How to Lead Worship

Dear reader, 

There is something that terrifies me. The chance of doing something dreadfully wrong and not realizing it. 

Nothing scares me more than messing up, especially when the outcome matters greatly. 

I remember preaching for the first time, it absolutely horrified me. 

The grueling hours preparing, but not wanting to over prepare so The Spirit could still lead the words I was saying. 

Then I got up there and totally botched a reference mixing stories of Joshua and Moses together. 

YIKES. 

I knew it as soon as I was done, and I got right before God and asked for forgiveness. I knew he honored my plea, and didn’t hold it against me. 

But let me ask you this. Have you ever done anything so many times that you thought “I’ll never get this wrong.”

The past few weeks God has been pressing WORSHIP deep on my mind and heart. Almost as if he wanted to pick apart the very word itself and teach me what his word actually says about the matter. 

There isn’t enough space in this one letter to show everything that I have learned, (I might turn this into an actual book one day lord wiling) But the 3 main ideas I want to hit are these. 

• 1. It is impossible to worship God rightly without being submitted fully to His Word, His Truth, His Son. And being filled and led by His Holy Spirit. 

You don’t need to be a super duper smart theologian. 

You don’t need to have a wild and wacky Pentecostal-like persona. 

You just need God’s truth, and His Spirit.

• 2. Worship is not to be scheduled. It is an inclination an alignment of submission unto God and our response to such submission. 

We have it ingrained in our society that worship is on Sundays, and if there is another night free in the week we can get together and worship then. But in reality there is no clocking in and clocking out when it comes to worship. 

Every breath. 

Every action and thought.

Every desire.

All of these must be brought before God continually, submitting to Him, and acknowledging His lordship over all things. And our response to Him should be Worship. 

• 3. Worship isn’t exclusive to Music. 

If worship is our response to submission unto a holy God there are many many things that fall under the umbrella of worship. 

Going on a walk. 

Feeding your child. 

Staying late at work. 

Mourning your own pride. 

Laying your wealth down.

Taking up your cross in all things. 

That list of ways you can worship is so extensive, and I believe God designed as such. Yes you can worship with words, there are so many poems, songs, and stories told by the spoken word. But then the ones who are mute how do they worship?

God had to give us all the opportunity and the freedom to worship as we go through this life. He doesn’t force us to, but he calls us out of this world as ones who are to rebel against comfort and pleasure that the Earth offers us, and to be willing to run to His courtroom and scream at the top of our lungs physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

As I write this letter to you I consider this an act of worship. Each word I submit unto the lord, and I aim to please Him above all else. I am so grateful for His gospel, His blood that covers me from head to toe, and His Spirit that leads me to respond in such creative ways. 

I urge you to be a man, woman, and child that is wholly devoted to spending your days entrapped in a mindset of continual worship. 

That truly is a life worth living. 

Sincerely,

Your Imperfect Seeker of True Worship

-Mitchell