Let Rip!

John Stott, in his book, I Believe in Preaching, quotes a preacher who when asked about their sermon preparation says, “First, I reads myself full, then I thinks myself clear, then I prays myself hot, then I lets rip!” Seems to me not only a great way to prepare for preaching, but also for leading worship.

Here are four tools to equip us to lead worship effectively.

1. Read yourself full

I think it’s so helpful that as worship leaders we are constantly filling our minds with who Jesus is. I’m currently studying theology. The last week or two as I’ve sat in libraries reading for essays, I’ve caught myself thinking, ‘What on Earth am I doing?’ The answer I return to is, ‘I’m studying theology to fuel my worship and love for God.’ Good theology will inspire worship. What are you reading? Who are you listening to? How are you growing in your understanding of God? What is fuelling your passion for Him? The moment we grow tired and stale in our relationship with God, we are in real trouble. Pretty quickly, we will dry up. We’ll start going through the motions. If you’re looking for a great book to read on worship, check out, Knowledge of the Holy by A.W Tozer or More by Simon Ponsenby or Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin.

2. Think yourself clear

A well-structured, pulled-together set list can really help people in their response of worship. I challenge you to go through your lists and ask how the songs link together thematically. Try to think about the journey you’re building. What is the story you are telling? Take time to think about not only your set lists, but how your team is growing, what are the gaps, strengths, weaknesses, what is God saying, how are people responding, are people excited to volunteer as musicians -all of these questions are so important to consider as we try to lead. The moment we stop to think, to ‘chew the cud’ and dream, we will stop growing. May I encourage you to engage in this thinking process with others – there is always so much we can learn from one another.

3. Pray yourself hot

One of the greatest dangers with experience is self-reliance. We show up at church, we know the deal, and we hit autopilot. I do it – and I’m ashamed that I do it. When you think about it, if God’s Spirit doesn’t turn up, we’re in trouble. Nothing of eternal value will happen without God’s Spirit. The Spirit enables people to believe (1 Cor. 12:3), the Spirit gives life (John 6:63), the Spirit brings revelation (Eph. 1:17), and it is the Spirit who reveals the Father (Rom. 8:15). We need to get serious about prayer. If we want to see God at work, let’s learn to pray.

4. Let rip!

The final thing – let’s lead with passion. Joy, excitement, and passion are infectious. When we lead if our bands play with great guts, if we model worship not only in our playing but also in our physical posture, this will have a huge impact on a congregation. I was at a church service the other day, and the band looked utterly miserable – bored, disengaged, and fed up. No one smiled, and it was a depressing sight. I wasn’t surprised to look around and see that the congregation was responding in a like fashion. We’ve been working hard as a team to be aware of things like smiling, singing along, being freed up to worship. Worship is caught as well as taught. So let rip!!