Worship Pastor as Prophet: Responding to the greatness of God

Worship is not merely a “section” of a church service; it is a continual reality of the genuine believer who responds to the greatness of God with an overflowing heart of praise. We see the greatness of God in many ways and we ought to respond.

We see the greatness of God in his creative work for example (Genesis 1, Romans 1, Psalm 92:4, Psalm 102:25, Psalm 148, Isaiah45:12, Colossians 1:16, Romans 11:36). It goes without saying that when you face a natural beauty like Niagara Falls, or the Grand Canyon, or maybe even the simple yet complex beauty of a tree bursting with blossoms in spring, that something inside the believer is welled up to give glory to God. The shear complexity and perfect calculative order of how the universe was created in very fine-tuned constants that allow life to exist on this earth and not be burned up or frozen over is such that our hearts should scream, “Praise God! Wow he is amazing!” It is the greatness of God in creation that should well up a burning and holy anger against worldly claims that everything we see and the complexity of the natural world is all a result of chance and evolution.

As a worship pastor we should be encouraging and training our congregation to recognize the greatness of God in creation. I use opportunities while I pray corporately to thank God and praise him for displaying his power and faithfulness in the rain outside, as an example (Job 5:10, Psalm 65:9, Psalm 104:13). Our hearts should be so in tune with everything that points to God’s glory that by drawing attention to it before our congregation and relating it back to the sovereignty or faithfulness of God, you will be cultivating that culture of worship.

You do not have to be an environmentalist to have an appreciation for and recognize the beauty and fragility of nature. Instead of worshiping nature, where many environmentalists fall, we attribute the beauty and find joy in the provision and sovereignty of God in his creation. Using God’s creation as a means to elevate who he is, is not only beneficial for the body, but it is a biblical model. Jesus uses this model when he preaches on the subject of worrying or the provision of the Lord in Matthew 10:29-31, and paralleled in Luke 12:6-7. The Lord IS concerned and paying attention to us even to the smallest details of how many hairs we have on our heads! He then uses the example of how the Lord knows even when a single sparrow falls: how much more does he care and has concern for his most grand creation that he loves enough to sacrifice his only son for? You see how it can quickly get back into the grand mystery of the Gospel, which is our motivation as worship pastors. Our God saves, even when he was not obligated to. As a worship pastor, our job is to facilitate a corporate response to the greatness and overwhelming presence of God. The list is long of methods to accomplish this task, but one method is actually on the responsibility list of most job descriptions for worship pastors: Plan and execute a Spirit filled and contemporary worship service on Sunday mornings.