What it takes to be a Worship Leader

As usual for me, I'm talking about leading sung or musical worship to God. So, what does it take? and almost more importantly, what does it not take? What does God require, and what could he take or leave?

John 4:23

23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

Ok, so He want's us, our very spirits. No lies, no pretence. We all know that pretence doesn't work with God, don't we...

1 Samuel 16:7

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Right at the Heart. Even in ways that we don't understand. This is speaking generally, not just about leading worship, it's about our whole lives. If we turn that around, then, can we say that that is all he wants?

What would be the benefit?

Matthew5:8

8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

I would suggest that God is all about training our Hearts, and therefore our very beings. If we seek to meet with him and express our feelings and thoughts to him through music, then surely the music we use, the style we use, the instrumentation we have and the arrangements we use are all very secondary to this foremeost purpose.

Compare this to your experience of being in church and leading or participating in sung worship. does it look the same? or different?

Why?

Is it too easy to miss the point and pursue these distractions in the name of giving our best to God? I think so. We can chase excellence in music, but isn't that a subtle form of idolotry if we let it get that far? That's not to ignore the gifts God has given us, and the responsibility that goes with it, but we should not let them get between us and God. Afterall, isn't that what sin is? a barrier between us and God?

For me I want to lead from a place of truth; that may be messy and broken, or joyful and strong. Quite possibly changing every five minutes to and fro! but it cannot be false. It's not good enough, and I don't believe that God wants it or wants His church exposed to it.

Then again, that's all true for every aspect of our lives.