P.Dom has brought up two sides of this empowerment: the worship team versus the host pastor.
Worship Team:
How do we inspire others to worship alongside with us?
1. Modelling
We should bring in the fun and the inspiration of worshipping Him. We can initiate the lifting of hands, as people are watching us, our actions.
2. Leadership
We lead the congregation into worship. We can lead them through our vocals, our instruments by setting the atmosphere. We must have a goal on how we want the congregation to response. In order to have these achieved, we should be prayed up, we anticipate a goal, and have in mind what would the celebration service look like to lead the people into the presence of God.
3. Set the atmosphere
a) technical: more practise for musicians on their skills, Ps78. Singers can work on the vocals in the area of harmonising & hearing to reach a higher level of worship.
b) soft skills: Our posture. We should refrain from frowning, and looking dejected, grumpy, looking as if our pet dog passed away 10mins ago, etc. Our dressing. Don’t zao-geng. Female singers could perhaps dress in skirts and dresses, and vibrant colors.
c) stage discipline: We could perhaps minimise communications on stage, to pass message to musicians on the song we’re intending to do next, etc. We should try to refrain from chit-chatting on stage, even if pre-service prayer hasn’t begun. We should honor the stage He has provided.
4. Expect, Engage, Empower and Enlist
God moves when we expect Him, His visitation, etc. We could do experimentations on the instruments we play, and learn how to worship on the instrument, and not playing a song from the scores, etc. The annointing flows through us when we allow God to empower us. We can enlist others by inviting them to join us as joyful singers, even if they don’t know the songs, etc. We also enlist by ourselves presenting to them as an example.
We want to inculcate a sense of joy and sense of life in the service. We want to release people to experience the life of worship, and them leaving the place carrying that with them.
5. Songs
a) Introduction of songs: Don’t choose too wordy songs. The timing of song release should be taken note of. New songs could perhaps try to come upfront before going into more exaltation songs. Otherwise the congregation enters into exaltation, entering into the Inner Courts, and then a new song comes, which makes them having to step out into the Outer Courts again to learn the new song. This affects climax.
b) We become who/what we sing: Be careful when we’re buying CDs for our own worship, practising of songs, etc. The other churches might have written songs for their own season, hence if we follow their songs totally, we might end up not stepping into our season. Whatever songs we sing, it determines the type of growth. A song of warring leads the church to become a church of warrior.
c) Song Declaration: Step into the new year, new season, prophetic season by song declaration. We can start by writing songs that God has embraced upon us; it can just be a melody, or the lyrics.
d) By & Through our songs, we see God’s greatness: help the congregation see His greatness!
Experiment done: Paul leads a song. Co-leaders suddenly singing a new song on their own. Hence Paul & the team were pretty confused who should they follow. Paul held back, giving our his right and let God lead. The co-leaders lead everyone into another song in the flow. The “congregation” acted by the MIs suddenly also sing a new song, hence everyone in the worship team listens and follows the song. haha. It brings the worship team to a place where they have to listen out to one another, and not just on the WL; moving away from institutionals.
Discussive topics:
1. What do we wanna see taking place in a celebration service?
2. How do we bring about that change?
Suggestions from the discussive groups (as presented):
a. liberation in playing the instruments, and free worship
b. just having the musical instruments playing without singing or preaching; for healing to flow and ushered in
c. be prayed up before service
d. want to see people engaging in the service: we can do so by having the Host Pastor to do invitations to the congregation, inviting them to the altars to join us in worship.
e. bring up special events, a duet, play, etc and not just during productions.
f. being notified of the songs before hand: lyrics and MP3s sent out early
g. rock concert style: makes ppl come in anticipation, wanting to fill up the front seats.
h. corporate unity
i. refrain from frowning
j. encourage the cell leaders, SP themselves to be an example to contribute to the vibrant atmospher
k. more CHs to reach out to VIPs
l. be reminded of our purpose when we’re on stage
m. different styles of worship: choregraph movements for singers (haha), and be a worshipper first
-I’ll put up the host pastor’s roles in another entry.
