious right? But, prayer is vital to our ministries and visions. We must saturate our entire lives and all that we do with prayer. If we even stand a chance at discerning the ideas and desires that the world throws at us then we must be in constant conversation with the Father.

Want to hear from God? Pray.

Want to see lives changed? Pray.

Want to develop a Godly vision? Pray.

Develop a vision, work towards it, and pray it in!

  • Pursue your vision out of faith

Not all visions are easy. God doesn’t grant us all with the glamorous visions and plans that we would hope for, and we should thank Him for that! Some of us will have to give up a lot to pursue God and the vision He has given us for our lives. It won’t be comfortable, it won’t be glamorous, or self-glorifying… but it will be worth it. Step out on faith and pursue God relentlessly. Chase the vision that God has given you!

  • Do not give up!

Not all visions given by God are a walk in the park. Some will last a lifetime and we may die before seeing our vision fulfilled. Look at Moses… he delivered the Israelites with a vision of redemption and seeing the Promised Land, and although He was able to see the Promised Land from Mount Nebo before he died he was never actually able to set foot within it. Moses did his part, and eventually his vision was fulfilled and came to pass. Set short term and long-term goals to keep yourself motivated and pursuing a larger purpose. Rejoice in your successes and regroup after your failures… but always press on.

So… what is the vision God has given you? What are you doing to accomplish that vision?

What are your Intentions… Servant-hood or Stardom?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

We live in an unusual day where anyone can be made famous for any peculiar thing. 20-30 years ago it took effort, it took a special gift, and a stroke of luck in many cases. Today it seems that anyone can be made into a sensation over night… from rags to riches, from shame to stardom. In the age of technology, reality TV, and YouTube popularity anything is possible I guess.

Just think about it, we have the Kardashian family who tend to always be in spotlight for seemingly no reason whatsoever, we also have reality TV stars who get recognized on a national level for merely living their “lives” on television. The world is full of large ego’s and people doing whatever they can to get their second of stardom… their moment in the spotlight.

So, how does this truth impact the church?

The “rockstar” or “celebrity” mentality has invaded the church like a plague and, for some reason, it has been embraced or accepted wholeheartedly. All around us there are celebrity pastors, authors, and worship leaders… people flock to their ministries, churches, or events just to hear them speak, to preach, or sing. Is this a bad thing? I would say not always. But, is this always a good thing? My answer to that would be definitely not.

With a large stage comes a large audience and a huge responsibility. How committed are we to stepping up to the plate on that task and delivering faithfully? We shouldn’t be scared of growth! It is a great thing! But we must be careful to keep our intentions in check. The truth is this: When it becomes more about advancing our desires, our goals, and our agendas than it does about advancing the Gospel then we know we have a MAJOR issue on our hands. When we are concerned more about the national spotlight than the community impact we have missed the mark somewhere along the way. Our “best seller” or multi-building church campus or complex is nothing but a statue to our accomplishments if our congregations are getting a watered down, “ear-pleasing,” form of the Gospel.

Here are a few things to keep in mind or ask yourself if you begin to become a “well-known” public figure… because we have said that it can happen to nearly anyone with almost no warning I today’s day and time.

  •  Respect or Idolatry?

Are we using our elevated platform to elevate ourselves… or Jesus? Are we demanding respect because of the things we are doing for Christ, or are we raising our own banner high to be worshipped? It’s a hard thing to distinguish. When we cause people to exalt us, or any other person, above God, we are leading them into idolatry. Stay humble. Keep your eyes on the prize. Worldly fame fades, but the Kingdom of the Lord stands forever.

  •  Who are we causing our congregations to follow?

People need leaders, and God has provided His church with leaders. How are we leading? Are we shepherding the flock and caring for the people within our community? Being a “celebrity” pastor will draw people in initially, but being a part of a community will keep them there. Are we causing people to follow us or are we pointing them to following Christ. Let’s face it, church isn’t about us, advancing our careers or goals, or even making a living for that fact. Sometimes the Lord blesses us with those things, but our focus must remain on Him through it all. We must ask ourselves… who are our congregations looking to? Who are they following? Us or Jesus?

  •  Sensation or Substance?

The Word of God isn’t popular. It doesn’t exactly cause or call people to be comfortable. Want to write a best-seller? Avoid deep theology and anything within it that hurts people’s feelings. Want to write a hit song? Keep it positive and upbeat, but don’t get deeper into the Gospel than surface level. I only say this to make this point: If we have to dumb down or sell out the Gospel to attain any level of success then that is a success that we shouldn’t want. Are we drawing people in because we sing or play so well? Are we bringing people in with our charisma and charming smile/personality? Or, is the Gospel so evident in our lives and words that people who desire substance want to be around us, to sit under our teachings, and to participate in our worship. We should never sell out substance and depth for experience or emotion. Let’s not cause people to succumb to our personalities, but rather let’s cause them to surrender to Jesus.

So… What have we learned? Is it wrong to have a desire to hear the words of a well-known “larger-than-life” pastor? Is it such a bad thing to worship along with the newest iTunes chart sensation? No! I would actually dare to see that we are wise to encourage people to seek out and learn from the best teachers, worship leaders, and theologians possible.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing to be well known for your ministry… if your intentions are correct. Just remember to ask yourself: what kingdom am I expanding? My kingdom? Or the Kingdom of God?

Your Most Valuable Resource

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

What is your ultimate priority within your ministry? What do you care about the most? Sometimes these questions seem super simple to answer when we are asked because, frankly, throughout the years we have learned the right answers. Often I find myself answering those particular questions with the answer that I have trained myself to answer with…

Did you catch that? 

I know what the answer should be, and I give that answer without truly evaluating if my actions prove it to be true. We poke fun at the Sunday School answer mentality that children often develop. You know what I am talking about… Jesus. Jesus is always right, it is the answer to everything. But the reality is, we are just more advanced and mature children in Sunday School. We have trained ourselves with safe answers, but sooner or later we are going to have to truly discover the real answers to the hard questions we are asked or have to ask ourselves.

Our ministries depend on it.

What do I really care about most within my ministry and when leading my teams? Expansion? Preparation? Musical quality? The experience or atmosphere? Or do I care first and foremost about the people I am serving and working beside?

We should strive to bring excellence to our services, and we do that by intentionally placing priority on things that develop an atmosphere and expectancy of preparation and excellence, but what good is excellence without connection and growth? I would argue that it is meaningless.

I say that because the world does many things with excellence. Go watch Coldplay and leave breathless after a stunning performance, take a stroll down the Las Vegas strip and look at the lights and signs, or go marvel at the Eiffel Tower and it’s unbelievable architecture. From an artistic standpoint all of these things are magnificent. They are excellent. But without personal and spiritual growth they are nothing more than monuments to mankind. Monuments to ourselves and our worldly value, worth, and excellence.

You see, things aren’t always as they appear. In Matthew 23:27 Jesus said this to the religious leaders of His day,

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.”

Are we white-washing our tombs? Are we working extremely hard to appear beautiful while under the surface we are dead or dying? Are our people growing spiritually or has a spirit of complacency or death crept in? What is our ultimate purpose? What are our priorities?

What would we say is the most important thing within our ministries? Do our actions back that up?

In this post I will challenge the way we think and approach our ministries and our pursuits of excellence. Do we care more about the task, or do we care more about the individuals on our team? I would argue that our people should be our focus and are our most valuable resource. How do we cherish this resource? We focus on them, we care about them. Here are a few of my thoughts about caring and growing our teams spiritually.

We should strive to develop excellent believers before excellent musicians or volunteers.

Just because someone is an excellent guitarist or addition to your team doesn’t mean you have done your job. Whether or not they mesh with the rest of your people holds little to no significance if they are at a spiritual standstill as far as growth goes. Now obviously I am aware that believers go through seasons where at times we feel as if we are growing more than others, that is beside the point. What fruit does your life show? What fruit does their life show? As worship pastors we should be encouraging our team members to be more than great team members and musicians. Our first focus should be on developing spiritual warriors… men, women, and children who live lives of worship and personally pursue after Christ first. In other words, disciple and develop your people in more areas than just music!

See your team members as more than tools to help accomplish a task.

Take the time get to know your team members and to show them that you care about them and what is happening in their lives. Our team members are more than just the roles that they play within our ministries. We must work to see beyond the tasks and to the lives that they live. Let’s truly value them for who they are, and not just their contribution to our team. In the end, all the  musical excellence in the world means nothing if our stages are nothing more than an alter to spiritual apathy, complacency, or death. We need to be looking at the long-term goals instead of just short-term fixes.

Sharing is caring.

I mean that in exactly the corny way that it sounds. Share your life with the people around you. Disciple through the way you live and you’d be surprised who takes notice. There’s a difference between managing people and developing or discipling people and when we grasp that difference our ministries will radically change. Developing and discipling people takes an investment of ourselves, but it is SO worth it. Let’s help our team members reach their goals and potential in all areas, not just in the specific areas of our ministries.

Well… that wraps us up for now! Please feel free to comment with other thoughts and feedback!

Do you feel Adequate?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Have you ever listened to a Christian CD or gone to another ministry’s service and thought, “Holy cow, they are so talented. God is going to do great things through them.” Most of us probably have. I know in my own situation I love to watch “live” DVD’s of worship services produced by the major “mega” churches of our time. As a musician I am awestruck… each and every time. The sound is so clean and rehearsed, the cues and transitions are spot on, the production is incredible. It is inspiring. Often I even begin to compare myself and my ministry to the expectations set by these large-scale productions. I know in my situation it is SO easy for me to feel discouraged or inadequate in comparison to the things other ministers and ministries are doing around me. I observe the things they are doing and the things I am not. I notice the level of “professionalism” or excellence that I feel as if I can’t live up to. I hear stories of the Lord’s work within those churches, ministries, or organizations and feel absolutely inadequate. In reality, I’ve walked right into the trap the deceiver has laid out for me. Satan has a way of making kingdom work a competition… a comparison based off of worldly values, and we have a tendency to walk into the trap each and every time. Do you ever feel inadequate? Discouraged? How about competitive or envious? I do. I have. But… there is a way to fight back. Below I will give some things we can remind ourselves of when Satan is doing work on our spirit.

  • We can have a Biblical confidence in Christ.

So often in our churches we are reminded to stay humble… to keep our pride in check. Although this is absolutely necessary in the life a believer, I have found that I have the tendency to over compensate in the opposite direction and make myself feel inadequate to do the work the Lord has put in front of me. We have been “preached” at so much on the subject of pride that sometimes our first reaction to avoid it is to squash out any and all confidence we have. Don’t hear me wrong… pride is something we should fight…everyday. Any pride we have in ourselves is pride that has been misplaced. There is nothing wrong with being a confident person if our confidence is put in the right areas and focused on the right person. Either our confidence is ultimately in God or in ourselves. We consider one to be “faith” and the other to be arrogance. Let’s take a look at a misplaced confidence or pride in Daniel 4:28-37:

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

In this passage King Nebuchadnezzar shifted his pride from God and His work and onto himself and paid the price for it, but was restored when he laid aside his pride and instead boasted in God with Godly confidence in the work of His hands. Misplaced pride is detrimental to the life of a believer. It will ruin you. That being said, a lack of Biblical confidence in and through Christ will also hinder you in your ministry. Be confident in Christ and His working through you. Phillipians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Confidence isn’t always a feeling… it is a choice. We must choose to walk in confidence even when we are feeling inadequate. We do that by reminding ourselves that our confidence doesn’t have to depend on what we can and can’t do. Rather, our confidence is found in what God can do in us and through us. Godly confidence is an assurance not of one’s own ability but of God’s power working in and through His faithful and obedient children for His glory and not for our own. It is a boast not in man but in God, thereby giving Him all the glory. Feel inadequate? Develop a Biblical confidence.

  • Rejoice in the work of your brothers and sisters!

So often churches and ministries fall into the trap of competition. We must remember we are all on the same team and should be working together towards the same goal… not against each other. It is SO easy to succumb to the little green monster that lives inside all of us. Jealousy and envy are not helpful to the body of Christ. I constantly have to remind myself that God has placed people where He desires them to be and uses us all differently. Church isn’t a competition. We all do things differently… for a similar purpose! 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 says:

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. Are you an eye? Be the best eye you can be. Are you an ear? Be an outstanding ear. God promises to work through His people, so we must remain faithful to Him and rejoice in the work taking pace around us to further His kingdom. Comparison is exhausting and a no-win situation! All we have to do is be the best version of ourselves as possible and trust that God will equip us to do whatever He’s asking of us. Don’t want to feel inadequate? Then don’t view God’s work through others as a direct comparison to God’s work through you. Instead, let’s stand beside our brothers and sisters in Christ and rejoice in the work God is doing through them… through us. We are all on the same team.

  • Excel and rejoice where God has placed you.

 At some point everyone is going to become discontent. Sometimes we may want to be someone else or to have another’s ministry. Satan deceives us by getting us to believe the lie that we will be happy if we just had what another has. The truth is, accomplishments and talents are not what makes us happy… true happiness is found in the Lord and the doing of His will. Ravi Zacharias writes in his book “Cries Of The Heart” that:

One of the most liberating moments in life is when we are able to accept ourselves as God has made us and are free from the shackles of trying to be someone we are not and were never meant to be. We then soar to be the unique personality God has given to each of us. (39-40)

God has created us ultimately to bring Him glory and we should be content and happy in doing that in the time and place that He has put us. Living our lives wishing we had something different means we miss out on the best God has for us. Want to feel fulfilled? Want to feel adequate? Then praise God for where He has put you and seek to Excel in the accomplishing of His will and plans for your life at this moment. God has not called us to be someone we are not, He has called us to simply be exactly who He has created us to be. Accept who you are and where you are. God has a will for your life and ministry and has provided a way. Seek it and excel.

Pray that God gives you Biblical confidence and keep your eyes on Him… He will take care of the rest.