Worship Matters: Skillfully Combining God's Word

In this chapter, Kauflin accused some believers of going to one church for worship, and then another for the Word. He claims that worship should not be separated from Word, but should rather be Word-centered. It is Word-centered when we treasure, sing, read, show, and pray God's word. Although worship does not explicitly have to be combined with the Word and the Word does not have to be explicitly combined with worship, it improves our relationship with God and magnifies his glory.

Honestly, I have never had the experience of going to one church for worship and going to another to hear the Word because I go for the overall mood and experience rather than chunks of the service. I do agree that worship and the Word work well together, as I am most prepared to hear the Word after worshipping and remembering how great God is.

Worship Matters: Through the Power of the Holy Spirit

In chapter 10 of Kauflin's book, he tells readers that not only do worship leaders have to magnify the glory of God, but also have to worship Him with the power of the Holy Spirit. He tells us that often we will depend on our plans and creations rather than listen to God. Because God is the one who made us realize that we are sinful and imperfect, we have to depend on Him for EVERYTHING, including worship. Because of that, if we worship without the power of the Holy Spirit and are not dependent on God, then we are not acting as true Christins.

Personally, I believe that everyone who is active in worship has a certain calling by God to be given that opportunity. I do agree, however, that we rely on ourselves instead of God to convey the true power of worship. It often requires a humbling experience in order to realize how much our worship is dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit. During worship chapel, we arguably made a couple mistakes. However, I received so much positive feedback on it. It made me realize that even though we made the mistakes, God was there with us and carried the music and the mood. It wasn't because of us, but rather Him, that made worship chapel go well.

Worship Matters: In Jesus Christ

In Ch.9 of Kauflin's book, the author states that worship should always be about God. So, when we worship, we need to make sure that we worship in such a way that is pleasing to God: through Jesus Christ. No single good act can reach God except through Jesus, since he died on the cross for us. Jesus acts like the door between us and God, and died for our sins so that we can be brought closer to God. Jesus's cross shows how great God's love for us as well as how big our sins are; realizing that, we should worship in a way that presents God's love and glory how great it is.

I find that when I'm so focused on worship, I take God's glory away. I recently realized that I do not show emotion whatsoever when I worship, but rather look serious and mad. This is because I don't enjoy it as much as I try not to mess up. By doing this, my worship does not display the greatness of God's love for us that He sent Jesus to die for us. My goal is to worship in such a way that I can showcase and increase the glorification of God in my music.