Thoughts on Family Worship
Family worship is a concept that can be defined in a variety of way and means. It often has a very different definition depending on the person you speak to. A person’s generation, education, race, personla preference and even their on family circumstance are all factors that come into play when you ask them their veiw on ‘family worship.’
I wanted to share something that became so evident to me a few weeks ago.
Liz (my wife) and I are the worship co-ordinators at Kloof Baptist Church where we have a vision for Family Worship. A church that worships as a family. Worship that is not defined by style of music but rather by a desire to worship God in fellowship and to publically proclaim His glory.
Giving God the Credit for His Works
I have been ponderng this concept for a while and started to come to the conclusion that God doesn’t get enough credit most of the time. In church (and in our own lives) we are quick to offer up prayers asking for help but we don’t actually spend much time giving God glory for the way he has answered our prayers. So I decided to build times of corporate prayer and testimony into the worship services that I lead. These times have taken some getting used to but they have been well recieved.
We are still ironing out the logistical bugs (like the fact that a person praying without a microphone can’t always be heard by the rest of the congregation) but we have been blessed with amazing testimonies that shout out glory to God. People in our church who have been healed from cancer, threatening brain tumors and blindness have had their testimonies shared and people have been able to share in the greatness of God as they hear the testimony of others.
How this works in saving the lost
I began to think about how a non-christian person would see this type of service and how they would respond to it. I believe that it may open doors into that persons heart more than a well rehersed musical worship programme. Simply because that non-christian would be hearing about how God is working in peoples lives. Proving to that person that God is real, he is in relationship with the church, and it people.
If you read John 9 you will see a story of a man healed from blindness whose testimony of how God worked in his life challenged even the most ‘righteous’ people that heard about the story.
The power of personal testimony is far greater than we can imagine. It should be a part of church worship because it is a celebration of how God has worked in our lives. That testimony usually ends with giving God the glory and therefore our act of worship ‘bring glory to God’ is beautiful in God’s sight.
