andi oakes

As a music artist and worship leader I spend a lot of time thinking about and discussing “worship” with other people; and I think it would be safe to say that it is very much one of the key factors in church development these days. “Worship” is probably one of the main criteria that people look to have fulfilled before joining a church, and I think I would even go as far as to say that it’s probably one of the top two boxes that people want to be able to tick before even thinking about committing to a local church. And that kind of worries me.

First of all, to be part of a local expression of the church is to take up your role as an agent of change in the area and among the people where you are. So our first question should surely be “Is this where God wants me to be?” There is absolutely no point, in my opinion, of being part of an “all singing and all dancing church” if you are not called to be part of the body of believers there.

If we make our decisions based purely on what the church offers us, then we are missing the point of becoming a change agent of God – for that is who we are all supposed to be. We are to be, not only carriers, but implementers of the Kingdom of God that we say we belong to, actively working to change “our own world” for God’s greater glory. “Our own world” for many of us is our church.

Far too many people are running off elsewhere to what they think is the finished product. They are not prepared to spend the time in their own churches to help them grow…to serve their own community of people. No. In these days, it seems that the draw of the “pop worship” culture is just far too great. This probably comes from our desire to get the quick fix solution – the “I don’t have the time to wait so I’ll go over there to get what I need now” attitude that so pervades our modern thinking.

The problem with running off to the get quick fix is that we miss the real benefits that come from taking the slow path. Just as a diet of fast food will eventually leave us devastatingly unhealthy, so seeking the fastest route to spiritual satisfaction will eventually leave us spiritually sick.

You see, God could quite easily take us all home to heaven the moment we respond to Jesus, but He doesn’t.  Why? Because the end isn’t the important bit, but how you get there that counts.

It’s all about the journey. It’s all about the struggles. It’s all about the challenge. It’s about character and character takes time and, more often enough, pressure to produce.

The real heroes of the faith are the people who stay where God has placed them and continue to do what they are called to do, no matter how good or how bad the worship team are – because true worship is not about  music, but about a tender heart that yearns to do what God wants.

By the way - if you want to see how well you and your church really worship…then try doing it without singing songs. True worshippers can praise God in every situation and they don’t need any help to do it.