Theology of Worship

DEFINITION OF WORSHIP

Worship is our response to who God is and what He has done for us in Christ.

First, worship is our response. It is a response because it is always God who acts first. He is the initiator. He created all that is, and so we join in creation’s song (Psalm 19:1). He gave us the breath of life, and so we breathe out His praise (Job 33:4). He was first to love us, and so we love Him in return (1 John 4:19).

Second, worship is our response to who God is. God is our Creator and therefore we belong to Him, body and soul (Colossians 1:16-17). God is holy and perfectly righteous (Psalm 119:42). Only He is worthy of worship because there is no one like Him in all of creation (1 Samuel 2:2).

Third, worship is our response to what God has done for us in Christ. Because God loved us so much, He pursued us into our darkness (John 12:46). He came down into the world He created, which was deeply fractured as a result of our sin (John 3:17). He became human to sympathize with us and to represent us, lived a perfect life for us to account us righteous, died the death which was ours to forgive us, and adopted us into His family to claim us (Ephesians 1:3-10). We were once lost but now found in Him (Luke 19:10). We were dead but made alive through Him (Ephesians 2:1, 4-5). This is the good news called the gospel. And this is what stirs the heart to worship God with all of our being; our heart, soul, mind and strength.

OUR FOUNDATIONS

  1.   The Gospel

    ·         The Gospel reveals our purpose, which is to worship God. (Genesis 2:15) 

    ·         Jesus, the true Word (logos), is the only way that The Holy One can be approached. Therefore, the whole worship service must be Gospel-centered and biblically saturated. The Word of God should be in and throughout the entire worship service in such a way that communicates God as creator, man as fallen and sinful, God as redeemer and God as restorer – the storyline of the Gospel. 

    ·         Trinitarian: if thoroughly biblical, then it will also be trinitarian: The liturgy of the service should always make clear that the salvation of man was purposed by God the Father, carried out by the Son and made effectual to us by the Holy Spirit. The Gospel is thoroughly trinitarian.

    “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.  But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
    Titus 3:3-7

    “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”
    Ephesians 2:1-5

     

    2.    Humility

    ·         God, because of his great love for us, willingly left his throne, became flesh and died a humiliating death in order to save us. “We are far worse than we imagined, and yet more loved than we dared hope.” - Keller  The Gospel neither allows us to become prideful or to excessively malign ourselves. Gospel humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it is thinking of ourselves less (CS Lewis).

    ·         Humility denotes authenticity and transparency. On more of this see this blog post: http://apageandapen.blogspot.com/2013/06/true-confidence-vs-self-justification.html

    Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
    Philippians 2:4-11

     

    3.    Unity

    ·         We are the bride of Christ, the Church, which is the community of His elect. As such, our obligation is not to ourselves only, but to our brothers and sisters. We are not our own, but belong to God, who has purchased us to be members of His new Family.

    “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”
    Psalm 133:1

    There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”
    Galatians 3:28-29

    “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”
    1 Corinthians 1:10

    4.    Excellence

    ·         Our time, our talent, our possessions, every breath is a gift from the Lord. They are not ours, they belong to him, and therefore are to be used for His glory. We are not building our own kingdoms, but together are a part of building His.

    ·         Pursuing excellence means we take stewardship seriously. Stewardship is honing your craft (instrumentally, vocally, technologically...etc). It can also mean taking responsibility and ownership of the worship space, by keeping it neat, tidy and distraction-free.

    ·         God gave us his very best, His only Son. When we see His sacrifice for us, and the deep love He has for us, our only appropriate response can be to do all that we do in life with excellence for His excellent Name. This is especially true in the context of corporate worship.  

    ·         When worship is planned and led with excellence it should stir the whole person to respond to the Lord in worship (mind, heart and body). For more on this see: http://www.pray.org/articles/worship-the-whole-person/

     

    “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
    1 Corinthians 10:31

    “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
    Colossians 3:17

    “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”
    2 Peter 1:3 

    “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
    Colossians 3:23-24 

    “Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”
    Ephesians 6:7-8
     

    5.    Engagement

    ·         When the Gospel has sunk into our hearts it will inevitably cause us to rejoice and tell others who don’t know, and engage the redeemed to join in with praise, as David does, “Oh magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together.” Ps. 34:3 After the Gospel has humbled and unified us, it pushes us toward excellence in everything we do (as stated above). And excellent worship leadership will always be engaging. It means radiating on our faces, in our words, and through our bodies what God has done on the inside. It means outwardly expressing the fact that God has inwardly raised us from the dead. Engagement is rallying the redeemed to join in this celebration.

    Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King about all gods. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
    Psalm 95:1-2, 6 

    “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
    1 Corinthians 9:19-23 

    “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”
    Psalm 63:2-3 

    “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
    Psalm 34:1-3

WHO WE ARE (Cultural Values)

  • We submit to the Word of God.

  • We love and worship Jesus above everything.

  • We rely on the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer.

  • We are a community of servant leaders.

  • We celebrate each others’ gifts and abilities.

  • We choose servanthood over stardom.

  • We are not moved by applause or criticism.

  • We value excellence in everything we do.

  • We focus on character over competency.

  • We boldly proclaim the gospel to the world.

MUSICAL ARTS

We celebrate the unique gifts and talents of each musician that calls The Mount home. We believe that music is a vehicle through which the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed to those in need of hope. Our goal is to build a culture in which musical artists can honor God with their creativity, but we are much more than a “music program.” We believe our calling is to encourage our congregation to join us in worshiping King Jesus with passion during our corporate gatherings.

BAND MINISTRY
Our band is comprised of vocalists, guitarists, keyboardists and drummers who desire to learn and grow as musicians and as leaders. These musicians must connect with God on a personal level as well as engage with the congregation when leading worship.

TECHNICAL ARTS

The Technical Arts Ministry at The Mount offers an opportunity for creative people to powerfully connect others with the message of the gospel. The Mount seeks to build a culture in which technical artists serve as worship leaders from the back of the room rather than on platform. Our technical artists serve in some of the most crucial leadership roles each week, oftentimes without being seen or recognized. A servant’s heart is key to this important ministry.

AUDIO
Operating a sound board is primarily about helping others to hear God’s Word. Whether the listener is in the worship center with us or watching online, “how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14) We offer help and training for anyone who wants to grow in this important craft. This role requires a good musical ear and a willingness to give and receive feedback.

GRAPHICS
Our graphics operators are responsible for cueing all graphic content that is projected on screen. Song lyrics, scripture, sermon content, and videos must be displayed in a timely manner in order to remove distractions.

LIGHTING
Our lighting operators help people direct their attention to what is happening on the platform. Our lighting is designed to create a worshipful atmosphere free of distractions.

CAMERA
We operate three cameras to livestream our services. The importance of camera ops is felt both in the live environment as well as online. People from all over the world are able to hear God’s Word through our online presence.