"So, what's in this for me?"
"Well done, good and faithful servant!"
The Revelation of the Mind of Christ
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Chapter 7 – A Faithful Worship Leader
Amen to Kauflin’s high view of Scripture when he says that the “worship industry isn’t the standard God has given us to determine our effectiveness. His Word is.” Therefore he writes we are we are called to be faithful to the Word and let God define our ministry. I like John MacArthur who similarly encouraged me as seminary student “Take care of the depth (going deep into God’s Word) and let God determine the breath (the scope and influence of your ministry).” I tell our leaders we need to pray for and develop “faithful men” who like 2 Timothy 2:2 will multiply and develop other faithful men. These men need to be KFAT (Knowledgable, Faithful, Available, and Teachable).
I agree that fame, human recognition, appeals to our pride can be the biggest temptation or hindrance to our faithfulness. Godliness is not measured by popularity, fame, money, influence (all the things the evil world values and promotes) but by God. I’ve often wondered when we get to heaven if we won’t be shocked when the famous preachers are not the most rewarded but rather the secret prayer warriors no one ever knew, the private givers no one ever recognized, or the faithful servants who were in the background and made possible all the “success” that than was errantly attributed all to the visible leader of the ministry.
It’s so hard to not be a man-pleaser but to be a God-pleaser who continually reviews and evaluates our ministry according to His eyes and the measuring rod of God’s Word – the cannon. It all comes down to our motive – are we as Kauflin writes preoccupied with the concert scene/mentality – caught up in technology, trying to emotionally move, stimulate, and please the crowd, or we focused first and foremost of being a true worshiper ourselves who genuinely and humbly is leading others by our own example of genuine worship to come before his throne of grace in adoration, thanksgiving, and worship to God?
Kauflin summarizes this tension well: “If we sow to immediate feelings, we’ll reap meetings driven by the pursuit of emotional highs. If we lead in such a way that we’re the center of attention, we’ll reap a man-centered focus, shallow compliments, and ungodly comparisons. On the other hand, if we sow to God’s glory in Christ, we’ll reap fruit of people in awe of God’s greatness and goodness.”
He ends with a great reminder for us – that we will be criticized no matter what we do – often for doing things Biblical that are right in God’s eyes but unpopular with sinners. I like his advice on how to handle the criticisms and pressure cooker of ministry. “Every criticism provides a fresh opportunity to examine our motives and actions to respond as those who have receive amazing mercy through the cross. Ultimately, the fruit of faithful leadership is knowing we’ve please the audience of One. Our joy doesn’t come from leading the perfect worship time, winning awards, or having a song on the worship charts. Our goal isn’t success, popularity, or personal fulfillment. It’s anticipating – by God’s grace and for the glory of Jesus Christ – that we’ll hear on that last day, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:21-23).”
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