Responsibility, deadlines, appointments can all come crashing down to squeeze the leader’s schedule. With no clear decision, and mostly without awareness, the leader begins the “leadership run”. Each day they hit the floor running, excited, hectic. One day is skipped in worship and then another. And then the weekend assignment pulls their focus to their “speaking” and anxiously await the last song. Subtly, without awareness, there is a shift in the leader from a center where the Lord loves, blesses and transforms, to doing, speaking, and performing.
Paul’s impact was rooted in worship. Acts 13, the commissioning, flows out of worship – corporate worship. It was more than just his vision and his calling. The body gathered was aware, the body, whatever the size, was also being led to this commissioning. The implications of this alone are huge. Who commissions a leader? Does that commissioning also include a welcome mat and a community for the leader to come home to and refresh?
Corporate worship (the size of the body is not significant but it should be a body, a group beyond our family who affirms what the Lord is doing) is not optional for leaders. God moves in those moments, blesses, sends, convicts.
Paul’s personal worship is reflected in his wrestling with the “thorn”. The implication is that he is doing the inner work with the Lord. He is processing his life, his calling, his setting and heartaches with the Lord.
AND WE WONDER WHY HE WAS SO POWERFUL?????
Charismatic leaders can skate by on their quick wit, their ability to shape words and turn phrases. But real spiritual power goes deeper than personality. It flows from a center beyond our “created strengths” to the blessing of our creator. It flows from the worship of the leader whose confidence is not rooted in the stage nor the applause, but in their calling, in the word that the Lord has spoken TO THEM, not just through them. Powerful leaders have lives of worship, patterns where they are not always the leader, the speaker, the authority, but instead sit under the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth!
Worship is more than just a Sunday gig, a few songs and some “teacher” laying it out. It is a heart of surrender going to the place where God often moves and speaks, going not to evaluate or think “how would I do that,” but going as submission to the head of the body. Worship is not optional for those who desire to be greatly used by the Lord.
When we are too busy to worship we are too busy to lead!