Shepherding a Worship Time (with Simon Brading)

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Worshiping in truth means worshiping in the facts, not worshiping in lies. The enemy will try and manipulate us and our flock to worship Jesus out of a place of lies.
We are to help people to stand in what is true – in their identity.
The way we open meetings can help people to stand in who they are. When we open our meetings, do we open the Bible or do we open our mouths? Do we want to lead people to truth or just good ideas?
So often we can try to appeal to the will when trying to get people to worship, which means putting people under a law of duty and makes people self-conscious. This doesn’t touch the heart – which is the way God works.
We know the law didn’t work in Israel – it produced worship in short bursts.
Sometimes we can be guilty of kicking into performance mode, but instead we need to find ways of inspiring people.
We need to lift people’s eyes to the reality of God.
Instead of telling people to raise their expectations in worship, tell people on what basis and why they should raise their expectations.
Open up the Bible to give people more hunger, rather than telling people to be hungrier.
Point people to heaven and the heart of God, ask your congregation to set their minds on the things of God by opening up the Bible.

A portion of your congregation will always be going through some kind of suffering or trial. A portion of your congregation will be finding life quite hard. And a portion of your congregation will be finding life great.
Sometimes we can lead worship and only connect with one portion of the congregation.
We need to connect with people in their dark place, because the whole spectrum of emotion is represented in the psalms. The darkness needs to be brought to the Lord.
We can’t just equate worship as joy.
Every season of life is an opportunity for worship.
Find some songs that connect with people experiencing suffering, without isolating others.
Find songs and scriptures that connect with as many people in the lyrics.
The application of these songs and scriptures of suffering is trust, so as a leader help people to trust in the face of suffering.

Every day we fall short and sin. The gospel, though we have a new identity, doesn’t say that the sin in your life it doesn’t matter.
God wants us to walk before Him as righteous.
Our sin impacts our relationship with God and we want to help people in their feelings of failure.
We need to help people in their weakness to worship Jesus.
During communion, we all come to the table needing Christ, and we can use it not just for remembrance but for bringing our weakness to God and knowing we have Christ in us to cleanse us.
We want to lift people’s eyes to God’s goodness but also help people face their issues and bring them to Him.
Release your worship leaders from being anyone else or trying to replicate anyone else’s gifting if it isn’t their own.

Bringing through leaders, hosts, worship leaders.
One method of training future elders and worship leaders is to triple what you have now, then look for that number in the church of who you can invest in. One set for the current need, one set for growth and one set for sending out.
There is something about thinking big that makes you think differently about those in your congregation of who to train up.
When training people up, first let them watch you lead and talk about it after. The second stage is they help whilst you lead and talk about it after. The third stage is they lead, you help and talk about it after. Stage four is they lead, you watch and talk about it after. Fifth is they lead and someone else watches.
If during one stage there are problems then that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve picked the wrong person, rather it’s not yet time to move onto the next stage.
This process will take longer for some and shorter for others.