This past Sunday started off normal as any other Sunday with me showing up at church by 8am for soundcheck with the band and doing straight run-throughs with the worship team till 9:30. Pastor Richie came to the stage to pray with the worship team before service started and he was really excited for this message that he has been preparing for a while called, "Don't let the bed bugs bite." As soon as we joined our hands in a circle to begin praying, ALL THE POWER suddenly shuts off and the emergency lights come on.
Oh crap. This is not good.
Pastor continued with the prayer and seemed un-phased by the whole incident, but as soon as he said "Amen," our Worship Pastor (Pastor Leann) ran to me to scramble for a brand-new setlist cause without any power, there is no band! So we quickly came up with a setlist that can be sung with an acoustic guitar and then I called my brother to bring his snare and high-hat onto the stage for a more acoustic feel to the set.
I was praying the whole time hoping that any minute now that the power would be restored, but 10 mins left until service starts and still no power. I ran to the back kitchen to find some candles and lit several around the stage.
Before you know it, 10am came and we just started service. In the back of my mind, I had a very small thought of: "Are people really going to worship without the whole band playing, without the moving lights, and without the projectors that display the words?"
The first song that we sang was None but Jesus and as we where singing, you could hear the congregation singing as a choir and it was so beautiful to see them worshipping no matter what the conditions around them were.
At that moment, God reminded me, the move of God is not limited on a full band, lights, projectors, or any other technology that we use.
In Matthew 18:20, it says:
20"For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
While I do think that it is very important to create an environment that includes a full band, lights, and other uses of technology, we have to be very careful not to let those be our only requirements for worship. Especially as a worship leader, sometimes we can cause technical difficulties and other things get in the way of us leading the congregation into God's presence.
I just want to encourage you, don't let ANYTHING stop you from worshipping God. God is not looking for a fancy stage or anything, He is looking for WILLING people to be open and broken by Him.
What are some things that you are guilty of standing in the way of your worship to God?
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