MUSIC

Holy Nation Church Worship

Aim:

 To publish Jesus and for Jesus to be glorified in all that we do. Because, if God is not central to our worship, we worship a false god.

Background:

 The church has always had a strong emphasis on the importance of Gods presence in worship, and an awareness of the spiritual importance of worship. As a result the worship part of the service has been important, with worship leaders taking time to find Gods will in choosing the songs.  Ministry has also always been an important part of the worship.  

Holy Nation Church is an Apostolic Church and the worship structure is based on that of scripture. In the Old Testament there were 3 anointed offices: King, Prophet and Priest (Levites).  King David together with the prophets Nathan and Gad established the temple worship. (2Chron 29 v 25). Therefore the prophetic oversees the worship, appointing worship leaders and giving direction to the worship. As we are all preists and kings in the New Testament the whole congregation participates in the worship service. 

 The worship in HNC plays a very important part in the service. There is an expectancy for Gods spirit to move and time is allowed for this.
 

Personal Thoughts on worship

Praise and worship are spiritual acts coming out of a heart attitude. A worship service is a corporate expression of our hearts. The practical aspects ,although not necessary to worship enhance it if done well , however they can also hinder if done poorly.  When the practical aspects such as the musicianship, quality of instruments and voices becomes our focus we worship ‘worship’ rather than God, and it becomes a modern day cathedral with no spiritual significance beyond its inherent beauty and leads to idolatry. The line between striving for excellence to provide an offering to God and excellence for its own sake is fine, and it takes wisdom and discernment to tread to the right side of it. 

Worship is a spiritual battle ground more than any other as Satan is always out to steal worship from God. Satan can use pride, inferiority, discord and discouragement to steal worship for himself. 

It is important to remember that not all spiritual experiences are from God. Music can effect our emotions with good musicianship providing a counterfeit ‘anointing’. Bad musicianship can hinder us as musicians to flow with the Holy Spirit due to our lack of ability. It can also hinder a team from flowing well together ad cause the congregation to focus on our bad playing rather than on the Lord. Good musicianship is a powerful tool in God’s hands, our aim therefore should be to be as good a musician as we can in submission to God. 

Elements of worship

Thanksgiving, praise, worship, proclamation.  The worship service is a journey into God's presence
 
Thanksgiving
Ps 100 v4:  We enter God's gates with thanksgiving. By thanking God we acknowledge Gods goodness. With a good God there is nothing to fear
 
Praise
Ps 100v4:  We enter his courts with praise.  By praising God we acknowledge God's greatness.  With a great God on the scene nothing is impossible.

Worship
With worship we come into the holy of holies. There we are in God's throne room and we see his holiness and our unworthiness .  We can but bow down.

Proclamation
An element of proclamation ideally should feature at every stage;  thanksgiving, praise and worship. Our words are spiritual weapons which are powerful and effective in pulling down strongholds.  Therefore proclaiming attributes of God and exalting him will do damage to the enemies kingdom. Also using scripture in song is important in this. In the area of proclamation hymns have an important role, we are declaring to the heavenly realm what we believe. 

Thoughts in choosing songs

How much does the song focus on me and my experience, use the words me and I. Too many me focused songs will not focus our worship on God.  Some songs can be used very effectively when ministering in song because their focus is me and my experience but not as effective in the worship journey.

The progression in the service is from praise to worship, from fast to slow. A song in the wrong place can disrupt the flow of worship brining people back from the presence to the courts or gates. Think- what primarily is this song expressing, praise worship or something in between. The speed can always be adjusted to suite whether it is used in praise or worship if from the sentiments expressed in it can be used in both. 

The prophetic in Worship

It is vital to know what the Spirit wants to do in the worship service. It is imperative that the worship leader seeks the face of the Lord when choosing songs. The Holy Spirit only knows the needs of the people and may also want to bring out things that will be preached on later. The prophetic is seen in the order of songs, scriptures read and words given. The prophetic order of songs is a springboard for the release of words of wisdom etc in the service. 

In preparing worship ask Lord what He wants to do in the service. He may give scriptures or a sense of what he wants or songs that give direction. How does one song lead on to the other both in terms of the theme, and musically and the worship journey.  God usually will give you a sense of what he will be doing through the songs in the spiritual realm and in peoples’ lives. It is important to be right with God, you cannot lead people to where you are unfit to go yourself. 

It is important to keep listening to God throughout the worship service. He may want to change direction or order during the service. He may also want to give room for others to bring something.  He is the director of the worship not us.  

For the team it is important to follow the leader, be prepared for them to change direction or the order of the songs. Flow with the Spirit but allow them to lead both in terms of songs, speed (if they can keep time!! unlike me) rhythm and dynamics. 

Practical Tips

Play though the song list before hand to determine if the songs flow well together, are comfortable to sing, and there are no unexpected difficult bits. If possible, let other musicians know before of the songs and key in which they are played. Of course the Holy Spirit may prompt you to change things last minute, but don’t let that be an excuse for disorganisation.