Lucifer, The Fallen Worship Leader?

We know that there are three angels that represent various ways we serve God.
Michael is the angel who is the chief princes, who came to help me...

"But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia." (Daniel 10:13)

Michael as we know is also an angel of WARFARE, he is the one who fought the dragon.

 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Rev.12:8-9)

And there was angel Gabriel, who is known for delivering the Word of God. Gabriel is the one who was sent by God to Nazareth, a town in Galilee for preparing Mary for Jesus birth.

  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,  to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. (Luke1:26-31)

The last ex angel, is Lucifer who served God in Worship, like many of us worship leaders. It is indeed quite uncomfortable to be compared with the devil, but the truth is, we all have to be aware of Satan's downfall. We need to keep on our toes against vanity and pride.

  ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘You were the seal of perfection,
    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
    the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
    carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
    topaz, onyx and jasper,
    lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.[a]
Your settings and mountings[b] were made of gold;
    on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
    for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
    you walked among the fiery stones. (Ezekiel 28:12-14)

In the same token, musicians can look quite good on stage and do get a bit of attention from friends even from their own pastor. I think the Pastor needs to be aware of this, that we do not give too much praise to our worship team, but the one who gift them with their talents. I do get a bit of fame in church, from people recognizing me from playing the guitar and vocals. When we meet friends in church, I'm always introduced as the guy who plays the guitar on stage, like its something cool.

Truth is, it is easy to get the attention and get it to one's head, as was with Lucifer.

"Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor" (Ezekiel 28:17).

Satan has walked down the path of pride, and tempting people into self-glorification could very well be his most powerful weapon against us. Remember, worship facilitator that you are not on stage to perform,  but to only give God the glory.  Just saying this, because its what I noticed in our church. After all, it was what led to the first sin and the separation between man and God. As a result, musicians are very exposed to his temptations. We must guard our hearts and minds, and constantly walk down the path of humility. We must also see ourselves not as musicians, or worse, rock stars, but servants of the Lord.

We should look forward not to your friends' praises, nor your pastors praises on you but to the Lord's delight in you. (James 4:10) this tells us all to "humble ourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you"
Imagine finally coming before the throne of God - seeing His glory, we prostrate in unworthiness before Him. Yet, God comes to us, brings us back to our feet, and tells us that He is proud of us, for putting Him before our pride.

 "better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere"(Psa 84:10)

"Better is one word of praise from the Lord than to have fame amongst the multitudes."

Here's a little practical tip:
 Deflect & avoid attention. Sometimes, my friends say I 'perform' on stage. I usually tell them, light-heartedly of course, that I prefer to use the word 'serving'. Also, don't do anything that gets you too much attention on stage.
many of you were wondering if its a problem if you jump around etc. out of a sincere heart of worship to the Lord. 1 Sam 16:7 says that "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart". As the Lord looks at your heart of worship, rest assured your actions are fine.

But you will also need to consider how this affects the congregation. Certain actions, like, theatrical performance, isn't it that the focus is now on the person performing instead of giving God the glory? Jumping wildly or bombastic solos, could distract worshipers.
 1 Cor 10:32 tells us: "Do not cause anyone to stumble". We should abide by this, and ensure that while our hearts might be right with God, we should not be a distraction to others.
Lets serve God in great humility. It's wise words to avoid the temptations of pride. It's not like no attack will come during worship either, but my saving grace every time is to turn to God and ask Him
"am I pleasing You?
 I think that as musicians we are in the most dangerous position. We are tempted to get honor and glory instead of giving the honor and the glory to the only one who deserves it all.  I also believe that Praise and worship team is one of the most attack by the enemy to disunite, to hinder its growth and effectiveness.
A worship leader might say, I just want to break free and worship freely when playing a guitar or piano and even question if this is showing off?
There are two relationships we need to be concerned on these..

We know its really between you and God. If you feel like moving about, out of a sincere heart of worship, then that isn't a problem.

The second is between the congregation and God. You will also need to consider how the congregation will view your actions. If it is distracting others from worship, then my preference is why not tone it down? You really don't want to be the cause of distraction.
Remember,  the devil can get even the best of us. Don't think that you're above what the devil can do in this arena! We better be sure to get right with God before we step on stage.

"It's awesome to find a place where everyone is geared to giving God all the glory. Let's pray without ceasing to have the right kind of worship God wants. And to all worship facilitators, peace to you! I love you with the love of the Lord.  Let's continue to worship God in Spirit and in truth as He wants us to. And be blessed always!

Worship Leader?

I don't know about you but, I recognized at church nowadays, its difficult to distinguished whether I'm watching a talent show or giving God the glory He deserves. Worship leaders seem to think like they are up there and we go to church as an audience where they are up in the stage to perform. And you have a Pastor cheering them on. I know its about looking unto Jesus, which I tried so hard to do, it is quite bothersome when the music is too loud its deafening you cant even focus on why you are in church in the first place.

I'm confused to think whether we are praising the right God or are we there for gathering session and giving our tithes. Sorry to say, but if I go to church I expect a little respect in God's house, I'm not there to see worship leaders perform. When I go to church, I seek God's presence not to see a lot of talent trying to perform before an audience. I thought to myself, its Not why I go to church just to see worship leaders perform. Because if this is the case, then I should have gone to a musical theater that is. Besides, I'm not there to be amused, just imagine how God will feel being taken away the glory He deserves because all we give glory to is the worship teams performance.

I see basic questions that need to be addressed:

  What constitutes worship?Should biblical songs be accompanied by "theatrics?"
 I won't want to make a rule that singing must be done vocally only because such would exclude deaf people who speak with their hands. However, worship by a church is done by Christians to our God. Becoming a Christian means we are mature enough to understand God's will. "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD" (Jeremiah 31:34) 
Worship shouldn't be dumbed down to make it entertaining to children. I started to see that  others are just playing, church as their starting point to show off their talents hoping they'll get their big break in their singing career.

 I’m not trying to create a standards that every church will adopt. We know every church is different. What is important is that you make a decision on what you believe and what you stand for. Your conviction will tell you according to the words of God.  And to live a life that will bring honor to Christ.
 Be sincere. Worship from your heart.

Why is it that the Church of Jesus Christ misses the litmus and the definitive?
Because her leaders are doctrinally impotent. We have churches led by children who want children by their side in leadership. We have church/political leaders who are afraid of being unpopular. We have religious/financial leaders who are swayed by income and outgo–nickles and noses.

This is the only explanation for the circus-like arena of activity we are now calling “worship”. It is the only reason “chicken skin” defines “anointing” and skill overshadows gifting. It is why people who are not yet qualified to lead others in worship keep showing up to “play in the band” not probably for money but for fame.
Elders–Bishops–Pastors–Presbytery–Do your job! “Just as shepherds watch over their sheep, you must watch over everyone God has placed in your care. Do it willingly in order to please God, and not simply because you think you must.” James 5:2. In fact, re-read all of James 5 to remember what a true shepherd is to do.

They are not to be bossy, but neither are they to apologize for God’s Word and firm leadership based upon that truth. Who will stand, sit, sing, play, talk, preach on this platform? This is part of your job to “Do your best to win God’s approval as a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message.” II Timothy 2:15

Young people are directed to obey their elders and everyone is to brand the distinguishing fabric and covering of humility.
Pastor–Minister, if you are afraid of offending because you set biblical standards, or you are fearful of not being liked, or you hate confrontation and rejection–then its probably better to think about another career and wait for God to grow you up before you attempt to lead others. Pastor-Minister. If you are cruel and unloving in your application of the Truth, or your insistence of standards, then you have missed the mark. If you do this consistently, then you missed your calling as a critic.

All of this wind-age from me can be encapsulated into this statement.
Your church had better have at least one man of God who fears only God and his calling is evidenced by virtue of his unswerving devotion to the everlasting Word of God as the unmoveable truth of God for the ever changing people of God.

In the absence of such leadership…let the carnival play on–
Let Retail Jesus continue to rule– Let the children play with their gadgets and toys–
Love the world and welcome her in as you mimic her to detail.
Then let the church receive her reprimand as surely she will because Christ loves his bride the church. “When the Lord punishes you, don’t make light of it. And when He corrects you, don’t be discouraged.
The Lord corrects the people he loves (He uses His own standards consistent with the Word we now have) and disciplines those he calls his own.” Hebrews 12:5-6)

 Mature leadership uses God’s Word as the standard. From this base foundation, combined with discernment, no one leads the flock in any capacity without such vetting.
“My friends, we should not all try to become teachers. (musicians in the praise band strutting and exercising ego’s or in a fancy choir with a delicious pipe organ showing off their impeccable skills) In fact, teachers will be judged more strictly than others.” James 3:1) The judgement of God is real and so is His favor with approval.