Many Christians understand worship as a specific time in the scheduled gathering of believers when the band plays, and someone at the front of the gathering leads the congregation to sing, lift their hands, etc. The word "worship" is so often used to describe this time of the gathering together that the general understanding of the word has seemingly shrunk to meet the most common uses of the word.
Sometimes church leaders will use the word "worship" to describe a posture of the body, but even that still limits the fullness of what worship really is. Blame English language speakers, if you like, as English words are reassigned meanings by various generations and often used in ways that limit all of what that word could relate. So here’s a bit about me… I am called a "worship leader" so I know reference that is being made when terms like "worship service", "time of worship", "worship leader", are used. In fact, I use these terms myself. See, not only do I serve the body of Christ as a "worship leader" I'm also a pastor's kid; churchology & terminology of modern Christians used to organize the gathering together is familiar in my life.
Jerimiah, the Old Testament prophet, is recorded in 20:7-18 complaining about how God is using him but then says, "It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!" Let's just say I totally relate (though thankfully what God speaks through me are not warnings of violence & destruction). There have been times when I’ve said, “I’m not going to lead anymore, these people are not interested in worship, they’re making jokes about You and me, they’re saying unkind things…“ God would gently remind me “It’s not about you Liz, worship is for Me not you and the way the people live says everything about how they relate to Me” after which my thin, whinny complaints disappeared like vapor.
I’ve come to experience, through relationship with God and His work of regeneration in me, that worship is “like a fire in my bones” it’s in my DNA and I feel it. Like a kid feels energy and wants to run and play I feel life within me, it’s worship and I want to run/sing/live for God. Worship in my life looks like this: loving people, being in relationship with others, and yes leading them to worship with their life not just during a song. I’ve come to the place of knowing that living worship has little to do with my musical or vocal abilities; and while those two talents are helpful and beneficial in service to the body of Christ around me, worship is directly related to walking with God and letting Him shine through me to the others around me.
Worship is how I live!
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