WORSHIPPING A BIG GOD IN A SMALL GROUP - Bob Kauflin - I. Worship in Spirit and Truth A..God-honoring worship is not determined by the size of our group, or the skill level of our musicianship, but by whether or not it is in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24 NIV) Yet 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. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. B. Worshipping God in spirit implies that our worship is: 1. Primarily a matter of an internal reality, rather than externals. (Is. 29:13; Mt. 15:8-9) 2. Guided and aided by the Spirit of God. 3. Not limited by location, condition, or circumstances. C. Worshipping God in truth implies that our worship is: 1. Based on true views of God. (2 Cor. 10:5; John 17:3) 2. Directed and guided by the Word of God. 3. Involves the use of our minds - it is intelligent worship. II. Distinctives of Large Groups & Small Groups Large Group Bigger congregational sound Typically uses more musicians Conducive to celebration and majesty Contributions are usually more mature More leader dependent Small Group Generally more personal and intimate Uses fewer musicians Easier to discern how people are doing Can be tailored to the needs of the group More group dependent
Page 2 III. Responsibilities of the Lead Worshipper The small group worship leader is responsible to help people: A. Exalt God 1. We exalt God for who He has revealed Himself to be in his Word, for what He has done, for creation, redemption, His coming again anything and everything which causes us to reflect on His greatness and majesty. (Ps. 34:3 NIV) Magnify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. (Psa 145:1-3 NIV) A psalm of praise. Of David. I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 2. Our exaltation of God should always reflect our experience of forgiveness through the cross, by which we are able to draw near to God in full assurance of faith (Heb. 10:19-22). 3. God must become bigger in our eyes. Bigger than our sins, our circumstances, our trials, our successes, our fears, etc. EX: Grand Canyon tour guide 4. Exaltation does not begin with feelings, but should eventually affect the feelings. Truth, properly presented and knowingly received, invites a response. (Psa 34:5 NIV) Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. I should think myself in the way of my duty, to raise the affections of my hearers as high as I possibly can, provided they are affected with nothing but truth, and with affections that are not disagreeable to the nature of what they are affected with. (John Piper, quoting
Page 3 Jonathan Edwards in Desiring God, pg. 91) The engagement of the heart in worship is the coming alive of the feelings and emotions and affections of the heart. Where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead. (John Piper, Desiring God, pg. 68) 5. If we sow generic thoughts, we will reap a generic response. Seek to apply the truths you re singing in specific ways. B. Encounter God 1 Cor:24-25 suggests that God presences himself in a distinctive way in the Christian meeting through his word and the operation of his Spirit. (David Peterson, Engaging with God, pg. 196) 1. Expect God to manifest His presence through the Holy Spirit. For Paul the gathered church was first of all a worshiping community; and the key to their worship was the presence of the Holy Spirit. (Gordon Fee, God s Empowering Presence, pg. 884) 2. Our guide is the Holy Spirit, not our plan. What is most noteworthy in all the available [biblical] evidence is the free, spontaneous nature of worship in the Pauline churches, apparently orchestrated by the Spirit himself. (Fee, pg. 884) 3. He may speak to us through the songs we sing, a Scripture, a prophetic word, a prayer, an impression, etc. C. Respond to God 1. Once we have encountered God through faith, we are responsible to lead a group conversation with God. 2. Requires listening attentively to what the Spirit of God is saying. 3. Responses may be immediate (prayer, celebration, repentance, etc.) and/or outside the group meeting (serving, Bible study, evangelism, etc.) IV. Choosing Songs
Page 4 A. Determine what theme the Holy Spirit may be wanting to emphasize by asking questions like: 1. What have we been learning about? 2. What seems to be the need of the hour in people s lives? 3. What are we going to learn about? 4. Where are people in regards to their understanding of grace? Holiness? The cross? etc. B. Determine how many songs are needed. Our tendency is to plan too many songs. Three or four songs are usually plenty. Use songs which meaningfully contribute to the theme. C. For the most part, use familiar, simpler songs (words and music). For the musicians For the people D. It can be helpful to stay in the same key for all the songs. E. If you re not leading the group, run your song selections past the leader. F. Don t be afraid to do the same song a few weeks in a row, or repeat what was sung on Sunday. V. Leading A. Be natural as you begin. Don t assume a spiritual posture which isn t natural. B. A good introduction right from the start or early on can help to give focus. Make it clear why you re sharing what you re sharing. 1. Scripture 2. Personal experience 3. Prayer 4. Testimony C. Lead confidently, but don t overpower the people with your voice or
Page 5 instrument. D. Make use of personal exhortations and encouragement. Don t depend on the songs to say everything. Again, speak naturally. E. Although it may be uncomfortable, take time to wait on the Lord. Be sensitive to a new direction the Spirit might take you in. Usually an impression is sudden, clear, and concise. Take risks! F. Be open to contributing more frequently than you might in other contexts. VI. Musical Matters A. Take time to establish a clear tempo from the start. Set tempo by thinking of the chorus. B. A musical flow between songs can stir up prophetic gifts (1 Chr 25:1; 1 Sam 10:5-6; 2 Ki 3:14-16; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Practice beforehand if necessary. Some ideas (key of D): 1 4/1 1 4/1 1 4 6m 4 D G/D D G/D D G Bm G 1 5 4 5 1 2m7 3m7 4 5 D A G A D Em7 F#m7 G A If you have weak instrumentalists 1. Use simpler songs. 2. Use chord substitutions. Dmaj9 = Dmaj7 D7sus = Dsus C2 = C For slash chords (chord/bass note), you can play the first chord if the bass note is a second or fourth below the chord, or a third above: D/C = D C/G = C C/E = C If bass note is a second above the chord, play sus chord of bass note: C/D = Dsus or D7sus F/G = Gsus or G7sus
Page 6 If bass note is a fourth above the chord, play maj7 chord of the bass note: A/D = Dmaj7 D/G = Dmaj7 Other Issues A. No instrumentalists. 1. Try singing a cappella. Simple songs work best. Have your best singer and/or worshipper lead out. Don t feel you need to have extended times of singing. Hymns can be especially effective. 2. Use CDs Try to find a section with 2-3 songs in a row you can use. Try to find songs with extended instrumental sections. 3. Ask your pastor if another small group could loan you a musician for a season. B. No one in the group can prophetically lead the worship (and you don t sing well). 1. Work as a team with a good singer or good instrumentalist. Make sure you choose songs they know. 2. Work to train others prophetically. Choose songs together, and talk about the flow afterwards. C. Lack of group involvement or participation. 1. Frequently encourage your group to come prepared to contribute through prayer, prophecy, Scripture, testimony, etc. 2. Model enthusiastic, focused worship. 3. Determine root causes and share ways to deal with them (discouragement, lack of teaching, love of approval, etc.) D. Use of song sheets. 1. Consider having a 3-ring small group worship notebook which is
Page 7 updated every 6 months or so. 2. Copy songs from a worship songbook. 3. Don t become overly dependent on songbooks. Include songs people know by heart. E. If you are able, attend worship rehearsals as an observer/participant to learn new songs and grow in your skills. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES BOOKS: The Valley of Vision, ed. by Arthur Bennett. Morning and Evening (NIV), by Charles Spurgeon. Bible Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem, ed. by Jeff Purswell. WEB SITES: John Piper sermons on worship: www.worshipmap.com/sermons/piper-index Hymn and chorus chord charts: www.simusic.com/worship CDs to Buy: www.worshipmusic.com, www.goldusa.com