Authentic worship has only one leader, Jesus Christ. When I speak of Jesus as a worship leader, I mean first of all that he is alive and present among his people. His song can be heard in the heart and his presence can be felt in the heart. We know him not only through the study of the Bible, but also through revelation. He wants to teach us, guide us, rebuke and comfort us.
Second, Christ is alive and present in all his roles. When we worship, we want to see Christ only in his priestly position and as savior and deliverer. But he is also present among us in the role of a prophet. That is, he teaches us about righteousness, and gives strength so that we can do the right thing. George Fox says: “Meet one another in the name of Jesus… He is your prophet, shepherd, bishop and priest. He is in He is among you to open the door for you, sanctify you, and feed you with life and revive you.
Another thing is that Christ is alive and present with all his strength. He not only frees us from the consequences of sin, but also from the domination of sin. He also gives us the power to obey his teachings. If Jesus is our leader, then we should expect miracles to happen in worship meetings. The occurrence of internal and external healings will no longer be the exception but the regular rule. We will no longer just read the book “Acts of the Apostles” but we will experience it.
And finally, Christ is the leader of worship in the sense that he alone decides which human agent to use if necessary. Believers preach and prophesy, sing hymns, or pray according to the call of Christ. In this way, there is no more room for boasting and self-expression, and only Jesus is glorified. When the living head of the church calls them forward, he also gives the gifts of the spirit so that they can receive and use all of them with freedom and joy. Perhaps the word of knowledge will be given, through which the inner intentions will be revealed, and we will find that Jesus the King is in control. Maybe it will be a prophecy or a piece of advice that will shake us, because we will find out that this is the word of Yahweh. A sermon or teaching is presented, because the living head of the church wants to give his life-giving breath to the body through it. A sermon without divine anointing dries up the sense of worship in the veins of those present. Preaching, if it comes from the heart, ignites the spirit of worship, and if it comes from the mind, it extinguishes the burning embers. Nothing is as life-giving as a sermon inspired by the Holy Spirit, and nothing is as deadly as a sermon inspired by human thought.
After this detailed discussion about the leadership of worship by Christ, we may conclude that human leadership is not very important. But let’s remember that nothing can surpass the truth. If God does not choose leaders who will lead believers to worship in the Spirit with authority and compassion, the entire experience of worship will be almost impossible. This is the reason for the gift of worship leadership (Ephesians 11:4). Leaders whom God has called to lead worship should not hesitate to do so. Believers should be led to worship, from the “outer court” to the “inner court” and finally to the “Holy of Holies”. God anoints leaders to lead believers through this process to worship.
Taken from the book of Spiritual Discipline
