The Art of Exhortation

From the Worship Leader series.

 

We must never assume that simply because people are gathered together in one place, they are necessarily ready to worship. They seem to be ready, but they must in fact be brought to a place of readiness. The people do not need whipping-they have been battered by the world all week long! Rather, through loving understanding and prophetic anointing, the leader should bring them to a place of open surrender to the Holy Spirit.

It is when the people are insufficiently responsive that the worship leader learns the value of the art of exhortation. I refer to this as an “art” simply because exhortation, like preaching or teaching, is a learned ability. Some may feel it is inconsistent with their personalities to become an exhorter, but if God has called us to lead worship, he has also called us to fulfill all the dynamics of that role that are necessary to provide proper direction for god’s people. Without the use of exhortation, our effectiveness as worship leaders will be greatly limited. There are times when an appropriate exhortation is the best way to encourage the people toward a certain response.

Exhortation is neither coercion nor manipulation; it falls into the area of persuasion. Paul wrote, “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade me” (2 Corinthians 5:11), and he commanded Timothy, “These things teach and exhort” (Timothy 6:2, KJV).

We should deliver an exhortation with firmness and confidence. “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:11). We should speak up so that we will be heard-not mumbling into the microphone, but resolutely so all can hear our words. How tempting it is, under the guise of “exhorting,” to take out our frustrations on the people and whip them verbally with a “Thus saith the Lord!”

Frequently I will plan an exhortation at the same time I am planning the songs to be sung. If I have scripture or nugget of truth already tucked in a corner of my mind, it is easily available to me during the service, and I can draw upon that scripture or idea at any time in order to formulate a positive exhortation. I will not use the exhortation if the worship is reaching a crescendo, but if the service is waning, I will ask the lord if it is time for me to share the exhortation I have prepared. I am usually more effective in the area of exhortation if I have something prepared, much like a preacher is more effective after preparation. I also maintain a listing of scriptures that are especially useful when exhorting the people to increased praise or worship, and this list is a valuable resource when I need a springboard for an exhortation.

Exhortation, properly expressed, should actually function under a prophetic anointing. Many times a wisely expressed exhortation is ideal for correcting difficult situations in worship or giving direction to the worship. God’s people do respond to exhortation. At times when they are not properly exercising their will to praise, a positive exhortation can help them become aware of their laziness inspire them to renewed enthusiasm.

We must be careful, though, that we do not abuse our privilege of exhorting the people. Some worship leaders have become so “preachy”during the worship time that their pastors have forbidden them to do anything but lead in singing. Our exhortations should be kept short and to the point. We should not simply repeat the words of the song at hand but should contribute something unique that will augment what the current song is saying.

Most worship leaders are able to function well when everything is going fine. But what do we do when we encounter rough waters? How should we feel and act when nothing seems to get the worship service “off the ground,” and the worship ends in what we perceive to be a failure? These times are never easy, but there are some principles that will help guide us through them, and they can contribute to our learning and development.

Worship leaders seem to be continually frustrated with those who are unresponsive in worship. People will refrain from openly worshiping with all their hearts for a variety of reasons, but one key reason is because of the natural tendency of people to be inhibited in a public gathering, unless it is socially acceptable to be enthusiastic (for example, at a sports event or a political rally). In our society, to be socially acceptable in a religious convocation, one should be very conservative and refined. Church is not thought of as a place to be enthusiastic and excited; “church” seems synonymous with “quiet and dignified.”

Individuals will be even more inhibited if they do not know anyone in the church. Since many people have difficulty being open and communicative with someone as close to them as their spouse, we can expect them to be even more introverted in a public place of worship. If worship leaders do not understand these social ramifications in worship, they will become annoyed and frustrated at the people’s unresponsiveness.

The challenge to the worship leaders, through the prophetic anointing of the Holy Spirit, is to help the congregation open their hearts to God’s love. When we find that nothing works, our natural and immediate reaction is “What am I supposed to do??” This is the time when we must hear from god for that specific situation and not only discern what is holding back God’s people but also know how to initiate a solution. It is one thing to know what the problem is; it is quite another thing to have the godly wisdom to deal with that problem. How reassuring it is to know that we can ask the lord for a “word of knowledge” to reveal the problem and also a “word of wisdom” to know what to do about it. No amount of preparing song lists will equip us to minister effectively to these types of problems. But time spent in prayer will cultivate the sensitivity that is necessary to discern the Spirit’s guidance during the worship service.

When we are looking over the congregation to see how the people are participating, it can be unnerving if we see several folds who appear to be “out of it.” We must not become disconcerted by the appearance of people. I remember being part of a worship team in one service in which a certain gentleman scowled at us for the duration of the service. I was convinced he had barely tolerated the entire thing. Afterward, however, he was very warm in expressing his sincere appreciation to us. That taught me the important lesson that we cannot always “read” someone’s receptivity by the expression on his or her countenance. Some people can thoroughly enjoy a worship service but look miserable throughout. If the expressions on the people’s faces discourage us, let’s stop looking at them! We can place our affection on the Lord, radiate his joy, and stop fretting about people’s response or lack thereof.

Some churches encounter the problem of their worship style being offensive to visitors. Some people will always be ‘offended” by the genuine move of the Spirit, and that is similar to the offense” our worship incurs, we can rejoice, for Jesus told us we would share his reproach. Genuine forms of praise and worship will not be repulsive to those whose hearts are pure before God. On the other had, we can boisterous and insensitive to culturally unacceptable forms of expression dance is an acceptable for of expression in our culture, but if it is executed by an obese person with no artistic from. Then perhaps visitors have grounds to be “offended.” Let us guard the impression we give visitors so that we might never be accused (legitimately) of behaving indecently or improperly. If they stumble, may it be at the offense of the cross and not because of carnal manifestations of emotionalism.

In many fellowships where standing is common, people complain of getting tired, and they consequently do not enjoy the length of the worship service. Many elderly folks simply do not have the endurance of their youth. What should a worship leader do when the people complain of getting tired, and they consequently do not enjoy the length of the worship service? Many elderly folks simply do not have the endurance of their youth. What should a worship leader do when the people tend to get tired while standing for protracted periods of time?

The solution that has worked best for me is one I adopted while I was director of music and worship leader at Elim bible Institute. I decided that I was tired of “orchestrating” the worship- telling people when to stand, when to sit, when to lift their hands, and so on. So I determined that I would o longer tell people when to stand or sit.

Instead, one Sunday morning I told the congregation that I was going to change permanently my approach to worship. I explained that I was no longer going to tell them when to stand or when to sit. Furthermore, I emphasized the importance of standing in worship and explained that nowhere in the Bible is sitting given as a proper posture in worship. I exhorted them to stand before the Lord, but to do so on their own initiative. It old them to stand when they wanted, worship a while, and if they got tire (as some older folks will) they could sit for a brief reprieve.

When we began to follow this plan, we found there were some who stood almost immediately when the service began, and many would follow. Some would wait until they felt moved upon by the Spirit, and then they would stand. There were others who would sit and pout throughout the entire service and do nothing. But, generally speaking, I found the new approach worked quite well.

Let me offer a word of caution to any who contemplate using this approach; you will have to be patient with your people, because some saints have been conditioned for so long to follow every move of the worship leader that they will be totally uncomfortable at first with being free to use their own initiative. But stick with it, and you will be able to condition them positively in the opposite way so they will become responsive to the Holy Spirit rather than to the cues of the worship leader. It may take some time before the people begin to stand of their own initiative in praise unto the Lord, but they will soon realize that if they do not take any initiative, the entire worship service will pass them by and they will have missed out! You may find it necessary to reiterate your intentions and desires several times, because sometimes our “sheep” pretend not to understand. It will take them a while to comprehend the fact that you are serious about not “orchestrating” their praise. Be ready for some “rocky” worship service, about remember that things are always turbulent when we are jarred out of our ruts and that they will improve!

PR

Excerpted from Worship Update, 1st Quarter 1996. Copyright 1997 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. Used by permission.