Praise Team Do's and Don'ts

The Praise Team aspect of our modern day worship is here to stay. We have successfully called out a group of our best singers from our choirs and put them out front to lead us in songs of worship. However most of us have resorted to religious jargon that we use to pump our congregations or crowds up which creates a false since of a REAL MOVE OF GOD.  I will be the 1st to admit that I have been guilty of this sometimes myself in an attempt to get the people on one accord. Anyone who leads in worship has to be very careful in the choice of words they use. There is a fine line between a "Leading others in worship" and "Manipulation". We spend to much time trying to manipulate our people into doing what WE think they should be doing under the sound of OUR voices. I submit to you that God's intention for us when we come together is something totally different. The whole purpose of Praise and Worship (which is a lifestyle) is to bring us to a point of total surrender unto God which will allow Him to move.

The effectiveness of Praise and Worship in a congregational setting depends on the understanding of the people involved. Understanding comes from teaching. The teaching comes from the leadership. If  leadership doesn't teach the concept then the concept cannot be applied effectively. Most of our congregations have not been taught to Praise and Worship in a way that ushers in the Glory of God.  Most of us have been taught to react to "Feelings" thus creating an atmosphere where one has to be "Prodded" or "Pumped Up" to do something. All of this leads to some of the carnal comments that are made by Praise Leaders just to get us to participate in something that is supposed to be lovely, refreshing and life-changing.

This leads me to my comments about Praise Leaders. I am one so I am speaking to myself as well. We need to stop using certain catch phrases because they are not working and they create a FALSE atmosphere. While it is our job to lead the people, it is not our job to judge the people. Here are some of the phrases and why you shouldn't use them.

1. "Come on and let ME hear you tell Him that you love Him" or "Come on let Me hear you Praise Him".    Any Phrase with the word "Me" in it is not a phrase that is going to lead the people toward the Glory of God. You are the leader have put yourself in the judgement seat as to whether the congregant is accurately worshiping the Lord or not.

2.  "Touch Your Neighbor and tell them ............"  . This phrase, in my opinion is not a bad phrase as long as you explain the reason for asking someone to touch their neighbor. If I use it I often explain to the congregation that this is an attempt for us to witness to each other or share a brief testimony which is a biblical thing to do and it will get you a greater response. It's when we use it "25" times in one service that makes it ridiculous and totally unnecessary. By no means should you ever ask someone to "Slap Their Neighbor" . If you slap me.............well that's another blog.

3. "Lift up your hands, open up your mouth and Praise Him". This phrase is used by someone every almost every Sunday in many of our churches. Here's the problem "The one making the command is usually the one not doing it" (Lol) . The leader is often watching, standing in a seat of judgement as to whether the congregation is doing what THEY commanded INSTEAD of "leading by example". As the leader YOU should first open up YOUR mouth and bless HIM and then you can encourage others to do so as well as David said "Oh Magnify The Lord With Me" but before he made that statement he gave God a personal praise in the 2 versus before He invited others to join Him in (Psalm 34:1-3).

4. "What's The Highest Praise" and everyone responds "Hallelujah". There is only one problem, I can't find that phrase anywhere in the bible and it also suggests that one has reach their pinnacle in praise to God by merely saying or shouting the word itself. Romans 12:1 states that we should offer our bodies as a living sacrifice which is your reasonable service. With that being the case, then Hallelujah is NOT the "Highest Praise" but rather a High Praise which lines up with bible more accurately ( Psalm 149:1). The Highest Praise unto the Lord is a lifestyle dedicated to him.

5. "When The Praises Go "UP" the Blessings come "DOWN" This is NOT false statement but it is false in how we imply to our congregations that the blessings are mostly material rather than spiritual. It is the spiritual blessings that really come down like Joy, Peace, Self-Control etc. Those are the real benefits of acting upon this phrase, not to say that God will not bless someone materially  because God can do anything. However that should not be the intent(in my opinion) in using this phrase.

These are just a few of the phrases, there are many more. I invite you to comment below on some of the phrases that you hear on Sunday so that we can discuss the meaning.I am attempting to get us to think and pray about how we approach our congregations or audiences. Remember we are lead to "Lead" and not "Command" If you insist on commanding then command yourself to Praise Him and maybe others will catch on based on your example.  Remember "Shepherds" lead sheep, they don't bang them over their heads with chastisement to try and get them to follow.  Have you ever noticed that when "REAL WORSHIP" comes into the room words become obsolete an inadequate.

Note: If you ever need something to say to the people of God in and attempt to create an atmosphere of worship, just use 'The Word". It still works and it will yield greater results then "Catch Phrases"  every time.

Peace
Phillip Carter